مجله روانپزشکی و روانشناسی بالینی ایران
سال هشتم شماره 2 (پیاپی 30، پاییز 1381)

This study aimed at investigating the prevalence of mental health disorders among the male prisoners of Adel-Abad Prison in Shiraz. 200 male prisoners selected through stratified random sampling were evaluated by SCL-90-R for the purpose of preliminary screening. Following clinical interviews based on DSM-IV, two psychiatrists who worked independent of one another assessed the subjects. The final diagnosis for each case was made and cases of probable malingering were excluded. Only the subjects, whose diagnosis was confirmed by both psychiatrists, participated in the study. The findings showed that 75.1% of subjects were affected by mental disorders, of whom 41.9% suffered from mood disorders, 33.2% from personality disorders, 8.1% from anxiety disorders, 6.45% from organic-brain disorders, and psychosomatic disorders, 5.64% from psychosis, and 5.64% from somatoform disorders. Mental disorders are much more prevalent among prisoners than the general public.

The present study was conducted to investigate the personality traits which may have a negative impact on patients’ performance, health, and occurrence of panic disorder as well as its process and prognosis. Method 51 subjects diagnosed with panic disorder were compared with 51 normal subjects through NEO Personality Inventory- Revised (NEO PI-R). Findings The findings indicated that subjects suffering from panic disorder were more susceptible to experiences of anxiety, depression, aggression, guilt-feeling, and stress. They were less extraverted, but as capable of controlling their impulses as normal subjects; they prefer to have a stable life, and are not interested in experiencing adventures. Results The study demonstrated that the personality traits of the subjects diagnosed with panic disorder more likely correlates with those of the Cluster C of personality disorders.

The study was designed to determine the rate of prevalence of depression and anxiety among the patients in internal and surgical wards, and further to illustrate the correlates of these disorders with the population sample. Method 250 in-patients of Internal and Surgical wards of General Hospital No.1, and Bahonar General Hospitals of Kerman University of Medical Sciences were selected through convenient sampling during a four month period. They were assessed through a questionnaire, which comprised 23 items related to depression and anxiety dimensions of SCL-90-R. The data were analysed through t-tests, analysis of variance, ANOVA, and Chi square. Findings Analysis of prevalence of depression indicated that the highest rate of affliction belonged to the female patients in Internal ward with 71%; the male patients in Surgical Ward obtained the least rate of prevalence of depression with 39%. The average rate of prevalence of depression in various wards was 53.6%. Prevalence of anxiety was highest among female patients in the Internal wards (65%). Male patients in Surgical ward obtained the lowest rate of prevalence of anxiety. The average rate of prevalence of anxiety in various wards was 50.4%. Regardless of gender, depression and anxiety were found to be more prevalent in internal wards than the surgial wards. Moreover, the difference between prevalence of anxiety in the two wards was statistically significant, and the rate of prevalence of anxiety was greater in internal ward than in surgical wards. Results Depression and anxiety are more prevalent amongst the inpatients than the general public and the inpatient woman indicated the higest rate of prevalence of depression and anxiety than the other groups.

The study was conducted to evaluate the correlation between fasting in the month of Ramadan and mental health. Method 75 seemingly healthy Moslem men intending to fast in Ramadan 1418 lunar calendar (1376 solar calendar, 1997 Christian calendar) as they had in the previous years were studied in a two-month period. The subjects’ mental health was assessed through SCL-90-R at three stages, once in the beginning of Ramadan, then at the end of Ramadan, finally a month later. The data were analyzed through t-tests. Findings The average scores of the subjects who fasted in Ramadan showed significant difference across all scales at the end of Ramdan as well as a month later. Fasting in Ramadan only significantly reduced the average score on the scale paranoia. The reduction was still significant at the follow up, a month after Ramadan. The study demonstrated that the scores obtained by the married subjects on obsession, compulsion, and paranoia scales were higher after Ramadan as compared to single subjects; the reduction of paranoia and the overall coefficient of symptoms were greater among the employed fasting subjects than their unemployed counterparts. Results Fasting in Ramadan reduces some mental disturbances, but such reduction are not significant in most cases. There is a need for more controlled studies.

This study was designed to investigate the relation between use of prayers, mental health, and job performance among the technical workers of Tehran ammunition Industries Group in Tehran. Method The subjects, 304 men were randomly selected. The average age of subjects was 38.9 years and their average years of service was 18. Most of the subjects (42.1%) had primary education. The data were collected through GHQ- 28, a prayer questionnaire, and a job performance questionnaire. Through descriptive statistical methods, Pearson Product Moment Correlation, t-tests and one-tail ANOVA, data were further analyzed. Findings The findings showed that a significant relation exists between the use of prayers and mental health among the subjects; an increase in the use of prayers resulted in the increase in mental health level. Moreover, the use of prayers showed a significant relation with Anxiety and Depression sub-scales of General Health Questionnaire. In other words, increased use of prayers was accompanied by reduced scores of anxiety and depression. Results There is a relation between prayers and mental health. However, there is niether a relation between prayers and job performance, nor between job performance and mental health.

