Assessment of parental attachment and early maladaptive schemas in juvenile boy offenders in Turkiye; A case–control study

Abstract

Purpose

Early maladaptive schemas (EMS) and parental attachment may play a role in juvenile offending. Identifying these factors could contribute to both the prevention of juvenile offending and the rehabilitation of juvenile offenders. The current study aimed to evaluate the associations between juvenile offending, EMS and parental attachment.

Methods

Sixty-nine adolescents convicted of various offences, and 73 non-offending adolescents were assessed using a sociodemographic data form, the Young Schema Questionnaire and the Short Form of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment.

Results

Juvenile offenders scored significantly higher in the schema domains of enmeshment/dependence, abandonment, failure, vulnerability to harm, defectiveness and self-sacrifice compared with controls. No statistically significant difference was found between the groups regarding parental attachment. However, a negative correlation was found between parental attachment and early maladaptive schema domains.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that EMS may play an important role in juvenile offending. Schema-focused therapy and family-based interventions may represent promising approaches for the assessment and prevention of juvenile delinquency.