Abstract Childhood experiences are considered to be of crucial importance in the formation of maladaptive schemas, according to Young's concept. Although some schema questionnaires already exist for children, these instruments differ in their schema structures with between 8 and 12 identified factors. To obtain a deeper understanding of early maladaptive schemas in childhood an instrument based on Young's 18-schema model was constructed (Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC)). Cartoons were designed which represented each schema, providing children with a visual impression of what was meant by the schema, and thus the questions that they had to answer. The items were phrased as self-report statements and children's approval of the statements was assessed using a 4-point rating scale. The resulting preliminary questionnaire (18 cartoons, 90 items) was presented in classrooms across different school types (N = 569, between 8 and 13 years). A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed on this data to confirm the factorial structure of the questionnaire and to reduce the number of items to two items per schema. The DISC in its final version included 36 items and showed a sufficiently high test-retest reliability and convergent validity when assessed in comparison to another schema questionnaire for children. In addition, the present test is of predictive value since the DISC sum score correlated with ratings on the children's behavioral problems. CFA showed a satisfactory goodness-of-fit based on the original 18-factor model, providing a compact instrument to assess schema representations and to evaluate the dynamics of maladaptation during child development.

OBJECTIVES: Chylothorax is an infrequent but serious complication after thoracic surgery. Optimal management is still controversial. Surgical re-interventions are associated with significant morbidity and mortality. DESIGN: During a 2-year period, 3 patients developed chylothorax after oesophagectomy. This was treated conservatively, following our departmental protocol. RESULTS: Conservative management (total parenteral nutrition, bowel rest, pleural drainage and octreotide, followed by a low-fat diet) was successful in all 3 cases within a reasonable period of time (14 - 18 days). CONCLUSION: We recommend conservative measures as the first-line treatment for postoperative chylothorax.