The Predictive Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in The Evaluation of Pre-Marital Romantic Relationships Among University Students

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the predictive role of the early maladaptive schemas on the pre-marital romantic relationship evaluation process among Turkish university students. The study group of this research, which was conducted as a quantitative research and in which correlational design was used, consists of 122 university students who were in a romantic relationship and who declared that they were willing to marry or were not sure in this regard. Students who were in a romantic relationship and did not consider marrying their current partner were not included in the study. The Turkish Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form-3 and Premarital Relationship Assessment Scale were used to collect the data. The results of the t-test analysis indicated that premarital romantic relationship assessment dimensions did not differ to gender and emotional deprivation, failure, social isolation/alienation, enmeshment/dependency, and defectiveness maladaptive schemas differed to gender. The results of the multiple linear regression analysis revealed that emotional deprivation schema predicted religious values assessment dimension negatively, emotional deprivation and defectiveness schemas predicted communication assessment dimension negatively, vulnerability to harm schema predicted friendships assessment dimension negatively, defectiveness schema predicted family relationships assessment dimension negatively, emotional inhibition and insufficient self-control/entitlement schemas predicted sexual cohesion assessment dimension for emotional inhibition negatively and for insufficient self-control/entitlement positively, defectiveness and vulnerability to harm and illness schemas predicted overall premarital evaluation score negatively. Results were discussed in the light of traditional gender roles, meanings attributed to marriage and relevant literature.

Keywords

• Early Maladaptive Schemas
• Pre-marital
• University Students