The Role of Maladaptive Schemas in the Domain of Disconnection and Rejection in Predicting Marital Intimacy

Hajibeykloo, Shakila; Tahvilian, Mohammadreza

doi:10.22034/rip.2025.522113.1101

The Role of Maladaptive Schemas in the Domain of Disconnection and Rejection in Predicting Marital Intimacy

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Shakila Hajibeykloo ¹

Mohammadreza Tahvilian ²

¹ MSc. Student in General Psychology, Hekmat Razavi Institute of Higher Education, Mashhad, Iran

² MSc. in General Psychology, University of Sistan & Baluchestan, Zahedan, Iran

10.22034/rip.2025.522113.1101

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the role of disconnection and rejection schemas in predicting marital intimacy. Using a correlational design, 102 individuals from a counseling center in Mashhad (a city in Iran) were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the short form of the Schema Questionnaire- Short Form (SQ-SF) and the Couple Intimacy Inventory (CII). The results indicated a significant negative relationship between disconnection and rejection schemas and marital intimacy (P<0.05). Stepwise regression analysis further revealed that abandonment (β = -0.44), mistrust (β = -0.32), and emotional deprivation (β = -0.27) had a significant negative contribution to predicting marital intimacy, collectively explaining 58% of its variance. These findings suggest that early maladaptive schemas related to disconnection and rejection play a substantial role in marital intimacy, underscoring the need for schema-focused interventions in couple therapy.

Keywords

disconnection and rejection schemas

early maladaptive schemas

marital intimacy

Subjects