Schema Scores Research Articles

Evaluation of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Adult Attachment Profiles in Patients Diagnosed with Major Depressive Disorder and Examination of Their Relationship with Disease Variables.

Background/Objectives: The study aimed to compare the early maladaptive schemas and adult attachment profiles of patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder with those of healthy controls. Another objective of our study was to investigate the potential relationships between disease-related variables-such as the type of depression, number of depressive episodes, history of hospitalization, and suicidal ideation or attempts-and schema and attachment characteristics in the group of patients with major depressive disorder. Methods: The study included 118 patients who presented to the Psychiatry outpatient clinic at Mersin University Faculty of Medicine Hospital between 1 April 2021 and 1 September 2021 and were diagnosed with major depressive disorder according to DSM-5 diagnostic criteria based on mental state examinations conducted by researchers, as well as 92 healthy volunteers with no history of mental disorders. A sociodemographic data form prepared by the researchers was used to inquire about characteristics such as gender, age, and educational status. Additionally, a clinical data form was designed and implemented by the researchers to gather information regarding DSM-5 specifiers and the patients' clinical histories. The Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form-3 was used to evaluate early maladaptive schemas, while adult attachment profiles were assessed using the Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory II. The severity of depression in the patient group was measured with the Beck Depression Inventory. Statistical analysis of the data was conducted using SPSS 21, with a p-value less than 0.05 considered statistically significant. Results: The study included 118 patients, 84 (71.2%) of whom were women and 34 (28.8%) men, along with 92 healthy volunteers, 60 (65.2%) of whom were women and 32 (34.8%) men. The mean age was 41.9 (±13.2) in the patient group and 40.8 (±11.9) in the control group (p > 0.05). The patient group had higher scores than the control group across all schema subtypes and attachment dimensions. Significant differences in certain schemas were observed between patients with chronic depression and those with recurrent depressive episodes, as well as between patients with a single hospitalization history and those with multiple hospitalizations, and between patients with a history of suicide attempts and those without any suicidal ideation or attempts. Positive significant correlations were found between the attachment and schema scores and the severity of depression in both patients and controls. Conclusions: Further research is needed to determine the role of schemas and attachment styles in the development of depression in more detail and to focus on schema and attachment-based therapies in treatment.

Originalbeiträge (Originals). High Young schema levels predict manualized confrontation therapy outcome in patients with panic disorder / Der Einfluss von Schemata nach Young auf das Therapieergebnis von Patienten mit Panikstörung

The role of schemas is well established in personality disorders. Their influence on therapy outcome of patients with Axis I disorders remains unclear. Therefore, patients with a panic disorder (PD) with/without agoraphobia varying in their expression of early maladaptive schemas were examined regarding therapy outcomes after exposure therapy. In this study, a sample of 216 patients with panic disorder with/without agoraphobia were recruited in a day clinic. After the initial diagnosis with the Structured Clinical Interview, the patients filled out the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S2), Beck Depression Inventory and Revised Symptom Checklist. Afterwards, they participated in a five-week manualized exposure therapy by Lang et al. (2011). Subjects with high schema scores showed lower therapeutic success rates than subjects with a weaker pattern score. In addition, it was found that high schema levels, especially of schemas regarding impaired autonomy and achievement (YSQ-S2: domain 2), influenced therapy outcome by either predicting more/severe or less/milder anxiety-, phobicrelated and general symptoms after therapy. The results of this study emphasize the role of schemas not only for personality disorders but also for disorders on Axis I. For PD with/without agoraphobia, schemas regarding impaired autonomy and achievement seem to play the most important role regarding the influence on therapy outcome.

Investigation of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Coping Strategies in Turkish Adults under Probation

