mojtaba ansari shahidi

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.

This study aimed to examine schema-based parenting on emotion regulation, reflective functioning, and the parent-child relationship of mothers with children under 6 years old.

Methods and Materials:

 The present study is a quantitative research with a pretest-posttest and follow-up design, including two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all mothers with children under 6 years old in the city of Isfahan. For sampling purposes, kindergartens in Isfahan were purposefully selected, and from among them, based on the cut-off point of questionnaires and inclusion and exclusion criteria, 30 participants were chosen. They were randomly assigned equally into two groups: an experimental group (15 individuals) and a control group (15 individuals). Subsequently, schema-based parenting training sessions (good enoughparenting) based on the protocol by Mehrabianet al. (2022) were conducted for the experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. The research tools included the Parent-Child Relationship Scale by Pianta (1992), the Parental Reflective Functioning Questionnaire by Fonagy et al.(1991), and the Emotion Regulation Checklist by Shields and Cicchetti (1995). The data collected through questionnaires were analyzed using appropriate statistical tests (repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test) and SPSS software.

Given that the calculated F value for intergroup (group membership effect) and intragroup (time effect) as well as the interactive effect of group and time is significant at a 99% confidence level (P < 0.01), these results indicate a significant differencebetween the two groups. Furthermore, the results show that this significant difference exists at least during one of the intervention times among the research groups. The Bonferroni post hoc test results indicated a significant difference between the scores of adaptive emotion regulation, instability/negativity, reflective functioning, and parent-child relationship during the research stages between the experimental and control groups (p < 0.01). In other words, schema-based parenting training has had a significant impact on improving the research variables (p < 0.01).

These results confirm that this approach can be used as an effective strategy in enhancing parental abilities and reducing psychological challenges for mothers during the parenting period.

Mothers of children with externalizing behaviors often experience low self-efficacy. The present study investigated the effectiveness of compassion-focused training (CFT) on parental self-efficacy components in mothers of children with externalizing problems. This study employed a semi-experimental pretest-posttest control group design. The target population comprised mothers of children exhibiting externalizing behaviors residing in Isfahan, Iran. A convenience sampling technique yielded a sample of 30 mothers who were subsequently randomized into an experimental group (n=15) and a control group (n=15). The experimental group received an eight-week CFT intervention delivered in weekly 90-minute sessions. The control group remained on a waitlist during the intervention period. The Berkeley Parenting Self-Efficacy Scale (BPSE-R) served as the primary outcome measure. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) within SPSS version 23. Parental self-efficacy scores in the CFT group increased significantly from pre-test (51.87±6.17) to post-test (66.39±7.96), while the control group showed no significant change (pre-test: 51.90±5.26; post-test: 54.23±4.08). In the post-test, the CFT group showed significantly higher self-efficacy compared with the control group (P=0.001). Moreover, the CFT significantly increased maternal self-efficacy in the subscales of responsibility acceptance, self-management, child acceptance, and positive child evaluation compared with the control group (P<0.05). The CFT intervention demonstrated significant effectiveness in enhancing various aspects of parental self-efficacy among mothers of children with externalizing problems. These findings suggested that CFT may be a valuable intervention for empowering mothers to manage the challenges associated with raising children exhibiting externalizing behaviors.

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.

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.

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.

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.

 Cancer causes several social and psychological problems and responses, such as denial, anger, and feelings of guilt, which eventually lead to the patient’s psychological coherence collapse.

 The present study aimed to evaluate the effects of psychodynamic group therapy on the components of the sense of coherence (SOC) among patients with colon cancer.

 This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design with a control group and follow-up on all patients with colon cancer treated at the Poursina-Hakim Treatment Center in Isfahan, Iran, during the spring of 2022. Then, 28 patients were selected using convenient sampling and divided randomly into two 14-member groups: the psychodynamic therapy group (receiving 12 treatment 100-minute sessions) and the control group. The participants completed the Sense of Coherence (SOC) Scale in three pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. The research data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and the Bonferroni post hoc test in SPSS software version 26.

