مجله تحقیقات علوم رفتاری
سال پانزدهم شماره 2 (پیاپی 48، تابستان 1396)

Aim and The aim of this research was to examine the effect of positive psychology group training on body image satisfaction in adolescent girl students of Kuhdasht, Iran.
Methods and Materials: This was a quasi-experimental research with pre-/post-test design and control group. Applying researcher-made Satisfaction with Body Image Scale (SWBIS), from high Scholl girls with low body image satisfactory, 32 were randomly chosen and divided into two equal groups of experimental and control. Positive psychology group training was presented to experimental group one hour and two times a week during 14 sessions. The control group received no training. The data were analyzed using ANCOVA test.
Findings: Body image scores improved at post-test stage in those who received the intervention (P It can be concluded that positive psychology group training was effective on improving body image in adolescent girl students of Kuhdasht.

Aim and The aim of this developmental study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Aging Perception Questionnaire (APQ) in the elderly in Tehran, Iran.
Methods and Materials: To estimate the psychometric properties of the APQ, 502 individuals (373 subjects aged 60-80 years and 129 subjects aged 50-59 years, and 49.4% men and 50.6% women) in Tehran were selected using convenience sampling. The multidimensional APQ, which consists of two parts, was distributed among the subjects. The first part evaluates the viewpoint about increasing age (aging), and the second part evaluates the experiences related to changes in their health.
Findings: Data analysis showed that the internal consistency of the APQ for the first part consisting of 32 items was 0.82 and for the second part consisting of 17 items was 0.88. In addition, the internal consistency of each subscale ranged between 0.63 and 0.81. The stability coefficient for the two parts of the questionnaire was assessed using test-retest over the period of 2 months and was found to be significant for all subscales (P The findings showed that the APQ had appropriate reliability and validity for assessing perceptions of aging in Iranian elderly.

Aim and Attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is the most common behavioral problem that causes hyperactivity, attention deficits, academic failure, and emotional and behavioral problems in preschool and elementary school. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of parent-based cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on overweight and self-esteem in 6- to 11-year-old obese children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder in Isfahan City, Iran.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study was done on 40 children aged 6 to 11 years with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder and overweight or obesity (above the 85th percentile in weight for age, height, and sex diagram) referred to Isfahan child and adolescent psychiatric clinic of Ali Asghar hospital in 2015. For 20 subjects only attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder treatment was applied and they received no other intervention; but the others in experimental group participated in cognitive behavioral therapy sessions. Analysis tools were Coppersmith Self-Esteem Scale and the body mass index. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with repeated measures.
Findings: Cognitive-behavioral therapy by teaching parents had a significant effect on overweight in obese children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder at post-test and follow-up. It had a significant effect on self-esteem among the obese children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at post-test, too (P Parents-focused cognitive-behavioral therapy can be considered as a complementary treatment for reducing psychological symptoms and body mass index and also increasing self-esteem in obese children with attention deficit-hyperactivity disorder.

Aim and Due to the central role of working memory in general cognition, in recent years, programs for enhancing working memory capacity are of high interest for researchers from different areas in psychology. The purpose of the present research was to study the effects of enhancing working memory capacity using simple span tasks on near and far transfers in male adolescents with low working memory capacity.
Methods and Materials: 30 adolescents from high schools in Damghan City, Iran, who had low working memory capacity were voluntarily chosen and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. Participants in the experimental group received training in simple span working memory tasks in 20 sessions. Tasks used for pre- and post-tests and follow-up assessments included the Wechsler numeral auditory and visual working memory span tasks and the N-back working memory updating task.
Findings: Working memory training using simple span tasks led to improvement of auditory working memory (P This research provided evidence for near transfer in some tasks when simple span tasks are used for training; however, no significant effect was obtained in far transfer tasks.

Aim and Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is a novel method for resolving interpersonal problems. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of ACT on interpersonal problems and experiential avoidance among female students with interpersonal problems.
Methods and Materials: In this convenience clinical trial, the study population consisted of all female students in the Islamic Azad University of Gorgan, Iran, in the fields of nursing, midwifery, laboratory sciences, management, law, accounting, and architecture. The participants consisted of 66 individuals selected via purposive sampling. The study population was randomly categorized into intervention (ACT group) and control groups. The intervention consisted of 10 90-minute ACT sessions, which were held by a trained clinical psychologist according to a study by McKay, Lev, and Skeen (2012). The data collection tools included two short-form questionnaires, i.e., the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP-32) and Acceptance and Action questionnaire (AAQ-II). Pretest and posttest scores were analyzed using ANCOVA
Findings: After controlling of pretest scores, a significant difference was observed between the groups in terms of the average scores of interpersonal problems (P Based on the findings, ACT can be effective on improvement of interpersonal problems and experiential avoidance.

