Preliminary Psychometric Properties of the Portuguese Version of the Personality Belief Questionnaire—Short Form in a Community Sample

Personality Belief Questionnaire is an instrument based on cognitive behavioral theory, focused on core beliefs associated with personality disorders. This paper reflects a preliminary psychometric study of the (European) Portuguese version of the Personality Belief Questionnaire-Short Form (PBQ-SF-PT) in a non-clinical sample. In a cross-sectional design 344 individuals (M age = 32.56, SD = 11.28) were assessed with self-report instruments. Two studies were performed: one based on an Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and another based on theoretical PBQ-SF subscales. Results showed to be similar. Factorial structure of PBQ-SF showed seven factors combining different subscales in the same factor. Dependent, Avoidant and Borderline items loaded in the same factor and Narcissistic, Histrionic and Antisocial items loaded in the same factor. Convergent validity was studied with correlations between PBQ-SF-PT subscales and early maladaptive schemas. The results suggest that the Portuguese version of the questionnaire is acceptable and can be used as a useful measure for the assessment of personality beliefs in the Portuguese population. However, more research is required to explore psychometric features of the PBQ-SF in clinical samples.