Treatment Satisfaction and effects: A Pilot Feasibility Study of Schema
Therapy in Adult Outpatients with Personality Disorders within a Day
Treatment Program
Abstract
Objective: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness and patient
satisfaction of Group Schema Therapy-Day Treatment (GST-d) in treating
individuals with cluster B/C personality disorders. Method: The study
utilized a naturalistic design with 39 patients undergoing 34 weeks of
combined group and individual schema therapy. This included weekly
full-day GST-d sessions, 15 individual sessions, and two group
follow-ups. Results: Significant reductions were observed in
psychological symptoms, personality issues, and dysfunctional schemas,
with effect sizes (Cohen d’s) ranging from .77 to .87. Healthy modes
showed a smaller effect size of .24. The dropout rate was 17.9%, but
overall patient satisfaction remained high. Conclusions: The findings
suggest the potential effectiveness of GST-d in treating personality
disorders. Despite some limitations, the study recommends further
research with a larger sample and randomized control trials to better
understand the relationship between patient satisfaction and treatment
outcome, as well as cost-effectiveness.