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The Portuguese Version of the Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ): Results from a Validation Program in Clinical and non Clinical Samples

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 December 2013

Rui C. Campos ,
Avi Besser  and
Sidney J. Blatt
Rui C. Campos*
Affiliation:
Universidade de Évora (Portugal)
Avi Besser
Affiliation:
Sapir Academic College (Israel)
Sidney J. Blatt
Affiliation:
Yale University (USA)
*
*Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Rui C. Campos. Department of Psychology. Universidade de Évora. Apartado 94. 7702–554. Évora (Portugal). Phone: +351–266768050. Fax: +351–266768073. E-mail: rcampos@uevora.pt
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Abstract

The Depressive Experiences Questionnaire (DEQ, Blatt, D’Afflitti, & Quinlan, 1976, 1979), a self-report measure used in personality research, assesses the constructs of Dependency and Self-Criticism as vulnerability factors in depression (Blatt, 1974, 1990, 2004) and psychopathology more generally (Blatt, 2008; Blatt & Shichman, 1983). This study establishes a Portuguese version of the DEQ with six samples: a bilingual sample to test the measurement equivalence of the Portuguese DEQ, and two college student samples, two community samples and a clinical sample, to test the reliability, factor structure and criterion, convergent and predictive validity of this translation of the DEQ. A measure of depression (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale; CES-D; Radloff, 1977) and of general psychopathology (Brief Symptom Inventory; BSI; Derogatis, 1993) evaluated the convergent validity of the DEQ. Findings indicate satisfactory reliability and validity of the Portuguese DEQ, and the value of the DEQ for investigating the relationship between personality and depression and between personality and psychopathology more generally. It is important to note, however, that these conclusions are based on a limited clinical sample. Additional reliability and validity data are needed with a larger clinical sample.

Keywords

relatednessself-definitionDepressive Experiences Questionnaire (Portuguese version)psychometric properties
Type
Research Article
Information
The Spanish Journal of Psychology , Volume 16 , 2013 , E103
Copyright
Copyright © Universidad Complutense de Madrid and Colegio Oficial de Psicólogos de Madrid 2013 

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Footnotes

We would like to acknowledge the research assistants for their valuable help with the data collection. Grateful thanks are also extended to all of the participants in this study. Finally, we would like to thank the anonymous reviewers for their constructive suggestions and comments on an earlier draft of this paper.

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