Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy

Article history: Received date: 11 September, 2016 Review date: 12 October 2016 Accepted date:13 November 2016 Printed on line: 5 January 2017 Abstract Purpose: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on Young's areas of manipulative schema in spouses of veterans with Post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Materials & Methods: A quasi-experimental method with per-test and post- test with control group design was conducted. Twenty spouses of veterans with PTSD after the screening were assigned to experimental and control groups. Secondary trauma stress scale was used for screening, and veterans' spouse who have low score in this scale were identified and were randomly assigned to experimental and control group. The early manipulative scheme Scale-Short Form (YSQ-SF), was used for gathering of data. Treatment program was used in 31 sessions for experimental group. Data were analyzed with test of ANCOVA and MANCOVA. Findings: The results showed that the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy on modifying of early manipulative schema was significant in three areas of Disconnection/ Rejection, over vigilance/Inhibition and Other-Directness. But in the areas of Impaired Autonomy and/or Performance, and Impaired Limits did not change significantly. Discussion: Cognitive-behavioral therapy could significantly change early manipulative schema in spouses of veterans with PTSD

Purpose: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcranial magnetic stimulation (tms) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (cbt) in patients with depression in Tehran. Methodology: The purpose of the present study is to apply the pre-test and post-test with control group in terms of semi-experimental research method. The study sample consisted of 60 clients with depression who had been diagnosed by the Psychiatric Commission and admitted to psychology clinics in 2015. They were selected by random sampling and were randomly divided into three groups (two experimental and one control group) in each group of 20 persons. . Experimental groups in one group underwent cognitive-behavioral therapy for 12 sessions and the other group underwent transcranial magnetic stimulation for 20 sessions. Control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis. Findings: The results showed that there was a significant difference between transcranial magnetic stimulation and cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing depression in clients (P <0.01). Conclusion: Transcranial magnetic stimulation therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are effective in reducing depression in patients referred to psychiatric clinics.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy on pain coping strategies and pain catastrophizing in patients with pain disorder. The research method was a quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design and a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all women with psychosomatic problems and pain who referred to Manoushan and Behsa counseling centers in Tehran. The sample size included 60 (three groups of 20). The research instruments included the Rosenstile and Keefe (1983) Pain Coping Strategies Questionnaire and the Bishop and Pivik (1995) Pain Catastrophe Scale. the emotion-focused experimental group received 12 training sessions and the cognitive-behavioral experimental group received 10 sessions training, but the control group did not receive any intervention during the study.. The results of mixed variance analysis and Benferroni pairwise comparison test showed that both emotion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy have significant impact on the components of pain reinterpretation, pain catastrophizing, behavioral activity and coping efficiency (P <0.05), but they do not have significant effect on the components of return attention, ignoring pain, prayer and hope, and self-talking (P <0.05). The results also showed that both treatments have significant effect on pain catastrophizing (P <0.05). Also, no significant difference was observed between the two experimental groups (P <0.05). Therefore, the results of the present study show that emotion-focused therapy, like cognitive-behavioral therapy, can be used for patients with pain disorders and improve their cognitive factors.

objective: The aim of this study was to determine the effect of group therapy in cognitive-behavioral manner on anxiety, stress and despair of Multiple sclerosis patients in Tehran. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test-post-test with control group. Twenty patients referred to the available medical centers were selected as a sample and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. In this study, Kalmogorov-Smirnov, Levene and Covarians tests were evaluated with Spss software. also, Beck Anxiety Inventory Questionnaire, Cohen's Perceived Stress Questionnaire (PSQ) and Beck's Hopelessness Scale questionnaire were applied to collect data. Results: The results of the present study showed that there is a significant difference between the experimental and control group of anxiety, stress and despair with 95% confidence level. Therefore, all three main hypotheses were confirmed and the null hypothesis was rejected. In reducing anxiety, stress, and despair in MS patients, group therapy is effective in a cognitive-behavioral manner. Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy reduced stress, anxiety and despair in patients with MS and improved mental health of these patients. Therefore, this treatment method can be considered a treatment in clinics.

