Cognitive Error Questionnaire Research Articles

The Role of Cognitive Distortions in Young Women’s Body Image Perception

The analysis of modern psychological research and the practice of psychological assistance indicates the relevance of the problem of body image, especially for girls and young women. Therewith, most of the available papers focus on the study of the body image of adolescent girls, which makes it necessary to clarify the predictors of body image in other age periods. The purpose of the study is to highlight the results of a theoretical and empirical study of the role of cognitive distortions in the perception of the body image of adolescent girls. The methodological basis of the research was T. Cash’s cognitive-behavioural concept of understanding body image, the interpretation of psychological mindedness by H. Conte, and A. Freeman’s theory of cognitive errors. The role of various factors in the perception of body image is considered: 1) cognitive distortions as one of the predictors of an irrational strategy of human behaviour and thinking; 2) interest in one’s own personality and understanding of one’s own experiences as a factor of full self-acceptance. A Multidimensional Body-Self Relations QuestionnaireAppearance Scales by T. Cash, Cognitive error questionnaire by A. Freeman and R. DeWolf, psychological mindedness scale by H. Conte, and the author’s questionnaire were used. The study confirmed the influence of social stereotypes on the perception of young women’s own body image. In particular, it is identified that a substantial number of respondents (78.3%) emphasise the existence of social standards and express a desire to lose weight or change the shape of their bodies. It was determined that 71% of respondents have a normal body weight, which does not require changes in terms of health. Correlation analysis showed weak to moderate associations between women’s psychological mindedness indicators and how they perceive their own bodies. A comparison of groups of women who expressed a desire to change their own bodies with women who did not have such a desire identified substantial differences between these groups in the severity of cognitive distortions, such as catastrophisation (p ≤ 0.01) and trust in criticism (p ≤ 0.05). The use of regression analysis confirmed the substantial impact of catastrophisation on how respondents perceive their own body image. There is also a moderate association between catastrophisation and the desire and willingness to discuss their own experiences, which should be considered when creating methods of psychological assistance for women with an irrational perception of their own body image

The associations of cognitive distortions with internet addiction and internet activities in adolescents: A cross-sectional study.

This study examined difference in the levels of internet addiction across internet activities, and the associations of cognitive distortions with internet addiction and internet activities. This is a cross-sectional study involving 638 adolescents. Data were collected using a personal information form, the Internet Addiction Scale and The Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSSv23 and descriptive methods, independent samples t-test, linear regression, logistic regression were performed. The prevalence of internet addiction in adolescents was found to be 16.9%. The internet addiction scores of adolescents who use the internet for online gaming, visiting pornographic sites, using and chatting on social media, and aimless browsing are higher. Catastrophizing, personalization, and selective abstraction cognitive distortions explain internet addiction variance at a level of 17.5%. Selective abstraction predicts online gaming and aimless browsing, personalization predicts pornographic site visiting, and catastrophization predicts doing homework on the internet. Online gaming, visiting pornographic sites, using and chatting on social media and internet aimless browsing are distinctive of internet addiction. Internet addiction and various internet activities are associated with cognitive distortions. Mental health nurses should help adolescents to become aware of their cognitive distortions and to produce more functional thoughts.

The Two-Factor Structure of the Parent Cognitive Error Questionnaire: A Measure of Parental Cognitive Errors in Relation to Child Problems.

This study evaluated the factor structure of the scores from a parent rating scale, the Parent Cognitive Error Questionnaire (PCEQ), which measures parents' attributions of child misbehavior and problems. The factor structure of the scores of the PCEQ was examined among 199 children (ages 7-11; mean age: 8.64 years, 58.30% boys, 53.80% White) with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Predominantly Inattentive Presentation. Reliability and validity of the factors were assessed. Two factors emerged from this sample: (1) parent-specific cognitive errors (self-blame for child problems), and (2) child-specific cognitive errors (child-blame for child problems). Both were related to parent-rated parental depression, parenting satisfaction, parenting self-efficacy, and child ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) symptoms. After adjusting for child-specific cognitive errors, parent-specific errors were related to parent-rated parent depressive symptoms, and after adjustment for parent-specific cognitive errors, child-specific cognitive errors were related to parent-rated child ADHD and ODD symptoms. A two-factor structure for the PCEQ scores from this sample was found with evidence of reliability and validity of factors, showing promise for measuring sources of parental attributions regarding child problems.

