Psychometric properties of the Dutch version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire - Positive (ATQ - P)

The role of positive cognitions in psychopathology is increasingly recognized. Several measures of this construct have been devised. The most well-known instrument to measure positive self-referent thoughts is the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire - Positive (ATQ - P). The present study explored the psychometric properties of the Dutch version of this questionnaire. Data were derived from 257 bereaved adults. Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that an oblique 5-factor model with items pertaining to Positive Daily Functioning, Positive Self-Evaluation, Other's Evaluation of Self, Positive Future Expectations, and Positive Social Functioning fit the data well. This model was a slight modification of the 4-factor model originally proposed by the developers of the ATQ - P, in which items pertaining to Positive Social Functioning were part of the factor Positive Daily Functioning. The internal consistency and the short-term temporal stability of the ATQ - P were found to be satisfactory. In addition, the 5 factors as well as the summed total score of the ATQ - P showed adequate discriminative, construct, divergent and convergent validity. In sum, the present study indicates that the Dutch ATQ - P is an effective measure of positive automatic cognitions.