Intimate partner violence in relation to early maladaptive schemas in a group of outpatient Iranian women

AbstractIntimate partner violence is considered as a notable legal and health challenge of our age. In this study we test the hypothesis that pre-existing shame/defectiveness maladaptive schema increases the likelihood of becoming the victim of intimate partner violence. Participants were 20 women who were the victims of IPV, interviewed by open questions about experiencing different types of abuse during the childhood and marital life, their feelings about the abuse and their coping styles. At the end, participants completed Young Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire. We found that shame and defectiveness, emotional deprivation and mistrust/abuse are the most prevalent schemas in these women