The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and health anxiety: The mediating role of psychological flexibility

This study was designed to examine the relationship between early maladaptive schema domains and health anxiety, and to investigate the mediating role of psychological flexibility in this relationship. The research was conducted using the relational survey model, a quantitative research method. The study sample consisted of 427 participants between the ages of 18 and 45 residing in Turkey. Data were collected using the "Demographic Information Form", the "Young Schema Questionnaire–Short Form 3", the "Short Health Anxiety Inventory", and the "Psychological Flexibility Questionnaire". The data were analyzed using SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0 software. Independent samples t-test, ANOVA, correlation analysis, multiple regression analysis, and structural equation modeling were applied. According to the results of ANOVA and t-test analyses, health anxiety significantly differed across demographic variables such as gender, presence of a medical diagnosis, and presence of a psychiatric diagnosis. Correlation analyses revealed significant and positive associations between early maladaptive schema domains and health anxiety. In particular, the schema domains of disconnection and rejection, impaired autonomy, and hypervigilance showed stronger correlations with health anxiety. Multiple regression analysis indicated that the hypervigilance schema domain was a significant predictor of health anxiety. The mediating role analysis, conducted through structural equation modeling, revealed that psychological flexibility partially mediated the relationship between schema domains and health anxiety. The findings were discussed within the framework of existing literatüre and suggestions were provided for future research. Keywords: Early maladaptive schemas, health anxiety, psychological flexibility