Dysfunctional Parenting and Psychological Symptomatology: An Examination of the Mediator Roles of Anger Representations in the Context of the Schema Therapy Model

Abstract

In this study, we investigated the mediator roles of anger-related schema modes in the relationship between dysfunctional parent modes and psychological symptoms. We focused on specific schema modes (i.e., punitive and demanding parent modes; vulnerable, angry, and enraged child modes; and the angry protector mode). The study included 297 college students (159 women), with the average age of the sample being 19.66 years (SD = 1.53, range = 18 to 29 years). All participants completed self-report questionnaires on schema modes and psychological symptoms, as well as a demographic form. We evaluated two different mediational models to understand two different dysfunctional parenting styles. The results suggest that all variables significantly correlated with each other and almost all the direct paths in the models were significant. However, the mediator analysis revealed that some of the anger-related modes had very low but significant mediator roles in the models (i.e., the angry child mode for both models and the enraged child mode for the demanding parenting model). The vulnerable child mode played a central and key role in the relationship between dysfunctional parenting and psychological symptoms. The study suggests that anger representations might be windows to understand and intervene in unmet core emotional needs.

Schema mode inventory in cases of aggressive behavior: A systematic review

“…Golüm and Soygüt's (2022) results pointed to the mediating role of anger-related modes, and the Vulnerable Child mode in the relationship between the Punitive Parent and Demanding Parent modes and psychological symptoms. However, the most expressive results are related to the Vulnerable Child mode as a mediator rather than the schema modes more directly related to anger.…”

“…In the study by Gülüm & Soygüt (2022), the sample was composed of university students who studied the same Psychology subject. Therefore, we can infer that some technical knowledge about the object of study may have interfered with the results.…”

“…Only the study by Gülüm AND Soygüt (2022) used the version of the SMI adapted for the forensic population, which the authors are still developing and validating. This is the Schema Mode Inventory-Forensic (SMI-F) with additional items specific to this population, totaling 174 items.…”

Inventário de modos esquemáticos em casos de comportamento agressivo: Uma revisão sistemática

“…Of the nine studies analyzed, four were conducted in prison units and three in forensic psychiatric hospitals. The studies whose participants did not fit into the forensic population were Gülüm and Soygüt's (2022) and Bach and Farrel's (2018).…”

“…These two studies above involved participants of both genders, not being restricted to males as in other cases. Gülüm and Soygüt (2022) claim to have tested, through an ANOVA analysis, whether there would be signs of significant differences related to gender in terms of the variables tested. The results proved that gender differences were not important in this study.…”