مجتبی انصاری شهیدی

Obsessive compulsive disorder is a chronic and debilitating disorderes by recurrent and persistent thoughts and behaviors associated with anxiety. The aim of this research is to compare the effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy and mentalization based treatment on the Accommodation and communication patterns in the spouses of people with OCD. The research method was a semi-experimental with a two-step process (pre-test,post-test) in three experimental groups (ACT group, MBT group, control group). The research samples included 45 OCD spouses, who were placed in three experimental groups of 15 people. The results showed the scores of communication patterns in the post-test of the MBT group were significantly lower than the ACT group (P<0.05). However, there is no significant difference between the compliance scores in the post-test of the ACT group and the MBT group (P>0.05). There is a difference between the compliance scores in the post-test of the ACT group is significantly lower than the control group (p<0.05). So there is no difference in the spouses' Accommodation scores between the ACT group and the MBT group. However, the effectiveness of the MBT approach is more than the effectiveness of the ACT approach in the communication patterns of spouses of people suffering from OCD.

Obesity is a health, medical and psychological issue that has many economic, social and personal consequences. This research was conducted with the aim of constructing and investigating the validity, reliability and confirmatory factor analysis of the Scale of Information, Motivation and Behavioral skills in women with a body mass index above 25 in the city of Isfahan.This correlational research is of the validation type and the statistical population of the research included women with a body mass index higher than 25 who had visited diet therapy centers, health centers and sports clubs in Isfahan city in 2014-2016.And for the sample size of the present study, 444 women with a body mass index higher than 25 were selected, and the cluster sampling method was used.A researcher-made scale of information, motivation, and behavioral skills was used to collect data.In order to check content validity, experts were consulted, and to measure construct validity and reliability of the scale, confirmatory factor analysis method was used using Amos and SPSS software.In terms of the relative index of content validity, the scale was 0.62 and the content validity index was above 0.70, and the construct validity aspect was also approved by the experts, the fit indices related to the four confirmatory factor analysis models for the four subscales were at a favorable level.The composite reliability of the information, motivation, behavioral skill and health behavior subscales was (CRI=0.89, 0.87, 0.91 and 0.87 ) respectively. Therefore, this scale can be used in research, clinical and therapeutic situations.

Psychosomatic diseases disrupt patients’ mental order, leading to chronic psychological injuries. Consequently, this study aimed to investigate the mediating role of health-promoting behaviors in the relationship between perceived stress and sense of coherence with psychosocial adaptation to the disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).

The research method was descriptive-correlational and utilized Structural Equation Modeling. The study’s statistical population included patients with IBS referred to therapy centers and gastroenterologists in Isfahan in the autumn and winter of 2020-21. The statistical population comprised 340 patients with IBS, selected using a convenient sampling method. The applied instruments included the Psycho-Social Adaptation to Disease Scale (PSADS), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SCQ) and Health Promoting Behaviors Questionnaire (HPBQ). Data analysis was conducted via Structural Equation Modeling and Bootstrap test using SPSS23 and AMOS23 statistical software.

The results showed that perceived stress, sense of coherence, and health-promoting behaviors directly affect psychosocial adaptation to disease (P<0.01). Furthermore, the results of the Bootstrap test showed that health-promoting behaviors have a significant mediation role in the relationship of perceived stress and sense of coherence with psychosocial adaptation to disease (P<0.01).

Clinical therapists must improve psychosocial adaptation to disease in patients with IBS by applying efficient psychological therapy methods such as Health Promoting Behaviors-based therapy.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of solution-oriented therapy and narrative therapy on problem-oriented methods of coping with stress in women with chronic headaches.

The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group with a 2-month follow-up phase. The statistical population was all women with chronic headaches who referred to neurology clinics in Tehran in 1402. In the first stage, 45 people were selected using the purposeful sampling method and then they were replaced in 2 experimental groups (15 people in each group) and a control group (15 people) in a simple random way. The analysis of the information obtained from the implementation of the questionnaires was done through SPSS software version 24 in two descriptive and inferential parts.

The results showed that both interventions in the post-test and follow-up phase had a significant effect on improving the problem-oriented methods of coping with stress compared to the control group (P<0.05). The results of Ben-Ferroni's post hoc test showed that narrative therapy is more effective than solution-oriented therapy on improving problem-oriented ways of dealing with stress (P<0.05).

Based on the results of the present study, it can be said that solution-oriented therapy and narrative therapy can be used as appropriate treatment methods to improve the problem-oriented methods of coping with stress in women with chronic headaches in centers. Counseling and psychological services should be used, and the priority is to use narrative therapy.

In the past decades, a group of diseases have been classified under the title of psychosomatic complaints and it has been reported that the diagnostic problems and their differentiation from other diseases have caused an increase in paraclinical and diagnostic costs in the patients of this group of patients. Psychosomatic diseases are a class of diseases in which a person suffers from physical and physical signs and symptoms that are caused by psychological factors or may be intensified under the influence of psychological characteristics and stressors. It seems that in addition to biological mechanisms, psychological and emotional factors are involved in the occurrence of these diseases. In this way, different levels of feelings of hostility, depression, and anxiety can be seen as the predominant basic factors of psychosomatic complaints. According to this, the present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on cognitive fusion and alexithymia in students with psychosomatic disorders.
 

