The Developmental Crisis Questionnaire (DCQ-12): Psychometric Development and Validation

Abstract

Developmental crisis is a construct that is central to many theories of psychosocial adult development, yet there is currently no validated psychometric measure of adult developmental crisis that can be used across adult age groups. To address this gap in the literature, we developed and validated an age-independent measure of adult developmental crisis for research and applied purposes, entitled the Developmental Crisis Questionnaire (DCQ-12). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were conducted separately on different samples. A three-factor structure emerged as the best fit with the data: (1) Disconnection and Distress; (2) Lack of Clarity and Control and (3) Transition and Turning Point. The DCQ-12 showed predictive validity with measures of self-esteem, locus of control, authentic living, optimism, presence of and search for meaning, turning points and a related crisis measure. Four-week test–retest reliability ranged from 0.78 to 0.89 across subscales. As well as research uses, the DCQ-12 measure has potential application in practice, given that assessment of developmental crisis has relevance to professionals working in clinical and non-clinical roles to support and coach adults through periods of transition.