Early maladaptive schemas and COVID-19 anxiety: The mediational role of mistrustfulness and vulnerability to harm and illness

Background Early maladaptive schemas (EMS), as lifelong psychological structures, tend to be associated with psychopathological symptomatology. Previous research has suggested that schemas act as psychological vulnerabilities to stressful life situations, such as the present worldwide COVID-19 pandemic. In this context, anxiety and psychological distress have been documented as two of the main psychological symptoms associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the associations between specific EMS and COVID-19 anxiety remain unexplored. Therefore, this study aims to explore the relationships between EMS, COVID-19 anxiety as well as other mental health variables such as psychological well-being, distress and life satisfaction. Methods In a cross-sectional design, 249 individuals (M = 34.2, SD = 12.0) completed several self-report measures. Results EMS from different schematic domains were positively associated with COVID-19 anxiety and psychological distress and negatively associated with psychological well-being and life satisfaction. An EMS hierarchical regression model predicted COVID-19 anxiety. Mistrustfulness and vulnerability to harm and illness mediated the relationships between COVID-19 anxiety, psychological distress and life satisfaction. Conclusions According to these results, mistrustfulness and vulnerability to harm and illness can act as underlying variables for the decrease in mental health associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.