The Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy-based Parenting Education of Mothers on Modifying Maladaptive Schemas of the Child and Improving the Quality of the Parent-Child Relationship

Objective: This study examined the effectiveness of group schema therapy-based parenting education in modifying the child’s early maladaptive schemas and improving the parent-child relationship quality. Methods: This research is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The study’s statistical population includes all mothers and their daughters (۸ to ۱۰ years old, living in District ۲ of Tehran City, Iran, who are students in ۲۰۲۰-۲۰۲۱). Among ۶۵ mothers willing to participate in the study, ۴۰ were selected by the available sampling method, according to the inclusion criteria. Then, they were randomly assigned to two groups of ۲۰ people in the experimental and control groups. In this study, the schema inventory for children (by Rijkeboer & De Boo) and the parent-child relationship scale (by Pinata) were used. The data of this study were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: Data analysis showed that parenting education had a significant effect on schemas of vulnerability, mistrust/abuse, failure, submission, unrelenting standards/hypercriticalness, self-sacrifice, and entitlement/grandiosity, but on the schemas of loneliness, defectiveness/shame, enmeshment/undeveloped self, and insufficient self-control/self-discipline had no significant effect. Data analysis also showed that parenting education significantly affects the subscales of closeness, dependence, and total positive relationship but has no significant effect on the conflict subscale.  Conclusion: The present study shows that group schema therapy-based parenting education for mothers is effective in modifying some of the early maladaptive schemas of children and improving the quality of the parent-child relationship.