Leahy Emotional Schema Scale Research Articles

Az Az Sık Sık Yeme: Otlanma Tarzı Yeme Ölçeği'nin Türkçeye Uyarlanması, Geçerlik ve Güvenirlik Çalışması

Research indicates a close association between grazing, classified as disordered eating, and both obesity and eating disorders. This study aims to adapt the Grazing Questionnaire into Turkish. The research encompassed exploratory (N= 181) and confirmatory (N= 180) factor analyses with a sample of 361 community-based participants aged 18 to 30. Principal component analysis revealed a two-factor structure (uncontrollability, grazing behaviors) explaining 63.40% of the total variance, with eigenvalues surpassing 1. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient stood at .86. In assessing construct validity, the Grazing Questionnaire exhibited meaningful correlations with the Binge Eating Scale (r= .60, p< .01), body mass index (r= .23, p< .01), and subscales of the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale. Discriminant validity, evaluated through independent samples t-test analysis, showcased significant distinctions between groups with an eating disorder diagnosis or psychological support and those without such diagnoses or support in terms of grazing behaviors. These findings affirm that the Turkish version of the Grazing Questionnaire serves as a valid and reliable tool for evaluating individuals’ grazing behaviors and the feeling of loss of control during eating within a community-based sample. Moreover, the scale's structure aligns closely with its original form. Psychologists and psychiatrists can employ the the Grazing Questionnaire as an effective measurement tool to assess and identify distinctive features associated with eating behaviors.

Recalled Parental Emotion Socialisation and Psychological Distress: The Role of Emotional Schemas.

Recalled parental emotion socialisation has been associated with psychological distress in adulthood. Since emotional schemas develop from interpersonal interaction and can result in pathological reactions, they can be an important mechanism. The present study analyses the mediator role of emotional schemas in the relationship between recalled parental emotion socialisation and psychological distress. A community sample of 246 Portuguese adults, between 18 and 73 years old (M = 34.3, SD = 13.32), completed the following self-report measures: Emotional (In)Validation Experiences Scale; Leahy Emotional Schema Scale; and Brief Symptom Inventory 18. Two mediation models were estimated, one for each parent. Emotional schemas mediated the relationship between recalled parental emotion socialisation and psychological distress. Negative evaluation of emotion was the strongest mediator in the relationship between emotional invalidation and psychological distress while difficulties in reappraisal was the strongest mediator in the relationship between emotional validation and psychological distress. Differences were observed between the mother's and father's models. Results highlight the importance of emotional schemas in understanding the role of parental emotion socialisation in psychological distress, which may have important implications for intervention and prevention.

The Relationship Between Anxiety Symptoms, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Emotional Schemas in Patients Admitted to Psychiatry Outpatient Clinic

Introduction. Anxiety disorders are among the most common mental disorders being an important cause of disability as they impair the functionality of affected individuals.
 Our study aimed to evaluate the effects of anxiety sensitivity, which is one of the cognitive structures involved in the etiology and perpetuation of psychopathologies, and emotional schemas, which evaluate how people handle their emotions, on anxiety symptoms.
 Methods. One hundred participants who were admitted to the outpatient psychiatry clinic, agreed to participate in the study, and met the inclusion criteria were included in the study. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-I), Leahy Emotional Schema Scale Turkish Version (LESS-T), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3) were administered to the participants.
 Results. A correlation analysis revealed a significant relationship between the BAI score and BDI-I score, ASI-3 total score, and LESS-T Uncontrollability, Weakness, Comprehensibility, Acceptance of Emotions, Rumination, Denial of Emotions, Validation subscale scores (p < 0.05). A logistic regression analysis that examined the risk factors predicting anxiety symptoms in individuals found that increasing BDI-I and ASI-3 total scores had an increasing effect on the development of anxiety, and an increase in the LESS-T Denial of Emotions subscore had a decreasing effect.
 Conclusions. Determining anxiety sensitivity and emotional schemas in patients with anxiety symptoms may be a guide in identifying and treating the risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders.

