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

Aim: Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) as a cognitive process in multiple mental disorders is a key risk factor for mental disorders. It is associated with the development and maintenance of the illness. The perseverative thinking questionnaire (PTQ) is an instrument to evaluate RNT with excellent reliability and validity. Nevertheless, a Chinese version of the perseverative thinking questionnaire (C-PTQ) is lack of validation in Chinese college students. The study aimed to establish a C-PTQ, explore its psychometric properties in college students.

Methods: After translating PTQ into Chinese, we investigated 696 college students. We conducted exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to examine the psychometric properties and factor structures of the C-PTQ. Content validity was assessed using the content validity index and internal consistency was assessed using the Cronbach's α and McDonald's Omega ω. Multi-variable linear regressions explored the relationships between variables. We used receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves to determine the ability of C-PTQ in identifying depression and anxiety.

Results: The EFA showed a one-factor structure, which explained 52.227% of the total variance. The CFA showed that both one-factor structure in this research and three-factor structure of original demonstrated eligible model fits. The content validity index of 0.93. Results demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.934, McDonald's Omega ω = 0.934) and convergent validity. The PTQ is a useful tool in identifying depression (sensitivity = 85.5%, specificity = 64.6%) and anxiety (sensitivity = 84.6%, specificity = 68.5%).

Conclusions: The C-PTQ has good psychometric properties, which is valid and reliable for assessing RNT in Chinese college students.