The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Stress, Social Adaptation and Psychological Cohesion of Women with Cancer

This research aimed to determin the effectiveness of schema therapy on stress, social adaptation and psychological cohesion of women with cancer. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research was all women with cancer in Dezful city of Iran in 2022. The sample consisted of 30 women with cancer, who were selected by the available sampling method and according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. The experimental group received eight 90-minute weekly sessions of the intervention. The tools were used in this research included perceived stress questionnaires, social adjustment questionnaire and sense of coherence questionnaire (before, after and two months later after the schema therapy). Data were analyzed by univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance. The findings showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of stress, social adjustment and psychological cohesion in women with cancer. According to these findings, schema therapy can be suggested as an effective method to reduce stress and increase social adaptation and psychological cohesion in women with cancer.