TY - JOUR
T1 - Schema therapy with cognitive behaviour day-treatment in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder
T2 - an uncontrolled pilot study
AU - Remmerswaal, Karin C. P.
AU - Cnossen, Tamar E. A.
AU - van Balkom, Anton J. L. M.
AU - Batelaan, Neeltje M.
N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2023. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies.
PY - 2023/3/6
Y1 - 2023/3/6
N2 - BACKGROUND: Treatment resistance in patients with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might be caused by dysfunctional personality traits or, more specifically, early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and schema modes, that can be treated with schema therapy (ST). AIM: To explore possible effectiveness of ST-CBT day-treatment in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD in an uncontrolled pilot study. METHOD: Treatment-resistant patients with anxiety disorders or OCD (n = 27) were treated with ST-CBT day-treatment for 37 weeks on average including 11.5 therapy hours per week. The Symptom Questionnaire-48, Young Schema Questionnaire-2 and Schema Mode Inventory were completed before and after treatment. RESULTS: General psychopathology, EMSs and schema modes significantly improved after treatment. Spearman's correlations between pre- to post-treatment difference scores of general psychopathology, EMSs and schema modes were significant and high. The level of pre-treatment EMSs and schema modes did not predict post-treatment general psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: Symptom reduction was strongly correlated with improvement of EMSs and schema modes. Stronger pre-treatment EMSs and schema modes did not hinder improvement of symptoms. ST-CBT day-treatment is promising for patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD. Further controlled research is needed to substantiate evidence for schema therapy in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD.
AB - BACKGROUND: Treatment resistance in patients with anxiety disorders and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) might be caused by dysfunctional personality traits or, more specifically, early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) and schema modes, that can be treated with schema therapy (ST). AIM: To explore possible effectiveness of ST-CBT day-treatment in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD in an uncontrolled pilot study. METHOD: Treatment-resistant patients with anxiety disorders or OCD (n = 27) were treated with ST-CBT day-treatment for 37 weeks on average including 11.5 therapy hours per week. The Symptom Questionnaire-48, Young Schema Questionnaire-2 and Schema Mode Inventory were completed before and after treatment. RESULTS: General psychopathology, EMSs and schema modes significantly improved after treatment. Spearman's correlations between pre- to post-treatment difference scores of general psychopathology, EMSs and schema modes were significant and high. The level of pre-treatment EMSs and schema modes did not predict post-treatment general psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: Symptom reduction was strongly correlated with improvement of EMSs and schema modes. Stronger pre-treatment EMSs and schema modes did not hinder improvement of symptoms. ST-CBT day-treatment is promising for patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD. Further controlled research is needed to substantiate evidence for schema therapy in patients with treatment-resistant anxiety disorders and OCD.
KW - anxiety disorders
KW - day-treatment
KW - obsessive-compulsive disorder
KW - schema therapy
KW - schema-focused therapy
KW - treatment-resistant
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85147457649&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000625
DO - https://doi.org/10.1017/S1352465822000625
M3 - Article
C2 - 36606408
SN - 1352-4658
VL - 51
SP - 174
EP - 179
JO - Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy
JF - Behavioural and cognitive psychotherapy
IS - 2
ER -