meysam bazani

The COVID-19 emergence obliged many governments to exert public health measures. However, it seems a vast difference in levels of respect towards health-related guidelines. Among all age groups, adolescents are known to have low conformity to such rules and display a crucial role in spreading the virus. In efforts trying to find the key contributing factors of such extensive non-compliance, much pandemic research attention has been focused on the adult population and adolescents have not been widely addressed. This paper examined the role of personal fable, sensation seeking and social alienation in the adoption of Covid-19 recommended practices in adolescents.

This cross-sectional study collected data from 355 adolescents during strict restrictions imposed on the country. The survey was administered online over three weeks. Participants were asked to complete self-report measures. Data were analyzed by correlation and regression analysis.

Data shows an inverse correlation between the variables and compliance, among which disinhibition and invulnerability had the strongest association. These subscales were predictors of non-conformity with official pandemic guidelines. Likewise, social alienation was predictive of rule disrespect. Furthermore, females and those lacking history of Corona disease exhibited more active pandemic-related behaviors.

It seems that some peculiar characteristics of this developmental stage have an outstanding role in explaining adherence to pandemic-related preventative behaviors.

Many tools have been designed to measure mindfulness. Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is one of the most widely used tools. This study was done to investigate psychometric properties FFMQ in Iranian students.

FFMQ was translated into Persian and administered in 571 students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Science. Samples were selected using convenience sampling method. A battery including Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Spielberger’s Trait Anxiety Questionnaire, and Affect Control Scales was used in studies for examining divergent, convergent, and discriminant validity. Data were analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha, test–retest reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis.

Results of this study supported the five‑factor structure of FFMQ (root mean square error of approximation = 0.06, Comparative Fit Index = 0.81 Goodness of Fit Index = 0.91, and Normed Fit Index = 0.87). There was a significantly negative correlation between the FFMQ with DERS, Trait Anxiety, Affect Control, suppression sub‑scale of ERQ, and there was a positive correlation with reappraisal subscale of ERQ. The Cronbach’s alpha for the FFMQ was. 78.

FFMQ have good psychometric properties in Iranian student sample, and it can be used in studies on student populations.

Sex offenders cause many problems at the individual and social level. The availability of appropriate assessment tools is one of the most important necessities for identifying and designing effective interventions and programs for the prevention and management of sexual crimes. The purpose of this study was to investigate the validity of two questionnaires about attitudes as well as perceptions of sex offenders.

In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 250 individuals from all adults living in Tehran were selected by available sampling method and completed the questionnaires online. Attitudes toward sexual offenders (ATS) and perceptions of sex offenders (PSO) scales were completed by participants, and data were analyzed using mean (± standard deviation), Pearson’s correlation test, independent t-test, content validity index, content validity ratio, and confirmatory factor analysis in SPSS and AMOS softwares.

Factor structure of ATS (trust, intent, and social distance) (RMSEA=0.045) and PSO (sentencing and management, stereotype endorsement, and the risk perception) towards sex offenders (RMSEA=0.077) was confirmed. Both scales had a good content validity. Also, a good reliability coefficient, from 0.61 to 0.85, was obtained for all factors. Factors had a moderate to strong correlations.

The findings show that these two scales are valid tools for measuring the attitudes and perceptions towards sex offenders that can be used for this purpose.

After the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, social distancing was recommended in order to prevent its spread. The current investigation was carried out to study whether commitment to social distancing could be predicted by corona-related anxiety and posttraumatic-stress disorder symptoms.
The cross sectional study was carried out on 595 individuals, who completed the questionnaires online. Convenience sampling was used for this purpose. The used questionnaires included the Impact of Event Scale (IES), Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and the Commitment to Social Distancing Scale (CSDS). The data analysis was done in two sections: descriptive and inferential. In the descriptive section, frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, independent t-test, and one-way ANOVA were utilized. In inferential section, exploratory factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation and multiple regression were utilized. The data were analyzed using SPSS-24.
The results indicated that there was significant correlation between the impacts of all the components of the impact of event scale, except for avoidance with commitment to social distancing. Regression analysis showed that the total model was significant (adjusted r2= 0.099, f= 15.05, Sig= 0.01), and corona anxiety (β=0.319; p<0.05) and hyper-arousal subscale of the IES (β= 0.211; p<0.05) can significantly predict commitment to social distancing.
Informing the society of the importance of adherence to health instructions cannot solely lead to social distancing, therefore, policymakers need to combine public awareness with a little anxiety and alertness so that people follow health guidelines.

Growing evidence shows that mindfulness based on self-help interventions have advantages for physical and psychological health in different populations. The mindfulness based emotional balance is a new program and efficacy of which has not been investigated in self-help format. This study was a randomized control trial (RCT) with wait-list control. After screening and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria eighty students of Kermanshah University of medical sciences were assigned randomly to the mindfulness-based emotional balance self-help or the wait list control group. Anxiety, depression, stress, and mindfulness were measured prior to the intervention after the intervention, and two-month after end of intervention as follow-up. DASS-21 and MAAS were used. Significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and stress in addition to a significant increase in mindfulness in the experimental group in the posttest. However, there were no significant changes in any of the aforesaid measures in the wait list control group. The resultant benefits were persistent in the two-month follow-up. Based on the results of this study, this type of treatment can be used as an efficient and cost-effective method to improve psychological problems such as stress, depression and anxiety. Declaration of Interest: None

