Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS): advantages of an adaptive administration Escala de Desesperanza de Beck (BHS): ventajas de una administración adaptativa

Abstract

The Beck Hopelessness Scale (BHS) is frequently used as screening tool for suicide risk and / or depression even though, due to its length of 20 items, it is not very efficient. This work analyses whether an adaptive administration strategy could shorten the application time of the BHS. Seven hundred eighty-three individuals from the general population (50.9% women) participated. Seventy percent of the cases were randomly selected to calibrate the items according to the two-parameter logistic model of the Item Response Theory. Two items that presented inadequate functioning were eliminated. The remaining 30% of the sample was used to simulate an adaptive administration from the 18 calibrated items. Two stopping rules were compared: a) administration of 9 items and b) estimation error ≤ 0.35 or administration of 9 items (mixed criterion). Under both conditions, correlations of .95 were registered with the levels of Hopelessness estimated from the 18-items version. However, the stopping based on the mixed criterion did not show an additional impact on the efficiency of the measure. Like the 18-item version, adaptive administrations estimated with more reliability the high trait levels. Adaptive administrations did not vary the evidence of validity when studying the association of the trait with facets of Neuroticism and symptomatic dimensions. It is concluded that an adaptive administration of 9 items can significantly shorten the BHS without compromising the validity and reliability of the measure.