Cultural Adaptation and Psychometric properties of Brazilian and Peruvian versions of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale Short Form (BADS-SF)

Abstract

Abstract Background: Behavioral Activation (BA) is an evidence-based treatment that aims to help the individual to stay active and reduce avoidance behaviors, as a means to reduce depressive symptoms. This study aims to describe the adaptation process and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale Short Form (BADS-SF) in its Brazilian and Peruvian version.Methods: Data were collected as part of a randomized trial with 880 participants in Brazil and 432 in Peru. The content validity was assessed using the Content Validity Index (CVI). Principal Component Analysis (PCA) method was applied to evaluate the factorial distribution. Sampling adequacy was assessed by Bartlett’s test of Sphericity and Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin measure. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated to assess internal consistency.Results: CVI in Brazil was 0.92 and in Peru 0.87. The two-factor solution of the original scale is sustained (activation and avoidance), accounting for 50.6 and 54% of the total variance in Brazil and Peru, respectively. Cronbach’s alpha in Brazil was 0.55 and 0.66 in Peru for the overall scale. KMO was 0.769 and 0.790 for Brazil and Peru, respectively. Bartlett’s test of Sphericity had significance of 0.000 for both samples. Conclusion: Both studied versions of the BAD-SF showed coherent structure and internal consistency. We recommend different distribution of the items into the subscales.