Although some studies have shown the effectiveness of music therapy on insomnia (secondary insomnia), no study has so far investigated the effectiveness of music therapy with Persian traditional music on the treatment of primary insomnia. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of music therapy with Persian traditional music on the treatment of primary insomnia. This study was a controlled clinical trial with 30 participants with primary insomnia. Participants were randomly assigned to intervention (N = 15) and control (N = 15) groups. Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI), insomnia severity index (ISI), and depression, anxiety and stress scales (DASS-21) were used to evaluate the intervention results. Anxiety, stress, depression, insomnia and sleep quality were measured before and six weeks after the intervention. One-way ANCOVA results showed that music therapy with Persian traditional music significantly improved insomnia, sleep quality and depression in the intervention group. There was however no significant difference between the two groups in terms of anxiety and stress. Persian traditional music can be used as an effective and cost-effective way to improve sleep quality and reduce depression associated with primary insomnia.

Certain scales have been designed to measure fear of happiness as a phenomenon that is observed in different cultures. The present study was conducted to investigate the psychometric properties of the fear of happiness scale in an Iranian sample, and to study this phenomenon in the Iranian culture. A total of 210 students of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran, including 83 males and 127 females, completed the fear of happiness scale (FHS), the mindful attention awareness scale (MAAS), the fear of negative emotions scale (FNES), and the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS). The data obtained were analyzed in SPSS and LISREL using confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, the Pearson correlation and Cronbach’s alpha. The single-factor structure of the main scale was not confirmed in the sample. Confirmatory factor analysis suggested the fitting of the two factors, and the exploratory factor analysis obtained two factors, namely “fear of experiencing happiness” and “fear of consequences of happiness”, which explained 52.41% of the variance. The Cronbach's alpha calculated for fear of experiencing happiness was 0.70 and for fear of consequences of happiness was 0.73. The results of the present research showed that Iranian citizens tend to reduce or suppress their feeling of happiness owing to their cultural beliefs. Moreover, the psychometric properties of the fear of happiness scale were found to be appropriate in Iranian students

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional schema therapy on social acceptability and bullying behavior in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder among selected teenagers.
The present study was a semi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and control group. The population of the study was all teenage boy injured in Khoy city (Iran) in 2016 which were sponsored by the Welfare Organization of Iran. 50 males were selected through available sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental or control groups (N = 25). The experimental group underwent 10 sessions of emotional schema therapy, while the control group did not receive treatment. Both groups completed social acceptance and bullying behavior questionnaires before and after treatment sessions. To investigate the data, descriptive analysis and covariance analysis were used with respect to its assumptions.
Analysis of covariance of data showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental group in post-test and social acceptance and bullying behavior with control group (P = 0.01). The intervention also increased social acceptance scores and decreased bullying behavior in the experimental group (P = 0.01).
Emotional Schema Therapy seems to be an appropriate intervention for addressing social acceptability and bullying behavior in adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder.

Emotion dysregulation, negative effects, and aggression can affect each other. This study aimed to demonstrate the role of the negative effects and emotion dysregulation in aggression. The statistical population was Kharazmi University students that 280 of them were selected by random multiphasic sampling method. The study instruments were Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire, the short form of cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and positive affect and negative affect scale. The Pearson correlation, Student t test, and hierarchical regression tests were used to analyse the data. Gender, negative affect and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (rumination, catastrophizing, and others blaming) were correlated with aggression. After controlling for gender and negative affect, maladaptive emotion regulation explained only 0.029% of the aggression variance and in this case and negative affect could explain 11.4% of its variance. Furthermore, by controlling for gender and negative affect, others blaming and catastrophizing strategies could explain 0.077% of the aggression variance. This study demonstrates the more important role of negative affect in predicting aggression. It seems that efficient methods to improve mood state can be helpful in aggression reduction.

Research has shown that aggression is different in men and women. This study examines the role of gender in the relationship between cognitive emotion regulation and aggression.
The statistical population was 300 students of Kharazmi University in Tehran, which were selected as sample by random multiphasic sampling method. The used instruments were Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (AQ) and short form of Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). In addition to calculating descriptive indicators, the data was analyzed using correlation coefficients; independent t-test and multivariate regression analysis.
The finding of this study suggests that different emotion regulation strategies are related to aggression in women and men. This has implications for clinical practice in the treatment of aggression in women and men.

BackgroundManagement and control of adolescence aggression improves constructive relationships, quality of life, and academic achievement. This research aimed to study the impact of educational intervention on reduction of aggression among male high school students in Ilam city, Iran.
Materials and MethodsThis quasi-experimental intervention study using the pretest-posttest method was conducted on 70 aggressive male high school students in Ilam who were selected using the convenience sampling method. First, students were asked to fill out the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ)and 70 of them with the highest score of aggression were selected as the sample. They received educational intervention for eight 90-minute sessions during one month. Then post-test data were collected and follow-up at three months after the intervention and statistically analyzed using SPSS-20.
ResultsThe mean age of subjects was 15.81±1.24 years old. 83% belonged to the urban community and 12.5% belonged to the rural community. The results showed that the educational intervention was effective in reduction of aggression levels and its four subscales (P The study findings suggest that development of educational interventions can lead to improved management of aggression and mental health of students.