title: Development and validation of the Core Beliefs Questionnaire in a sample of individuals with social anxiety disorder.
abstract: Prominent cognitive models of social anxiety have consistently emphasised the importance of beliefs about the self in the aetiology and maintenance of social anxiety. The present study sought to develop and validate a new measure of core beliefs about the self for SAD, the Core Beliefs Questionnaire (CBQ).
  
  
  
  Three versions of the CBQ were developed: a Trait version (fundamental absolute statements about the self), a Contingent version (statements about the self related to a specific social-evaluative situation), and an Other version (statements about how others view the self in social-evaluative situations generally). The psychometric features of the scales were examined in clinical (n=269) and non-clinical (n=67) samples.
  
  
  
  Exploratory factor analysis yielded a one factor model for all three versions of the questionnaire. Total scores differentiated individuals with SAD from individuals without a psychiatric condition, and demonstrated excellent internal consistency. The three CBQ versions had positive associations with social anxiety while controlling for depression, although zero-order correlations indicated the Trait version was more strongly related to depression than social anxiety, the Contingent version was similarly related to depression and social anxiety, and the Other version was more strongly related to social anxiety than depression. Scores on all three versions of the CBQ reduced from pre- to post-treatment and this change predicted treatment outcome.
  
  
  
  This is the first validation study of the CBQ.
  
  
  
  This study provides initial support for the reliability and validity of the CBQ.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia. Electronic address: quincy.wong@mq.edu.au.
authors.forename: Quincy J J
authors.initials: QJJ
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Bree
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Gregory
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Jonathan E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Gaston
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Ronald M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Rapee
authors.affiliation: Centre for Emotional Health, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
authors.forename: Judith K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.affiliation: School of Psychology, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: Maree J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Abbott
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D003071:Cognition; D003863:Depression / Q000523:psychology; D005163:Factor Analysis, Statistical; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010641:Phenotype; D000072861:Phobia, Social / Q000523:psychology*; D011594:Psychometrics; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Assessment; Core Beliefs; Psychometric; Self-beliefs; Social anxiety disorder; Treatment