Aim and The aim of this research was to investigate and compare the effectiveness of resilience training and the combination of positive therapy and resilience training on reduction of academic procrastination and academic stress, and improvement of psychological well-being and effective coping strategies among female students.
Methods and Materials: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest, and follow-up. The participants consisted of 60 students of 14 to 16 years old. They were selected through multistage cluster sampling and randomly divided into 2 experimental groups and a control group. Resilience training and the combination of positive therapy and resilience training were presented in 9 sessions, each lasting 2 hours, in the 2 experimental groups. Savari's Academic Procrastination Questionnaire, Ang and Huang’s Academic Stress Inventory, Ryff's Scale of Psychological Well-being (RSPWB), and Endler and Parker’s Scale of Coping Strategies were used in the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.
Findings: The results showed that resilience training and the combination of positive therapy and resilience training caused a significant decrease in academic procrastination and academic stress, and a significant increase in psychological well-being and effective coping strategies. The combination of positive therapy and resilience training was more successful in psychological well-being promotion and stress reduction than resilience training. In addition, resilience training was more effective in reducing academic procrastination.
Educational programs that incorporate multiple approaches and theories in designing educational packages have more significant effects. Therefore, the use of the present research results can be effective in the designing of preventive educational programs and improving educational achievements.

Aim and The aim of this study was the evaluation of the effectiveness of group cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) on the reduction of adjustment disorder in elderly individuals.
Methods and Materials: This was a semi-experimental and empirical study. The statistical population consisted of elderly individuals referring to daily rehabilitation centers and the Institute of Jahan Didegan in Tehran, Iran, for treatment and promotion of their psychological status. Subjects were selected via simple random and convenience sampling method. First, the Critical Life Event Inventory (CIEI) and Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) were completed through clinical interviews. Then, by performing the Bell Adjustment Inventory (BDI), those with adjustment disorder were identified based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5th Edition (DSM-V) criteria. Among the individuals with adjustment disorder, 30 elderly individuals were selected randomly and divided into 2 groups (N = 15 in each) of cognitive-behavior therapy (experimental) and control (waiting list). Finally, the posttest and 1-month fallow-up were conducted for both groups.
Findings: ANOVA and Tukey test results revealed that there was a significant difference between the mean posttest and follow-up scores of the cognitive-behavioral therapy group on the reduction of adjustment disorder in elderly individuals (P = 0.001).
CBT was effective on reducing adjustment disorder in elderly individuals.

Aim and Migraine is the most common primary headache. According to the studies, stress plays an important role in the initiation and development of migraine. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) bibliotherapy methods on women with migraine.
Methods and Materials: The study population included all females with migraine attending to Specialized Headache Clinic of Baqiyatallah Hospital in Tehran, Iran, from November 2016 to January 2017. 30 of them were selected via purposive sampling and were randomly placed in two groups of intervention and control. The intervention group received medical treatment as usual; in addition followed by a course of 8 sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction bibliotherapy. The control group received only the medical treatment as usual. Clinical interview for diagnosis of migraine headaches was conducted by a specialist physician using the International Headache Society criteria. The study data were collected via the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Migraine Disability Assessment Scale (MIDAS).
Findings: There was no significant reduction in the headache severity (P > 0.095). However, the levels of stress (P According to the results, the mindfulness-based stress reduction bibliotherapy could be applied as an efficient intervention in women with migraine, especially for improvement of the outpatients’ functions.