The effectiveness of couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment on love schemas and emotional schemas in couples with extramarital relationships

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment on love schemas and emotional schemas in couples with extramarital relationships with a two-month follow-up period. Methods and Materials: This research used a single-case quasi-experimental design of multiple baseline types. The statistical population of this research included all couples with experience in extramarital relations who were referred to the family courts and prevention unit of the Dezful city welfare department in 2021-22. After the diagnostic interview and specifying the couples who met the entry criteria, four couples (8 persons) were selected based on purposive sampling. The protocol of the couples therapy method was implemented in the form of three baseline stages and, eight 90-minute sessions and a two-month follow-up. The participants responded to Yaarmohammadi Vasel et al.'s Love Schema Questionnaire (2021) and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS). The data were analyzed using a visual drawing method, reliable change index (RCI), and recovery percentage formula. Findings: The results showed that couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment increased adaptive emotional schemas and decreased maladaptive emotional schemas of couples with extramarital relationships (p<0.05). Couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment significantly affects the secure love schema, unstable love schema, clingy love schema, avoidant love schema, and non-serious love schema (p<0.05) and its results continued until the follow-up stage. Conclusion: Therefore, couple therapy based on acceptance and commitment as a stable intervention to increase love and emotional schemas can be used in health and treatment centers for couples with extramarital relationships.

Investigation of emotional schemas between adolescents and their mothers

Objective: It is common to see that child-parent interaction affects psychological problems in adulthood. This interaction process may also be effective in developing emotional schemas and attitudes. The present study aimed to investigate the similarities or differences in emotional schemas between mothers and adolescents in both clinical and control groups. Method: Eighty-two adolescents who applied to the child and adolescent outpatient clinics and their mothers (assigned as the clinical group) and 80 adolescents without any psychiatric problems and their mothers (assigned as the control group) were examined using a Sociodemographic Characteristics Form and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale Turkish Version (LESS-T). A multivariate analysis of variance test was used to determine the intergroup differences in emotional schema levels. Results: LESS-T was applied to all participants. No statistically significant difference was found between mothers and their adolescents on the LESS-T subscales in the control group (p=0.89). Mothers in the clinical group reported higher levels of demand for rationality (p=0.003) and emotional avoidance (p=0.01) than mothers in the control group. In the clinical group, adolescents reported higher levels of uncontrollability (p=0.007), and mothers reported higher levels of comprehensibility (p=0.001), demand for rationality (p=0.001), and emotional avoidance (p=0.007). Conclusion: Mothers' emotional schemas, such as avoidance and demand for rationality, may prevent their children from expressing and experiencing emotions sufficiently. Findings emphasize the importance of healthy mother-child interaction for developing emotional skills.

The Spiritual Coping Model of Patients with Chronic Back Pain According to Mood/Anxiety Symptoms Mediating by Emotional Schemas

Background and Objectives: Spiritual coping strategies of patients are influenced by their mood/anxiety symptoms and emotional schemas. Therefore, the present study aimed to develop a conceptual model of spiritual coping in patients with chronic back pain, considering the role of mood/anxiety symptoms and emotional schemas. Methods: The research method was descriptive correlational. The statistical population included all women and men 25 to 55 years old with chronic back pain referring to the orthopedic and neurology clinics of Torbat Heydarieh City, Iran, in 2021-2022, of whom 400 people were selected considering the inclusion criteria using the convenience method. The tools used were the mood and anxiety symptoms questionnaire (MASQ-D30), a brief version of the Leahy emotional schema scale II-(LESS II), and the religious coping scale. The data were analyzed by structural equation modeling by SPSS software, version 24 and LISREL software, version 8.8. Results: The fitted model showed a direct relationship between mood/anxiety symptoms and emotional schemas (β=0.740), an inverse relationship between mood/anxiety symptoms and spiritual coping (β=-0.480) at the significant level of 0.05, and an indirect relationship between mood/anxiety symptoms and spiritual coping through emotional schemas (β=-0.488), which was significant at the 0.05 level. Conclusion: The results of the study supported the mediating role of emotional schemas in the relationship between mood/anxiety symptoms and spiritual coping strategies of patients with chronic back pain. Therefore, developing therapeutic interventions to reduce emotional schemas and improve spiritual coping strategies along with medical treatments is useful in adapting and improving chronic pain sufferers

