Adaptive Schema Domains: Validation and Higher-Order Structure of the Young Positive Schema Questionnaire in a Sample of Flemish Emerging Adults

Central to schema theory is the idea that schemas can be grouped into domains. The organization of these schemas into domains has clinical importance, but debate persists in the literature. This study uses the Young Positive Schema Questionnaire (YPSQ) to explore the higher-order structure of adaptive schemas, paralleling the literature on maladaptive schema domains. After validating a Dutch version of the YPSQ in a large Flemish emerging adult sample, a four-domain model was compared to a five-domain model. Confirmatory factor analysis validated the 14 adaptive schemas of the YPSQ. Measurement invariance across gender and age groups was confirmed. Discriminant validity (through associations with maladaptive schemas and psychopathology), convergent validity (through associations with well-being measures), and incremental validity (explained variance above and beyond maladaptive schemas) were demonstrated. Both the hypothesized four-domain and five-domain models showed acceptable fit in structural equation modeling, with statistical comparisons favoring the slightly better fit of the four-domain model, as expected. Implications for schema theory and clinical practice are discussed.