Aim and The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of 12-week physical activity on resiliency, subjective well-being, and work engagement among the female staff of Islamic Azad University.
Methods and Materials: This semi-experimental research was carried out having pre- and post-test. The statistical population of this study consisted of 94 female staff of Parand Branch, Islamic Azad University, Iran; from whom, 72 person were purposively selected as samples and were randomly divided into experimental (n = 36) and control (n = 36) groups. The tools for gathering data were Konor and Davidson Resiliency Inventory, Schaufeli and Bakker Work Engagement Inventory, and Keyes and Magyar-Mae Subjective Well-Being Inventory. Data were analyzed via SPSS software, using one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).
Findings: Aerobic exercise significantly increased resiliency, subjective well-being, and work engagement among the subjects (P 0.05 for all). The dimensions of mental health were not equally affected by the practice. The effect size was obtained 0.63, 0.49, and 0.09 in resiliency, work engagement, and Subjective well-being, respectively.
Based on our findings, it is recommended that managers should provide opportunities for their employees to participate in physical activity plans in order to increase their resilience, mental well-being, and work engagement. Under this condition, organizational managers can effectively benefit from their active and healthy human resources.

Aim and The prevalence of depression symptoms is increasing and has widespread destructive effects on individuals and the society. Identifying the risk and protective factors and understanding the process of developing depressive symptoms is essential for timely prevention and early intervention measures. The aim of this study was to investigate the moderating role of cognitive emotion regulation strategies in the relationship between stressful events and depression symptoms.
Methods and Materials: The statistical population consisted of undergraduate students; from among them 357 individuals were selected using stratified random sampling method. The Life Experiences Survey (LES), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were used for data collection. The hypothesis was tested using regression analysis.
Findings: The results showed that adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies moderated the relationship between stressful events and depression symptoms.
Individuals who use adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies to a greater extent after experincing stressful life events, show fewer depression symptoms. Conversely, individuals, who use these strategies to a lesser extent after stressful life events, show more depression symptoms. Accordingly, intervention and prevention programs for depression symptoms should have special attention to the education and promotion of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

Aim and This study was designed to determine the effect of unified transdiagnostic therapy on binge eating and difficulties in emotion regulation in patients with binge eating disorder.
Methods and Materials: In this single-blind randomized controlled trial, the study population consisted of all women diagnosed with binge eating disorder in Kashan, Iran. Of those who went to the nutrition clinic in Kashan in the first half of 2015, 60 individuals of 19-52 years of age who were diagnosed with binge eating disorder were selected through purposive sampling and were randomly assigned to two groups in order to receive transdiagnostic therapy (n = 30) or remain on the waiting list (n = 30) for 12 weeks. The dependent variables were measured using the Binge Eating Scale (BES) (Gormally et al.) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) (Gratz and Roemer). The collected data were analyzed using MANCOVA.
Findings: After 12 weeks, compared with the control group, transdiagnostic therapy resulted in a significant reduction in binge eating (-8.46 ± 3.55 vs. -1.36 ± 1.90) (P The behavioral component of unified transdiagnostic therapy focuses on the normalization of eating patterns, planning of meals, nutrition education, and culmination of the cycles of binge eating, and training of the individual to use smaller amounts of food regularly. Moreover, the cognitive component of this therapy focuses on coping with dysfunctional thoughts associated with binge eating. Generally, unified transdiagnostic therapy intervention had positive effects on binge eating disorder and difficulties in emotion regulation.

Aim and The present research was conducted with the aim of investigating the efficacy of quality of life (QOL) therapy on internet addiction, procrastination, and shyness of second grade high school female students in Kashan, Iran.
Methods and Materials: The present research was a pretest-posttest and quasi-experimental study with a control group and follow-up. The statistical population consisted of second grade high school female students in Kashan, from among whom, 50 students were selected and randomly divided into two experimental (25 participants) and control (25 participants) groups. The participants answered the research instruments including the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), Procrastination Assessment Scale for Students (Solomon and Roth Blum), and Shyness Scale (Check and Boss). The experimental group received QOL therapy over 8 group sessions for 2 months. During this period, the control group received no intervention. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA.
Findings: The results obtained from the data analysis indicated that QOL therapy was effective on addiction to internet, procrastination, and shyness in the posttest and follow-up stages (P With regard to the obtained results, it can be concluded that QOL therapy was effective on reducing addiction to internet, procrastination, and shyness of second grade high school female students in Kashan.

