The stability of the revised Beck Depression Inventory in college students: Relationship with life events

The 1-week stability of Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores in a college population was examined. The most recent version of the BDI, in which respondents are instructed to rate the items with respect to the past week, was employed. The test-retest reliability coefficient was 0.64. Scores on the initial administration were significantly higher than retest scores (8.52 vs. 7.05). More than half of the individuals scoring in the depressed range (BDI > 10) on the first test fell into the nondepressed range (BDI < 10) 1 week later. Of the students who scored above 10 on the first BDI, those with high rather than low life event scores were significantly more likely to have their BDI score fall below 10 at the second testing session.