The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy: The Family Resilience and Hardiness in Female-Headed Households

Introduction: The number of Female-Headed Households increased, and due to the acceptance of multiple responsibilities, they are at risk of mental health issues. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy, family resilience, and hardiness in Female-Headed Households supported by the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee (RH). Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study of pre-test-post-test type with control and follow-up groups. The statistical population of the study included Female-Headed Households aged 25 to 35 in 2023 until 2024 who were covered by Imam Khomeini Relief Committee of Yazd city. Using the available sampling method, 30 of them were selected and randomly placed in the experimental (15 participants) and control (15 participants) groups. The assessment tools included the Family Resilience Scale by Sixbey (2005) and the Family Hardiness Scale by McQueen et al. (1996). Schema therapy was implemented on the experimental group during 24 90-minute sessions over two months. Results: Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test with SPSS-16 software. The repeated measures ANOVA indicated that schema therapy significantly impacted increasing family resilience and hardiness in female-headed households. For resilience, the effects of phases (P=0/001,F=141/001), and the effect of the group (P=0/001,F=452/336) were significant. For family hardiness as well, the effects of phases (P=0/001,F=51/649) and the group (P=0/001,F=115/035) were significant. These results demonstrate that the intervention significantly improved family resilience and hardiness over time. Conclusion: The results showed that schema therapy is effective on the resilience and hardiness of female-headed households. Therefore, schema therapy is suggested to be used to improve the mental health of female-headed households.