arabic version of the leahy emotional schemas scale-ii

Objective: this study aimed to translate the leahy emotional schemas scale-ii (less-ii) into arabic and validate its psychometric properties among iraqi university students. the hypothesis was that the arabic version would retain the original factor structure and demonstrate robustness and validity.method: the process involved translation, cultural adaptation, backward translation, and the bilingual method to ensure linguistic and cultural relevance. the sample consisted of 280 iraqi university students (64% female, 36% male). exploratory factor analysis (efa) and confirmatory factor analysis (cfa) were conducted to assess the factor structure. reliability was tested using cronbach’s alpha and test-retest methods.results: efa identified a 14-factor structure aligned with leahy’s model, accounting for 91.83% of the total variance. cfa confirmed a good model fit (rmsea = 0.08, cfi = 0.93, tli = 0.90). the total scale’s reliability (cronbach’s alpha) was 0.82, with test-retest reliability at 0.87. pearson correlations indicated significant relationships between less-ii factors, anxiety, and depression, supporting construct validity.conclusion: the arabic less-ii was established as a valid and reliable tool for assessing emotional schemas. however, the study's reliance on a nonclinical sample limits generalizability. future research should validate the scale in diverse and clinical populations, highlighting its potential utility in arabic-speaking contexts for both research and clinical practice.