Reliability and validity of the short Schema Mode Inventory (SMI)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Schema modes are central to Schema-Focused Therapy (SFT).
• Existing measures for schema modes may be lengthy or lack specific psychometric validation.
• A concise and validated instrument is needed for efficient clinical assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and validate a new, short questionnaire for assessing schema modes: the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI).
• To evaluate the psychometric properties of the short SMI in a diverse sample.

Main Methods:

• Development of an 118-item short version of the Schema Mode Inventory (SMI).
• Assessment of psychometric properties including factor structure, internal reliability (Cronbach's alpha), inter-correlations, and test-retest reliability.
• Testing conducted on a sample of 863 participants, including non-patients and patients with Axis I and Axis II disorders.

Main Results:

• The short SMI demonstrated a robust 14-factor structure.
• Acceptable internal consistencies (Cronbach's alpha .79–.96) and adequate test-retest reliability were found.
• Moderate construct validity was established, with certain modes predicted by Axis I/II severity and others by Axis II pathology.

Conclusions:

• The short Schema Mode Inventory (SMI) is a psychometrically sound instrument.
• The SMI is a valuable and efficient tool for assessing schema modes within Schema-Focused Therapy (SFT).
• The findings support the use of the SMI in both clinical and research settings.