The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, control group, and two-month follow-up period design. The statistical population included secondary high school students with psychosomatic disorder in Khomeini Shahr in the academic year 2020-21. 37 students with signs of psychosomatic disorder were selected through the purposive sampling method and randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups (18 in the experimental and 19 in the control group). The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention during two months. The applied questionnaires in this study included a psychosomatic complaints scale (Takata & Sakara, 2004), a Cognitive fusion questionnaire (Gillanders et al., 2014), and an alexithymia (Takata & Sakara, 2004) questionnaire (Bagby et al., 1994). The data from the study were analyzed through mixed ANOVA via SPSS23 software.
 

The results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has a significant effect on cognitive fusion and alexithymia in students with psychosomatic disorder (p<0.001). Also, the results showed that this effectiveness remained stable in the two-month follow-up period. Descriptive findings also indicated that cognitive therapy based on mindfulness was able to reduce the average scores of cognitive fusion and alexithymia of students with psychosomatic complaints.
 

According to the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be used as an efficient therapy to decrease cognitive fusion and alexithymia in students with psychosomatic disorder through mindful activities and attitudes and addressing feelings and problem-making emotions. In addition, cognitive therapy based on mindfulness by applying practical mechanisms (such as body awareness and cognitive and emotional re-evaluation), can reduce the cognitive and emotional avoidance of students with psychosomatic complaints. On the other hand, by accepting signs and symptoms, students reduce overthinking about symptoms and learn that these are part of the body's defense mechanisms against stress that they have to deal with. This process improves the skill of regulating, managing, and expressing emotions and reduces alexithymia and cognitive fusion.

The purpose of this research was to develop a model that could predict psychosocial ada​ptation to disease in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) based on perceived stress, sense of coherence, and the mediating function of self-compassion. Utilizing descriptive-correlational and structural equation modeling, the research was conducted. Patients with IBS who were referred to therapy centers and gastroenterologists in the city of Isfahan between the autumn and winter of 2020-2021 constituted the statistical population of the study. The statistical population comprised 340 IBS patients selected using a method of convenient sampling. Psycho-Social Adaptation to Disease Scale (PSADS), Perceived Self-compassion Scale (PSS), Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SCQ), and Self-Compassion Questionnaire (SCQ) were among the instruments utilized. The data analysis was performed using SPSS and Amos software, version 23, in conjunction with path analysis and Bootstrap testing. Significant relationships were found between perceived stress, sense of coherence, self-compassion, and psychosocial adaptation to disease (p<0.01). Furthermore, perceived stress, and sense of coherence, and self-compassion all have a significant direct effect on psychosocial adaptation to disease (p<0.01). Additionally, the findings from the Bootstrap analysis indicated that self-compassion mediates the relationship between perceived stress, sense of coherence, and psychosocial adaptation to disease in a statistically significant manner (p<0.01). In conclusion, the model exhibited an adequate degree of fit. Given the substantial mediating influence of self-compassion, it is imperative that clinical therapists enhance the psychosocial adaptation of patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) by employing efficacious psychological therapy approaches, including self-compassion-based therapy.

Chronic headaches are the most common types of headaches that cause severe loss of daily functioning of patients. Most of these patients treated with drug therapy and it seems that drug therapy is not useful alone. The purpose of this study was to comparison the effectiveness of solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy on ways of emotion of coping with stress in women with chronic headaches.

This semi-experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design with control group and follow-up 2 month. In this research, the statistical population was all women with chronic headaches who referred to the clinic of neurologists in Tehran in year 2023. In the first stage, using convenience sampling method, 45 women were selected and then randomly divided into 2 experimental groups (each group 15 women) and one control group (15 women) were replaced and experimental groups underwent solution-focused therapy (8 sessions 90 minutes) and narrative therapy (8 sessions 90 minutes), but the control group received no training and remained in the waiting list. To collect data short-form McGill pain questionnaire (SF-MPQ-2) of Dworkin and et al (2009) and ways of coping questionnaire (WCQ) of Folkman & Lazarus (1988). Data analysis was performed using SPSS-28 software in two sections: descriptive and inferential (analysis of variance with repeated measures and Bonferroni).

The results showed that both interventions in post-test and follow up had a significant effect on ways of emotion of coping with stress (P<0.05).  In addition, the results of Bonferroni post hoc test showed that self- narrative therapy is more effective in ways of emotion of coping with stress (P<0.05).

Based on the results of the present study, it can be said that solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy can be used as a treatment method to on ways of emotion of coping with stress of women with chronic headaches in counseling centers and priority of use in the treatment of women with chronic headaches is with the narrative therapy.

Obsessive-compulsive disorder is a chronic and debilitating disorder characterized by recurrent and persistent thoughts and behaviors associated with anxiety. Considering show the importance and fundamental role of the family in the process of obsessive compulsive disorder in family members, the aim of this research is to compare the effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment therapy and mentalization based treatment on the conflict resolution strategies in the spouses of people with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was a semi-experimental method with a two-step process (pre-test, post-test) in three experimental groups (education group based on acceptance and commitment treatment, education group based on mentalization, control group). In this process, the independent variables are the acceptance and commitment treatment and also the mentalization treatment and dependent variable is the conflict resolution strategies.  The research samples included 45 spouses of people suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder, who were placed in three experimental groups of 15 people: treatment based on acceptance and commitment, treatment based on mentalization, and the control group.

