Validation of the Korean Version of the Meta-Worry Questionnaire Among the General Population

Meta-worry, defined as worry about worrying, plays a central role in the onset and maintenance of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) within the metacognitive model of anxiety. The Meta-Worry Questionnaire (MWQ) is a self-report scale developed to assess negative metacognitive beliefs about worry. This study aimed to examine the reliability and validity of the Korean version of the MWQ in a general adult population.

An online survey was conducted with 600 participants, stratified by sex and age. The MWQ was translated using forward and back-translation. The first 300 responses (Group I) were used for exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and the remaining 300 (Group II) were used for confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), item response theory (IRT), and convergent validity. Other measures included the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Metacognition Questionnaire for Insomnia-14, Insomnia Severity Index, and the discrepancy between desired time in bed and desired total sleep time index.

EFA showed a one-factor structure explaining 71.5% of the variance. CFA confirmed good model fit, and measurement invariance was observed across the sexes. The internal consistency was high (α=0.946, ω=0.946), and IRT results indicated strong item discrimination. The MWQ scores were strongly related to anxiety, metacognitive beliefs about insomnia, and insomnia severity.

The Korean version of the MWQ is reliable and valid for assessing meta-worry. These findings support its applicability in evaluating metacognitive aspects of anxiety symptoms in Korean populations.