Childhood abuse-neglect and romantic relationship attachment: The role of cognitive emotion regulation and early maladaptive schemas

Sequential explanatory mixed design was used in this study, in which the mediating effect of early maladaptive schemas and emotion regulation skills in the relationship between the individual's childhood traumas and the attachment style exhibited in adulthood. The study group of the research participants were 304 university students and 10 people with childhood abuse experience. "Childhood Trauma Questionnaire", "Young Schema Inventory SF3", "Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire", "Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised", demographic questionnaire and semi-structured interview form were used in data collection process. The results of the research showed that childhood traumas had a positive predictive effect on anxious attachment, but did not have a significant predictive effect on avoidant attachment. It was observed that childhood traumas predicted adaptive emotion regulation negatively and maladaptive emotion regulation positively. It was found that adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation had a partial mediation effect in the relationship between childhood traumas and anxious attachment. It was determined that childhood traumas positively predicted the disconnection and rejection schema area and impaired autonomy schema area, but it did not have a statistically significant predictive effect on impaired limits, other directedness and over vigilance schema area. In the relationship between childhood traumas and anxious attachment, disconnection and rejection schema area have full mediation effect; in addition, it has been revealed that the area of impaired autonomy schema has a full mediator effect on the relationship between childhood traumas and anxious attachment. Qualitative findings support the quantitative findings obtained from the research. The findings reached within the scope of the research were discussed within the framework of the literature. The limitations of the study were emphasized; recommendations were made to researchers, practitioners and policy makers.