Thoughts Questionnaire Research Articles

Measuring racing thoughts in healthy individuals: The Racing and Crowded Thoughts Questionnaire (RCTQ)

Racing thoughts refer to an acceleration and overproduction of thoughts, which have been associated with manic and mixed episodes. Phenomenology distinguishes ‘crowded’ from ‘racing’ thoughts, associated with mixed depression and mania, respectively. Recent data suggest racing thoughts might also be present in healthy individuals with sub-affective traits and symptoms. We investigated this assumption, with a 34-item self-rating scale, the Racing and Crowded Thoughts Questionnaire (RCTQ), and evaluated its reliability, factor structure, and concurrent validity. 197 healthy individuals completed the RCTQ, the Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego – autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Altman Self-Rating Mania scale (ASRM), and the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS). Exploratory factor analysis yielded a three-factor solution, labeled ‘thought overactivation’, ‘burden of thought overactivation’, and ‘thought overexcitability’. Internal consistency of each of the three subscales of the RCTQ was excellent. The TEMPS-A cyclothymia score was associated with the three factors, suggesting good concurrent validity. The ‘thought activation’ subscale was selectively associated with current elated mood and included items conveying both the notion of increased amount and velocity of thoughts, whereas the ‘burden of thought overactivation’ subscale was associated with current low mood. The ‘thought overexcitability’ subscale included items conveying the notion of distractibility, and was associated with both elated and low mood. Rumination was not a significant predictor of RCTQ subscores. These results suggest that the RCTQ has good psychometric properties. Racing and crowded thoughts, as measured by the RCTQ, are a multi-faceted phenomenon, distinct from rumination, and particularly associated with mood instability even in its milder forms.

Development, factor structure and psychometric properties of a questionnaire to evaluate post – divorce negative thoughts in Spanish

Negatively biased thoughts have been found in responses to negative or threatening events, like divorce. In this paper we describe the development, factor structure and psychometric properties of a 12-item questionnaire developed in Spanish to assess parental post-divorce negative thoughts. Study 1 reported item generation, selection and exploratory factor analysis. Study 2 confirmatory factor analysis and reliability of the scale. Study 3 analysed convergent and discriminant validity, and Study 4 predictive validity. Results showed that the Post – Divorce Negative Thoughts Questionnaire had a three factor structure - negative thoughts about children, negative evaluation of divorce and negative thoughts about the self-, and good internal consistency with alphas ranging from .72 to .80. Gender-custody, time married and time divorced were differently associated with the occurrence of post-divorce negative thoughts (discriminant validity). Post-divorce negative thoughts were inversely associated (convergent validity) with adjustment to divorce, forgiveness of an ex-spouse, and subjective well-being (satisfaction with life, positive and negative affect). Finally, the association of post-divorce negative thoughts with Children’s Behaviour Problems is an indicator of predictive validity. Those preliminary results proved the good psychometric properties of the Post – Divorce Negative Thoughts Questionnaire, that seems to be an appropriate instrument to evaluate negative thoughts that could hinder adjustment to divorce and post-divorce subjective well-being. To finish, implications for the work with divorced families are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Turkish Form of the Questionnaire of Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts: transdiagnostic approach in unwanted intrusive thoughts

Objective: Although unwanted intrusive thoughts (UITs) generally have been studied with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), transdiagnostic model of anxiety disorders proposed UITs can be seen in a variety of the disorders including eating disorders (EDs), body dysmorphic disorder (BDD), and hypochondriasis (HYP) instead of being OCD-specific. The aim of the study was to adapt The Questionnaire of Unwanted Intrusive Thoughts (QUIT) developed to evaluate several characteristics of the UITs in OCD, EDs, BDD and HYP into Turkish and to examine its psychometric properties. Methods: The sample was composed of 259 non-clinical university students. Having psychiatric illness within the past six months was an exclusion criterion, and the final analyses were conducted with 237 participants. Results: QUIT examines the UITs with three different criteria: frequency, discomfort and control/ appraisal strategies used for most distressing UITs. Reliability analyses indicated the internal consistencies were 0.84, 0.81 and 0.85 for obsessions; 0.91, 0.90 and 0.86 for physical appearance; 0.91, 0.90 and 0.88 for diet and physical exercise, 0.87, 0.85 and 0.89 for health related UITs, respectively for frequency, discomfort and control/ appraisal strategies. Confirmatory factor analyzes for all UIT contents’ revealed original version of control/appraisal strategies part with 14 items and 5 subscales works at the desired level in Turkish sample. The validity analyses indicated that Turkish version of the QUIT had satisfactory convergent, divergent and criterion validity values. Conc-lusion: Psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the scale meet the criteria of being valid and reliable and therefore QUIT can be used among Turkish population.

