Pike, Alexandra C. orcid.org/0000-0003-1972-5530, Serfaty, Jade R. and Robinson, Oliver J. (2021) The development and psychometric properties of a self-report Catastrophizing Questionnaire. Royal Society Open Science. 201362. ISSN 2054-5703
Abstract
Catastrophizing is a cognitive process that can be defined as predicting the worst possible outcome. It has been shown to be related to psychiatric diagnoses such as depression and anxiety, yet there are no self-report questionnaires specifically measuring it outside the context of pain research. Here, we therefore develop a novel, comprehensive self-report measure of general catastrophizing. We performed five online studies (total n = 734), in which we created and refined a Catastrophizing Questionnaire, and used a factor analytic approach to understand its underlying structure. We also assessed convergent and discriminant validity, and analysed test-retest reliability. Furthermore, we tested the ability of Catastrophizing Questionnaire scores to predict relevant clinical variables over and above other questionnaires. Finally, we also developed a four-item short version of this questionnaire. We found that our questionnaire is best fit by a single underlying factor, and shows convergent and discriminant validity. Exploratory factor analyses indicated that catastrophizing is independent from other related constructs, including anxiety and worry. Moreover, we demonstrate incremental validity for this questionnaire in predicting diagnostic and medication status. Finally, we demonstrate that our Catastrophizing Questionnaire has good test-retest reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.77, p < 0.001). Critically, we can now, for the first time, obtain detailed self-report data on catastrophizing.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2021 The Authors. Funding Information: Funding. This work was supported by a Medical Research Council senior non-clinical fellowship (MR/R020817/1) to O.J.R.; and a Biomedical Vacation Scholarship awarded to J.R.S. by the Wellcome Trust (218411_Z_19_Z_UCL). Acknowledgements. We are also grateful for helpful conversations with Professors Paul Burgess, Roz Shafran, John Cape and Vaughan Bell. Finally, the authors would like to thank the other members of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Group for their help with brainstorming and piloting. |
Keywords: | anxiety disorders,catastrophizing,cognitive distortions,mood disorders,psychiatry,self-report questionnaire |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of York |
Academic Units: | The University of York > Faculty of Sciences (York) > Psychology (York) |
Depositing User: | Pure (York) |
Date Deposited: | 05 Jul 2022 14:00 |
Last Modified: | 24 Jan 2025 00:11 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1098/rsos.201362 |
Status: | Published online |
Refereed: | Yes |
Identification Number: | 10.1098/rsos.201362 |
Related URLs: | |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:188745 |