The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and psychological tendencies associated with the romantic relationships in university students: An investigation through the schema therapy model

This study was conducted to determine the predictive power of variables that early maladaptive schema domains on the psychological tendencies associated with the romantic relationships in university students. Young Schema Questionnaire- SF3, The Multidimensional Relationship Questionnaire, and The Personal Information Form were used to collect the data. The sample of the research is composed of 334 students who are attending different undergraduate programs of Ege University in the fall semester of 2016-2017 academic year and have a romantic relationship history of at least six months. In the study, a stepwise multiple regression analysis was conducted to determine the predictive power of independent variables that five domains of the early maladaptive schemas measured by the YSQ-SF3 on the eight dimensions of the psychological tendencies associated with the romantic relationships measured by the MRQ. The results of this study showed that; focus on relationship extremely was predicted by other directedness schema domain; relational satisfaction was predicted by disconnection and rejection and over vigilance and inhibition schema domains; fear of relationship was predicted by impaired autonomy and over vigilance and inhibition schema domains; relational monitoring was predicted by other directedness, impaired autonomy and impaired limits schema domains; relational esteem was predicted by impaired autonomy and other directedness schema domains; external relational control was predicted by impaired autonomy schema domain; internal relational control was predicted by impaired limits, other directedness and disconnection and rejection schema domains; and relational assertiveness was predicted by impaired autonomy and impaired limits schema domains.