Comparison Between the Efficiency of Pharmacotherapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in Reducing Cocaine Addiction and Relapse Prevention

Objectives: To examine the therapeutic efficacy and effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy in the treatment of Major Cocaine Dependence. Method: A 41 outpatients males, selected for the study, diagnosed as they suffering from Cocaine Dependence according to the DSM-5, with mean age 34.58 ± 5.11. The sample was divided into three experimental groups, first group (A) (N= 14 cocaine dependents) treated by cognitive behavior therapy and pharmacotherapy in combination. The second group (B) (N=13 cocaine dependents) treated by cognitive behavior therapy alone. The third group (C) (N=14 cocaine dependents) treated by pharmacotherapy alone. The CBT second group had been exposed to 20 regular sessions of a full CBT program. All groups were assessed by Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Automatic Thoughts Checklist, Irrational Thoughts Questionnaire, Negative Health Beliefs Questionnaire, Beck Craving Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ), Beck Relapse Prediction Scale (RPS), and the Social Efficacy Treatment Checklist (SETC) designed by the researcher. All groups were assigned to four measurements, one for the baseline before any treatment interventions, one for the post-treatment evaluation, and two for evaluating the groups in tow times of follow-up within a short time and long time. Non-parametric statistics were used to analyze the data collected by SPSS. Results: There is no significant intra-group differences were found in terms of baseline assessment. There was no significant discrepancy between the first and the second group except in the term of reducing cocaine craving, as it was clearer in the first group in comparison with other groups. There was a clear significant discrepancy between the first and third group, for all the study variables and it’s phases of assessment especially follow up. There was a clear degree of differences among the second and the third group, through the different phases of post-assessment, which refers to the great efficacy and effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Treating Cocaine Dependence. There was a difference among the three groups in reducing the different variables of the study for the first group. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) was proved to be more effective than pharmacotherapy in the treatment of Cocaine Dependence. The combination of CBT and pharmacotherapy was more effective than each other alone in the treatment of Cocaine Dependence and Relapse Prevention. All the results had been discussed in terms of information processing model and discussed in terms of cognitive-behavioral models of dependencies and relapse prevention. Conclusions: Available evidence suggests that cognitive–behavioral therapy is an effective intervention method for psychological aspects of automatic thoughts, depression, negative health beliefs, craving, and relapse prevention, although its efficacy in reducing cocaine dependence.

Comparison of Depression among freshmen and Last Year College Students

Background: Going off to college is a unique point in time for young adults. It forces independence from a developed comfort zone that folks may have had through the end of high school, and at the same time drives home the point that there is no one around to clean up one’s mistakes anymore. The purpose of this study was to measure the depression among college freshmen and last year college students. Methods: Two groups were selected one is of freshmen and the other is of last year, both groups have 60 students. Each group has 30 students. Data were collected from the Delhi and National capital Region College students. In this research paper “Cognitive Self-Statements in Depression: Development of an Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire.” by Dr. Steven Hollon and Philip Kendall was used. “t” test was used for analysis. Results: There is no significance difference in the level of depression among freshmen and last year college students, but last year students are more depressed. Last year students have more pressure of making career than freshmen and to maintain their grades on regular basis and no fun activity with monotonous lifestyle can be a major cause of depression in today’s youth. Conclusion: In the present research study it is found that there is no significant difference among freshmen and last year college students. Freshmen are more enthusiastic and new to college which makes them interested to attend classes and less stress regarding the making of career as compared to last year college students. Last year students have more pressure to cope up with family issues and societal pressure.

Examining the stress-burnout relationship: the mediating role of negative thoughts.

