The Effectiveness of Individual Schema Therapy on Depression, Abandonment and Failure Schemas in Patients with a History of Trauma

Depression is one of the most common and disabling psychological disorders, with a notably higher prevalence among individuals who have experienced traumatic events in the past. Traumatic experiences in childhood or adulthood can lead to the development of early maladaptive schemas such as abandonment and failure, which contribute to the persistence of depressive symptoms and emotional dysregulation. The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of individual schema therapy in reducing depression and modifying abandonment and failure schemas in patients with a history of trauma. The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pretest–posttest and a control group. The statistical population included all trauma-experienced patients who referred to a psychotherapy center in Tehran in ۲۰۲۴. A convenience sample of ۳۰ participants was randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received twelve ۹۰-minute sessions of individual schema therapy based on Young’s model, while the control group received no intervention. The Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF) were used as measurement tools. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). The results showed that individual schema therapy significantly reduced depressive symptoms and decreased scores of abandonment and failure schemas in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < ۰.۰۱). The findings indicate that individual schema therapy can be an effective intervention for patients with a history of trauma, playing a key role in reducing negative emotions and restructuring maladaptive core beliefs. Therefore, employing this approach in individual treatments for trauma survivors—especially those struggling with chronic depression and persistent maladaptive schemas—is recommended.

Keywords:

Individual schema therapy , depression , abandonment schema , failure schema , trauma