From unmet childhood needs to parenting attitudes: breaking the cycle

Objective: Rooted in Schema Therapy, this research posits that unmet physiological, social, and psychological needs during early life contribute to the development of enduring cognitive frameworks, termed early maladaptive schemas (EMS), which influence affect, behaviour, and cognition across the lifespan. Accordingly, the objective was to examine whether EMSs are systematically associated with specific parenting attitudes (PAs). Method: This correlational study employed a concurrent design. Participants included 246 volunteer parents of preschool-aged children residing in a cosmopolitan district of Istanbul. Data were collected online using validated measures of EMS and PA, along with additional items assessing potential confounding variables. Results: Correlational analyses revealed moderate positive associations between EMS and authoritarian parenting attitudes and moderate negative associations with democratic parenting attitudes. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that EMS accounted for over 20% of the variance in parenting attitudes, with socioeconomic status and education emerging as significant moderators. Discussion: EMSs significantly predict parenting attitudes, increasing authoritarian attitudes, and reducing democratic ones. Early identification of EMS, combined with schema-focused interventions and evidence-based parent education programs may help disrupt maladaptive parenting cycles and promote healthier parent–child dynamics.