Objectives: The goal of this study was to investigate the characteristics of early maladaptive schemas and associated neurocognitive functions in visitors for military designation process.
Method: This retrospective study included 41 males who visited a university hospital for military designation process (VMD), 21 males with obsessive-compulsive disorder as active control group, and 49 males as normal control group. We collected the results of the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form 3 (YSQ-S3), Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), three neurocognitive tests such as Korean Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-IV (K-WAIS-IV), Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), and Stroop test as well as their demographic and clinical data. We analyzed the differences in early maladaptive schemas between three groups, and the relationships between identified early maladaptive schemas and neurocognitive performances within the visitors for military designation process.
Results: Compared with active and normal controls, VMD group showed significantly higher scores in mistrust/abuse (F=6.4, p=0.002), vulnerability to harm or illness (F=6.6, p=<.0001) and negativity/pessimism schema (F=7.3, p=<.0001). These three schemas also exhibited significant negative correlations with the score of Stoop test (mistrust/abuse r=-0.43, P=0.021; vulnerability to harm or illness r=-0.39, P=0.039; negativity/pessimism r=-0.40, P=0.031). However, there was no significant difference in early maladaptive schemas between three subgroups of VMD according to reasons for psychiatric evaluation.
Conclusions: These findings suggest that people who have difficulties in military life have psychological vulnerabilities related to certain early maladaptive schemas and that these schemas are related to poor performances on cognitive flexibility and selective attention. Theses schemas need to be identified to be able to predict actual military incompatibility, and clinicians need to be familiar with handling these characteristic schemas in individuals who are in the process of military designation process.