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This study aims to validate the French-Canadian adaptation of the third version of the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3; Young, 2005) and provide expected scores for nonclinical and Axis I patient samples. The Young Schema Questionnaire assesses early maladaptive schémas (EMSs) and schema domains. The latest version of the questionnaire, the YSQ-S3, has received little attention, and its Canadian French adaptation has yet to be validated. In this study, a sample of 973 nonclinical participants completed the YSQ-S3, as well as assessments of their self-reported clinical or nonclinical status. A mixed Axis I patient group of 96 participants also completed the YSQ-S3 and additional clinical measures. Confirmatory factor analysis supports the EMSs but fails to support the schema domains. Expected scores for Axis I patients and confirmed nonclinical respondents are presented. As a whole, the French-Canadian version of the YSQ-S3 is a solid tool for the self-report measurement of EMSs. However, caution should be used in using and interpreting domain scores.
Keywords: cognitive schémas, Young Schema Questionnaire, psychometric evaluation, factor analysis
Schema theory is an integrative model of psychopathology developed by Young and colleagues (Young, 1990; Young, Klosko, & Weishaar, 2003). An expansion of traditional cognitive theory, schema theory adds a broader conception of the developmental origins of the cognitive and affective biases seen among patients who have chronic psychological disorders with underlying characterological traits. Schema theory proposes that maladaptive childhood experiences lead to the development of early maladaptive schémas (EMSs).
An EMS, as defined by schema theory, is a broad, pervasive theme or pattern relating to the individual and his or her relationships with others (Young et al., 2003). EMSs are developed during childhood and adolescence but remain with people long after childhood and affect the way they interact with the world around them. EMSs are purported to exist across the population, only becoming problematic if they are too severe or intense. Young et al. have identified 18 different EMSs to date, divided into five umbrella categories known as schema domains. For example, the first schema domain is disconnection and rejection, bringing together the EMSs abandonment, mistrust/abuse, emotional deprivation, defectiveness/shame, and social isolation. These EMSs centre around the notions of safety, stability, and nurturance in interpersonal relationships. People with the abandonment EMS expect the...