Effect of Contextual Schema Therapy on Body Image and Psychosomatic Symptoms in Individuals with Perfectionism Disorder

Individuals are consistently influenced by maladaptive core beliefs known as incompatible schemas, which are formed in childhood and can contribute to the development of psychological disorders. Therefore, there is a need for effective interventions to address these schemas. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of contextual schema therapy on body image and psychosomatic symptoms in individuals with perfectionism disorder.

This research used a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, mid-test, and post-test phases. In this regard, 12 participants diagnosed with perfectionism disorder were purposefully selected from individuals seeking psychological services in Tehran in 2022. Participants engaged in 40 sessions of 60 minutes each of contextual schema therapy, during which they responded to the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire and Psychosomatic Complaints Scale in all three phases. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.

The effectiveness of contextual schema therapy on body image and psychosomatic symptoms in individuals diagnosed with perfectionism disorder was found to be significant, and this difference was observed across all test phases (p<0.001).

Contextual schema therapy led to improvements in body image and psychosomatic symptoms. The application of this therapeutic approach is recommended for the enhancement of the mentioned disorders in individuals with perfectionism disorder.