The Effectiveness of Group Therapy Based on Transtheoretical Model in Early Maladaptive Schemas of Women with Obesity

Obesity is a growing problem in human societies that is associated with many negative individual and social consequences; therefore, effective interventions need to be identified to reduce these complications. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of group therapy based on the transtheoretical model in early maladaptive schemas of women with obesity. The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with the control group. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all obese women admitted to the clinics in Tehran in 2019. Of these, 30 women were selected based on inclusion criteria and available sampling methods and were randomly allocated to two groups: an experimental group and a control group, each containing 15 women. The research instrument was Yang's Schema Questionnaire. The group therapy based on the transtheoretical model was performed in the form of 28 90-minute sessions for the experimental group and no intervention was performed for the control group. A mixed ANOVA was performed in SPSS-18 was used to analyze the data. The results showed that group therapy based on the transtheoretical model had a significant effect on reducing the initial maladaptive schemas of women with obesity in the experimental group in the post-test and follow-up stages (p<0.005). Based on the research findings, it seems that the transtheoretical model has an effect on correcting the early maladaptive schemas of women with obesity. The findings of this study can provide practical implications for the treatment of early maladaptive schemas in women with obesity through treatment based on the transtheoretical model.