Purpose. The aim of the study was to examine the relationships of early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidant behaviors with sociodemographic, psychological, legal, and substance use status of individuals under probation due to illicit substance use. Methods. The data of this cross-sectional study were collected from adults under probation through self-report. The dependent variables were early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidant behaviors. Sociodemographic, legal, and psychological characteristics and characteristics related to illicit substance use were the independent variables of the study. Student-t test and ANOVA or Mann–Whitney-U and Kruskal–Wallis tests were used in bivariate analyses. Multiple linear regression analysis was used in multivariate analyses. Results. A total of 300 adult individuals under probation participated in the study, and the inclusion rate was 93.5%. The mean age of the study group was 27.96 ± 6.40 years. The amount of smoking (B = 0.65 (95% CI: 0.04–1.27), p=0.038), frequency of illicit substance use (B = 12.15 (95% CI: 2.04–22.25), p=0.019), and childhood violence (B = 29.24 (95% CI: 16.92–41.56), p<0.001) were explanatory for schema scores (R2: 0.240). Frequency of illicit substance use (B = 7.06 (95% CI: 0.58–13.54), p=0.033) and childhood violence (B = 9.18 (95% CI: 1.36–17.00), p=0.022) were explanatory for compensation scores (R2: 0.083). The amount of smoking (B = 0.49 (95% CI: 0.22–0.76), p=0.001), frequency of illicit substance use (B = 5.16 (95% CI: 0.67–9.65), p=0.025), being treated for substance use disorder (B = 6.74 (95% CI: 0.30–13.17), p=0.040), and experiencing violence in childhood (B = 6.02 (95% CI: 0.59–11.45), p=0.030) were explanatory for avoidant scores (R2:0.169). Conclusion. Childhood violence and frequency of illicit substance use were associated with early maladaptive schemas, overcompensation, and avoidance. Smoking appears to be a behavioral way of coping with both early maladaptive schemas and schemas through avoidance.

Early maladaptive schemas in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Current evidence suggests that early maladaptive schemas are affected in attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Most of the studies on the subject have been conducted with adults, but the number of studies conducted with adolescents with ADHD is quite limited. The aim of this study was to evaluate early maladaptive schemas in adolescents diagnosed with ADHD. The study included 66 patients diagnosed with ADHD and 70 healthy adolescents who were similar to the case group in terms of age and gender. Clinical evaluation of the case and control groups were performed with "The Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime Version, DSM-5 November 2016-Turkish Adaptation (K-SADS-PL-DSM-5-T)". "Conners-Wells Adolescent Self-Report Scale - Revised Short Form (CASS-RS)" and "Set of Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaires for Children and Adolescents between the ages of 10-16" were administered to all participants. It was determined that the schema scores of "dependence/incompetence", "vulnerability to harm or illness", "entitlement/grandiosity", "insufficient self-control", "subjugation" were significantly higher in the ADHD group than in the control group. A negative, significant relationship was found between age and "enmeshment/undeveloped self", "entitlement/grandiosity" and "insufficient self-control" schema scores. There was no significant difference between schema scores in terms of gender in the ADHD group. Additionally, no significant relationship was found between the education level of the parents, family income levels and schema scores. A significant positive relationship was found between the CASS-RS scores and all schema scores. As a result of the regression analysis, it was determined that CASS-RS scores positively predicted all schema scores, while the age variable negatively predicted only the schema scores of "enmeshment/undeveloped self". Results of this study showed that there were significant differences in adolescents in the ADHD group compared to the control group in terms of early maladaptive schemas, and that ADHD symptom levels was associated with early maladaptive schemas.

Moral reasoning development: norms for Defining Issue Test-2 (DIT2)

ABSTRACT This article presents normative information for the Defining Issue Test Version 2 (DIT2) schema scores and most common summary scores based on secondary data from the last 10 years DIT2 database (N = 73740, Mage = 23.11, SD = 7.87, the age range in year = 12–95) maintained by the University of Alabama’s Center for the Study of Ethical Development from 2011 to 2020. More specifically, the study provides (1) norms by education; (2) norms by gender and education; and (3) norms by gender and age for the DIT2. The norms indicate a general but not consistent trend that moral reasoning scores increase by education level. Additionally, the Personal Interest and Maintain Norms scores are higher for males than females for all education levels and age groups while Postconventional, N2, and Type indicator scores are higher for females than males for all education levels and age groups.

Perceived Religious Pressures as an Antecedent to Self-Reported Religious/Spiritual Development and Well-Being for Christians

Past research has confirmed the utility of environmental variables, and perceptions of religious pressure (RP) in particular, in predicting faith maturity and religious schema scores for participants from Christian environments. Whether environmental variables predict religious development and whether religious development, in turn, leads to greater well-being for individuals from broader environments remain unknown. Utilizing participants from both Christian and non-Christian environments, the current study measures religious development variables that were constructed based on self-determination theory (SDT). We used structural equation modeling (SEM) to evaluate our hypothesis that religious pressures RP and autonomy supportive environment (ASE) are antecedents to religious/spiritual relatedness (R/S-R) and self-mastery (R/S-S), which in turn lead to greater well-being, as determined by the presence of meaning in life (MIL). Results indicate that both environmental variables of RP and ASE predicted higher scores on religious/spiritual relatedness and self-mastery, and this led to self-reports of greater well-being for both samples. Therefore, members of the broader religious environment of Christianity responded to RP similarly, implying that certain commonalities may shape Christians’ cognitions around obedience to God and authority across settings, although this result should be interpreted with caution. Further implications of these findings are explored and recommendations for future research provided.

