Abstract
Defensive pessimism, a lesser-known type of pessimism, was first introduced by Norem and Cantor (1986) as a strategy to reduce anxiety. This construct has received less attention in domestic research literature. The present study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of Norem's Defensive Pessimism Questionnaire (DPQ) among students at the University of Zanjan during the 2024-2025 academic year. Data from 375 individuals, selected through cluster random sampling, were included in the final analysis. Norem's Defensive Pessimism Questionnaire consists of 12 items and two subscales: negative expectation and mental preoccupation. For data analysis, Cronbach's alpha coefficient, qualitative and quantitative content analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and convergent validity using Pearson correlation were employed. The overall reliability of the questionnaire was 0.76, while the reliabilities for the negative expectation and mental preoccupation subscales were 0.78 and 0.74, respectively. Test-retest reliability after one week was 0.91. Quantitative content validity, calculated using CVR and CVI indices, was above 0.8 and 0.9, respectively. In convergent validity analysis, the correlations of DPQ with negative affect (0.10), positive affect (-0.09), optimism (-0.15), and pessimism (0.17) were statistically significant. Factorial validity was examined using confirmatory factor analysis in LISREL software, which supported the initial two-factor structure. The model fit indices were generally reported as favorable. The results indicated that the Defensive Pessimism Questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for measuring this construct among the student population.