Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad
Introduction The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-53) was originally developed as a shorter alternative to the Symptom Checklist-90R, which captures a breath of psychopathology. Subsequently, the BSI-53 was further streamlined to an 18-item scale assessing psychological distress in terms of somatizati...
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Cambridge University Press
2021-04-01
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| Series: | European Psychiatry |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821010774/type/journal_article |
| _version_ | 1797617002490101760 |
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| author | C. Macdonald K. Brophy A. Coroiu E. Braehler A. Korner |
| author_facet | C. Macdonald K. Brophy A. Coroiu E. Braehler A. Korner |
| author_sort | C. Macdonald |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description |
Introduction
The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-53) was originally developed as a shorter alternative to the Symptom Checklist-90R, which captures a breath of psychopathology. Subsequently, the BSI-53 was further streamlined to an 18-item scale assessing psychological distress in terms of somatization (S), anxiety (A), and depression (D) – also known as the “SAD Triad”. The BSI-18 has been shown to have good validity in the German general population.
Objectives
The objective of the present study was to further improve the ease of use of the BSI as a clinical screening tool by developing a reliable and valid 9-item version of the BSI-18.
Methods
A representative sample of the German general population (N=2,516) was surveyed for demographic information and completed a variety of questionnaires, including the BSI-18. Confirmatory factor analyses, item-level statistics, and correlations were used to select three rather heterogeneous items for each subscale and confirm the model fit.
Results
The proposed 3-factor model of the BSI-9, corresponding to the SAD triad, demonstrated a good model fit. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was .87 for the total scale, .72 for the somatisation scale, .79 for the depression scale, and .68 for the anxiety scale. Each of the subscales were significantly related to the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 in the hypothesized direction.
Conclusions
The BSI-9 provides researchers and clinicians with a brief, effective, and valid tool to screen for anxiety, depression, and somatization, thus preventing potential overload for research participants and flagging patients who might need further clinical assessment.
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| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:48:13Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-65df3adb61ac4c159bb11fc095b81e54 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 0924-9338 1778-3585 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T07:48:13Z |
| publishDate | 2021-04-01 |
| publisher | Cambridge University Press |
| record_format | Article |
| series | European Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj.art-65df3adb61ac4c159bb11fc095b81e542023-11-17T05:07:07ZengCambridge University PressEuropean Psychiatry0924-93381778-35852021-04-0164S402S40210.1192/j.eurpsy.2021.1077Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD TriadC. Macdonald0K. Brophy1A. Coroiu2E. Braehler3A. Korner4Educational And Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaEducational And Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, CanadaSocial And Behavioural Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, United States of AmericaPsychology, Medical Center of the University of Leipzig, Leipzig, GermanyEducational And Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada Introduction The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-53) was originally developed as a shorter alternative to the Symptom Checklist-90R, which captures a breath of psychopathology. Subsequently, the BSI-53 was further streamlined to an 18-item scale assessing psychological distress in terms of somatization (S), anxiety (A), and depression (D) – also known as the “SAD Triad”. The BSI-18 has been shown to have good validity in the German general population. Objectives The objective of the present study was to further improve the ease of use of the BSI as a clinical screening tool by developing a reliable and valid 9-item version of the BSI-18. Methods A representative sample of the German general population (N=2,516) was surveyed for demographic information and completed a variety of questionnaires, including the BSI-18. Confirmatory factor analyses, item-level statistics, and correlations were used to select three rather heterogeneous items for each subscale and confirm the model fit. Results The proposed 3-factor model of the BSI-9, corresponding to the SAD triad, demonstrated a good model fit. The internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha) was .87 for the total scale, .72 for the somatisation scale, .79 for the depression scale, and .68 for the anxiety scale. Each of the subscales were significantly related to the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 and Hopkins Symptoms Checklist-25 in the hypothesized direction. Conclusions The BSI-9 provides researchers and clinicians with a brief, effective, and valid tool to screen for anxiety, depression, and somatization, thus preventing potential overload for research participants and flagging patients who might need further clinical assessment. https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821010774/type/journal_articleScale developmentBrief Symptom InventoryFactor structurePsychological Distress |
| spellingShingle | C. Macdonald K. Brophy A. Coroiu E. Braehler A. Korner Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad European Psychiatry Scale development Brief Symptom Inventory Factor structure Psychological Distress |
| title | Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad |
| title_full | Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad |
| title_fullStr | Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad |
| title_full_unstemmed | Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad |
| title_short | Development & validation of the BSI-9: A brief screening tool for the SAD Triad |
| title_sort | development validation of the bsi 9 a brief screening tool for the sad triad |
| topic | Scale development Brief Symptom Inventory Factor structure Psychological Distress |
| url | https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0924933821010774/type/journal_article |
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