Hostname: page-component-89b8bd64d-4ws75 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2026-05-05T22:32:39.687Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Catastrophic cognitions about coronavirus: the Oxford psychological investigation of coronavirus questionnaire [TOPIC-Q]

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 January 2021

Laina Rosebrock*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Emma Černis
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Sinéad Lambe
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Felicity Waite
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Stephanie Rek
Affiliation:
Department of Psychology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Munich, Germany International Max Planck Research School for Translational Psychiatry (IMPRS-TP), Munich, Germany
Ariane Petit
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
Anke Ehlers
Affiliation:
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
David M. Clark
Affiliation:
Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Daniel Freeman
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxford, UK
*
Author for correspondence: Laina Rosebrock, E-mail: laina.rosebrock@psych.ox.ac.uk
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Background

Cognitive therapies are developed on the principle that specific cognitive appraisals are key determinants in the development and maintenance of mental health disorders. It is likely that particular appraisals of the coronavirus pandemic will have explanatory power for subsequent mental health outcomes in the general public. To enable testing of this hypothesis we developed a questionnaire assessing coronavirus-related cognitions.

Methods

12 285 participants completed online a 46-item pool of cognitions about coronavirus and six measures of different mental health problems. The sample was randomly split into derivation and validation samples. Exploratory factor analyses determined the factor structure, selection of items, and model fit in the derivation sample. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) then tested this model in the validation sample. Associations of the questionnaire with mental health outcomes were examined.

Results

The 26-item, seven-factor, Oxford Psychological Investigation of Coronavirus Questionnaire [TOPIC-Q] was developed. CFA demonstrated a good model fit (χ2 = 2108.43, df = 278, p < 0.001, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.950, Tucker−Lewis index (TLI) = 0.942, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.033, standardized root mean square residual (SRMR) = 0.038). The factors were: cognitions about (1) safety and vulnerability, (2) negative long-term impact, (3) having the virus, (4) spreading the virus, (5) social judgment, (6) negative self, and (7) being targeted. The questionnaire explained significant variance in depression (45.8%), social anxiety (37.3%), agoraphobia (23.2%), paranoia (27.3%), post-traumatic stress disorder (57.1%), and panic disorder (31.4%). Cognitions about negative long-term impact had the greatest explanatory power across disorders.

Conclusions

TOPIC-Q provides a method to assess appraisals of the pandemic, which is likely to prove helpful both in longitudinal studies assessing mental health outcomes and in delivery of psychological therapy.

Information

Type
Original Article
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution licence (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re- use, distribution and reproduction, provided the original article is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press
Figure 0

Table 1. TOPIC Questionnaire – original item pool

Figure 1

Table 2. Participant characteristics

Figure 2

Table 3. Clinical characteristics

Figure 3

Table 4. Final items and factor loadings from exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA)

Figure 4

Table 5. Correlations between TOPIC-Q factors and mental health outcomes

Figure 5

Table 6. SEM analyses for each TOPIC-Q factor

Figure 6

Table 7. t tests comparing TOPIC-Q factors for relevant variables to establish criterion validity

Figure 7

Table A1. How strongly do you currently believe each of these statements?