The differential effects of weekly, monthly, and bimonthly administrations of the beck Depression Inventory-II: Psychometric properties and clinical implications

Research suggests that scores decrease over time when valid self-report depression instruments are administered repeatedly without intervention to nonclinical participants. Existing research has not addressed whether similar decreases occur with differential retest intervals and whether this decrease represents error or a “true” decrease in symptomatology. In the current study, nonclinical participants were randomly assigned to complete the Beck Depression Inventory-II at weekly, monthly, or bimonthly intervals. Scores were found to significantly decrease for the weekly administration group only. Lower scores were found to be the result of a measurement effect and the frequency of administration. Limitations as well as research and clinical implications are discussed.