Development of the Event-focused Repetitive Thoughts Questionnaire (ERTQ): A tool for assessing cognitive responses to stressful life events.

BACKGROUND

Adjustment Disorder (AjD) is a prevalent condition characterized in the ICD-11 by two core symptom clusters: preoccupations and failure to adapt. Preoccupations have been proposed as key mechanisms driving the development and maintenance of AjD. However, existing tools for assessing preoccupations are brief and limited in scope, providing insufficient detail for clinical application. This study aimed to develop and validate a more comprehensive questionnaire to assess preoccupations: the Event-focused Repetitive Thoughts Questionnaire (ERTQ).

METHOD: The ERTQ was examined in two samples. Sample 1 included 678 French participants, while Sample 2 comprised 282 Swiss participants, all of whom reported having experienced at least one critical life event. Participants completed the ERTQ alongside other theoretically relevant questionnaires assessing constructs such as anxiety, depression, and worry.

RESULTS

A four-factor structure was identified: Negative Views of Self and Future, Indignation, Perceived Change, and Injustice and Incomprehensibility. The ERTQ showed acceptable internal consistency for the subscales and good reliability for the total scale. Furthermore, the ERTQ demonstrated good concurrent validity, showing meaningful associations with related psychological constructs.

CONCLUSION

These preliminary findings suggest that the ERTQ is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing repetitive thoughts related to life events. The ERTQ has potential in both clinical and research contexts, providing a more nuanced understanding of preoccupations. Identifying specific content areas of preoccupation may help clinicians to develop more targeted interventions to address maladaptive repetitive thinking patterns in individuals experiencing adjustment difficulties.