Evaluating Assessment Instruments

This paper reviews three instruments that assess depression: The BDI-FastScreen for Medical Patients, the Clinical Assessment of Depression, and the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale. These instruments assess depression in various populations including postpartum women, medical patients, children, and adults.

                                      BDI-FastScreen for Medical Patients

A. Title: BDI-FastScreen for Medical Patients (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

B. Author: Aaron T. Beck, Robert A. Steer, and Gregory K. Brown (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

C. Publisher: PsychCorp, A brand of Harcourt Assessment, Inc., 19500 Bulverde Road, San Antonio, TX (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

D. Forms, groups to which applicable: Previously called the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary and based on the Beck Depression Inventory-II. Designed for population ages 12 - 82 (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

E. Practical features: The BDI-FastScreen for Medical Patients is a self-report questionnaire containing seven psychological depression symptoms (Scheinthal, Steer, Giffin, & Beck, 2001). It is used by physicians assessing somatic and behavioral symptoms that may be associated with medical, biological or substance abuse problems. The seven items are rated on a 4-point scale (0-3) and assess frequency, over the past 2 weeks, of feelings of sadness, pessimism (hopelessness), sense of failure, loss of a sense of pleasure, loss of self-confidence, self-blame, and suicidal ideation. Corresponds to the DSM-IV-TR (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

F. General type: Serves as an indicator of depression as a result of medical, biological, or substance abuse problems (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

G. Date of publication: 2002 (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

H. Costs, booklets, answer sheets, scoring: 2003 price data: $67 per complete kit including manual and 50 score forms; $39 per manual; $39 per 50 record forms; $43 per 50 scannable record forms; quantity discounts available. Scoring is easily accomplished by summing the point values from the seven items, and interpreting total scores (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

I. Time required to administer: 5 minutes (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

J. Purpose for which evaluated: Designed to screen patients for depression that may be related to medical illness, chronic condition, or substance abuse (Beck, Steer, & Brown, 2003).

                                      Clinical Assessment of Depression

A. Title: Clinical Assessment of Depression (CAD)

B. Author: Bruce A. Bracken and Karen Howell (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

C. Publisher: Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc., 16204 N. Florida Avenue, Lutz, FL 33549-8119 (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

D. Forms, groups to which applicable: One version for children and adults age 8-79 (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

E. Practical features: 14 scores: 5 Symptom-Based Scale Scores (Depressed Mood, Anxiety/Worry, Diminished Interest, Cognitive and Physical Fatigue, Total), 3 Validity Scale Scores (Inconsistency, Negative Impression, Infrequency), 6 Critical Item Cluster Scores (Hopelessness, Self-Devaluation, Sleep/Fatigue, Failure, Worry, Nervous). The CAD is closely linked to the DSM-IV-TR criteria (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

F. General type: The CAD is an easily administered and scored instrument for depression that can be utilized with children and adults (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

G. Date of publication: 1994-2004 (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

H. Costs, booklets, answer sheets, scoring: 2007 price data: $130 per introductory kit including professional manual, 25 rating forms, and 25 score summary/profile forms; $185 per scoring program (CD-ROM) including unlimited scoring and reports. The test authors recommend that properly trained or licensed examiners use a five-step process that considers the total scores, the symptom scales, individual items, as well as interview data and other pertinent information. They also suggest when examiners interpret total scores, they consider the instrument's validity and symptom scales, and critical item clusters (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

I. Time required to administer: 10 minutes (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

J. Purpose for which evaluated: Designed to help clinicians assess and diagnose depression for
ages 8 to 79 (Bracken, & Howell, 2003).

                                   Postpartum Depression Screening Scale

A. Title: Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

B. Authors: Cheryl Tatano Beck and Robert K. Gable (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

C. Publisher: Western Psychological Services, 12031 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90025-1251 (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

D. Forms, groups to which applicable: One version for measuring postpartum depression in women ages 14-49 (Beck, & Gable, 2003). The first 7 items can be used as a short form (White, 2008). Designed for new mothers ages 14-49 (Beck & Gable, 2003)

E. Practical features: The PDSS is a 35-item paper-and-pencil, self-report that uses a 5-point Likert scale that varies between Strongly Disagree and Strongly Agree (Beck & Gable, 2003; White, 2008). It contains a validity scale composed of 10 item pairs to assess inconsistent responses and seven scales that measure symptom content: Sleeping/Eating Disturbances (5 items); Anxiety/Insecurity (5 items); Emotional Liability (5 items); Mental Confusion (5 items); Loss of Self (5 items); Guilt/Shame (5 items); and Suicidal Thoughts (5 items). May be orally administered (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

F. General type: The PDSS serves to identify women who are at risk for developing postpartum depression (Beck, & Gable, 2003). .

G. Date of publication: 2002 (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

H. Costs, booklets, answer sheets, scoring: 2005 price data: $72.50 per kit including manual (59 pages) and 25 AutoScore(tm) test forms; $32.50 per 25 AutoScore(tm) test forms; $45 per manual; $17.50 per 10 test forms in Spanish. Interpretation is straightforward using the scoring and summary sheets, which provide interpretive guidelines for the total score and for the symptom content scores (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

I. Time required to administer (5-10) minutes; (1-2) minutes for short form (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

J. Purpose for which evaluated: Designed to be a brief, easily administered, self-report inventory to assess the presence, severity, and type of postpartum depression in women ages 14 - 49 (Beck, & Gable, 2003).

References

Beck, C., T., & Gable, R. K. (2003). Review of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale. In B.S. Plake, J.C. Impara, & R.A. Spies (Eds.), The sixteenth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/

Beck, A., Steer, R., A., & Brown, G., K. (2003). Review of the BDI-FastScreen for Medical Patients. In B.S. Plake, J.C. Impara, & R.A. Spies (Eds.), The seventeenth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/

Bracken, B. A., & Howell, K. (2003). Review of the Clinical Assessment of Depression. In B.S. Plake, J.C. Impara, & R.A. Spies (Eds.), The seventeenth mental measurements yearbook. Lincoln, NE: Buros Institute of Mental Measurements. Retrieved from http://web.ebscohost.com.ezp.waldenulibrary.org/ehost/search/advanced?sid=0d 1420e6-f12e-4d6a-9d32-60376b6edaa7%40sessionmgr14&vid=1&hid=25

Scheinthal, S. M., Steer, R. A., Giffin, L., & Beck, A. T. (2001). Evaluating geriatric medical outpatients with the Beck Depression Inventory-FastScreen for Medical Patients. Aging & Mental Health, 5(2), 143-148. doi: 10.1080/13607860120038320

White, G. (2008). A comparison of the Postpartum Depression Screening Scale (PDSS) with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale. New Zealand College of Midwives Journal, 39, 28-32.