katayoun alidousti

Midwives as one of the most effective members of the health systems play a key role in delivering health services to mothers and children who are vulnerable groups of the society. This research aimed to investigate the effect of Logotherapy on job satisfaction and Organization‑Based Self‑Esteem (OBSE) of employed midwives.

This is a quasi‑experimental study with the pretest and posttest design and a control group from all midwives employed in the public hospital of Rasht City in Iran. Fifty‑six midwives fulfilling the inclusion criteria were selected and randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. They filled job satisfaction, OBSE questionnaires, and demographic information checklist, and then, the intervention group attended Logotherapy for six sessions/90 minutes. Finally, both groups answered the instruments as posttest.

Results showed that the mean difference between OBSE (F 6,83 = 27, p </em>< 0.05) and job satisfaction (t 2,62 = 27, p </em>< 0.01) scores before and after the sessions in the intervention group was significantly more than the control group.

Group Logotherapy increased job satisfaction and OBSE among midwives. It can be recommended for use in the clinical settings for healthcare providers.

Adolescents living in orphanages are at risk of health problems. The current study aimed to determine the effect ofliving in an orphanage and educational counseling on puberty health of female adolescents living in welfare centers.

This study contained two stages. In the first stage, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 416 students living inwelfare centers (10-14 years of age). In the second stage, 60 orphans (30 in the control group and 30 in the intervention group)participated in the interventional study. The intervention group received five two-hour sessions of educational counseling oncea week. Pre-test and post-test were performed using a researcher-made questionnaire. The data were analyzed in SPSS 18 usingthe Mann-Whitney U, chi-square, Wilcoxon, and Kolmogorov–Smirnov tests.

The cross-sectional study results indicated that the knowledge of orphans was lower (P < 0.001), but their attitudes andpractices were higher (P < 0.001) than others. The trial study results demonstrated that in the intervention group, there was asignificant difference (P < 0.001) in the mean difference of the puberty health score before and after the intervention.

Educational counseling is recommended to improve the level of puberty among female adolescents.

 Spinal anesthesia is considered to be the safest method of anesthesia for cesarean sections in patients with preeclampsia. Patients with preeclampsia are at an increased risk of experiencing severe hypotension following spinal anesthesia, which could have more profound and deleterious effects on both the fetus and the mother. However, bupivacaine, the most commonly used drug, can induce severe hypotension even at low doses. The purpose of this study is to minimize post-spinal hypotension in both the mother and the fetus.

 To determine and compare the reduction in hypotension following spinal anesthesia in patients with preeclampsia between the ropivacaine and bupivacaine groups.

 In a randomized clinical trial, a total of 90 parturients with preeclampsia undergoing spinal anesthesia were enrolled and randomly divided into 2 groups: One receiving ropivacaine and the other receiving bupivacaine. The dose of spinal ropivacaine was 15 mg of a 0.5% solution, and the dose of bupivacaine was also 15 mg of a 0.5 % solution. Hemodynamic parameters, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure and heart rate, were recorded following the administration of spinal anesthesia. Pain scores and the time until the return of motor movement were also documented.

 For statistical analysis, the t-test, Chi-square, and ANOVA tests were utilized to compare the groups. Demographic variables, including maternal age, gestational age, parity, and gravidity, were not significantly different between the 2 groups. The trend of mean systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly lower in the bupivacaine group compared to the ropivacaine group at all measured time points in the study (P < 0.05). The amount of ephedrine used after spinal anesthesia was significantly different at 2 and 4 minutes in the ropivacaine group compared to the bupivacaine group (P = 0.012, P = 0.025). Post-operative pain scores at 1 hour in recovery were not significantly different between the ropivacaine and bupivacaine groups (P = 0.015). The time to knee movement was also significantly shorter in the ropivacaine group compared to the bupivacaine group (P < 0.001).

 Ropivacaine reduces the incidence of hypotension in spinal anesthesia compared to bupivacaine for cesarean section in patients with preeclampsia. This is attributed to a lower occurrence of spinal-induced hypotension, improved hemodynamic control, reduced ephedrine usage, and faster patient ambulation. A future study could focus on investigating different dosages of both drugs with a larger number of participants.

