The study of early maladaptive schemas and schema driving coping styles i̇n panic disorder patients through the schema therapy model

The main aim of the present study was to examine the observed maladaptive schemas in panic disorder patients along with the coping behaviours (e.g. schema avoidance and over-compensation) they use. The sample of the study was comprised of individuals who were diagnosed with panic disorder based on DSM 5 criteria in the Malatya Training and Research Hospital Psychiatry Clinic (n=30) and healthy individuals (n=34) with similar demographic features who were recruited as a control group. As research data collection tools; Personal Information Form, Young Schema Scale-Short Form-3, Young Compensation Scale and Young-Rygh Avoidance Scale were applied. In order to answer the primary research questions, a series of Chi-square, t-test and Mann-Whitney U test analyses were conducted. The results showed that individuals in the panic group had significantly higher scores in many subscales of the Young Schema Scale, Young Compensation Scale and Young-Rygh Avoidance Scale compared to the control group. The failure, pessimism, minor resistance in the face of threats and nesting scores were higher in the panic group compared to the controls. In Young Compensation Scale scores, no significant difference between the two groups was found. However, the intolerance of criticism sub-scale scores of panic disorder group tended to be higher than the scores of the control group. Finally, the panic disorder group also demonstrated significantly higher scores of "ignoring distress" and "psychosomatic" scores in Young-Rygh Avoidance Scale. Keywords: Early maladaptive schemas, schema avoidance, schema overcompensation, panic disorder