Stages of Change Questionnaire – Revised

Abstract

The Stages of Change Questionnaire-Revised (SCQ-R) is a psychological instrument developed to assess an individual’s readiness to change a specific behavior or disposition, grounded in the principles of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM) of behavioral change. Originally designed to measure progress through the four main stages of change (Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance), the specific adaptation presented here focuses on assessing readiness to shift a dispositional trait, namely moving from pessimism toward greater optimism. It provides crucial data for clinicians to match intervention strategies to the client’s current motivational stage, enhancing the efficacy of psychological treatment.

Keywords

Stages of Change, Transtheoretical Model, Readiness to Change, Behavioral Change, Optimism, Pessimism, Psychological Assessment, Psychotherapy, Dispositional Change.

Authors

McConnaughy, E. A., DiClemente, C. C., Prochaska, J. O., & Velicer, W. F.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SCQ-R is to provide a reliable and valid measure of an individual’s location within the stages of change continuum. By identifying whether a client is in the Precontemplation stage (unaware of the problem) or the Action stage (actively working on the problem), therapists can tailor their approach—for example, utilizing motivational interviewing for those in earlier stages, or focusing on relapse prevention for those in the Maintenance stage.

In the applied context exemplified by the instrument items, the goal is specifically to track the movement and motivation of individuals attempting to adopt a more optimistic outlook, providing a quantitative measure of their commitment to this dispositional shift over time. This targeted measurement supports personalized intervention planning in clinical settings.

Construct

The SCQ-R measures the central construct of the Transtheoretical Model (TTM): the Stages of Change. This model posits that intentional behavior change occurs over time and involves progression through a sequence of four distinct, non-linear stages:

1. Precontemplation: Characterized by a lack of awareness or intention to change the behavior (e.g., pessimism) in the next six months. Individuals often resist recognition or external pressure.

2. Contemplation: The individual is aware of the problem and is considering change, typically within the next six months, but is ambivalent about taking action.

3. Action: The individual has modified their behavior, experiences, or environment for a period of less than six months, requiring significant effort and commitment.

4. Maintenance: The individual has sustained the change for more than six months and is actively working to prevent relapse and consolidate gains.

The instrument’s items are carefully constructed to capture the cognitive and motivational markers unique to each of these stages concerning the target behavior (in this case, cultivating optimism).

Validity

The validity of the SCQ-R is supported by its strong theoretical grounding in the TTM, demonstrating robust construct validity across numerous studies related to health behaviors and psychological traits. The items are designed to differentiate clearly between the distinct cognitive and affective states associated with each stage.

Specifically, successful validation requires demonstrating that the stage scores are significantly different from one another and follow the predicted pattern relative to other TTM variables, such as Processes of Change, Decisional Balance, and measures of self-efficacy. Research utilizing the SCQ-R framework has repeatedly confirmed that individuals categorized in later stages (Action and Maintenance) show higher levels of competence and commitment than those in earlier stages (Precontemplation and Contemplation), reinforcing the instrument’s ability to accurately classify readiness for change.

Reliability

The internal consistency reliability of the SCQ-R, as reported by the authors, is generally strong across the subscales, indicating that the items within each stage factor measure a consistent underlying construct. The assessment uses Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients to demonstrate this consistency:

• Precontemplation: alpha = .67

• Contemplation: alpha = .90

• Action: alpha = 0.86

• Maintenance: alpha = .86

The Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance subscales exhibit excellent reliability coefficients (above .85), suggesting high internal homogeneity. While the Precontemplation subscale’s alpha (.67) is marginally lower, it is still considered acceptable in early stage psychometrics research, especially when measuring constructs related to denial or resistance to change. Overall, the SCQ-R demonstrates sound psychometric properties suitable for clinical and research applications.

Factor Analysis

The underlying structure of the SCQ-R is typically confirmed using exploratory or confirmatory factor analysis. These analyses aim to verify the hypothesized four-factor structure corresponding to the Precontemplation, Contemplation, Action, and Maintenance stages. The original research by McConnaughy, Prochaska, and Velicer (1983) utilized factor analysis to establish that the items clustered into these independent factors, validating the multi-dimensional nature of the stages of change construct.

The success of the factor structure supports the theoretical premise that readiness for change is not measured on a single linear scale, but rather by the relative endorsement of items representing distinct motivational and behavioral states. This differentiation is critical for ensuring that the instrument is a valuable diagnostic tool for matching intervention intensity and type to the client’s specific stage.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale; Stage of Change assessment instrument.