The results showed that there is a significant difference between the scores of the conflict resolution strategies in the post-test of the acceptance and commitment group and the mentalization group, and this difference is in favor of the acceptance group. That is, the scores of conflict resolution strategies in the post-test of the acceptance and commitment group were significantly lower than the mentalization group (P<0.05).

Based on this we can say that acceptance and commitment therapy has more effect on conflict resolution strategies.

Due to pulmonary involvement, COVID-19 patients experience a decrease in the saturation of peripheral oxygen. These patients perceive a lot of stress and are required to comply with isolation conditions. This study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of remote stress management training on the saturation of peripheral oxygen of covid-19 patients.
In this randomized clinical trial, the research population was all the patients with COVID-19 referred to Gharazi Hospital in Isfahan City in the winter 2021. 70 people were selected by convenience sampling method and divided into two intervention and control groups (35 people) by limited randomization method. For the intervention group, the remote stress management online training program was implemented in five 60-minute sessions over two weeks. The control group did not receive any training. The saturation of peripheral oxygen index was measured before and after training sessions. The data were analyzed using chi-square test, analysis of variance, independent and paired t-test, and analysis of covariance.
Mean and standard deviation of the saturation of peripheral oxygen in the pre-test and post-test in the intervention group were 93.83±2.25 and 97.82±1.05, respectively, and in the control group 94.02±2.15 and 95.16±1.99, respectively. Remote stress management training has had a significant effect on the saturation of peripheral oxygen in COVID-19 patients (p=0.001) and increased this index in the intervention group (p<0.05).
Remote stress management training can improve the saturation of peripheral oxygen in covid-19 patients. Therefore, this method of training is recommended due to the convenience and possibility of using it in the isolation conditions of these patients.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy in enhancing health promotion behaviors and psychological capitals among individuals diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. A quasi-experimental design comprising a pre-test, post-test, control group, and a two-month follow-up period was utilized for the study. The statistical population for the summer of 2021 in the Shahreza comprised individuals diagnosed with type-2 diabetes. By means of purposive sampling, 34 patients diagnosed with type-2 diabetes were selected in a random manner (18 men and 16 women) and assigned to either the experimental or control group. Over a period of two and a half months, the experimental group was exposed to eight positive psychotherapy sessions, each lasting seventy-five minutes. The health promoting behaviors questionnaire (HPBQ) and the psychological capitals questionnaire (PCQ) were utilized in this research. The data obtained from the research were subjected to analysis using mixed ANOVA in SPSS-23. The results showed that positive psychotherapy significantly influences the health promotion behaviors and psychological capitals of patients with type 2 diabetes (p<0.001). Positive psychotherapy can be an effective treatment to improve health promotion behaviors and psychological capitals in patients with type-2 diabetes, according to the findings of the present study. This is achieved through the use of techniques such as positive life vision and the instruction of optimism and hope for the future.

Patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) experience symptoms of cognitive impairment. These patients perceive a lot of stress and are required to comply with quarantine conditions. Remote stress management training, in accordance with the principles of quarantine of these patients, can be effective in their recovery process. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of remote stress management training on the cognitive status of patients with COVID-19.

In this randomized clinical trial, the research population was all the patients with COVID-19 referred to Gharazi Hospital in Isfahan City, Iran, in the winter of 2021. Seventy patients were selected by available sampling method and divided into two intervention and control groups (35 people) by limited randomization method. For the intervention group, the remote stress management online training program was implemented in five 60-minute sessions over two weeks. The control group did not receive training. The cognitive status index was measured using Folstein et al.'s brief cognitive status examination questionnaire [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE)] before and after the training sessions. The data were analyzed with SPSS software at two levels of descriptive and inferential statistics and by performing chi-square test, independent t-test, paired t-test as well as the analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).

The comparison of the average scores of the cognitive status in the pre-test and post-test phases of the two groups showed that the remote stress management training had a significant effect on the cognitive status of the patients with COVID-19 and improved this index in the intervention group (P ≤ 0.05).

Based on the results, remote stress management training can improve the cognitive status of patients with COVID-19. Therefore, this method of training is recommended due to the convenience and possibility of using it in the quarantine conditions of these patients.

Nowadays, cosmetic surgeries are one of the most common surgeries all over the world, and the number of applicants of such surgeries is increasingly growing (1). Most of the researchers agree that the main factors involved in the tendency to cosmetic surgeries include the problems related to body image and low life satisfaction and self-esteem. These factors suggest the important role of the psychological factors in the individuals’ tendency to cosmetic surgeries (3). Explaining the theories related to emotion regulation strategies, Aldao et al. suggested that emotion regulation dysfunctions can cause significant psychological outcomes (4). In general, interpersonal emotion regulation and applying that in human relationships can be useful for self-awareness and awareness of the others’ emotions, restraint, communicating with the other people, and positive use of the emotions in thinking and cognition (5). According to the results of a study, there is a significant relationship between the nose job applicants and the control group members in terms of emotion regulation; so that the nose job applicants got lower scores of emotion regulation (6). Also, another study suggested that emotional instability, a poor body image and tendency to cosmetic surgery can be predicted by emotional distress and emotional instability (7). Perceived social support has positive effects on mental health. Social support is a way of categorizing the social rewards under special conditions. Social support is defined as the companionship and attention received from the family members, friends, and other people (8). According to studies, people with a poor body image are usually introverted and they report the significant symptoms of social anxiety (9). However, social support is an important variable affecting the intensity of the body image symptoms (10). Ata et al. reported that emotional support of the family members can be a protection against the impacts of the media and friends. Finally, the perceived support of the friends can intensify the negative body image (11). It is normal to use the cosmetic surgeries to improve the physical problems (12). However, excessive cosmetic surgeries indicate a negative behavior. The demand for cosmetic surgeries has been increasingly growing in recent years, and such surgeries can cause severe physical and financial consequences that are irreparable in most cases. So, it is necessary to investigate the individual and social dimensions of this phenomenon in terms of psychological issues. The present study aims to investigate the relationship between interpersonal emotion regulation and social support with the tendency to cosmetic surgery.

