Skip to main content
Log in

Parental Perceptions, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults

  • Published:
Cognitive Therapy and Research Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Cognitive models of depression propose that negative schemas contribute to depressive symptoms. Early experiences, particularly parenting, have been proposed to influence cognitive schemas and have also been shown to correlate with depression. This study explores the concurrent relationship between retrospective reports of parenting, Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs) described by J. E. Young (1994), and symptoms of depression in a sample of undergraduate students (N = 194). The EMSs of defectiveness/shame, insufficient self-control, vulnerability, and incompetence/inferiority were associated with perceptions of parenting and depressive symptomatology. There was evidence that these four EMSs partially mediate the relationship between parental perceptions and depressive symptomatology. Results are discussed in relation to previous findings, theory, and the measurement of EMSs.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Similar content being viewed by others

REFERENCES

  • Abramson, L. Y., Metalsky, G. I., & Alloy, L. B. (1989). Hopelessness depression:Atheory-based subtype of depression. Psychological Review, 96, 358–372.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barnett, P. A., & Gotlib, I. H. (1988). Psychosocial functioning and depression: Distinguishing among antecedents, concomitants, and consequences. Psychological Bulletin, 104, 97–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baron, R. M., & Kenny, D. A. (1986). The moderator-mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: Conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 51, 1173–1182.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Rush, A. J., Shaw, B. F., & Emery, G. (1979). Cognitive therapy of depression. New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A., Steer, R., & Brown, G. (1995). Beck Depression Inventory - II manual. San Antonio, TX: The Psychological Corporation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Beck, A. T., Steer, R. A., & Garbin, M. G. (1988). Psychometric properties of the Beck Depression Inventory: Twenty-five years of evaluation. Clinical Psychology Review, 8,77–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1988). A secure base: Parent- child attachment and healthy human development. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brawman-Mintzer, O., Lydiard, R. B., Emmanuel, N., Payeur, R., Johnson, M., Roberts, J., et al. (1993). Psychiatric comorbidity in patients with generalized anxiety disorder. American Journal of Psychiatry, 150, 1216–1218.

    Google Scholar 

  • Derry, P. A., & Kuiper, N. A. (1981). Schematic processing and self-reference in clinical depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 90, 286–297.

    Google Scholar 

  • Flett, G. L., Vredenberg, K., & Krames, L. (1997). The continuity of depression in clinical and nonclinical samples. Psychological Bulletin, 121, 42–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerlsma, C. G., Das, J., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (1993). Depressed patients' parental representations: Stability across changes in depressed mood and specificity across diagnoses. Journal of Affective Disorders, 27, 173–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Greenberg, M. S., & Beck, A. T. (1989). Depression versus anxiety: A test of the content-specificity hypothesis. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 98, 9–13.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hayes, A. M., Castonguay, L. G., & Goldfried, M. R. (1996). Effectiveness of targeting the vulnerability factors of depression in cognitive therapy. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 64,623–627.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram, R. E., Miranda, J., & Segal, Z.V. (1998). Cognitive vulnerability to depression. NewYork: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ingram, R. E., Overbey, T., & Fortier, M. (2001). Individual differences in dysfunctional automatic thinking and parental bonding: Specificity of maternal care. Personality and Individual Differences, 30,401–412.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kenny, M. E., Moilanen, D. L., Lomax, R., & Brabeck, M. M.(1993). Contributions of parental attachments to view of self and depressive symptoms among early adolescents. Journal of Early Adolescence, 13, 408–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kobak, R. R., & Sceery, A. (1988). Attachment in late adolescence: Working models, affect regulation, and representations of self and others. Child Development, 59, 135–146.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, C.W., Taylor, G., & Dunn, J. (1999). Factor structure of the Schema Questionnaire in a large clinical sample. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 23, 441–451.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lizardi, H., Klein, D. N., Ouimette, P. C., Riso, L. P., Anderson, R. L., & Donaldson, S. K. (1995). Reports of the childhood home environment in early-onset dysthymia and episodic major depression. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 104, 132–139.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (1979). Parental characteristics in relation to depressive disorders. British Journal of Psychiatry, 134, 138–147.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (1983). Parental overprotection: A risk factor in psychosocial development. New York: Grune and Stratton.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G. (1993). Parental rearing style: Examining for links with personality vulnerability factors for depression. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 28, 97–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., & Hadzi-Pavlovic, D. (1992). Parental representations of melancholic and nonmelancholic depressives: Examining for specificity to depressive type and for evidence of additive effects. Psychological Medicine, 22, 657–665.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., & Lipscombe, P. (1981). Influences on maternal overprotection. British Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 303–311.

    Google Scholar 

  • Parker, G., Tupling, H., & Brown, L. B. (1979). A parental bonding instrument. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 52, 1–10.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pedhazur, E. J. (1997). Multiple regression in behavioral research: Explanation and prediction(3rd ed.) Orlando: Harcourt Brace.

    Google Scholar 

  • Randolph, J. J., & Dykman, B. M. (1998). Perceptions of parenting and depression-proneness in the offspring: Dysfunctional attitudes as a mediating mechanism. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 22, 377–400.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rey, J. M. (1995). Perceptions of poor maternal care are associated with adolescent depression. Journal of Affective Disorders, 34, 95–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sanderson,W. C., Beck, A. T., & Beck, J. (1990). Syndrome comorbidity in patients with major depression or dysthymia: Prevalence and temporal relationship. American Journal of Psychiatry, 147, 1025- 1028.

  • Schmidt, N. B., Joiner, Jr., T. E., Young, J. E., & Telch, M. J. (1995). The Schema Questionnaire: Investigation of psychometric properties and the hierarchical structure of a measure of maladaptive schemas. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 19, 295–321.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shah, R., & Waller, G. (2000). Parental style and vulnerability to depression: The role of core beliefs. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 188, 19–25.

    Google Scholar 

  • Smith, T. W., Ingram, R. E., & Brehm, S. S. (1983). Social anxiety, self-preoccupation, and recall of selfrelevant information. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 44, 1276–1283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Whisman, M. A., & Kwon, P. (1992). Parental representations, cognitive distortions, and mild depression. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16, 557–568.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, J. E. (1994). Cognitive therapy for personality disorders: A schema-focused approach. Sarasota: Professional Resource Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Young, J. E., & Lindemann, M.D. (1992). An integrative schema-focused model for personality disorders. Journal of Cognitive Psychotherapy: An International Quarterly, 6, 11–23.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zemore, R., & Kinholm, J. (1989). Vulnerability to depression as a function of parental rejection and control. Canadian Journal of Behavioral Science, 21, 364–376.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Harris, A.E., Curtin, L. Parental Perceptions, Early Maladaptive Schemas, and Depressive Symptoms in Young Adults. Cognitive Therapy and Research 26, 405–416 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016085112981

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1016085112981

Navigation