Peer-reviewed article
Psychometric Properties of the Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire in Adolescents Aged 14-18 (CAMSQ-Y-TR)
Feyruz Usluoğlu ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-sonnet-5-5This study tested a Turkish version of a questionnaire that measures how certain adolescents feel about their own and other people's thoughts and feelings (mental states). It was completed by 576 non-clinical adolescents aged 14-18 together with measures of well-being and emotional and behavioural difficulties. The questionnaire showed two dimensions, Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty, with acceptable model fit and good reliability. Self-Certainty was linked to higher well-being and fewer internalizing symptoms, while a larger gap between Other and Self certainty (hypermentalizing) was linked to lower well-being and more symptoms. The authors conclude the tool is suitable for Turkish-speaking adolescents.
Key points
- 576 non-clinical adolescents aged 14-18 (M = 15.49, SD = 1.31) took part.
- Exploratory factor analysis found two dimensions, Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty, explaining 42.01% of variance.
- Confirmatory factor analysis showed acceptable fit (CFI = 0.90, RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.055).
- Cronbach's alpha was .85 for the total scale, .80 for Other-Certainty and .82 for Self-Certainty.
- Full scalar invariance was supported across gender and grade level.
Limitations
The abstract describes a non-clinical sample only, so it cannot tell us how the tool performs with adolescents with clinical difficulties or in other countries. It reports associations from a measurement study and does not show causes or evaluate an intervention.
Abstract
Objective: The Certainty About Mental States Questionnaire (CAMSQ) is a self-report measure of individuals' perceived certainty about their own and others' mental states. This study examined the psychometric properties of the Turkish version of the CAMSQ in adolescents aged 14-18 years (CAMSQ-Y-TR). Method: A non-clinical sample of 576 adolescents (M = 15.49, SD = 1.31) completed the CAMSQ, the EPOCH Measure of Adolescent Well-Being (EPOCH), and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). Construct validity was tested with exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); reliability, criterion validity, and measurement invariance across gender and grade level were also examined. Results: The EFA supported a two-dimensional structure (Self-Certainty and Other-Certainty) explaining 42.01% of the total variance, and the CFA showed acceptable fit (χ²/df = 2.69, CFI = 0.90, GFI = 0.98, RMSEA = 0.054, SRMR = 0.055). Cronbach's alpha was .85 for the total scale, .80 for Other-Certainty, and .82 for Self-Certainty. Self-Certainty was positively related to well-being and negatively related to internalizing symptoms, whereas the Other-Self discrepancy (hypermentalizing) was negatively related to well-being and positively related to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Full scalar invariance was supported across gender and grade level. Conclusion: The CAMSQ-Y-TR showed sufficient psychometric properties for use with Turkish-speaking adolescents aged 14-18 years.