The effectiveness of emotional schema therapy on cognitive emotion regulation, uncertainty intolerance, and psychological flexibility in male students with social anxiety disorder

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Department of Psychology, Sara.C, Islamic Azad University, Sarab, Iran

2 Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Mah.C., Islamic Azad University, Mahabad, Iran

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional schema therapy on cognitive emotion regulation, uncertainty intolerance, and psychological flexibility in male students with social anxiety disorder. The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up assessments with control and experimental groups. The study population included all male students with social anxiety disorder in Harris City during the first half of the academic year 2024-2025. Thirty participants were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria and assigned to experimental and control groups. All participants completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, and the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. The experimental group received emotional schema therapy in nine 90-minute sessions. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed that the experimental group scored lower on maladaptive cognitive strategies and higher on adaptive cognitive strategies, cognitive emotion regulation, psychological flexibility, and uncertainty intolerance compared to the control group. These results were maintained at the three-month follow-up. Based on the findings, emotional schema therapy can be considered an effective therapeutic approach for addressing social anxiety disorder.

Keywords

References

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