Document Type

Article

Publication Date

9-2009

Department

Counseling and Human Development

Abstract

A central component of Beck et al.’s (1979) cognitive theory of depression is faulty information processing reflected by so-called cognitive errors. These cognitive errors are the reason why depressed individuals systematically misinterpret the significance of events in a negative way. They are usually assessed with the application of the Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ). This study examines the psychometric properties and factor structure of the German version of the CEQ in a sample of 796 volunteers at a German university. Results confirmed that the German CEQ has satisfactory to very good psychometric properties, like the American original. Confirmatory factor analyses demonstrated that a hierarchical four-factor model with four subscales and 1 s order factor fits the data best. Therefore, besides using the German CEQ in studies with German-speaking samples, the similarities in psychometric properties of the American and German CEQ allow for cross-cultural studies.

Original Publication Information

This is the peer-reviewed version of the following article:

Pössel, Patrick. "Cognitive Error Questionnaire (CEQ): Psychometric properties and factor structure of the German translation." 2009. Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment 31(3): 264 - 269.

which was published in final form at: http://doi.org/10.1007/s10862-008-9117-x

DOI

10.1007/s10862-008-9117-x

Share

COinS