Aim and Parenting is one of the hardest tasks of parents and a determining factor in children’s psychological health. One of the factors influencing parenting is divorce. The objective of the present study was to examine parents’ experience of parenting after divorce.
Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using descriptive phenomenology method. The statistical population in this study included men and women who had experienced parenting after divorce. The participants were 13 men and women who were chosen from among the clients of consultation centers using purposive sampling with maximum variation. They were invited for in-depth and exploratory interviews. Data were analyzed using seven-stage Colaizzi method.
Findings: The analysis of these experiences led to the identification of the 10 major themes of parents’ relationship, parent’s individual needs, parent’s support network after divorce, parent’s attitude, emotions, and challenges, parent’s responsibility and supervision, parent-child maturity, and parent-child psychological damage in the parenting process.
Parents describe parenting after divorce as a challenging task. The nature of the parents’ relationship, and their individual needs and support sources after divorce can influence their attitude and emotions towards parenting. Psychological damage, growth, and maturity are among the parents’ experiences during the parenting process after divorce.

Aim and The aim of this study was to compare cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and time perspective therapy in reducing symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in war veterans.
Methods and Materials: This quasi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design. From among war veterans with PTSD who referred to medical centers in Tehran, Iran, 45 individuals were selected through purposive sampling method. The subjects were randomly divided into 3 groups of CBT, time perspective therapy, and control group (15 individuals in each group). To collect data, the Beck Depression Inventory was used. Analysis of data was performed using two-factor repeated measures ANOVA.
Findings: The results showed no significant difference between the CBT and time perspective treatment on reduction of PTSD symptoms (P = 0.942) in war veterans. However, both CBT and time perspective therapy had significant effects on reduction of depression in war veterans (P Follow-up results showed that the effectiveness of time perspective therapy in the reduction of depression among war veterans with PTSD was higher and had greater stability and sustainability compared to CBT. Hence, it can be used as a short-term psychological intervention of war veterans.

Aim and Deficiency in balance functions of individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been highlighted in the body of literature. There is also a close relationship between physical activities and alleviation in behavioral disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of endurance training along with methylphenidate consumption on balance in rats with ADHD.
Methods and Materials: The present study was a laboratory research. The samples were 35 Wistar rats (weight: 181.66 ± 8.69 g) which were randomly categorized into 5 groups (each group = 7 rats). To induce ADHD in the rats, they were injected 10 mg/kg of L-NAME for 8 weeks and 6 days per week based on the weight of the rats. The groups included 1 control group and 4 groups of ADHD (MPH consumption, endurance training, MPH consumption and endurance training, and ADHD). Open field, balance beam, and 5-band treadmill tests were used as research tools. Balance test was taken after 4 weeks of training. The medication group received 1 mg oral methylphenidate per kg weight of rats daily. The rats received training at a rate of 2 to 20 m/minute for 5 days a week for 28 days. The duration of the training in each session in the first week and the familiarization time was 2 meters/minute and overtime per week was 20 meters/minute. Data were analyzed using ANOVA.
Findings: Analysis of data showed that there is no significant difference between the pretest and posttest in the control group (P = 0.17) and the ADHD group (P = 0.17). However, there was a significant difference between pretest and posttest in the ADHD training, ADHD methylphenidate, and ADHD methylphenidate exercise groups (P = 0.001). Furthermore, Tukey's post hoc test results showed that the control group's balance was better than all other groups (P It seems that it can be concluded that 30 minutes of endurance training per day can be a suitable alternative for methylphenidate among rats with ADHD.

Aim and The concept of wisdom and its other equivalents have an important place in Islamic sciences, psychology, and psychiatry because of their determining roles in human health. Therefore, The present study explained and compared this concept in these three resources.
Methods and Materials: In this was a review study, after looking up the word "wisdom" in the Arabic, Persian, and English dictionaries, and Quranic Arabic Corpus, the concept was extracted from the perspective of Islamic philosophers, Imams, the Quran, and academic textbooks of psychiatry and psychology. Finally, the common features and points and differences of the concept in the mentioned resources were described.
Findings: Wisdom can be described in three perspectives. The Islamic literature has divided wisdom into theoretical and practical and described it as judgment power, preventer of deviation and corruption, the basis of human personality, and a human appraisal criterion in the hereafter. Psychiatry has defined wisdom as having true insight into the self, one’s disorders, and correct judgment in various conditions. In psychological literature, the concept of wisdom is the ability to think and practice based on knowledge, experience, and correct insight.
All three resources believe in the gradual evolution of wisdom and consider various factors affecting this evolution. However, in the Islamic view, the concept of the hereafter, as an important and essential concept, has different approaches and perspectives.