Psychometric characteristics of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire and Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 and metacognitive predictors of worry and obsessive-compulsive symptoms in a Turkish sample

The purpose of the present study was twofold. First, to examine the psychometric properties of the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) and the Metacognitions Questionnaire‐30 (MCQ‐30) in a Turkish sample. Second, to investigate metacognitive predictors of pathological worry and obsessive–compulsive (o–c) symptoms in this group. The sample included 561 non‐clinical participants. Consistent with non‐English versions, the Turkish version of the PSWQ was found to have a two‐factor structure. The MCQ‐30 was shown to be composed of five factors similar to the English version. Reliability analyses indicated that both the PSWQ and MCQ‐30 possessed high internal consistency, split‐half reliability and test–retest coefficients. As expected, both scales positively correlated with measures of o–c symptoms, trait anxiety, and anxiety and depression, as well as with each other. Negative and positive metacognitive beliefs about worry were significant predictors of both pathological worry and o–c symptoms. Cognitive confidence emerged as a specific predictor of worry, while beliefs about the need to control thoughts emerged as a unique predictor of o–c symptoms. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.