2. 13th Annual International Technology, Education and Development Conference
Early Maladaptive Schema Domains and Risky Behaviors Among University Students By
Zahra Zabolipour, Ph.D. student
Fatemeh Sabouripour, Ph.D. student
University of Barcelona

3. Overview Introduction Literature Review Research Objective
Research Hypothesis
Methodology
Results
Conclusions
Limitations and Recommendations for Future Research

4. Introduction
Higher education is considered as the critical period of transition from high school to adulthood in which, students have to deal with developmental challenges and various stressors.
They are likely to employ risky behaviors as a method to alleviate negative emotions.

5. Risky Behaviors
Actions with unknown consequences that have negative effects on health, quality of life and/or life expectancy.
Risky Sex
Substance Use
Smoking
Alcohol Consumption
Suicide
Violence

6. Early maladaptive schemas
On the other hand, research has indicated that there is a relationship between:
Early maladaptive schemas
Risky Behaviors

7. Early Maladaptive Schemas
An early maladaptive schema is a broad, pervasive theme or pattern comprised of:
memories, emotions, cognitions, and bodily sensations regarding oneself and one’s relationships with others,
is developed during childhood or adolescence,
elaborated throughout one’s lifetime,
is dysfunctional to a significant degree.

8. Early Maladaptive Schema Domains and Their Subsets
Disconnection and Rejection
abandonment/ instability
mistrust/abuse
emotional deprivation
defectiveness/shame
social isolation/alienation
Impaired Autonomy and/or Performance
dependence/ incompetence
vulnerability to harm or illness
enmeshment/ undeveloped self
failure
Impaired Limits
entitlement/ grandiosity
insufficient self-control and/ or self-discipline
Other-Directedness
subjugation
self-sacrifice
approval-seeking/ recognition-seeking
Over vigilance/ Inhibition
negativity/ pessimism
emotional inhibition
unrelenting standards/ hyper criticalness
punitiveness

9. Literature Review
2011
Schemas in the disconnection/rejection domain were more frequently significant predictors of risky sexual behaviors.
2015
The mistrust/abuse, dependence/incompetence, subjugation, and insufficient self-control/self-discipline schemas predict the tendency to drug abuse.
2018
Specific schema domains differentially predicted variance in risky sex, illicit drug use, heavy drinking, and aggressive/illegal behaviors for each gender.

10. Early Maladaptive Schema Domains
Research Objective
To investigate the relationship between
Early Maladaptive Schema Domains
disconnection and rejection
impaired autonomy and performance
impaired limits
other-directedness
Over vigilance/inhibition
Risky Behaviors
cigarette smoking
alcohol drinking
suicidal thoughts and attempts
drug and substance use
risky sex
violence

11. Research Hypothesis
There is a relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and risky behaviors in Iranian students.

12. Methodology Research Design Descriptive Correlational Population
All students of all undergraduate programs in the faculty of Management and Accounting at Allameh Tabataba'i University in Tehran, Iran.
Population
multi-stage cluster sampling
Sampling Method
200 undergraduate students
Sample
1) Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF)
2) Risky Behavior’s Questionnaire (adult’s version)
Instruments

13. Methodology Data Analysis Variables Skewness Kurtosis Mean SD
Disconnection and rejection schemas
1.038
1.217
58.36
19.67
Impaired autonomy and/or performance schemas
1.257
0.297
41.41
16.76
Impaired limits schemas
-0.309
-0.057
31.84
8.65
Other-directedness schemas
0.853
23.94
9.28
Over vigilance/inhibition schemas
0.163
0.047
28.96
8.73
Risky behaviors
-0.775
148.74
20.28

14. Results
All early maladaptive schema domains were significantly positively correlated with risky behaviors (p<0.01).
The correlation between disconnection and rejection schemas and risky behaviors was the strongest one.

15. Individuals who have higher scores in the Young Schema Questionnaire, have more risky behaviors.
Conclusions
Early maladaptive schemas in disconnection and rejection domain are more related to the engagement in risky behaviors.

16. Limitations Future Research Utilizing multi-stage cluster sampling
Investigating 5 domains of schemas, instead of 18 early maladaptive schemas
Limitations
To consider 18 maladaptive schemas
To employ other sampling methods
Future Research

17. Thank You for your attention