BackgroundUsing Smith’s (1986) cognitive-affective model of athletic burnout as a guiding framework, the purpose of this study was to examine the relationships among athletes’ stress in life, negative thoughts, and the mediating role of negative thoughts on the stress-burnout relationship.MethodsA total of 300 college student-athletes (males = 174; females = 126, Mage = 20.43 y, SD = 1.68) completed the College Student Athlete’s Life Stress Scale (CSALSS; Lu et al., 2012), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ; Hollon & Kendall, 1980), and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (ABQ; Raedeke & Smith, 2001).ResultsCorrelational analyses found that two types of life stress and four types of negative thoughts correlated with burnout. Additionally, hierarchical regression analyses found that four types of negative thoughts partially mediated the stress-burnout relationship.DiscussionWe concluded that an athlete’s negative thoughts play a pivotal role in predicting athletes’ stress-burnout relationship. Future study may examine how irrational cognition influences athletes’ motivation and psychological well-being.

Differences between autogenous and reactive obsessions in terms of metacognitions and automatic thoughts.

BackgroundObsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) is characterized by obsessions and compulsions. Obsessions have been classified as autogenous obsessions and reactive obsessions on the basis of the cognitive theory of Lee and Kwon. The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between autogenous groups (AG) and reactive groups (RG) in terms of metacognition and automatic thoughts, for the purpose of investigating the differences of cognitive appraisals.MethodsOne hundred and thirty-three patients diagnosed with OCD were included in the study as the patient group. A control group was formed of 133 age, gender and education-matched healthy individuals. The OCD group patients were separated into subgroups according to the primary obsessions. The sociodemographic data, and the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale, Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) scores of the AG, RG, and control groups were compared.ResultsThe MCQ-30 (total) and the subscales of MCQ-30 and ATQ scale points were seen to be significantly higher in the AG than in the RG and significantly higher in the RG than in the control group. In the reactive obsession group, the predictive variables of the ATQ points were determined to be MCQ-30 (total), BDI and BAI. In the autogenous obsession group, the predictive variables of the ATQ points were determined to be BDI and BAI.ConclusionIn the current study, differences were determined between the AG and the RG in respect of metacognitions and automatic thoughts. In light of these results, the recommended grouping can be considered useful in the identification of OCD sub-types. There is a need for further studies to identify more homogenous sub-types of OCD. Future multi-centered studies of sub-typing with larger samples using more specific instruments to sub-type and dimensional evaluation will be useful for detailed evaluation and better understanding of the subject.

The Relations of Cognitive, Behavioral, and Physical Activity Variables to Depression Severity in Traumatic Brain Injury: Reanalysis of Data From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

To explore the relations of cognitive, behavioral, and physical activity variables to depression severity among people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) undergoing a depression treatment trial. Community. Adults (N = 88) who sustained complicated mild to severe TBI within the past 10 years, met criteria for major depressive disorder, and completed study measures. Randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to cognitive-behavioral therapy (n = 58) or usual care (n = 42). Outcomes were measured at baseline and 16 weeks. We combined the groups and used regressions to explore the relations among theoretical variables and depression outcomes. Depression severity was measured with the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and Symptom Checklist-20. Theory-based measures were the Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS), Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), Environmental Rewards Observation Scale (EROS), and the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ). Compared with non-TBI norms, baseline DAS and ATQ scores were high and EROS and IPAQ scores were low. All outcomes improved from baseline to 16 weeks except the DAS. The ATQ was an independent predictor of baseline depression. An increase in EROS scores was correlated with decreased depression. Increasing participation in meaningful roles and pleasant activities may be a promising approach to treating depression after TBI.

Association between cognitive vulnerability to depression - dysfunctional attitudes and glycaemic control among in-patients with type 2 diabetes in a hospital in Beijing: a multivariate regression analysis

This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate the relationship between glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c) and cognitive vulnerability to depression (dysfunctional attitudes) in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. A total of 245 valid records from June 2016 to December 2016 were collected from a hospital in Beijing. Participants were asked to complete four questionnaires (Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, Zung Self-rating Depression Scale, and World Health Organization Quality of Life Instrument-Short Form) to assess mental health and quality of life. Multivariate regression analysis was conducted to determine the correlations between HbA1c, mental health, quality of life and other clinical variables. The results showed that dysfunctional attitudes were associated with HbA1c, with a standardized regression coefficient (β) of .13 (p = .01), although 1 h C-peptide (β = −.75, p < .0001) was the most significant predictor of HbA1c in the regression model. The results indicated that dysfunctional attitudes, as a cognitive vulnerability to depression, were a relevant factor in HbA1c, although further studies are needed to establish the nature of the connection between dysfunctional attitudes and glycaemic control in diabetes patients.

