Skip to main content
Key Specialties
Cardiology Diabetology Endocrinology Gastroenterology Geriatrics and Gerontology Gynecology and Obstetrics Hematology Infectious Disease Internal Medicine Nephrology Neurology Oncology Pediatrics Respiratory Medicine Rheumatology Surgery
Congress Coverage
2024 ACC Congress 2023 ESMO Congress 2023 EASD Congress 2023 ERS Congress 2023 ESC Congress
Clinical Collections
Advances in Alzheimer’s

At a glance: The ONWARDS insulin icodec trials

A round-up of the ONWARDS phase 3 clinical trials evaluating the novel weekly insulin icodec in people with diabetes.
ADVANCED SEARCH
Log in
Top
BMC Medical Research Methodology
Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology 1/2018

Open Access 01-12-2018 | Research article

Norm values and psychometric properties of the brief symptom inventory-18 regarding individuals between the ages of 60 and 95

Authors: Katja Petrowski, Bjarne Schmalbach, Melanie Jagla, Gabriele Helga Franke, Elmar Brähler

Published in: BMC Medical Research Methodology | Issue 1/2018

Login to get access

Abstract

Objective

The SCL-90 and the SCL-90-R are the most applied measures regarding psychological distress. To reduce and prevent an overload to of the individuals, the Brief Symptom Inventory with 18 items (BSI-18) was developed based on the SCL-90. Since psychological disorders more frequently occur at an older age, there is a growing need for efficient instruments to measure distress in the elderly. However, the BSI-18’s psychometric properties, norm values, and factorial structure have not yet been investigated in this age group.

Methods

The aim of this study was to evaluate the BSI-18 in a sample of elderly people and to establish norm values for this specific population. Subsequently, demographic information and BSI-18 results were collected from a sample totaling 884 (55% female, mean age of 70.75 years, SD = 7.08, age range = 60–95 years). The questionnaire contains three six-item scales: somatization (SOMA), anxiety (ANX), and depression (DEPR), which form a general symptom index (GSI).

Results

We found an acceptable to good model fit for a three-factor-model with a general GSI factor. The BSI-18’s psychometric properties were satisfactory. Strict measurement invariance was shown for age and gender. Additionally, we found differences in psychological distress based on sociodemographic variables.

