Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on cognitive emotion regulation and cognitive avoidance among mothers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).
Methods: This research employed an experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. The statistical population consisted of all mothers of children diagnosed with ASD in Dezful City in 2023. A total of 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The data collection instruments included the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., 2001) and the Cognitive Avoidance Questionnaire (Sexton & Dugas, 2006). The experimental group received ten 90-minute sessions of schema therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using mixed analysis of variance with repeated measures and Bonferroni post-hoc tests.
Results: Findings indicated that schema therapy significantly increased both positive and negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies and decreased cognitive avoidance at the post-test stage. These effects were maintained during the follow-up period.
Conclusions: Schema therapy was effective in improving cognitive and emotional functioning among mothers of children with ASD. The results highlight the importance of schema therapy as a psychological intervention to enhance emotional regulation and reduce avoidance behaviors in this population.