jafar sarani yaztappeh

Positive psychology is a branch of psychology that deals with the factors shaping mental health, even in dangerous situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by emphasizing human capabilities.

The present study aimed to investigate the impact of positive psychology in online group meetings on the spiritual well-being and positive and negative effects of Iranian working women during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The present study was a clinical trial conducted with a pre-test, post-test, 1-month follow-up, and a control group conducted on all Iranian working women aged 18 - 45 years who were users of social networks (such as Instagram, Telegram, and WhatsApp) in 2022 - 2023. The sample was selected by convenience sampling and included 52 women assigned to the experimental (26 women) and control (26 women) groups. Data were collected using the Spiritual Well-Being scale (SWBS) of Paloutzian and Ellison and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS). The experimental group received 6 one-hour training sessions. The data were analyzed using a multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) through SPSS software (version 22).

The MANCOVA results revealed that after the intervention, there was a significant difference between the groups regarding the positive affect variable (P < 0.001), while no difference was observed between the two groups in spiritual well-being and negative affect (P > 0.05).

The findings recommend interventions based on positive psychology to increase positive affect due to its emphasis on the positive points of the current situation and strengthening them, leading to the adoption of an active stance towards life. On the other hand, the insignificant effect of the treatment on spiritual well-being and negative effects necessitates more studies and more serious and long-term interventions.

Psoriasis is a chronic disease that significantly negatively affects a patient’s quality of life. Based on etiopathological characteristics, there is strong evidence of susceptibility to psychological disorders, such as depression and bipolar disorder, in patients suffering from psoriasis.

We investigated the frequency of bipolar spectrum disorders in psoriasis patients compared to healthy controls in a selected population in Iran.

This case-control study was conducted on two sample groups, with and without psoriasis (50 people in each group). The statistical population included all individuals referred to Shohadaye Tajrish and Taleghani Hospitals of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, selected using the available method and assigned to two groups in 2023. The participants were examined for the presence of bipolar spectrum disorders using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) and the Bipolar Spectrum Diagnostic Scale (BSDS).

According to the MDQ questionnaire, the frequency rates of bipolar disorder in the patients and controls were 20% and 40%, respectively, with no significant difference between the groups (P = 0.108). Based on the BSDS, the frequency of bipolar disorder in the two groups, with and without psoriasis, was estimated to be 25% and 32.1%, respectively, with no significant difference (P = 0.226). The rate of major depressive disorders was also 22% and 26%, with no significant difference (P = 0.640).

Among Iranian patients with psoriasis, the presence of the disease may not be associated with an increased risk of bipolar spectrum disorders.

 The COVID-19 pandemic led to significant concerns and public panic. Due to the ambiguous and deadly nature of this virus, it triggers anxiety related to COVID-19 and a fear of death. On the other hand, early maladaptive schemas (EMSs) can impact anxiety.

 The current research aimed to determine the relationship between EMSs, COVID-19 anxiety, and death anxiety during the COVID-19 pandemic among Zahedan University of Medical Sciences (ZAUMS) students in Iran.

 The present descriptive-analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 120 ZAUMS students selected through a purposive and convenience sampling technique from May 2022 to December 2022. The data were collected using the COVID-19 Anxiety Scale, the short version of the Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ), and the Templer Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). The data were analyzed in SPSS 22 using various statistical methods, including frequency analysis, mean calculation, standard deviation calculation, descriptive indices, and multiple regression analysis.

 The disconnection and rejection schema predicted COVID-19 anxiety without a moderator or with a history of contact with a COVID-19 patient as a moderator (B = 0.10, t = 2.69, P < 0.05, R2 = 0.09). Impaired autonomy and performance could predict death anxiety with the moderating role of a history of contact with a COVID-19 patient (B = 0.31 t = 2.14, P < 0.05), history of contracting COVID-19 (B = 0.24; t = 2.12, P < 0.05), discipline, and study period or without any moderator. Over-vigilance could predict death anxiety with the moderating role of discipline or without a moderator (B = 0.41, t = 2.93, P < 0.05).

 Disconnection and rejection with or without a moderator predict COVID-19 anxiety. Over-vigilance, impaired autonomy, and performance schema domain predict death anxiety. Effective moderators in predicting variables are contact with a COVID-19 patient, history of contracting COVID-19, discipline, and study period.

