Comparison of the effectiveness of schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy on marital life satisfaction and maladaptive schemas married women students of Ahvaz Azad University

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy on marital life satisfaction and maladaptive schemas. Marital relationships are the most basic and important interpersonal relationships that create the basic structure for establishing family relationships and raising children. One of the common concepts to show the level of happiness and stability of this marital relationship is the concept of marital satisfaction. Another variable that can affect women's performance is early maladaptive schemas. Early maladaptive schemas are beliefs that people have about themselves, others, and the environment, and typically stem from the satisfaction of basic needs, especially emotional needs, in childhood. Various factors can affect and change the variables of early maladaptive schemas and marital satisfaction of women. Schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy play an important role in this satisfaction.

The present study was an experimental study with a pretest-posttest design and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included married women students of Ahvaz Azad University in 2019 which 60 of them with a history of marriage between 1 to 5 years were selected by purposeful method and then randomly divided into two experimental groups (20 people each) and one control group (20 people). The research tools were marital satisfaction questionnaire and initial maladaptive schemas questionnaire. The schema experimental group received eight 90-minute schema therapy sessions and the compassion experimental group received eight 90-minute compassion-focused treatment sessions based on Gilbert's concepts. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results showed that schema therapy is effective on marital satisfaction of married women and also on four of the five domains of primary maladaptive schemas and treatment focused on compassion on marital satisfaction and on all five domains of primary maladaptive schemas. Also, comparing the means of schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy in the dependent variable of marital satisfaction in the post-test and follow-up stages showed that there is no significant difference between schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy in terms of effectiveness on marital satisfaction. Schematic therapy and compassion-focused therapy in the dependent variable of maladaptive schemas showed that the difference between the means of these two groups in none of the five areas of early maladaptive schemas in the post-test and follow-up stages was significant. Therefore, it can be said that there is no significant difference between schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy in terms of the effect on initial maladaptive schemas in the post-test phase and the follow-up phase.

According to the obtained results, schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy can be used to improve marital satisfaction and early maladaptive schemas in married female students.