Comparison of the effectiveness of schema therapy and its integration with the exposure and response prevention technique in treating distress tolerance of women with washing compulsions

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic mental disorder that requires different treatments due to its complex nature. Schema therapy (ST) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) are two treatments that have been studied in people with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and previous studies have shown them to be effective. However, few studies have investigated the effectiveness of integrating these two methods in comparison with other methods.

The study aimed to compare the effectiveness of the ST and the integration of schema therapy with the exposure and response prevention technique (STERP) in treating distress tolerance in women with washing compulsions.

The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a 2-month follow-up. The statistical population included all women with obsessive-compulsive disorder referred to counseling centers in the north and center of Tehran from the beginning of November to the end of February 2020. Forty-five people were selected by a convenience method based on inclusion criteria. The first intervention group (ST) received 12 sessions, and the second intervention group (STERP) received 14 sessions. The research instrument included the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS) (Simmons & Gaher, 2005). Data were analyzed by mixed-design analysis of variance and Bonferroni test in SPSS-23 software.

The results showed that ST and STERP interventions increased distress tolerance in women with washing compulsions at the end of interventions and follow-up period (P<0.0001), but STERP was more effective in treating distress tolerance compared to the ST.

The results showed that using exposure and response prevention methods integrated with schema therapy for patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder allows the them to analyze different dimensions of anxiety-inducing stimuli and provides a more appropriate answer to it.