Relation between early maladaptive schemas of adolescents and depressive disorder

Abstract

Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate relation between depressive disorder and early maladaptive schemas of adolescents and to compare early maladaptive schemas of adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder with schemas of adolescents diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Methods: Eighty adolescents with depressive disorder and 138 adolescents with other psychiatric disorders who had been diagnosed through Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) between January and May 2016 in Erenkoy research and training hospital for psychiatry and neurology child and adolescent outpatient clinic were enrolled in this study. The sociodemographic form of the patients was filled out by the clinicians. The Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaires Set for Children and Adolescents was filled out by adolescents. Results: There were 145 females and 73 males in the study. The mean age of the adolescents was 14.8 (range: 11-18) years. The control group was consisted of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, conduct disorder, oppositional defiant disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder. Defectiveness/shame, mistrust/abuse, emotional deprivation, abandonment/instability, failure, non-self-approval, negativity/pessimism schema scores were significantly greater in adolescents diagnosed with depressive disorder than the control group. There was a statistically significant relation between the schemas of defectiveness/shame, mistrust/abuse, abandonment/instability, non-self-approval and depressive disorder in regression analysis. Discussion: Adolescent depressive disorder, frequently a missed diagnosis that when not treated can lead to health problems such as suicide, drug abuse and obesity, is accepted as an important public health issue. Consistent with literature, schemas under the title of disconnection and rejection and other directedness are related with the depressive disorder in adolescence and associated with the relationship of the primary caregivers and the children. Revealing maladaptive schemas and focusing on these schemas is important in adolescence depressive disorder treatment.