Factorial invariance and latent mean differences of the Beck Depression Inventory – second edition (BDI-II) across gender in South African university students

Symptoms of ADHD and Other Common Mental Disorders Influence Academic Success in South African Undergraduates

OBJECTIVE

ADHD symptoms are highly prevalent among university students. These symptoms, particularly the inattentive cluster, predispose students to poorer academic performance and worse academic adjustment. Moreover, ADHD symptoms are often comorbid with other common mental disorders; this comorbidity also leads to poor outcomes. South African students often have fewer resources to successfully transition to university. Hence, our longitudinal study used data from a sample of South African first-year undergraduate students to investigate (a) associations between ADHD symptoms and academic performance/adjustment, (b) separate influences of the inattentive and hyperactivity-impulsivity clusters on academic performance/adjustment, and (c) the influence of the combination of ADHD and psychiatric comorbidities on academic performance/adjustment.

METHOD

We collected data three times through the first semester of 2023. Predictors within our regression models included sociodemographic variables, psychological variables (self-reported symptoms of ADHD, depression, anxiety, and risky alcohol use), and high school academic performance. Outcomes were first-semester GPA and self-reported academic adjustment (magnitude of change across the semester and overall adjustment at the end of the semester).

RESULTS

Analyses showed that, unlike academic performance (N = 506), magnitude of change in academic adjustment (N = 180) was significantly predicted by ADHD symptoms and the combination of ADHD (p = .02), depression (p < .001), and anxiety symptoms (p = .01). Inattentive ADHD symptoms predicted both academic performance and magnitude of change in academic adjustment.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings suggest that the presence of ADHD symptoms (both with and without other common mental disorders) is associated with a smaller magnitude of academic adjustment, and that the presence of inattentive symptoms of ADHD is associated with both poorer academic performance and smaller magnitude of academic adjustment. These findings are significant in informing future interventions targeting the academic outcomes of first-year university students.

Sex Differences in Depression and Anxiety Symptoms: Measurement Invariance, Prevalence, and Symptom Heterogeneity Among University Students in South Africa

Adequate measurement is an essential component of the assessment of mental health disorders and symptoms such as depression and anxiety. The present study investigated sex-specific differences in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). This comprehensive cross-sectional design study pursued four objectives: measurement invariance of PHQ-9 and GAD-7 between male and female; depression and anxiety prevalence differences; cross-sex differences in the relationship between depression and anxiety; and a comparison of symptom heterogeneity. A sample of 1966 (male = 592; female = 1374; mean age = 21 years) students from South Africa completed the PHQ-9 and the GAD-7. Data analyses for measurement invariance, latent class analysis, inter-variable correlations and group comparisons were conducted in Mplus. The two-dimensional PHQ-9 achieved scalar invariance, while the GAD-7 yielded metric invariance. The somatic and non-somatic latent dimensions of depression were compared and showed no significant difference between male and female groups. The positive relationship between depression and anxiety was also not significantly different between the two groups. While the PHQ-9 symptoms formed three classes in the male group, and four classes in the female group, the GAD-7 had the same number of classes (three) and a similar pattern between the two groups. These findings hold implications for the measurement, assessment and understanding of symptom manifestation and distribution, as well as the treatment of depression and anxiety in South Africa.

The Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II With Middle School Teachers

As previous researchers have found, like other parts of the world, depression is prevalent among middle school teachers in China. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) has been widely used to detect depression among workers in different careers all over the world and has shown good scale properties but inconsistent factor structures. To examine the psychometric properties of the BDI-II among middle school teachers, a nationally representative sample of 4,672 valid cases from 688 middle schools were included. We first generated a new bifactor model based on exploratory factor analysis and agglomerate cluster analysis of the residual item correlations and then validated the modes and examined measurement invariance across gender and school location with multiple-group confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Results indicated that (1) a new bifactor model with a general factor and two group factors (cognitive-affective group factor and somatic group factor) fitted well to the data [WLSMV χ² = 745.651, df = 173, P < 0.001, CFI = 0.983, TLI = 0.979, RMSEA = 0.037; 90% CI (0.035, 0.040)]; Omega values for the three factors varied from 0.88 to 0.92; (2) measurement invariance tests indicated that the BDI-II could equally measure depression of middle school teachers across gender and school location groups. All the findings suggest that the BDI-II is a self-report inventory with good psychometric properties for measuring depression among middle school teachers in China.

Factorial structure of the Beck Depression Inventory for depression in university students

ABSTRACT Objective To explore the dimensionality of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) among Colombian college students. Methods A validation study was designed, involving the participation of a sample of 786 health science students (medicine, nursing, and psychology) aged between 18 and 27 (M=20.0, SD = 1.9). The participants completed the 21-item BDI. Internal consistency was calculated (Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega) and dimensionality was demonstrated using factorial confirmatory analysis (CFA). Results The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) measure of sampling adequacy was high (0.898) and the Bartlett's sphericity test gave excellent results (chi-square = 3,102.60; df = 210; p < 0.001). One-, two- and three-dimensional models were used. The unidimensional model performed best, representing 24.8% of the total variance, high internal consistency, a Cronbach's alpha of 0.83 and a McDonald's omega of 0.84. However, the CFA did not fit adequately (chi-square = 583.79; df = 189; p < 0.001, RMSEA = 0.052, CI 90% 0.047-0.056, CFI = 0.87, TLI = 0.85 and SMSR = 0.04). Conclusions The best factor solution for the BDI is given by the unidimensional model, which presents high internal consistency. However, its adjustment in the CFA is not acceptable.