The Effect of Schema Therapy on Improving Job Satisfaction and Strengthening Organizational Commitment of Employees with Maladaptive Schemas

Author
saba sedaghatzadeh
Abstract
The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on job satisfaction and organizational commitment of employees with early maladaptive schemas in a rehabilitation center for children with autism spectrum disorder in Tehran. The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a follow-up phase. The statistical population included all employees of the autism center between October and November 2025, from which 30 eligible individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups (15 individuals in each group). The experimental group underwent 10 90-minute schema therapy sessions based on the protocol of Yang et al. (2014) and Arentz et al., while the control group remained on the waiting list. The research instruments included Spector's Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (JSS), Allen and Meyer's Organizational Commitment Questionnaire (OCQ), and Young's Early Maladaptive Schemas Questionnaire (YSQ-SF). Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and post hoc tests. The results showed that schema therapy significantly increased job satisfaction and organizational commitment in the experimental group compared to the control group, and this effect remained largely stable at the follow-up stage (P<0.01). The findings indicate that modifying early maladaptive schemas can lead to improved job attitudes and strengthened psychological bonds between employees and the organization by improving emotion regulation, reducing cognitive distortions, and increasing healthy adult mindset. Overall, schema therapy as a foundational intervention can play an effective role in improving the occupational mental health of employees in rehabilitation centers.
Keywords
Schema therapy
Early maladaptive schemas
Job Satisfaction
Organizational commitment
Autism Center
Al-Hussaini, S. H., & Al-Amri, M. S. (2024). Impact of inclusive leadership on organizational commitment: The mediating role of psychological safety. International Journal of Business and Management, 19(2), 45-62. https://doi.org/10.5539/ijbm.v19n2p45
Aghajani, S., Salmani, A., & Sharei, A. (2024). The effectiveness of education based on resilience on the attitude of responsibility and academic self-regulation of students who are children of divorce. Journal of School Psychology, 13(2), 1-16.
Arendt, I. M. T. P., Huijbers, M. J., Arntz, A., & Spinhoven, P. (2024). Schema therapy versus treatment as usual for outpatients with difficult-to-treat depression: Study protocol for a multicenter randomized controlled trial. Trials, 25(1), 245-258. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-024-08082-x
Arntz, A., Terwyne, G., & van den Hoorn, S. (2022). Effectiveness of individual schema therapy for cluster C personality disorders: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Psychiatry, 79(6), 551-559. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2022.0423
Awan, S. H., et al. (2025). Artificial intelligence and job satisfaction: Exploring the impact of AI-human collaboration in healthcare. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 201, 123215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2025.123215
Berberoglu, A. (2020). Impact of organizational climate on organizational commitment and perceived organizational performance: Empirical evidence from public hospitals. BMC Health Services Research, 20(1), 399. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-020-05297-4
Cai, C., & Zhang, J. (2024). Impact of flexible work arrangements on job satisfaction: The role of work-family enrichment. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 148, 103945. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2024.103945
Chen, L., & Wang, Y. (2025). Digital transformation and employee organizational commitment: A longitudinal study in the tech industry. Journal of Management Information Systems, 42(1), 112-135. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2025.2456781
Duan, X., et al. (2021). Perceived organizational support and job satisfaction among doctors: The mediating role of work engagement. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(3), 1150. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18031150
Eliyana, A., & Ma’arif, S. (2021). Job satisfaction and organizational commitment effect in the transformational leadership towards employee performance. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 25(1), 144-150. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2021.100140
Fassbinder, E., Schweiger, U., Martius, D., Brand-de Wilde, O., & Arntz, A. (2022). Schema therapy for personality disorders: Latest advances and future directions. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 18, 415-442. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-clinpsy-072720-014726
Ghani, B., et al. (2022). Challenges and opportunities for employee organizational commitment: The role of human resource management practices. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 835284. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg. Between 2022.835284
Golchin, S., Safarian, M., Kheiralahi, M., & Kaabomeir, N. (2025). Examining the Mediating Role of Rumination in the Relationship Early Maladaptive Schemas and Job Performance. Iranian Journal of Organizational psychology, 2(4), 29-41.
