ArticleBMC medical research methodology2017
Psychometric analysis of the brief symptom inventory 18 (BSI-18) in a representative German sample.
Article in BMC medical research methodology, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 3 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 132 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
132 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Annual Research Review: The impact of Covid-19 on psychopathology in children and young people worldwide: systematic review of studies with pre- and within-pandemic data.Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · 2023Pooled it
- Cost-Effectiveness of an Interdisciplinary, Internet-Based Transgender Health Care Program in Germany: Economic Evaluation Alongside a Randomized Controlled Trial.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
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- The unified protocol as an internet-based intervention for emotional disorders: Randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2022Trial
- Associations Between Transdiagnostic Psychological Processes and Global Symptom Severity Among Outpatients With Various Mental Disorders: A Cross-Sectional Study.Clinical psychology & psychotherapyTrial
- The mediating role of personality functioning impairment between childhood maltreatment and adult mental health problems.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- Germany'sEuropean journal of psychotraumatology · 2026Article
- Appearance-related social media behavior and eating disorder pathology: evidence from the german social media appearance preoccupation scale in nonclinical and clinical samples.Journal of eating disorders · 2026Article
- Comparison of Therapist-Guided Versus Self-Guided Internet-Based Stress Inoculation Therapy (ISIT) on Psychological Distress Symptoms in Women After Miscarriage in Iran: A Study Protocol of a Randomized Clinical Trial.Health science reports · 2026Article
- The Relationship Between Psychological Flexibility and Spiritual Well-Being With Symptoms of Depression and Anxiety in Pregnant Women: A Cross-Sectional Study.Health science reports · 2026Article
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- Longitudinal Analysis of Psychological Distress in Grandparents of Children With Cancer: Results From a Multicenter Cohort Study in Switzerland (GROKids Project).Cancer medicine · 2026Observational
- SMILE body project: protocol for a randomized controlled trial of an online eating disorder prevention program in young women with psychiatric disorders.Eating and weight disorders : EWD · 2026Article
- Self-Care Agency in Cardiovascular Care: A Cross-Sectional Study on the Interplay Between Self-Efficacy, Loneliness and Physical Activity.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Early care in childhood and psychological burden among East and West German adults.BMC public health · 2026Article
- Dental anxiety, psychological distress and oral health behavior in 263 patients from Albania and Germany.BMC research notes · 2026Article
- Psychometric properties and population norms of the Brief Symptom Inventory-18 (BSI-18) based on a representative German sample.Frontiers in psychiatry · 2026Article
- Which transgender and gender diverse groups benefit most from E-health? Subgroup analyses of the randomized controlled trial iInternational journal of transgender health · 2026Article
- Exposure frequencies of single adverse childhood experiences and their association with psychological distress: evidence from a cohort study among emerging Swiss adults.BMC public health · 2025Observational
- Health-related quality of life of unemployed individuals diagnosed with a mental illness: a cross-sectional study.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2025Article
72 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundThe BSI-18 contains the three six-item scales somatization, depression, and anxiety as well as the Global Severity Index (GSI), including all 18 items. The BSI-18 is the latest and shortest of the multidimensional versions of the Symptom-Checklist 90-R, but its psychometric properties have not been sufficiently clarified yet.
methodsBased on a representative sample of N = 2516 participants (aged 14-94 years), detailed psychometric analyses were carried out.
resultsThe internal consistency was good: Somatization α = .82, Depression α = .87, Anxiety α = .84 and GSI α = .93. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the three scales as second-order and GSI as first-order factors. The model fit based on RMSEA is good but that model fit based on CFI and TLI are too low.
conclusionsTherefore, it is a very short, reliable instrument for the assessment of psychological distress. The BSI-18 can be used to reliably assess psychological distress in the general population. However, further studies need to evaluate the usefulness of standardization in clinical samples.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.