ABSTRACT
Repetitive negative thinking (RNT) is a transdiagnostic process involved in the onset and maintenance of many psychological disorders. The Perseverative Thinking Questionnaire (Ehring et al., 2011) is a content-independent scale composed of 15 items that assesses RNT from a transdiagnostic perspective in both clinical and general populations. The aim of the current research was to translate and validate the French version of the PTQ through two studies (total N = 1016) following the steps for the trans-cultural validation of psychometric instruments (Hambleton et al., 2006). An exploratory factor analysis conducted on a first community sample revealed a latent structure composed of 10 items distributed on one common factor, labeled RNT, and three subfactors that evaluated the repetitive characteristic of RNT, the intrusiveness of RNT and the effect of RNT on mental resources. This factorial structure was confirmed in two confirmatory factor analyses in community and clinical samples. Scale score reliability indices were good and confirmed the validity of the instrument. The French version of the PTQ is a good content-independent instrument to assess RNT in general and clinical populations of French speakers.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Recent studies proposed that a tendency to have repetitive negative thinking (RNT) could be a predictor of alcohol use. Nevertheless, results differ depending on the studied population (nonclinical samples or patients with alcohol abuse or alcohol dependence) and on the type of repetitive thinking (rumination or worry). These heterogeneous results might be explained by the impact of anxiety and depression level on RNT and alcohol consumption. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the present study was to explore different type of repetitive thinking (i.e., worry, brooding and reflection rumination, analytic-abstract repetitive thinking, and concrete-experiential thinking) in a clinical sample of alcohol-dependent patients and a non-clinical sample and the role played by depression and anxiety. METHOD: Eighty-four inpatients with a diagnosis of alcohol dependence and 68 individuals from a nonclinical sample completed questionnaires evaluating repetitive thinking, anxiety, depression and alcohol consumption. RESULTS: Mann-Whitney U tests showed that patients with alcohol dependence reported more analytic-abstract repetitive thinking, brooding and reflection rumination and worry, as well as anxious and depressive symptoms, compared with social drinkers, who reported more concrete-experiential repetitive thinking. Moreover, a multiple mediation model indicated that the link between RNT and alcohol consumption was significantly mediated by both anxiety and depression. Conclusion/Importance: The results support the implication of RNT in alcohol dependence and the distinction between different types of repetitive thinking with adaptive or maladaptive consequences. This link seems to be explained by the levels of depression and anxiety that mediate the impact of RNT on alcohol consumption.
