Early maladaptive schemas and the quality of marital bond and communication

Abstract

Introduction: Early maladaptive schemas are dysfunctional cognitive-emotional patterns that arise as a result of unsatisfied one or more of the basic psychological needs in childhood. These schemas concern the individual and his relationships with significant people (Young, Klosko, Weishaar, 2003). This work presents the results of research on the correlations between early maladaptive schemas and the quality of marital bond and communication. Method: The basic research hypothesis was that these correlations are negative. It was assumed that the stronger the intensity of the schemas, the lower the level of the quality of marital bond and communication. The research included 252 married people (149 women and 103 men). The respondents completed: Young’s Schema Questionnaire YSQ-S3, Marriage Bond Scale SWM and Marriage Communication Questionnaire KKM. Results: Based on the obtained results, the existence of the expected correlations was confirmed. Schemas from the area of disconnection and rejection turned out to be most strongly correlated with both bonding and marital communication. Conclusions: Verification of the correlations of early maladaptive schemas with the quality of marital bond and communication deepens the knowledge about the cognitive and emotional patterns formed in childhood, significantly related to the ways of functioning in a close relationship, and this kind of knowledge can find practical application in the therapy of couples and marriages. In addition, the obtained results may be a contribution to further analysis taking into account variables related to early childhood experiences, such as parenting styles or systems of family of origin and other constructs describing the quality of the marital relationship.