Effectiveness of group schema therapy on early maladaptive schemas modification and reduce of social anxiety disorder symptoms

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of group schema therapy on the modified early maladaptive schemas and reduction of social anxiety disorder symptoms in students. This was an experimental research, and a pre-test, post-test and control group design was applied. The statistical population of this study included male students in Isfahan University with social anxiety disorder symptoms in the academic year 1392-93. The sample of the study included 20 male students among the male students in Isfahan University identified by the scales of Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) through simple random sampling. Then, they were assigned to two groups of control and experimental (n1=n2=10), and assessed with early maladaptive schemas scale and Social Phobia Inventory. The Experimental group received group schema therapy training for 2 months (8 sessions of 90 minutes) while the control group received no training at all. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that group schema therapy in reducing symptoms of social anxiety and fear of negative evaluation and avoidance is effective, but no significant effect on symptoms of physiologically distress. In addition, the results showed that schema therapy were significantly improved early maladaptive schemas in all except two schemas abandonment / instability and subjugation (p< 0/05). Schema therapy can be used as an effective intervention for early maladaptive schemas modification and reduction of social anxiety disorder symptoms