A Cross-Validation of the Anger Cognitions Scale-Revised: Cognitions and Anger in an Italian Adolescent Sample

The Angry Cognitions Scale (ACS; Martin and Dahlen in J Ration Emot Cogn Behav Therapy 25(3): 155–173, 2007) is a comprehensive instrument designed to test cognitions that are related to anger. This paper presents data on the Italian-language version of the Angry Cognition Scale-Revised (ACS-R; Soto and DiGiuseppe in which beliefs best predict anger, 2016) in a sample of adolescents aged 11–19 years. The revised version attempted to refine the ACS to better represent Ellis’s theory of irrational beliefs and clarify the coping strategies subscale. Our study attempted to (a) test the factorial structure of the ACS-R-adolescent version, (b) provide psychometric information on internal consistency and test–retest reliability data on the questionnaire in the Italian culture, and (c) test the convergent and predictive validity of the ACS-R-adolescent version relative to other questionnaires. Factor analysis supports a multidimensional model, but the distribution of the items is different from the original validation; in particular, a three-factor solution was supported rather the hypothesized seven factors. Specifically, we labelled the factors as follows: Factor 1 is labelled as Hostile verbal and involves catastrophic cognitive attributions; Factor 2 is labelled Adaptive thoughts on the negative consequences of anger; and Factor 3 is called Demandingness and generalizations. The internal consistency appears optimal for all three factors (from .720 to .888). In addition, analyses reveal good test–retest reliability and convergent validity.