Effects of COVID-19 Outbreak on Children’s Mental Health: A Comparative Study with Children Diagnosed and Isolated from Their Parents

Objective The COVID-19 outbreak has negatively affected children in many ways. This study aimed to compare the psychological responses of children exposed to different levels of stress during the COVID-19 outbreak. Methods The anxiety levels, negative thoughts, and quality of life of COVID-19-positive children with COVID-19-positive parents (Child+ group, n=17), COVID-19-negative children who are separated from COVID-19-positive parents (Parent+ group, n=59), and a control group (n=64) were compared. The participants completed the Screen for Child Anxiety and Related Disorders (SCARED), Children’s Negative Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (CNCEQ), and Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL). Results The statistical analysis revealed that the Parent+ group recorded higher SCARED and CNCEQ scores and lower PedsQL scores in comparison with the control group. No statistically significant difference was found between the scores of the Child+ and control groups. Furthermore, high CNCEQ scores and low PedsQL scores in the Parent+ group predicted an increase in their SCARED scores. Conclusion Our study indicates that separating children from their parents during the COVID-19 outbreak negatively influences their mental health and increases their anxiety levels.

A Cross-Sectional Study on Cognitive Errors and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders among Young People During the Outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Given that the lockdown measures taken so as to diminish the dissemination of the COVID-19 pandemic are likely to create major mental disorders such as obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the present study was conducted aiming to evaluate the prevalence of OCD and cognitive errors among young people during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019. The present study is a descriptive, cross-sectional study in which a total of 150 young people aged 13 to 19 were randomly included. Maudsley Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory Questionnaire (MOCI) and Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ) were completed, and then their results were analyzed by SPSS 22 software. The results revealed that 67.3% of the subjects who were evaluated may have demonstrated OCD symptomatology. The prevalence of obsessive-compulsive disorder symptoms in women was slightly higher than in men (72.1 compared to 60.3%). Likewise, the test results indicated that there was a significant difference between obsessive-compulsive disorder symptom in men and women (p = .001). There was also a significant difference between the two groups with OCD symptoms and without OCD symptoms in all the components of cognitive errors (p = .001). To the authors’ best of knowledge, this is the first study that has evaluated OCD symptoms at the time of COVID-19 prevalence. The findings suggest the need to enhance the prevention of relapse during social restrictions as well as to develop other strategies including online consultation and digital psychiatric management.

Socio-Demographic Characteristics of the Psychiatric Population with Comorbid Alcoholism

The population of Romania ranks 3rd in the world in terms of alcohol consumption, with particularities depending on the environment of origin, cultural level, addiction versus abuse, consumption within the wide limits of normality versus hospitalization in psychiatry. The paper refers to patients consuming alcohol whose main diagnosis is schizophrenia. The cross-sectional study consisted of 88 male subjects with dual pathology, aged between 23 and 80 years. The instruments used in the study were PANSS for psychotic impairment, MAST for measuring alcoholism and for cognitive functioning, Cognitive error questionnaire. The design of the research was observational, transversal. We performed a multiple regression analysis in which the predictor variable was cognitive functioning and the criterion variables were psychotic impairment and alcohol level. We also performed an analysis of ANCOVA variance, having as covariates: age, level of education, the need for antidepressant in treatment, number of hospitalizations, the manner of hospitalization and the environment of origin. The results indicate that alcoholism and general psychopathology (G scale) are predictors for cognitive functioning. A stronger predictor is the level of education, while age and AP are poor predictors. PANSS_P subscale, PANSS_N subscale, AD, hospitalization mode, number of hospitalizations, average are not predictors for cognitive functioning. The cognitive functioning of these patients is caused by alcohol rather than schizophrenia. Patients with a high level of previous education have a richer cognitive reserve that can protect their judgment from cognitive errors and can preserve better their cognitive functioning.

Moderating Role of Gender in the Relationship between Cognitive Errors and Anxiety among Adolescents

Background: Widespread social paradigms on which the status variances are grounded in any society, gender plays pivotal role in manifestation of mental health problems (Rutter, 2007). A hefty volume of research has addressed the issue in adults nonetheless, little is vividly known about the role of gender in adolescent psychopathology. Sample: A sample of 240 adolescents (125 boys, 115 girls) aging 12-18 years was amassed from various secondary schools of Islamabad with the approval of the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE), relevant authorities of the schools and the adolescents themselves. Instruments: Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale (Taylor & Spence, 1953) and Children’s Negative Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (CNCEQ) by Leitenberg et al., (1986) were applied in present study. Results: Multiple regression analysis revealed that cognitive errors jointly accounted for 78% of variance in predicting anxiety among adolescents. Findings also exhibited that gender significantly moderated the relationship between cognitive errors and adolescent anxiety. Implications of the findings are discoursed for future research and clinical practice.

