Screening for major depression disorders in adolescent medical outpatients with the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care.

PURPOSE: To ascertain the psychometric characteristics of the Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC) among adolescents (12-17 years old) scheduled for health maintenance examinations, and to determine the effectiveness of the BDI-PC in screening the adolescents for Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, major depression disorders (MDD).

METHODS

The BDI-PC was administered to 50 male and 50 female adolescents who received pediatric health maintenance examinations. The diagnosis of MDD was established with the Mood Module from the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders.

RESULTS

The internal consistency of the BDI-PC was high (Cronbach alpha = .88), and it was not significantly associated with gender, ethnicity, age, or having a medical disorder. A cutoff score of > or = 4 had both 91% sensitivity and specificity rates for identifying adolescents with and without MDD.

CONCLUSIONS

The BDI-PC is a useful instrument for screening for clinical depression in adolescents receiving routine medical examinations.