The Effectiveness of Filial Therapy on the Primary Maladaptive Schema of Children with Cancer (Single Subject Design)

Abstract

This research purposed to determine the effectiveness of filial therapy on the early maladaptive schemas of children with cancer. The research method is a quasi-experimental single-subject A-B-A type. The sample individuals were three children with cancer in the 8-13 age range along with their mothers, who were referred to Dr. Sheikh Hospital in Mashhad and were selected by purposive sampling method. The subjects were in the therapeutic process of filial therapy for 8 sessions individually. The Schema Inventory for Children (SIC), was administered to the sample individuals before and after the treatment. The clinical outcomes were compared before and after the intervention, and the obtained information was analyzed based on eye diagrams, effect size, and recovery rate. The results indicated that the treatment is effective in improving the early maladaptive schemas of children with cancer. The obtained effect size for the domains of abandonment, abuse, defectiveness, vulnerability, and unrelenting standards was 3.57, 6.81, 6.06, 5.34, and 3.30, respectively. According to the results of the research, it can be said that filial therapy is effective in the early maladaptive schemas of children with cancer and can be used clinically.

Keywords

• children with cancer
• early maladaptive schemas
• filial therapy