Cross-cultural validation of the young schema questionnaire for adolescents in Portuguese and Brazilian samples

Abstract

This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties and to investigate the cross-cultural equivalence of the Brief Form of the Young Schema Questionnaire for Adolescents (B-YSQ-A) in a sample of Portuguese (n = 453) and Brazilian (n = 560) adolescents. A total of 1013 adolescents aged 14–19 years old (M = 16.61, SD = 1.18) completed the B-YSQ-A, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale for Adolescents (DASS) and the Mental Health Inventory-5 (MHI-5). The factor structure of the B-YSQ-A was investigated using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA); moreover, measurement invariance across culture and sex was tested. Internal consistency and construct validity of the scale were also analyzed. In line with Young’s schema model, the CFA supported the existence of 18 early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) assessed via the B-YSQ-A, which achieved acceptable internal consistency values and validity evidence based on relations with other variables. Further evidence was found for the adequate model fitting across sex and culture. The B-YSQ-A seems a valid tool for assessing EMSs among adolescents across these Portuguese-speaking countries.