The relationship between childhood traumas, emotional schemas and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in males with a history of substance abuse: A controlled study

Objective: The aim of this research was to examine the relationship between childhood traumas, emotional schemas and cognitive emotional regulation strategies in males with history of substance abuse in a controlled study. Methods: The participants of the study group (85 males) were selected from Umut Çocukları Association's Project, named "Hayata Yeniden Başlıyorum" and Balıklı Rum Hospital. The participants of the control group (109 males) were individuals with no history of substance abuse. All participants were applied a Sociodemographic Data Form, the Leahy Emotional Schema Questionnaire, the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire and the Childhood Traumas Questionnaire. Results: The mean age of the study and the control groups were as 26,72±5,91 and 25,92±7,47, respectively, with no significant difference between. In our study, significant and positive correlations were found between the levels of childhood traumas and emotional schemas, total and subscales (uncontrollability, weakness in emotions, rumination, differences, reconciliation, seeing emotions as dangerous, guilt). Moreover, a weak significant relationship was observed between the levels of childhood traumas and maladaptive regulation of emotion cognition strategies, such as blaming yourself, focusing on thought and catastrophizing in the study group. There was also a positive correlation between the emotional schema total score, the maladaptive cognitive emotional regulation strategies and the subscales, such as blaming yourself, focusing on thought and catastrophizing. In addition, a significant correlation was found between childhood traumas, unfunctional cognitive emotion regulation strategies and maladaptive emotional schemas in the study group. Conclusion: In our study it was found that males with history of substances abuse were more likely to use maladaptive emotional schemas and dysfunctional cognitive emotion regulation strategies compared to males with no history of substance abuse. Key words: substance abuse, emotional schemas, cognitive emotional regulation strategies, childhood trauma.