Conclusions

These findings underline the growing need for preventive mechanisms for elderly people such as, e.g., (re)activating their social networks and strengthening their physical and psychological well-being.
Literature
1.
Zhang J, Zhang X. Chinese college students’ SCL-90 scores and their relations to the college performance. Asian J Psychiatr. 2013;6:134–40.CrossRefPubMed
2.
Franke GH. Symptom-Checklist-90-standard: SCL-90-S. manual. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 2014.
3.
Franke GH. SCL-90-R: Symptom-Checklist von LR Derogatis, Dt. Version. Weinheim: Beltz; 2002.
4.
Derogatis L. Brief symptom inventory: administration and procedures manual-I. Baltimore, MD: Clinical Psychometric Research; 1982.
5.
Franke GH. BSI. Brief symptom inventory - deutsche version. Manual. Beltz: Weinheim; 2000.
6.
Derogatis LR, Melisaratos N. The brief symptom inventory: an introductory report. Psychol Med. 1983;13:595–605.CrossRefPubMed
7.
Geisheim C, Hahlweg K, Fiegenbaum W, Frank M, Schröder B, von Witzleben I. Das Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) als Instrument zur Qualitätssicherung in der Psychotherapie. Diagnostica. 2002;48:28–36.CrossRef
8.
Franke GH, Jäger S, Morfeld M, Salewski C, Reimer J, Rensing A, et al. Eignet sich das BSI-18 zur Erfassung der psychischen Belastung von nierentransplantierten Patienten? Z Med Psychol. 2010;19:30–7.
9.
Waterman AD, Peipert JD, Hyland SS, McCabe MS, Schenk EA, Liu J, et al. Modifiable patient characteristics and racial disparities in evaluation completion and living donor transplant. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2013;8:995–1002.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
10.
Galdon MJ, Dura E, Andreu Y, Ferrando M, Murgui S, Perez S, et al. Psychometric properties of the brief symptom Inventory-18 in a Spanish breast cancer sample. J Psychosom Res. 2008;65:533–9.CrossRefPubMed
11.
Zabora J, BrintzenhofeSzoc K, Jacobsen P, Curbow B, Piantadosi S, Hooker C, et al. A new psychosocial screening instrument for use with cancer patients. Psychosomatics. 2001;42:241–6.CrossRefPubMed
12.
Derogatis LR, Fitzpatrick M. The SCL-90-R, the brief symptom inventory (BSI), and the BSI-18. In: Maruish ME, editor. Instruments for adults: the use of psychological testing for treatment planning and outcomes assessment. 3. Mahwah: Lawrence Erlbaum associates Publishers; 2004. p. 1–41.
13.
Derogatis LR. Brief symptom inventory 18 - administration, scoring, and procedures manual. Minneapolis, MN: NCS Pearson; 2000.
14.
Franke GH. Mini-SCL. In: Mini Symptom-Checkliste – Deutsches Manual. Göttingen: Hogrefe; 2017.
15.
Franke GH, Ankerhold A, Haase M, Jäger S, Tögel C, Ulrich C, et al. Der Einsatz des brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) bei Psychotherapiepatienten. Psychosom Psychother Med Psychol. 2011;61:82–6.CrossRef
16.
Spitzer C, Hammer S, Löwe B, Grabe HJ, Barnow S, Rose M, Wingenfeld K, Freyberger HJ, Franke GH. Die Kurzform des Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI-18): erste Befunde zu den psychometrischen Kennwerten der deutschen Version. Fortschr Neurol Psychiatr. 2011;79:517–23.CrossRefPubMed
17.
Andreu Y, Galdón MJ, Durá E, Martinez P, Pérez S, Murgui S, et al. A longitudinal study of psychosocial distress in breast cancer: prevalence and risk factors. Psychol Health. 2012;27:72–87.CrossRefPubMed
18.
Manne S, Badr H, Kashy D. A longitudinal analysis of intimacy processes and psychological distress among couples coping with head and neck or lung cancers. J Behav Med. 2012;35:334–46.CrossRefPubMed
19.
Andreu Y, Galdon MJ, Dura E, Ferrando M, Murgui S, Garcia A, et al. Psychometric properties of the brief symptoms Inventory-18 (Bsi-18) in a Spanish sample of outpatients with psychiatric disorders. Psicothema. 2008;20:844–50.PubMed
20.
Sherman MD, Sautter F, Lyons JA, Manguno-Mire GM, Han X, Perry D, et al. Mental health needs of cohabiting partners of Vietnam veterans with combat-related PTSD. Psychiatr Serv. 2005;56:1150–2.CrossRefPubMed
21.
Schlenger W, Caddell JM, Ebert L, Jordan BK, Rourke KM, Wilson D, et al. Psychological reactions to terrorist attacks: findings from the National Study of Americans’ reactions to September 11. JAMA. 2002;288:581.CrossRefPubMed
22.
Meachen SJ, Hanks RA, Millis SR, Rapport LJ. The reliability and validity of the brief symptom inventory-18 in persons with traumatic brain injury. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 2008;89:958–65.CrossRefPubMed
23.
Petkus AJ, Gum AM, Small B, Malcarne VL, Stein MB, Loebach Wetherell J. Evaluation of the factor structure and psychometric properties of the brief symptom Inventory-18 with homebound older adults. Int J Geriatr Psychiatry. 2010;25:578–87.PubMedPubMedCentral
24.
Recklitis CJ, Rodriguez P. Screening childhood cancer survivors with the brief symptom inventory-18: classification agreement with the symptom checklist-90-revised. Psychooncology. 2007;16:429–36.CrossRefPubMed
25.
Asner-Self KK, Schreiber JB. Marotta SA. A cross-cultural analysis of the brief symptom Inventory-18. BSI-18. Cultur Divers Ethnic Minor Psychol. 2006;12:367–75.CrossRefPubMed
26.
Wang J, Kelly BC, Booth BM, Falck RS, Leukefeld C, Carlson RG. Examining factorial structure and measurement invariance of the brief symptom inventory (BSI)-18 among drug users. Addict Behav. 2010;35:23–9.CrossRefPubMed
27.
Prelow HM, Weaver SR, Swenson RR, Bowman MA. A prelimninary investigation of the validity and reliability of the brief-symptom inventory-18 in economically disadvantaged Latina american mothers. J Community Psychol. 2005;33:139–55.CrossRef
