The role of early maladaptive schemas in late adolescents suffering from school burnout and depressive symptoms

Background

The present study aims to distinguish school burnout from depressive symptoms in late adolescents between 17 and 21 years old by exploring their underlying early maladaptive schemas (EMS).

Methods

The cross-sectional sample (T1) consisted of 514 secondary and higher education students between 17 and 21 years old (M_age = 19.06 (1.10), 80.9% female). Five months later (T2), 190 adolescents participated in the follow-up measurement (M_age = 19.45 (1.18), 81.6% female).

Results

Positive correlations were found between all EMS and school burnout symptoms. When controlling for school burnout symptoms at T1, only the EMS `emotional deprivation', `mistrust', `defectiveness', `social isolation', `failure', `enmeshment', and `emotional inhibition' displayed significant positive associations with school burnout at T2. The EMS `mistrust', `defectiveness' and `failure' showed relations to both school burnout and depressive symptoms. Backwards linear regressions showed that the EMS `vulnerability to harm/illness' and `insufficient self-control' were uniquely related to school burnout symptoms when controlling for depressive symptoms, while the EMS `dependence', `emotional deprivation', `self-sacrifice' and `unrelenting standards' were uniquely related to depressive symptoms while controlling for school burnout symptoms.

Limitations

The gender-unbalanced sample, reduced longitudinal sample size, sole use of self-report measures, and high comorbidity between school burnout and depressive symptoms may have hampered the results.

Conclusions

EMS play an important role in the development of school burnout symptoms. The results point towards transdiagnostic cognitive-focused treatment techniques with attention to disorder-specific schemas to tackle school burnout symptoms. More (longitudinal) research is needed to corroborate these initial findings.