The Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in Predicting Social Anxiety in Adolescents: A Correlational Study Using Structural Equation Modeling in Yazd City
Keywords:
Early maladaptive schemas, social anxiety, adolescents, structural equation modeling, gender differencesAbstract
The present study aimed to investigate the role of early maladaptive schemas in predicting social anxiety in adolescents. The present study was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational in terms of data collection method using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all male and female students of the second year of high school in Yazd in the academic year 2024-2025, from which a sample of 420 people (210 girls and 210 boys) was selected using the multistage cluster sampling method. After eliminating incomplete questionnaires, the final analysis was conducted on 388 individuals (190 girls and 198 boys). The Young's Early Maladaptive Schemas Questionnaire - Short Form (YSQ-SF) and the Social Anxiety Inventory for Adolescents (SASA) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, stepwise regression analysis, and structural equation modeling with SPSS version 26 and AMOS version 24 software. The results showed that among the eighteen schemas studied, the schemas of approval seeking (r = 0.62), social isolation/alienation (r = 0.61), and deficiency/shame (r = 0.59) had the strongest correlation with social anxiety, respectively. Stepwise regression analysis showed that the six schemas of approval seeking, social isolation, deficiency/shame, obedience, emotional inhibition, and emotional deprivation explained a total of 62% of the variance in social anxiety. The structural equation model had a good fit (RMSEA = 0.065, CFI = 0.94) and showed that the orientation to others (β = 0.34) and the detachment/exclusion (β = 0.28) domains were the strongest predictors of social anxiety. Also, the detachment/exclusion domain had a significant indirect effect on social anxiety through the orientation to others domain (β = 0.18). The findings showed that adolescent girls had significantly higher social anxiety scores than boys and also scored higher in the orientation to others and hypervigilance/inhibition domains. The present study showed that early maladaptive schemas, especially schemas in the orientation to others and detachment/exclusion domains, play a decisive role in predicting social anxiety in adolescents and, therefore, can be considered as the main targets in screening, prevention, and schema therapy-based treatment interventions. Given the observed gender differences, it seems necessary to design interventions tailored to the characteristics of each gender. Future research using longitudinal designs and randomized clinical trials can help confirm the causal relationships and effectiveness of schema-based interventions on adolescent social anxiety.
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