Validation of a French Adaptation of the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire

Abstract

Difficulties controlling one's thoughts have been related to several psychopathological states and are core issues in clinical evaluation and treatment. For this reason, Luciano, Algarabel, Tomás, and Martínez (2005) developed the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ). The aim of this study was to propose a reliable, valid French version of this questionnaire. To do so, a two-step methodology was followed. In a first study, the 25 items of the TCAQ were translated into French, and data were collected from a sample of undergraduates. The results revealed that two items were problematic in terms of the questionnaire's face validity and internal consistency. In a second study, data were collected using the remaining 23 items with a new sample of undergraduates. This time, the results revealed that the 23-item French TCAQ possesses good internal consistency and very high reliability, and fits with a unidimensional model of thought control ability. Convergent validity was found with measures of worry and obsessive symptoms. The usefulness of the TCAQ as a tool for clinicians and researchers in the field of self-regulation is discussed

A Psychometric Evaluation of the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ) and the Prediction of Cognitive Control

“…The English version of item 5 is 'I constantly censure my thoughts and actions'; the wording of item 8 is 'I constantly evaluate whether my thoughts and actions are appropriate'. Gay, d'Acremont, Schmidt, and Van der Linden (2008) recently conducted an evaluation of a French version of the TCAQ and reported similar results. Consistent with our findings for these two items, in a sample of 254 undergraduate French-speaking students, Gay et al (2008) found a clear uni-factorial solution after the removal of items 5 and 8.…”

“…Given that preliminary studies found that the TCAQ was uni-dimensional (Gay et al, 2008;Luciano et al, 2005), we decided to use confirmatory factor analytic approach considering that sufficient knowledge has accumulated to formulate a unidimensional model of the TCAQ. We tested this model with a CFA using the 'SEM' package of R (R Development Core Team, 2007).…”

“…Furthermore, thought control ability accounted for unique variance in the prediction of these measures after controlling for scores on the WBSI and the TCQ, suggesting incremental value of the TCAQ beyond that captured by traditional measures of mental control. Gay, d'Acremont, Schmidt, and Van der Linden (2008) recently conducted an evaluation of a French version of the TCAQ in a sample of 254 undergraduate French-speaking students. A clear uni-factorial solution was found after the removal of items 5 and 8.…”

Impulsivity and Intrusive Thoughts: Related Manifestations of Self-Control Difficulties?

“…Only women took part in the second study because we wanted to control for gender effects and because the relations between lack of perseverance and unwanted intrusive thoughts may be closer in women than they are in men. Indeed, men and women have been shown to differ in terms of unwanted intrusive thoughts (e.g., Gay et al 2008a;Nolen-Hoeksema and Corte 2007) and impulsivity (e.g., Billieux et al 2008;Schmidt et al 2008a; Van der Linden et al 2006;Waldeck and Miller 1997).…”

Alterations in neural systems mediating cognitive flexibility and inhibition in mood disorders

“…Laterality was measured by the Edinburgh handedness inventory [Oldfield, 1971]. The ability to control thoughts, in particular the experience of intrusive thoughts, was also assessed with two questionnaires, the Thought Control Ability Questionnaire (TCAQ) [French translation: Gay et al, 2008;Luciano et al, 2005] and the White Bear Suppression Inventory (WBSI) [French translation: Schmidt et al, 2009;Wegner and Zanakos, 1994].…”