Early Maladaptive Schemas and High-Risk Behaviors Among Adolescents in Shiraz, Iran: A Cross-Sectional Study

Many high-risk behaviors often co-occur during adolescents’ development and can be linked to their life patterns, beliefs, and early maladaptive schemas (EMS). This research aimed to determine the association between EMS and high-risk behaviors among teenagers in Shiraz, Iran.

This cross-sectional study was conducted in 2022, involving 348 adolescents aged 13 to 19 selected through a convenience sampling method in Shiraz, Iran. The Young Schema Questionnaire was utilized to assess EMS, and a researcherdeveloped self-reported checklist was used to collect demographic and behavioral data from the adolescents, including smoking, drug usage, alcohol use, and hookah use. Logistic regression assessed the association between behavioral characteristics and adolescents’ EMS aspects.

Among the 348 adolescents, 187 (53.7%) were male. The relative frequencies of hookah, alcohol, and drug use among boys were 31.6%, 40.1%, and 10.2%, respectively, whereas among girls, they were 11.2%, 15.5%, and 1.2%, respectively. A significant difference was observed between the two groups in terms of the relative frequencies of hookah (P=0.001), alcohol (P=0.001), and drug usage (P=0.008). A significant association was found between different domains of schemas and high-risk behaviors among the participants.

The findings suggested that EMS may predict high-risk behaviors. Therefore, early-life interventions should be considered in line with factors contributing to controlling the negative consequences of EMS among adolescents. Further research is recommended to evaluate this population’s predisposing factors for EMS and preventive interventions.