Associations between cognitive errors and mental health status in New Zealand adolescents.

Cognitive models of psychopathology suggest that negatively biased thinking styles are involved in the development and maintenance of emotional disturbances. The present study examined the relationships between negative cognitive errors and indices of mental health status (i.e. anxiety and depression) in New Zealand adolescents. A community sample of 490 youth aged 16-18 years completed an anonymous online survey consisting of the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ), the Trait subscale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T) and the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). Negative cognitive errors correlated positively with greater levels of anxious and depressive symptoms. Hierarchical regression analyses indicated that overall cognitive error score was a strong predictor of adolescents' self-reported anxious symptoms and, to a lesser extent, depressive symptoms. Moreover, cognitive errors significantly differentiated between adolescents with high scores from adolescents with low scores on both the anxiety (STAI-T) and the depression (CES-D) scales. These findings lend support to the generalizability of Beck's cognitive theory to a New Zealand adolescent population and highlight the importance of focusing on prevention and early intervention programmes that directly target these faulty or biased ways of thinking in adolescents with anxious and/or depressive symptoms before meeting diagnostic criteria.

Cognitive Errors and Psychological Resilience in Patients With Social Anxiety and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Study

Background: Cognitive errors have been presented as effective factors in the creation and continuation of obsessive– compulsive disorder and social anxiety disorder. Psychological resilience is an important factor in the tolerance of cognitive errors. Objective: The present study aimed to compare cognitive errors and the psychological resilience of patients with social anxiety disorder and those with obsessive–compulsive disorder. Methods: This cross-sectional study investigated a total of 60 patients, 30 with social anxiety disorder and 30 with obsessivecompulsive disorder (OCD), seen at a hospital in Zanjan city, Iran, in 2017. Participants were aged between 15 and 50 years. Participants were chosen using convenience sampling and on the basis of psychiatrist diagnosis and structured diagnostic interviews (SCID-I, II) according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (CET) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) were used to assess the variables. Results: A significant difference was observed between the two patient groups in the cognitive errors components (P≤0.05). In patients with OCD, the highest average rate of cognitive errors was related to catastrophizing and splitting error. In patients with SAD, the highest mean rate of cognitive errors was related to catastrophizing. There was no significant difference in psychological resilience between the two groups. Conclusion: Cognitive errors play an important role in OCD and social anxiety disorder (SAD). OCD patients were observed to make more cognitive errors than SAD patients. However, psychological resilience was equal between both groups.

Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Cognitive Error Questionnaire in a Sample of Iranian College Students

While Beck's constructs of depression, such as cognitive errors, have been studied extensively in Western cultures, there is a lack of translated measures to conduct such studies in non-Western populations. This study assessed the psychometrics of a Farsi-language Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ-P) in a sample of Iranian college students. The factor structure of the Farsi-language CEQ was analyzed through confirmatory factor analysis to determine whether it had a factor structure similar to that of the CEQ used in a Western sample. Results indicated that scores from the CEQ-P demonstrated acceptable internal consistency, acceptable concurrent criterion validity, and good discriminant validity among individuals without depression, with subclinical depressive symptoms, and experiencing a major depressive episode. The CEQ-P had the same factor structure seen in a Western sample. The CEQ-P represents a useful research and clinical tool to investigate the role of cognitive errors in nonclinical Iranian popu...

Ergenin Beş Faktör Kişilik Özellikleri ile Sosyal Yetkinlik, Bilişsel Hatalar ve Anne Baba Beş Faktör Kişilik Özellikleri İlişkisi

The purpose of this study, to investigate the relationship between adolescent five personality traits with social self-efficacy, cognitive errors, cognitive flexibility and five personality of parents. Research on 331 adolescents and their mothers (331) and father (331), including 993 people participated. In the study, the Five Factor Personality Inventory, Social Self Efficacy Scale and Cognitive Errors Questionnaire was used. Adolescents answered Five Factor Personality Inventory, Social Self Efficacy Scale and, the Cognitive Errors Questionnaire. Mothers and fathers answered themselves the Five Factor Personality Inventory. According to the results extraversion, peacefulness, self-control and emotional instability of parents personality traits increases, these personality characteristics of adolescents are rising. When adolescent’ extraversion, peacefulness, self-control and openness levels increase, adolescents' social self-efficacy in the average scores increased, and it has been observed that when levels of emotional instability increased, a decrease in their average social self-efficacy score.

