Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (MCQ)
Self-report questionnaire with 65 items
Suitable for adults
English questionnaire
License fee: € 1,00 per completion
For whom is the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire intended?
This self-report questionnaire is suitable for adults.
What does the MCQ measure?
The Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire (MCQ) has been developed to identify beliefs about worry and intrusive thoughts. It is based on a theoretical foundation which builds on meta-cognition and has been assessed (in parts together with the MCQ) in multiple studies. The MCQ can be applied for example in anxiety disorders.
What does the MCQ consist of?
The 65 items of the Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire are distributed among the five factors/subscales: Positive worry beliefs, Beliefs about uncontrollability and danger, Beliefs about congnitive competence, General negative beliefs (including responsibility, superstition and punishment) and Cognitive self-consciousness. All items are rated on 4-point scales ranging from 1 – “Do not agree” to 4 – “Agree very much”.
How does the MCQ scoring work?
The MCQ and its psychometric properties have been investigated in multiple studies (see literature). Support has been found for the interesting theoretical foundation as well as the five-factor structure of the Questionnaire. The assessment of reliability and validity yielded good results as well.
Source of the questionnaire
Wells, A. (1995). Meta-cognition and worry: A cognitive model of generalized anxiety disorder. Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy, 23(03), 301-320.
Cartwright-Hatton, S., & Wells, A. (1997). Beliefs about worry and intrusions: The Meta-Cognitions Questionnaire and its correlates. Journal of anxiety disorders, 11(3), 279-296.
Wells, A., & Papageorgiou, C. (1998). Relationships between worry, obsessive–compulsive symptoms and meta-cognitive beliefs. Behaviour research and therapy, 36(9), 899-913.
Wells, A., & Carter, K. (1999). Preliminary tests of a cognitive model of generalized anxiety disorder. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 37(6), 585-594.
Gwilliam, P., Wells, A., & Cartwright‐Hatton, S. (2004). Dose meta‐cognition or responsibility predict obsessive–compulsive symptoms: a test of the metacognitive model. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 11(2), 137-144.
© Prof. Adrian Wells, MCT Institute
