Factor structure of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire in a clinical sample

Abstract

None of the published factor analyses of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire Negative (ATQ-N; Hollon & Kendall, 1980) have been with adult clinical populations. To address this omission, we examined the factor structure of the ATQ-N among an adult sample (N = 178) seeking treatment for depression. A Series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed poor fit indices with all previous models, suggesting that the automatic thinking of depressed clients is composed of different cognitive dimensions than that of nonclinical samples. An exploratory analysis with our clinical sample identified five factors with eigenvalues >1 (demoralization, self-criticism, brooding, amotivation, and interpersonal disappointment) that accounted for 61% of the variance. Of these five factors, only the first two independently accounted for significant variability in levels of depression. Implications of the results and for further use of the ATQ-N within cognitive therapeutic research and practice are discussed.