Cognitive Errors in Greek Adolescents: The Linkages Between Negative Cognitive Errors and Anxious and Depressive Symptoms

The present cross-sectional study investigated the relationships between negative cognitive errors and self-reported symptoms of anxiety and depression in a community sample of Greek adolescents, aged 12 to 18 years (N = 883). The Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ) was used to measure four types of cognitive errors and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Trait subscale (STAI-T), and the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) were used to assess anxious and depressive symptoms. Results indicated that, as expected, cognitive errors were significantly associated with greater levels of symptoms of anxiety and depression. Of the four types of cognitive errors measured, only overgeneralization was independently related to anxiety (and none was independently related to depression). Finally, results indicated that even though younger adolescents exhibited more cognitive distortions than older adolescents, they reported less anxious and depressive symptoms, indicating tha...

Children’s Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire—Revised: The Factor Structure and Associations with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms Across Age, Gender, and Clinical/Community Samples

This study evaluated the factor structure of the Children’s Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire—Revised (CNCEQ-R) and its relationship with anxiety and depressive symptoms. The study included a community sample of 257 children and adolescents and a clinical sample of 201 referred youths, aged 9–18 years. Participants completed the CNCEQ-R and the revised child anxiety and depression scale (RCADS). For the original five-factor model, confirmatory factor analysis indicated an overall good fit to the data for the entire sample. The model was found fully invariant between boys and girls, children and adolescents, and clinically-referred and non-referred youths. The cognitive error of “overgeneralizing” accounted for most of the variance in depressive symptoms (15 %), while “mind reading” accounted for most of the variance in anxiety symptoms (20 %). The CNCEQ-R total score was significantly higher in youth with depression only than in youth with other disorders.

Development and initial validity of the Exercise-Related Cognitive Errors Questionnaire

ObjectiveCognitive errors (CEs) reflect individuals' biased evaluations of context-relevant information. In the exercise domain, a valid form of exercise CE assessment is needed. The Exercise-related Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (E-CEQ) was developed to determine to what extent adults make cognitive errors regarding exercise decisions. The purpose of this study was to develop and provide initial validity evidence for the E-CEQ. DesignThe current study used an online self-report survey. MethodFirst, 24 initial vignettes representing 6 CEs were created and content validated. Second, data from 364 adults (Mage = 29.1, SDage = 11.6; 81.3% female) was gathered to examine the E-CEQ's factor structure. Finally, data from the 364 participants was used to examine aspects of criterion-related validity. ResultsA 16-item, three-factor model was retained as the final E-CEQ factor structure and had good psychometric properties (χ2 = 164.35, df = 75, p < .001; RMSEA = .057; CFI = .947; TLI = .915). Evidence of the questionnaire's predictive utility is provided. For example, exercise CEs were negatively related to exercise and accounted for 4.9% of additional variance beyond the contribution of past exercise in predicting exercise intention. ConclusionsThe steps taken to examine different forms of validity helped provide a platform from which to continue (a) to study biases linked to cognitive errors and (b) the E-CEQ validation process through ongoing investigation.

Perceptions of exercise consistency: Relation to exercise-related cognitive errors and cognitions.

This study examined psychological differences between individuals (1) with varying perceptions of their exercise adherence pattern and (2) who do and do not make exercise-related cognitive errors. A total of 364 adults completed an exercise pattern and cognitive errors questionnaire. Individuals perceiving themselves as consistent exercisers reported more adaptive social cognitive outcomes (e.g. higher self-regulatory efficacy) than those perceiving themselves as inconsistent. Individuals expressing stronger exercise-related cognitive errors exercised less and reported problematic cognitions (e.g. more struggle with exercise decisions). These results link inconsistent adherence perceptions to weaker social cognitions and exercise-related cognitive errors, a novel form of bias related to limited exercise engagement.

Negative Cognitive Errors in Youth: Specificity to Anxious and Depressive Symptoms and Age Differences.

Negative cognitive errors are important in the etiology and treatment of youth internalizing problems, but less is known about their unique relations with anxiety and depression. The major purpose of this study was to examine associations between distinct negative cognitive errors and anxiety and depression in youth. In a community sample of children and adolescents (aged 9-17; N = 278) negative cognitive errors were assessed using the revised version of the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ-R). Anxiety and depression were assessed with the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children and Children's Depression Inventory, respectively. The strongest predictors of anxiety were the negative cognitive errors "underestimation of the ability to cope" and "mind reading". The strongest predictors of depression were the errors "selective abstraction" and "overgeneralizing", with the first error explaining most variance. Analyses of age effects showed that, in comparison to adolescents, children reported higher scores on the total CNCEQ-R score, and on the errors "overgeneralizing", "personalizing", and "mind reading". The findings underscore the importance of researching the role of distinct cognitive processing in youth with anxiety and depression and further development of the CNCEQ-R. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Association of Coping Style, Cognitive Errors and Cancer-related Variables with Depression in Women Treated for Breast Cancer

