| The purpose of the present study was to investigate the comparative validity of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-S) and an Implicit Association Test of schema (i.e., IAT-Schema) in relation to borderline personality disorder pathology (BPD) and parasuicidal behavior. Previous research has demonstrated two types of informational processing, explicit and implicit. The criterion validity of the YSQ-S in relation to BPD pathology was recently established (Specht, 2003). The current project sought to replicate YSQ-S findings and extend IAT research measuring implicit processing related to BPD and parasuicide.;The IAT is a computer based assessment instrument designed to assess the relative strength of implicit associations between concepts and attributes. The IAT-Schema was developed to parallel the YSQ-S originally developed by Young (1999). Twenty-nine (n = 29) undergraduate female participants agreed to complete the YSQ-S and IAT-Schema on two occasions (one week apart) and both instruments were found to possess modest to excellent internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Seventy-two female inmates (n = 72) were recruited from minimum security units at a local correctional facility and were asked to provide demographic information, complete a packet of questionnaire measures (i.e., BDI-II, SDS-17, and YSQ-S), and participate in an individual structured clinical interview (i.e., SCID-II and LPC-2) to assess BPD pathology and related self-harm behavior.;While initial data related to the IAT-Schema were encouraging, fundamental errors in the test's construction resulted in irrevocable range restriction problems, which made establishing the external validity of this measure impossible. However, this study replicated and extended the results reported by Specht (2003). It was demonstrated that the YSQ-S Disconnection and Rejection domain scale schemas predicted BPD pathology when depression was controlled, which replicates and extends previous research by controlling for depression. This study further bolstered the notion that cognitive schema, particularly those encapsulated under the Disconnection and Rejection domain, are central in maintaining the relationship between childhood trauma and BPD pathology. Finally, while no YSQ-S domain scales were related to past self-harm (PSH) episodes, it was demonstrated that the YSQ-S Disconnection and Rejection, Impaired Autonomy, and Impaired Limits were related to past suicidal behavior (PSB) episodes. Nonetheless, there was no evidence that the identified YSQ-S cognitive schema domains predicted PSB beyond depression. |
