Psychometric properties of Competencies of Cognitive Therapy Scale and its change in group CBT amongst Chinese young adults

A credible, validated measure of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) skill, an essential indicator of treatment progress, is currently missing in China. Competencies of Cognitive Therapy Scale-Self Report (CCTS-SR) is a brief and convenient instrument assessing the cognitive skills patients learn through CBT, even among individuals without any therapeutic experiences. Therefore, the current study sets out to examine the psychometric properties of CCTS-SR. A sample of 1090 Chinese university students completed a Chinese version of the CCTS-SR, Automatic Thought Scale, and Beck Depression Inventory. Factor structure and reliability were examined. We evaluated the CCTS-SR in 50 extra university students with subthreshold depression before and after a group CBT. The original uni-factor model of CCTS-SR was not confirmed, and a two-factor solution (identification and evaluation of negative thoughts and coping strategies) in accord with therapeutic theory was replicated and supported. Good internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 ~ 0.93) and test–retest reliability (r = 0.61 ~ 0.73) were observed. The change of two factors of CCTS-SR during CBT was significant (p < 0.001); however, only the change of factor coping strategies was significantly associated with the change of depression (β =-0.18, SE = 0.08, p = 0.031). The current study established preliminary evidence for the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of CCTS-SR. It provided a valuable tool to measure the level of cognitive behavioral therapeutic competency in the Chinese population. Moreover, it can help capture the acquisition of cognitive behavioral therapy skills during treatment. Future research is needed to replicate this two-factor structure in other samples (e.g., community and clinical samples) and their relations with depression.