International Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Volume:13 Issue: 4, Winter 2020

Drug use in adolescents and its implications are an important public health issue that can lead to long-term costs. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of attitude to substance in the relationship between self-efficacy and adolescents' preparedness of addiction. The present study is descriptive-correlational performed on 228 high school students (116 girls, 112 boys) in Lorestan province, who are selected by multi-stage cluster sampling. Data collection tools are Rahmati Attitude to Substance Questionnaire (ASQ), Muris Self-efficacy Questionnaire-Children (SEQ-C), and Zargar Iranian Addiction Potential Scale (IAPS). Data are analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis in SPSS software version 22. The results show that there are significant correlations between attitude to substance, self-efficacy and addiction preparedness (P < 0.05). Also, the results of hierarchical regression analysis indicate that attitude toward substance can moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and addiction preparedness (P < 0.05). The results of this study indicate that the attitude toward substance can moderate the relationship between self-efficacy and addiction preparedness. Consequently, changing the attitude of individuals to substance can reduce the tendency of adolescents to consume drugs.

Schizophrenia is a chronic, debilitating disease that imposes a great care of burden on families and mental health care providers. Therefore, the issue of self-care is very important in these patients, but few studies have addressed this issue.

This study examines the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy on improving self-care skills in women with chronic schizophrenia.

Women with chronic schizophrenia were studied in two groups of intervention (N=9) and control (N=10) at Hejazi Hospital in Mashhad, Iran. The intervention group received cognitive-behavioral group therapy and the control group received routine care. The researcher-made self-care questionnaire was completed before intervention and six months after the intervention.

The results of the Mann-Whitney test indicated that there were significant difference between two groups. These difference were especially about variation in the mean of total score of self-care skills before and after intervention, (Z=3/56, p=0/001, Cohen’s d= 2/36) as well as before the intervention and six months after the intervention (z=2/01, p=0/04, Cohen’s d= 0/21).

Cognitive-behavioral Group Therapy can affect self-care skills in women with chronic schizophrenia

The purpose of this paper was to determine the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on improving adaptive behaviors, quality of life, and the self-efficiency of students with mild depression.

This clinical trial study included two experimental and control groups, with pre-test and post-test. Thirty students who lived in Tehran were studied in 2018 and were randomly divided into two groups including experimental and control groups (n=15 person per group). The World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHO-QOL-BREF), Beck Depression, Scherer’s Self-efficiency, and Vineland Adaptive Behavior questionnaires were used to collect information in this study. The participants of the experimental group received MBCT sessions and the control group received no interventions. The pre-test and post-test were conducted in both groups. Data was analyzed by using SPSS 22 software.

The results showed that 24.2%, 50.2%, and 55.6% of personal differences according to an impact factor in the post-test scores of adaptive behaviors, quality of life, and the self-efficiency of students with mild depression was related to the effects of MBCT and significance levels were higher than 0.05. (p<0.05)

According to the findings of the present study it can be concluded that MBCT is effective in improving the adaptive behaviors, quality of life and self-efficiency of students with mild depression.

Breast cancer patients usually react to mastectomy surgery by increased levels of stress, anxiety and depression which requires effective interventions.  The aim of present research was to investigate the effects of an Electromyography (EMG) and heart rate variability (HRV) biofeedback-assisted relaxation training to alleviate the psychological symptoms of mastectomy breast cancer women.

In a randomized controlled trial design about 14 mastectomy women were randomly chosen and divided into two groups and measures of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale were gathered for them. The experimental group received biofeedback-assisted relaxation training, whereas no intervention administered on the control group. All subjects again completed the DASS scales afterwards. Indices of smooth artifact free surface Electromyography (sEMG) and HRV biofeedback recorded using a Biofeedback 2000 x-pert system Version 4. Data were analyzed by a General Linear Model: Multivariate Analysis of Variance statistical analysis.

Depression, anxiety, and stress average scores showed a significant difference after biofeedback intervention. Significant differences were observed in the sEMG and Heart Rate Variability-Index (HRV-Index) measures of the two groups with better results for the experimental subjects as well.

