Add a suffix to a select group of column names in a dataset

Question

I want to add a suffix to a group of columns in a data set (CTDB). For example I have the following columns and I would like to add "_Child" to the end.

This subset is part of a larger dataset with 100+ columns, and I do not want to re-write every single column name.

 [9] "SCARED_BREATHE"                          
 [10] "SCARED_HEADACHE_SCHOOL"                  
 [11] "SCARED_DISLIKE_STRANGERS"                
 [12] "SCARED_SLEEP_AWAY_HOME"                  
 [13] "SCARED_LIKE_ME"                          
 [14] "SCARED_PASS_OUT"                         
 [15] "SCARED_NERVOUS"                          
 [16] "SCARED_FOLLOW_PARENT"                    
 [17] "SCARED_LOOK_NERVOUS"                     
 [18] "SCARED_NERVOUS_AROUND_STRANGER"          
 [19] "SCARED_STOMACHACHE_SCHOOL"               
 [20] "SCARED_FEEL_CRAZY"                       
 [21] "SCARED_SLEEP_ALONE"                      
 [22] "SCARED_NOT_AS_GOOD"                      
 [23] "SCARED_NOT_REAL"                         
 [24] "SCARED_NIGHTMARE_PARENTS"                
 [25] "SCARED_SCHOOL"                           
 [26] "SCARED_HR_FAST"                          
 [27] "SCARED_SHAKY"                            
 [28] "SCARED_NIGHTMARE"                        
 [29] "SCARED_THINGS_WORK_OUT"                  
 [30] "SCARED_SWEAT"                            
 [31] "SCARED_WORRY"                            
 [32] "SCARED_NO_REASON"                        
 [33] "SCARED_ALONE_AT_HOME"                    
 [34] "SCARED_HARD_TO_TALK"                     
 [35] "SCARED_CHOKE"                            
 [36] "SCARED_WORRY_TOO_MUCH"                   
 [37] "SCARED_AWAY_FROM_FAMILY"                 
 [38] "SCARED_PANIC_ATTACK"                     
 [39] "SCARED_WORRY_PARENTS"                    
 [40] "SCARED_SHY_STRANGERS"                    
 [41] "SCARED_FUTURE"                           
 [42] "SCARED_THROW_UP"                         
 [43] "SCARED_HOW_WELL_I_DO"                    
 [44] "SCARED_GO_TO_SCHOOL"                     
 [45] "SCARED_PAST"                             
 [46] "SCARED_DIZZY"                            
 [47] "SCARED_OTHERS_WATCH_ME"                  
 [48] "SCARED_PARTY"                            
 [49] "SCARED_SHY"                              
 [50] "ARI_ANNOYED"                             
 [51] "ARI_LOSE_TEMPER_OFTEN"                   
 [52] "ARI_STAY_ANGRY"                          
 [53] "ARI_ANGRY_MOST"                          
 [54] "ARI_FREQ_ANGRY"                          
 [55] "ARI_LOSE_TEMPER_EASY"                    
 [56] "ARI_IRRITABLE"                           
 [57] "MFQ_S_UNHAPPY"                           
 [58] "MFQ_S_DIDNT_ENJOY"                       
 [59] "MFQ_S_TIRED"                             
 [60] "MFQ_S_RESTLESS"                          
 [61] "MFQ_S_NO_GOOD"                           
 [62] "MFQ_S_CRIED"                             
 [63] "MFQ_S_HARD_THINK"                        
 [64] "MFQ_S_HATE_MYSELF"                       
 [65] "MFQ_S_BAD_PERSON"                        
 [66] "MFQ_S_LONELY"                            
 [67] "MFQ_S_NOBODY_LOVE"                       
 [68] "MFQ_S_GOOD_OTHR_KID"                     
 [69] "MFQ_S_EVERTHING_WRONG"                   
 [70] "ENJOY_TV_RADIO"                          
 [71] "ENJOY_FMLY_CLOSE_FRND"                   
 [72] "ENJOY_HOBBIES"                           
 [73] "ENJOY_FAV_MEAL"                          
 [74] "ENJOY_SHOWER"                            
 [75] "ENJOY_SCENT"                             
 [76] "ENJOY_PPL_SMILE"                         
 [77] "ENJOY_LOOK_SMART"                        
 [78] "ENJOY_READ"                              
 [79] "ENJOY_FAV_DRINK"                         
 [80] "ENJOY_SMALL_THINGS"                      
 [81] "ENJOY_LANDSCAPE"                         
 [82] "ENJOY_HELP_OTHR"                         
 [83] "ENJOY_PRAISE"

I have tried the following code but I get the following error.

> colnames(CTDB[,c(BREATHE_SCARED:ENJOY_PRAISE)]) <- paste(colnames(CTDB[,c(BREATHE_SCARED:ENJOY_PRAISE)]), "CHILD", sep = "_")
Error in check_names_df(j, x) : object 'BREATHE_SCARED' not found

Thank you for your help!

Answer 1

Update:

dplyr 1.0.0 has introduced major improvements and changes. Unfortunately, to make other functions consistent, they transitioned rename_at to rename_with which is a little less consistent with other functions such as select, because the function is now the first argument and the columns the second. You can review the considerations made by the developers here: https://github.com/tidyverse/dplyr/pull/4923

CTDB %>% rename_with(~paste0(., "_Child"), BREATHE_SCARED:ENJOY_PRAISE)

Ref: https://www.tidyverse.org/blog/2020/03/dplyr-1-0-0-select-rename-relocate/

---

CTDB %>% rename_at(BREATHE_SCARED:ENJOY_PRAISE, ~paste0(., "_Child"))

Reference: Adding prefix or suffix to most data.frame variable names in piped R workflow

Answer 2

Depending on your data, this could work:

 colnames(CTDB)[9:83] <- paste(colnames(CTDB)[9:83], "CHILD", sep = "_")

If you don't want to set the indices manually, you can use "which()" to find them.