AbstractThis study investigated the reliability and validity of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) Short Form in a group of female bereaved adults. Two hundred fifty‐five community‐based women bereaved less than 2 years completed the BDI. Estimate of the alpha coefficient indicates that the short‐ form BDI possesses adequate internal reliability for this sample. Principal‐ component factor analysis indicated a two‐factor model for depression associated with bereavement. The first factor, which combined items related to anergy and dysphoria, corresponded to the affective and behavioral components of depression, while the second factor related to the cognitive domain of depression and was associated with a negative se