The Effectiveness of Schema Therapy on Academic Self- Regulation, Academic Self- Handicapping, and Meta-Worry in Adolescent Female Students with Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Document Type : پژوهشی

Authors

Zahra Imanzadeh ¹

monireh rezaee moradali ²

Farnaz Farshbaf Manisefat ³

¹ MA Student in Psychology, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.

² Assistant Professor, Department of Midwifery, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.

³ Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ur.C., Islamic Azad University, Urmia, Iran.

10.22067/tpccp.2026.95119.1820

Abstract

Extended Abstract
Introduction
Adolescence constitutes a critical developmental stage marked by pronounced biological, cognitive, emotional, and social transformations, rendering individuals particularly susceptible to psychological difficulties. Among the most prevalent disorders of this period is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD), characterized by persistent and uncontrollable worry (Walkup et al., 2023). Such worry is typically accompanied by mental tension, cognitive fatigue, and impaired concentration, exerting a deleterious impact on adolescents’ academic performance and educational adjustment (Strawn et al., 2023). A key construct in this context is academic self-regulation. Diminished academic self-regulation may precipitate a decline in academic achievement and an increase in the experience of educational failure (Roediger et al., 2018). Conversely, academic self-handicapping—a maladaptive cognitive-behavioral strategy—involves the conscious or unconscious creation or exaggeration of obstacles, enabling individuals to attribute potential failures to external factors and thereby safeguard self-esteem (Zimmerman, 2023). Furthermore, meta-worry (i.e., worry about worry), a central feature of the metacognitive model of anxiety, disrupts logical processing and academic focus, thereby perpetuating the cycle of worry (Geurten & Léonard, 2023). Accordingly, the present study sought to examine the effectiveness of schema therapy on academic self-regulation, academic self-handicapping, and meta-worry among adolescent female students with GAD.
Method
The present study employed a quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population comprised all adolescent female students with GAD who were referred to psychological centers and clinics in Urmia during the 2024-25 academic year. From this population, 30 participants were purposefully selected based on the study inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group (n = 15 per group). The research instruments included the Academic Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Bouffard-Bouchard et al., 1991), the Academic Self-Handicapping Questionnaire (Schwinger et al., 2014), and the Meta-Worry Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994). The experimental group received eight 90-minute group schema therapy sessions following the standard protocol (Young et al., 2006), whereas the control group was placed on a waiting list. Data were subjected to multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS-26 software.
Findings
The findings revealed that the schema therapy intervention exerted a significant effect on the dependent variables. The mean academic self-regulation score in the experimental group increased from 39.57 at pretest to 53.09 at posttest, a change that was significant relative to the control group (F = 44.41, p < .001, η² = .43). Similarly, the mean academic self-handicapping score declined from 27.32 to 19.63, a decrease confirmed as significant by univariate analysis of covariance (F = 36.38, p < .001, η² = .57). In addition, the mean meta-worry score decreased from 18.25 to 16.43, which was also statistically significant (F = 25.53, p < .001, η² = .48). By contrast, these variables remained virtually unchanged in the control group. Collectively, these results indicate that schema therapy directly and effectively enhances academic self-regulation, reduces academic self-handicapping and meta-worry, and yields concurrent improvements in academic and emotional functioning.
Discussion
The present study demonstrated that schema therapy, through its emphasis on the reconstruction of dysfunctional cognitive and emotional schemas, can enhance academic self-regulation among adolescents with GAD. This effect can be attributed to the modification of maladaptive schemas such as failure, dependence, and defectiveness/shame; modification of these core beliefs amplifies perceived self-efficacy and academic responsibility. It appears that, through the alleviation of anxiety and the reconstruction of maladaptive cognitive structures, students assume a more active role in goal setting and academic engagement. Moreover, the reduction in academic self-handicapping indicates that, by attenuating mental rumination and dysfunctional beliefs, adolescents disengage from avoidant cycles and adopt a more agentic stance toward their performance—a result consistent with HabibiManesh et al. (2024) and Jafari Goloche et al. (2024). The observed decrease in academic self-handicapping constitutes a further noteworthy outcome, which may be construed within the framework of modifying maladaptive coping mindsets. Adolescents with anxiety frequently adopt mindsets such as avoidance, surrender, or numbing, which foster avoidant cycles and diminished academic responsibility. By identifying and attenuating the activation of these mindsets alongside the reconstruction of dysfunctional beliefs, schema therapy facilitates a departure from disabling patterns and the adoption of a more active academic role. This interpretation aligns with the findings of Jafari Goloche et al. (2024), who demonstrated that modifying core beliefs and mental rumination can reduce avoidant behaviors. The reduction in meta-worry can likewise be understood through the lens of metacognitive theory; meta-worry is associated with intrusive thoughts and maladaptive cognitive loops. Schema therapy, by targeting schemas of vulnerability, insufficient self-control, and unrelenting standards, diminishes perceived threat and cultivates healthier coping strategies. Prior research (Stavropoulos et al., 2020; Moradpour & Bavi, 2025) has indicated that modifying maladaptive schemas alleviates anxiety symptoms and strengthens academic skills.
In sum, the present findings suggest that schema therapy may serve as an efficacious intervention within school and counseling settings to promote both mental health and academic performance among adolescents. Cognitive restructuring and the modification of maladaptive schemas play a pivotal role in fostering academic self-regulation and mitigating self-handicapping and meta-worry, thus representing a viable therapeutic approach within the Iranian cultural context.
 
 
 

Keywords

Academic self-handicapping

Academic self-regulation

Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Meta-worry

Schema therapy

Subjects

• Anxiety

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