Stuttering is a type of communication and fluency disorder that hurts mental and emotional health. It is also associated with a significant increase in both trait and social anxiety. Studies on stuttering in adults have indicated the nature and impact of this phenomenon. In addition, some psychological aspects of this phenomenon remain vague and need further investigation. Therefore, the present study aimed to compare emotion regulation difficulties, repetitive negative thinking, and experiential avoidance between people who stutter and healthy individuals.

In this study, 101 people who stutter (43 females and 58 males, with a mean age of 29.55 ± 187 years), as well as 110 healthy individuals (74 females and 36 males, with a mean age of 25.57 ± 489 years) as participants were chosen using the convenience sampling method among those who referred to the speech therapy clinics of Tehran, Iran. Research instruments including the repetitive negative thinking inventory, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-I) were used for data collection. Data were analyzed using multivariate ANOVA test and Multiple Regression Analysis.

The mean age of the participants was 29.55 years in the people who stutter and 25.57 years in the healthy individuals (P < 0.01). The present results indicated that the mean score of experiential avoidance was higher in the people who stutter (M ± SD: 35.74 ± 9.24) compared to the healthy individuals (M ± SD: 8.89 ± 31.11). Additionally, the mean score of emotion regulation difficulties was higher in the people who stutter (M ± SD: 88.75 ± 20.59) compared to the healthy individuals (M ± SD: 64.14 ± 94.94) (P < 0.001). However, there was no significant difference in the mean score of repetitive negative thinking between the people who stutter (M ± SD: 98.45 ± 25.85) and healthy individuals (M ± SD: 93.71 ± 25.24) groups (P > 0.05). There was a significant correlation between experiential avoidance and emotion regulation difficulties in people who stutter (P < 0.01). Experiential avoidance and repetitive negative thinking can significantly predict emotion regulation difficulties in people who stutter (R = 0.65, P < 0.01).

People who stutter obtained higher emotion regulation difficulties and experiential avoidance scores than those without stuttering and A significant correlation between experiential avoidance and emotion regulation difficulties was found. Future studies should consider the role of emotion regulation difficulties and experiential avoidance in people who stutter.

 Celiac disease (CD) triggers an autoimmune response in the body involving the immune system.

 This study was designed to evaluate and compare the quality of life (QOL) in children with CD and those without CD. Additionally, the study aimed to contrast the self-reported QOL of children with CD with the assessments made by their parents.

 In this cross-sectional, case-control study, the QOL of children with CD, aged 6-12 years, was compared with that of age- and gender-matched children without CD. Additionally, the study involved a comparison of the QOL assessments reported by both parents and children. The Quality-of-Life Questionnaire (Kid-KINDL) was used to appraise QOL from the perspectives of both children and their parents. Specifically, the parents completed the Pediatric Symptom Checklist (PSC).

 The present results indicated significant differences between children with and without CD in terms of QOL, psychological problems, attention, internalizing symptoms, and externalizing symptoms (as reported by the parents), as well as school performance, self-esteem, and emotional well-being (as reported by children) (P < 0.05). Furthermore, significant differences were observed in the QOL and self-esteem reports between children with CD and their parents (P < 0.05).

 This study offered valuable insights into the QOL, psychological disorders, and related factors in children with and without CD. Additionally, it underscored the tendency of parents with children suffering from CD to underestimate their children’s QOL.

Patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) often develop a certain depression that may be accompanied by “mental pain.” A negative self-concept, aversive chronic emotions, and pervasive helplessness characterize mental pain. This research aims to explore the pathology of BPD symptomatology in a nonclinical sample. Also, the role of mental pain, cognitive emotion regulation, self-compassion, and depression are assessed.

Following a correlational study, 300 university students were selected via the multi-stage random cluster sampling method. The study data were collected by the personality assessment inventory-borderline features scale, Orbach and Mikulincer mental pain questionnaire, cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire, self-compassion scale (SCS-SF), and Beck depression inventory version 2.

Multiple regression analyses indicated that components of putting into perspective, rumination, loss of control, refocus on planning, catastrophizing, irreversibility, somatic, and isolation (ΔR2=0.507, P<0.001) significantly predicted BPD symptomatology.

