This study examined relationships between Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMS), emotion regulation, coping styles, and psoriasis outcomes in Istanbul, Turkey. Participants included 100 psoriasis patients (ages 25-45) and 107 healthy controls. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling. Psoriasis patients scored significantly higher on six schemas: Emotional Deprivation, Approval Seeking, Pessimism, Self-Sacrifice, Punitiveness, and Unrelenting Standards (Cohen's d = 0.42-0.89). They also demonstrated greater emotion regulation difficulties and reduced adaptive coping. Mediation analyses revealed that maladaptive emotion-focused coping fully mediated relationships between EMS and quality of life deterioration (β = .11, 95% CI (.04, .19]) and psoriasis severity (β = .08, 95% CI [.02, .15]). Pessimism and Punitiveness schemas, impulse control difficulties, and maladaptive emotion-focused coping predicted general psychological symptom severity (measured by validated scales) (R2 = .46). Findings suggest maladaptive emotion-focused coping as a key mechanism linking schemas to psoriasis outcomes, supporting integrated dermatological and psychological interventions.
Keywords: coping with stress; early maladaptive schemas; emotion regulation difficulties; functional impairment; psoriasis; quality of life.