Thought Action Fusion and obsessive-compulsive symptoms. A validation study of the Thought Action Fusion Scale (TAP Scale) for the German language area

Dysfunctional beliefs about the relationship between mental events and behaviors, also called thought action fusion, are important in the investigation of obsessive-compulsive symptoms. Objective: The structure and psychometric properties of a German version of the Thought Action Fusion Scale (TAP Scale) were assessed. Method: Different psychometric properties were analyzed in a clinical sample of 203 participants (including 71 with obsessive-compulsive disorder, 51 with anxiety disorders, and 81 with major depression) and a nonclinical sample (n = 300). Results: The original structure with three scales was replicated using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency and retest-reliability were satisfactory to very good; the convergent and discriminant validity partly satisfactory. The TAP Scale could differentiate between clinical and nonclinical samples, but not between different clinical samples. Conclusions: The German Version of the TAF Scale is a predominantly valid and reliable instrument measuring thought action fusion and can be used in research and practice.