The present research is a descriptive correlation research. The population includes all the applicants of cosmetic surgery referring to the Khane Sefid, Erfan, and Dr. Nilforoushzadeh Clinics of Tehran from June 21th, 2020 until July 22th, 2020. According to the statistics of the applicants in the past year, it was found that the average number of applicants referring to the mentioned clinics is about 780 to 900 people. In order to increase the generalizability of the results, the average population was considered as 900 cases per month. Based on the Krejcie-Morgan table (13), the minimum sample size to represent the population was determined as 269 people. However, the sample size was considered 360 people to decrease the sample decline. So, 120 people were selected from each of the mentioned clinics. Data collection was done by three standard questionnaires, including Interpersonal Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Perceived Social Support Scale, and Acceptance of Cosmetic Surgery Scale. Meanwhile, a general checklist including the demographic information (age, gender, marriage duration, the number of children, employment status, education level, the monthly income, and the record of cosmetic surgery) was distributed among the subjects. Data analysis was done by Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise linear regression in SPSS-19 software.

In this research, 360 questionnaires were distributed among the subjects. However, 322 complete questionnaires were collected. The participation rate was estimated as 98.44%. The average age of the participants was 20-60 years with the mean (standard deviation) of 37.80 (9.27). According to the results of Pearson test, there was a significant negative correlation between cosmetic surgery and interpersonal emotion regulation (r= -0.304) and perceived social support (r= -0.338) (P˂0.05). According to the regression analysis, perceived social support could explain 0.11 of the variance of cosmetic surgery tendency. Meanwhile, with the inclusion of the interpersonal emotion regulation in the equation, the multiple correlation coefficient was increased to 0.16. According to the findings, perceived social support and interpersonal emotion regulation had a negative correlation with cosmetic surgery tendency with the respective coefficients of -0.28 and -0.23. Based on the results of t-test and its significance level, the obtained coefficients are significant. According to the β values of the mentioned variables, in the case of constant conditions for the remaining variables, a unit increase of the mentioned variables can lead to the increase of the cosmetic surgery tendency score by -0.28 and -0.23. In other words, perceived social support and interpersonal emotion regulation are effective in the tendency to cosmetic surgery.

It was found that the perceived social support and interpersonal emotion regulation respectively have the strongest effects on the tendency to cosmetic surgery. The findings about the role of perceived social support are consistent with the results reported by Ata et al. (11), Ahmadi et al. (14), and Kabudi et al. (15). To explain this finding, it can be stated that the social support received from the key individuals is important in two aspects: first, the role of the social support and second, the presence of the support resources. The encouragement received from the other people, especially the key individuals is one of the resources of positive self-concept. So, the presence of these persons and their social support can provide an encouragement resource and decrease the tendency to cosmetic surgery (14). The findings about the role of interpersonal emotion regulation are consistent with the results reported by Eisazadegan et al. (6), Sorlie and Javo (7), and Shirmohammadi et al. (16). This finding can be explained by the fact that a person with developed emotion management ability can experience the emotions or inhibit them without any internal or external force. Cosmetic surgeries are more common among the individuals affected by personality disorders such as dependent personality disorder, histrionic personality disorder, and borderline personality disorder. These types of personality are affected by emotion regulation dysfunction. So, it can be concluded that lack of emotion management ability can lead to the tendency to cosmetic surgery (6). Finally, it was found that the tendency to cosmetic surgery can be predicted by interpersonal emotion regulation and social support. Therefore, it is suggested for the psychologists to focus on the role of the two mentioned variables to decrease the tendency to cosmetic surgery. The last suggestion is to provide emotion regulation training for the individuals and improve their social support to decrease their tendency to cosmetic surgery.

The high prevalence and consequences of hypertension in teachers has doubled the importance of identifying factors affecting blood pressure disease, the purpose of this study was to investigate the role of the diagnostic role of health-oriented strategies, self-management and incompatible strategies on hypertension: A discriminant analysis in Khorram Abad city. The current research method was cross-sectional in year1402. The statistical population was made up of teachers in Khorramabad city, the sample size of the study was equal to 324 people, of which 175 teachers without hypertension and 149 teachers with hypertension were selected by available sampling method. In this study, the standard questionnaire of psychological factors affecting blood pressure was used to collect data, and these data were analyzed with the help of spss-24 software and by variance analysis and discriminant analysis. The results of the discriminant analysis showed that the discriminant function has a very high clean power to distinguish and diagnose teachers with and without hypertension (p<0.05), such that 81.7% of the position of the discriminant function is based on the components of health-oriented strategies, self-management and inconsistent strategies. Also, the diagnostic power related to the subscale of awareness of the disease has been higher(p<0.05). Based on the findings of the present research, it can be concluded that psychological factors play an important role in diagnosing and predicting teacher’s hypertension, and for this purpose, psychologists, counselors and education professionals should pay attention to these factors to prevent and treat teacher’s hypertension.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between quality of life and acne disease.