People with social anxiety face barriers to treatment under the pretext of avoiding interaction and the discomfort of self-disclosure. Using remote health services may be an alternative, but there is no research evidence on the effectiveness of Internet-based methods in social anxiety.Therefore, this study aimed to compare the effectiveness of face-to-face and Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on cognitive distortions and emotion regulation in adolescents with social anxiety.The present study was a field experiment. A total of 51 adolescents with social anxiety disorder were selected by cluster sampling method and randomly assigned to three face-to-face, Internet-based, and control therapy groups. Three groups were interviewed at the beginning and end of the study and answered the social anxiety screening questionnaire (SASA) Levpušček & Videc (2008 ), cognitive distortion questionnaire (CDQ) Beck and Wismann(1978), and emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ) Jojn and Gross(2003).The two experimental groups underwent therapeutic intervention during ten weekly sessions.The results of ANKOVA analysis showed that both forms of intervention effectively reduced cognitive distortions, improved emotion regulation, and reduced symptoms of social anxiety.Also, the results of MANKOVA analysis showed that in the components of the need to please others and repression, face-to-face intervention only was effective.None of the intervention methods significantly affected the two components of success and perfectionism. In general, in all variables, the impact of the face-to-face intervention was greater than the Internet-based intervention.These results can support the use of Internet-based cognitive-behavioral therapy for adolescents with social anxiety disorder who, due to circumstances, are unable to benefit from face-to-face treatment

 Objective: Reports showed that a cognitive-behavioral therapy effectively helps patients overcome a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors such as anxiety. The aim of the present study was to further examine this issue by exploring the effects of a cognitive-behavioral therapy on academic anxiety of children with learning disorders.Methods: The quasi-experimental research design was pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population included 32 children (9-13 years) with academic anxiety (mild, moderate and severe) who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly (using a coin-throwing method) assigned to two experimental and control groups. The standard School Anxiety Scale questionnaire was used to measure academic anxiety. The behavioral-cognitive therapy program was implemented for 12 sessions, 3 sessions of 45 minutes each week for the experimental group. After the intervention, all participants participated in posttest. Paired sample t test, independent t test, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze data.Results: The average of academic anxiety before the intervention in the experimental and control groups was 23.94±2.18 and 22.87±3.64, respectively, and the independent t-test did not show a significant difference (P=0.39). The average of the groups shows that the academic anxiety scores of the experimental group have decreased compared to the pre-test scores (t=16.58, P<0.001). Finally, the results of ANCOVA showed that a cognitive-behavioral therapy has led to a reduction in academic anxiety (P<0.001).Conclusion: Reconstructing children’s thoughts and beliefs helps them to identify their wrong thoughts about the exam and gradually replace them with correct beliefs and thoughts. Therefore, teachers and practitioners can use cognitive-behavioral therapy to help children with learning disorders to have less anxiety without feeling hurt from the negative evaluation of others. 

Athletes are more at risk of developing anxiety disorders, depression, and substance abuse disorders due to facing unique stresses such as balancing social life with sports and high public expectations. The cognitive-behavioral therapy model, in addition to helping athletic performance, can play a preventive role in the development of psychological disorders. This study aimed to determine the impact of the cognitive-behavioral therapy model (with an emphasis on the role of the technique of using others as a benchmark for belief modification) on depression and return to sports in an athlete with major depressive disorder. In this study, a 5-session cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention with an emphasis on the technique of using others as a benchmark for belief modification was conducted. The athlete's depression and anxiety were measured before the intervention, after the intervention, and at a 2-month follow-up stage. The results showed that the athlete progressed from severe depression and moderate anxiety in the pre-test stage to mild depression and anxiety in the follow-up stage, indicating the positive role of the cognitive-behavioral therapy model (with an emphasis on the technique of using others as a benchmark for belief modification) in reducing depression and anxiety in athletes. In the technique of using others as a benchmark for belief modification, the athlete looks at the adaptive beliefs of real successful individuals and distances themselves from their maladaptive beliefs. In other words, if athletes can realistically see and understand how to apply adaptive beliefs in other successful individuals who have been in similar or even much more difficult situations, they will take action to modify their maladapti