Relationship between personality traits and emotional schema with loneliness in Iranian people with gender dysphoria: the mediating role of mindfulness

Gender dysphoria affects people’s social and psychological adjustment. One dimension of social incompatibility in people with gender dysphoria is the feeling of isolation and loneliness. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between personality traits and emotional schema with feelings of loneliness in Iranian people with gender dysphoria and the mediating role of mindfulness. Participants included 105 individuals with gender dysphoria who were asked to complete the UCLA Loneliness Scale-third version, Hexaco Personality Questionnaire, Leahy Emotional Schema Scale and Mindful Attention Awareness Scale. The results showed that emotionality, extraversion, and emotional schema have a significant relationship with loneliness (p < .05). Higher correlation has been found between loneliness and extraversion (r = –0.51). The direct effect of emotional schema (β = 0.17; p = .044) and mindfulness (β = −0.36; p < .001) on loneliness were significant. Furthermore, the mindfulness factor indirectly related extraversion and emotional schemas to loneliness. Thus, emotionality, extraversion and emotional schema probably reduce, directly and indirectly, the loneliness of people with gender dysphoria through the mindfulness as a mediating factor. It can be concluded that in clinical practice, therapeutic interventions based on mindfulness and schema-oriented can possibly reduce the feeling of loneliness of people with gender dysphoria.

Parental burnout and sleep problems in Iranian mothers of primary school-aged children: Exploring the mediation effect of emotional schemas.

ObjectivesSleep is crucial for mental well‐being. Evidence suggests sleep problems in mothers can result from parental burnout. The possible mediators that link parental burnout to sleep problems have not been investigated. This study seeks to explore the mediational role of emotional schemas as psychological constructs, which relate parental burnout to sleep problems in mothers of school‐aged children.MethodA total of 224 mothers participated voluntarily in this cross‐sectional study. Data were collected online. The participants completed Parental Burnout Assessment (PBA) scale, Mini Sleep Questionnaire‐Persian Version (MSQ‐P), and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS II). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was performed using the bootstrap method to assess the mediation model.ResultsThe findings of this research indicate a positive correlation exists between parental burnout, emotional schemas, and insomnia/hypersomnia. The mediation analysis confirmed parental burnout and insomnia/ hypersomnia are related indirectly through emotional schemas.ConclusionImplications of the findings is that when parental burnout is present, the psychological treatment of sleep problems may benefit from targeting emotional schemas. However, further research is needed to determine whether similar mediational effects are replicated.

Emotional Schemas and Psychological Distress: Mediating Role of Resilience and Cognitive Flexibility.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the structural relation of emotional schemas with psychological distress and evaluate the mediating role of resilience and cognitive flexibility in this relationship. Method : Participants were 300 students that voluntarily completed a questionnaire package that included the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS-P), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI), and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Then, we utilized the LISREL software for structural equation modeling. Results: Structural equation modeling and path analysis revealed the direct effects of adaptive and maladaptive emotional schemas on psychological distress. The results indicated that maladaptive emotional schemas indirectly affected psychological distress via resilience and cognitive flexibility (P < 0.01). In contrast, adaptive emotional schemas indirectly affected psychological distress via cognitive flexibility rather than resilience (P < 0.05). Evaluation of the proposed structural model revealed an acceptable fit. Conclusion: The present research findings show the effect of emotional schemas on psychological distress via resilience and cognitive flexibility. Furthermore, the results suggest that resilience partially mediates the relationship between emotional schemas and psychological distress. At the same time, cognitive flexibility mediated this relationship.

