Numerous studies have been previously conducted to assess the Beck Depression Inventory-II's [BDI II; Beck et al., 1996] psychometric properties. However, none of these studies has examined whether the original cut-off scores were applicable to other cultures. Thus, in addition to evaluating its psychometric properties, we also determined the cut-off scores of the BDI II for the Turkish population. Data from nonclinical (n = 362) and clinical psychiatric outpatients diagnosed as depressive disorder according to DSM-IV criteria (n = 176) were gathered. Analyses for internal consistency and test-retest reliabilities and for convergent and discriminant validities were computed. Two confirmatory factor analyses, one derived from the present exploratory factor analyses and the other proposed in the original study were conducted for both groups. A receiver operating characteristics curve was utilized to determine the cut-off scores for the Turkish population revealing 0-12 for minimal, 13-18 for mild, 19-28 for moderate and 29-63 for severe depression. The internal consistency for the nonclinical and clinical groups were .90 and .89, respectively; test-retest stability was also high (r = .94). Convergent and discriminant validity results were satisfactory. Findings confirmed the present model for the clinical group and equally confirmed both models for the nonclinical group. Furthermore, the cut-off scores to classify minimal, mild, moderate, and severe depression were quite akin to the cut-off points previously suggested for the American population. Taken as a whole our findings revealed that BDI II has sound psychometric properties and comparable cut-off scores for the Turkish population.

The majority of eligible children cannot access early intervention services in Turkey, often because they are not assessed. The authors adapted the Ages and Stages Questionnaires (ASQ) for Turkish children ages 3 to 72 months. Study participants consisted of 375 children who were classified as at risk for developmental delays, 564 children considered not at risk for developmental delays (both groups according to standardized assessments), and 39 children with known disabilities. The ROC analyses indicated that a two-domain criterion for classification would be used to classify children as at risk, unlike the original ASQ, which had a one-domain classification. The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of ASQ were .94, .85, .97, and .75, respectively. Test—retest and interrater reliabilities calculated as overall percentage agreements were found to be 82% and 87%, respectively. The results demonstrated that the ASQ could be used to screen Turkish children who are at risk for developmental delays.

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The current study examined the psychometric properties and cut-off scores of the Beck Depression Inventory II in Turkish adolescents. A total of 503 non-clinical and 166 clinical adolescents participated in the study. Test-retest (r = .89) and internal consistency (alpha = .90) reliabilities, convergent validity (r = .81) and discriminant validities (r = .39, r = .49 and r = .42) were satisfactory. Exploratory factor analyses yielded two factors. The cut-off score for mild depression in Turkish adolescents was lower than that reported previously for adults. The findings are discussed in relation to those of previous studies conducted in other countries.

The current study was designed to investigate the changes that occur in depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive symptoms and health-related quality of life during methylphenidate (MPH) treatment in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Forty-five treatment naive children with ADHD, aged 8-14, were assessed based on self, parent and teacher reports at the baseline and at the end of the first and third month of MPH treatment regarding changes in inattention, hyperactivity, impulsivity, depression, anxiety and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Changes in the quality of life were also noted. Repeated measures of analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests with Bonferroni corrections were conducted in order to evaluate the data. Symptoms of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity were significantly reduced (p < 0.017) following a three-month MPH treatment. There were significant decreases in depression (p = 0.004), trait anxiety (p = 0.000) and checking compulsion symptom scores (p = 0.001). Moreover, parents reported significant improvements in psychosocial (p = 0.001) and total scores (p = 0.009) of quality of life, despite no change in physical health scores (p > 0.05). Children's ratings of quality of life measures showed no significant changes in physical health and psychosocial scores (p > 0.05), while total scores significantly improved (p = 0.001) after the treatment. Over a three-month MPH treatment, depression, trait anxiety and checking compulsion symptoms decreased and quality of life seemed to improve along with those of inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.