Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Irritability and Peer Interaction Self-Efficacy of Children with Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, characterized by intense and persistent anger and irritability, causes functional problems in childhood and decreases mental health in adulthood. The present study sought to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on irritability and peer interaction self-efficacy of children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, follow-up, and a control group design. The statistical population included 8-11-year-old boys with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder in Isfahan in 2021-2022 and their mothers who referred to specialized child counseling centers in Isfahan. Among them, 30 children and their mothers were selected purposively and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, each comprising 15 individuals. The experimental group’s children underwent schema therapy during ten weekly sessions of 60 minutes while their mothers received the same therapy for 30 minutes each week. The data were collected by Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder Scale (Shah Mohammadi et al., 1400), the Affective Reactivity Index (Stringaris et al., 2012), and the Children’s Self-efficacy for Peer Interaction Scale (Wheeler & Ladd., 1982) and analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results revealed that schema therapy significantly reduced irritability and enhanced peer interaction self-efficacy in children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (p<.05). Therefore, schema therapy can be regarded as an effective therapy for reducing irritability and increasing self-efficacy in interactions of children with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.