The purpose of this study was to examine the correlation between depression levels with coping styles and cognitive errors in women treated for breast cancer. A total of 110 breast cancer outpatients who had had surgery at least 6 months previously, had completed adjuvant cancer treatment and had not experienced metastasis or recurrent lesions were evaluated. The Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, Cognitive Errors Questionnaire, Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale and Beck Depression Inventory were administered to all patients. Semi-structured interview forms were used to obtain medical and demographic data. All patients were categorized into depression and non-depression groups according to their Beck Depression Inventory scores. The study protocol was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Istanbul University Oncology Institute. Higher cognitive errors and automatic thought scores were found in the depression group. Fighting spirit was found to be the primary coping style used in the non-depression group, while helplessness/hopelessness, anxious/preoccupation and fatalism were the coping styles used the most in the depression group. No association between depression and socio-demographic (except for educational level) and cancer-related variables was detected. However, it was found that automatic thoughts, cognitive errors, education level, fighting spirit and anxious/preoccupation are important indicators of depression in our sample. A causal relationship exists between depression and a patient's cognitive patterns and accompanying anxiety. The degree of depression is inversely related to both fighting spirit coping type and educational level. If clinicians take this into consideration, diagnosing and treating depression will be more effective.

Cognitive errors and anxiety in school aged children

Cognitive models of emotional disorders emphasize the role of biased information processing in the psychological functioning of anxious individuals. So far, the role of cognitive errors in problems of childhood anxiety disorders has received little empirical attention. This study analyzes the relations between cognitive errors and symptoms of anxiety in a sample of school aged children. The sample, comprised by 205 children (8 to 13 years old), answered the Children's Negative Cognitive Errors Questionnaire (CNCEQ) and the Screen for Child Anxiety Related Emotional Disorders - Revised (SCARED-R). Results show a positive and statistically significant relationship between cognitive errors and symptoms of anxiety, suggesting the importance of modifying these cognitive processes for prevention and intervention targeting anxiety problems in school aged children.

Cognitive Errors as Predictors of Adaptive and Maladaptive Perfectionism in Children

Cognitive distortions such as dichotomous evaluation of performance, selectively focusing on perceived failures, and discounting successes are proposed to be key maintaining mechanisms in clinical perfectionism, but no existing research has investigated the relationship between perfectionism and cognitive errors in children. The current study assessed the associations between dimensions of perfectionism as assessed by the Adaptive/Maladaptive Perfectionism Scale (AMPS) and children’s cognitive errors controlling for negative and positive affect to provide information about cognitive features associated with perfectionism in children and construct-related evidence for the AMPS. A non-clinical sample of 204 children completed the AMPS, the Children’s Negative Cognitive Errors Questionnaire, and measures of positive and negative affect. The AMPS sensitivity to mistakes scale was correlated robustly with catastrophizing, overgeneralization, personalizing, and selective abstraction. Cognitive errors were significant predictors of maladaptive perfectionism even after controlling for negative affect. However, cognitive errors did not predict adaptive perfectionism after controlling for positive affect. These findings highlight the role of negative thinking styles in maladaptive perfectionism in children and point to the potential usefulness of interventions that focus jointly on maladaptive perfectionism and negative cognitive styles.

Cognitive biases in childhood anxiety disorders: Do interpretive and judgment biases distinguish anxious youth from their non-anxious peers?

The purpose of this study was to compare interpretive biases (i.e., the tendency to interpret neutral stimuli in a negative way) and judgment biases (i.e., a lowered estimate of one's ability to cope with a threatening situation) in clinically anxious youth ( n = 24) with a demographically matched group of non-referred youth ( n = 48). Interpretive biases were assessed with the Children's Negative Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CNCEQ) and judgment biases were assessed with the Anxiety Control Questionnaire-child form (ACQ-C). Results indicated that (1) children in the clinic sample exhibited significantly more negative interpretive biases and less positive judgment biases relative to the control sample, (2) the ACQ-C demonstrated incremental validity over the CNCEQ in predicting diagnostic status, (3) the ACQ-C predicted diagnostic status while controlling for Generalized Anxiety Disorder symptoms and parent-reported internalizing and externalizing symptoms, (4) the relationship between the CNCEQ and diagnostic status was moderated by age and gender. Implications of the findings for theory and practice are discussed to highlight suggestions for future research and clinical practice.