Schema therapy

<span>Cognitive models of depression propose that negative schemas and Early Maladaptive Schema contribute to depressive symptoms<span lang="FA" dir="RTL">.</span> The purpose of this study is to identify the early maladaptive Schema of patients with depression disorder. The method of study is descriptive. Research statistics involves all patients with depression disorder who have come to the counseling centers of Tehran and Hamadan. The method of sample choosing is stratified sampling.  This study was conducted among 120 patients with depression disorder.  Instruments in this study were included Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Short Form of Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). The analysis of the results showed high correlation between early maladaptive schema and symptoms of depression disorder (P < 0.05).</span><span>Regression analysis showed that early maladaptive schema of social isolation/alienation, enmeshment/undeveloped self andemotional inhibitionwere independent predictors of depression disorder.  The results of the present study indicate that identifying schema of depression in patients can help them understand the predisposing factors of their problem.</span>

Purpose: Considering the importance of cancer in human societies and its negative effects on human body and psyche, the aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Schema Therapy on resiliency of breast cancer patients in East Tehran Medical Centers. Methodology: This study is a pilot study with single stage cluster sampling method. We selected 150 patients with breast cancer in East of Tehran. The Connor-Davidson Resiliency Questionnaire was presented. Forty-five subjects were randomly selected and divided into three groups of 15, consisting of two interventions and one control group, 12 sessions of group schema therapy and 12 sessions of acceptance-based therapy, each session lasting 90 minutes. Each intervention was performed twice a week for 3 days. At the end of treatment all three groups were tested. Findings: The finding showed that there is a significant difference between the experimental group under the influence of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Schema Therapy in post-test resiliency. F (1.41) = 530/35. Conclusion: The results showed that schema therapy is more effective on resiliency than, Commitment-Based and Acceptance.

The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy on depression and relapse in heroin-dependent men. Method: This research was a semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group. To perform this research among people who referedto Tehran addiction treatment clinic in October to February 2017, 40 referees were selected and randomly assigned to experimental (20) and control groups (20). In this study, the experimental group received the Yang Scheme Program for 10 sessions of 90 minutes, while the control group was on the waiting list for the treatment. Participants completed a Beck Depression Inventory and a urine test to measure the substance in the pre-test and post-test phases. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that in the post-test stage, schema therapy could significantly reduce depression and relapse rate in heroin- dependent men compared to control group. Conclusion: Schema therapy as a leading method in the field of cognitive-behavioral therapy has therapeutic benefits for heroin addicts and is effective in reducing the relaps problem.

his study sets out to examine a comparison of the effectiveness of couple therapy, based on schema therapy and affective reconstruction therapy on marital relationship quality of infertile couples. This quasi-experimental study was conducted based on a pre-test, post-test, control group design with follow-up. The statistical population of this study included all infertile couples referred to the Royan Institute for Biotechnology in Tehran in 2018-2019. The sample consisted of 30 couples who were selected via a purposeful sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (n=5 couples in each group). Subsequently, the first experimental group underwent schema therapy(Young, & Brown, 2005) for 12 sessions, the second experimental group received affective reconstruction therapy (Snyder, & Mitchell, 2008) during 15 sixty-minute sessions(twice a week), while the control group was placed on the waiting list and received their psychological treatment process differently from the two approaches studied in this study. The Marital Relationship Quality was conducted on three groups in all phases of pre-testing and post-testing and follow-up. A multivariate covariance analysis and a one-way covariance analysis were conducted using SPSS24 software. As evidenced by the obtained results, schema therapy and affective reconstruction therapy had a significant effect on the marital relationship quality of infertile couples (P<0.05). According to the obtained results, it seems that the use of both schema therapy and affective reconstruction therapy to improve marital relationship quality of infertile couples is effective and it is recommended to be used as a therapeutic approach.

Aim : The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of schema therapy in experiential avoidance and anxiety sensitivity of students with academic procrastination at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences. Methods : It was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included students with academic procrastination studying at Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences in the academic year 2021-2022. The first sample of the research consisted of 500 students who were selected by the multi-stage cluster sampling method. These people answered the academic procrastination questionnaire of Solomon and Roth Bloom (1984), and 152 of them who got  at least one score higher than the standard deviation score were separated from Among them, 42 people who met the criteria for entering the research were selected and placed in two groups of 21 people (experimental and control group). The experimental group received schema therapy; however, the control group did not receive any intervention. Other tools of this research include. Reiss et al. (1986) Anxiety Sensitivity questionnaire, and Gamez et al.’s (1988) Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance questionnaire. the research hypotheses were tested through multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) through SPSS software (version 25). Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and the control groups in the post-test phase in terms of experiential avoidance (p <0.0001, F = 42.81) and anxiety sensitivity (p <0.037, F = 4.67). This difference was also observed in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Therefore, according to the findings of this study, schema therapy can be used to reduce experiential avoidance and the anxiety sensitivity of students with academic procrastination. 

