Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Emotion Regulation and Self-Esteem in Single Women

Nafiseh Alizadeh; Fatemeh  Hedayatzadeh

Authors

Nafiseh Alizadeh Master's degree, Department of Clinical Family Psychology, Arian Institute of Higher Education of Science and Technology, Fereydunkenar, Iran https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9978-4658
Fatemeh Hedayatzadeh Assistant Professor, Arian Institute of Higher Education in Science and Technology, Babol, Iran Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9696-4602

Keywords:

Emotion Regulation; Self-Esteem; Schema Therapy; Single Women

Abstract

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy in improving emotion regulation and self-esteem among single women.

Methods and Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental pretest–posttest design with an experimental group and a control group. The statistical population consisted of all single women aged 20–30 years who were seeking marriage and attended a counseling center in Fereydunkenar, Iran, during spring 2026. Initially, the self-esteem questionnaire was administered through convenience sampling, and 30 participants who obtained self-esteem scores below 11 and met the study inclusion criteria were selected. Participants were then randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). Data were collected using the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by Gross and John (2003) and the Eysenck Self-Esteem Questionnaire (1972). The experimental group received the schema therapy program based on Young et al. (2003) in ten 60-minute sessions, whereas the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA).

Findings: The inferential findings indicated a statistically significant difference between the experimental and control groups in posttest scores of emotion regulation and self-esteem after controlling for pretest scores. Schema therapy significantly improved both emotion regulation and self-esteem among single women. Comparison of the intervention effects further indicated that schema therapy produced a stronger effect on emotion regulation than on self-esteem.

Conclusion: Schema therapy appears to be an effective psychological intervention for enhancing emotion regulation and self-esteem among single women. Its comparatively greater effectiveness in improving emotion regulation suggests that schema-focused interventions may be particularly useful for modifying maladaptive emotional patterns and strengthening adaptive emotional functioning in this population. Accordingly, incorporating schema therapy into counseling and psychological services for single women may have important therapeutic implications.

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