Physical and psychological interventions could affect the quality of life (QoL) of women with infertility. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of dry cupping and counselling with the mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) approach on fertility QoL and conception success in infertile women due to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

This was a two-arm pilot randomized clinical trial from first January 2021 to the end of November 2022. In this regard, 19 women with infertility who were referred to the health centers affiliated with Shiraz University of Medical Sciences and met the inclusion criteria were enrolled in the study. Participants were randomly divided into two groups (10 in the virtual MBCT group and 9 in the cupping group). All participants completed the fertility quality of life (FertiQol) tool before the intervention and three months after the end of the intervention. In addition, after the end of the intervention, a human chorionic gonadotropin test was performed monthly for three months, too. We used ANOVA/ANCOVA and its related effect sizes, including mean difference (MD) and standard mean difference (SMD: Hedges’s g), and chi-square tests to compare the study group outcomes in Stata 14.2. P-values equal to or less than 0.10 were considered significant.

The intervention resulted in significant differences in the mean overall scores of FertiQol between the counseling and cupping groups (61.76±14.28 and 50.65±12.53, respectively) [P=0.091, MD=11.11 (90% CI: 0.33 to 21.89), SMD=1.07 (90%: CI 0.279 to 1.84)]. No significant difference was found in conception rates between the groups after the intervention.

This pilot study found that MBCT improved the fertility QoL in PCOS-related infertility patients better than cupping therapy.Trial registration: IRCT201706110334452N13

Despite the mutual benefit of adoption, due to the adverse attitude related to the barriers perceived by the couples, some people are not interested in adoption. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate a questionnaire to measure attitudes toward child adoption.

This secondary analysis is part of a larger study on 178 infertile couples referring to the Afzalipour Infertility Center in Kerman, Iran. Factor Analysis (FA) was performed. The sampling was conducted using the convenience sampling method. The questionnaire was implemented using a mixed‑method approach in three phases. Firstly, a pool was created. The second phase involved content validity. Lastly, construct validity was conducted.

The final version of the questionnaire with 20 questions had a total Cronbach’s alpha of 0.70%. Six factors with eigenvalues of higher than 1.00 were extracted, which accounted for 52% of the total variance. These factors were “spiritual–psychological status of the new parents,” “psychological status of the adopted child,” “undesirable behaviors of others in the future,” “anxiety of the new parents,” “physical–behavioral characteristics of the adopted child,” and “socio‑economic factors.” The model extracted from the Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was confirmed by Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The 6‑factor structure adequately fitted the data (Comparative Fit Index (CFI) = 0.93; root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] = 0.047; X2 /df = 1.393; p = 0.002.

The internal consistency and construct validity of the questionnaire were confirmed. This instrument can be used in clinical and research practices.

The most important element of education is the curriculum, which should fit the goals and tasks intended for each discipline. Counseling in midwifery has been established as an academic discipline in Iran since 2014 and, like other new disciplines, needs to be revised after five years. This study aimed to explain the challenges of theoretical and clinical courses offered in this field. This study was conducted using a qualitative conventional content analysis of the data collected through interviews with professors, graduates, and master’s students of counseling in midwifery. The participants were 16 students of the master’s program in counseling in midwifery, 4 graduates of counseling in midwifery, and 7 professors in this field. In this study, the data were collected through focused group discussions and individual and face-to-face semi-structured interviews. Data analysis was performed using conventional content analysis. The challenges revealed through the interviews with the counseling in midwifery students, graduates, and professors were “the need to empower professors,” “problems in providing an arena for clinical education,” “intermingling of counseling with sociocultural constructs,” “the need to update the curriculum,” “the unclear role of counseling in midwifery services in the health system,” and “standardization and expansion of the field.” This study showed that there are weaknesses in counseling education in midwifery that need to be addressed and corrected. It seems that the current curriculum cannot meet the educational and clinical needs of the students. Thus, the curriculum needs to be updated. Besides, some awareness-raising strategies should be adopted to make students and the public familiar with counseling in midwifery

The factors which lead to a reduction in pain and length of labor with minimal intervention have always been of interest to researchers. The present study was performed aimed to compare the effect of TENS with psychological supportive intervention on labor pain and maternal and neonatal outcomes in pregnant women referring to the maternity ward.

