Comparing the Effectiveness of Group Schema Therapy and Group Metacognitive Therapy on Intolerance of Uncertainty in Infertile Women

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of group schema therapy and group metacognitive therapy on intolerance of uncertainty in infertile women.

Methods and Materials: This semi‑experimental study employed a pretest–posttest design with a control group and a three‑month follow‑up. The statistical population consisted of infertile women who attended Shahed Counseling Centers in Alborz Province during the second half of 2025. From eligible participants, 60 women were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups of 20 (group schema therapy, group metacognitive therapy, and control). The study instrument was the Intolerance of Uncertainty Questionnaire developed by Freeston et al. (1994). The first experimental group received ten 90‑minute sessions of group schema therapy based on Young’s (2003) protocol, and the second experimental group received eight 90‑minute sessions of group metacognitive therapy based on Wells et al. (2009). Data were analyzed using repeated‑measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post‑hoc tests in SPSS‑26.   

Findings: Findings showed that both interventions led to a significant reduction in intolerance of uncertainty compared with the control group (P< 0.001). These therapeutic effects remained stable at the three‑month follow‑up. Comparison of mean difference scores indicated that group metacognitive therapy was more effective in reducing components of intolerance of uncertainty, particularly the stressfulness of ambiguous situations, negative attitudes toward unexpected events, and uncertainty about the future.  

Conclusion: Both group schema therapy and group metacognitive therapy are effective in improving psychological indicators in infertile women; however, metacognitive therapy demonstrated greater effectiveness in reducing intolerance of uncertainty.