Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas and Alexithymia in the Relationship Between Perceived Parenting Styles in Moroccan Psychoactive Substance Users

Context: Many studies have reported that inadequate parental styles can contribute to alexithymic symptoms through maladaptive dysfunctional cognitive styles. Aims: To investigate the relationship of dysfunctional schemas and recalled parenting attitudes with alexithymia and other symptomatology, as well as to evaluate the effect of early maladaptive schema (EMS) and alexithymia such as moderators and mediators in the relationship between the perceived parenting styles (PS) among patients with substance use disorders (SUDs). Methods: The study sample consists of 451 Psychoactive Substance (PAS) users, aged between 13 and 67 years of age. The data collection took place in the addictology center of Rabat, Morocco. The Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form, the Young Parenting Inventory, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Columbia-Suicide Severity Rating Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale were used. Descriptive statistics tests and hierarchical multiple regression were executed. Results: First, the sample was classified into two groups as “alexithymic” (n = 330) and “nonalexithymic” (n = 121) according to the scores obtained from TAS. The analysis showed that the alexithymic group perceived both their attitudes of mother and father negatively, possess more severe EMSs, and women face more difficulties in the emotion regulation, experienced greater EMS than the men group, and the association between parenting and alexithymia was moderated by EMS. On the contrary, the results supported meditational models in which PS are associated with the cognitive schemas, and these, in turn, are related to alexithymia. Conclusions: Correlations between childhood experiences and alexithymia in adulthood are mediated by dysfunctional schemas.