Factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory-II among South Africans receiving antiretroviral therapy

Considerable evidence suggests that mood disturbance is common among patients living with HIV and may be an important barrier to anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence. Thus the assessment of depressed mood is an important and necessary aspect of the experience of persons living with HIV as it may impact the health status of individuals directly and indirectly. We sought to determine the factor structure of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) among a sample of 185 South Africans living with HIV and receiving ART. The mean BDI score was 16.5 (SD 12.15) with a range from 0-50 (out of a possible 63), indicating on average moderate levels of depression. Cronbach's alpha for the total scale was 0.90. Although the four factors had eigenvalues that were technically above 1.0, only three factors could logically be extracted, the combination of which accounted for 47.29% of the variance. These three factors were Cognitive, Affective and Somatic. The results indicate that the BDI-II is a reliable measure of symptoms of depression among persons living with HIV. The factor structure among South Africans receiving ART is similar to that of other samples, although surprisingly, the item assessing appetite disturbance did not load on any factor. The results of the study suggest that the BDI-II is a useful measure among South Africans living with HIV. In the context of the need to rapidly identify depressed mood among persons receiving ART in public health clinics, the BDI may be a useful instrument. We end the paper with certain cautions associated with routine screening.