Clinical Intervention of Schema Therapy Along With Mindfulness to Attenuate Anxiety: a randomized Controlled Trail

Abstract

The present study aimed to explore the efficacy ofschema therapy in combination with mindfulness for reducing anxiety level of individuals in group setting. It was hypothesized that significant reductions in anxiety level of experimental group participants along with significant difference in comparison to the control group will be found. The sample included 14 students from the Institute of Professional Psychology, Bahria University Karachi Campus, after excluding dropout participants. The participants were equally divided into experimental group and waiting-list control group after screening them for anxiety levels with the help of Generalized Anxiety Disorder - 7 (GAD-7) (Spitzer, Williams, &Kroenke, 2006). Eight therapy sessions were conducted by following Mindfulness and Schema Therapy - A Practical Guide (van Vreeswijk, Broersen, &Schurink, 2014). The pretest and posttest for anxiety levels were done by applying Zung Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) (Zung, 1971). Furthermore, Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form - 3rd Edition (YSQ-S3) (Young, 2014) and Schema Mode Inventory - 1st Edition(SMI-l.l)(Young et al., 2014) were applied for identifying schemas and modes, respectively. At the end ofthe study, the pretest and posttest scores wereanalyzedstatistically to determine the change in participants’ levels of anxiety.The findings showed significant reductions in anxiety levels of experimental group participants but significant difference in posttest anxiety levels between both the groups was not observed. However, the mean reduction in anxiety level of participants was greater for experimental group as compared to the waiting-list control group. Therefore, it can be implied from the outcome of the current study that schema therapy and mindfulness can be helpful in reducing anxiety when applied in conjunction.