Validation of the Social Cognitions Questionnaire in Spanish adolescents

This study assessed the validity of the Social Cognitions Questionnaire in Spanish adolescents. This questionnaire assesses anticipatory thoughts during social interactions. A total of 1252 adolescents aged between 12 and 18 years (mean age = 13.84, SD = 1.61) completed this questionnaire and the Adolescents Social Anxiety Scale. The results of the factor analyses confirmed the structure of the Social Cognitions Questionnaire initially proposed by the authors, which consists of three dimensions related with different cognitions: negative self-concept, anticipatory failure in performance, and anticipatory negative evaluation by ethers. The questionnaire displayed good internal consistency and reported scores were associated with social anxiety responses. Moreover, girls scored higher than boys on all the dimensions, which is consistent with their higher scores en social anxiety. As a conclusion, results show it is a brief and simple questionnaire for the assessment and treatment of social anxiety.