Comparing the Effectiveness of Contextual Schema Therapy and Emotion-Focused Therapy on Frustration Tolerance and Stress Symptoms among Welfare Clients with Noncongenital Spinal Cord Injury in Mashhad
Keywords:
Contextual schema therapy, emotion, focused therapy, frustration tolerance, stress syndrome, extra, maternal spinal cord injury, disabled people, welfareAbstract
Introduction and Aim: Noncongenital spinal cord injury may lead not only to physical disability but also to significant psychological consequences, including reduced frustration tolerance and increased stress symptoms. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of contextual schema therapy and emotion-focused therapy on frustration tolerance and stress symptoms among welfare clients with noncongenital spinal cord injury in Mashhad.
Methodology: This study used a three-group quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, three-month follow-up, and a control group. The statistical population included individuals with noncongenital spinal cord injury covered by the Welfare Organization of Mashhad. A total of 36 participants were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria and were then randomly assigned to contextual schema therapy, emotion-focused therapy, and control groups, with 12 participants in each group. Data were collected using Harrington’s Frustration Discomfort Scale and the Stress Symptoms Questionnaire developed by Khodayarifard and Parand. Data were analyzed using mixed repeated-measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post-hoc tests in SPSS-23.
Findings: Mixed repeated-measures ANOVA showed significant effects of time, time by group interaction, and between-group differences for frustration tolerance: F=202.11, p=0.001, η²=0.86; F=68.03, p=0.001, η²=0.81; and F=5.96, p=0.01, η²=0.27, respectively. Significant effects were also found for stress symptoms: time effect, F=56.86, p=0.001, η²=0.63; time by group interaction, F=15.18, p=0.001, η²=0.48; and between-group effect, F=13.02, p=0.001, η²=0.44. Bonferroni comparisons indicated significant differences between the intervention groups and the control group for the outcome variables, while direct comparisons between the two active treatments were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Both contextual schema therapy and emotion-focused therapy were effective in improving psychological outcomes among individuals with noncongenital spinal cord injury, and the treatment effects remained stable at the three-month follow-up. Overall, contextual schema therapy appears suitable for improving frustration tolerance, while emotion-focused therapy may be particularly useful for reducing stress symptoms.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Somayyeh Fayyaz (Author); Ali Akbar Saremi; Mohammad Rajabi (Author)
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