Metacognitions and Mental Health: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Metacognitions Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30) in Depressive Patients

Abstract

Background: The MCQ-30 serves as a valuable instrument for examining metacognitive beliefs and mechanisms associated with persistence and vulnerability in mental health problems. A current study has highlighted the pivotal role of metacognitive beliefs, as evaluated using the MCQ-30, as an imperative interpreter of depression. This study aimed to adopt and cross-culturally validate the MCQ-30 for application in Pakistani depression patients while also validating the factor structure of the scale in a clinical population.

Method: This study used a purposive sampling technique and a cross-sectional design. Two hundred and seventy-five diagnosed depression patients (81 men and 194 women), ages ranging from 18 to 60 years (M = 24.65, SD = 6.84), were recruited from different hospitals in Rawalpindi and Islamabad, Pakistan, between May 2022 and October 2022.Top of Form

Results: Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) findings confirmed the original five-factor structure of the MCQ-30 to establish its robust construct validity and reliability in the Pakistani context. Additionally, the promising test-retest reliability and cross-cultural validity found in the present research make the instrument suitable for broader practice in an Urdu-speaking psychiatric population.

Conclusions: This study highlighted the strong internal consistency, reliability, and validity in Urdu of the MCQ-30 versions in the Pakistani clinical population. Additionally, it marks the inaugural instance of a reliable and cross-cultural validation version of the scale tailored for utilization in the Pakistani context, opening new avenues for research scholars and professional and clinical applications in the Pakistani context.