Effectiveness of psychodrama on changing metacognitive beliefs and emotional schemas in women with breast cancer

The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of psychodrama on changing metacognitive beliefs and emotional schemas in women with breast cancer. The research design was a quasi-experimental study with a control group pretest-posttest design. The statistical population included patients with breast cancer who were under therapy in Mazandaran province, among whom 50 patients with inclusion criteria were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to control and intervention groups: 25 people in the control group and 25 ones in the experimental group. In this method, covariance was used to control the disturbing variables and determine the effectiveness of the therapy. In addition, 50 people were selected voluntarily to choose samples from the study population who were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research instruments consisted of Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS) and the Metacognitive Cognition Questionnaire (MCQ-30). The drama therapy protocol was performed in 16 sessions. The collected data were analyzed by covariance test. Examining the analysis results indicated that the difference between the experimental and control groups in the metacognitive beliefs variables and emotional schemas is significant. As found, psychodrama changes metacognitive beliefs in individuals through reinterpreting new phenomena and attitudes.

Rethinking Leahy’s Emotional Schema Scale (LESS): Results from the Portuguese Adaptation of the LESS

This study aims to contribute to the study of emotional schemas, through the adaptation of the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS) to Portuguese. The LESS is a 50 item self-report with 14 theoretical dimensions, representing concepts, evaluations, attributions of emotions, and strategies of emotion regulation (Leahy in Cognit Behav Pract 9(3):177–190, 2002. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1077-7229(02)80048-7). Translation, back-translation and pilot assessment of LESS’s Portuguese version were completed. Data was collected online with 396 participants. An exploratory principal component analysis was conducted. Parallel analysis revealed a 5-component structure, which after the deletion of eight items generated a final solution explaining 48% of the variance. Components internal consistency was adequate and convergent validity supported with significant correlations with difficulties in emotional regulation and emotional processing, and psychopathology. It presents dimensions that are highly relevant for assessment, case conceptualization and clinical decision making. Although this scale is related to a specific cognitive theory, the construct and its subscales may be useful beyond the psychotherapeutic model, stressing the transtheoretical potential of the scale.

Perceived Parental Styles and Alexithymia in Adult Iranian Migraine Patients: The Mediating Role of Emotional Schemas

Migraine, which is a highly prevalent headache, is often comorbid with alexithymia. Parental styles contribute to the development of alexithymia. The core psychological mechanisms that connect parenting to alexithymia and can be targeted in psychotherapy are not yet studied. The objective of this study was to explore the role of emotional schemas as a possible mediator between perceived parental styles and alexithymia in migraine patients. Study participants consisted of 208 (67 males and 141 females) Iranians who completed the Farsi version of Toronto Alexithymia Scale (FTAS-20), Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS II), and Measure of Parental Styles (MOPS) online. For mediation analysis, structural equation modeling was used based on Baron and Kenny’s mediation model. The results demonstrated that mother overprotection and mother indifference were significantly related to alexithymia in migraine patients. Emotional schemas and alexithymia were also positively and significantly related. Additionally, mother overprotection and father indifference showed positive and significant covariation with emotional schemas. Data analysis with structural equation modeling revealed that emotional schemas partially mediate the relationship between parental styles and alexithymia in migraine patients. The current study expands our knowledge of possible mechanisms that relate childhood experiences of being parented and alexithymia in migraine patients. Findings of this research imply psychological treatments can benefit from targeting emotional schemas in migraine patients with alexithymia.

Social Anxiety among College Students: Predictive Roles of Attachment Insecurity and Emotional Schemas

The associations between social anxiety, attachment insecurity, and emotional schemas were investigated among college students in the current study. A correlational design was used, and 502 college students (64.7% female, 35.3% male) participated in the study. In data collection, the Experiences in Close Relationships Scale (ECR), Social Anxiety Scale (SAS), and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS) were used. In data analysis, the Pearson correlation and hierarchical regression analysis were used. Before conducting hierarchical regression analysis, multivariate outliers, multicollinearity, and normality were assessed. Results revealed that female students had higher scores on the dimension of social avoidance. Moreover, attachment insecurity (avoidant and anxious) and emotional schemas were significant predictors of social anxiety of college students.

