Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences

Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences

The Impact of Schema Therapy on the Emotional Well-Being of Students from Divorced Families: A Mental Health Perspective

Document Type : Research Article

Authors
parniyan Hooshmand Asadi
Giti Hemmatirad*
Department of Psychology, Payam Noor University, Astara branch, Astara, Iran
10.22118/jjhs.2025.229091
Abstract
Background and Objective: The existing literature shows that a child's failure to adapt to their parents' divorce can have devastating effects on their psychological and physical health. This research investigates the effectiveness of schema therapy in improving the emotional well-being of students from divorced families.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pre-test/post-test design with a control group. The sample consisted of 30 female students aged 14–17 from Rasht whose parents were divorced. Participants were selected via convenience sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group, with 15 participants in each. Emotional well-being was assessed using the Emotional and Emotional Well-being Questionnaire by Keyes and Magyarmo (2003). The experimental group received schema therapy over 10 sessions of 45 minutes each, following the protocol developed by Young et al. (2003). Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS version 26.
 
Findings: Schema therapy improved the quality of life and well-being of female students from divorced families by reducing feelings of loneliness, improving general health, and reducing rumination. Emotional well-being scores increased from 23.56 (SD = 7.48) to 48.12 (SD = 7.67), and flexibility scores improved from 49.64 (SD = 6.28) to 68.12 (SD = 5.23) following the intervention. These findings indicate that schema therapy significantly impacted both emotional well-being and psychological flexibility in the experimental group.
 Conclusion: Emotional well-being can influence behavior and is manageable by the individual. Identifying and improving related issues—through methods like schema therapy—should be a key part of treatment.


Conflict of Interests Statement
The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest regarding the present study.
 
Data Availability
All data generated or analyzed during this study will be available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
 
Funding/Support
The present study received no funding/support.
 
Ethical Approval
This study was conducted based on survey data and involved no invasive procedures or medical interventions. Participation was entirely voluntary, and all participants provided informed consent before taking part in the study. Confidentiality and anonymity of the participants were strictly maintained throughout the research process. Given that this study was based on a survey and did not involve clinical interventions, it was not required to obtain ethics approval. However, all research procedures adhered to ethical guidelines for psychological studies and respected the rights and well-being of the participants.
 
Authors' Contribution

A. and R. J. F. developed the study concept and design. S. S. acquired the data. F. H. and A. F. analyzed and interpreted the data, and wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors contributed to the intellectual content, manuscript editing and read and approved the final manuscript. R. J. F. and S. S. provided administrative support.

Informed Consent
Written informed consent was obtained from all parents/guardians on behalf of participants under 18 years old, and written assent was obtained from all adolescent participants.
Keywords
Mental health
Schema therapy
Divorce
Adolescent
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Jundishapur Journal of Health Sciences
Volume 17, Issue 3
Summer 2025
Pages 1-10