Maladaptive Schemas as An Explanation for Gender Differences in Eating Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents

The present study examined gender differences in early maladaptive schemas as an explanation for gender differences in the prevalence of eating disorder symptomatology. A total of 789 adolescents (406 boys and 383 girls) between 11 and 17 years of age (M = 14.51, SD = 1.59) completed both the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-8) to assess eating disorder symptomatology and the Brief Version of the Young Schema Questionnaire for Adolescents and Young Adults (YSQ-3-B) to assess early maladaptive schemas. The results showed that girls had higher early maladaptive schema scores compared to boys, particularly for the disconnection and rejection domain, the impaired autonomy and performance domain, and the other-directedness domain, partially explaining their higher eating disorder symptom scores. The findings of the study are discussed considering the social and patriarchal mandates that exist regarding gender.

Early maladaptive schemas in young people who self-injure.

There is emerging evidence that early maladaptive schemas (EMS) may be a cognitive vulnerability factor in nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI). The current study sought to examine the relationship between EMS and NSSI history, and whether this is moderated by gender, in a community youth sample. Participants were 403 Australian secondary and university students aged between 16 and 25 years, who completed a survey of NSSI history, EMS, and general emotional distress. Logistic regression analysis indicated that being female, depression, and EMS scores were useful for differentiating between youth reporting NSSI history and those who did not. High levels of Defectiveness/Shame and Abandonment/Instability schema scores, and low levels of Emotional Inhibition schema scores, were associated with NSSI history. Gender did not moderate the relationships between these EMS scores and NSSI history. Present results suggest that aspects of the schema domain of Disconnection and Rejection are important for identifying NSSI history beyond young people's emotional distress. This provides researchers and clinicians with an opportunity to better target key EMS, especially beliefs about self-defectiveness and feelings of shame, that may be driving the regulatory function of self-injury among youth.

Adverse childhood experiences and early maladaptive schemas in adulthood: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Schema Therapy is based on the theory that trauma and neglect in childhood lead to early maladaptive schemas and psychopathology in adulthood. The aim of this review was to evaluate support for this theory by synthesizing the literature on childhood adversity and schemas. A systematic review and meta-analysis were completed in compliance with PRISMA. PsycInfo, CINAHL and PubMed were searched to identify eligible studies that reported unadjusted association(s) between adverse childhood events and schema scores when participants were 18years or older. Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the pooled effect size of associations between schemas and experiences of childhood adversity. A total of 33 studies met inclusion criteria and provided sufficient data for meta-analyses on childhood experiences relating to toxic frustration of needs (emotional neglect and physical neglect) and trauma and victimization (emotional abuse, physical abuse and sexual abuse). Of the 124 meta-analyses, 65 indicated that schemas show small to large correlations with emotional neglect (range: r=.16 [Failure] to r=.51 [Emotional Deprivation]); small to moderate correlations with emotional abuse (range: r=.20 [Vulnerability to Harm] to r=.44 [Emotional Deprivation]); and small correlations with physical neglect, physical abuse and sexual abuse (range: r=.16 [Vulnerability to Harm] to .26 [Emotional Deprivation and Social Isolation]). Of the 33 included studies, only one used a longitudinal design. However, based on the correlational studies available, early maladaptive schemas in adulthood are associated with a history of childhood abuse and neglect.

18. Sexual Self-Schemas and Neural Processing of Sexual Information in Women

Previous research suggests that humans respond differently to reproductively-relevant information in the environment, including heightened neural responses to sexual versus non-sexual cues. Limited research, however, has examined individual variation in the early neural processing of sexual information. Sexual self-schemas, or one’s views of themselves as a sexual person, provide a stable cognitive framework for processing sexually-relevant information, and may relate to women’s sexual responses. This study seeks to examine how women’s sexual self-schemas relate to the early neural processing of sexual information and their subsequent subjective sexual arousal. Twenty women are being recruited from the Queen’s psychology subject pool and data collection is currently underway. I am assessing women’s neural responses to sexual and non-sexual images (i.e., erect penises versus elbows) using electroencephalography (EEG), and women are reporting their feelings of arousal to the sexual images. Women are also completing a measure of sexual self-schemas. I predict that women who have more positive sexual self-schema scores will have a stronger neural response to sexual stimuli than women with more negative schema scores. In addition, I predict that women with more positive schema scores will self-report higher sexual arousal than women with more negative scores. The findings of this study will improve our understanding of the role of sexual self-schemas and early neural processing in women’s sexual response, thus lending to the development of a comprehensive, empirically-supported model of sexual response that accounts for within-gender variability.

