Measures of depression are increasingly being used as outcomes or predictors by organizational and consumer psychologists. One such measure is the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ). However, questions about the 30-item ATQ’s factor structure and its length for use in survey research remain. The authors offer 15-and 8-item shortened versions of the ATQ. Two samples (n = 434 and n = 419) were used to derive the reduced versions. A single factor was found to underlie both reduced versions, with scores on this factor yielding strong estimates of internal consistency and nomological validity. Two more cross-validation samples (n = 163 and n = 91) also showed support for the 15-and 8-item versions. Overall, results suggest that these reduced-item versions of the ATQ are useful alternatives to measuring cognitions associated with depression.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
American Psychiatric Association . (1994). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed.). Washington, DC: Author.
2.
Angst, J. , Angst, F., & Stassen, H. H. (1999). Suicide risk in patients with major depressive disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 60(Suppl. 2), 57-62.
3.
Black, D. W. (1996). Compulsive buying: A review. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 57, 50-55.
4.
Bryant, F. B. , & Baxter, W. J. (1997). The structure of positive and negative automatic cognition. Cognition & Emotion, 11, 225-258.
5.
Charles, S.B.M. , Mollard, E., & Cottraux, J. (1989). Validation and factorial structure of the French version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Poster presented at the World Congress of Cognitive Therapy, Oxford, UK.
6.
Clark, D. A. (1988). The validity of measures of cognition: A review of the literature. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 12, 1-20.
7.
Clark, L. A. , & Watson, D. (1995). Constructing validity: Basic issues in objective scale development. Psychological Assessment, 7, 309-319.
8.
Cortina, J. (1993). What is coefficient alpha: An examination of theory and applications. Journal of Applied Psychology, 78, 98-104.
9.
Dahlstrom, W. G. , Welsh, G. S., & Dahlstrom, L. (1972). An MMPI handbook: Clinical interpretation, Vol. 1. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
10.
Deardorf, P. A. , Hopkins, L. R., & Finch, A. J. (1984). Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire: A reliability and validity study. Psychological Reports, 55, 708-710.
11.
DeVellis, R. F. (1992). Scale development: Theory and applications. Newbury Park, CA: Sage.
12.
Dormann, C. , & Zapf, D. (1999). Social support, social stressors at work, and depressive symptoms: Testing for main and moderating effects with structural equations in a three-wave longitudinal study. Journal of Applied Psychology, 84, 874-884.
13.
Faber, R. J. , & O’Guinn, T. C. (1992). A clinical screener for compulsive buying. Journal of Consumer Research, 19, 459-469.
14.
Floyd, F. J. , & Widaman, K. F. (1995). Factor analysis in the development and refinement of clinical instruments. Psychological Assessment, 7, 286-299.
15.
Frone, M. R. , Russell, M., & Barnes, G. M. (1996). Work-family conflict, gender, and health-related outcomes: A study of employed parents in two community samples. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 1, 57-69.
16.
Gambling Impact and Behavior Study. (1999). Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
17.
Gerbing, D. W. , & Anderson, J. C. (1984). On the meaning of within-factor correlated measurement errors. Journal of Consumer Research, 11, 572-580.
18.
Glass, C. R. , & Arnoff, D. B. (1997). Questionnaire methods of cognitive self-statement assessment. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 65, 911-927.
19.
Greenberg, P. E. , Kessler, R. C., Nells, T. L., Finkelstein, S. N., & Berndt, E. R. (1996). Depression in the workplace: An economic perspective. In J. P. Feighner & W. F. Boyer (Eds.), Selective serotonin re-uptake inhibitor: Advances in basic research and clinical practice (2nd ed., pp. 327-363). New York: John Wiley.
20.
Hakstian, A. R. , & McLean, P. (1989). Brief screen for depression. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1, 139-141.
21.
Harrell, T. H. , & Ryon, N. B. (1983). Cognitive-behavioral assessment of depression: Clinical validation of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 51, 721-725.
22.
Haynes, S. N. , Nelson, K., & Blaine, D. D. (1999). Psychometric issues in assessment research. In P. C. Kendall, J. N. Butcher, & C. N. Holmbeck (Eds.), Handbook of research methods in clinical psychology (2nd ed., pp. 125-145). New York: John Wiley.
23.
Haynes, S. N. , Richard, D.C.S., & Kubany, E. S. (1995). Content validity in psychological assessment: A functional approach to concepts and methods. Psychological Assessment, 7, 238-247.
24.
