Many eating disordered patients fail to respond to traditional cognitive behaviour therapy. As a result it has been suggested that further research needs to be completed to determine the cognitive processes and mechanisms that underpin these disorders. This research aims to empirically test Young’s Schema Mode concept (Young et al., 2003) within the eating disordered population and determine the relationship between schema modes and early maladaptive schemata, experience of invalidation of emotion during childhood and symptoms of anxiety and depression. In total 15 patients from an outpatient eating disorders service and 28 non patient controls completed the Schema Mode Inventory, The Young Schema Questionnaire, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, The Invalidating Childhood Environment Scale, and measures of eating disordered pathology. Non parametric analyses were completed to determine the differences between the two groups. The relationship between all measures was determined using correlation analyses. The eating disordered group were significantly more dysfunctional than the control group across all schema modes and early maladaptive schemata. Both groups did not display uniformity in their dysfunctional schema modes. The eating disordered group had raised scores in the detached self soother, the compliant surrender and the vulnerable child mode, whereas the control group had lower scores in the detached protector and the vulnerable child modes. The measure if eating pathology was not associated with the total score on any questionnaire measure. This research indicates that the schema mode concept may be a useful addition to the schema model of eating disorders.

According to the CDC, young people, aged 15-24 years, share the greatest risk of new sexually transmitted diseases (STD) and the negative impact of alcohol and drug use. The purpose of this quantitative study, based on the theory of social-psychological problem-behavior, was to analyze the 2013 YRBSS secondary data and document if a relationship existed between race/ethnicity and youth sexual behavior, alcohol consumption, and drug use for the 13,583 survey participants. A Kolmogorov-Smirnov test and Chi-Square were conducted to answer the research questions. Results indicated that American Indian/Alaskan Natives were most likely to report first sexual activity before 11 years old (7.5%), while Asians were most likely to report never having sex (76.6%). Race/ethnicity also impacted all other variables, such as drugs, with a mixture of results. Hispanic/Latinos were most likely to report higher alcohol consumption (15.12%) compared to Multiple Hispanic (5.12%), while, Multiple Non-Hispanic were more likely to report use of drugs before sexual activity (9.7%) compared to Hispanic Latinos (7.99%). Social change implication of the study called for developed and effective sustainable interventions to help youth with behavior, and it required full integration of race/ethnicity as prerequisites in alleviation strategy. Dissemination plans involved use of public health campaigns, school workshops, and churches to fight the negative impact on youth.