The Effect of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy on Women with Depression: Changes in Early Maladaptive Schemas of Behavioral Mistrust and Abandonment Instability

Few studies have examined the influence of cognitive therapy on schemas in women with psychological disorders. This study explores the effect of mindfulness therapy on early maladaptive schemas of behavioural mistrust and the abandonment instability of 60 women with depression who had been referred to a psychological clinic. The methodology of this study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design. All participants were randomly placed into experimental (30 individuals) and control (30 individuals) groups and answered Youngchr('39')s Early maladaptive schema questionnaire before and after the treatments. The experimental group received a cognitive intervention program based on mindfulness therapy during eight sessions (90 minutes). Covariance analysis was conducted, and the result indicated the positive effect of mindfulness therapy on the experimental group, not the control group. The result suggested that mindfulness treatment positively affects the early maladaptive schemas of behavioural mistrust and abandonment instability in women with depression