The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Health Anxiety, Attitude toward Life, and Family Processes in Women with Symptoms of Social Anxiety Referred to Psychiatric and Psychological Centers in Yazd

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy on health anxiety, attitude toward life, and family processes in women with symptoms of social anxiety referred to psychiatric and psychological centers in Yazd. This applied study used a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included women aged 25 to 40 years who referred to psychiatric and psychological centers in Yazd and showed symptoms of social anxiety during the first three months of 2023. Thirty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received schema therapy in ten 90-minute sessions, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Health Anxiety Inventory, the Life Regard Index, the Family Process Scale, and the Social Anxiety Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 22 through multivariate analysis of covariance and univariate analysis of covariance. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that, after controlling for pretest scores, there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in health anxiety, attitude toward life, and family processes. The group effect was significant for health anxiety (F=10.379, p=0.003), attitude toward life (F=7.625, p=0.011), and family processes (F=9.845, p=0.004). The results of univariate covariance analyses also indicated that schema therapy significantly reduced health anxiety and significantly increased attitude toward life and family processes in the experimental group compared with the control group. The effect sizes for health anxiety, attitude toward life, and family processes were 0.610, 0.592, and 0.604, respectively. The findings indicate that schema therapy can be considered an effective intervention for reducing health anxiety and improving attitude toward life and family processes in women with symptoms of social anxiety. By targeting early maladaptive schemas, dysfunctional coping styles, and unhealthy emotional and interpersonal patterns, schema therapy appears to have substantial potential for enhancing psychological and family functioning in this population.