The Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC)

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Child Development
• Clinical Psychology

Background:

• Childhood experiences significantly shape maladaptive schemas, a key concept in Young's theory.
• Existing child schema questionnaires vary in their factor structures (8-12 factors).
• A need exists for a comprehensive tool aligned with Young's 18-schema model for childhood assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate the Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC).
• To create a child-friendly instrument based on Young's 18-schema model.
• To assess the reliability, validity, and predictive value of the DISC.

Main Methods:

• Development of the DISC using 18 illustrated schemas and self-report items.
• Administration of a preliminary 90-item questionnaire to 569 children (ages 8-13).
• Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to refine the instrument to 36 items (2 per schema).

Main Results:

• The final 36-item DISC demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability and convergent validity.
• The DISC showed predictive value, correlating with children's behavioral problems.
• CFA confirmed a satisfactory goodness-of-fit for the 18-factor model.

Conclusions:

• The DISC is a compact and reliable instrument for assessing early maladaptive schemas in children.
• The questionnaire effectively evaluates schema representations and maladaptation dynamics in child development.
• The DISC provides a valuable tool for understanding and addressing childhood psychological development.