Maladaptive Cognitive Schemas and their Relationship with Depression and Control Locus among Female Students of Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh

Abstract

The present study aims to investigate maladaptive cognitive schemas and their relationship with depression and the internal-external locus of control among female students of Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh. The study sample consists of 235 female students. The researcher uses raw data form, Young Schema Questionnaire-short form, Beck Depression Inventory- Second Edition (BDI-II), and Rotter's Internal-External Locus of Control Scale as instruments of the study.

The results show that there is a statistically significant correlation between the  domains of maladaptive cognitive schemas and the level of depression and locus of control among  university female students. Moreover,   the results reveal that there is a statistically significant correlation between depression and locus of control. They  also show that depression and the locus of internal-external control among the university female students can be predicted through the maladaptive cognitive schemas  of the students. However, there are no differences in the levels of maladaptive cognitive schemas between depression and locus of control among the university female students in relation to the difference in their social status. The researcher explains the results using the theoretical framework along with previous studies.