Development, Validation and Application of Becks Depression Inventory – 11 (BDI) In the Kenyan Context

Abstract

The paper reviewed the development, Validation, and Application of the BDI-11 in the Kenyan context. The review established the depth to which the BDI-11 tool had been validated and used within the local clinical and research setting. Peer reviewed studies and theses were revised, and those published between 2016 and 2022 were studied. From the studies the findings revealed that majority of the studies used the original western version which had not been adapted thus exhibiting low linguistic and cultural adaptation within the Kenyan context. The BDI-11 was validated with reliability demonstrated and the three-factor structure meeting the global findings, it was observed that the cut off score variations and language into the local context of Kenya still remained a challenge. For local psychometric framework to improve diagnostic accuracy, there is need for large scale studies to be carried out and this remains a gap. The conclusion for this review is that the BDI-11 is a useful and valid tool to be used as a screening and severity assessment instrument. There is need for further validation and adaptation to ensure context relevance, alignment with cultural sensitivity and policy relevance in assessment and counselling practice for mental health services in Kenya. In addition, there is need to reinforce the work that has started and develop translated versions for use within the Kenyan context with the aim of establishing Kenyan context specific norms or cut-offs. The use of valid tools in the local context ensures that the mental health frequency and problems are truly captured and reflected hence informing early interventions, tracking on treatment outcomes over time and effective clinical management of clients.