The latent structure of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form

Abstract

Objective: The current study aimed to examine the latent structure of a web-based, Brazilian Portuguese version of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF). Method: The sample consisted of 15,557 adult participants – 4,702 men and 10,855 women – with age ranging from 18 to 60 years. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the a priori conceptual 15-factor model presumed to underlie the YSQ-SF item set. Results: Most items displayed high levels of reliability (factor loadings greater than 0.7) and low liability to random measurement error (residual variances below 0.02), indicating that the a priori YSQ-SF factor structure is adequate. Discussion: These findings offer empirical evidence supporting YSQ-SF construct validity and, consequently, its application in adults.

Keywords

• Young Schema Questionnaire
• schema therapy
• construct validity
• web survey
• structural equation analysis