Examining the Effectiveness of Group Cognitive-behavioral Therapy on Maladaptive Schemas of Individuals with Substance Abuse

Early maladaptive schemas are self-damaging emotional and cognitive patterns that lead to the formation of irrational beliefs. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of group cognitive-behavioral therapy on maladaptive schemas of individuals with substance abuse.
This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control groups. The statistical population of this study consisted of male substance abusers who referred to Methadone Addiction Treatment Clinics of Karaj in 2010. The sample of the study consisted of 30 substance abusers who were selected randomly and were assigned into experimental and control groups. To evaluate the participants in pre-test and post-test, Young's Short Form Questionnaire was used. Participants in the experimental group received group cognitive-behavioral therapy for 12 sessions but participants in the control group received no interventions. After implementing the post-test, data were analyzed using covariance analysis and Spss16 soft ware.
The results of this study showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and the control groupss after implementing cognitive - behavioral therapy in quintuple areas of schema (P The findings of this study suggest the importance of group cognitive-behavioral therapy in reducing maladaptive schemas in substance abusers. Considering the importance of maladaptive schemas in developing psychological problems, group cognitive-behavioral therapy can be a complementary aspect of medical treatment in improving psychological problems associated with addiction.