Research report Adaptation and validation of the metacognition questionnaire (MCQ-30) in Spanish clinical and nonclinical samples Josune Martín a,n , Angel Padierna b,c , Anette Unzurrunzaga a,c , Nerea González a,c , Belén Berjano b , José M Quintana a,c a Research Unit, 9th Floor, Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital, Barrio Labeaga s/n, Galdakao 48960, Bizkaia, Spain b Department of Psychiatry, Galdakao-Usansolo Hospital, Barrio Labeaga s/n, Galdakao 48960, Bizkaia, Spain c Health Services Research on Chronic Diseases Network – REDISSEC, Spain article info Article history: Received 27 December 2013 Received in revised form 6 June 2014 Accepted 6 June 2014 Available online 17 June 2014 Keywords: Metacognitions MCQ-30 Psychometric characteristics Spanish version Clinical sample Non-clinical sample abstract Background: The short form of the Metacognitions Questionnaire is a brief multidimensional measure of a range of metacognitive processes and metacognitive beliefs about worry and cognition relevant to vulnerability to and maintenance of emotional disorders. The aim of the study was adapt and validate a Spanish version of the short form of the Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ-30) and to evaluate its psychometric properties in clinical and nonclinical samples. Method: The MCQ-30 was administered to a sample of 316 patients with psychiatric disorders (anxiety, depression, and eating disorders) and to a sample of 169 individuals belonging to the general population. Instrument reliability (internal consistency), construct validity (confirmatory factor analysis [CFA], convergent validity, known groups) and responsiveness were measured. Results: The clinical sample scored the highest on all factors when compared to nonclinical sample. The exploratory factor analysis supported the MCQ's original five-factor solution. The CFA suggested a good fit of the model. Correlation with measure of worry demonstrated convergent validity. Known-groups validity was supported by significant differences in the MCQ-30 mean scores according to certain variables, such as educational level and employment status. Limitations: This study did not assess the test–retest reliability. Conclusions: The MCQ-30 has good psychometric properties and can be used to evaluate several dimensions of metacognition in both clinical and nonclinical samples. & 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Metacognition refers to the psychological structures, knowl- edge, events and processes that are involved in the control, modification and interpretation of thinking itself (Wells and Cartwright-Hatton, 2004). The construct is commonly viewed as thinking about thinking. According to the metacognitive model of emotional disorders (Wells, 2000; Wells and Matthews, 1994; Wells and Matthews, 1996), it is the thinking processes and their control, rather than the content of thoughts, that are central to the development of psychological disorders. Metacognitions measured with the MCQ-30 have been found to play roles in generalized anxiety disorder (Borkovec et al., 1999; Wells, 2005), anxiety (Hjemdal et al., 2013), depression (Papageorgiou and Wells, 2003; Sarisoy et al., 2014; Wells et al., 2012), obsessive-com- pulsive disorder (Önen et al., 2013; Wells and Cartwright-Hatton, 2004), psychosis (Welsch et al., 2014), and eating disorders (Konstantellou and Reynolds, 2010; Konstantellou et al., 2011; Woolrich et al., 2008). Some aspects of disturbances in thinking characteristic of emotional disorders are located at the belief level. Thus it is important to consider the influence of metacognition on anxiety and depression (Bacow et al., 2009). Eating disorders are other serious psychiatric illnesses associated with impaired health- related quality of life (HRQoL) (Hay and Mond, 2005; Stice et al., 2009). Clinically, patients with anorexia nervosa may describe beliefs that excessive worry about their eating is helpful in ensuring that they do not eat too much, or they may report strenuous efforts to suppress thoughts about their weight and shape (Woolrich et al., 2008). Within the model proposed by Wells and Matthews, it is hypothesized that such beliefs play a role in the maintenance of the disorder (Wells, 2000; Wells and Matthews, 1994, Wells and Matthews, 1996). The Metacognitions Questionnaire, developed by Cartwright and Wells (Cartwright-Hatton and Wells, 1997), is a 65-item instrument designed to evaluate an individual's belief about his Contents lists available at ScienceDirect journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jad Journal of Affective Disorders http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2014.06.009 0165-0327/& 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. n Corresponding author. Tel.: þ34 94 400 7105; fax: þ34 94 400 7132. E-mail address: josune.martincorral@osakidetza.net (J. Martín). Journal of Affective Disorders 167 (2014) 228–234