Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Psychology (Ph.D.)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Mark Terjesen

Second Advisor

Raymond DiGiuseppe

Third Advisor

Melissa Peckins

Abstract

Higher levels of irrational and maladaptive thoughts have been linked to emotional and behavioral disturbance (Terjesen et al., 2017). A theoretical model that focuses on this pattern of thinking is Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT). Children’s thinking has predicted child emotional and behavioral responses (Terjesen et al., 2017). Although cognitions are proposed to be central in the development of emotional and behavioral difficulties, research on self-report measures to assess irrational beliefs is lacking (Dozois et al., 2019; Terjesen et al., 2020). The Child and Adolescent Scale of Irrationality (CASI) had shown preliminary support for reliability and validity; However, Terjesen et al. (2017) identified a number of areas that warranted a revision. Terjesen et al. found variable and somewhat low reliability coefficients for the individual scales. Moreover, exploratory factor analyses did not yield interpretable factors based on beliefs, content, or theory. Thus, additional revisions and further evaluations of the measure were warranted. In the current study, the CASI was systematically revised and updated to reflect current language, interests, and concerns pertinent to children and adolescents in today’s age, and the psychometric properties and factor structure of the revised measure were examined. The revised CASI demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability, and higher and less variable estimates of internal reliability than the original CASI (Terjesen et al., 2017). Discriminant validity was demonstrated between a clinical and non-clinical sample for all scales apart from the ‘Peers’ scale. Predictive and convergent validity were also established, as the total and subscale scores of the CASI correlated highly with the scales of a standardized measure of emotion and behavior (BIMAS-2) and another standardized measure of unhealthy thinking (CATS). Further, results of confirmatory factor analyses provided preliminary support for the factor structure of the revised CASI in line with REBT theory. Overall, results indicate that the revised CASI demonstrates adequate reliability and validity and may be used to assist clinicians in identifying what to target for change in treatment.

Download

Included in

Psychology Commons

Share

COinS