The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Psychological Distress and Emotional Regulation in Individuals with Borderline Personality Disorder
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61838/kman.pdmd.3.1.13Keywords:
Psychological Distress, Emotion Regulation, Schema Therapy, Borderline Personality DisorderAbstract
Background and Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on psychological distress and emotional regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder in Tehran in 2023.
Methods and Materials: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all individuals with borderline personality disorder who referred to counseling centers in Tehran. From this population, 30 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental group (15 individuals) and the control group (15 individuals). The experimental group received schema therapy training in 12 sessions of 60 minutes each, while the control group remained on a waiting list. The instruments used in the present study included the Borderline Personality Questionnaire (Claridge & Broks, 1984), Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler, 2002), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006). Data analysis was conducted in two sections: descriptive and inferential (covariance analysis).
Findings: The results showed that schema therapy training impacted the psychological distress components (anxiety, depression, and stress) in individuals with borderline personality disorder. Furthermore, the results indicated that schema therapy reduced negative emotion regulation and increased positive emotion regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder.
Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, schema therapy can be suggested as an effective method to improve psychological distress and emotional regulation in individuals with borderline personality disorder.
Downloads
References
Abeloff, M., Armitage, J., Niederhuber, J., Kastan, M., & McKenna, W. (2004). Review of clinical oncology. Churchill
Livingstone. https://www.redjournal.org/article/S0360-3016(04)02973-6/abstract
Afsar, M., Hassani, F., Farzad, V., & Golshani, F. (2023). Comparison of the Effectiveness of Emotionally-Focused Therapy
(EFT) and Mindfulness-Based Schema Therapy (MBST) on Emotion Regulation in Women with Borderline Personality
Disorder (BPD). Applied Family Therapy Journal (AFTJ), 2(1), 262-276.
https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/aftj/article/view/433
American Psychiatric Association, A. (2022). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-5-TR. Washington,
DC: American psychiatric association. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.books.9780890425787
Arntz, A., Jacob, G. A., Lee, C. W., Brand-de Wilde, O. M., Fassbinder, E., Harper, R. P., Lavender, A., Lockwood, G.,
Malogiannis, I. A., Ruths, F. A., Schweiger, U., Shaw, I. A., Zarbock, G., & Farrell, J. M. (2022). Effectiveness of
Predominantly Group Schema Therapy and Combined Individual and Group Schema Therapy for Borderline Personality
Disorder: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(4), 287-299.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0010
Baz, A. (2019). A comparative examinataion of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and symptom dimensions
in patient with obsessive compulsive disorder, uneffected siblings of patients and healthy controls. Klinik Psikofarmakoloji
Bulteni, 29, 38-38. https://search.proquest.com/openview/826a04cdd41ac9267b3b29a4a567f320/1.pdf?pq-
origsite=gscholar&cbl=28708
Bidari, F., & Haji Alizadeh, K. (2019). Effectiveness of schema therapy on cognitive strategies of emotion, distress bearing
and alexithymia in the patients suffering from borderline personality disorder. Journal of Psychological Studies, 15(2),
165-180. https://doi.org/10.22051/psy.2019.19858.1626
Edwards, D. J., & Pinna, T. (2020). A Systematic Review of Associations Between Interoception, Vagal Tone, and Emotional
Regulation: Potential Applications for Mental Health, Wellbeing, Psychological Flexibility, and Chronic Conditions
[Systematic Review]. Frontiers in psychology, 11. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01792
Elahi, T. (2019). The relationship between early maladaptive schemas and illness anxiety: The mediating role of experiential
avoidance. https://rph.khu.ac.ir/browse.php?a_id=3580&sid=1&slc_lang=en
Elliott, R., & Macdonald, J. (2021). Relational dialogue in emotion-focused therapy. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 77(2),
414-428. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23069
Ellison, W. D. (2020). Psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorder: Does the Type of Treatment Make a Difference?
Current Treatment Options in Psychiatry, 7(3), 416-428. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40501-020-00224-w
Esener, Y., McCall, T., Lakdawala, A., & Kim, H. (2023). Seeking and providing social support on Twitter for trauma and
distress during the COVID-19 pandemic: content and sentiment analysis. Journal of medical Internet research, 25, e46343.
https://www.jmir.org/2023/1/e46343/
Estévez, A., Ozerinjauregi, N., Herrero-Fernández, D., & Jauregui, P. (2016). The Mediator Role of Early Maladaptive
Schemas Between Childhood Sexual Abuse and Impulsive Symptoms in Female Survivors of CSA. Journal of
interpersonal violence, 34(4), 763-784. https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260516645815
Fassbinder, E., Schweiger, U., Martius, D., Brand-de Wilde, O., & Arntz, A. (2016). Emotion Regulation in Schema Therapy
and Dialectical Behavior Therapy [Methods]. Frontiers in psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01373
Ghaderi, F., Kalantari, M., & Mehrabi, H. (2016). Effectiveness of group schema therapy on early maladaptive schemas
modification and reduce of social anxiety disorder symptoms. Clinical Psychology Studies, 6(24), 1-28.
