Investigating the effectiveness of mentalization therapy on metacognitive beliefs, rejection sensitivity, emotion of shame, and psycho-social flexibility between the individuals with avoidant personality syndrome.

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Mentalization-Based Therapy on metacognitive beliefs, rejection sensitivity, shame, and psychosocial flexibility in individuals with avoidant personality Syndrome.

The research method in this study follows an experimental design, including a pre-test, post-test, and a two-month follow-up with a control group. Group assignment is done randomly.

The intervention was conducted at Didar Clinic in Isfahan. Sessions were held twice a week. Participants were randomly assigned to groups.

Entry Criteria: Having symptoms of avoidant personality disorder, being aged between 20-40 years, and possessing at least a high school diploma. Exclusion Criteria: Presence of psychological disorders such as bipolar disorder with manic or hypomanic episodes or a history of schizophrenia diagnosis; substance use disorders (abuse or dependence) in the past 6 months; active suicidal thoughts or suicide attempts in the past 6 months; intellectual disability or borderline intelligence (IQ < 70 or clinical diagnosis); inability to read, write, or complete questionnaires; receiving individual psychotherapy during the screening period; unwillingness or inability to provide informed and voluntary consent.

Intervention Group Participants undergo mentalization-based treatment. The treatment consists of 8 to 10 weekly group sessions, focusing on improving the ability to understand one’s own and others’ mental states, emotion regulation, and reducing avoidance patterns and shame-based behaviors. Control Group Participants in this group do not receive any active therapeutic intervention during the study period. They are only assessed during the pre-test and post-test phases.

Severity of Avoidant Personality Disorder

Participants will be allocated to either the intervention or control group using simple randomization. After confirming eligibility and obtaining informed consent, each participant will be assigned a random number between 0 and 1 generated by a computer program (Excel) . Participants with a number ≤ 0.5 will be placed in the intervention group, and those with a number > 0.5 in the control group. To ensure unbiased allocation, the randomization sequence will be generated by an independent researcher not involved in recruitment. The sequence will be stored in a coded list to maintain allocation concealment. The principal investigator responsible for participant enrollment will remain unaware of group assignments until allocation. Whenever possible, the post-test outcome assessor will be blinded to group allocation to minimize assessment bias.

Demographic data and primary outcome results of the study can be shared after anonymization and ensuring individuals' privacy.

Data can be made available 4 months after publication of the results and after the removal of personal identifying information.

Data and study documentation will be available to researchers and scholars working at reputable academic and scientific institutions.

Research data and documentation are available for scientific and research purposes. Users must commit to keeping non-identifiable data confidential.

For data inquiries, please contact via email at farid.manouchehry97@gmail.com.

After receiving the request and reviewing it by the researcher, a response will be provided as soon as possible.