Objective: Marital infidelity is one of the most significant threats to the stability of marital relationships and a leading cause of divorce across various cultures. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on self-compassion and experiential avoidance in women who have experienced marital infidelity. Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, involving experimental and control groups and a three-month follow-up. All women who had experienced marital infidelity and attended psychotherapy and counseling clinics in Tehran during the year 2021-2022 constituted the statistical population of this study, from which 30 were selected via convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two equal groups of 15. Data were collected using the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - Second Version (Bond et al., 2007). Participants in the experimental group received 8 sessions of intervention. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance with SPSS version 26. Findings: The mean self-compassion score and its dimensions in the experimental group significantly improved post-intervention compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Cognitive-behavioral therapy was beneficial in reducing experiential avoidance in the experimental group, unlike the control group (p < 0.05). The effects of this therapeutic program on dependent variables continued during the three-month follow-up period (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral exercises can be used as an effective intervention method to improve the cognitive-emotional status of women who have experienced marital infidelity.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) in women attending health centers. Methods: The research design was applied in terms of aim and was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest design, two experimental groups, a control group, and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population included all women referred to health centers and a private counseling center in Chalous city in 2023. Twenty participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. To collect data, the Relationship Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Questionnaire by Doron et al. (2012) was used. For statistical analysis, SPSS-26 software, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni post hoc test were utilized. Findings: The results indicated that CBT (F=6.92, p<0.01) and ACT (F=6.97, p<0.01) had a significant impact on ROCD scores over time (p<0.01), suggesting that both interventions significantly reduced ROCD in women attending health centers. A significant difference was found between pretest and posttest scores for ROCD in both approaches (p<0.01), indicating the meaningful effectiveness of these two therapeutic methods. No significant difference was observed between posttest and follow-up scores (p>0.05), indicating the stability of the effects. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that both CBT and ACT can be used to reduce ROCD in women attending health centers, with no significant difference in the effectiveness of these therapeutic methods.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and schema therapy on psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity. Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population included all women dealing with the issue of marital infidelity of their spouses who referred to counseling centers in Tehran in 2022 and expressed their readiness to participate in the treatment program in response to the researcher's call. From this population, 45 subjects were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three equal groups of 15 (two experimental groups and one control group). The Psychological Capital Questionnaire by Luthans et al. (2007) was used to collect data. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) tests. Findings: The results indicated that both schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions produced a significant difference in psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity at the post-test and follow-up stages compared to the control group (p ≤ 0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy had a greater impact on psychological capital in women affected by marital infidelity compared to schema therapy.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and existential therapy on symptoms of demoralization and life attitudes in women heads of households in welfare in the city of Rasht. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population included all women heads of households in the welfare organization of Rasht city (2159 individuals) in 2021. The sample size included 60 individuals who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (20 individuals in the existential therapy group and 20 individuals in the cognitive-behavioral therapy group) and one control group (20 individuals). Then, each of the two experimental groups received 8 sessions of 90-minute group therapy. The cognitive-behavioral therapy was based on the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol by Antony et al. (2013), and the existential therapy was based on the existential therapy protocol by Irvin Yalom (2016). The data collection tools included the Symptoms of Demoralization Questionnaire by Kissane et al. (2004) and the Life Attitudes Questionnaire by Battista (1973). Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: Based on the effect size values, the effectiveness of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy on the demoralization symptoms variable was 43%, and on the life attitudes variable, it was 62%. This effectiveness was significant and persistent (according to the follow-up test results), and both therapies had a lasting impact on the dependent variables. In the variables of demoralization symptoms (F=29.34, p=0.001) and life attitudes (F=62.36, p=0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up in the variables of demoralization symptoms and life attitudes of women heads of households in the two experimental groups (cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy), indicating the significant impact of both therapeutic methods on the research's dependent variables.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and compassion-focused therapy on components of loving, emotional empathy, marital values, coping skills, and willingness to marry among single women with a fear of marriage. Methods and Materials: This experimental study used a pretest-posttest-follow-up design with four groups (three experimental groups and one control group). The statistical population included all girls with pre-marital fears in the city of Semirom. From this population, 60 participants were selected using convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and were assigned to four non-randomized groups. The control group was placed on a waiting list, while the three experimental groups received schema therapy-based interventions (Fadavi Nia & Khayyatan, 2021), cognitive-behavioral therapy (Mohammadpour et al., 2015), and compassion-focused therapy (Pirjavid et al., 2021) over eight 90-minute sessions. All participants responded to the Coping Skills Questionnaire (Billings & Moos, 1981) in three phases. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics. Findings: The results showed that all three methods effectively improved the two dimensions of avoidance-oriented and problem-focused coping. Conclusion: Based on these results, it can be concluded that these three methods are suitable for improving psychological constructs, with schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy being more effective in enhancing the dimensions of coping mechanisms. Counselors and psychotherapists can use the techniques and strategies from these methods to improve these dimensions.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of Stress Inoculation Training (SIT) on improving co-parenting quality and reducing interpersonal obsessive-compulsive symptoms in mothers with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). Method: This study employed a randomized controlled trial (RCT) design with 30 mothers diagnosed with OCD, randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n = 15) or the control group (n = 15). The intervention group received eight 60-minute SIT sessions over eight weeks. Co-parenting quality and interpersonal obsessive-compulsive symptoms were assessed at baseline, post-intervention, and four-month follow-up using validated questionnaires. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) with repeated measurements and Bonferroni post-hoc tests, conducted via SPSS-27. Findings: The intervention group showed significant improvements in co-parenting quality from baseline (M = 48.67, SD = 8.92) to post-intervention (M = 58.92, SD = 7.41), with effects maintained at the four-month follow-up (M = 56.80, SD = 7.93). Interpersonal obsessive-compulsive symptoms significantly decreased from baseline (M = 30.53, SD = 6.47) to post-intervention (M = 22.17, SD = 5.32), with sustained reductions at follow-up (M = 24.40, SD = 5.89). The ANOVA results indicated significant effects of time (p < .001) and group (p < .001), as well as significant time-by-group interactions (p < .001) for both variables. Conclusion: SIT significantly enhances co-parenting quality and reduces interpersonal obsessive-compulsive symptoms in mothers with OCD. These improvements were maintained at the four-month follow-up, indicating the intervention's long-term efficacy. SIT offers a promising therapeutic approach for addressing the unique challenges faced by parents with OCD.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in reducing obsessive-compulsive symptoms and modifying early maladaptive schemas in married women aged 18 to 25 years diagnosed with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Methods: This research was conducted as a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with a pre-test, post-test, and five-month follow-up design. A total of 30 married women aged 18 to 25 years residing in Tehran were selected and randomly assigned to either the CBT intervention group (n = 15) or a waitlist control group (n = 15). The intervention group participated in 12 weekly CBT sessions (60-90 minutes each), while the control group received no intervention during the study period. Data were collected using the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF) to assess maladaptive schemas and the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) to measure OCD symptom severity. Statistical analysis was conducted using repeated-measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS-27 to evaluate changes in symptoms and cognitive patterns over time. Findings: The ANOVA results showed a significant time effect (F = 124.68, p < 0.001) on both OCD symptoms and maladaptive schemas, with participants in the CBT group demonstrating substantial reductions in both variables from pre-test to post-test and sustained improvements at follow-up. The Bonferroni post-hoc test confirmed significant differences between pre-test and post-test (p < 0.001) and pre-test and follow-up (p < 0.001) in both OCD symptoms and schemas, indicating that CBT led to both immediate and long-term benefits. Conclusion: The results suggest that CBT is an effective intervention for reducing OCD symptoms and modifying maladaptive schemas in young married women, with treatment effects persisting over time.

