Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Volume:12 Issue: 46, 2020

One of the important psychological dimensions of prisoners of war that in most societies can be threatened and often overlooked, is their quality of life, resilience and flexibility of these people. The aim of present study was to investigate the effectiveness of resiliency training on quality of life and resiliency in prisoners of war.

In this semi experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group and fallow-up session (after 2 months) in 2017, 30 prisoners of war in Divandarreh city, Kurdistan province were selected by simple random sampling method and randomly assigned into experimental and control group (each group 15 people). The experimental group received resilience training for 10 sessions, but the control group did not receive any training. Data were gathered by Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF) and analyzed using SPSS 18 software and multivariate analysis of covariance and one way analysis of covariance.

At posttest and follow-up stages, the mean scores of resiliency and psychological, social and environmental domains of quality of life were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group (p=0.001), but there was no significant difference between the two groups in physical domain scores of quality of life (p>0.05).

Resiliency training can have a lasting and stable impact on improving the quality of life and resilience in prisoners of war.

Defect in metacognitive beliefs increases the vulnerability of children of veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to mental health problems. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of religious coping skills training on modifying metacognitive beliefs among children of veterans with PTSD.

This semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group and one- month follow-up was conducted among 20 Shahed students (the children of veterans with PTSD) in Islamic Azad University-Roudehen Branch in 2016. The subjects were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly assigned to control and experimental groups (10 people in each group). The experimental group received 10 sessions of religious coping skills training and the control group did not receive training during this period. Both groups completed the metacognitions questionnaire (MCQ-30), before, after, and one month after the intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software using multivariate analysis of variance.

In post-test step, only the components of positive beliefs about worry (F=3.511; p=0.045) and cognitive self-consciousness (F=6.482; p=0.008) were significantly different between the two groups. In the follow-up step, there was still a significant difference between the two control and experiment groups in terms of positive beliefs about worry (F=5.134; p=0.001) and cognitive self-consciousness (F=6.956; p=0.001).

The religious coping skills training improves some of the components of metacognitive beliefs that is, positive beliefs about worry and lack of cognitive self-consciousness that its effect persists after one month.

Wheelchair basketball athletes, as a group of people with spinal cord injury, are at risk for upper cross syndrome. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of a corrective exercise program based on scapular stability on upper cross syndrome in wheelchair basketball athletes.

In this semi-experimental study that was conducted in 2017-2018, 24 veteran and handicapped wheelchair basketball athletes who had spinal cord injury with upper cross syndrome in Mashhad were selected by purposive sampling method and divided into control (n=12) and case (n=12) groups. A corrective exercise program based on scapular stability were administered to the case group for 8 weeks. Camera and flexible ruler tools were used to measure forward head, rounded shoulder and kyphosis, respectively. Data analysis was performed by SPSS 23 software using independent t-test, paired t-test, one-way analysis of variance, and Tukey’s post hoc test.

The severity of forward head, rounded shoulder and kyphosis abnormalities was less in class 3 than in class 1 and 2. There was a significant difference between the case and control groups after training in all three forward head, rounded shoulder, and kyphosis abnormalities (p<0.05).

The corrective exercises based on scapula stability are one of the most useful training methods for restoring muscle balance and preventing and correcting abnormalities in wheelchair basketball athletes.

Veterans' families, especially their wives, are at high risk for mental and psychological injuries that should be noticed to them. The aim of present study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness based cognitive therapy on loneliness and rumination of veterans’ spouses.

In this experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group, 22 veterans’ spouses of Shiraz city in 2018 were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly assigned into case and control groups (11 subjects in each group). Participants in both groups completed the DiTommaso’s loneliness questionnaire and the Nolen-Hoeksema’s rumination questionnaire. The case group was then subjected to mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention during 8 sessions of 120-150 minutes. After group therapy on the case group, the post-test was performed on both groups. Data were analyzed by SPSS 20 software, using dependent and independent t-tests.

In case group, significant changes in the sense of loneliness and rumination scales were observed in the post-test compared to the pre-test (p=0.0001). However, no significant changes were observed in the control group. There was also a significant difference between the case group and the control group in the sense of loneliness (p=0.01) and rumination (p=0.001).

 Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy is an effective strategy to reducing sense of loneliness, and rumination in veterans’ spouses.

Identifying the prerequisites for the quality of life of neuropsychiatric veterans in a single model will lead to a better understanding of the quality of life of these individuals and, as a result, better provision of welfare services related to these prerequisites. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to design the causal model of prerequisites for the quality of life of neuropsychiatric veterans.

