Abstract

This study aimed to determine the moderating role of media use in the relationship between parenting styles and early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) among children aged 8-11 years. The research is quantitative. In this study, a sample of 208 children was recruited, which 151 parents of these children have also participated in this study. The data collection method used in this study was convenient sampling. The measurements were used in this study includes the parenting styles (permissive, authoritative, and authoritarian), Dusseldorf Illustrated Schema Questionnaire for Children (DISC), and media usage (TV, Internet, and computer games). The findings of this study indicate that media usage as a moderating factor between parenting styles and maladaptive schemas of children was not significant. However, the relationship between the three parenting styles with subjugation and emotional deprivation was significant. Also, the findings showed a significant relationship between the authoritarian parenting style and social isolation schema. Moreover, all three forms of media usage together (TV, internet and computer games) showed a
significant predictive relationship with eighteen schemas; however, only the hours-per-day usage of TV showed a significant predictive relationship with four schemas of mistrust/abuse; failure; vulnerability to harm or illness and entitlement. The discussion and implications of the findings are discussed.

Keywords: Parenting styles, Early maladaptive schemes, Schemas therapy, Media, Mediation testing, Quantitative study