Objective To assess the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory, Second Edition (BDI-Ⅱ-C) among Yi middle school students in Liangshan Prefecture.

Methods A stratified cluster sampling method was used to select 466 Yi middle and high school students in Liangshan Prefecture to respond to the BDI-Ⅱ-C. The general demographic characteristics of the samples were described, and independent sample t-test, chi-square test, and reliability analysis were conducted to analyze the data. The sample was randomly divided into 2 halves for exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results The Cronbach's alpha coefficient for BDI-Ⅱ-C was 0.925 for the sample of Yi middle school students in Liangshan Prefecture. The correlation coefficients between individual items ranged from 0.192 to 0.612, and those between individual items and total scores ranged from 0.492 to 0.761. Exploratory factor analysis found that the scale could be divided into three dimensions, including emotional symptoms, somatic symptoms, and negative symptoms. Confirmatory factor analysis results revealed that the various indicators of the three-factor model were χ²/df=1.604, comparative fit index (CFI)=0.940, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI)=0.932, incremental fit index (IFI)=0.941, and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)=0.051.

Conclusion BDI-Ⅱ-C exhibits good reliability and validity among Yi middle school students in Liangshan Prefecture, but the convergent validity of the structural validity is poor.