Angry thoughts in Spanish drivers and their relationship with crash-related events. The mediation effect of aggressive and risky driving

Several studies have related aggressive and risky driving behaviours to accidents. However, the cognitive processes associated with driving aggression have received very little attention in the scientific literature. With the aim of shedding light on this topic, the present research was carried out on a sample of 414 participants in order to validate the Driver’s Angry Thoughts Questionnaire (DATQ) with a sample of Spanish drivers and to test the hypothesis of the mediation effect of aggressive and risky driving on the relationship between drivers’ angry thoughts and crash-related events. The results showed a good fit with the five-factor model of the questionnaire (Judgmental and Disbelieving Thinking, Pejorative Labelling and Verbally Aggressive Thinking, Revenge and Retaliatory Thinking, Physically Aggressive Thinking, and Coping Self-Instruction). Moreover, slight gender differences were observed in drivers’ angry thoughts, with women scoring higher than men (η2=0.03). However, younger drivers had higher scores than older drivers in general (η2=0.06). Finally, several mediation effects of aggressive driving and risky driving on the relationship between aggressive thinking and the crash-related events were found. Implications of the results for research in traffic psychology and clinical assessment of aggressive drivers as well as limitations of the study are discussed.

Predictors of Mental Health Symptoms, Automatic Thoughts, and Self-Esteem Among University Students.

University youth is a risk group regarding mental health, and many mental health problems are frequent in this group. Sociodemographic factors such as level of income and familial factors such as relationship with father are reported to be associated with mental health symptoms, automatic thoughts, and self-esteem. Also, there are interrelations between mental health problems, automatic thoughts, and self-esteem. The extent of predictive effect of each of these variables on automatic thoughts, self-esteem, and mental health symptoms is not known. We aimed to determine the predictive factors of mental health symptoms, automatic thoughts, and self-esteem in university students. Participants were 530 students enrolled at a university in Turkey, during 2014-2015 academic year. Data were collected using the student information form, the Brief Symptom Inventory, the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Mental health symptoms, self-esteem, perception of the relationship with the father, and level of income as a student significantly predicted automatic thoughts. Automatic thoughts, mental health symptoms, participation in family decisions, and age had significant predictive effects on self-esteem. Finally, automatic thoughts, self-esteem, age, and perception of the relationship with the father had significant predictive effects on mental health symptoms. The predictive factors revealed in our study provide important information to practitioners and researchers by showing the elements that need to be screened for mental health of university students and issues that need to be included in counseling activities.

Are unwanted mental intrusions a transdiagnostic variable?

Unwanted mental intrusions (UMI) constitute the normal variants of obsessions in Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), preoccupations about defects in Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), images about illness in Hypochondriasis (HYP), and thoughts about eating in Eating Disorders (EDs). We sought to investigate the relationships between frequency and discomfort associated with the experience of the four UMI contents, adopting a within-subject perspective. A group of 438 university students and community participants (Mage= 29.84, SD= 11.41; 70.54% women), completed the Questionnaire of Unpleasant Intrusive Thoughts to assess the frequency and discomfort of four UMI contents related to OCD, BDD, HYP and EDs. Just over 76% of participants reported having experienced the four sets of intrusions. The ED-related were the most frequent but the least disturbing, whereas HYP intrusions were the least frequent but the most disturbing. The four UMI were significantly related to each other, both in frequency and discomfort. Women experienced OCD, BDD, and ED-related intrusions more frequently than men. Age was negatively associated with the frequency and distress of the four UMIs. UMIs might be a transdiagnostic variable across different disorders such as OCD, BDD, EDs, and Hypochondriasis, and they might contribute to explaining the phenomenological similarities among them.

Gender Invariance and Psychometric Properties of the Nonproductive Thoughts Questionnaire for Children.

Perseverative cognitions-rumination and worry-can contribute to mental and somatic health problems in adolescence. Girls usually report stronger rumination or worry than boys even in earlier years across the development age spectrum. Our aim was to test the gender invariance and psychometric properties of the Nonproductive Thoughts Questionnaire for Children (NPTQ-C). Study 1 involved 1,572 students (mean age = 15.39 years, SD = 2.26; 49% boy) recruited representatively from local schools. We applied confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to test the measurement model of perseverative cognitions. The gender invariance of the measurement model and the convergent validity were analyzed as well with CFA with covariates model. The original one-factor structure of NPTQ-C was supported in our adolescent sample. Gender invariance was also confirmed. The NPTQ-C indicated high convergent validity: showing positive correlations with emotional instability and emotional symptoms. In Study 2 (385 students; mean age = 16.05; SD = 1.23; 34% boy), we tested the construct validity of NPTQ-C. The applied CFA with covariates model supported the construct validity. In summary, NPTQ-C proved to be a good instrument for measuring ruminative and worrying thoughts of adolescents, which reliably measures perseverative cognitions across genders.

