Abstract

Self-criticism is a stable personality trait identified as a serious risk factor for psychopathology and weight-related health problems. Therefore, it is relevant to epidemiological research, which requires a relatively brief instrument for measuring trait self-criticism in the general population. The current study introduces a brief measure of self-criticism and presents empirical results that inform on its reliability and validity. Based on the six-item version of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire Self-Criticism (DEQ-SC6), thorough psychometric analyses on a German representative sample (N = 2,516) were conducted and resulted in the final four-item scale: the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire Self-Criticism 4 (DEQ-SC4). Its internal consistency was good and a one-dimensional factor structure showed a good model fit. In terms of construct validity, the DEQ-SC4 was moderately linked to symptoms of depression and a non-linear association between the DEQ-SC4 and body mass index was observed, with the highest levels of self-criticism reported by underweight participants. In addition, the DEQ-SC4 showed high positive correlations with another short version of the DEQ-SC and the Big Five personality dimensions assessed in samples of university students (N = 206) and patients (N = 55), meeting theoretically-based expectations. The DEQ-SC4 therefore represents a brief screening measure of self-criticism in the general population with good psychometric properties.

摘要

自我批评是一种稳定的人格特质，被认为是精神病理学和与体重相关的健康问题的严重危险因素。因此，它与流行病学研究相关，这需要一种相对简单的工具来衡量普通人群的自我批评特质。当前的研究引入了自我批评的简要衡量标准，并提出了实证结果，以表明其可靠性和有效性。基于抑郁经历自我批评问卷(DEQ-SC6) 的六项版本，对德国代表性样本 ( N  = 2,516) 进行了全面的心理测量分析，得出了最终的四项量表：抑郁经历问卷自我批评 4(DEQ-SC4)。其内部一致性良好，一维因子结构显示出良好的模型拟合。在结构效度方面，DEQ-SC4 与抑郁症状有中等程度的关联，并且观察到 DEQ-SC4 与体重指数之间存在非线性关联，体重过轻的参与者报告的自我批评水平最高。此外，DEQ-SC4 与另一个简短版本的 DEQ-SC 以及在大学生 ( N  = 206) 和患者 ( N  = 55) 样本中评估的大​​五人格维度呈高度正相关，符合基于理论的预期. 因此，DEQ-SC4 代表了对具有良好心理测量特性的一般人群进行自我批评的简短筛选措施。