The Effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Group Therapy on Maladaptive Schemas of Addicts with Antisocial Personality Disorder

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior group therapy on maladaptive schemas of addicts with antisocial personality disorder. The research method was quasi-experimental pretest–posttest with control group. The study population consisted of 100 substance abuse offenders. Using convenience sampling method¡ participants were selected and asked to complete Million-3 scale. Then¡ using the results of Million-3 scale¡ 24 individuals with high scores at antisocial personality traits wre selected and were divided into two groups of experimental and control (12 participants for each group). The participants in both groups wre asked to complete the short form of maladaptive schema questionnaire. The participants in the experimental group took part in the dialectical behavior group therapy workshop. Finally¡ all participants in the study were asked to complete the short form of maladaptive schema questionnaire as the posttest. The results revealed that dialectical behavior group therapy could improve most of the maladaptive schemas¡ namely abandonment¡ mistrust¡ social isolation/alienation¡ defectiveness/shame¡ failure¡ dependency/incompetence¡ vulnerability¡ suffering¡ emotional inhibition and self-control/self-discipline. Finally¡ we can suggest the dialectical behavior therapy as an effective treatment for reducing the maladaptive schemas.