Eating disorders are among growing chronic mental illnesses around the world. Bulimia nervosa is a subtype of eating disorder, whereby a person fluctuates between extreme diet and overeating. The study made an attempt to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy on eating disorder symptoms in patients with bulimia nervosa considering parental bonding. The study employed an experimental design using the pretest-posttest and follow-up design (control group). The study population included all patients aged 16 to 23 years with eating disorders referred to psychiatric, psychotherapy, and clinical treatment centers in Tehran. A total of 72 patients had medical records. After screening, 39 patients were selected according to the psychiatrist's diagnosis and DSM-5 using a systematic method. Patients were matched in two experimental groups and one control group according to age and inappropriate compensatory behavior per week. Data were collected using questionnaires (1- Parental Bonding 2- Eating Disorder Inventory and 3- Young Scheme Questionnaire) and diagnostic interviews based on diagnostic criteria for eating disorders and psychiatric diagnosis. Compared to CBT, schema therapy was more effective in reducing symptoms of eating disorder and more durable in patients with more supportive parental bonding than less care for the body or body dissatisfaction (f=.430, p=.001 <.05). According to the findings of the study, patients with more supportive parental bonding responded better to schema therapy. Therefore, it is advisable for therapists to apply a combination of the schema approach with other system approaches.

Keywords: Schema therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, bulimia nervosa, parental bonding

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