Psychometrical properties of the "How I Think" Questionnaire (HIT-Q) in adolescents.

BACKGROUND The How I Think Questionnaire (HIT-Q) was developed to measure the main categories of self-serving cognitive distortions. METHOD The present study analyses the psychometric properties of the HIT-Q Spanish-Version. The sample consisted of 1.490 Spanish-speaking adolescents recruited from various schools in Madrid (Spain). The participants had a mean age of 15.37 years (SD = 1.67). RESULTS Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) showed that the underlying structure of the HIT-Q was best explained by a six-factor solution (Self-Centred, Blaming Others, Minimizing/Mislabelling, Assuming the Worst, Anomalous Responses and Positive Fillers). CONCLUSIONS After examination of its psychometric properties, it was concluded that the Spanish version of the HIT-Q is a reliable and valid measure of self-serving cognitive distortions in Spanish adolescents.