title: Assessing positive and negative changes in the aftermath of adversity: psychometric evaluation of the changes in outlook questionnaire.
abstract: The Changes in Outlook Questionnaire (CiOQ; S. Joseph, R. Williams, & W. Yule, 1993) is a 26-item self-report measure that was designed to assess positive and negative changes in the aftermath of adversity. This article had 3 aims: 1st, to investigate the factor structure of the CiOQ; 2nd, to test for internal consistency reliability and convergent and discriminant validity; and, 3rd, to investigate the association between positive and negative changes in outlook, posttraumatic stress, and psychological distress. Three studies are reported. Study 1 provides evidence that positive and negative changes are statistically separable and that the 2-factor model is a better fit than the 1-factor model. Studies 2 and 3 provide evidence for internal consistency reliability, convergent and discriminant validity of the CiOQ, and its associations with posttraumatic stress and psychological distress. In conclusion, the CiOQ has much promise for research on responses to stressful and traumatic events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, Coventry, England. s.joseph@warwick.ac.uk
authors.forename: Stephen
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Joseph
authors.forename: P Alex
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: Linley
authors.forename: Leanne
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Barry
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Howle
authors.forename: Clare
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Woodward
authors.forename: Mark
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Shevlin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001290:Attitude; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011594:Psychometrics; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires