Comparison of the Effectiveness of Gestalt Group Therapy and Psychodrama Therapy on Cognitive Flexibility of Female Para-Medical Students with Social Anxiety Disorder

Background: Social anxiety has long been related to reduced cognitive flexibility, and this feature is seen as a factor of social anxiety disorder. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare cognitive flexibility among patients with social anxiety disorder with two methods of Gestalt therapy and psychodrama among female para-medical students at Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran, in 2020-2021. Methods: This quasi-experimental study uses a before-and-after design that includes two experimental groups, one control group, and a follow-up period. The statistical population of this study consisted of female para-medical students from the Iranian Medical University, Tehran, Iran, in the second semester of the 2020-2021 academic year. A total of 75 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned into two test groups and one control group (n=25 per group). An acceptance and behavioral questionnaire (AAQ-2) was administered. Group 1 received Gestalt group therapy, Group 2 was treated with the psychodrama therapy group, and the control group received no treatment. Eight sessions lasting 1.5 h were planned for each intervention. Multivariate analysis of covariance was performed to analyze the collected data using SPSS software (version 24). Results: The obtained results revealed a varying average scores for the cognitive flexibility component before, immediately after, and later after the test in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up periods (P 0.05). Moreover, the mean scores of emotional experience avoidance and life control were not significantly different between the two groups in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that psychodrama therapy is a multidimensional therapy that affects not only individuals and their emotions but also the environment and the relationship between them. Therefore, these aspects significantly improve the overall health level of the population.