Behavioral problems in adolescents with maladaptive schemas : A qualitative study

Adolescents, as one of the vulnerable age groups, are exposed to a variety of psychological problems. The present study aimed to qualitatively analyze the behavioral problems in adolescents with maladaptive schemas. This study was conducted using a qualitative thematic analysis method. The research population included all male adolescents aged 12 to 15 years who were studying in lower secondary school in the academic year 2020-2021 and living in Isfahan. To collect the data, firstly, Yang’s Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF) was completed by the students. Then, the adolescents who scored high in three common schemas (obedience, emotional inhibition, and strict criteria) Due to the fact that the cut-off point of this questionnaire is 15 and a higher score indicates the stronger presence of the ineffective schema, they were subjected to a semi-structured interview. Ten adolescents were selected through purposive sampling. The collected data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s approach to extract the main themes and subthemes. Data analysis revealed 6 main categories: aggressive behavior, unwillingness to attend family gatherings, lack of self-expression, passive behavior, negative emotions, and inner self-talk. Following the findings of this study, it can be concluded that Early maladaptive schemas (obedience, emotional inhibition and strict standards) can cause behavioral problems in adolescents