Normative Data for the Swedish Versions of the Beck Anxiety Index and Beck Depression Inventory—Version 2

Background Two of the most extensively utilized questionnaires for assessing symptoms of anxiety and depression are Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) and Beck Depression Inventory‐second version (BDI‐II). Aim Given the absence of normative data based on a representative Scandinavian cohort, the primary objective is to provide normative data from a representative Swedish general population sample and explore potential associations with sociodemographic variables. Methods Data was collected 2019 from a pre‐stratified Swedish adult population sample ( n = 2622). Results The average mean value showed: a mild level of anxiety (8.7 ± 9.5) and a minimal level of depression (3.4 ± 5.6). Higher BAI and BDI‐II scores were observed in women and younger individuals. There was an association between educational attainment and BDI‐II scores, where those with a bachelor's degree or higher reported a lower depression score. Results show that BAI and BDI‐II deviate from normality but demonstrate excellent internal consistency (McDonald's omega 0.92 and 0.91, respectively). BAI had a poor model fit (RMSEA) 0.11), while BDI‐II had a fair model fit (RMSEA 0.08). Discussion The present study presents normative data for BAI and BDI‐II based on a representative sample from the Swedish general population. The model fit was not ideal, indicating caution, particularly for BAI.