The Teasing Questionnaire-Revised: measurement of childhood teasing in adults

This study examined the reliability of the Teasing Questionnaire-Revised (TQ-R) and the relations between recalled childhood teasing and current psychological distress. Three hundred and three undergraduate college students were administered the TQ-R, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale, Social Phobia and Anxiety Inventory, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. A sub-sample was administered the TQ-R two weeks later. Test-retest reliability of the TQ-R ranged from moderate to strong for the TQ-R scores. Internal consistency for the TQ-R scores ranged from acceptable to good. Intercorrelations among factors were moderate suggesting that the factors measure related but distinct teasing domains. The TQ-R Total Score and Appearance, Performance, and Social factors were related to later psychopathology with correlations of a moderate effect size. Implications of these findings and areas for future research are discussed.