Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy on Stress Coping Styles (Problem-Focused, Emotion-Focused, and Avoidance-Oriented) in Patients With Breast Cancer

Mina Sardari; Parviz Karimisani

Authors

Mina Sardari Department of Counseling, Shab.C., Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0004-5737-9012
Parviz Karimisani Department of Psychology and Counseling, Shab.C., Islamic Azad University, Shabestar, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1972-2199

Keywords:

group schema therapy, stress coping styles, problem-focused coping, emotion-focused coping, avoidance-oriented coping, breast cancer

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group schema therapy on stress coping styles (problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-oriented) among patients with breast cancer admitted to Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz. The present study employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest, posttest, and follow-up assessments and a control group. The statistical population consisted of patients with breast cancer who attended Imam Reza Hospital in Tabriz. From this population, 30 patients were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received group schema therapy in eight weekly two-hour sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. The research instrument was the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) developed by Endler and Parker (1990). Data were collected at three assessment points—pretest, posttest, and follow-up—and analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance. The results indicated that group schema therapy significantly increased problem-focused coping and significantly reduced emotion-focused and avoidance-oriented coping in the experimental group compared with the control group. These changes were also maintained at the follow-up assessment (p < .05). Accordingly, group schema therapy can be considered an effective psychological intervention for modifying and improving stress coping strategies among patients with breast cancer.

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