Examining the predictors of childhood anxiety based on early maladaptive schemas of children and parenting styles of mothers

Abstract

Introduction: The present research examined the predictors of childhood anxiety based on early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) of children and the parenting styles of their mothers among 9–13-year-old students.Method: Participants were 152 children who were selected using cluster random sampling from elementary and middle schools in Tehran. Instruments included Screen for Child Anxiety-Related Emotional Disorders (SCARED), Schema Inventory for Children (SIC), and Baumrind Parenting Styles Inventory. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation and multiple regression methods.Results: Results suggest that EMSs of children play a more significant role in prediction of childhood anxiety than parenting styles of mothers. Meanwhile, regression analysis identified the EMSs of failure, vulnerability, loneliness, and submission as the ones that explain most of the variance in total anxiety.Conclusion: Children’s anxiety can be influenced by their schemas to a large extent; therefore, training logical beliefs to children is essential.