Measuring Cognitive Vulnerability to Depression in Adolescence: Reliability, Validity, and Gender Differences

Abstract

Evaluated the psychometric properties of a newly created measure of cognitive vulnerability to depression for use with adolescents. Previous measures have shown poor internal consistency reliability and have not completely assessed all hypothesized components of cognitive vulnerability. High school students completed questionnaires assessing cognitive vulnerability to depression, negative life events, depressive symptoms, and general internalizing and externalizing symptoms. The Adolescent Cognitive Style Questionnaire (ACSQ) demonstrated excellent internal consistency reliability and good test-retest reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis showed there were 3 latent factors to the ACSQ. Construct validity was supported by significant correlations with another attributional style questionnaire, as well as with depressive and internalizing symptoms. The interaction of ACSQ with negative events significantly predicted concurrent depressive and internalizing symptoms but not externalizing problems. Last, cognitive vulnerability mediated the gender difference in depressive symptoms. Overall, results suggest that the ACSQ is a highly reliable and valid measure of cognitive vulnerability to depression in adolescence.

Perceived social support as a moderator between negative life events and depression in adolescence: implications for prediction and targeted prevention

“…Internal consistency is α = .94. Testretest reliability for 2 weeks is r = .65 [18]. According to the pilot study conducted on the Macedonian sample, good measures of internal consistency are confirmed (α = .89).…”

“…It is important to emphasize that cognitive models are basically diathesis-stress models. The basic thesis is that depression stems from the interaction between cognitive vulnerability of a person (diathesis) and certain environmental conditions (stress), which serve as a trigger to activate this diathesis [18][19][20].…”

“…They are operationalized through the Adolescent Life Events Questionnaire, ALEQ [18]. This questionnaire is a self-descriptive measure, a checklist, which measures a broad repertoire of negative life events that typically occur among adolescents (average age of 13-18 years).…”

A diathesis-stress model of engagement in risky behaviors in Chinese adolescents

“…Consent was greater than 95% for all classes. During the initial assessment, which occurred during class time on school grounds, students completed a demographics form and the following questionnaires: (1) Risky Behavior Questionnaire for Adolescents (RBQ-A; Auerbach & Abela, 2006a, 2006b), (2) Adolescent Life Events Questionnaire (ALEQ; Hankin & Abramson, 2002), and (3) Responses to Stress Questionnaire (RSQ; Connor-Smith et al, 2000). Follow-up assessments occurred once a month for 6 months (times 2-7).…”

Empirical evidence of cognitive vulnerability for depression among children and adolescents: A cognitive science and developmental perspective

“…The CASQ measures attributional style in line with the reformulated theory of learned helplessness, rather than hopelessness theory. One new measure, the Adolescent Cognitive Style Questionnaire (ACSQ; Hankin & Abramson, 2002), assesses the entire negative attributional construct proposed by hopelessness theory. Moreover, the CASQ has poor internal consistency (coefficient alphas=0.4-0.6; Gladstone & Kaslow, 1995).…”