Structural analysis of the Beck Depression Inventory short version (BDI-13)

Depression is known as the disease of the century, being one of the most common mental disorders nowadays. We aimed to validate the reduced version of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) for Brazilian Portuguese. To achieve this goal, we conducted two studies. The first study (N = 268) had the purpose of knowing the exploratory factorial structure of the BDI-13 through the analysis of the main components, as well as the analysis of internal consistency. The results showed a one-dimensional structure comprising the 13 items. The second study (N = 250) aimed to confirm the structure present in the first study, testing alternative models of factorial structures, through confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicated that the most suitable model is the three-dimensional model, presenting the best indexes of adjustment. The present scale presented factor validity as well as adequate internal consistency for research purposes.