Late Adolescents’ Early Maladaptive Schemas: Are They Longitudinally Linked with Middle Childhood Temperament Over and Above Attachment?

Temperament is thought to influence the development of early maladaptive schemas (EMSs). However, whether temperament is longitudinally related to EMSs beyond attachment, the best known predictor of EMSs, has been underexplored. Hence, this study investigated (1) Whether middle childhood temperament is longitudinally related to late adolescent EMSs, (2) To what extent temperament explains EMSs beyond middle childhood attachment, and (3) Whether attachment moderates this temperament-EMSs link. In total, 157 children (M_age = 10.91 in middle childhood, M_age = 16.71 in late adolescence) participated in this study. Adolescent EMSs were assessed along with middle childhood temperamental negative affect, affiliation, surgency, and effortful control, and attachment at both explicit and implicit levels. Results indicated that all temperamental features were longitudinally related to later EMSs; the majority of the temperament-EMSs links did not survive after controlling for attachment, except for some limited correlations between EMSs and negative affect and effortful control; and an inconsistent moderating effect for attachment on the temperament-EMSs link. This study provides further insight into the role of child factors (middle childhood temperament and late adolescent attachment) in understanding EMSs variability in late adolescence. It suggests that EMSs are informed more by past relational experiences (attachment) than children’s inborn tendencies (temperament).