In this study, a descriptive study method has used. There were 93 patients aged 15 to 50 years with acne skin disorder who included in the study by available sampling method. The GAGS rating scale was used for the severity of the disease. Also, The Skin Quality of Life Questionnaire (DLQI), was used to determine the quality of life of acne patients.

Quality of life was not normal among the acne severity groups, so the Kruskal-Wallis test was used to calculate the correlation, which stated that there is a significant correlation between these two variables (P<0.001).

Quality of life and acne vulgaris have a strong correlation. Considering the frequency of this disorder and its effect on the social and emotional performance of people, it is necessary to investigate more in order to prevent and treat this disorder

Obesity is a pervasive problem that can severely impair physical health. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy on self-management in obese people.

The present study was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest with follow-up and control group. The statistical population of the study included all patients referred to the counseling and psychological center of the best way in Qazvin in 1398 who were diagnosed with obesity by physicians and nutritionists. Using purposive sampling method, 60 people were selected and randomly assigned to three groups (dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy and control) (20 people in each group). Cognitive-behavioral therapy and dialectical behavior therapy were performed for 10 sessions for the experimental groups and no treatment was performed for the control group. The bariatric surgery self-management questionnaire was completed by the participants in the pre-test, post-test and six-month follow-up stages. Mixed analysis of variance test was used to analyze the data.

Due to the difference between the test stages after performing two interventions of dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy, group membership and interaction of stages and groups were significant for self-management (P <0.05). The effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy was greater than cognitive-behavioral therapy.

Based on the results of this study, it seems that dialectical behavior therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy can be effective in increasing self-management in obese people.

The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of group therapy on the severity of symptoms and perception of the disease in people with irritable bowel syndrome. The research was a semi-experimental type with a one-month follow-up phase. The population consisted of all female patients suffering from irritable bowel syndrome. The statistical sample included 30 people who were selected purposefully. Then, 15 people were randomly replaced in the control group and 15 people in the experimental group. The intervention group received meta-diagnostic treatment during 8 sessions of 60 minutes once a week. Data were collected by using Brad Bennett et al.'s (2006) brief IPQ and the severity of symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-SSS) by Lechner et al. (2013) (IBS-SSS) was repeatedly analyzed. The symptom severity scores of women with irritable bowel syndrome decreased from pre-test to post-test and follow-up, which indicates the effect of extra diagnostic treatment in reducing the severity of symptoms and perception of the disease in these women (p<0.05). with the persistence of the effect in the follow-up phase in reducing the severity of symptoms and perception of the disease; The stability of the effect of extra diagnostic group therapy on reducing the severity of symptoms and disease perception of women suffering from irritable bowel syndrome was confirmed (p<0.05). It can be concluded that this intervention was able to reduce the severity of symptoms and perception of the disease to a great extent.

Colon cancer, being a prevalent and life-threatening illness, has consistently garnered the attention of healthcare centers. According to statistics published by the World Health Organization, 2.8 million deaths in 2018 were attributed to this disease, making it the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths (1). The diagnosis of cancer is often accompanied by an increased risk of common mental disorders, which may negatively impact treatment, recovery, quality of life, and survival (3). It may also lead to psychological coherence breakdown (4). Antonovsky introduced the concept of a sense of coherence in 1970 (5). Through a sense of coherence, it can be explained why an individual can withstand high-stress levels and remain healthy (7). Additionally, one of the psychological problems in cancer patients is death anxiety (10). According to Hong et al., cancer patients are at a high risk of death anxiety in facing various challenges, with 32% of advanced cancer patients showing death anxiety. Abnormally high levels of death anxiety can lead to psychological disorders and the avoidance of medical care (12). Accordingly, mindfulness is one of the psychological interventions with extensive evidence supporting its effectiveness in improving mental functioning in clinical and non-clinical populations (14). This treatment enables individuals to understand their experiences without judgment and change their relationships with others by accepting their beliefs and emotions (17). The use of group therapy is also a common therapeutic approach to reduce psychological distress and improve physical functioning in chronic patients (21). The goal of the Psychodynamics approach is to bring unconscious levels to consciousness. Dynamic therapists often bridge between reality and imagination, unconscious and conscious, logical and illogical, and thoughts and emotions (22). According to this approach, the presence of others increases the possibility of self-disclosure and provides an opportunity to observe internal problems (23). So far, no systematic study has been conducted in Iran on the impact of two dynamic group psychotherapy interventions on the sense of coherence and death anxiety in patients with colon cancer. Therefore, this research aims to determine whether there exists a difference between the effectiveness of dynamic group psychotherapy and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy on the sense of coherence and death anxiety in patients with colon cancer.

