The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between perceived parenting styles and borderline personality traits

The aim of the current study is to examine the mediating role of early maladaptive schema domains and emotion regulation difficulties in the relationship between perceived parenting styles and borderline personality traits. The sample of the study consists of 292 participants between the ages of 20-40 who do not lose both of their parents during early childhood (0-6 ages) and do not have any psychological/psychiatric diagnosis. Young Parenting Inventory, Young Schema Questionnaire Short Form-3, Emotion Regulation Difficulties Short Form and Borderline Personality Inventory were used as data collection tools in the study. According to analysis results, the increase in perceived conditional/achievement focused parenting (maternal and paternal) predicted borderline personality traits through the mediation of disconnection and unrelenting standards schema domains and emotion regulation difficulties. Moreover, the increase in perceived maternal exploitative/abusive parenting predicted borderline personality traits through both directly and the mediation of disconnection schema domain while the increase in perceived paternal exploitative/abusive parenting predicted borderline personality traits also through emotion regulation difficulties in addition to schema domains. It has been understood the increase in perceived maternal overprotective/anxious parenting has a predictive role on the borderline personality traits through unrelenting standards schema domain and emotion regulation difficulties. Furthermore, perceived paternal restricted/emotionally inhibited parenting predicted increases in borderline personality traits through both directly and mediation of disconnection schema domain and emotion regulation difficulties. Finally, it was seen that perceived paternal over permissive/boundless parenting predicted borderline personality traits through disconnection schema domain and emotion regulation difficulties. The findings of the current study were discussed in the light of the literature.