Decision Styles Questionnaire DSQ

Cognition en CC BY 4.0

Description

43-item self-report questionnaire measuring individual differences in decision-making styles and decisional self-esteem. Developed through factor analysis retaining 9 factors: Avoidant (5 items), Dependent (6 items), Vigilant (6 items), Brooding (5 items), Intuitive (5 items), Anxious (5 items), Spontaneous (4 items), Confident (5 items), and Respected (2 items). Confident and Respected together form Decisional Self-Esteem. Items rated on a 5-point scale (1 = Never/Almost Never, 5 = Always/Almost Always). Higher scores on each subscale indicate a stronger tendency toward that style.

Scale Information

Full Name Decision Styles Questionnaire
Abbreviation DSQ
Items 43
Dimensions Avoidant, Dependent, Vigilant, Brooding, Intuitive, Anxious, Spontaneous, Confident, Respected
Domain Cognition
License CC BY 4.0
Version 1.0
Languages EN
URL https://doi.org/10.1017/S1930297500001674
Repository Open Scales

Dimensions / Subscales

  • Avoidant (avoidant)
    Tendency to avoid or postpone decision making (5 items)
  • Dependent (dependent)
    Tendency to rely on advice and support from others when making decisions (6 items)
  • Vigilant (vigilant)
    Tendency to carefully consider all alternatives and information before deciding (6 items)
  • Brooding (brooding)
    Tendency to ruminate and dwell on past decisions and outcomes (5 items)
  • Intuitive (intuitive)
    Tendency to rely on gut feelings and intuition when making decisions (5 items)
  • Anxious (anxious)
    Tendency to experience anxiety and distress during decision making (5 items)
  • Spontaneous (spontaneous)
    Tendency to make quick, immediate decisions without extended deliberation (4 items)
  • Confident (confident)
    Perceived competence and confidence as a decision maker (5 items, 2 reverse-coded). Part of Decisional Self-Esteem.
  • Respected (respected)
    Others seek one's help and advice in decision making (2 items). Part of Decisional Self-Esteem.

Citation

Leykin, Y., & DeRubeis, R. J. (2010). Decision-making styles and depressive symptomatology: Development of the Decision Styles Questionnaire. Judgment and Decision Making, 5(7), 506-515. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1930297500001674

Items

Please indicate to what extent the statements below match your style of making important decisions (e.g., career or work related decisions; financial decisions, including decisions about expensive purchases or investments; decisions about education; decisions about relationships; and other decisions that can affect your life or the lives of your loved ones).

1 = Never 2 = Rarely 3 = Sometimes 4 = Often 5 = Always
# Dimension Item R
1 Avoidant I don't make decisions unless I really have to.
2 Avoidant I postpone decision-making whenever possible.
3 Avoidant I procrastinate when it comes to making important decisions.
4 Avoidant I put off making many decisions because thinking about them makes me uneasy.
5 Avoidant I worry that making a decision will close out other options, so I postpone the decision.
6 Dependent I use the advice of other people in making my important decisions.
7 Dependent I need the assistance of other people when making important decisions.
8 Dependent I do not seek advice from others when I make decisions. ↻
9 Dependent When I need to make a decision, I consult family or friends.
10 Dependent If I have the support of others it is easier for me to make important decisions.
11 Dependent I like to have someone to steer me in the right direction when I am faced with important decisions.
12 Vigilant I like to consider all the alternatives.
13 Vigilant When making decisions I like to collect lots of information.
14 Vigilant My decision making requires careful thought.
15 Vigilant When making a decision, I consider various options in terms of specific goals.
16 Vigilant I weigh the pros and cons of each option before I make a decision.
17 Vigilant I try to be clear about my objectives before choosing.
18 Brooding I think about all the bad decisions I have made in my life.
19 Brooding Whenever I make a choice, I try to get information about how the other alternatives turned out.
20 Brooding If I make a choice and it turns out well, I still feel like something of a failure if I find out that another choice would have turned out better.
21 Brooding When I make decisions, my top priority is to not get "burned".
22 Brooding The possibility that some small thing might go wrong causes me to change my mind abruptly.
23 Intuitive When making decisions, I do what seems natural at the moment.
24 Intuitive When making decisions, I rely upon my instincts.
25 Intuitive When I make a decision, I trust my inner feelings and reactions.
26 Intuitive When I make decisions, I tend to rely on my intuition.
27 Intuitive When I make a decision, it is more important for me to feel the decision is right than to have a rational reason for it.
28 Anxious I feel very anxious when I need to make a decision.
29 Anxious I panic when I think that my decision might be wrong.
30 Anxious When making a decision, I am afraid that I might be wrong.
31 Anxious I can't think straight if I have to make decisions in a hurry.
32 Anxious I feel as if I am under tremendous time pressure when making decisions.
33 Spontaneous I make decisions on the spur of the moment.
34 Spontaneous I make decisions quickly.
35 Spontaneous My decisions are spontaneous.
36 Spontaneous I make impulsive decisions.
37 Confident I feel inferior to most people in making decisions. ↻
38 Confident I feel confident about my ability to make decisions.
39 Confident I don't trust my ability to make important decisions. ↻
40 Confident I have faith in my decisions.
41 Confident I think I am a good decision maker.
42 Respected My friends or family seek my advice when they have to make important decisions.
43 Respected Others seek my help in making their decisions.