Measuring self-critical and interpersonal preoccupations in an adolescent inpatient sample

The validity of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire-Adolescent version (DEQ-A, S. Blatt et al., 1992) in an inpatient sample (N = 823; 414 girls) was examined. Specific hypotheses addressed the distinctiveness, concurrent validity, state vs. trait properties, and predictive validity of the Interpersonal and Self-Criticism scales. Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that observed responses to a subset of items (the most discriminating of the 2 scales in the original solution) better fit a model positing separate Interpersonal and Self-Criticism factors, than one positing 1 Dysphoric Concerns factor. Cross-sectional analyses relating unit-weight Interpersonal and Self-Critical scales developed from the CFA results, to Personality and Depressive Symptom factors supported the scales' concurrent validity. Also, analyses using data from 92 patients collected at 2 or 3 times during the hospital stay showed that the underlying constructs assessed by these scales have both state and trait properties and that antecedent measures of self-criticism can predict later measures of depression.