Cognitive schemas among mental health professionals: Adaptive or maladaptive?

Objectives: Maladaptive cognitive schemas can lead to biases during clinical assessment or psychotherapeutic interventions. This study aimed to explore the cognitive schemas among mental health professionals. Materials and Methods: 100 mental health professionals, of both genders, equally divided be...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Sahoo Saddichha, Ajay Kumar, Nirmala Pradhan
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2012-01-01
Series:Journal of Research in Medical Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.jmsjournal.net/article.asp?issn=1735-1995;year=2012;volume=17;issue=6;spage=523;epage=526;aulast=Saddichha
Description
Summary:Objectives: Maladaptive cognitive schemas can lead to biases during clinical assessment or psychotherapeutic interventions. This study aimed to explore the cognitive schemas among mental health professionals. Materials and Methods: 100 mental health professionals, of both genders, equally divided between psychiatrists, psychologists, social workers, and psychiatric nurses, were approached and administered the Young Schema Questionnaire - Short Form after written informed consent. Results: Males had higher maladaptive schemas than female respondents across all schema domains, viz., disconnection/rejection, impaired autonomy, impaired limits, other-directedness, and overvigilance (P ≤ 0.05). Psychiatrists had higher maladaptive schemas than psychologists (P ≤ 0.05). Age was weakly but positively corelated with the schemas of self-sacrifice (P = 0.038) and unrelenting standards (P = 0.002) . Conclusions: Mental health professionals also may have maladaptive schemas, which needs to be addressed through schema therapy.
ISSN:1735-1995
1735-7136