Cryptocurrency Loss, Post-Traumatic Stress Symptoms, and Early Maladaptive Schemas in Physicians

Özet

This study aimed to examine the relationship between post-traumatic stress symptoms following cryptocurrency loss and early maladaptive schemas in physicians. This cross-sectional study was conducted using a relational screening model and included 94 physicians across Türkiye who reported financial loss in cryptocurrency markets between 15 April and 15 July 2022. Data were collected online using a sociodemographic information form, the Young Schema Questionnaire–Short Form 3, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised. Participants with an Impact of Event Scale–Revised total score of 33 or higher were classified as having elevated IES-R symptoms, reflecting elevated event-related distress according to a screening cutoff rather than a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. Eighteen participants (19.1%) were classified into this group. While no significant differences were found in age, marital status, employment status, or investment duration, the proportion of savings allocated to crypto was higher among participants with elevated IES-R symptoms. The elevated IES-R symptom group had higher scores in Failure, Pessimism, Dependence/Enmeshment, Punitiveness, Defectiveness, and Vulnerability to Harm, and additional correlation analyses showed that the IES-R total score was positively associated with Pessimism, Punitiveness, Dependence/Enmeshment, and Failure after false discovery rate correction. However, in the exploratory logistic regression analysis, none of these variables independently predicted elevated IES-R symptom status. These findings suggest that cryptocurrency loss may represent not only a financial stressor but also a significant experience associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms and maladaptive schema patterns in physicians.