Children Receiving Services at a Community Child Advocacy Center: A Mixed-Method Examination of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Coping Responses

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) are cognitive themes (e.g., beliefs, perceptions) that originate from childhood and are associated with unmet emotional needs and adverse experiences. The lack of attention to emotional needs in caregiver-child relationships heavily contribute to the development of EMS. EMS are believed to be maintained throughout life by metacognitive disturbances and the use of unhelpful coping responses. However, it is unclear when children develop EMS and if the relationship between EMS and coping responses is present in children. The present study aims to understand the prevalence of EMS and coping responses in children who have experienced maltreatment. Additionally, the study aims to assess the relationship between EMS and coping responses and how that relationship relates to individual factors (e.g., age, gender, race) and abuse factors (e.g., type(s) of abuse, relationship to the perpetrator, frequency).