This clinical trial study was performed in 2021 on 90 pregnant women admitted to the delivery block of Payambar Azam hospital of Kerman. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups of TENS (n=30), psychological supportive intervention (n=30) and control (n=30). In the active labor phase, TENS was applied for the TENS group, the psychological supportive intervention was performed in the counseling group, and routine care was performed for the control group. Scores of pain during the active phase of labor (4 cm and 10 cm dilatation) and maternal and neonatal outcomes were compared in the three groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS statistical software (version 21) and Fisher's exact and variance analysis tests. P< 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

There was no significant difference between the three groups in the scores of labor pain in 4 cm dilatation, maternal complications, Apgar scores 1 and 5 minutes, and type of delivery (p> 0.05). However, the score of pain in 10 cm dilatation in the TENS group and counseling group similarly was significantly reduced compared to the control group. The duration of the first stage of active phase labor was not significantly different between the three groups (p> 0.05), but the difference between the duration of the second stage of the active phase and the total duration of the active phase was significant between the three groups (p >0.05).

Both methods of psychological supportive counseling and transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) are equally effective in reducing labor pain and length of labor; considering the safety of both methods, it is recommended to use these two methods to facilitate the birth process.

Infertility is defined as inability to become pregnant with regular sexual intercourse for more than one year without using preventive methods. Infertility has negative effects on the quality of life of infertile couples. this thesis was done with the purpose of investigating the effecte of infertility counseling to improve the quality of life among infertile couples

This randomized clinical trial was carried out on sixty infertile couples with primary infertility in2017. Samples were allocated to an intervention (30 couples) and a control group (30 couples) by simple randomization. Even days of the first week, the intervention group and in the odd days, control group samples were selected, and the opposite was done in the following week. The intervention group received infertility counseling for six forty-five-minute sessions twice a week. However, control group received routine care. FertiQoL questionnaire was completed before and after intervention. For data analysis SPSS 19 software and Paired T-Test statistical tests , Mann-Whitney and Chi-Square Test, were used.

 Ethical code is IR.KMU.REC.1395.678  in Kerman University of Medical Sciences

Comparison of the differences between the mean of quality of life in the intervention and control groups before counseling and after counseling indicated  that infertility counseling increased Meaningful quality of life in the intervention group (p <0.0001) 

The results indicated infertility counseling can improve the quality of life among infertile couples. Therefore, it can lead to more satisfaction and cooperation in infertility treatment.

The existence of a valid scale of fear of childbirth (FOC) has an effective role in identifying women at risk, so this study was conducted to determine the validation of the Slade FOC scale for pregnancy in a sample of Iranian women.

In this cross-sectional study, initially, the Slade scale was translated based on a forward-backward approach. For sampling among pregnant women in Anbarabad city, 820 pregnant women were selected by multistage cluster sampling method. The research questionnaire included (a) demographic information, (b) Slade FOC scale (new scale), (c) childbirth attitude questionnaire (validated scale), and (d) Wijma scale (validated scale). Face validity, content validity, construct validity (using factor analysis), convergent validity, and concurrent validity (by calculating the present scale correlation with childbirth attitude questionnaire and Wijma scale were used to determine the validity of the scale. Internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha), split-half, and stability (test-retest) methods were used for scale reliability. SPSS software version 22 and LISREL version 8.8 were used for data analysis.

Target population comments were applied in face validity, the impact score of face validity was in the range of 1.6-4.5. Content validity ratio (CVR) values (81%-100%) and content validity index (CVI) value (83%) were acceptable. The exploratory factor analysis (EFA) showed that the scale had four factors which include uncertainty and injury with 18.39%, the unprofessional behavior of maternity staff with 14.51%, the unpredictable with 14.44%, and negative emotions with 10.54% of the variance. The scale had acceptable convergent validity and the correlation between items and the total score was between 0.41-0.63. The correlation coefficient between the present scale with the childbirth attitude questionnaire and Wijma scale was 0.81 and 0.79, respectively. The reliability result showed an acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84), acceptable split-half (0.71 for the first half of scale and 0.78 for the second half of scale) and acceptable stability (r = 0.78).