The results support the biosocial model dimensions in an Iranian context. In addition, it shows a strong association between mental pain, cognitive emotion regulation, self-compassion, depression, and BPD symptoms.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic disease that can negatively impact a person’s mental health, including depression and anxiety. The impact of social support on negative, stressful events can be analyzed in relation to different personality styles.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of personality style, negative, stressful events, and social support on depression and the quality of life of MS patients.

This observational, descriptive study utilized a regression analysis method. The study population consisted of all MS patients, who were members of the Zahedan MS Society in Zahedan, Iran, during the 2019 internship. The study sample included 101 patients who were selected through convenience sampling. These patients completed various scales, including the Personal Style Inventory (PSI), Beck’s Depression Inventory (BDI), Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), and Life Events Schedule (LES).

Negative, stressful events accounted for 22% of the variance in the quality of life of sociotropic patients (P = 0.036), while social support explained 33% of the variance in quality of life (P = 0.008). Moreover, adverse stressful events within this group accounted for 33% of the variance in depression (P = 0.007). In contrast, social support accounted for 60% of the variance in depression (P < 0.001). In the group with autonomous personalities, it was found that negative, stressful events accounted for 22% of the variance in the quality of life (P = 0.014), while social support did not account for any variance in the quality of life (P = 0.204).

Social support can moderate and protect individuals from negative, stressful events, particularly for those who are sociotropic or autonomous. However, the moderating effect was more significant in the sociotropic group than in the autonomous group.

One of the main problems of working children is the problem of social adjustment and self-esteem. One of the available psychotherapies is cognitive-behavioral therapy and unified transdiagnostic therapy. Thus, the present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effectiveness of unified transdiagnostic protocol with cognitive behavioral therapy on social adjustment and self-esteem in working children.

The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design. The studied population included all the socially disadvantaged girls (working children) of Tehran in 2019, and 30 people were selected as the study sample with the purposeful sampling method and were randomly placed to two groups of Unified Transdiagnostic therapy and cognitive behavioral therapy. First, the social adjustment questionnaire (Sinha and Singh, 1993) and the self-esteem scale (Pope et al., 1998) were administered as a pre-test on both groups. The first experimental group received cognitive behavioral therapy for eighteen 90-minute sessions and the second experimental group received unified transdiagnostic therapy for fifteen 90-minute sessions. The data were analyzed by the method of analysis of variance with repeated measurements and SPSS version 25 software.

The results showed that both treatments managed to significantly increase their social adjustment and self-esteem in the post-test and follow-up stages in working children. However, the comparison of effectiveness between unified Transdiagnostic Protocol and cognitive-behavioral therapies shows that the effectiveness of the in self-esteem (partial ƞ2=0.34; P<0.01; F=14.46) and social adjustment (partial ƞ2=0.16; P<0.05; F=11.33) was more than cognitive behavioral therapy.

Pediatric transdiagnostic therapy was more effective in improving social adjustment and self-esteem than cognitive-behavioral therapy. Although UP-C has shown promising results, more clinical trials are needed to evaluate the effectiveness of UP-C in different communities and other concurrent mental states.

 Emotional disorders are common and recurring mental conditions that can severely affect individuals and have long-term economic consequences for society.

 This study aimed to predict emotional disorders, using neuroticism, emotion regulation, experiential avoidance (EA), and repetitive negative thinking as predictors.

 The study included a sample of 414 patients diagnosed with emotional disorders residing in Tehran. Participants were selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Negative Repetitive Thoughts Questionnaire (NRTQ), Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (EAQ), Inventory of Depression and Anxiety Symptoms (IDAS), and NEO Personality Questionnaire (NEO FFI). Structural equation modeling, analyzed with SPSS-22 and AMOS-24 software, was employed for data analysis.

 Neuroticism significantly predicted negative emotional regulation, EA, emotional disorders, and repetitive negative thoughts (P < 0.001). The coefficient of determination for emotional disorders was calculated as 0.73, indicating that 73% of the variance in emotional disorders can be explained by the predictor variables (neuroticism, emotional regulation, negative repetitive thoughts, and EA).

 Therefore, it is essential to consider the influence of personality and psychological factors on the inclination toward disorders. The findings of this study offer valuable insights for the development of culturally sensitive, contextually relevant, and psychosocially oriented prevention and treatment programs for emotional disorders using an integrated approach.

