Comparison of intertwined family boundaries in students with maladaptive schemas and those without maladaptive schemas

Abstract

Background: Family boundaries play a role in the formation of schemas, this can have significant psychological consequences for family members. Despite the theoretical links between enmeshed family boundaries and early maladaptive schemas, there is a noticeable research gap on this relationship. Aims: The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing enmeshed family boundaries in students with and without early maladaptive schemas. Methods: The method of this descriptive research was causal-comparative. The statistical population of the research included all students of Islamic Azad University of Tehran in the academic year of 2023-2024. Among the people of the statistical population, 204 people (152 women, 52 men) were selected by convenience sampling method. The data collection tools in this research included the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (Young, 1998) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (Olson et al., 1985). Independent t-test, Benferoni test and SPSS-26 software were used to analyze and compare the data. Results: The scores of enmeshed boundaries in people with an Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self schema were significantly higher than those without an Enmeshment/Undeveloped Self schema (P 0.05). Conclusion: Intertwined borders can lead to the formation of the intertwined schema itself. However, the development of other maladaptive schemas is not directly related to family entanglement. These schemas may develop through various pathways, such as traumatic experiences, peer relationships, or social influences.

Keywords

• enmeshed family boundaries
• early maladaptive schemas
• students