Hentrich, S., et al. (2023). The relationship between transformational leadership and job satisfaction: A meta-analysis. Journal of Applied Psychology, 108(4), 567-589. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0001055
Imam, A., & Chambel, M. J. (2023). Ethical leadership and organizational commitment: The mediating role of psychological empowerment. Ethics & Behavior, 33(4), 289-305. https://doi.org/10.1080/10508422.2023.21856
Khorshidian, N., Hashemian, S. S., Meftagh, S. D., & Najimi, A. (2017). Burnout among the employees of health and therapy entities: investigating the role of early maladaptive schemas and mental disorder symptoms. Alpha Psychiatry, 18(4), 323-329.
Kiers, I. L., van Gent, M. A., Molendijk, M. L., & Arntz, A. (2024). Short-term, manualized schema-focused group therapy for patients with CBT-resistant disorders: A randomized controlled trial. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1341181. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1341181
Koo, B., et al. (2020). Job satisfaction and its influencing factors in the hotel industry: A green human resource management perspective. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 84, 102329. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2019.102329
Luo, Y., & Mo, S. (2024). Workplace incivility and job satisfaction: The protective role of mindfulness. Journal of Nursing Management, 32(1), 12-24. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13987
Meyer, J. P., & Morin, A. J. (2026). A person-centered perspective on organizational commitment: Profiles, outcomes, and future directions. Human Resource Management Review, 36(1), 100982. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hrmr.2026.10098
Mohammadi, B., & Soleymani, A. (2017). Early maladaptive schemas and marital satisfaction as predictors of marital commitment. International Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 11(1), 16-22.
Nemteanu, M. S., & Dabija, D. C. (2021). The influence of internal marketing on job satisfaction of employees during the pandemic. Kybernetes, 50(9), 2650-2670. https://doi.org/10.1108/K-08-2020-0524
Nguyen, H. N., & Nguyen, L. (2024). Remote work and its impact on affective and normative commitment: A post-pandemic analysis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 45(3), 321-338. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.2764
Peeters, N., Arntz, A., & Roelofs, J. (2022). Schema therapy for eating disorders: A systematic review and meta-analysis of its effectiveness and implementation. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 55(11), 1431-1451. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23812
Reiss, N., Dadomo, H., & Bachrach, N. (2023). Understanding the reparative effects of schema modes: An in-depth analysis of the healthy adult mode in schema therapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 14, 1204177. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2023.1204177
Ribeiro, N., et al. (2020). Authentic leadership and organizational commitment: The mediating role of affective commitment and job resourcefulness. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 69(9), 1912-1930. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPPM-11-2018-0382
Salman, C. M., & Yasra, K. (2023). Learning organizations and innovative work behaviors: A moderated mediation model from the perspective of social schema theory. Организационная психология, 13(2), 207-229.
Smith, J. A., & Brown, T. (2026). Psychological safety and job satisfaction in diverse teams: A multi-level analysis. Group & Organization Management, 51(1), 88-115. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059601126123456
Statis, G., et al. (2024). Effectiveness of Schema Therapy versus Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for patients with severe forms of depression (OPTIMA study): A multicenter randomized controlled trial. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 93(2), 112-125. https://doi.org/10.1159/000536412
Tan, Y. C., Slotema, C. W., & Arntz, A. (2025). Long-term follow-up of schema therapy for chronic post-traumatic stress disorder: A durability study. European Journal of Psychotraumatology, 16(1), 2489012. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008066.2025.2489012
van Dijk, S. D. M., et al. (2023). A systematic review of the heterogeneity of schema therapy: Applications beyond personality disorders. Journal of Personality Disorders, 37(2), 262-284. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2023.37.2.262
Wang, H., et al. (2022). Linking servant leadership to job satisfaction: The roles of psychological contract and burnout. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 905151. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.905151
Yoon, H., et al. (2023). Job satisfaction and turnover intention of nurses during prolonged health crises. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(5), 1850-1862. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15582
Young, J. E., & Arntz, A. (2026). Evolution of Schema Therapy: New protocols for complex comorbidities. Journal of Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy, 33(1), 12-29.
Zhu, Y., & Zhang, J. (2025). Work-life balance and organizational commitment among Gen Z employees: The moderating role of social support. International Journal of Human Resource Management, 36(2), 201-224. https://doi.org/10.1080/09585192.2025.2415678