Hill, C. V. , Oei, P. S., & Hill, M. A. (1989). An empirical investigation of the specificity and sensitivity of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire and Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, 11, 291-311.
25.
Hodgson, R. J. , & Rachman, S. (1977). Obsessive-compulsive complaints. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 15, 389-395.
26.
Hollon, S. D. , & Kendall, P. C. (1980). Cognitive self-statements in depression: Development of an Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 4, 383-395.
27.
Hollon, S. D. , Kendall, P. C., & Lumry, A. (1986). Specificity of depressotypic cognitions in clinical depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 95, 52-59.
28.
House, R. J. , & Rizzo, J. R. (1972). Role conflict and ambiguity as critical variables in a model of organizational behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 7, 467-505.
29.
Hu, L. , & Bentler, P. M. (1995). Evaluating model fit. In R. H. Hoyle (Ed.), Structural equation modeling: Concepts, issues, and applications (pp. 76-99). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
30.
Jöreskog, K. G. , & Sörbom, D. G. (1996). LISRESL8: User’s reference guide. Chicago: Scientific Software International.
31.
Joseph, S. (1994). Subscales of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 155, 367-368.
32.
Kazdin, A. E. (1990). Evaluation of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire: Negative cognitive processes and depression among children. Psychological Assessment, 2, 73-79.
33.
Lesieur, H. R. (1998). Costs and treatment of pathological gambling. ANNALS, AAPSS, 556, 153-171.
34.
MacCallum, R. C. , Roznowski, M., & Necowitz, L. B. (1992). Model modifications in covariance structure analysis: The problem of capitalization on chance. Psychological Bulletin, 111, 490-504.
35.
Maslach, C. , & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Occupational Behavior, 2, 99-113.
36.
Netemeyer, R. G. , Boles, J. S., & McMurrian, R. (1996). Development and validation of work-family and family-work conflict scales. Journal of Applied Psychology, 81, 400-410.
37.
Netemeyer, R. G. , Burton, S., Cole, L., Williamson, D. A., Zucker, N., Bertman, L., et al. (1998). Characteristics and beliefs associated with probable pathological gambling: A pilot study with implications for the national gambling impact and policy commission. Journal of Public Policy & Marketing, 17, 147-160.
38.
Pennebaker, J. W. (1982). The psychology of physical symptoms. New York: Springer-Verlag.
39.
Persons, J. B. , & Fresco, D. M. (1998), Assessment of depression. In A. S. Bellack & M. Hersen (Eds.), Behavioral assessment: A practical handbook (4th ed., pp. 210-230). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.
40.
Price, J. P. , & Mueller, C. W. (1986). Handbook of organizational measurement. Marshfield, MA: Pittman.
41.
Quinn, R. P. , & Staines, G. L. (1979). The 1977 quality of employment survey. Ann Arbor, MI: Institute for Social Research.
42.
Rosenberg, M. (1979). Conceiving the self. New York: Basic Books.
43.
Sahin, N. H. , & Sahin, N. (1992). Reliability and validity of the Turkish version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 48, 334-340.
44.
Smith, G. T. , & McCarthy, D. M. (1995). Methodological considerations in the refinement of clinical instruments. Psychological Assessment, 7, 300-308.
45.
Turner, S. M. , & Beidel, D. C. (1989). Social phobia: Clinical syndrome, diagnosis, and comorbidity. Clinical Psychology Review, 9, 3-18.
46.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services . (1999). Mental health: A report of the Surgeon General. Rockville, MD: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institute of Mental Health.
47.
Vernberg, E. M. , Abwender, D. A., Ewell, K. K., & Beery, S. H. (1992). Social anxiety and peer relationships in early adolescence: A prospective analysis. Journal of Clinical Child Psychology, 21, 189-196.
48.
Vinokur, A. , Pierce, P. F., & Buck, C. L. (1999). Work-family conflicts of women in the Air Force: Their influence on mental health and functioning. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 20, 865-878.
49.
Warr, P. (1999). Well-being and the workplace. In D. Kahneman, E. Diener, & N. Schwartz (Eds.), Well-being: The foundations of Hedonic psychology (pp. 392-412). New York: Russell Sage.
50.
Watson, D. , & Clark, L. A. (1984). Negative affectivity: The disposition to experience aversive emotional states. Psychological Bulletin, 96, 465-490.
51.
Watson, D. , & Friend, R. (1969). Measurement of social-evaluative anxiety. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 33, 448-457.