The relationship between automatic thoughts and depression in a cognitive-behavioral treatment for people living with HIV/AIDS: Exploring temporality and causality.

Depression in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) is highly prevalent and related to worse adherence to antiretroviral therapy, but is amenable to change via CBT. Cognitive-behavioral therapy for adherence and depression (CBT-AD) specifically addresses negative automatic thoughts (ATs) as one component of the treatment. There is little research on the temporal nature of the relation between ATs and depression. HIV-positive adults with depression (N=240) were randomized to CBT-AD, information/supportive psychotherapy for adherence and depression (ISP-AD), or one session of adherence counseling alone (ETAU). ATs were self-reported (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire; ATQ) and depression was assessed by blinded interview (Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale; MADRS) at baseline, and 4-, 8-, and 12-months. We performed autoregressive cross-lagged panel models. Broadly, decreases in ATs were followed by decreases in depression, but decreases in depression were not followed by decreases in ATs. In CBT-AD, decreases in ATs were followed by decreases in depression, and vice versa. However, in the ISP group, while depression and ATs both significantly influenced each other, not all relations were in the direction expected. This study adds to the evidence base for cognitive interventions to decrease depression in individuals with a chronic medical condition, HIV/AIDS.

The Spanish version of the Believability of Anxious Feelings and Thoughts Questionnaire.

Cognitive fusion is suggested to play an important role in the etiology and maintenance of anxiety disorders according to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. This study presents the psychometric data of the Spanish version of a cognitive fusion measure in the context of anxiety: the Believability of Anxious Feelings and Thoughts Questionnaire (BAFT). First, we back-translated the BAFT into Spanish and then, administered it to three samples, with a total of 598 participants, in addition to other relevant anxiety measures. Data were very similar to those obtained with the original BAFT version. The BAFT showed a very good internal consistency (overall &alpha;= .92) and a hierarchical factor structure with two lower-order factors and one hierarchical factor. Participants showing mild levels of anxiety symptoms scored higher on the BAFT than participants who scored below the cutoffs. BAFT scores were significantly related to anxiety symptoms and to measures of psychological inflexibility, anxiety sensitivity, and mindfulness facets. Moreover, the BAFT showed incremental validity relative to anxiety sensitivity. This Spanish version of the BAFT emerges as a reliable and valid measure of cognitive fusion with anxious thoughts and feelings.

Psychological factors influence the overlap syndrome in functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) among middle-aged women in South Korea

ABSTRACTThis study investigated the psychological factors related to the overlap syndrome, i.e., multiple gastrointestinal conditions that are part of functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs) in the same individual and potentially related to quality of life (QOL) among women aged 45–60 years (n = 627) in South Korea. The study was undertaken between July 2014 and March 2015. Depressive and anxiety symptoms were ascertained using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale (CES-D) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), respectively. Negative cognition and the cognitive triad were identified using the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire–Negative (ATQ-N) and the Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI), respectively. Resilience and QOL were assessed using the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and World Health Organization Quality of Life scale abbreviated version (WHOQOL-BREF). Women with the overlap syndrome had the highest CES-D (mean = 16.66 ± 11.79, p < .001), BAI (mean = 17.46 ± 12.67, p < .001), and ATQ-N scores (mean = 53.61 ± 20.88, p < .001), followed by women with gastrointestinal disorders but without the overlap syndrome and healthy controls. Healthy controls had the highest WHOQOL-BREF score (mean = 77.69 ± 12.53, p < .001). After stepwise selection, the final model explained 61.8 percent of the variance in QOL. Thus, depressive symptoms, anxiety, negative cognition, cognitive triad, and resilience were significantly related to QOL in women with the overlap syndrome.