Reliability and Validity of the Ukrainian Version of the Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3)

Objective: This study aims to investigated the reliability and validity of the Ukrainian version of third version of the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-S3; Young, 2005) and provide expected scores for nonclinical samples. Method: The latest version of the questionnaire, the YSQ-S3, has received little attention, and its Ukrainian adaptation has yet to be validated. The participants were 1200 nonclinical persons of both gender, male (55%) and female (45%). The majority of participants had a bachelor's degree, which includes 31% of the statistical sample. The Young Schema Questionnaire assesses early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and schema domains. This study performed reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and second and third-order confirmatory factor analysis. TheYSQ-S3 proved to be reliable and corresponded to the theoretically proposed 18-dimensional structure. Results: Schema scores were positively associated with measures of psychopathology and personality disorder, indicating convergent validity. The results of the study showed that due to the Cronbach's alpha that is higher than 0.7, the reliability of all variables is desirable. Confirmatory factor analyses support the schema domains. We conclude that the YSQ-S3 is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be used Ukraine in research on early maladaptive schemas. Further research is necessary particularly in larger clinical samples.

Early maladaptive schema domains in the first day of menses and 15 days after the menses in healthy volunteers

IntroductionPremenstrual syndrome (PMS) symptoms may affect the physical, psychological and social lives of many women of the reproductive age group. Most women report being extra-sensitive and have difficulties with emotional regulation and some patients report worsening of their psychiatric symptoms during the premenstrual period. Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are developed early in childhood and may remain dormant until they are activated by situations relevant to the particular schema.ObjectiveWe hypothesized that some of the psychological symptoms of PMS may be related to EMS activation and that this activation is due to the hormonal changes of the menstrual cycle.AimsOur aim was to measure any changes regarding the EMS domains between the first day of menses and 15 days later.MethodsOne hundred and ten women from an architectural and engineering firm were enrolled in the study. After ruling-out psychopathology with Symptom check-list-90-R, remaining women (n = 65) filled out young schema scale short form (YSS-SF) on the first day of menses and 15 days after menses. The time of probable ovulation was defined as 15 days after the first day of menses.ResultsYSS-SF scores regarding the schemas of defectiveness, insufficient self-control, failure to achieve, vulnerability to harm or illness were significantly decreased by the 15th day of menses (P < 0.05). Abandonment, social isolation, dependency, enmeshment and self-sacrifice schema scores remained similar on the first and 15th days.ConclusionsEMS activation may contribute to the PMS symptoms, therefore schema therapy may be an option for those women suffering from PMS.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

Relation between early maladaptive schemas of adolescents and depressive disorder

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate relation between depressive disorder and early maladaptive schemas of adolescents and to compare early maladaptive schemas of adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder with schemas of adolescents diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Methods: Eighty adolescents with depressive disorder and 138 adolescents with other psychiatric disorders who had been diagnosed through Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th Edition (DSM-IV) between January-May 2016 in Erenkoy Research and Training Hospital for Psychiatry and Neurology Child and Adolescent Outpatient Clinic were enrolled in this study. The sociodemographic form of the patients was filled out by the clinicians. The early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaires Set for Children and Adolescents was filled out by adolescents. Results: There were 145 females and 73 males in the study. The mean age of the adolescents was 14.8 (11-18 years old). The control group was consisted of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Defectiveness/shame, mistrust/abuse, emotional deprivation, abandonment/instability, failure, non-self-approval, negativity/pessimism schema scores were significantly greater in adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder than the control group. There was a statistically significant relation between the schemas of defectiveness/shame, mistrust/abuse, abandonment/instability, non-self-approval and depressive disorder in regression analysis. Discussion: Adolescent depressive disorder, frequently a missed diagnosis that when not treated can lead to health problems such as suicide, drug abuse and obesity, is accepted as an important public health issue. Consistent with literature, schemas under the title of disconnection and rejection and other directedness are related with the depressive disorder in adolescence and associated with the relationship of the primary caregivers and the children. Revealing maladaptive schemas and focusing on these schemas is important in adolescence depressive disorder treatment.

