Adaptation of the Thought Suppression Inventory for use in a Greek Population

Abstract

Intrusive (unwanted) thoughts occur spontaneously and can cause considerable difficulty among neurodiverse, neurologically impaired and psychiatric populations. Depending on content and frequency they may interfere with cognitive processing, cause cognitive overload and are associated with emotional distress. Intrusions are commonly negative in both content and affect  and often incongruent with the individual’s values. Thought suppression refers to attempts to control or block intrusive thoughts and involves both conscious and unconscious processes.The Thought Suppression Inventory (TSI) was designed by Rassin (2003)⁷  to measure Intrusion, Suppression and Effective Suppression. The current brief report presents the procedure for adaptation of the TSI for use among a Greek population. The report describes the extensive review of the instrument by peers and by a sample of the target population as well as the utilisation of multiple translations to ensure the closest possible approximation of the Greek version to the original instrument, with a particular focus on linguistic and cultural nuances.