Use of the Persian language version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) in depressed Iranian women

This study examined the clinical validity of a Persian language version of the Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ-Persian). We hypothesized that patients with major depression can be clearly distinguished from non-patient members of general population regarding both frequency of negative thoughts (ATQ-F) and degree of belief in these thoughts (ATQ-B). To test this hypothesis, we used discriminant function analysis in a group of 30 female patients with major depression and 30 female non-patient volunteers. ATQ-F and ATQ-B discriminated the large majority of depressed patients from non-patient volunteers and were correlated with the severity of depression as measured by scores on the Beck Depression Inventory-second edition. The data provide preliminary evidence for clinical validity and utility of ATQ-Persian.