The biofeedback-assisted relaxation training could effectively decrease negative psychological symptoms of the mastectomy breast cancer patients due to sEMG and HRV positive changes and is then recommended for these patients in the course of their treatment.

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training on psychological well-being, coping strategies, and family functioning among women with breast cancer.

This study was a semi-experimental research with a pretest-posttest control group design and a three-month follow-up period. Twenty nine women who had been diagnosed with breast cancer were selected via convenience sampling method and were then randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The Psychological Well-Being questionnaire (PWB), Family Assessment Devise (FAD), Roger's Coping Strategies questionnaire and the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS) were applied to collect data. The members of the experimental group were treated using mindfulness training protocol in 6 sessions, each lasting for 60 minutes. Eventually, data were analyzed through mixed ANOVA analysis.

Findings showed that training mindfulness had a significant effect on the promotion of psychological well-being, coping strategy and family function of women suffering from breast cancer (P<0.01).

According to the results of this study, the implementation of mindfulness training in psychotherapy centers and health clinics would be beneficial and effective in managing the psychological issues concerning patients with breast cancer.

Academic achievements, and related effective factors addressed by researchers in this field, have become a new center of attention for planners of higher educational systems. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of solution-focused approach, on temperament and character dimensions of probative university students.

The study was experimental involving pre-test and post-test, which was carried out on both experimental, and control groups on 40 students of University of Zanjan. Participants were randomly selected and placed into control and experimental groups, each containing 20 members. Pre-test was implemented on both groups, and solution-focused approach was executed on the experimental group at presence of an advisor during 9 sessions (2h) per week. During this period, no intervention was conducted on the members of the control group. Post-test was administered on both groups. Cloninger’s Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125) was employed for data collection. In addition, data analysis was carried out using inferential statistics, known as analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), accompanied by SPSS (v.22) software.

Research findings suggested that, solution-focused approach had no effect on novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependency, persistence and self-transcendence as the temperament dimensions of probative students while it affected cooperativeness and self-directedness as character dimensions.

According to the findings, it can be concluded that solution-focused approach affects cooperativeness and self-directedness as character dimensions of probative university students.

The present study sought to investigate the possible correlation between big five personality traits and hope, considering academic motivation as the mediating variable. This research was a correlation study with a structural equation model design. The population included all bachelor students in Yasouj University, among whom 343 students were chosen (147 male and 196 female), by multi-stage random cluster sampling. The participants filled in three questionnaires as follows: The Big Five Inventory (BFI-44), Situational Motivational Scale and the Hope Scale. Cronbach's alpha was used to check the reliability of the research data. Results showed an appropriate reliability for these scales. The path analysis was run as a statistical technique for analysing a data Path Analysis results suggested that neuroticism had both negative direct and indirect effects on hope. In addition, openness to experience, conscientiousness and extraversion exerted both positive direct and indirect effects on hope through the mediating role of amotivation, integrated and intrinsic motivation. This study indicated that academic motivation plays a mediating role in the relationship between personality traits and hope. The findings indicate that the presented model is appropriate for explaining how personality traits affect hope.

Hope and happiness has had a declining trend in Iran's society, which are the most influential social indicators of mental health. Therefore, with regards to the important function of television in entertainment, this article investigates the Dorehami TV series with the aim of representing hope and happiness in the national media.

The sample of this multi-method qualitative was selected from the programs of Nasim of (IRIB), four episodes of Dorehami TV series was investigated. Given the discourse nature of the research, semiotics analysis was used to represent hope and happiness in the media to discover hidden meanings and themes, and the critical discourse was used to find the underlying layers of the text.

The results showed that the concepts of hope and happiness were represented in this program with themes of social criticism through psychological components in three domains including:, factors (psychological): (laughter, humor, kindness, ability to pursue daily activities, adaptation to life's challenges, meaningful efforts in life, self-esteem, solution-oriented thinking), and social factors (social security and justice, achieving worldly interests).

Criticizing social and cultural issues in a humorous manner creates happy moments for the spectators, helps develop socially desirable cultures and behaviors which bring upon happiness and hopefulness in the society.