The integrated motivational-volitional (IMV) model is the second theory based on the ideation-to-action framework.

The current study aimed to investigate the motivational phase of this model in the Iranian population. In this study, threat-to-self moderators are included cognitive emotion regulation strategies. Also, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness are considered motivational moderators.

Atotal of 405 participants (68.6% female; meanage: 22.7 years) filled out several self-report questionnaires, including the Defeat Scale, Entrapment Scale, Beck Scale for Suicidal Ideation, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-short, Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire-15. To assess the IMV model, structural equation modeling with the interaction of latent variables was performed.

The results indicated that the overall model’s fit was poor. Although the model explained 70% and 61% of the variance in entrapment and suicidal ideation, respectively, the pathway between entrapment and suicidal ideation was not statistically significant. The findings demonstrated that the most effective predictors of suicidal ideation were perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness.

The results add to our knowledge of what constructs are more critical in the emergence of suicidal ideation. It is hoped that the study findings will lead to a greater interest in this field of research in the future.

 Studies conducted in different countries have reported a relationship between suicidal tendencies and childhood trauma experiences, personality traits, and psychological pain. It would be valuable to re-examine such a relationship in Iranian culture.

 This study aimed to investigate early life experiences, temperament, character, and psychological pain in suicidal attempters and normal individuals.

 This cross-sectional, causal-comparative, basic research was conducted retrospectively on all individuals who had attempted suicide by drug poisoning and were referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital of Kermanshah, Iran. The study sample, consisting of 121 suicide attempters by drug poisoning and 121 healthy individuals (companions of suicide attempters), was selected by purposeful sampling, according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. The participants completed the questionnaires about early life experiences, temperament, character, and mental pain. A discriminant analysis was also performed to analyze the data. Data analysis was performed in SPSS version 26.

 Based on the simultaneous discriminant analysis, 4 predicting variables (early life experiences, temperament, character, and psychological pain components) could explain 91.7% of the variance in suicide attempts. Based on the stepwise discriminant analysis, six subscales predicting variables (emptiness/worthlessness, harm avoidance, persistence, worthlessness, cooperation, and self-transcendence) could explain 91.7% of the variance in suicide attempts, as shown in the discriminant function analysis for differentiation of suicide attempters from normal people.

 Based on the findings of the present study, emptiness/worthlessness, personality traits, and early traumatic experiences can predispose individuals to suicide attempts. Therefore, there is an urgent need for psychological interventions to reduce psychological harm in suicidal attempters.

Aims:

 The current study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of psychological interventions (mental-educational) on the quality of sleep among patients with chronic diseases in Iran during 2003-2021.

Methods & Materials :

The current study is a meta-analysis in terms of purpose. The population included all master’s and PhD. dissertations and theses, studies published in scientific journals, and studies published by Iranian authors living abroad. The instrument applied for the analysis of the data was the meta-analysis checklist, and the stages of the meta-analysis were conducted according to the technique proposed by Howitt and Cramer (2005).

Findings :

After investigating 57 studies, 31 studies including 1813 participants were found to meet the entry criteria. The results showed that the total effect size is 0.99. The compound level of significance related to the studies was found to be P<0.0001, which indicated the significance of the total effect sizes obtained in the psychological studies on the quality of sleep among patients with chronic diseases.

Conclusion:

 The effect size of the psychological interventions conducted on the quality of sleep among patients with chronic diseases in Iran is high according to Cohen’s table. Hence, implementing this novel therapeutic approach can be considered an effective method in the enhancement of the quality of sleep in patients with chronic physical disease.

Addiction is a chronic and progressive disease that is associated with dysfunction and changes in the function of the nervous system. Novel advances in non-invasive brain stimulation techniques open a new horizon in this field. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on reducing craving in people with substance use disorder.

The present study was a meta-analysis. The statistical population of the study included master's and doctoral theses, studies published in scientific and research journals, and research indexed by Iranian writers abroad. After stipulating the inclusion and exclusion criteria, interventions based on tDCS on craving in people with substance use disorder between 2011 and 2021 were selected from databases, and among them, 18 studies with 31 effect sizes were selected for final analysis. The steps of the meta-analysis were based on Howitt and Kramer Meta-Analysis Method (2005).