 The mean ± SD of the posttest score of comprehensibility in the psychodynamic therapy group was 40.57 ± 7.20, which was different from the pretest 32.42 ± 5.98. Moreover, the mean ± SD of the posttest score of meaningfulness in the psychodynamic therapy group was 37.57 ± 7.53, which was also different from the pretest 31.14 ± 6.16. Psychodynamic therapy effectively enhanced comprehensibility (P = 0.001) and meaningfulness of life (P = 0.032) among patients with colon cancer. The therapeutic effect remained stable over time only in the comprehensibility component. The stability of the intervention effects on meaningfulness was not observed over time. Additionally, the therapeutic effect on the manageability component was not significant.

 Based on these results, psychodynamic therapy could affect the patients’ comprehension of the current circumstances and the meaningfulness of life and help their psychological adaptation.

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 aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on emotional cognitive regulation and mental health in employees experiencing burnout at Isfahan Gas Company. The method used was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test-post-test and a control group waiting for treatment. The statistical population of this research comprised the employees of Isfahan Gas Company in 2019. Using the burnout questionnaire (MBI), 30 individuals with burnout were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were then randomly assigned into control and experimental groups (15 people in each group). The experimental group received 8 sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy training, while the control group did not participate in these sessions. The research instruments used included the Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Job Burnout Questionnaire (MBI), and the Cognitive Emotional Regulation Questionnaire (CERS). The data were analyzed using SPSS-24 software and analysis of covariance. The results showed that the intervention (MBCT) improved mental health and emotional cognitive regulation in the experimental group compared to the control group. Therefore, Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) proved to be effective in enhancing emotional cognitive regulation and mental health among employees experiencing burnout. It is recommended to use this intervention to improve the mental health and related components of employees in industrial companies.

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.

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 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.

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.

 Emotional processing plays an important role in dealing with stress related to chronic diseases.

 The present study aimed to investigate the effects of psychodynamic group psychotherapy (PGP) and mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) on body image and emotional processing in patients with colorectal cancer.

 This quasi-experimental research adopted a pre-test/post-test control group design with follow-up. The statistical population included all patients with colorectal cancer visiting Poursina Hakim Health Centers of Isfahan in 2022. The convenience sampling method was employed to select 42 participants who were then assigned to a mindfulness-based stress reduction group (eight 150-minute sessions), a psychodynamic group psychotherapy group (fourteen 120-minute sessions), and a control group as simple random sampling. The control group did not receive psychotherapy intervention during the treatment sessions for the experimental groups and was placed on the waiting list. There were 14 participants in each group. The Multidimensional Body-Self-Relations Questionnaire and Emotional Processing Questionnaire were used for data collection in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. The repeated measures ANOVA were then used for data analysis in SPSS 26.

 According to the results, both MBSR and PGP improved body image and emotional processing equally and effectively in patients with colorectal cancer (P < 0.001). The effects of both interventions on body image remained constant among patients over time (P < 0.001). However, only the effect of MBSR on emotional processing remained constant and stable over time.

 PGP and MBSR are therapeutic methods that may positively affect body image and emotional processing in patients with colorectal cancer. Improving body image and emotional processing may lead to improved mental health and adaptability.

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 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.

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

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.

The present study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of positive psychotherapy on cognitive fusion and self-compassion in the patients with type-2 diabetes. The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest, control group and two-month follow-up period design. The statistical population included the patients with type-2 diabetes in summer of 2021 in the Shahreza city. 34 patients with type-2 diabetes were selected through purposive sampling method and randomly accommodated into experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight seventy-five-minute sessions of positive psychotherapy intervention during two-and-a-half months. The applied questionnaires in this study included cognitive fusion questionnaire (Gillanders et al, 2014) and self-compassion questionnaire (Neff, 2003). The data from the study were analyzed through mixed ANOVA via SPSS23 software. The results showed that positive psychotherapy has significant effect on the cognitive fusion and self-compassion in the patients with type-2 diabetes (p<0.001). According to the findings of the present study it can be concluded that the positive psychotherapy can be used as an efficient treatment to decreace cognitive fusion and improve self-compassion in the patients with type-2 diabetes through employing techniques such as positive life vision, teaching optimism and hope for the future.