International Journal of High Risk Behaviors and Addiction
Volume:10 Issue: 3, Sep 2021

Context: 

Prostitution is a complex phenomenon defined as the provision of sexual services to receive something (goods or services) which is not sexual. Given the response of different societies and cultures to criminalization, decriminalization, or legalization of prostitution, this study aimed to compare the three aforementioned approaches to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each view.

Evidence Acquisition: 

This narrative review study summarizes various views on how to control the prostitution phenomenon. To conduct this study, related articles in PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus databases, as well as documents and reports published by Amnesty International, the World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on AIDS, were investigated. There was no time limit for searching the articles and documents.

 Different communities have their own responses to the prostitution phenomenon, depending on their economic, social, and cultural context. According to the literature reviews, three main approaches, including criminalization, decriminalization, and legalization, are recommended to deal with prostitution. In each of these frameworks, human trafficking and child prostitution are criminalized. Although it seems that partial decriminalization has greater benefits with fewer disadvantages, it is not without defects.

 Using the moderator rules that are embedded in the laws of each country for expediency might reduce the harmful consequences of the first rules, or measures can be taken by considering specific regulations that exist in the national system of each country.

 The spread of the Internet and the improvement of audio and video media have led to the emergence of an industry called pornography.

 The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the use of pornography and marital sexual satisfaction and attitudes toward marital infidelity in married women in Zahedan.

 This was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population consisted of all working married women and housewives in Zahedan during 2017. Among them, a sample of 190 people (95 housewives and 95 employed women) was selected through a convenience sampling method. To collect data, the problematic pornography use scale, the Sexual Satisfaction Questionnaire (women's form), and Whatley's attitudes toward marital infidelity scale were used.

 Data analysis was performed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression. According to the results, there was a significant reverse relationship between the use of pornography and its components and marital sexual satisfaction, and the use of pornography to escape or avoid negative emotions was a negative predictor of marital sexual satisfaction. There was a significant direct relationship between the use of pornography and its components and the attitude towards marital infidelity, and the psychological and social problems of using pornography were a positive predictor of attitude towards marital infidelity.

 It is necessary to consider appropriate strategies to reduce the use of pornography to promote marital sexual satisfaction and reduce the attitude towards marital infidelity in married women.

 Despite the health benefits of smoking cessation on patients with cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), some resume smoking even after their discharge from hospital with acute coronary syndrome (ACS).

 This study aimed to determine the predictors of smoking resumption after ACS in western Iran.

 This prospective cohort study was performed on 175 patients admitted to the Imam Ali Cardiovascular Center, Kermanshah, Iran, with a diagnosis of ACS from January 2018 to December 2018. Data were collected by a trained interviewer using a checklist developed based on the study objectives. Differences between groups were evaluated by independent t-test, chi-square, and Fisher’s exact tests. The relationship between smoking resumption and predicting variables was assessed using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models (Forward LR).

 All participants were male with a mean age of 56.30 ± 8.91 (mean ± SD) years. Three months post-discharge, 137 (78.3%) patients quit smoking, and 38 (21.7%) patients resumed it. The patients who resumed smoking were more likely to be divorced (20.6% vs. 0.7%), unemployed or retired (73.7% vs. 63.5%), have smokers in household (86.8% vs. 50.4%), and have history of depression (52.7% vs. 20.4%) (P-values < 0.05). The independent predictors of smoking resumption were divorce (OR 4.2, 95% CI: 1.31 - 19.01), having smokers in household (OR 12.08, 95% CI: 3.45 - 40.81), and history of depression (OR 12.16, 95% CI: 3.68 - 39.04).

 Divorce, having smokers in household, and history of depression were identified as the independent predictors of smoking resumption in ACS patients. Those who have these characteristics should be viewed as having a high risk of smoking relapse and be provided with more support to quit smoking.

 Adolescents’ exposure to new communication systems via the Internet and mobile phone can be detrimental if cyberbullying is the case.

