The Effectiveness of Emotional Schema Therapy on Cognitive-behavioral Avoidance and the Severity of Generalized Anxiety of Symptoms in Female Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

This study aimed to investigate the effects of emotional schema therapy on cognitive-behavioral avoidance and the severity of generalized anxiety symptoms of female students with anxiety disorderin in Lorestan University. This study was semi experimental and was used from pretest-posttest and control group desig.The statistical population included all female students with anxiety disorder in Lorestanuniversity in the academic year of 2014-2015. In order to implemen of this study a screening procedure was carried out. Firsly, femele students completed the Pennsylvania worry questionnaire. Then, from those who had been scored higher than 47 on this questionnaire were performed structured clinical interview based on DSM - IV -TR (SCID). Among 30 of them who scored higher than 47on above questionnaire, 20 students were selected and assigned randomly to to groups of 10 each (experimental and control). the two groups participants answered the cognitive-behavioral avoidance (CBAS) and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) questionnaires. Then experimental group participated in 9 sessions of 90 minutes of group therapy based on emotional participated schema therapy. The results of covariance analysis (ANCOVA) showed that emotional schema therapy significantly reduced cognitive-behavioral avoidance and the severity of symptoms of generalized anxiety disorder in the university femail students with generalized anxiety disorder in post-teststage. Generally, the results of this study showed that emotional schema therapy is effective in reducing the cognitive-behavioral avoidance and the severity of GAD symptoms.