This quasi-experimental research adopted a pretest-posttest control group design with follow-up. The statistical population included all patients with colon cancer treated at the Poursina-Hakim Treatment Center in Isfahan during the spring of 2022. Among them, 42 were selected using Purposive sampling and assigned randomly to one of three 14-member groups: the mindfulness-based stress reduction group (receiving 8 treatment sessions), the psychodynamic therapy group (receiving 12 treatment sessions), and the control group. The research instruments included the Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). The research data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS version 26.

The results demonstrated a significant difference in the average scores of the resource between the experimental and control groups in the post-test (F=5.68, P=0.007) and follow-up (F=4.72, P=0.015) assessments of sense of coherence, as well as in the post-test (F=4.37, P=0.020) assessment of death anxiety after eliminating pre-test effects . Additionally, the Bonferroni follow-up test revealed that both interventions effectively and equally increased the sense of coherence in patients, with these positive effects persisting over time (P<0.05). However, only dynamic group psychotherapy significantly reduced patients' death anxiety (P<0.05), although this effect did not remain stable over time.

To explain the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy in improving the sense of coherence among cancer patients, it is important to note that mindfulness aims to cultivate non-judgmental awareness of the present moment. This can lead to considerable changes in the lives of patients and their psychological functioning. Developing defense mechanisms, and confronting and accepting physical and psychological challenges resulting from the illness, also contributes to improving psychological well-being and increasing internal coherence (38). Consequently, mindfulness moderates emotions without judgment increases cancer patients’ awareness of their mental and physical experiences, and helps them clearly see and accept their emotions and physical challenges as they occur (40). To elucidate the research findings on the effectiveness of dynamic group psychotherapy on cancer patient's sense of coherence and death anxiety, it's worth noting that the primary aim of group analytical therapy is to promote interaction among group members and enhance their awareness of group dynamics and individual intrapsychic conflicts (23). Group psychotherapy, in fact, encourages patients to access their true emotions by addressing their defense mechanisms, which often involve avoiding genuine emotional experiences and emotional intimacy due to past unsuccessful encounters. Indeed, a group serves as an environment that encourages participants to tap into their coping resources and, through self-disclosure, share their conflicts and stress-related experiences with others. This process helps dismantle emotional resistance and unveil ineffective defense mechanisms. One limitation of this study is its focus on colon cancer patients. Hence, caution should be exercised when generalizing the results to other patients with specific and chronic illnesses. Finally, considering the obtained results, it is recommended to conduct dynamic group psychotherapy sessions and mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy in hospitals, clinics, and medical centers to enhance coherence and psychological well-being and reduce anxiety disorders in cancer patients.

The present study investigated the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms in students with psychosomatic disorders. The study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre- and post-test, a control group, and a two-month follow-up period. In the academic year 2020-21, the statistical population included secondary high school students with psychosomatic disorder in the city of Khomeini Shahr. Using a method of purposive sampling, 37 students with psychosomatic disorder symptoms were selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (18 in the experimental group and 19 in the control group). Over the course of two months, the experimental group received eight 75-minute mindfulness-based cognitive therapy sessions. This study utilized the psychosomatic complaints scale (PCS) and perceived stress scale (PSS) as questionnaires. The study’s data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA and SPSS-23 software. The results showed that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has a significant impact on perceived tension and psychosomatic symptoms in students with psychosomatic disorder (p<0.001). Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can be used as an effective therapy to reduce perceived stress and psychosomatic symptoms in students with psychosomatic disorder through mindful activities and attitudes, as well as by addressing problematic feelings and emotions.

The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on social adjustment and self-care behaviors in cardiac patients with signs of depression (after open surgery). The present study was a quasi-experimental design with a pretest, a posttest, a control group, and a 2-month follow-up period. The statistical population of the study included patients who had undergone open heart surgery and were admitted with depressive symptoms to specialized cardiac hospitals (Chamran, Sina, and Milad) in Isfahan in the second half of 2019. Thirty-five cardiac patients with signs of depression were selected by purposive sampling and randomly divided into experimental and control groups (16 patients in the experimental group and 19 patients in the control group). The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction interventions for two months. The questionnaires used in this study included the Depression Questionnaire, the Social Adjustment Questionnaire, and the Self-Care Behaviors Questionnaire. The data of the study were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA using SPSS-23 statistical software. The results showed that mindfulness-based stress reduction training had a significant effect on the social adjustment and self-care behaviors of cardiac patients with signs of depression (p<0.001). The results of the present study suggest that mindfulness-based stress reduction training can be used as an effective intervention to improve social adjustment and self-care behaviors in cardiac patients with signs of depression by using techniques such as mindful attitudes, mindful activities, confronting problematic feelings and emotions, and breathing exercises to manage anger.

The present study was conducted to offer the model of predicting psychosocial adaptation to disease according to health-promoting behaviors with the mediation role of self-compassion in the patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

The research method was descriptive-correlational and path analysis. The statistical population of the study included the patients with IBS who referred to therapy centers and gastroenterologists in the city of Isfahan in the autumn and winter of 2020-21. The statistical population included 340 patients with IBS who were selected through Convenience sampling method. The applied instruments included Psycho-Social Adaptation to Disease Scale (PSADS) (Drogits, 1986), Health Promoting Lifestyle Questionnaire (HPLQ) (Walker et al, 1987) and Self-Compassion Questionnaire (SCQ) (Neff, 2003). The data analysis was conducted via path analysis and Bootstrap test.

