Exploring the path of persisting dysfunctional expectations-Development of the immunization scale IMS

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Persistent dysfunctional expectations are central to mental disorders.
• Understanding mechanisms that maintain these expectations is crucial for treatment.
• Processes before (assimilation) and after (immunization) expectation-violating experiences are key.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a questionnaire assessing mechanisms of dysfunctional expectation consistency.
• To introduce the Immunization Scale (IMS) for measuring assimilation and cognitive immunization.
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the newly developed IMS.

Main Methods:

• The Immunization Scale (IMS) was developed and validated using explorative (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) across two studies.
• Study 1 involved 230 participants completing a 75-item version.
• Study 2 involved 299 participants completing a reduced 23-item scale, with a subset retested after one month. Validity and reliability were assessed using established psychological inventories (e.g., BDI-II, BAI, DES, FAH-II).

Main Results:

• The initial 75-item IMS was reduced to a 23-item, three-factor structure (negative expectations, assimilation, cognitive immunization), confirmed by CFA.
• The IMS demonstrated excellent internal consistency and very good test-retest reliability.
• Significant correlations were found between the IMS and measures of depression, anxiety, and expectations, particularly with the Depressive Expectation Scale (DES) and German Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (FAH-II).

Conclusions:

• The Immunization Scale (IMS) exhibits promising psychometric properties for assessing dysfunctional expectation mechanisms.
• The IMS is a potentially valuable instrument for expectation research and the evaluation of expectation-focused therapies.
• Further validation in diverse populations is recommended to confirm the reliability and validity of the IMS.