Author: Christof Loose

Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC)
aged 8-14 years
Name/Code: ___________________ Today‘s date:___________

Revised: 5th of Aug .2018

I am a...
 boy
 girl

Hi! This booklet describes thoughts and feelings that many children have and we want to hear about you! Be as honest as you can. There are no right and no wrong answers. If you do not want to answer a question, just leave it blank and go on to the next one. You can
decide if you would like to fill this booklet in
and you can stop at any time.
Here’s an example question: The child in
the picture has been given a gift but they
are not happy about it. They feel sad.
Read the sentences below carefully
(A and B) and put an “X” in the box
that is right for you.

Example: Wrong gift

What is it like for you when you get a gift?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
A. I like getting presents
B. I feel sad because I want something bigger or better

Some sentences in this booklet are about happy feelings (like A), some are not as happy (like B). Please read the sentences carefully to understand them. On the following pages you’ll see 18 pictures. For each picture there are two statements. We want to know how often these thoughts or feelings happen for you. Please put only one cross for each statement. Put the “X” in the middle of the box, not at the edge. If you have any questions, please ask for help.

Page #

"I often avoid doing my homework by doing something that’s fun. I get really distracted and can’t finish.“

is

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
1. I get upset really quickly if something takes longer than I expect.
2. I can’t stand waiting for anything.

Page #

"My friends boss me around. I don’t feel OK giving my opinion and I do what others tell me to.“

sb

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
3. I prefer letting other people decide, so I keep the peace.
4. Other people’s opinions are more important to me than my own opinion.

Page #

"I bet they are making fun of me!"
This child wants to play with the other children. But they think that the others will be mean .

ma

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
5. I think that my friends will betray me sooner or later.
6. I think that other people take advantage of me.

Page #

"I often feel worthless, because I find some things hard. Then other people don’t like me."
Children sometimes feel worthless, for example when they make mistakes or disappoint others.

ds

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
7. I cannot understand how anyone can like me.
8. I am not worthy of being loved.

Page #

"Sometimes I have the feeling that I don’t fit in. I think and feel differently to everyone else."
When children have these feelings and thoughts they can isolate themselves.

si

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
9. I do not like spending time with other people.
10. I prefer to stay on my own, rather than joining a group.

Page #

"I often feel small and not brave enough to do a lot of things by myself.“
This child does not have much confidence.

di

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
11. I need a lot of help with every day tasks. Otherwise, I get overwhelmed.
12. Without the help of my parents I can’t do anything.

Page #

"Once again I got a bad grade. I sometimes think that I'm a complete failure.“

fa

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
13. No matter what I do at school, others are always better than me.
14. My results are bad and it will always be like that.

Page #

Some children expect horrible things to happen to them (they might feel like they have very bad luck and worry about things like seeing a black cat).
Some children are scared of getting sick or are worried that their families could become poor.

Bild 8

vu

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
15. I have a feeling that any moment there will be a disaster.
16. I am afraid that something bad might happen.

Page #

"I often see my parents upset about something bad that has happened. Then I comfort my parents, like in the picture below, giving my mom a tissue when she is upset, even though I feel really upset about my own problems."

eu

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
17. When my parents have problems, I always feel really upset.
18. I feel responsible for my parent’s lives.

Page 11

"Rules that apply to others don’t apply to me. If I really want something, people can’t stop me: It’s hard for me to take “no” for an answer.“

et

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
19. People call me a know-it-all and tell me I’m bossy.
20. Others should do what I want.

Page #

"Ouch, that hurts!" This child falls down the stairs and the parents don’t even notice! This makes the child feel like no one really cares about them and that they might not be loved.

ed

What about you?	This is true for me .
	always	often	rarely	never
21. I don’t get any attention or love.
22. No one really takes time for me.

Page #

"Oh no! Everyone else has been picked up, but not me!" Children sometimes feel that no one will be there when they need them.

ab

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
23. I'm sure that my family and friends will always be there for me.
24. I believe that my family and friends will stay by my side in every situation.

Page #

"I help kids who are upset. Mostly I'm the one who helps other kids. Sometimes people take advantage of that and are mean to me."

ss

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
25. If you ask me for help, I’ll do anything. Even if it hurts me I’ll do it.
26. I have no time for myself, because I take care of others all the time.

Page #

"It is important for me to be with the coolest and best looking group. I feel better when people praise me."

as

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
27. It's important for me that people around me tell me how great I am. Otherwise I don’t feel OK.
28. Owning fashionable clothes and knowing cool people, gives me the feeling of being special.

Page #

Some children use lucky charms like clover leaves, horseshoes, magic phrases – or even magical friends like a chimney sweeper. If they don’t use those things, they feel like bad things will happen.

np

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
29. Most of the things in my life are bad or will turn out badly.
30. I’m not good at making decisions, because I’m scared of what will happen.

Page #

"It’s hard for me to know how to express my feelings. When other kids are happy and celebrating I can’t really share their joy."

ei

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
31. Showing feelings is totally embarrassing.
32. I don’t like people knowing when I'm anxious, angry or sad.

Page #

"I sometimes make mistakes. But then I feel like tearing out my own hair! If someone makes a mistake, they must be punished."

pu

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
33. If I make mistakes, I deserve to be punished.
34. Everyone who makes mistakes should be punished!, it does not matter whether it’s an accident or not.

Page #

"I have to be the best; if I come second, I’ll feel bad."

us

What about you?	This is true for me
	always	often	rarely	never
35. I put myself under a lot of pressure to show myself and everyone else, how good I am.
36. The most important thing in my life is to be good at school.

The end
You've made it. Please check each answer, make sure you put an “X” for each statement. But if you don’t want to answer a question, just leave it blank or cross out your “X”. If you made a cross on the line between two boxes, please decide which box it belongs in.
Thank you very much for sharing.
If you have any questions, feel free to talk to us.
The Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC).
Loose, Meyer, & Pietrowsky (2018). The Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema
Questionnaire for Children (DISC). Psicologia: Reflexão e Crítica, 31:7.
Revised by Ruth A. Holt (5th of August, 2018)
— For personal use and research only —
© Copyright: Department of Clinical Psychology ● Institute of Experimental Psychology ● Heinrich-Heine-University Dusseldorf ● Germany

Many thanks!

Cartoons: Jenny Hampel