The effect of the relationship between early maladaptiveschemas and social media addiction on psychological well-being

This study aims to examine the relationships between early maladaptive schemas and social media addiction, and to evaluate the direct and indirect effects of these psychological constructs on individuals' levels of psychological well-being. Designed within the framework of a correlational research model, the study adopts a mediation model to explain how cognitive-emotional schema patterns formed during early developmental stages reflect on digital behaviors and influence psychological functioning. Data were collected from 419 participants through online surveys, using the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3 (YSQ-SF3), the Social Media Addiction Scale (SMAS), and the Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB). Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS and PROCESS Macro (Model 4). The results revealed that early maladaptive schemas are positively correlated with social media addiction and negatively correlated with psychological well-being. Additionally, social media addiction was found to be negatively associated with psychological well-being. Mediation analysis indicated that social media addiction partially mediates the effect of early maladaptive schemas on psychological wellbeing. In particular, schemas such as abandonment, emotional deprivation, failure, and social isolation were identified as significant predictors of both increased vulnerability to problematic social media use and decreased psychological well-being. These findings highlight a significant interplay between individuals' developmental cognitive structures and their behavioral patterns in digital environments. The study suggests that schema-based therapeutic interventions may serve as effective tools for promoting psychological well-being and mitigating the psychological risks associated with compulsive social media use in contemporary society.