Abstract
Aims: To assess the psychometric properties of Young & Brown's (1994) Schema Questionnaire and assess Young's assertion that people with personality disorder have Early Maladaptive Schema (EMS). Method: participants comprised three groups. Two groups were recruited from a clinical sample detained in a maximum security hospital. Thirty participants met the criteria for personality disorder (the PD group) and thirty-one met the criteria for mental illness (the MI group). The average age of this inpatient sample was 39 years 1 month and 54 (89%) were male. The third group (N=24) was recruited from a clinical psychology waiting list (Minchin, 1999). The average age of this sample was 38 years 8 months and 10 (42%) were male. All three groups completed the Schema Questionnaire and the GHQ-28. The inpatient sample also completed the MCMI-III. Results: All 15 EMS scales showed adequate internal consistency (a range: 0.74-0.94) and eight of the fiteen scales were found to be reasonably discrete. A Discriminant Function Analysis revealed one function which reliably discriminated the three groups. A correlational analysis provided support for there being a link between clusters of EMS and persoanlity styles. Conclusion: This study found Young's schema questionnaire to have questionable validity as a reliable, independent research tool. However this does not mean the questionnaire lacks clinical utility. The schema based model of personality disorder provides a rational and basis for clinical intervention.