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. 2016 Jul 15:16:239.
doi: 10.1186/s12888-016-0958-7.

Clinical assessment of bipolar depression: validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS)

Young-Eun Jung  1 , Moon-Doo Kim  2 , Won-Myong Bahk  3 , Young Sup Woo  4 , Jonghun Lee  5 , Sae-Heon Jang  6 , Seunghee Won  7 , Kyung Joon Min  8 , Sangkeun Chung  9 , Young-Joon Kwon  10 , Duk-In Jon  11 , Kwanghun Lee  12 , Bo-Hyun Yoon  13
Affiliations

Clinical assessment of bipolar depression: validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Korean version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS)

Young-Eun Jung et al. BMC Psychiatry. .

Abstract

Background: The Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) is a scale for assessment of the clinical characteristics of bipolar depression. The primary aims of this study were to describe the development of the Korean version of the BDRS (K-BDRS) and to establish more firmly its psychometric properties in terms of reliability and validity.

Methods: The study included 141 patients (62 male and 79 female) who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, were currently experiencing symptoms of depression, and were interviewed using the K-BDRS. Other measures included the Montgomery and Asberg Depression Scale (MADRS), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). Additionally, the internal consistency, concurrent validity, inter-rater reliability, and test-retest reliability of the K-BDRS were evaluated.

Results: The Cronbach's α-coefficient for the K-BDRS was 0.866, the K-BDRS exhibited strong correlations with the HAMD (r = 0.788) and MADRS (r = 0.877), and the mixed symptoms score of the K-BDRS was significantly correlated with the YMRS (r = 0.611). An exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors that corresponded to psychological depressive symptoms, somatic depressive symptoms, and mixed symptoms.

Conclusions: The present findings suggest that the K-BDRS has good psychometric properties and is a valid and reliable tool for assessing depressive symptoms in patients with bipolar disorder.

Keywords: BDRS; Bipolar depression; Bipolar disorder; Korean; Reliability; Validity.

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