Format: The questionnaire contains 32 items (inferred from the item list provided) measured on a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: English (Original development language).

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations engaged in behavioral modification or dispositional change efforts.

Age Group: Typically utilized with adolescents and adults.

Population Details: The SCQ-R is versatile and has been adapted for use in various domains, including addiction treatment, weight management, and, as shown here, dispositional shifts like increasing optimism.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with statements using the following scale:

1. Strongly Disagree

2. Moderately Disagree

3. Neither Agree nor Disagree

4. Moderately Agree

5. Strongly Agree

Scoring involves calculating the average score for the items corresponding to each stage subscale. The highest scoring subscale generally indicates the individual’s dominant stage of change.

The original PDF for this instrument can be found here: http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/s4/f2/dsk2/tape15/PQDD_0001/MQ32504.pdf

Keywords

Psychological Scale, Readiness assessment, TTM stages, Behavioral psychology, Dispositional change, Likert scale, Internal consistency, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source).

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source).

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 1983 (Initial publication of the measurement framework); revised version reported in 1989.

Permissions and Fees: Use of instruments based on the Transtheoretical Model often requires permission from the principal developers (Prochaska and Velicer) or associated research entities, particularly for commercial or large-scale applied settings. Researchers should consult the primary authors for specific licensing requirements.

Reference’s

McConnaughy. E.A.‚ DiClemente‚ CC.‚ Prochaska. J.O.‚ & Velicer. W.F.‚ (1989). Stages of change in psychotherapy: A follow-up report. Psychotherapy‚ 26; 494-503.

McConnaughy. E.A.‚ Prochaska J.O.‚ & Velicer. W.F.‚ (1983) Stages of change in psychotherapy: Measurement and sample profiles. Psychotherapy : Theory‚ Research and Practice‚ 30; 368-375.

Rose. Kristopher J.‚ (1998). Stages of change in dispositional optimism‚ development and evaluation of cognitive-behavioural and psychoeducational approaches to enhance quality of life. University of Western Ontario. Master of Arts Dissertation.

Items of the Stages of Change Questionnaire- Revised

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. As far as I’m concerned‚ my outlook is optimistic enough and does not need changing.

2. I think I might be ready for some improvement in my optimism.

3. I am doing something about not being very optimistic which had been bothering me.

4. It might be worthwhile to work on my optimism.

5. I’m not the problem one. It doesn’t make sense for me to try to be more optimistic.

6. It worries me that I might slip back to being pessimistic‚ so I would like help to be more optimistic.

7. I am finally doing some work on my optimism.

8. I’ve been thinking that I should be more optimistic.

9. 1 have been successful in working on being more optimistic but I’m not sure I can keep up the effort on my own.

10. At times I am not optimistic enough‚ but I’m working on it.

11. Being here is pretty much a waste of time for me because being more optimistic doesn’t have to do with me.

12. I’m hoping that there is a program that will help me to be more optimistic.

13. I guess I am pessimistic‚ but there’s nothing that I really need to change.

14. I am really working hard to change my pessimistic outlook.

15. I am not optimistic enough and I really think I should work on it.

16. I’m not following through with being more optimistic as well as I had hoped‚ and l’d like to prevent a relapse of being pessimistic.

17. Even though I’m not always successful in changing‚ I am at least working on being more optimistic.

18. I thought once I had tried being less pessimistic I would be free of it‚ but sometimes I still find myself struggling with it.

19. I wish I had more ideas on how to be more optimistic.

20. I have started working on being more optimistic but I would like help.

21. Maybe being more optimistic will be able to help me.

22. I may need a boost right now to help me maintain my optimism.

23. I may be pessimistic‚ but I don’t really think I am.

24. I wish that I could get some information about being more optimistic.

25. Anyone con talk about being more optimistic; I’m actually doing something about it.

26. All this talk about optimism is boring. Why can’t people just forget about being optimistic?

27. I would like to prevent myself from ha‎ving a relapse of my pessimism.

28. It is frustrating‚ but I feel I might be ha‎ving a recurrence of pessimism I thought I had resolved.

29. I am pessimistic but so is the next person. Why spend time thinking about it?

30. I am actively working on being more optimistic.

31. I would rather cope with being pessimistic thon try to change it.

32. After all I had done to try to be less pessimistic‚ every now and again it comes back to haunt me