Investigation of the relationship of early maladaptive schemas with loneliness, hopelessness and depressive symptoms in university students

In this study, the effects of early maladaptive schemas on loneliness, hopelessness and depressive symptoms were examined in university students. In addition, the relationship of early maladaptive schemas, depressive symptoms, loneliness, hopelessness, and some sociodemographic variables were also revealed. The sample of the study consists of a total of 1076 people, 727 of whom are women and 349 of them are men. Young Schema Questionnaire, Beck Depression Inventory, UCLA Loneliness Scale and Beck Hopelessness Scale were used within the scope of the study. Data was collected using Google Forms based on participant volunteerism. In the study, descriptive statistics were used to determine the distribution of the participants according to their various demographic characteristics and the information they provided. In addition, Independent Sample T-Test, Anova, Manova, Pearson Product-Moment Correlation Analysis and Multiple Linear Regression Analysis were used to determine the relationships between the variables of the study. According to the findings obtained from the study, a significant and positive relationship was found between early maladaptive schemas and depressive symptoms, loneliness and hopelessness. In addition, women scored higher than men in schemes of self-sacrifice and unrelenting standards. On the other hand, it was observed that men got higher scores than women in schemes of emotional deprivation, defectiveness and social isolation. In addition, it was observed that women showed more depressive symptoms than men and men experienced more loneliness than women. In hopelessness, no significant difference was found in terms of gender. It is also among the findings of the study that an increase in hopelessness and loneliness predicts the increase in depressive symptoms. In line with the findings obtained, the data were interpreted and discussed in accordance with the relevant literature.