The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Alexithymia and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Women with Generalized Anxiety Disorder
Keywords:
Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Schema Therapy, Intolerance of Uncertainty, AlexithymiaAbstract
Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy in reducing alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty among women with generalized anxiety disorder.
Methodology: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group. The statistical population included all women with generalized anxiety disorder who visited the Aramesh Psychology Clinic in Rey during the first half of 2024. Using purposive sampling, 45 participants were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight 2-hour sessions of schema therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS-27). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 21, employing the Shapiro–Wilk test, Levene’s test, Box’s M test, and multivariate and univariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA and ANCOVA).
Findings: The results of MANCOVA showed a significant group effect on the combined dependent variables (Wilks’ Lambda = 0.41, F(2,41)=28.62, p<0.001, η²=0.56). Follow-up ANCOVAs indicated significant differences between the two groups in posttest scores of alexithymia (F=28.62, p<0.001, η²=0.56) and intolerance of uncertainty (F=23.84, p<0.001, η²=0.51). All subscales of alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty also significantly decreased in the experimental group compared to the control group (p<0.001).
Conclusion: The findings demonstrated that schema therapy can significantly reduce alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty by modifying early maladaptive schemas. This approach can serve as an effective intervention for improving emotional and cognitive processing in women with generalized anxiety disorder.
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