The results showed that the obtained effect size was 0.74. The combined significance level of the studies was obtained, indicating that the total effect size of tDCS studies was significant in the regulation of craving in people with substance use disorder.

The results showed that the effect size of interventions based on the treatment of tDCS on reducing drug craving is high based on Cohen's interpretation table. Therefore, applying this new therapeutic approach, as an effective method in reducing craving, can improve the performance of people with substance use disorder.

Paying attention to psychiatric disorder in childhood and adolescence is critical. It causes the occurrence of mental disorders in adulthood. The present study aimed to explore the frequency of mental disorders among children and adolescents in Zahedan City, Iran.

This was a descriptive and cross-sectional study. Individuals aged between 6 and 18 years were included in this investigation. In total, 1003 children and adolescents were selected by the random cluster sampling method. To collect the required information, in addition to demographicinformation, the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (K-SADS-PL) for school-age Children-Present and Lifetime version was employed. The obtained data were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression method.

A total of 1003 children and adolescents participated in the study; of them, 489 (48.8%) and 514(51.2%) were males and females, respectively. The Mean±SD age of study participants was 11.96±3.99 years. Moreover, 86.8% of the study subjects were from urban areas and 13.2% from rural areas. The highest prevalence of psychiatric disorders concerned behavioral disorders (6.8%); anxiety disorders (6.7%); The lowest prevalence were related to post-traumatic stress disorder (0.2%) and autism (0.1%). The overall prevalence of psychiatric disorder among children and adolescence was 14.4%.

This study found a high prevalence of psychiatric disorders similar to previous studies in the same age groups. The estimates played an important role in designing useful programs and interventions.

 Measuring the executive functioning in parents of children with autism is a way to specify the role of different aspects of executive functioning in the etiology of autism.

 This study aimed to compare the executive functioning in mothers of children with and without autism.

 Following a case-control design, this study was conducted on 60 people (mothers of children with (n = 30) and without autism (n = 30) referred to the welfare rehabilitation centers of Zahedan, South East of Iran, in 2017 (March to September). Participants were selected by convenience sampling techniques. Participants were assessed using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (Garnefski block design), digit span, and picture arrangement subscales of Wechsler Adult Intelligence (WAIS-IV) scale.

 Data analysis showed no significant difference between the executive functioning in mothers of children with and without autism (P > 0.05), except for other-blame that belongs to the emotional regulation subscale (from the executive function factors) (P = 0.048).

 This study demonstrated that the parents of children with autism do not necessarily have executive functioning deficits. Therefore, it is necessary to consider other psychological and neuropsychological aspects in future studies.

The lifelong consequences of child abuse encompasses mental health problems, to have experience of child abuse and early maladaptive schemas (EMSs), could result to impulsive behavior, in a wide range of psychiatric disorders.

This study aimed to examine the role of childhood abuse experience and EMSs in predicting impulsivity among patients with psychiatric disorders in Zahedan, Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Iran.

The present research was a descriptive-analytical study. The research sample included 151 patients referring to psychiatric treatment centers. The sampling process was carried out following a pilot study, and the samples were selected from the patients who referred to psychiatric treatment centers in Zahedan from December 30, 2017 to July 29, 2018. The participants then filled out Barratt Impulsiveness scale (BIS-11), the short version of Young Schema questionnaire (YSQ), and Mohammadkhani’s Child Abuse questionnaire (CASRS). The collected data was analyzed with SPSS software version 21, using descriptive statistics (i.e., frequency, mean, and standard deviation), and inferential statistics (i.e., stepwise linear regression model).

The result showed that there was a significant positive correlation between childhood abuse and EMSs with impulsivity. Disconnection/rejection and other-directedness could predict motor impulsiveness (F = 38.17, p < 0.001). On the other hand, cognitive impulsiveness could be predicted by neglect and disconnection/rejection (F = 18.60, P < 0.001). Impaired autonomy, performance and impaired limits were also the predictors of non-planning impulsiveness (F = 39.73, P < 0.001).

Childhood abuse experience and EMSs may lead to inefficient interpersonal relationships, risky behaviors, self-harm, harmful behaviors towards others, and decreased mental health during an individual’s lifetime.