The results showed that health-promoting behaviors and self-compassion have significant relationship with psychosocial adaptation to disease (p<0.01). Moreover, health-promoting behaviors and self-compassion have direct significant effect on psychosocial adaptation to disease (p<0.01). Furthermore, the results of Bootstrap showed that self-compassion has a significant mediation role in the relationship of health-promoting behaviors with psychosocial adaptation to disease (p<0.01). Finally, the model had a suitable goodness of fit.

According to the results of the research, self-compassion has a significant mediating role between health-promoting behaviors and psychosocial adaptation to illness

The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of family-based social support training on the social adjustment and self-care behaviors of the cardiac patients with the signs of depression (after open surgery). The present study was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, control group and two-month follow-up period design. the statistical population of the study included patients undergoing open heart surgery with depressive symptoms referred to specialized heart hospitals (Chamran, Sina and Milad) in Isfahan in the second half of 2019. 36 cardiac patients with the signs of depression were selected through purposive sampling method and randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups (17 patients in the experimental group and 19 patients in the control group). The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute sessions of family-based social support training during two months. The applied questionnaires in this study included depression questionnaire (Beck et al, 1996), social adjustment questionnaire (Bell, 1962) and self-care behaviors questionnaire (Galiana et.al, 2015). The data from the study were analyzed through Mixed ANOVA and Bonferren post hoc test via SPSS23 statistical software. The results showed that family-based social support training has significant effect on the social adjustment and self-care behaviors of the cardiac patients with the signs of depression (p<0.001). According to the findings of the present study it can be concluded that family-based social support training can be used as an efficient intervention to improve social adjustment and self-care behaviors of the cardiac patients with the signs of depression through employing techniques such as creating social support circles, strengthening and rebuilding the social support group.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a debilitating chronic disease due to major changes in the health status and lifestyle of people in recent years; it has been one of the common and significant problems in the field of healthcare and medical professionals, which requires psychological interventions besides the biological treatments due to the accompanying psychological complications. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness therapy and interoceptive exposure on symptom severity of patients with IBS.

This was a clinical trial study and statistical population consisted of all patients with IBS referred to specialized centers in Isfahan, Iran. The research sample consisted of 45 patients who were selected by availability sampling method and randomly assigned to three experimental and control groups. The experimental groups were subjected to cognitive-behavioral interventions based on mindfulness and cognitive-behavioral interventions based on interoceptive exposure, respectively. The research data were collected with the help of the IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) and were analyzed using the statistical method of repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).

Mindfulness therapy and interoceptive exposure therapy were effective on the severity of symptoms in the experimental groups compared to the control group (P < 0.01). In addition, a significant difference was found between the two educational strategies in the post-test and follow-up stages (P < 0.01). Mindfulness therapy was more effective on the severity of the symptoms of the patients and a greater reduction was obtained in the averages of the two stages.

Mindfulness therapy and interoceptive exposure therapy led to improvement of severity of patients' symptoms and physicians can use these psychological methods as a complement to biological therapies.

Nowadays, in different societies, due to the changes in lifestyle and the prevalence of stress and anxiety, cardiovascular diseases have increased significantly. One of the factors that directly affects cardiovascular diseases is blood pressure. Primary blood pressure is blood pressure that does not have a specific organic cause and is usually caused by physical and psychological factors. High blood pressure is an unusual disorder that lacks any apparent symptoms. A person with blood pressure disease may not have any symptoms, feel it, or pay attention to it. Cardiovascular diseases account for half of adult deaths. The characteristic of this disease is an increase in systemic arterial pressure. From a clinical point of view, a person with high blood pressure is said to have an arterial blood pressure of more than 140/90 mm Hg. The majority of people who suffer heart attacks every year have one or more underlying risk factors, including high blood pressure, diabetes, smoking, poor nutrition, high blood fat, and inactivity. Most of these factors can be controlled or corrected, but high blood pressure can cause some restrictions on affected people's lives. Based on the Grounded theory, the current research aimed to provide a model of psychological factors affecting teachers' blood pressure.

The participants in this research were selected through a purposeful snowball sampling among teachers with high blood pressure and experts (specialists in the field of cardiovascular diseases). Sampling continued until the data saturation. Therefore, the number of participants reached 25 people (14 teachers and 11 specialists). The inclusion criteria were as follows: having consent to participate in the study, knowing proper information about the study topic, having blood pressure (history or chronic form), and having expertise in treating cardiovascular diseases (for study experts). The exclusion criteria were as follows: lacking informed consent, having less than three years of working background, and having chronic psychological disorders like depression, anxiety, and stress (recognized in clinical interview).
The main question of this research was what factors (psychological and physical) can influence the increase in blood pressure among teachers. During the interview, additional and more detailed questions were asked to obtain richer and more detailed information. Twenty–five interviews were conducted, and their duration was between 30 and 65 minutes. Strauss and Corbin's (1998) coding method was used for data analysis, including three stages of open coding (extraction of basic concepts), axial coding (extraction of major categories), and selective coding (determination of core category). In open coding, the analyst extracts categories and their characteristics and then tries to determine how the categories change along the specified dimensions. In axial coding, categories are systematically refined and linked with subcategories. Selective coding is the process of integrating and improving categories.

