Construction and validation of the cognitive distortions in adolescents scale

Abstract

Sexist attitudes and the myth of romantic love have been studied as cognitive distortions associated with various inappropriate behaviors in adolescence, including gender violence. Despite this known link, no single instrument has been adapted for the adolescent population to assess both distortions simultaneously. The objective of this study was to construct an instrument for adolescents that captures the main cognitive distortions associated with sexism and romantic love myths. The sample comprised 493 students (47.7% boys, 51.3% girls) aged 13 to 18 (M=15.17; SD=0.53) from schools in northern Spain. The results revealed a differential pattern by sex in the presence of distorted thoughts, with a higher prevalence among male adolescents. The Scale of Cognitive Distortions in Adolescents (EDICA) consists of 17 items and shows excellent reliability (α=.922), with a two-factor structure corresponding to sexism and myths of romantic love. Therefore, the EDICA is a suitable instrument for estimating cognitive distortions in the adolescent population.