Can we trust this short scale? Validation of a Brief Self-Report Measure of Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity (ETMCQ-R-6) in a sample of the U.K. general population
8 affiliations
- 1Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Rehabilitation Research, Vienna, Austria
- 2University Hospital of Psychiatry II, Department of Psychiatry, Psychotherapy, Psychosomatics and Medical Psychology, Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
- 3Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 4CORE Data Lab, Centre for Outcomes Research and Effectiveness (CORE), Research Department of Clinical, Educational and Health Psychology, University College London, London, United Kingdom
- 5Anna Freud, London, United Kingdom
- 6VITREA Rehabilitation Center, Schruns, Austria
- 7Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Justus Liebig University Giessen, Giessen, Germany
- 8Medical Center of the Philipps University Marburg, Marburg, Germany
Abstract
The concept of the epistemic stance (i.e., an individual’s openness to learning from others) has been increasingly recognized as a key construct associated with mental health. This study validated a six-item short form of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ-R) in a UK quota-balanced community sample (N = 515). Using stepwise item reduction and confirmatory factor analysis, a three-factor structure with two items per subscale (trust, mistrust, credulity) was identified. The ETMCQ-R-6 showed acceptable fit (scaled χ²(6)=22.13, p = .001; robust CFI = .978; robust TLI = .945; robust RMSEA = .073 [90% CI: .042, .107]; SRMR = .029) and acceptable reliability for the trust (α = .75) and credulity (α = .77) subscales, while the mistrust subscale fell below the conventional threshold (α = ρ = ω = .68). Configural, metric, scalar, and structural invariance across gender and age groups was supported, while strict invariance was not established. Correlations between the long and short form were high (r = 0.83–0.87; φ = 0.95–1.00). Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed significant incremental predictive validity for epistemic mistrust and credulity across psychopathology outcomes, while the trust subscale demonstrated domain-specific incremental validity for attachment avoidance. The ETMCQ-R-6 offers a brief, psychometrically stable assessment of epistemic stance suitable for epidemiological research.
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BibTeX
@article{riedl2026trust,
title = {{Can we trust this short scale? Validation of a Brief Self-Report Measure of Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity (ETMCQ-R-6) in a sample of the U.K. general population}},
author = {David Riedl and Henry Delamain and Peter Fonagy and Astrid Lampe and Samuel Eke and Tobias Nolte and Hanna Kampling and Johannes Kruse and Chloe Campbell},
journal = {PLOS Mental Health},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pmen.0000591},
url = {https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000591},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Can we trust this short scale? Validation of a Brief Self-Report Measure of Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity (ETMCQ-R-6) in a sample of the U.K. general population
AU - David Riedl
AU - Henry Delamain
AU - Peter Fonagy
AU - Astrid Lampe
AU - Samuel Eke
AU - Tobias Nolte
AU - Hanna Kampling
AU - Johannes Kruse
AU - Chloe Campbell
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/31
JO - PLOS Mental Health
DO - 10.1371/journal.pmen.0000591
UR - https://journals.plos.org/mentalhealth/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmen.0000591
AB - The concept of the epistemic stance (i.e., an individual’s openness to learning from others) has been increasingly recognized as a key construct associated with mental health. This study validated a six-item short form of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ-R) in a UK quota-balanced community sample (N = 515). Using stepwise item reduction and confirmatory factor analysis, a three-factor structure with two items per subscale (trust, mistrust, credulity) was identified. The ETMCQ-R-6 showed acceptable fit (scaled χ²(6)=22.13, p = .001; robust CFI = .978; robust TLI = .945; robust RMSEA = .073 [90% CI: .042, .107]; SRMR = .029) and acceptable reliability for the trust (α = .75) and credulity (α = .77) subscales, while the mistrust subscale fell below the conventional threshold (α = ρ = ω = .68). Configural, metric, scalar, and structural invariance across gender and age groups was supported, while strict invariance was not established. Correlations between the long and short form were high (r = 0.83–0.87; φ = 0.95–1.00). Hierarchical regression analyses confirmed significant incremental predictive validity for epistemic mistrust and credulity across psychopathology outcomes, while the trust subscale demonstrated domain-specific incremental validity for attachment avoidance. The ETMCQ-R-6 offers a brief, psychometrically stable assessment of epistemic stance suitable for epidemiological research.
SN - 2837-8156
ER -