Investigated whether the predictive validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) could be enhanced by having subjects (N=600 students) complete current and projected BDI protocols. Results confirmed that BDI scores typically decline with repeated administrations, suggesting the BDI does not discriminate between stable and unstable forms of…

Two approaches are used to assess the one-month stability of depression affect in college students: (1) a high retest correlation is demonstrated for a latent depressive affect construct using self-reports from the previous month; and (2) predictive validity of depressive categorization is examined using logistic regression techniques. (Author/LMO)

Research directed toward examining clinical depression among college students requires valid criterion measures for identifying depressed individuals. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the most widely-used self-report screening instrument for identifying depressed college students, has been criticized for its heavy emphasis on cognitive items…