ADE. Suma Psicológica · 2025

Adaptation and Psychometric Properties of the Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form (BADS-SF) in Colombian Adolescents

The Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale-Short Form (BADS-SF) assesses beha vioural activation and avoidance. Method: This study adapted the adult BADS-SF for adolescent po pulations and evaluated its psychometric properties in a sample of 450 Colombian adolescents (ages 13-17) from diverse regions who provided informed consent. Results: The adolescent version (BADS SFA) demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, with McDonald’s Omega = .73 and Cronbach’s al pha = .72. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) suggested a two-factor structure, which was subsequently confirmed through confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using an 8-item version of the scale (item 8 was removed). The CFA also demonstrated measurement invariance across sex. As hypothesised, signifi cant correlations were observed between behavioural activation, depression, and suicidal risk. Con clusions: These findings indicate that the BADS-SFA possesses adequate psychometric properties for assessing behavioural activation and avoidance in Colombian adolescents. This paper discusses the removal of item 8, the nature of the avoidance dimension, and directions for future research.