Considering the role of internal resources, such as coping strategies, and external resources, such as social support, in the adaptation strategies employed by patients suffering from spinal cord injury (SCI), the present study was designed to examine the relation between coping strategies and the quality of social relationships with depression among veterans with SCI. Method 70 home-staying veterans with spinal cord injury were randomly selected as the subjects of the study. They were assessed through CS-R, QRI and BDI scules. The data were then analyzed through t-tests and Chi square. Findings The findings showed that veterans with lowest degrees of depression significantly used effective and focused coping strategies, such as resorting to religion, active coping, planning, seeking social support, and positive interpretation. Moreover, veterans with highest degrees of depression enjoyed less social support and reported to having more interpersonal problems as compared to those with lowest degrees of depression. In addition, employment and volunteer service at the front (an index of belief and focused internal control) proved to be much less related to depression. Results The results demonstrated the effective role of social support and special coping strategies in reducing depression, improving feelings, and enhancing tolerance for the complications and consequences of severe injuries such as SCI.

The present study focuses on the techniques of controlling thoughts and depression/anxiety-inducing mental images such as attention diversion and thought stopping to control thoughts and mental images related to craving of opiates. It also attempted to clear and control the subject's environments to prevent possible temptation. Method This study followed an experimental design. The subjects were selected from an available sample and randomly assigned to an experimental group and a control group, each comprised of 30 subjects. For a period of three weeks, the subjects in the experimental group were provided with twice a week training sessions of an educational program on environment control, attention diversion, and thought stopping, with each session lasting 35 minutes. The control group received the normal treatment used in the clinic. A 30-item questionnaire to obtain demographic information along with a daily scale to determine the frequency of temptations as well as its duration were utilized. Findings The results showed that after 6 months, 19 out of 30 subjects in the experimental group were “clean”, from opium whereas in the control group the number of “clean” subjects in the same period was 4 out of 30. During the 6th month, the daily average frequency of using thoughts was 0.89 in the experimental group; in the control group it was 1.1, the difference of which was not statistically significant. The duration of such thoughts in the 6th month was 5.8 minutes per day for the experimental group, and 38.7 minutes for the control group; this difference was significant. Results Training on cleaning the environment, attention diversion, and thought stopping keeps more subjects clean in the experimental group up to six months. It also reduces the duration of temptations, but does not lead to any significant difference in the daily frequency of temptations. In general, application of this technique reduces temptation and craving.

This research aimed at assessing the efficacy of psychological and non-medicinal treatments in controlling epilepsy of children and youths. Method 30 boys, aged 9 to 24, with normal IQ, diagnosed with tonic-clonic epilepsy were selected as the subjects of the research. They had been under medicinal treatment for two years, but showed no adequate response. The subjects randomly were assigned to three groups. Group 1 received Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) in a group modality. Group 2 received biofeedback training. Group 3 (the control group) received no intervention or psychological treatment. Three dimensions of epileptic convulsion were studied (a) severity of symptoms, (b) frequency of seizures, (c) a feeling of control over the tonic-clonic convulsive epileptic attacks, which were assessed through the Epilepsy Symptoms Scale (ESS). Findings The findings demonstrated that CBT reduced the severity of symptoms and increased the feeling of control over epileptic attacks, but did not reduce their frequency. Biofeedback training did not significantly reduce the frequency of symptoms. The failure to reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures might be due to several factors, such as medicinal treatment, and inaccuracy of the information provided to the therapist by the parents of the epileptic patients. Results Psychological intervention is effective in the control of epileptic attack; it calls for further research.

The present study was designed to compare the worries of anxious children to that of normal children in the town of Dashtestan in Booshehr Province. Method This was a post-hoc study conducted in two phases. In the initial phase, the validity and reliability of the research tools were assessed. In the main phase, the tests were administered on the subjects; next the collected sets of data were compared to one another. The anxious group was comprised of 30 subjects, (17 girls, 13 boys). In the normal group, there were 50 subjects(26 girls, 24 boys). Both groups were matched in terms of sex, age, and level of education. The age of the subjects ranged from 8 to 14 years, and their level of education ranged from the 2nd grade of primary school to 3rd grade of junior high school. The instruments used in the study were List of Children’s Worries, Children’s Worries Questionnaire, and Revised Children’s Anxiety Scale. Findings The study indicated a significant difference between the normal & anxious children in terms of anxiety indices; the anxious children were more worried than the normal subjects. Further examination of the impact of age and sex on anxiety indices showed that older children were more worried about their personal performance, whereas younger children were more worried about personal injury.The frequency of worrisome matters was greater among boys than girls. The review of anxiety indices in the different groups of subjects demonstrated no significant relationship between type of illness and anxiety indices.

The present study was designed to trace the literature related to the history of psychopathology and mental health in Middle Persian manuscripts. Method The method consisted of library research into the hand written manuscripts and the collection of Middle Persian (Pahlavi) texts dating back to some fifteen hundred years ago. Findings The frequency of the term ravan (psyche) and its lexical combinations reveal the basis of psychopathology, techniques of mental health care, and the history of psychology in ancient Persia.