KMAN Publication Inc. (KMANPUB) Journal of Adolescent and Youth Psychological Studies (JAYPS) 2981-2526 6 Serial Number 37 2025 09 10 The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Intolerance of Uncertainty Interventions on Worry States, Thought-Action Fusion, and Cognitive Avoidance in Adolescents with Generalized Anxiety Disorder The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy and Cognitive-Behavioral Intolerance of Uncertainty Interventions on Worry States, Thought-Action Fusion, and Cognitive Avoidance in Adolescents with Generalized Anxiety Disorder 1 10 10.61838/kman.jayps.4335 EN Journal Article 2025 04 10 <table> <tbody> <tr> <td> <p><strong>Objective:</strong> The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral interventions focused on intolerance of uncertainty in reducing worry states, thought-action fusion, and cognitive avoidance among adolescents diagnosed with GAD.</p> <p><strong>Methods and Materials: </strong>This study employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population consisted of all adolescents diagnosed with GAD who referred to 30 psychological counseling centers in District 17 of Tehran in 2025. A total of 36 participants were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to one of three groups: schema therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) targeting intolerance of uncertainty, and a control group. Measurement tools included the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (Spitzer et al., 2006), the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (Freeston et al., 1994), the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (Meyer et al., 1990), the Thought-Action Fusion Questionnaire (Shafran et al., 1996), and the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (Sexton &amp; Dugas, 2009). The schema therapy intervention (Young, 1990) was delivered in 8 sessions of 90 minutes each. The CBT intervention was based on the Dugas model (Dugas &amp; Chavot, 2007; Chavot et al., 2019) and was delivered over 12 sessions of 90 minutes each. The control group was placed on a waitlist. Following the intervention, a posttest was administered to all groups. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS version 24, including both descriptive and inferential statistics.</p> <p><strong>Findings:</strong> The results indicated that, based on the posttest mean scores of the experimental groups, both schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on intolerance of uncertainty had a significant effect on reducing worry states, thought-action fusion, and cognitive avoidance in adolescents with GAD.</p> <p><strong>Conclusion:</strong> Based on the findings of this study, both cognitive-behavioral therapy focused on intolerance of uncertainty and schema therapy can be considered effective interventions and may be utilized in clinical and healthcare settings to improve worry states, thought-action fusion, and cognitive avoidance.</p> </td> </tr> </tbody> </table> https://journals.kmanpub.com/index.php/jayps/article/download/4335/7703