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Department of Psychology, ToJ.C., Islamic Azad University, Torbat Jam, Iran. , mohammad.rajabi@iau.ac.ir
Abstract: (46 Views)
Background: Rheumatoid arthritis, as a chronic and disabling disease, in addition to physical complications, may contribute to psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression, and reduced quality of life through impairments in cognitive emotion regulation and increased use of maladaptive strategies. Therefore, investigating effective interventions for improving emotion regulation in these patients is of considerable importance.
Aims: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and mindfulness therapy on maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of patients with rheumatoid arthritis attending the rheumatology clinic of Razi Hospital during 2024. A total of 45 eligible participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: schema therapy, mindfulness therapy, and a control group. Farrell and Shaw’s (2012) schema therapy protocol was administered in 10 group sessions, while Segal et al.’s (2012) mindfulness therapy protocol was delivered in 8 group sessions; the control group remained on a waiting list. Data were collected using the Garnefski Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2001) and analyzed through mixed analysis of variance.
Results: The findings indicated that both interventions, compared to the control group, significantly and persistently reduced maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and these effects remained stable at the follow-up stage (p<0.01). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the effectiveness of the two interventions at posttest and follow-up assessments (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings, schema therapy and mindfulness therapy can be considered effective complementary psychological interventions for improving emotional regulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Aims: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and mindfulness therapy on maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Methods: This study was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of patients with rheumatoid arthritis attending the rheumatology clinic of Razi Hospital during 2024. A total of 45 eligible participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: schema therapy, mindfulness therapy, and a control group. Farrell and Shaw’s (2012) schema therapy protocol was administered in 10 group sessions, while Segal et al.’s (2012) mindfulness therapy protocol was delivered in 8 group sessions; the control group remained on a waiting list. Data were collected using the Garnefski Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (2001) and analyzed through mixed analysis of variance.
Results: The findings indicated that both interventions, compared to the control group, significantly and persistently reduced maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and these effects remained stable at the follow-up stage (p<0.01). Furthermore, no significant difference was found between the effectiveness of the two interventions at posttest and follow-up assessments (p > 0.05).
Conclusion: Based on the findings, schema therapy and mindfulness therapy can be considered effective complementary psychological interventions for improving emotional regulation in patients with rheumatoid arthritis.
Article number: 15
Keywords: rheumatoid arthritis, cognitive emotion regulation, schema therapy, mindfulness, psychological intervention.
Type of Study: Research |
Subject:
Special
Received: 2026/09/13 | Accepted: 2026/10/10 | Published: 2026/10/23
Received: 2026/09/13 | Accepted: 2026/10/10 | Published: 2026/10/23
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This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License. |
This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)