Objective: Divorce is one of the stressful experiences of the family that can lead to conflict and incompatibility between couples. The aim of this research was to Comparing the effectiveness of acceptance, commitment therapy and schema therapy on alexithymia of divorced women referring to welfare.Methods: The method of this research was semi-experimental with a pre- post-test design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all women who referred to welfare organization of Tabriz in the second half of 2022-2023, from which 60 people were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (20 people in each group). Before and after acceptance and commitment therapy and schema therapy interventions, questionnaire Toronto alexithymia (TAS-20) by Taylor et al. (1997) were used to collect data, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) test was used for hypothese analysis.Results: The results of the analysis of covariance showed that the significance level in all comparisons was less than 0.05, except for the difficulty in identifying emotions, that both interventions were effective on the variable of alexithymia and its two components (p<0.05).Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, there was a difference between the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and schema therapy in all dependent variable components, except difficulty identifying emotions, and the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy was more than schema therapy.

Aim: the aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of schema therapy on modifying the attitude towards marriage of girls who were victims of sexual abuse.Method: In this research, a. Quasi- experimental single-case study design was used. As of 2020/9/12, the statistical population included all Girls who experienced sexual abuse in childhood in Tehran. Three participants were selected through purposive sampling and participated in the individual counseling schema therapy sessions lasting 16 sessions of 60 minutes each. The participants completed the pretreatment (3 baseline) Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (Young, 1998) and Marrital Attitude Scale (Braaten and Rosén, 1998). Also, at the beginning of the fifth, ninth, and thirteenth sessions, as well as at the end of the sixteenth session and the follow-up periods of three weeks, six weeks, and nine weeks, they completed the questionnaire. SPSS 25 software was used for data analysis, descriptive and inferential statistics (effect size) were used to determine significance. The analysis of data was done using visual analysis charts, Statistical significance, and clinical significance (P ≤ 0.05).Results: The findings, showed that schema therapy was effective in reducing the intensity of initial maladaptive schemas and modifying the attitude towards marriage of victims of sexual abuse.Conclusion: Considering the application of schema therapy in reducing the intensity of initial maladaptive schemas and modifying the attitude towards marriage of victims of sexual abuse, the present approach can be used as a therapeutic program to help people who have been sexually abused, especially children.

Persistent depressive disorder is a psychopathological entity with suicidal risk. This study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of emotional schema therapy (EST) and Schema Therapy (ST) on suicidal thoughts in patients with persistent depressive disorder (dysthymia). The present study was a type of quasi-experimental design with pre-test-post-test- multi-group follow-up. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all patients with permanent depression disorder (dysthymia) who were referred to the Shiraz County Psychological Counseling and Psychological Services Centers in 2017-2018. The sample consisted of 60 patients who were selected by a purposive sampling method and randomly assigned to two experimental groups based on emotional schema therapy (n = 20), a schema therapy group (n = 20), and a control group (n = 20). The therapies took eight sessions in 90 minutes, three days a week for three months. Additionally, the control group was provided with treatments as usual and did not receive any interventions. After finishing treatment sessions, the post-test was completed by three groups. In the present study, processing suicidal thoughts, a questionnaire was used. The research data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance using SPSS.21. The results showed that schema therapy reduced the suicidal thoughts in patients with persistent depressive disorder in the schema therapy group compared with the emotional schema therapy and control groups (p <0.001). Based on the research results, emotional schema therapy and schema therapy can be used as effective methods to reduce suicidal thoughts, but schema therapy was more effective.