Childhood maltreatment and emotional distress: The role of beliefs about emotion and psychological inflexibility.

The current study aimed to investigate the mediating role of negative beliefs about emotion and psychological inflexibility on the relationship between childhood maltreatment and emotional distress. A total of 519 participants completed the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale II (LESS-II), and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II). All scales were significantly correlated. Two mediation analyses were tested. In the first model negative beliefs about emotion and psychological inflexibility mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and emotional distress measured by DASS-21 total score. In the second model, negative beliefs about emotion and psychological inflexibility mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and depression, anxiety, and stress measured by the subscales of DASS-21. Results suggest that maltreatment in childhood is associated with the individuals’ approaches, plans and strategies in response to emotions, and psychological inflexibility which together further determine emotional distress.

The emotional schemas of psychiatric patients- a case-control study

IntroductionOur Emotional Schemas dictate how we deal with our own emotions, therefore, how we interpret and face different events that occur in our everyday life. Maladaptive schemas have been proven to be at fault for the inability to face different challenges.ObjectivesThis study aims to find the differences in emotional schemas between subjects with history of psychiatric disorder and subjects without a psychiatric disorder.MethodsWe realized a case-control study matched for age and gender, and analyzed the answers of 28 subjects (14 women and 14 men) to Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS); 14 of which have a personal history of psychiatric disorders, while the remaining 14 had no such history. The LESS evaluation was part of a bigger study and was addressed to the general population, over 18 years old. The test was applied online, with the informed consent of the subjects.ResultsThe mean age of the participants was 40.28±13.98. Out of the 14 subjects with a psychiatric diagnosis, 71,43% have a job, 21,43% are retired and 1% are still studying. There was a significant difference between the two groups regarding the Higher Values dimension of the Emotional Schemas (p=0.0419). Also, the question regarding the feeling of shame when it comes to their own feeling, showed significant difference between the two groups (p=0.0211).ConclusionsAs opposed to the subjects without a history of psychiatric disorder, those who do have a psychiatric diagnosis, feel more often devalued and ashamed, therefore having a lower self-esteem.

Disentangling beliefs about emotions from emotion schemas.

The current study sought to empirically evaluate a new clinical tool, the Individual Beliefs about Emotion (IBAE) which assesses nine beliefs about emotion. The goal was to examine the overlap of the IBAE with the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS), indices of psychopathology, and emotion dysregulation. Participants (n = 513) completed the IBAE, the LESS, and measures of affective distress, borderline personality features, and emotion dysregulation. Results indicated that both emotionbeliefs (IBAE) and schemas (LESS) were influenced by age and gender. Both measures significantly predicted variance in affective distress, borderline symptoms, and emotion dysregulation, although the LESS was a stronger predictor. We conclude that the LESS total score is a particularly useful measure of maladaptive schematic attitudes toward emotion, with additional evidence that the IBAE is a clinical tool that can be useful in psychotherapy to quickly assess a variety of emotionbeliefs.

An Investigation of Online Gaming Addiction Level Among University Students in Terms of Emotional Schemas, Agentic Personality, and Various Variables

The aim of this study is to examine online game addiction level among university students in terms of emotional schemas, agentic personality, and various variables (i.e. gender, type of game played, and accommodation). The sample group consists of 380 university students studying in Izmir province and playing online games during the school year of 2017 and 2018. The data have been collected through multiple tools that are Online Game Addiction Scale for University Students, Multi-measure Agentic Personality Scale, Leahy Emotional Schema Scale, and Personal Information Questionnaire. The data were analyzed by correlation analysis, t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and regression analysis in accordance with the hypothesis of the study. The result of regression analysis indicated that emotional schemas of uncontrollability, demand for rationality, rumination, dissimilarity, denial of emotions, validation, seeing emotions as dangerous, acceptance of feelings, consensus, and guilt predicted addiction significantly, whereas, emotional schemas of weakness against emotions and duration did not predict such an outcome. Additionally, as a result of the t-test, it was found that online gaming addiction levels differed significantly according to gender and that males had higher levels of online game addiction than females. Lastly, one-way analysis of variance resulted in finding the level of online gaming addiction significantly differed based on the type of game played, but it did not differ significantly based on where students lived.

