Factor Structure and Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a significant risk factor for developing and maintaining various mental disorders.
• The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (PTQ) is a validated instrument for measuring RNT.
• A validated Chinese version of the PTQ is needed for Chinese college students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish and validate the Chinese version of the Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (C-PTQ).
• To explore the psychometric properties of the C-PTQ in a Chinese college student population.

Main Methods:

• Translation of the PTQ into Chinese.
• Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses (EFA & CFA) on data from 696 college students.
• Assessment of content validity, internal consistency (Cronbach's α, McDonald's Omega), and convergent validity.
• Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis to evaluate diagnostic accuracy for depression and anxiety.

Main Results:

• EFA revealed a one-factor structure explaining 52.227% of the variance.
• CFA confirmed acceptable model fits for both one-factor and original three-factor structures.
• High content validity (Index=0.93) and excellent internal consistency (Cronbach's α=0.934, Omega ω=0.934).
• The C-PTQ demonstrated good sensitivity and specificity in identifying depression and anxiety.

Conclusions:

• The C-PTQ exhibits strong psychometric properties.
• The C-PTQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing RNT in Chinese college students.
• The C-PTQ can aid in the identification of depression and anxiety within this population.