 Objective: Studies have shown that neuroticism is one of the personality traits associated with negative psychological consequences. This research was conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness of schema therapy on reducing neuroticism.Methods: The current research is a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The research population was the patients referred to Shariati Hospital in Tehran in 2021, and 22 of them who had obtained a high score in the neuroticism subscale were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly assigned into two experimental (n = 11) and control (n = 11) groups. Both groups completed the neuroticism subscale of the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-3 (NEO-FFI-3) in the pre-test and post-test phases. The experimental group was subjected to the schema therapy for 10 weekly sessions, but no intervention was performed on the experimental group during this period. The analysis of the collected data was done with analysis of covariance and SPSS-18 software.Results: The obtained findings showed that schema therapy was able to significantly reduce the level of neuroticism in the experimental group compared to the control group (P < 0.001).Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that schema therapy is effective in reducing neuroticism and can be used in treatment centers in this regard.

The present research was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of reality therapy and schema therapy on the perfectionism of working women. The materials and methods of this research are Quasi-experiment with a pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population consists of working women based in Shiraz. First, a number of 150 working women completed Hill et al.'s perfectionism inventory (2004), then 45 individuals who had the higher scores compared to the rest, were selected and randomly placed in three groups of 15, including two experimental groups and one control group; and then the first experimental group was exposed to 8 sessions of reality therapy and the second experimental group was exposed to 8 sessions of schema therapy and the control group did not receive any intervention. The information obtained from covariance analysis was analyzed with the SPSS software. The findings obtained from the covariance analysis showed that both methods led to a significant reduction in the perfectionism of the participants of the experimental groups. Among the two types of therapy, schema therapy had a greater effect in reducing perfectionism; but there was no significant difference between the two methods in reducing perfectionism. Based on the results, both reality therapy and schema therapy can be used to reduce the perfectionism of working women.

Objective: The present research aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and a mindfulness-based stress reduction program on sexual satisfaction among married individuals. Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a one-month follow-up and included a control group. The study population consisted of all married individuals with marital issues who visited the Khodbidari Psychological Center in the first half of 2019, totaling approximately 180 individuals. From this group, 45 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 15. The experimental groups underwent 8 sessions of 90-minute schema therapy by Young et al. (2003) and the mindfulness-based stress reduction program by Kabat-Zinn (2003), while no intervention was performed for the control group. The data collection tool was the Sexual Satisfaction Scale (Larson et al., 1998). The data were analyzed using SPSS software version 21 and repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: The results indicated that there was a significant difference in sexual satisfaction scores among the groups (p = 0.001, F = 21.58), and both schema therapy and the mindfulness-based stress reduction program increased sexual satisfaction among married individuals. Furthermore, there was no significant difference between the two groups in this regard (p < 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, both schema therapy and the mindfulness-based stress reduction program can be used to improve sexual satisfaction in married individuals.

Objective: Marital conflict is one of the serious problems in couples' interactions, which is considered as the cause of marital infidelity or divorce in many cases. This research was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of schema therapy and emotion focused therapy on the attitude towards marital infidelity of people with marital conflict. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with two experimental groups and a control group along with a follow-up test period. From the statistical population of women referring to the clinics of the 1st district of Tehran, 45 people were selected using the available method and replaced in three groups using a random method. Whatley's marital infidelity questionnaire (2006) was used. First, the pre-test of the attitude towards extrapolation was implemented for all three groups, then schema therapy (Yang, 2003) and emotion focused therapy (Greenberg, 2004) were implemented for the experimental groups, but no intervention was applied for the control group; Finally, the post-test and the follow-up test were performed for all three groups. Findings: The results of the repeated measurement test showed that both schema therapy and emotion focused groups are effective in reducing attitudes towards marital infidelity (f=8.447 and p=0.001). Bonferroni's post hoc test showed that there is no significant difference in the effectiveness of the two schema therapy and emotion focused approaches. Conclusion: To improve the attitude towards marital infidelity of people with marital conflict, it is suggested to use both schema therapy and emotion focused interventions.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the efficacy of a specialized package for women with body dysmorphic disorder and schema therapy on perfectionism and maladaptive schemas in women afflicted with body dysmorphic disorder. Methods: The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases involving two experimental groups and one control group, conducted among women with body dysmorphic disorder visiting psychological centers in Isfahan in the first half of 2022. For this purpose, 45 women were selected by convenience and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The first experimental group received the specialized package for women with body dysmorphic disorder (researcher-designed), and the second experimental group underwent schema therapy according to the protocol of Young and colleagues (2023) over ten 90-minute sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Participants completed the Perfectionism Questionnaire (1995) and Young's Schema Questionnaire (1998) at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS software. Findings: There were significant differences between the groups receiving the specialized package and schema therapy and the control group in terms of negative perfectionism and rejection schemas (p < .01). Additionally, there were differences between the group receiving the specialized package and the schema therapy group in terms of positive perfectionism, autonomy schemas, impaired performance, and impaired limits (p < .01), such that the specialized package had an effect on positive perfectionism, and schema therapy had an impact on autonomy schemas, impaired performance, and impaired limits (p < .05). Moreover, neither treatment had an effect on schemas of other-directedness and hypervigilance. Conclusion: Specialists are recommended to utilize both interventions to improve women with body dysmorphic disorder in terms of reducing negative perfectionism and rejection schemas, to use the specialized package for enhancing positive perfectionism, and to employ schema therapy for reducing autonomy schemas and impaired functioning and limits.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and schema therapy on psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all women dealing with the issue of marital infidelity of their spouses who referred to counseling centers in Tehran in 2022 and expressed their readiness to participate in the treatment program in response to the researcher's call. From this population, 45 subjects were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three equal groups of 15 (two experimental groups and one control group). The Psychological Capital Questionnaire by Luthans et al. (2007) was used to collect data. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) tests. Findings: The results indicated that both schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions produced a significant difference in psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity at the post-test and follow-up stages compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy had a greater impact on psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity compared to schema therapy.