The Emotional Schemas and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptom Dimensions in People with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

Growing research shows an association between emotional schemas and psychopathology. Therefore, the study of emotional schemas in psychiatric disorders is an important issue regarding psychopathology. Also, emotional processes are important factors in relation to obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), but experimentally no study has examined the relations of emotional schemas to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptom dimensions in people with OCD. The aims of this study were to compare emotional schemas between people with OCD and non-clinical control participants and to investigate the relationships between emotional schemas and OC symptom dimensions in OCD. Eighty individuals with OCD completed the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS) and measures of clinical characteristics. Results showed that people with OCD had higher scores on the maladaptive emotional schemas of guilt and uncontrollability than non-clinical control group. Non-clinical control participants had higher scores on the adaptive emotional schema of higher values than people with OCD. Guilt significantly predicted the OC symptom dimensions of responsibility for harm and symmetry after controlling for clinical characteristics. Uncontrollability was a significant predictor of the OC dimensions of unacceptable thoughts. These findings indicate that specific dimensions of maladaptive emotional schemas such as guilt and uncontrollability may be associated with some specific OC symptom dimensions in people with OCD. This study provided more evidence for Leahy’s emotional schema model in people with OCD.

A Brief Version of the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale: a Validation Study

The Leahy Emotional Schema Scale II (LESS II) was developed based on the emotional schema model, a meta-experiential model targeting emotion and emotion regulation (Leahy 2012). This model is important for identifying individuals’ negative beliefs about emotions as well as for dealing with noncompliance, resistance, and drop-outs in cognitive behavioral therapy. The primary aim of the current study was to explore the factor structures of the previously validated LESS II, and investigate its reliability and validity within a Korean sample. The secondary aim of this study was to examine how emotional schema would be associated with the emotional distress and behavioral problems of Korean college students. A total of 1478 college students participated in the current study and were administered questionnaires including the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale II, Counseling Center Assessment of Psychological Symptoms (CCAPS), and College Adjustments Inventory-Short Form (CAIS). A series of statistical analyses resulted in the deletion of several items and emotional schema dimensions from the LESS II, owing to methodological and cultural reasons. The final results showed that the two-factor model with 10 items was the model with the better fit than was the original 14-factor structure model with 28 items. The total score of the 10-item LESS II showed great convergent validity, with moderate to strong positive correlations with CCAPS subscales. Furthermore, the 10-item LESS II demonstrated high internal consistency and shared approximately 87.05% of variance with the original 28-item LESS II. The findings of the current study provide strong support for the clinical and research application of the 10-item LESS II.

The Effectiveness of Group Emotional Schema Therapy on Emotional Regulation and Social Anxiety Symptoms

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of group emotional schema therapy on emotional regulation, emotional schemas, and social anxiety. The research was quasi-experimental with a pretest and posttest design with a waiting list control group. The study population included 24 women aged 18 to 35 years old with social anxiety disorder, half of whom were randomly assigned to a treatment group or waiting list control. Ten sessions of group emotional schema therapy were conducted. Measures included an Emotional Regulation Questionnaire, Wells Anxious Thoughts Questionnaire, and the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale. Compared to participants in the control group Emotional Schema Therapy (EST) reduced anxiety symptoms, including health anxiety and social anxiety, increased reappraisal, and decreased suppression. Finally, emotional schema therapy increased the use of positive emotional schemas and decreased the use of negative emotional schemas. These findings support the effectiveness of EST in the treatment of these anxiety disorders.