The mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in the relationship between attachment styles and loneliness

BACKGROUND: As with the increasing prevalence of loneliness among college students, it seems necessary to investigate the early grounds of its formation. Therefore, the present study was conducted to examine the relationship between attachment styles and loneliness through the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas (EMS). METHODS: This research was correlational, of structural equations modeling (SEM) type. The statistical population included all the college students of the universities of Kermanshah in the academic year 2020–2021, of whom 338 were selected using convenience sampling. The measures used in this study included DiTomasso et al.’s social and emotional loneliness of adults, Hazan and Shaver’s adult attachment, and Young’s schema scales. For data analysis, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and SEM were used in Lisrel 8.8 and SPSS-22 software. RESULTS: The results illustrated that the hypothesized model of the study has a good fit in the studied sample. It was also found that both the avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles are related to loneliness through two EMS of disconnection-rejection and other-directedness. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, measures are recommended to increase information regarding the basic and underlying factors affecting loneliness for therapists and psychological specialists.