Abstract
Threat/control-override symptoms refer to delusional persecutory thoughts and feelings of losing control over mind and body. The Threat/Control-Override Questionnaire (TCOQ) was developed to assess such symptoms, and the purpose of the present study was to examine the psychometric properties of this measure in nonclinical students (n = 759) and acute and stabilized psychotic patients (n = 111 and 33, respectively). Factor analysis of TCOQ data in students and acute psychotic patients yielded a two-factor solution, with components referring to "threat" and "control-override" symptoms. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability were satisfactory and concurrent and discriminant validity were shown by a meaningful pattern of correlations with other self-report and interview measures. Group comparisons showed that patients displayed significantly higher scores on the TCOQ than did the nonclinical students. Altogether, it can be concluded that the TCOQ is a reliable and valid index for assessing feelings of persecution and losing control.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 790-793 |
Number of pages | 4 |
Journal | Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease |
Volume | 199 |
Issue number | 10 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Oct 2011 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- SCALE
- Threat/control-override symptoms
- psychometric properties
- self-report measure