The effectiveness of cognitive analytical therapy on improving generalized anxiety disorder and reducing anxiety symptoms in women of Isfahan city

Abstract

generalized anxiety disorder is a common and debilitating. The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of cognitive analytical therapy on improving generalized anxiety disorder and reducing anxiety symptoms in women in Isfahan. The current research is a single subject study with ABA design. The statistical sample included 5 women with generalized anxiety disorder in Isfahan, who were selected by targeted sampling method. The instruments used are the generalized anxiety disorder scale and the Hamilton anxiety symptom severity questionnaire (1960). In the present study, after the subjects reached the baseline, the intervention based on Ryle and Kerr's cognitive analytical therapy (2012), was conducted during 16 sessions of 90 minutes, and a week after the end, follow-up tests were conducted. Then, in order to analyze the data, visual analysis indicators and graphs such as trend change, stability, data overlap percentage and means percentage improvement have been used. The findings of the research show that cognitive analytical therapy is significantly effective in improving generalized anxiety disorder and reducing severity of anxiety symptoms. Cognitive analytical therapy can be cautiously considered as an effective treatment in psychological interventions for patients with generalized anxiety disorder.