Objective: Psychological factors play a decisive role in the occurrence and experience of pain disorders. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy on alexithymia and difficulty in emotion regulation in patients with pain disorder. Method : The method of the present study was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest design and control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population of the study included all women who were referred to Manoushan and Behsa counseling centers in Tehran with psychosomatic problems and pain. Sixty people from this population were selected and randomly divided into three groups (20 people in each group). Research instruments included the Toronto Emotional Dysfunction Scale (Bugby et al., 1994) and the Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) (Gertz & Roemer, 2004). One group received 12 one-hour sessions of emotion-focused therapy, and another group received 10 one-hour sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy. However, the control group did not receive any intervention during the study. In addition to descriptive statistics, mixed variance analysis and Ben Foroni post hoc test were used to analyze the research data.   Results : The results for alexithymia showed that the emotionally focused therapy group had a significantly lower mean than the cognitive behavioral group (P= 0.02) and the control group (P 0.001), and the cognitive-behavioral group had a significantly higher mean compared to the control group (P = 0.001). Also, the results for the difficulty in emotion regulation showed that the emotionally focused group and the cognitive-behavioral group have significantly lower means compared to the control group (P = 0.001). Conclusions : The results of the present study, in addition to confirming the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy, indicated that emotion-focused therapy is a more effective treatment for alexithymia. As a result, emotion-focused therapy can be considered an effective treatment that can be used by health professionals to treat pain disorders.