Applied Psychology

Applied Psychology

The Role of Childhood Emotional Maltreatment and Emotional Schemas in Attention Bias Toward Attachment-Related Images

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Saloomeh Ghasemi Monsef 1
Masoumeh Azmoudeh 2
Javad Mesrabadi 3
Marzieh Alivandi Vafa 2
1 Ph.D Student, Department of Psychology, Ta.C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Ta.C., Islamic Azad University, Tabriz, Iran.
3 Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University, Tabriz, Iran.
10.48308/apsy.2026.243756.1983
Abstract
Aim: The present study aimed to examine the predictive roles of childhood emotional maltreatment and emotional schemas in attention bias toward attachment-related images.

Method: This study employed a descriptive–correlational design. The statistical population consisted of students from universities in Tehran during the 2022–2023 academic year, from whom 228 participants (174 women and 54 men) were selected through convenience sampling. The mean age of the participants was 21.19 years. Participants completed the Life Experiences Questionnaire (LEQ; 2001), Leahy’s Emotional Schemas Scale (ESS; 2002), and the Visual Search Task (VST; 2001). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficients and stepwise multiple regression analysis.

Results: The findings indicated a significant negative association between dimensions of childhood emotional maltreatment (emotional neglect and emotional abuse) and the total score of emotional schemas with attention bias. Regression analysis revealed that emotional neglect and emotional abuse jointly accounted for 15% of the variance in attention bias (attentional avoidance). Furthermore, among the emotional schema dimensions, only the rationality subscale significantly predicted attention bias, explaining 13% of its variance.

Conclusion: The results suggest that emotionally traumatic childhood experiences and maladaptive beliefs about emotions—particularly an overemphasis on rationality—contribute to automatic attentional avoidance of attachment-related stimuli in adulthood. These findings highlight the role of implicit cognitive mechanisms in the maintenance of attachment patterns and have important implications for the development of therapeutic interventions aimed at modifying attentional biases.
Keywords
Attention Bias
Emotional Schemas
Emotional Maltreatment
Attachment
Implicit Processing
Subjects
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