Comparing the effectiveness of meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy on decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression in nursing and midwifery students

Meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy are two important methods in treatment of mental disorders special in treatment of anxiety and depression. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy on decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression in nursing and midwifery students. This study was a quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test and 2 mounts follow-up design. The statistical population included all girl students of nursing and midwifery faculty that referred to counseling center of Islamic Azad University of Mashhad. Totally 60 students with anxiety and depression were selected through available sampling method and randomly assigned to three groups. The experimental groups educated 10 sessions of 70 minutes by meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy methods. All groups completed the questionnaire of Cattell anxiety and Beck depression. Data was analyzed with using the SPSS-19 software and by multivariate analysis of covariance (MONCOVA) method. The findings showed in the post-test, schema therapy unlike meta-cognitive therapy significantly led to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression. But in the follow-up state each two methods of meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy significantly led to decrease symptoms of anxiety and depression and in the follow-up state, there wasnt any significant difference between two methods(p<0.05). The results showed though the effect of schema therapy appears earlier than meta-cognitive therapy, but there is no significant difference between two treatments in long time Therefore, counselors and therapists can use meta-cognitive therapy and schema therapy for decreasing symptoms of anxiety and depression disorder.