Center for Research in Neuropsychology and Cognitive Behavioral Intervention

Cognitive models of psychopathology have emphasized the role of cognitions and automatic thoughts in Depression. Assessment of these self- statements has proved to be essential not only to distinguish between depressed and non-depressed subjects, but also because of its use in therapy. The current investigation presents the fatorial structure of the Portuguese version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaires – Revised (QPA-R; Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire-Revised, ATQ-R; Kendall, Howard, & Hays, 1989) which was developed to evaluate depressogenic cognitions and studies its relationship with depressive symptomatology. The sample is comprised by 245 adolescents from the general population, 88 males and 157 females, aged 14 to 18 (M=15.61; SD = 1.3). Fatorial analysis revealed three fators, which explain 54% of the variance. The first two fators, ―Low/Negative Self-Concept and Negative Expectations” and ―Personal Maladjustment and Desire for Change‖, consisting of negative automatic thoughts and the third, ―Positive Automatic Thoughts‖, with positive automatic thoughts. The ATQ-R was able to differentiate adolescents who scored higher than a cut-off point in the CDI (Children´s Depression Inventory; Kovacs, 1985, 1992; Marujo, 1994) from a comparison group scoring lower. Results suggest that this is a valid instrument in identifying depressogenic cognitions and that these are associated with depressive symptomatology. The ATQ-R evaluates an important construct associated with depression and may be used in investigation and therapy with adolescents, not only in the early identification of depressive symptomatology but also in its treatment.