Moral rationality and intuition: An exploration of relationships between the Defining Issues Test and the Moral Foundations Questionnaire

Explorations of relationships between Haidt’s Moral Foundations Questionnaire (MFQ) and indices of moral decision-making assessed by the Defining Issues Test have been limited to correlational analyses. This study used Harm, Fairness, Ingroup, Authority and Purity to predict overall moral judgment and individual Defining Issues Test-2 (DIT-2) schema scores using responses from 222 undergraduates. Relationships were not confirmed between the separate foundations and the DIT-2 indices. Using the MFQ moral judgment items only, confirmatory factor analyses confirmed higher order constructs called Individualizing and Binding foundations. Structural models using these higher order factors fitted the data well, and findings indicated that the Binding foundations significantly positively predicted Maintaining Norms and negatively predicted both overall moral judgment (N2) and the Postconventional Schema. Neither Individualizing nor Binding foundations significantly predicted Personal Interest. While moral judgments assessed by DIT-2 may not be evoking the MFQ foundations, findings here suggest the MFQ may not be a suitable measure for capturing more advanced moral functioning.

Early Maladaptive Schemas in the Patients with Somatoform Disorders

Objective: Somatoform disorders are characterized by physical symptoms that suggest a medical condition but that are not fully explained by a medical condition. A number of studies have suggested the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for somatoform disorders. But, while it is clear that somatoform disorders are closely related to a number of cognitive factors, the precise nature of these relationships have not been elucidated yet. The aim of the present study was to determine the relationships between DSM-IV hypochondriasis and somatoform disorder diagnoses and the early maladaptive schemas which have been proposed by Young as the core of psychological problems. Method: We investigated a total of 28 patients aged 18-65 years, were diagnosed as Hypochondriasis or Somatization Disorder according to DSM-IV and 30 healthy controls. All participitans were assessed with The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-1). Data were obtained by using a Sociodemographic Questionnaire and Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3. Results: The main age of patients was 36,71 ± 10.39. Most of the patients were female, married and housewives. All early maladaptive schema scores of patients with somatoform disorders were higher than healthy controls. Conclusion: All early maladaptive schemas have been found to be related to somatoform disorders in this study. The role of not a specific one but a total of maladaptive schemas in etiology may reflect the unspecific general sources of the tendency to somatoform disorders.

Reliability and Validity of the German Version of the Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3)

To date, the psychometric properties of the German version of the Young Schema Questionnaire – Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3) have not yet been examined. We investigated the reliability and validity of the German version of the YSQ-S3. In a community sample of 1,150 participants and a clinical sample of 30 psychiatric inpatients, we performed reliability analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, and correlation analyses, and tested for group differences using analysis of variance. The YSQ-S3 proved to be reliable and corresponded to the theoretically proposed 18-dimensional structure. Schema scores were positively associated with measures of psychopathology and personality disorder, indicating convergent validity. Furthermore, the YSQ-S3 differentiated between participant subgroups defined by level of health-care utilization, supporting discriminant validity. We conclude that the YSQ-S3 is a psychometrically sound instrument that can be used in German-speaking countries in research on early maladaptive schemas. Further research is necessary particularly in larger clinical samples.

Early maladaptive schemas in bipolar disorder

According to the cognitive model of depression, negative schemas, formed in early life, increase susceptibility to depression. The objective of this study was to investigate schemas that are proposed to increase susceptibility of depression in bipolar disorder patients who have had depressive episodes. Eighteen patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder according to DSM-IV and a healthy control group (N= 20) constituted the sample of the study. The Beck Depression Inventory, Young Mania Rating Scale, and Young Schema Scale were applied to patients in order to determine the level of symptoms and schemas. When the scores obtained from Young Schema Scale were compared between groups, significant differences were observed between bipolar patients and control group on all the schemas except abandonment, emotional deprivation, defectiveness, vulnerability to harm or illness, and approval seeking. The negative schema scores of bipolar patients were significantly higher than those of the control group. Of all schemas included in the Young Schema Scale, the scores of bipolar group were higher than the scores of the control group. These findings suggest that, in cognitive-based psychotherapeutic approaches for patients with bipolar disorder, it would be more effective to focus on schemas related to the perception and allowance of feelings at the proper time and the instability of self-perceptions.