Objective: The Healthy Adult mode is one of the primary modes in schema therapy, reflecting maturity, mental health, and good judgment. The present study aimed to qualitatively investigate the psychological empowerment of women with a Healthy Adult mode. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using a phenomenological approach. Participants included women aged 20-40 from Isfahan Province in 2023, selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria. Data were examined using semi-structured, in-depth interviews. Data saturation was achieved with 20 interviews. Data were analyzed using Colaizzi's seven-step method. Findings: After interviewing women with a Healthy Adult mode and analyzing the data, 80 initial codes, 8 sub-themes, and 2 main themes were extracted. Coping and self-awareness were classified under the main themes, and self-compassion, self-regulation, problem-solving ability, mindfulness, developed social relationships, assertiveness, self-awareness, and the concept of a "good enough" parent were classified under the sub-themes. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that Iranian women with a Healthy Adult mode have developed components of psychological empowerment. Ultimately, it is suggested that counseling centers and organizations use practical services based on the findings of this research to enhance the psychological empowerment and promote the adult state of personality in women.

Objective: The present study was conducted with the aim of examining the effectiveness of schema therapy on anger management and rumination in married women with high marital dissatisfaction. Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a pretest-posttest control group with baseline assessment, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up measurements. A total of 30 married women with high marital dissatisfaction, who attended couples therapy clinics in the western part of Tehran between April and July 2022, were selected based on inclusion criteria and their willingness to participate in the research (with written informed consent obtained). These participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (schema therapy; n=15) or the control group (n=15) using random allocation. All participants completed the Anger Control Scale and Rumination Questionnaire at three stages of measurement. The therapy sessions were conducted in a group format over eight sessions, each lasting 1 to 1.5 hours, according to the schema therapy protocol. The hypotheses regarding the effectiveness of the intervention were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). Findings: The results of this study indicated that there was no significant difference in the mean variables of anger management and rumination between the two groups at the pretest stage, suggesting the homogeneity of the research groups at this stage. However, there were significant differences between the two groups at the posttest and follow-up stages, indicating the effectiveness of the intervention on the mentioned variables and the persistence of its effects at the follow-up stage. A comparison between the experimental and control groups also revealed significant differences in the components of anger management and rumination. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that the aforementioned therapy can be utilized as a psychological intervention to improve anger management and rumination in married women with high marital dissatisfaction.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and compassion-focused therapy on components of loving, emotional empathy, marital values, coping skills, and willingness to marry among single women with a fear of marriage. Methods and Materials: This experimental study used a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with four groups (three experimental groups and one control group). The statistical population included all girls with pre-marital fears in the city of Semirom. From this population, 60 participants were selected using convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and were assigned to four non-randomized groups. The control group was placed on a waiting list, while the three experimental groups received schema therapy-based interventions (Fadavi Nia & Khayyatan, 2021), cognitive-behavioral therapy (Mohammadpour et al., 2015), and compassion-focused therapy (Pirjavid et al., 2021) over eight 90-minute sessions. All participants responded to the Coping Skills Questionnaire (Billings & Moos, 1981) in three phases. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics. Findings: The results showed that all three methods effectively improved the two dimensions of avoidance-oriented and problem-focused coping. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be concluded that these three methods are suitable for improving psychological constructs, with schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy being more effective in enhancing the dimensions of coping mechanisms. Counselors and psychotherapists can use the techniques and strategies from these methods to improve these dimensions.