Comparison of the Effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy and Schema Therapy on the Severity of Clinical Symptoms in Adolescents with Social Anxiety Disorder
Keywords:
Schema therapy, Compassion-focused therapy, Clinical symptoms, Adolescents, Social anxiety disorderAbstract
Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) and schema therapy (ST) on reducing the severity of clinical symptoms in adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.
Methods and Materials: The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group and a 2-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of male adolescents aged 14 to 18 years who attended psychological centers in Ramsar during the first quarter of 2024. Using purposive sampling, 45 participants were selected and randomly assigned to three groups: CFT experimental group (n = 15), ST experimental group (n = 15), and control group (n = 15). The Connor et al. (2000) Social Anxiety Questionnaire and the Derogatis et al. (1973) Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) were used for data collection. The interventions were conducted according to Gilbert’s (2014) CFT protocol and Young et al.’s (2003) ST protocol. Data were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni post-hoc test via SPSS version 26.
Findings: Results indicated a significant effect of time (P < .001, η² = .881) and a significant interaction between group and time (P < .001, η² = .797) on the severity of clinical symptoms. Both CFT and ST led to a significant reduction in symptom severity compared to the control group (P < .001). However, schema therapy demonstrated a greater effect than compassion-focused therapy in reducing clinical symptoms. No significant difference was observed between the posttest and follow-up scores, indicating the stability of treatment effects over time.
Conclusion: Both compassion-focused therapy and schema therapy effectively reduced the severity of clinical symptoms in adolescents with social anxiety disorder, though schema therapy was found to be more effective overall. These findings highlight the importance of cognitive–emotional interventions in the treatment of adolescent social anxiety.
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References
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