Identification of Child Sexual Abuse Survivor Subgroups Based on Early Maladaptive Schemas: Implications for Understanding Differences in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptom Severity

Cognitive models have informed understanding of the development, maintenance, and treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Limited research, however, has examined the relationship of early maladaptive schemas (EMS; Young in Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach (rev. ed.). Professional Resource Press, Sarasota, 1994) to PTSD among trauma survivors. The current study, using a sample of 127 female child sexual abuse (CSA) survivors, applied a model-based clustering procedure (Mclust; Fraley and Raftery in MCLUST Version 3 for R: Normal Mixture Modeling and Model-based Clustering, Technical Report No. 504, Department of Statistics, University of Washington, 2006) to the 15 subscales of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-S; Young and Brown in Young Schema Questionnaire- short form. Cognitive Therapy Center, New York, 1994) and revealed three clusters differentiated primarily by level of schema elevation. Women in the cluster characterized by the highest schema scores reported the most severe PTSD symptoms. A discriminant analysis indicated that schemas of Mistrust/Abuse, Vulnerability to Harm, and Emotional Deprivation contributed most to distinguishing women differentiated on the basis of presumptive PTSD diagnostic status. Results underscore the importance of cognitive factors in the development and/or maintenance of PTSD symptoms and suggest possible treatment targets for cognitive therapy with CSA survivors.

L’influence entre les schémas précoces inadaptés et la dépression

Early maladaptive schemas developed during childhood are relatively stable. Once activated, these early maladaptive schemas could influence reality perceptions and create cognitive distortions. Previous studies showed that early maladaptive schemas are linked to depression: early maladaptive schemas could be a risk factor for depression (Young, 2001) and a vulnerability marker for depression (Dozoïs, 2007). The main objective of the present study was to explore the influence of early maladaptive schemas on depression severity among a French adult population. One hundred and sixty-two participants (mean age 29 years; SD=13.86) were enrolled, 66 men (mean age 29 years; SD=13.65) and 106 women (mean age 30; SD=14.07). Participants were invited to complete the Young Schema Questionnaire, short version (YSQ-S1-Young 1994) and the Beck depression Inventory, 2nd version (BDI-II-Beck 1994). Fifty-six participants were randomly selected to complete a paper version of the scales, and 95 participants completed an online electronic version. Fifty-two percent of the participants were not depressed, 15% slightly depressed, 17% moderately depressed and 16% met criteria of severe depression. All 15 schemas scores were positively correlated to depression scores. Comparing schema scores and depression severity it can be noted that for severely depressed participants all schema scores were significantly higher, and six of 15 schemas were significantly higher in the case of moderate depression. In addition, three schemas (imperfection, vulnerability, fusional relation) are significantly and positively linked to depression scores, whereas one schema (everything is owed to me) appears to be a significantly negative predictor of associated depression. This study confirms results of previous research concerning the link between early maladaptive schemas and depression. What is more, the results show that the importance of these schemas increases with depression severity. The most important variation was found on schemas concerning interpersonal relationships like "abandonment" or "social insulation and social exclusion" as well as schemas related to personal competence as for example "failure" or "dependence and incompetence". Further research will be necessary to explore the role of depression as an activator or/and by reinforcing early maladaptive schemas.

A comparison of maladaptive schemata in treatment-seeking obese adults and normal-weight control subjects

Objectives The aims of this study were to determine whether treatment-seeking obese adults display a greater severity of maladaptive schemata than normal-weight adults and to investigate the possible correlates of maladaptive schemata among obese individuals. Methods The sample included 52 obese adults participating in a weight loss treatment and 39 normal-weight adults. Participants in the obese and normal-weight control groups completed standardized self-report questionnaires designed to assess attitudes and behaviors regarding eating and weight (Questionnaire on Eating and Weight Patterns–Revised and Binge Eating Scale), maladaptive schemata (Young Schema Questionnaire–Short Version), mood disturbance (Profile of Mood States–Adolsecents) and socially desirable responding (Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding). Results The obese patients reported a significantly greater severity of maladaptive schemata (after controlling for demographic variables and binge eating disorder status) than the normal-weight control subjects. In addition, within the obese group, there were significant positive correlations between the severity of maladaptive schema scores and both mood disturbance and problem eating scores. Conclusion The present findings suggest that obesity may be associated with a higher severity of maladaptive schemata, at least among those obese individuals who have sought treatment. Possible etiological and treatment implications of the findings are discussed.