Anxious Thoughts and Tendencies Scale: An investigation of factor structure and the psychometric properties on the basis of an Australian sample

Background: The factor structure and psychometric properties of the revised Anxious Thoughts and Tendencies Scale (AT&T) is investigated. Method: An Australian sample of 215 students and 33 patients diagnosed with an anxiety disorder completed a battery of anxiety-related questionnaires. Results: Factor analysis indicated one factor, which accounted for 38% of the variance and had high internal consistency and reliability. Significant relationships were found with measures of anxiety, anxiety sensitivity, catastrophic cognitions, fear and depression. The AT&T discriminated between students and patients, and between students with high or low levels of anxiety and fear. Limitation: The size of the clinical sample was very small and the study needs to be replicated with a large and carefully recruited clinical sample. Conclusion: These results support the AT&T as a valuable and psychometrically sound measure of the cognitive aspects of anxiety.