Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ)
Measures the frequency of catastrophic thoughts about the physical and social/cognitive consequences of anxiety and panic.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ) was developed by Dianne L. Chambless, G. Craig Caputo, Priscilla Bright, and Richard Gallagher (1984). It is designed to measure Agoraphobic Cognitions. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 18 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Physical Concerns, Social/Cognitive Concerns.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Physical Concerns | 1,2,3,4,5,7,9,11,16,17,18 | 11 |
| Social/Cognitive Concerns | 6,8,10,12,13,14,15 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Thought Never Occurs, 2 = Thought Rarely Occurs, 3 = Thought Occurs During Half of the Times, 4 = Thought Usually Occurs, 5 = Thought Always Occurs.
Scoring
Item scores are averaged to produce a mean score.
Total scores range from 18 to 90. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low frequency of agoraphobic cognitions: 18 – 35
- Moderate frequency of agoraphobic cognitions: 36 – 53
- High frequency of agoraphobic cognitions: 54 – 90
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Cronbach's alpha typically ranges from 0.80 to 0.85.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.