Desire Intolerance Questionnaire (DIQ)

Abstract

The Desire Intolerance Questionnaire (DIQ; Veilleux et al., 2023) was developed to assess the inability or unwillingness to “sit with” the motivation to approach a rewarding object or task. The scale content was based on a theoretical depiction of desire intolerance, with the intention of reducing the measure via psychometric analyses (Clark & Watson, 1995). The resulting 10-item DIQ was evaluated in multiple samples comprising adult participants recruited online and college students. Factor analysis, reliability, and validity results were reported for these items.

Keywords

Approach Motivation, Desire Intolerance Assessment, Distress Intolerance, Incremental Validity, Motivation, Desire, Approach Avoidance, Motivation Measures.

Authors

Veilleux, Jennifer C.; Higuera, Danielle E.; Warner, Elise A.; Schreiber, Regina E.; Brott, Katherine Hyde; Clift, Jeremy B.

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Purpose

The purpose of this questionnaire is to be a psychometrically sound indicator of difficulties withstanding desires and allows for a better understanding of intolerance as a transdiagnostic clinical phenomenon.

Validity

Convergent Validity: The authors found that higher desire intolerance was moderately negatively associated with lower trait self-control, r = −.58, p < .001.

Concurrent Validity: Higher desire intolerance was associated with greater behavioral inhibition.

Incremental Validity: Results revealed that after controlling for self-control, sensitivity to reward, and sensitivity to punishment, distress and desire intolerance together accounted for significant variance in each of the examined outcomes (symptoms of psychopathology and related traits [e.g., self-criticism, dichotomous thinking]) except for alcohol misuse.

Reliability

Internal Consistency: The reliability of the scale was excellent (overall α = .93, first random half α = .92, second random half α = .93).

Factor Analysis

Exploratory Factor Analysis: The initial factor analysis was evaluated via a scree plot and a parallel analysis using a Monte Carlo simulation program. Both of these suggested 1–2 factors. The exploratory factor analysis had a two-factor solution, but the initial factor explained 57.27% of the variance. The second factor accounted for only an additional 7.39%, and the eigenvalue of the second factor (1.48) was barely larger than the eigenvalue suggested by parallel analysis (1.44). In addition, the second factor included only the three reverse-scored items, suggesting the second factor is an artifact of coding rather than content. Thus, it appeared that the measure was unidimensional.

Confirmatory Factor Analysis: After dropping problematic items, the final structure had acceptable model fit, χ2(35) = 90.37, p < .001, χ2/df = 2.58, CFI = .97, RMSEA = .08 (90% CI [.06, .10]), and AIC = 150.37.

Instrument: Desire Intolerance Questionnaire (DIQ)

Test Type: Original rating scale.

Format: Items are rated from 1=Not at all like me to 6=Extremely like me.

Language Available: English.

Population Group: Human (Male and Female).

Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older).

Population Details: Respondents were online adult participants and college students located in the United States.

Test Methodology: Test Validity (Concurrent Validity, Convergent Validity, Incremental Validity); Test Reliability (Internal Consistency); Factor Analysis (Confirmatory Factor Analysis, Exploratory Factor Analysis).

Keywords

Motivation, Desire, Approach Avoidance, Motivation Measures.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier:
Veilleux, Jennifer C.: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-9050-8793

Affiliation:
Veilleux, Jennifer C.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
Higuera, Danielle E.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
Warner, Elise A.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
Schreiber, Regina E.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
Brott, Katherine Hyde: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science
Clift, Jeremy B.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science

Email Addresses:
Veilleux, Jennifer C.: [email protected]
Higuera, Danielle E.: No data is Available
Warner, Elise A.: No data is Available
Schreiber, Regina E.: No data is Available
Brott, Katherine Hyde: No data is Available
Clift, Jeremy B.: No data is Available

Correspondence Address:
Veilleux, Jennifer C.: University of Arkansas, Department of Psychological Science, 216 Memorial Hall, Fayetteville, Arkansas, United States, 72701, [email protected]

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Permissions: May use for Research/Teaching.
Fee: No.
Test Year: 2023.

References

Veilleux, J. C., Higuera, D. E., Warner, E. A., Schreiber, R. E., Brott, K. H., & Clift, J. B. (2023). I can’t handle my desires: Development and validation of a self-report measure of desire intolerance and associations with distress intolerance. Psychological Assessment, 35(12), 1134–1151. https://doi.org/10.1037/pas0001275

Items of the Desire Intolerance Questionnaire (DIQ)

The Desire Intolerance Questionnaire is a 10-item scale. The specific items are available in the Appendix of the source reference (Page 18).

Instructions

Below you will see questions asking about your feelings of “wanting.” These questions are asking about moments of wanting, where you might want some object (i.e., a new shirt or game) and/or you might want to do something (i.e., eat candy, drink a glass of wine, yell at your sister). These questions are asking about moments where the wanting is active, present, and feels urgent.

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Response Scale

(1) Not at all like me
(2) A little like me
(3) Somewhat like me
(4) Mostly like me
(5) Definitely like me
(6) Extremely like me

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Items

1. I do not tolerate the feeling of wanting very well.

2. When I want something, it feels like I need to have it right now.

3. There is nothing worse than that feeling of wanting something and not getting it.

4. When I really want to do something, the desire is all-consuming.

5. I can tolerate wanting things as well as most people. (Reversed Scored)

6. Wanting to do something and not doing it is unbearable to me.

7. When I really want something, I cannot think of reasons why I should wait to pursue it.

8. When I really want to do something, I feel a kind of physical squirminess until I get to do what I want.

9. I cannot handle wanting something and not getting it.

10. That feeling of wanting to do something and not getting to do it is really frustrating for me.