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of schema therapy on reducing sexual aversion and enhancing sexual self-efficacy. Methods: The research utilized a semi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. Thirty couples experiencing sexual aversion and low sexual self-efficacy were selected from counseling centers in Karaj, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to either a schema therapy group (n=15) or a control group (n=15). The schema therapy group received 8 to 10 sessions of intervention. Two standardized questionnaires, the Sexual Self-Efficacy Questionnaire and the Sexual Aversion Inventory, were used to measure outcomes. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA), and follow-up tests were conducted to assess the stability of the intervention effects over time. Findings: The findings revealed that schema therapy significantly improved sexual self-efficacy and reduced sexual aversion in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < .01). These improvements were sustained during the follow-up phase, with no significant decline in outcomes. The post-test and follow-up results demonstrated that schema therapy had a lasting positive impact on participants’ sexual health. The control group, in contrast, showed no significant changes across the measurement phases. Conclusion: Schema therapy was found to be an effective intervention for reducing sexual aversion and increasing sexual self-efficacy. The sustained improvements suggest that schema therapy offers long-term benefits for individuals struggling with these sexual issues. This study highlights the importance of addressing early maladaptive schemas to improve sexual health and relationship satisfaction.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Emotional Schema Therapy (EST) in improving relationship quality and conflict resolution styles among betrayed spouses. Methods: This study was conducted as a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with 30 participants from Tehran, Iran, who were recruited through counseling centers and online advertisements. Participants were randomly assigned to either the experimental group (15 participants), which received eight weekly 90-minute EST sessions, or the control group (15 participants), which did not receive any therapeutic intervention during the study period. Data were collected at three time points: pre-test, post-test, and five-month follow-up, using standardized measures of relationship quality and conflict resolution styles. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests were used to analyze the data using SPSS version 27. Findings: The results indicated significant improvements in both relationship quality and conflict resolution styles in the experimental group compared to the control group. For relationship quality, repeated measures ANOVA revealed a significant interaction effect between time and group (F(2, 54) = 82.46, p < .001). Similarly, for conflict resolution styles, a significant interaction effect was observed (F(2, 54) = 76.92, p < .001). Bonferroni post-hoc tests showed that these improvements were sustained at the five-month follow-up. Conclusion: Emotional Schema Therapy is an effective intervention for enhancing relationship quality and conflict resolution styles in betrayed spouses. By targeting maladaptive schemas and promoting emotional regulation, EST provides a comprehensive framework for addressing relational challenges following infidelity. These findings support the integration of EST into marital therapy practices.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and schema therapy on psychological well-being and sense of coherence among infertile women. Methods and Materials: A quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest-follow-up design with a control group was used. Thirty infertile women referring to Saarem Hospital in Tehran during the first half of 2024 were randomly assigned to three groups: CFT (n=10), schema therapy (n=10), and waitlist control (n=10). The CFT group received eight sessions, and the schema therapy group received ten sessions. Psychological well-being was assessed using the 18-item Ryff Psychological Well-Being Scale, and sense of coherence was measured with the Flensborg et al. (2006) Sense of Coherence Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and Bonferroni post-hoc tests. Findings: MANCOVA results showed significant differences between groups on both psychological well-being and sense of coherence at posttest (Wilks’ Lambda = .350, F(4,54)=18.76, p<.001). Univariate tests indicated significant group effects on psychological well-being (F(2,27)=18.45, p<.001) and sense of coherence (F(2,27)=22.13, p<.001). Post-hoc analyses revealed that CFT significantly improved psychological well-being compared to schema therapy and control at posttest (p<.05), while schema therapy led to greater improvements in sense of coherence compared to CFT and control (p<.05). Both interventions maintained their effects at the one-month follow-up. Conclusion: The findings suggest that compassion-focused therapy is more effective in enhancing psychological well-being, whereas schema therapy is more effective in strengthening sense of coherence among infertile women. Both interventions showed sustained benefits over time, highlighting the importance of incorporating structured psychological treatments into infertility care to promote adaptive functioning and resilience.