Lupus, as a chronic autoimmune disorder, has extensive psychological consequences on the mental health of patients in addition to physical complications. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on the level of internalized shame and improving the quality of life in patients with lupus. This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included all patients with lupus referring to Imam Hussein (AS) Hospital in Tehran, from which 30 people were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups (15 people) and control groups (15 people). Data collection tools included the Internalized Shame Questionnaire and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire. The experimental group underwent eight 90-minute sessions of schema therapy intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. The results of data analysis showed that after controlling for pre-test effects, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the two groups in the post-test. Schema therapy significantly reduced internalized shame and increased quality of life scores in the physical, psychological, and social dimensions of patients in the experimental group compared to the control group. Based on the findings of this study, schema therapy is an effective intervention to reduce negative psychological burdens and improve the quality of life of patients with lupus by challenging early maladaptive schemas and replacing them with efficient behavioral patterns, and can be used alongside medical treatments.
