زینب بهشتی

One of the most significant consequences of the spread of the coronavirus is the onset of anxiety. The amalgamation of anxiety induced by pregnancy and the risk of contracting COVID-19 can lead to inevitable complications for both the mother and the fetus. Additionally, some research has indicated that listening to the Qur'an can alleviate anxiety stemming from various illnesses. Therefore, this study was designed with the aim of investigating the effect of reciting the Quran on COVID-19 anxiety in women with gestational diabetes.

In this clinical trial, 64 pregnant women with gestational diabetes, referred to the health centers of Khomein city, were selected using the available sampling method and divided into two groups: intervention and control. In the intervention group, participants listened to the recitation of Surah Rahman three times a week for four consecutive weeks. No intervention was conducted in the control group. Data collection was conducted using a questionnaire and the Corona Virus Anxiety Scale (CDAS). Subsequently, the data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 software.

The findings revealed that the average change in COVID-19 anxiety in the intervention group decreased from 31.16 ± 10.5 to 11.22 ± 8.03. In the control group, the average COVID-19 anxiety decreased from 29.69 ± 5.85 to 13.63 ± 7.53, and this decrease was statistically significant. Therefore, the average reduction in the COVID-19 anxiety score in the intervention group was higher than that in the control group.

This study demonstrated that reciting the Quran reduced the level of COVID-19 anxiety in the intervention group.

One of the complaints of women during menopause is anxiety and irritability. There are different ways to reduce anxiety. Given the fact that medicinal plants are more cost-effective than hormone therapy and drug therapy and have fewer side effects, there is a greater tendency to use them to reduce anxiety. Therefore, this study was designed with the aim of comparing the effects of violet and evening primrose flowers on the anxiety of postmenopausal women.

 In this randomized clinical trial, 135 postmenopausal women referred to health centers in Khomein City were selected by availability sampling Materials and Methods After obtaining informed consent from the participants, they were divided into three groups: violet, evening primrose, and control. In the violet flower group, women received 5 ml of violet flower syrup twice a day for one month, and in the evening primrose group, they consumed evening primrose pearl twice a day for one month. There was no intervention in the control group. Data collection was done using a demographic form and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 Items. Following that, the data were analyzed in SPSS version 21 software using descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (repeated analysis of variance and Bonferroni) statistical tests.

The standard deviation and mean anxiety score after taking medicinal plants of violet flower (4.06±12.67; P<0.001), evening primrose (4.62±31.78; P<0.001) were significantly lower than those of the control group (41.29±4.85). Although both intervention groups showed improvement in anxiety, the benefits assigned to the violet flower group were significantly higher than those of the evening primrose group (P<0.001).

Violet flower and evening primrose reduced the anxiety of menopausal women.

Divorce, as one of the most important social phenomena, has many psychological  complications, among which is depression. Continuity of depression can affect a person's quality of life. Hence, it is necessary to adjust and treat these complications through various psychotherapies. As such, the aim of this research was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and interviewing on divorced women’s depression.

The current study used a semi-experimental pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population consisted of 260 divorced women aged between 20 to 50. Sixty of the aforementioned women were selected based on the inclusion criteria and then randomly assigned to three groups of cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interview therapy, and control group. The instrument for data collection was Reyes and Patterson's Anxiety Sensitivity Questionnaire. For the experimental groups, 12 treatment sessions of 75 minutes were held. Before the interventions and at the end of the study, people in all groups filled out the depression questionnaire. Data were entered into the SPSS software version 25 and then were analyzed.

There was a significant difference between the three groups of cognitive-behavioral therapy, motivational interview, and the control group in the comparison of the mean score of depression variables (p<0.05). Also, there was a significant difference in the post-test stage (p<0.05) in the one-by-one comparison of the cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interview therapy groups with the control group.

The findings indicate that cognitive-behavioral therapy and motivational interviewing are effective in reducing depression in divorced women. It is suggested to use this method along with other psychological and pharmaceutical interventions in order to reduce depression in divorced women as a clinical intervention.