Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Psychological Capital and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in At-Risk Women Referred to the Social Emergency Center of Amol County

Narges Zahedyan; Mojtaba Rahnamazadeh

Authors

Narges Zahedyan Master's student in clinical psychology, Department of Psychology, Am.C. Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0009-0008-5269-6376
Mojtaba Rahnamazadeh Ph.D Health Psychology, Department of Psychology, Am.C., Islamic Azad University, Amol, Iran Corresponding Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2399-6483

Keywords:

Schema therapy, psychological capital, post-traumatic stress disorder, at-risk women, social emergency

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy on psychological capital and post-traumatic stress disorder in at-risk women referred to the Social Emergency Center of Amol County.

Methods and Materials: The present applied study used a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest follow-up design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all at-risk women aged 13 to 20 years who were referred to the Social Emergency Center (123) of Amol County during 2025–2026. From this population, 30 eligible participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, with 15 participants in each group. The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of schema therapy, whereas the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Psychological Capital Questionnaire and the Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Scale at pretest, posttest, and two-month follow-up stages. Data were analyzed using multivariate repeated-measures analysis of variance and pairwise comparisons.

Findings: The results showed significant effects for group, time, and the time × group interaction in the examined variables. Multivariate tests indicated that schema therapy had a significant effect on the group factor, Pillai’s trace = .961, F = 153.827, p < .001, η² = .961; the time factor, Pillai’s trace = .985, F = 178.202, p < .001, η² = .985; and the time × group interaction, Pillai’s trace = .976, F = 108.043, p < .001, η² = .976. Pairwise comparisons showed significant reductions in post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and significant increases in psychological capital in the schema therapy group compared with the control group at posttest and follow-up.

Conclusion: Schema therapy was effective in reducing post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and increasing psychological capital in at-risk women, and its effects remained stable at the two-month follow-up.

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