The results showed that the Slade scale has acceptable validity and reliability. Therefore, this scale can be used in scientific research and screening for FOC.

As a biopsychosocial phenomenon, substance abuse is a major public health problem with negative economic, social, and cultural consequences.

This study aims to determine the effect of Motivational-Enhancement Therapy (MET) on substance abuse patterns in postpartum women with Substance Use Disorder (SUD)

This clinical trial was conducted on 60 eligible postpartum women with SUD (30 in the intervention group and 30 control), who were selected using a random sampling method from the postpartum unit of a hospital in Kerman, Iran in 2019. The participants in the intervention group attended four individual MET sessions and received four telephone follow-ups. All participants completed a researcher-made substance use pattern checklist before and after the intervention. Data analysis was carried out using McNemar's test, paired t-test, independent t-test, Fisher’s exact test, and chi-square test. A P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.

The mean age of women was 29.25±5.89 years, and most of them were housewives with elementary education. A significant reduction was observed in the number of opium (P=0.008) and methadone (P= 0.003) users after the intervention. Moreover, there was a significant difference in the amount of opium and methadone use (P<0.05). However, no significant difference was found between the two groups in the method and frequency of substance use before and after the intervention.

MET is effective in the type and amount of opium and methadone used in postpartum women with SUD. Therefore, it can be used along with other treatments for the treatment of SUD in women after delivery.

Violence against women is a health problem that poses an additional threat to themother and fetus during pregnancy. Therefore, the present study was conducted to investigatethe effect of Gestalt counseling on self‑esteem and Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in pregnantwomen.

This clinical trial was carried out on 60 pregnant women whowere referred to health‑care centers in Kerman, Iran, in 2018. Simple random sampling wasperformed through lottery. The intervention group (n </em>= 30) received counseling in eight weeklysessions of 45 min using the Gestalt approach. The control group was placed on a waiting list.There was no blinding during the study. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire,the Domestic Violence Questionnaire designed by Mohseni Tabrizi, and the Rosenberg Self‑EsteemScale before and after counseling.

Differences between the groups in terms of meanscore of violence (intervention: t</em>34 = 1.81, p </em>= 0.08; control: t</em>34 = 1.41, p </em>= 0.16) and self‑esteem(intervention: t</em>34 = 1.87, p </em>= 0.07; control: t</em>34 = 1, p </em>= 0.32) in the pretest and posttest werenot significant. Analysis of covariance results showed a significant difference between theintervention 21.79 (10.62) and control groups 21.79 (10.62) in terms of mean (SD) violence(F</em>1,67 = 1.97, p </em>= 0.049) after the counseling sessions. It also showed a significant difference betweenthe intervention 74.47 (14.61) and control groups 66.28 (15.14) in terms of self‑esteem after theintervention (F</em>1,67 = 5.02, p </em>= 0.01).

Considering the impact of the Gestalt approachon IPV and self‑esteem, it is recommended that health‑care providers be educated about using theGestalt approach and apply it in communication with women. 

Infertility is a biological, psychological, and social disorder, and it deeply affects the various aspects of infertile couple’s life. This study aimed to investigate the effect of infertility counseling on promoting the emotional level of infertile couples.

This randomized controlled clinical trial was done by applying available sampling method. Research questionnaire consisted of demographic characteristics and SCREENIVF for investigating the emotional level of infertile couples. Samples were selected from the infertile couples referred to the governmental infertility center to undergo treatment. The study sample size consisted of 30 couples in the intervention and control groups. Firstly, they were asked to answer the questionnaires as pre-test. Then, group counseling sessions were conducted for couples in the intervention group in 6 sessions/45 minutes. At the end of the last session, two groups filled out questionnaires as post-test. Data were analyzed by SPSS 19. Parametric paired T-test was applied to compare the emotional level of couples, and independent T- Test was run to compare the emotional level of couples in two groups.

The two groups were homogeneous in terms of demographic characteristics. The comparison between the emotional level mean in both groups showed that infertility counseling had no effect on their emotional level (p=0.41).

The results indicated that in order to increase the emotional level of infertile couples, it is better to test other counseling approaches with more sessions.