Daneshmandi, Saeede and Izadikhah, Zahra and Wilson, Lee-Ann and Forooshani, Sayedhabib (2018) Emotional Schema Therapy improves emotion regulation in individuals with a history of child abuse and neglect. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 12. pp. 5-15. ISSN 1937-1209
Abstract
Research conducted over the past decade indicates that difficulties in emotion regulation are more prevalent among those who have been abused than in individuals with no such experiences. Emotional Schema Therapy (EST), which is an integration of cognitive and metacognitive models as well as acceptance-based approaches, specifically targets content of beliefs about emotions and dysfunctional coping strategies to deal with difficult emotions. This study provides an initial evaluation of the efficacy of EST in addressing difficulties in six dimensions of emotion regulation in women with a history of child abuse or neglect. The statistical population consisted of all female residents of Isfahan, Iran, aged above 18 years. Five hundred volunteer women responded to a Child Abuse and Neglect questionnaire. Individuals who had higher scores on this questionnaire were invited to participate in the research project. Thirty volunteer participants were randomly assigned into experimental and control groups (n1 = n2 = 15). The intervention was a 15-session group therapy consisting of cognitive, behavioral, experiential, and mindfulness techniques. Participants completed the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) 2 weeks before and after the treatment and at 2 months follow-up. The same assessments were conducted with the control group. Data were analyzed by Mann-Whitney U Test, Friedman Test, and Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. Results showed that EST significantly improved acceptance of emotional responses, goal-directed behaviors, impulse control, and adaptive emotion regulation strategies in both post-test and follow-up assessments in the experimental group. In contrast, the control group did not have any significant changes on these variables. Significant changes were not detected for lack of emotional awareness and lack of emotional clarity in both groups. These findings indicate that EST is a potential effective treatment to improve aspects of emotion regulation in women with a history of child abuse and neglect.
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| Item Type: | Article (Commonwealth Reporting Category C) |
|---|---|
| Refereed: | Yes |
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Files associated with this item cannot be displayed due to copyright restrictions. |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current - Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Counselling |
| Date Deposited: | 12 Feb 2019 04:43 |
| Last Modified: | 22 May 2019 05:17 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Emotional Schema Therapy, emotion regulation, childhood trauma, adverse childhood, abuse and neglect, EST, psychological treatment, mindfulness |
| Fields of Research : | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170109 Personality, Abilities and Assessment 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170113 Social and Community Psychology 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1701 Psychology > 170106 Health, Clinical and Counselling Psychology |
| Identification Number or DOI: | 10.1007/s41811-018-0036-7 |
| URI: | http://eprints.usq.edu.au/id/eprint/35678 |
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