The Role of Childhood Trauma on Early Maladaptive Schema Domain

ObjectivesZZThe aim of this study was to investigate the effect of childhood trauma on early maladaptive schema domains. MethodsZZA total of 305 graduate students completed the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form, the Korean version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (K-CTQ), and the Beck Depression Inventory. ResultsZZAccording to the classification based on the total score of the K-CTQ, the group that experienced childhood trauma (n=41) showed higher scores than the group with no trauma (n=264) in all five schema domains. Subsequent multiple regression analyses revealed that four out of five schema domains were significantly explained by childhood trauma ; among them, childhood trauma was the most significant predictor of the Disconnection and Rejection schema domain, accounting for 15% of the total variance in this domain (F=8.1, p<0.001). In terms of the types of childhood trauma, emotional neglect had significant general effects on all schema domains except the Impaired Limits domain. ConclusionZZThese findings in a nonclinical sample support the notion that childhood traumatic experiences may significantly impact the maladaptive schema domains, particularly the Disconnection and Rejection schema domain. In addition, this study emphasized the diffuse impact of emotional neglect upon schema domains, which may be overlooked because of its implicit nature. J Korean Neuropsychiatr Assoc 2013;52:334-341