Taḥqīqāt-i ̒Ulūm-i Raftārī (Dec 2016)
Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on the Reduction of Early Maladaptive Schemas in Patients Undergoing Hemodialysis
Abstract
Aim and Background: Stress resulting from treatment in patients undergoing hemodialysis will cause psychological problems. Maladaptive schemas are important in the development of psychological problems and the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on them has been approved. The aim of this study was to examine the effects of ACT on modification of early maladaptive schemas in patients undergoing hemodialysis in Isfahan, Iran, in 2015. Methods and Materials: This clinical trial was conducted with a control group. For the purpose of this study, 30 patients undergoing hemodialysis in Zahra Hospital in Isfahan were selected through convenience sampling and divided into control and experimental groups. The two groups were matched in terms of sex, education, and marital status. The data collection tool was the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form (YSQ-SF). A pretest was performed before the intervention, and posttest was conducted after 10 sessions (2 hours) of ACT. Findings: Repeated measures ANOVA showed that after the initial implementation of ACT sessions, a significant difference was observed in the experimental group in terms of maladaptive schemas. It was found that ACT was affective on the modification of early maladaptive schemas (disconnection and rejection, impaired autonomy and performance, impaired limits, other-directedness, overvigilance and inhibition) in patients undergoing hemodialysis (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The findings indicate that ACT can be used to reduce early maladaptive schemas, and thus, psychological problems in patients undergoing hemodialysis.
