REBT with context of basic psychological needs: RESD-A Scale

Accurate psychometrics benefit from assessing given constructs within specifically defined contexts. The assessment of context-specific irrational beliefs as put forth in rational emotive behaviour therapy (REBT), under the three basic psychological needs described in self-determination theory (SDT), represents a new path for research. Under the umbrella of 'positive psychology', a new scale for adolescents combining REBT and SDT is the first step towards conceptualizing irrational beliefs within the three basic psychological needs. The integration of REBT and SDT would provide a more fully integrated view of adolescent mental health, and as such could provide a more cost-effective approach for preventing cognitive, emotive and behavioural disturbances in young people.

The main aim of this paper is to outline the development and validation of the Rational Emotive Self Determination Scale for Adolescents (RESD-A), which measures irrational beliefs about the three basic psychological needs (autonomy, competence and relatedness).

To achieve this main study aim, we report the results of four studies that test the factor structure, internal consistency, construct, predictive validity, and test-re-test reliability of the 51-item RESD-A, within samples of Turkish adolescents.

Data analyses confirmed the theoretical expectations and yielded promising results for the validity and reliability of the RESD-A.

The results suggest that assessment of irrational beliefs in the context of autonomy, competence and relatedness is possible and valuable for the treatment of adolescents.