[The validity, reliability and factor structure of the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI)]

Area of Science:

• Psychopathology
• Psychometrics
• Adolescent Psychology

Context:

• The Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) is a widely used tool for psychopathological evaluations.
• Previous standardization was conducted on university students (Sahin & Durak, 1994).

Purpose:

• To assess the psychometric validity of the BSI in an adolescent sample.
• To determine if the BSI's characteristics are consistent across different age groups.

Summary:

• A sample of 559 adolescents (287 female, 272 male) from diverse socio-economic backgrounds in Ankara participated.
• Factor analyses revealed a similar structure to the university sample, with strong internal consistency (alpha coefficients .70-.88).
• Concurrent validity was supported through correlations with the Social Comparison Scale, Beck Depression Inventory, Trait Anxiety Scale, and Life Satisfaction Scale (r=-.45 to .71).

Impact:

• The BSI is validated for use with adolescents, offering a reliable measure for psychopathological assessment in this demographic.
• Findings support the use of the same factor subscales for both adolescent and university student samples.
• This research contributes to the accurate and efficient assessment of mental health in adolescents.