28.
Glaesmer H, Kallert T, Brähler E, Hofmeister D, Gunzelmann T. The prevalence of depressive symptomatology in the german elderly population and the impact of methodical aspects on the identified prevalence. Psychiatr Prax. 2010;37:71–7.CrossRefPubMed
29.
First M, Spitzer RL, Gibbon M, Williams JBW. Structured clinical interview for DSM-IV-TR Axis I disorders. Research version, patient edition (SCIC-I/P). New York: Biometrics Research; 2002.
30.
31.
Schmidt S, Petermann F. Soziale Ungleichheit, psychische und körperliche Gesundheit–welchen Einfluss hat das Alter? Z Psychiatr Psychol Psychother. 2012;60:205–15.
32.
Pinquart M, Sörensen S. Gender differences in Self-concept and psychological well-being in old age: a meta-analysis. J Gerontol Psychol Sci Soc Sci. 2001;56:195–213.CrossRef
33.
Kroenke K, Spitzer RL, Williams JB, Löwe B. An ultra-brief screening scale for anxiety and depression: the PHQ-4. Psychosomatics. 2009;50(6):613–21.PubMed
34.
Löwe B, Wahl I, Rose M, Spitzer C, Glaesmer H, Wingenfeld K, Schneider A, Brähler E. A 4-item measure of depression and anxiety: validation and standardization of the patient health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) in the general population. J Affect Disord. 2010;122(1–2):86–95.CrossRefPubMed
35.
36.
Lüdtke O, Robitzsch A, Trautwein U, Köller O. Umgang mit fehlenden Werten in der psychologischen Forschung. Probleme und Lösungen Psychol Rundsch. 2007;58:103–17.CrossRef
37.
Yuan KH, Bentler PM. Three likelihood-based methods for mean and covariance structure analysis with nonnormal missing data. Sociol Methodol. 2000;30:165–200.CrossRef
38.
Schermelleh-Engel K, Moosbrugger H, Müller H. Evaluating the fit of structural equation models: tests of significance and descriptive goodness-of-fit measures. Methods Psychol Res. 2003;8:23–74.
39.
Milfont TL, Fischer R. Testing measurement invariance across groups: applications in crosscultural research. Int J Psychol Res. 2010;3:112–31.CrossRef
40.
Steiger JH. EzPATH: a supplementary module for SYSTAT and SYGRAPH. Evanston, IL: Systat; 1989.
41.
Franke GH, Jaeger S, Glaesmer H, Barkmann C, Petrowski K, Braehler E. Psychometric analysis of the brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) in a representative German sample. BMC Med Res Methodol. 2017;17(1):14.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
42.
Bentler PM, Bonett DG. Significance tests and goodness of fit in the analysis of covariance structures. Psychol Bull. 1980;88(3):588.CrossRef
43.
Beblo T, Schrader S, Brand C. Diagnostik depressiver Störungen im Alter. für Gerontopsychologie & Geriatric Psychiatry Z Gerontopsychol Psychiatr. 2005;18:177–87.CrossRef
44.
Löwe B, Kroenke K, Gräfe K. Detecting and monitoring depression with a two-item questionnaire (PHQ-2). J Psychosom Res. 2005;58:163–71.CrossRefPubMed
45.
Scott KM, Von Korff M, Alonso J, Angermeyer M, Bromet EJ, Bruffaerts R, de Girolamo G, et al. Age patterns in the prevalence of DSM-IV depressive/anxiety disorders with and without physical co-morbidity. Psychol Med. 2008;38:1659–69.CrossRefPubMedPubMedCentral
46.
Weyerer S, Bickel H. Epidemiologie psychischer Erkrankungen im höheren Lebensalter. Stuttgart: W. Kohlhammer Verlag; 2006.
47.
Zietemann V, Zietemann P, Weitkunat R, Kewtat A. Depressionshäufigkeit in Abhängigkeit von verschiedenen Erkrankungen bei geriatrischen Patienten. Nervenarzt. 2007;78:657–66.CrossRefPubMed
48.
Richter D, Berger K, Reker T. Nehmen psychische Störungen zu? Eine systematische Literaturübersicht. Psychiatr Prax. 2008;35:321–30.CrossRefPubMed
49.
Van Doorslaer E, Wagstaff A, Bleichrodt H, Calonge S, Gerdtham UG, Gerfin M, Geurts J, et al. Income-related inequalities in health: some international comparisons. J Health Econ. 1997;16:93–112.CrossRefPubMed
50.
Penedo F, Dahn J. Exercise and well-being: a review of mental and physical health benefits associated with physical activity. Curr Opin Psychiatry. 2005;18:189–93.CrossRefPubMed
51.
Fox KR. The influence of physical activity on mental well-being. Public Health Nutr. 1999;2:411–8.CrossRefPubMed
Metadata
Title
Norm values and psychometric properties of the brief symptom inventory-18 regarding individuals between the ages of 60 and 95
Authors
Katja Petrowski
Bjarne Schmalbach
Melanie Jagla
Gabriele Helga Franke
Elmar Brähler
Publication date
01-12-2018
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Medical Research Methodology / Issue 1/2018
Electronic ISSN: 1471-2288
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-018-0631-6

Other articles of this Issue 1/2018

BMC Medical Research Methodology 1/2018 Go to the issue

Research article

Pragmatism in practice: lessons learned during screening and enrollment for a randomised controlled trial in rural northern Ethiopia

Research article

Odds ratios from logistic, geometric, Poisson, and negative binomial regression models

Study protocol

Exploring the impact of public health teams on alcohol premises licensing in England and Scotland (ExILEnS): procotol for a mixed methods natural experiment evaluation

Technical advance

Hypothesis testing in Bayesian network meta-analysis

Research article

Psychometric properties and population norms of the positive mental health instrument in a representative multi-ethnic Asian population

Research article

Assessment of research waste part 1: an exemplar from examining study design, surrogate and clinical endpoints in studies of calcium intake and vitamin D supplementation