Early maladaptative schemas and autism spectrum disorder in adults

This study investigated the differences in early maladaptive schemas between adult outpatients with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder (n = 48) and a non-clinical controls (n = 86). Both groups completed the Young Schema Questionnaire. There were significant differences between the groups in all the early maladaptive schemas, except self-sacrifice and approval/recognition seeking. Logistic regression analysis revealed that early maladaptive schemas such as insufficient self-control, emotional deprivation, and vulnerability to harm and illness significantly discriminated between the groups, suggesting that some early maladaptive schemas are more important than others for depicting the characteristics of adults with autism spectrum disorder.