Iranian Journal of Practice in Clinical Psychology
Volume:9 Issue: 4, Autumn 2021

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Transference-focused Psychotherapy (TFP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on promoting the mental health and psychological capital of staff working in hospitals covered by social security in Tehran Province. 

The present study was a quasi-experimental research with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population of the present study was the personnel working in hospitals covered by social security in Tehran Province. A total of 120 personnel from three hospitals were randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group (40 people in each group). All three groups answered the Mental Health Questionnaire (Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R)) and Psychological Capital Questionnaire (PCQ) as a pre-test. Then, the transfer-oriented treatment group and the acceptance and commitment treatment group (during eight sessions) received the experimental intervention and the control group did not receive any kind of intervention. At the end of the sessions, all three groups answered the questions of the SCL-90-R and PCQ again. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the collected data. 

The results of the present study showed that both TFP and ACT were effective in promoting the mental health of staff working in hospitals covered by social security. There was also a difference between the effectiveness of TFP and ACT in promoting the mental health of staff working in hospitals covered by social security. Thus, in the TFP group, the components of anxiety, morbid fear, psychosis, and paranoia gained significantly lower scores compared to the ACT group. Regarding the components of psychological capital, the ACT group scored significantly lower than the TFP group.

Both methods can be used by counselors and therapists to promote the mental health of staff working in hospitals covered by social security.

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Aceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and schema therapy on forgiveness and fear of intimacy in conflicting couples.

This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The participants were selected from the conflicting couples who were referred to counseling and psychological service centers in districts 1 and 5 of Tehran in 2019. Of the couples who scored high on the Fear-of-Intimacy Scale and obtained a low score on the Interpersonal Forgiveness Inventory, 30 couples (60 people) were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the schema therapy group (10 couples), the ACT group (10 couples), and the control group (10 couples). Then, the participants in each of the intervention groups attended eight 90-minute therapy sessions based on ACT and Schema therapy techniques. After the interventions, the participants in the three groups completed the questionnaires again and were followed up after three months. 

The results showed that both ACT and schema therapy had a significant effect on fear of intimacy and forgiveness. Upon controlling the pre-test score, significant differences were found between the two ACT and schema therapy groups in terms of reconnection and revenge control (P<0.01), but the two groups were not significantly different in terms of resentment control, realistic perceptions, and fear of intimacy and schema couple therapy was more effective than ACT in controlling conflicting couples’ revenge and improving reconnection and this greater effectiveness was still retained in the follow-up phase.

ACT and schema-based couple therapies can be used by psychologists and counselors as effective approaches to increase forgiveness and reduce fear of intimacy in couples. However, schema couple therapy is more effective than ACT in controlling negative emotions and treating them in couples.

The present study was done to compare emotional and affective temperament in trauma-exposed women with and without Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) following intimate partner violence.

A total of 195 trauma-exposed women with and without PTSD participated in this study, and completed the Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament Scale (AFECTS). Collected data were analyzed by Multivariate Analysis of Variance (MANOVA). 

The mean scores of the group with PTSD were significantly higher compared to the group without PTSD in the overall scores of affective temperament, including cyclothymic, depressive, anxious, apathetic, Volatile, Dysphoric, obsessive, euthymic, disinhibited, euphoric, and also the emotional temperament, including anger and sensitivity. 

Findings suggest that emotional and affective temperament can increase the risk of developing PTSD following exposure to intimate partner violence.

We investigated the relationship between the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) traits and emotion dysregulation signs, including social anxiety, general anxiety, and depression in students.

A total of 189 students of the public universities in Tehran were selected by convenience sampling and answered the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale, Social Interaction Anxiety Scale, and Punishment Sensitivity Questionnaire and Reward Sensitivity. Data analysis was done using SPSS v. 26 software by Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis.

Pearson correlation coefficient showed a significant relationship between punishment and reward sensitivity and symptoms of emotional dysregulation. Also, multiple regression analysis showed that reward and punishment sensitivity could predict emotion dysregulation.

Punishment hypersensitivity and reward hyposensitivity were higher-order, shared factors for emotion dysregulation signs, including depression, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety. These findings emphasize the effect of behavioral activation as a technique to increase reward pursuit by the individual and suggested that this technique is able to increase reward-seeking and consequently, improve emotional regulation.

Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD) has two subtypes, care-seeking type, and care-avoidant. There is little information about the differences between the two subtypes. 

