The Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy on Behavioral Activation/ Inhibition Systems and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Female Students With Anxiety Symptoms

  Students with anxiety symptoms are faced with various physical and psychological stressful factors which ‎leads to decreasing quality of life. Considering the relationship between behavioral activation/ inhibition systems and cognitive emotion regulation with early maladaptive schemas, one of the methods capable of assisting the students with anxiety symptoms is schema therapy. To determine the effectiveness of group schema therapy on behavioral activation/ inhibition systems and cognitive emotion regulation in female students with anxiety symptoms. This study is an experimental with pre-test/post-test and a control group. The sample consisted of 28 guidance school students with anxiety symptoms in Rasht city in the school year 2016-2017. Based on the Beck Anxiety Inventory(1990) and the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders(2013) criteria, the study participants were identified and assigned to two experimental and control groups. To collect data, Behavioral Activation/ Inhibition Scale(2005) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire(2001) were used before and after treatment. 10 sessions of Young schema therapy were implemented for experimental group. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that group schema therapy improved behavioral activation/ inhibition systems and cognitive emotion regulation in the students with anxiety symptoms (P<0.001). According to the findings of the research, schema therapy can be used to cope with students' anxiety symptoms and improve cognitive emotional regulation.