All the participants in this research were teachers with blood pressure and specialists in internal medicine and cardiology. The logic and method of presenting the findings is based on the general pattern of the research done in the Grounded theory. The research findings are presented in two parts. The first part includes descriptive findings, and the second presents qualitative research findings and data. In the analysis of the interviews conducted with the participants in the open coding stage, 709 primary codes were extracted. In the axial coding stage, 75 concepts were extracted, and in the selection stage, 19 categories were extracted. The results of selective coding showed that six categories were causal factors, four were background factors, three were intervening factors, three were strategies, and three were consequences. These factors were classified in the six classes of Grounded theory.

This research shows the need to pay attention and emphasize the role of education in controlling patients' blood pressure through pursuing a proper lifestyle and following correct behavioral habits. It is obvious that education, in addition to improving patients' performance and preventing the spread of their diseases, can lead to the formation of correct behavior patterns and appropriate lifestyles in society. Notably, modifying people's lifestyles through social and cultural influences, nutrition education, and presenting a reformed model of food consumption and physical activity can be appropriate solutions to improve the health of society. These research findings emphasized the psychological factors affecting blood pressure in different fields. The results highlighted the role of psychological interventions to control patients' blood pressure with proper lifestyle and correct behavioral habits.

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) poses a complex and debilitating challenge, with violence from a partner identified as one of the important causes of this syndrome. Women are nearly twice as likely as men to be affected by this syndrome. Women who have experienced intimate partner violence are at risk of this disease. Stress is one of the most critical aggravating factors of CFS. Today, one widely–used treatment to reduce stress is third–wave cognitive behavioral therapy. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) belongs to these approaches. Researchers and therapists of ACT investigate the role of self–compassion in psychotherapy. Self–compassion is one of the essential variables in adulthood. Schema Therapy is another treatment approach that has a notable impact on psychological improvement. This research aimed to compare ACT's effectiveness based on self–compassion versus Schema Therapy on perceived stress in women suffering chronic fatigue syndrome caused by intimate partner violence.

This quasi–experimental research employed a pretest–posttest and follow–up design with a control group. The study population comprised all women living in Tehran, Iran, suffering from CFS due to intimate partner violence from 2021 to 2022. Three hundred women of this population were evaluated using the Revised version of the Conflict Tactics Scale (Straus & Douglas, 2004) and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) questionnaire (Jason et al., 2011). Then, among them, 80 women suffering from CFS and experienced violence from their husbands were identified. In the next stage, according to the inclusion criteria, 60 qualified volunteers were included in the study. They were randomly assigned to two intervention groups and one control group (20 people in each group).
One of the experimental groups received 8 sessions of ACT based on self–compassion therapy, and the other experimental group received 12 sessions of Schema Therapy. However, the control group received no intervention. All sessions were held for 90 minutes once a week via Skype application. In both groups, in the pretest, posttest, and follow–up stages, the perceived stress variable was measured using the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983). The content of the ACT intervention focused on self–compassion was prepared based on Yadavaia's (2013) dissertation and Gilbert's (2010) guidelines. This intervention was conducted in eight 90–minute group training sessions (once a week) for the first experimental group. The schema–based intervention was prepared based on instructions and techniques of Schema Therapy (adapted from Young et al., 2003). This intervention was conducted in twelve 90–minute group sessions (once a week) for the second experimental group. Data analysis was carried out in two parts: descriptive statistics and inferential statistics. The mean and standard deviation were used at the descriptive statistics level. At the inferential statistics level, we used variance analysis with repeated measures and the Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS version 23. The significance level of the tests was 0.05.

Both time and the interactive effect of time and group on perceived stress variables were significant (p<0.001), but the group effect was not significant (p=0.091). In the intervention groups, the differences between the mean scores of the perceived stress variable in the pretest, posttest, and follow–up were significant (p<0.001). However, the differences between the mean scores of the mentioned variable in the posttest with follow–up stages in the groups of Schema Therapy (p=0.181) and ACT based on self–compassion (p=0.284) were not significant, which showed the stability of the treatment effects over time.

Based on the research findings, both treatment methods reduced perceived stress in women with chronic fatigue syndrome caused by intimate partner violence. So, psychologists and mental health professionals can choose either approach based on their preferences to treat these women.

Covid-19 patients perceive a lot of stress and suffer from psychological symptoms including depression, stress and anxiety. Because these patients are required to comply with quarantine conditions, remote training can be used for these patients. Therefore, this study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of remote training of stress management in a cognitive-behavioral way on the psychological symptoms of covid-19 patients. In this randomized clinical trial, the research population was all the patients with Covid-19 referred to the Dr.Garazi hospital in Isfahan city in the winter of 1400. 70 people were selected by available sampling method and divided into two intervention and control groups (35 people) by limited randomization method. For the intervention group, remote training program on stress management was implemented in five sessions of 60 minutes in two weeks. The control group did not receive training. Psychological symptoms were measured before and after the training sessions using the DASS-21 questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SPSS21 software and by performing chi-square tests, analysis of variance, independent and paired t-test, and analysis of covariance. Remote training of stress management in a cognitive-behavioral way had a significant effect on all dimensions of psychological symptoms of covid-19 patients and reduced them in the intervention group (p≤0.05). Based on the results, this method of training can improve the psychological symptoms of covid-19 patients and it is recommended due to the convenience and possibility of use in the quarantine conditions of these patients.