This study was carried out to compare perfectionism and tolerance of ambiguity in the subtypes of the IAD. To this end, a causal-comparative design was employed. The statistical population of the study included clients with symptoms of IAD who were referred to psychiatric and psychological clinics in Urmia city (West Azerbaijan Province, Iran) in 2019. After conducting a semi-structured interview, 60 subjects were selected as samples, using a convenience sampling method. The Perfectionism Inventory and the Tolerance of Ambiguity questionnaire were utilized for data collection. The collected data were analyzed by the multivariate analysis of variance test.

The care-avoiding subtype showed significantly higher scores on some subscales of perfectionism, including concern over mistakes (F=8.735; P=0.005), need for approval (F=4.988; P=0.029), and organization (F=4.505; P=0.038). On the contrary, the care-seeking type showed a significantly lower tolerance of ambiguity than the care-avoidant type (t=2.689; P=0.001). 

The findings of this study suggest some subtle differences between the subtypes of IAD. As a result, paying attention to these differences can lead to developing tailored treatments for each of the IAD subtypes.

The relationship between obsessive-compulsive and schizotypal symptoms has been repeatedly mentioned in various studies, but the exact pattern of this relationship is still unclear. Recently, the Inference-Based Approach (IBA) tries to explain this relationship through Inferential Confusion (IC). This study aimed to determine the mediating role of inferential confusion in the relationship between different dimensions of schizotypy and Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms (OCS).

The study sample consisted of 341 (158 men and 183 women) university students of Shahed University, Tehran, Iran. Participants were randomly selected by cluster sampling method and completed Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief (SPQ-B), Inferential Confusion Questionnaire-Expanded Version (ICQ-EV), and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). The proposed model was examined by Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).

Model fit indices (GFI=0.91, RMSEA=0.04, X2/df=1.54) indicated good fit. Results showed that among the three dimensions of schizotypy, only the direct effect of positive schizotypy on obsessive-compulsive symptoms (β=0.60, P<0.001) and inferential confusion (β=0.64, P<0.001) were statistically significant. Also, Bootstrap method showed that only the indirect effect of positive schizotypy on OCS was statistically significant [CI(95%)= 0.01-0.25].

Consistent with previous findings, it seems that the relationship between OCS and schizotypy is meaningful along the positive dimension of schizotypy and inferential confusion can explain this relationship to some extent.

Self-harming behavior is a major clinical issue in adolescenc. Childhood trauma, emotion dysregulation, and Self-criticism are the main concerns associated with self-harming behavior. In this study, we investigated the relationship between childhood trauma, emotion dysregulation, and Self-criticism with self-harming behaviors among adolescents in Iran.

A sample of 558 (263 girls and 295 boys) middle school-aged adolescents (aged 13–17) was recruited. Participants had at least one self-harming behavior in their clinical records. Self-harm Inventory (SHI), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and Levels of Self-criticism questionnaire (LOSC) were completed online. 

Findings of step by step regression revealed a significant relationship between childhood trauma, emotion dysregulation, and Self-criticism with self-harming behaviors. More specifically, childhood trauma (β=0.253, t=6.42), emotion dysregulation (β=0.135, t=2.77), and Self-criticism (β=0.345, t=8.67) predicted self-harming behaviors.

Our findings provided a therapeutic insight to prevent suicide and other related destructive behaviors among adolescents.

The unprecedented nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and cessation of full face-to-face affiliation along with homebound restrictions have caused a variety of psychological distress among adolescents. Adolescents vary in the way they perceive such stressors and some respond with eating disturbances, which could reflect their dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies. The present research aimed at elucidating potential mediating pathways from perceived stress and psychological distress to emotional eating. 

This cross-sectional study was composed of 292 adolescents who were assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale, COVID-19-Related Psychological Stress Scale, Emotional Eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire, and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Correlation analyses were performed to assess the relationship between variables. ANOVA was conducted to detect differences between males and females for emotional eating. Then, a mediation analysis was conducted to assess whether emotional dysregulation was a mediator between psychological distress and emotional eating. 

Results of path analyses indicated that a model with perceived stress and psychological distress predicting emotion eating through the mediation of emotion dysregulation was the best fit for the data (CFI=0.970, GFI=0.949, df=26, χ2=53.69, χ2/df=2.06, P>0.05, and RMSEA=0.069). Mediation analyses showed the mediating role of emotion dysregulation in the link between perceived stress and emotional eating (Sobel’s z=2.83, P<0.05) while, it could not function as a mediator between psychological distress and emotional eating (Sobel’s z=0.90, P>0.05).

This study contributes to our understanding of the role of emotion regulation in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological distress and emotional eating in adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic. The implication of this study is for therapeutic intervention to target emotional dysregulation of adolescents confronted with COVID-19 stressors.