This descriptive-correlational study of the structural equation model was conducted during 2017-2018 among 260 neuropsychiatric veterans covered by the Martyrs and Sacrifices Affairs Foundation of Kermanshah province. These people were selected by simple random sampling method and they completed research questionnaires including the short form questionnaire of the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL-BREF), short form of marital satisfaction questionnaire, researcher-made questionnaire to assess the satisfaction of Martyr Foundation services, spiritual attitude questionnaire, multidimensional perceived social support scale, and healthy life style scale. Date were analyzed by SPSS 22 software and AMOS 24 software using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The direct coefficients of satisfaction of services on quality of life (β=0.47), perceived social support on quality of life (β=0.44), and behaviors and positive attitudes toward health on quality of life (β= 0.16) were significant. The indirect path coefficients were also significant (p<0.01).

Teaching spiritual attitudes and behaviors related to health, as well as increasing the services of the Martyrs Foundation, can increase the quality of life of neuropsychiatric veterans.

Happiness is one of the most important mental needs of mankind which has a major impact on personality and mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy and Logotherapy on happiness of veterans' spouses.

In this semi experimental study with pretest-posttest design, with two case groups and one witness group, 60 people of veterans' spouses were studied in Tehran in 2017. The subjects were selected using simple random sampling method and were randomly assigned into acceptance and commitment therapy, Logotherapy and witness group (n=20 in each group). Case groups were treated in 9 sessions in 120 minutes and the witness group received no cure. The research tools were a demographic questionnaire and oxford happiness questionnaire. Data were analyzed using SPSS 18 software, through one-way analysis of covariance and Tukey's post hoc test.

By controlling the effects of pretest scores, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of happiness of the groups in the posttest step (F=10.827; p<0.001). The mean scores of happiness in the acceptance and commitment therapy group (p<0.001) and the Logotherapy group (p=0.008) had significant difference in comparison to the witness group. There was no significant difference between two case groups and both methods had the same effectiveness (p>0.05).

Both acceptance and commitment therapy and Logotherapy are effective in increasing the happiness of veterans' spouses.

War veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) have difficulty with emotional regulation strategies. The model of emotional schemas as a transdiagnostic construct recently played a major role in researches related to mental illnesses. The aim of this study was to compare the emotional schemes in war veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder with depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and without signs of depression and anxiety.

In this descriptive study 105 war veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder who referred to counseling centers of Martyr and Sacrifices Affairs Foundation of Shiraz and Bavanat cities, were selected by purposive sampling method and divided into three groups of 35 people of war veterans suffering PTSD with depression symptoms, war veterans suffering PTSD with anxiety symptoms, and war veterans suffering PTSD without symptoms of anxiety and depression. Tools of the study were Structured Clinical Interview (SCID-5), Beck Depression Inventory, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Iranian version of Leahy's Emotional Schema Questionnaire, and military version of the PTSD Checklist (PCL). Data were analyzed by SPSS 22 software using univariate analysis of variance and LSD post hoc test.

There was significant difference among the three groups of veterans in all aspects of emotional schemas except subjective rumination, consensus and higher values (p<0.05).

Emotional schemas are different in war veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder with depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms and without signs of depression and anxiety, so in treatment of these patients the role and the replacement of compatible emotional schemes in recovery of the disease should be considered.

Sexual dysfunction is one of the most important factors that can play a fundamental role in the individual and social health and adjustment of people. Chemical injury is one of the cases that can be considered as a serious factor in the occurrence or aggravation of sexual dysfunction by causing organic and psychological changes in male and female victims. The purpose of this study was to identify sexual dysfunctions in chemical warfare victims in Sardasht city.

This qualitative phenomenological research was carried out in 2018 using grounded theory method among all chemical warfare victims in Sardasht city. At first, Hurlbert Index of Sexual Desire (HISD) was distributed among the identified individuals and 60 chemical victims (30 females and 30 males) with low score were selected by purposive sampling method for participation in the study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. All interviews were recorded and then transcribed, and finally the data were analyzed using the Colaizzi’s seven step process and grounded theory method.

The core code for "multiple sexual disfunctions" included 9 selected codes. Selected codes were identified with their primary and secondary concepts.

Identified sexual disfunctions include disorder in initiating sexual relations, lack of sexual arousal, lack of perception of sexual pleasure, sexual organ dysfunction, lack of sexual desire, impotency, erectile dysfunction, multi-faceted disorder in ejaculation and masturbation.