A confirmatory factor analysis of the beck anxiety inventory in Latinx primary care patients

Psychometric Properties and Cross-Cultural Invariance of the Beck Depression Inventory-II and Beck Anxiety Inventory among a Representative Sample of Spanish, Portuguese, and Brazilian Undergraduate Students

Clinical psychologists often use the Beck Depression Inventory, 2nd edition (BDI-II), and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to aid in the diagnosis of mental health issues and verify the effectiveness of treatments. Despite this common practice, studies that implement a cross-cultural design to check psychometric properties and the invariance of these scales are still scarce in the literature, which can lead to biased results that prevent comparisons among different groups. The present study investigated the internal structure of both tools and their level of invariance. From a representative sample of undergraduate students from Spain (n = 1216), Portugal (n = 426), and Brazil (n = 315), Confirmatory Factor Analysis and Multigroup Confirmatory Factor Analysis were performed. The results revealed suitable fit indices for the two-factor structure of the BDI-II and BAI, assessed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis procedures. Additionally, the two-factor model of the BDI-II reached invariant properties at three levels, whereas the structural model of the BAI did not. Altogether, these results suggest using the BDI-II in this group in these three countries and imply that BAI scores should be interpreted cautiously.

Inventario de Ansiedad de Beck: validez estructural y fiabilidad a través de distintos métodos de estimación en población argentina

La validez y fiabilidad como propiedades psicométricas consisten en complejos procesos que deben ser revisados constantemente para garantizar la correcta utilización de un instrumento de medición. Por tanto, en el presente estudio se indagó respecto a la validez estructural, la validez factorial y la fiabilidad del Inventario de Ansiedad de Beck (BAI) en su adaptación argentina, a partir de diferentes métodos en una muestra de 746 participantes (Medad = 33.49, DE = 10.55) pertenecientes a la ciudad de Buenos Aires y al conurbano Bonaerense, en Argentina. Específicamente, se realizaron análisis factoriales confirmatorios para probar los modelos de una, dos y cuatro dimensiones, utilizando los métodos de estimación de mínimos cuadrados no ponderados, máxima verosimilitud robusto, mínimos cuadrados ponderados diagonales, y mínimos cuadrados generalizados robusto. Adicional a esto, se indagó respecto a la fiabilidad de la prueba mediante el alfa, omega, glb algebraico y factorial, H, beta, y theta. Los resultados indican que el modelo unidimensional mostró mejores índices de bondad de ajuste independientemente del método de estimación; y que todos los índices de fiabilidad obtenidos fueron aceptables. Esta investigación aporta sólidas evidencias sobre la validez estructural y la fiabilidad del BAI.

¡No me duele cuando me deprimo!: An Examination of Ethnic Differences in Depression Symptoms Among Latinx and Non-Latinx Primary Care Patients

The research on ethnic differences in prevalence rates of depression is mixed. Additionally, culture has been hypothesized to impact symptom manifestation. The purpose of this study was to examine prevalence rates of depression among Spanish-speaking Latinx and non-Latinx White (NLW) primary care patients and explore ethnic differences in how depression symptoms manifest. Participants were 240 primary care patients who completed a demographic questionnaire and the Beck Depression-Inventory-2 (BDI-II). Latinx primary care patients had lower prevalence rates of depressive symptoms and less severe depressive symptoms than NLW primary care patients. Holding total BDI-II score constant, Latinxs also endorse pessimism, past failures, feelings of being punished, agitation, and problems with sleeping less than their NLW counterparts. This study adds support to research that indicates that Latinxs have lower rates of depression than NLWs and suggests that Latinxs are not more likely to endorse somatic complaints.