Unraveling Online Mental Health Through the Lens of Early Maladaptive Schemas: AI-Enabled Content Analysis of Online Mental Health Communities.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) are pervasive, self-defeating patterns of thoughts and emotions underlying most mental health problems and are central in schema therapy. However, the characteristics of EMSs vary across demographics, and despite the growing use of online mental health communities (OMHCs), how EMSs manifest in these online support-seeking environments remains unclear. Understanding these characteristics could inform the design of more effective interventions powered by artificial intelligence to address online support seekers' unique therapeutic needs.

Objective

We aimed to uncover associations between EMSs and mental health problems within OMHCs and examine features of EMSs as they are reflected in OMHCs.

Methods

We curated a dataset of 29,

SUBMITTER: Ang BH 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11845891 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature