The factor structure and concurrent validity of the early maladaptive schema questionnaire: Research version

Abstract

Early maladaptive schemas are stable, negative beliefs about oneself, others, or the environment that are formed early in life and subsequently organize an individual's experiences and behaviors. We evaluated the factor structure and validity of the self-report Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire - Research version (EMSQ-R) that assesses 15 maladaptive schema identified by Young (1991) within a sample of 908 individuals in treatment for substance use and personality pathology. We first employed confirmatory factor analytic techniques and found the data fit this expected model poorly. We then utilized exploratory factor analysis to examine the hierarchical structure of the EMSQ-R and then tested its concurrent validity using available chart data and another self-report questionnaire. In contrast with previous research, we concluded that the schemas do not have a replicable lower-order structure. However, we did retain a four-factor solution for the scales that demonstrated significant correlations with expected variables and provided partial support for the higher-order structure of EMSQ-R. © 2012 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.