Effectiveness of Spirituality-based Schema Therapy on Worry, Quality of Life, and Mental Well-being of Women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Gachsaran Branch. Gachsaran, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Islamic Azad University, Gachsaran Branch. Gachsaran, Iran

3 Department of Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Science, Kharazmi University, Tehran, Iran

4 PhD student in Psychology and Education of Exceptional Children, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Tehran University, Tehran, Iran

5 Department of Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Payame Noor University, Islamshahr Branch, Islamshahr, Iran

Abstract

Background: Chronic generalized anxiety disorder is challenging to manage and often presents itself with a variety of psychological and physical symptoms.
 
Objectives: This study aimed to explore how spirituality-based schema therapy impacts worry, quality of life, and mental well-being in women dealing with generalized anxiety disorder.
 
Methods: This study was carried out with a semi-experimental design, consisting of a pre-test, post-test, and a follow-up period of three months. The statistical population for this study was women with generalized anxiety disorder who referred to psychology and counseling clinics in Tehran, Iran, between July and November 2023. This study involved 26 participants who were selected through purposive sampling. The intervention group participated in ten 90-minute sessions twice a week, whereas the control group did not undergo any interventions. The used assessment tools were the World Health Organization Quality-of-Life Scale, Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales, and the State Worry Questionnaire. Statistical analysis of data was conducted using repeated measure ANOVA and MANCOVA tests in SPSS software (version 27).
 
Results: Based on the findings, self-acceptance, relationship with others, and autonomy underwent significant changes at the post-test and follow-up stages, compared to the pre-test stage (P<0.05). However, a significant contrast was noted in the psychological health component between the pre-test and the follow-up stages (P<0.001).
 
Conclusion: Based on the findings, spirituality-based schema therapy had a notable impact on the decrease of anxiety and improvement of mental well-being in women with disorders, as well as enhancement of self-acceptance, positive relationships with others, and autonomy in the short run. 

Keywords

Acknowledgments: The authors express their gratitude to the staff at psychological clinics in Tehran and the participants in the study. The research received approval from the Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, with the Ethics Code: IR.IAU.SRB.REC.1402.132. 

 

Availability of data and materials: The corresponding author can provide the information upon request either during the submission process or after the article has been published.

 

Conflicts of interests: Researchers verify that the research was conducted without any conflicts of interest related to commercial or financial matters.

 

Consent for publication: The Authors give permission to the Publisher to publish the Work by signing the Consent to Publish form and sending it to the Publisher.

 

Ethics approval and consent to participate: The research received approval from the

Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch, with the Ethics Code: IR.IAU.SRB.REC.1402.132. The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki.

 

Financial disclosure: The research project did not receive any funding from any institution.

 

Author contributions: M. H. T: Contributed to the conception of the work, revising the draft; S.A.: Approving the final version of the manuscript, M. H. T: Agreeing on all aspects of the work; F.R. B.: Contributed to the data analysis and interpretation, critical revision, and approval of the final version of the manuscript; F. N.: Contributed to acquiring data, drafting the manuscript, and approving the final version; M. H. T. and M. KH.: Contributed to the conception and design of the study, critical revision, and approval of the manuscript's final version; F. N.: Contributed to the conception and design of the study, data interpretation, drafting of the manuscript and critical revision, and approval of final version.

 

Open Access Policy: This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. To view a copy of this licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Razavi International Journal of Medicine
Volume 13, Issue 1
special issue; Psychology in Health
March 2025
Pages 100-114

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