The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy in the Treatment of Women with Social Anxiety Disorder

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy in the treatment of social anxiety disorder. The research method was a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines. Five clients were selected by purposive sampling method. They were received 20 individual sessions based on Young's schema therapy model. The Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN), Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale(LSAS), Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ: long form), Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale (BFNE), General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE-10) and Short form Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36). For analyzing the data, the Improved Diagnostic Method and Clinical Significance were used. The results showed the Young's Schema Therapy model significantly reduced the activity of the early maladaptive schemas in all areas of schemas and consequently improved the treatment indices (i.e., fear and avoidance) both statistically and clinically. Schema therapy could be an effective intervention for the treatment of social anxiety disorder in women.