Identifying Couple Schema Profiles Through Latent Class Analysis and Their Associations With Marital Satisfaction, Trust, and Psychological Well-Being

Abstract

Background: Couples differ substantially in the ways they perceive interpersonal experiences, regulate emotions, and respond to relational stressors. These differences are often rooted in enduring cognitive-emotional schemas that influence interpersonal expectations, emotional reactions, and behavioral responses throughout intimate relationships. Although schema therapy has demonstrated considerable effectiveness in improving relationship functioning, relatively few studies have attempted to identify naturally occurring schema profiles among couples using person-centered statistical approaches. A latent class perspective may reveal clinically meaningful subgroups that cannot be identified through conventional variable-centered analyses.

Objective: The present study aims to identify distinct schema profiles among married couples using Latent Class Analysis (LCA) and to examine the associations of these profiles with marital satisfaction, interpersonal trust, and psychological well-being. The study further seeks to determine whether specific schema configurations are associated with greater relational resilience or vulnerability.

Methods: A cross-sectional analytical design was employed using standardized psychological assessments measuring early maladaptive schemas, marital satisfaction, interpersonal trust, and psychological well-being. Latent Class Analysis was selected to classify participants into homogeneous schema-based subgroups according to their multidimensional schema patterns. Model selection relied on established statistical fit indices including Akaike Information Criterion, Bayesian Information Criterion, entropy values, and likelihood-ratio tests. Differences among latent classes were subsequently examined using multivariate statistical procedures.

Results: Distinct latent schema profiles emerged, representing heterogeneous combinations of maladaptive schema dimensions rather than isolated cognitive characteristics. Couples classified within adaptive schema profiles demonstrated consistently higher marital satisfaction, stronger interpersonal trust, and superior psychological well-being compared with profiles characterized by elevated schema activation across multiple domains. Intermediate profiles displayed moderate functioning, suggesting that relationship outcomes vary continuously across schema configurations rather than according to single schema dimensions. The findings also indicate that multidimensional schema interactions provide substantially greater explanatory value than individual schema scores when predicting relationship functioning.

Conclusion: Identifying latent schema profiles offers a clinically meaningful framework for understanding heterogeneity among couples. Person-centered classification facilitates more individualized case conceptualization and may enhance treatment planning within schema therapy by allowing interventions to be tailored according to profile-specific cognitive and emotional characteristics. The integration of latent class modeling with schema theory contributes to a more comprehensive understanding of marital functioning and supports precision-oriented psychological interventions for couples.