東日本大震災被災生徒の抑うつと生活支障度の関連

The purpose of the present study was to examine depression and social disability among Japanese high school students who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake and tested if cognitive behavioral factors were related to depression and social disability. Two hundred and five students (160 female, M age = 16.2 years, SD = 0.4) who experienced the Great East Japan Earthquake were administered the Impact of Event Scale–Revised, Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale, Sheehan Disability Scale, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire–Revised, Behavioral Activation for Depression Scale, and Environmental Reward Observation Scale(EROS). More participants had depression than post-traumatic stress disorder(PTSD) symptoms. Partial correlation analysis found that depression was positively correlated with social disability. Multiple regression analysis found that, regarding cognitive factors, “negative evaluation of the future” was positively correlated with depression and social disability, whereas “positive thinking” was negatively correlated with depression. Regarding behavioral factors, “avoidance/rumination” and “social impairment” were positively correlated with depression, “school impairment” was positively correlated with social disability, whereas EROS was negatively correlated with depression and social disability. These findings suggest that interventions to reduce depression are necessary after natural disasters. Specifically, interventions should target cognitive behavioral factors to reduce depression and improvement of social disability.

The Relation of Perceived Meaning of Life, Meaning of Illness and Anxious-Depressive Symptoms among Cancer Patients

Our research is based on the literature that shows meaningfulness is a correlate of mental health both in the general population and in the case of patients with a serious illness such as cancer. We had two major goals: 1) to identify the meaning-categories patients find in their illness; 2) to test the relationships between perceived meaning of life, meaning of illness and negative indicators of well-being, like automatic thoughts, anxiety, depression in the case of a population of cancer patients from Romania. This study was completed in March-June of 2012. A number of 102 cancer patients, interned in the ‘Ion Chiricuta- Oncology Institute in Romania, completed a battery of scales that measured perceived meaning of life (Meaning in Life Questionnaire, Meaning in Life after Cancer), the intensity of automatic thoughts (Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire), anxiety, depression (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale), and answered the question whether they found any meaning in their lives. We could identify the following categories of meaning patients found in their illness: character change, greater appreciation of life, change of priorities, spiritual growth, greater appreciation of close relationships, clarification of goals, development of self-knowledge. In accordance with the literature, our results show that perceived meaning of life (measured by MLaC), correlates negatively with automatic thoughts (r = -0.606), anxiety (r = -0.576), and depression (r = -0.542), and these relations are significant (p = 0.000). Patients who found their illness meaningful, found more meaning in their lives as well (t = 3.041, p = 0.003), and they showed lower levels of anxiety and depression, but these correlations are not significant (p = 0.567 and 0.116).

Validity Evidence of the Spanish Version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-8 in Colombia.

The Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) is a widely used, 30-item, 5-point Likert-type scale that measures the frequency of negative automatic thoughts as experienced by individuals suffering from depression. However, there is some controversy about the factor structure of the ATQ, and its application can be too time-consuming for survey research. Accordingly, an abbreviated, 8-item version of the ATQ has been proposed. The aim of this study was to analyze the validity evidence of the Spanish version of the ATQ-8 in Colombia. The ATQ-8 was administered to a total of 1587 participants, including a sample of undergraduates, one of general population, and a clinical sample. The internal consistency across the different samples was good (α = .89). The one-factor model found in the original scale showed a good fit to the data (RMSEA = .083, 90% CI [.074, .092]; CFI = .96; NNFI = .95). The clinical sample's mean score on the ATQ-8 was significantly higher than the scores of the nonclinical samples. The ATQ-8 was sensitive to the effects of a 1-session acceptance and commitment therapy focused on disrupting negative repetitive thinking. ATQ-8 scores were significantly related to dysfunctional schemas, emotional symptoms, mindfulness, experiential avoidance, satisfaction with life, and dysfunctional attitudes. In conclusion, the Spanish version of the ATQ-8 showed good psychometric properties in Colombia.

Psychological Effects of Youth Unemployment in Ghana

This study investigated the psychological effects of youth unemployment in Ghana. Youths within the ages of 18 and 35 years in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana constituted the research population. A sample of 362 youths, comprising both the employed (n = 172) and the unemployed (n = 190), were purposively selected. The employed youths served as a control group for comparative analyses. The cross-sectional survey design was adopted. The Hopelessness Depression Symptom Questionnaire (HDSQ), the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), the Rosenberg’s Self-esteem Scale and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) were used to assess psychological health (i.e., depression, cognitive distortions, self-esteem and suicidality) of the respondents. The Pearson r test, the Linear Regression test and the Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) test were used to analyze the data. The findings showed poorer psychological health among unemployed youths than employed youths. Duration of unemployment significantly predicted poorer psychological health among the youths. The findings and their implications are discussed with references to the existing literature and theories.