The mediating role of emotional schemas on the relationship between parentification levels and psychological symptoms of clinical psychology graduate students

The aim of the study is to examine the direct and indirect relationships between the levels of parentification, emotional schemas, and psychological symptoms among clinical psychology graduate students.The samples of the study consists of 118 clinical psychology graduate students (101 female and 17 male) who voluntarily completed a questionnaire package that included the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LESS), Parentified Child Scale, and Brief Symptom Inventory.Pearson's correlation analysis, hierarchical regression analysis and mediation analysis with structural equation modeling were applied in the analysis of the data. The statistically significant positive correlations were observed between parentification levels, maladaptive emotional schemas, and psychological symptoms. Besides, regression analysis revealed that the 42% of the variance was explained by parentification and maldaptive emotional schemas. Furthermore, the results suggest that maladaptive schemas mediates the relationship between parentification levels and psychological symptoms. The results of the current study indicate that being parentified and having dysfunctional attitudes towards emotions can be important topics to address at therapy. Additionally, it is believed that evaluating being parentified and dysfunctional attitudes towards emotions as risk factors would contribute to protective and preventive intervention programs. Finally, it is expected that the results of the research will provide clinical psychology graduate students with both professional and personal awareness.