Exploratory factor analytical study of depressive symptomatology: An Arab experience with a sample comprising college students, using the revised Beck Depression Inventory

Abstract

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVESAn understanding of the domains of depressive symptomatology could facilitate valid and interpretable comparisons across cultures. The objective of the present study was to assess the factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) in an Arab sample comprising college students, in comparison to the international data.DESIGN AND SETTINGCross-sectional questionnaire survey of Arab college students in their classrooms over a 1-year period.PATIENTS AND METHODSParticipants (n=624) who completed the questionnaire, which had been translated into Arabic, during the 2007–2008 academic session. Exploratory factor analysis was done by principal axis factoring with oblique rotation.RESULTSFactor 1 consisted of psychological symptoms. Factor 2 mainly comprised somatic symptoms, but with some affective symptoms (loss of interest, irritability). Factor 3 also belonged to a purely psychological domain, whereas factor 4 was another mixture of somatic and psychological symptoms (41.8% of variance explained). Thus the four domains were as follows: cognitive I, somatic-affective I, cognitive II, and somatic-affective II. These domains were similar in construct to the original subscales on which the BDI-II was validated for students in North America. Our four-factor solution fulfilled the recommended criteria, namely, a strong first factor, simple structure (parsimony), and stable factors with construct meanings that are in line with theory.CONCLUSIONOur factor structure defined depression in a manner consistent with theory, in that sadness, self-dislike, and guilt feelings defined the cognitive domain. whereas irritability and changes in sleep pattern and appetite mostly defined the somatic-affective domain. The BDI-II has construct validity across cultures.

The Kessler psychological distress scale: translation and validation of an Arabic version

“…Interestingly, the mean score for somatic symptoms was situated in the high range for the SSS-8. This finding may suggest cultural variations in presentations of mental health symptomology, consistent with previous studies with Arabic samples [ 37 ] and the broader, well-documented phenomenon of “idioms of distress” among trauma survivors [ 38 ]. As such, it might prove prudent for practitioners and researchers in OPT and other areas with Arabic-speaking populations to use both the K6 and the SSS-8 for clinical assessments.…”

Promoting the internationalization of evidence‐based practice: Benchmarking as a strategy to evaluate culturally transported psychological treatments.

“…Next, the psychologists should select an outcome measure that matches the one used in the benchmark. The Beck Depression Inventory–II (BDI-II) is a defensible measure for the psychologists to use, as it is commonly used in Western research, has a factor structure consistent with theory and adequate psychometric properties when translated into Arabic (Alansari, 2006; Al-Musawi, 2001; Al-Turkait & Ohaeri, 2012), and is often used by therapists in clinical practice to measure symptom change during treatment. The psychologists next need to ensure that the measure is administered on a similar schedule as the benchmark so that differences in the timing of assessment do not confuse the evaluation results.…”