https://doi.org/10.22054/jcps.2016.6512
Greenberg, L. S. (2002). Integrating an emotion-focused approach to treatment into psychotherapy integration. Journal of
Psychotherapy Integration, 12(2), 154-189. https://doi.org/10.1037/1053-0479.12.2.154
Hajmohamad hosini, T., Mirzahoseini, H., & Zarghamhajebi, M. (2022). A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Mentalization-
Based Therapy (MBT) and Affect Phobia Therapy (APT) in Reducing Depressive Symptoms in Women with Borderline
Personality Disorder. Journal of Applied Family Therapy, 3(1), 21-36. https://doi.org/10.22034/aftj.2021.281831.1067
Kellogg, S. H., & Young, J. E. (2006). Schema therapy for borderline personality disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychology,
62(4), 445-458. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.20240
Kraiss, J. T., Kohlhoff, M., & ten Klooster, P. M. (2023). Disentangling between- and within-person associations of
psychological distress and mental well-being: An experience sampling study examining the dual continua model of mental
health among university students. Current Psychology, 42(20), 16789-16800. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-022-02942-
1
Nasiri Karbasdehi, Z., Fakhri, M., & Ghanadzadegan, H. (2024). Comparing the Effectiveness of Mindfulness and Positive
Psychology Training on Reappraisal and Suppression in Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder Symptoms. Journal
of Assessment and Research in Applied Counseling (JARAC), 6(1).
https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/jarac/article/view/1716
Nenadić, I., Lamberth, S., & Reiss, N. (2017). Group schema therapy for personality disorders: A pilot study for implementation
in acute psychiatric in-patient settings. Psychiatry research, 253, 9-12.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0165178116312872
Perrotta, G. (2020). Borderline Personality Disorder: definition, differential diagnosis, clinical contexts and therapeutic
approaches. Ann Psychiatry Treatm, 4(1), 043-056.
https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/4d38/396ec7f887018ce1c8aa506dd122a102c775.pdf
Pirani, Z. (2017). The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Reducing Emotional Instability and Feeling of Abandonment
among Patients with the Borderline Personality Disorder in Arak. Research in Clinical Psychology and Counseling, 7(1),
77-88. https://doi.org/10.22067/ijap.v7i1.53217
Pugh, M. (2015). A narrative review of schemas and schema therapy outcomes in the eating disorders. Clinical psychology
review, 39, 30-41. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0272735815000586
Rega, A., Nappo, R., Simeoli, R., & Cerasuolo, M. (2022). Age-Related Differences in Psychological Distress during the
COVID-19 Pandemic. International journal of environmental research and public health, 19(9).
Rohr, M. K., Nestler, S., & Kunzmann, U. (2019). A trouble shared is a trouble halved: Age differences in emotional experience
and expression during couples’ conversations. Psychology and Aging, 34(6), 848-861. https://doi.org/10.1037/pag0000386
Schaich, A., Braakmann, D., Richter, A., Meine, C., Assmann, N., Köhne, S., Arntz, A., Schweiger, U., & Fassbinder, E.
(2020). Experiences of Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder With Imagery Rescripting in the Context of Schema
Therapy—A Qualitative Study [Original Research]. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 11.
https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2020.550833
Singh, R., & Ramdeo, S. (2023). COVID-19 and Employee psychological distress: Building mental resilience. In Societal
transformations and resilience in times of crisis (pp. 1-26). IGI Global. https://www.igi-global.com/chapter/covid-19-and-
employee-psychological-distress/313317
Viertiö, S., Kiviruusu, O., Piirtola, M., Kaprio, J., Korhonen, T., Marttunen, M., & Suvisaari, J. (2021). Factors contributing to
psychological distress in the working population, with a special reference to gender difference. BMC public health, 21(1),
611. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-10560-y
Young, J. E., Klosko, J. S., & Weishaar, M. E. (2006). Schema therapy: A practitioner's guide. guilford press.
https://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=1x7TDwAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PP1&dq=41.+Young,+J.+E.,+Klosko,
+J.+S.,+%26+Weishaar,+M.+E.+(2003).+Schema+therapy:+A+practitioner%27s+guide.+Guilford+Press.%E2%80%8F
&ots=P0qSfQBMFR&sig=3yDLJRPaL8D4snKEw2M-obnndtE
Zwack, J., & Greenberg, L. (2020). Where Are the Emotions? How Emotion-Focused Therapy Could Inspire Systemic Practice.
In M. Ochs, M. Borcsa, & J. Schweitzer (Eds.), Systemic Research in Individual, Couple, and Family Therapy and
Counseling (pp. 249-264). Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-36560-8_14
Downloads
Publication Timeline
- Submitted
- Revised
- Accepted
Issue
Section
License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
