A Comparative Study of the Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy and Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy on the Maladaptive Schemas of Couples

The context and aim of marital relationships can always become affected by problems for various reasons. In different studies, various factors have been identified for the emergence of these problems, among which the cognitive and emotional functions affecting the framework of couples’ communication are among the most important. The purpose of the present study was to compare the group effectiveness of Schema Therapy and emotion-focused couples therapy on the maladaptive schemas of couples in Mashhad city. The method and materials of the present research were semi-experimental, with a pretest, posttest, and follow-up design including a control group. The statistical population consisted of clients referred to counseling centers in Mashhad in the year 1396 (2017/2018). A total of 24 couples were selected using purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups, with eight couples in each group. The instrument used in this study was Young’s Schema Questionnaire, which was administered in three sessions: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. For one of the two experimental groups, an emotion-focused couples therapy intervention was conducted, and for the other group, schema therapy was conducted. Members of the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and SPSS-21 software. The findings showed that in the emotion-focused couples therapy group, the mean (standard deviation) of maladaptive schemas decreased from (16.9) 140.2 in the pretest to (8.6) 101.6 in the posttest and (8.3) 99.8 in the follow-up stage (P>0.001). In the schema therapy group, the mean (standard deviation) of maladaptive schemas decreased from (17.1) 137.5 in the pretest to (7.5) 95.0 in the posttest and (7.9) 94.2 in the follow-up stage (P>0.001). The effectiveness of schema therapy in reducing maladaptive schemas was greater than that of emotion-focused couples therapy (P>0.05). Conclusion: The study showed that both schema therapy and emotion-focused couples therapy interventions led to a reduction in couples’ maladaptive schemas, but the effectiveness of schema therapy was greater than that of emotion-focused couples therapy.