 The present study aimed to investigate the prevalence of cyberbullying and detect its contributing factors.

 This cross-sectional study was performed in four girls’ and boys’ high schools in District 17, Tehran, Iran. The research sample was selected using the simple random sampling method. The research instrument was a researcher-made questionnaire encompassing three sections (namely, the experience of being cyberbullied, the experience of attempts at cyberbullying, and close friends’ exposure to cyberbullying).

 Eighty-five of the respondents (29.82%) had experienced being cyberbullied, 89 persons (30.90%) had made attempts at cyberbullying, and 117 individuals (40.62%) had friends being cyberbullied. Female gender and secondary high school education significantly increased the likelihood of attempts at cyberbullying and being cyberbullied (P < 0.001). Moreover, there was a significant relationship between an increase in time to use virtual tools per week and aging with attempts at cyberbullying (P < 0.001). There was also a significant relationship between being cyberbullied and attempts at cyberbullying (P < 0.001).

 According to the study findings, the authorities are recommended to implement appropriate educational programs to increase adolescents’ awareness of cyberbullying and culturalization to exploit new communication tools at the school and community levels.

 After introducing the emotional schema model, two questionnaires are proposed to assess this structure. This study is the first validation research on the Relationship Emotional Schema scale (RESS) worldwide.

 The present study aimed to assess the factor structure and psychometric properties of RESS among Iranian victims of domestic violence.

 This study used a correlational method, and the research population encompassed couples with the experience of domestic violence, who had referred to the Forensics Center of Sari Province in 2018. The sample size of the study was determined to be 227 persons selected by the convenience sampling method. To implement RESS for Iranian population after back translation, a pilot study was conducted on 50 persons. Moreover, internal consistency and exploratory factor analysis were performed to check its structure validity.

 Fourteen items have a significant correlation with the scores of the relevant subscale (negative and positive relationship emotional schema). The reliability of these two dimensions was acceptable, as confirmed by Cronbach’s alpha coefficient with a range of 0.68 to 0.74. The total value of Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was 0.71. Exploratory factor analysis revealed four factors of RESS. Furthermore, a two-factor structure was extracted, and the correlation between items confirmed the structure validity of the scale. Convergent validity analyses revealed that negative and positive relationship emotional schemas had a significant correlation with the domestic violence domains and its total score and with neuroticism and extraversion.

 According to the present findings, RESS can be utilized in research and clinical practice.

 Few studies have examined the risk factors among Iranians attempting suicide.

 The present study aimed to explore the risk factors of suicide among patients admitted to hospitals due to suicide attempts.

 Suicidal participants (N = 200, 104 males and 96 females, aged 18 to 40) were recruited via judgmental sampling method, and non-suicidal participants (n = 300, 166 males and 134 females, aged from 18 to 40) were selected via a convincing sampling method. The participants completed a battery of questionnaires on family strength, religious identification, substance use, hopelessness, depression, sexual, emotional, and physical abuse, impulsive aggression, neuroticism, suicidal ideation, family discord, stressful life events, and anxiety. Data were analyzed by independent t-test, chi-square and hierarchical logistic regression.

 The current use of cigarettes/hookah, lifetime non-prescribed medication use, suicidal ideation (suicidal thoughts/tendencies), and depression significantly predicted suicide attempts. In addition, lower levels of religious belief were significantly associated with a higher likelihood of attempting suicide.

 Suicide prevention programs should explore the efficacy of treating individuals with substance abuse disorders, depression, and suicidal thoughts/tendencies for the reduction of suicide attempts. Furthermore, family, media, and school-based programs to internalize religious values would be valuable components of prevention programs for suicide in Iran.

 Sexuality education is one of the most important educational needs for adolescents. Parents play a significant role in shaping healthy sexuality in adolescents. There is little evidence in Iran about sexuality education for empowering adolescences.

 This study aimed at developing, implementing, and evaluating a training program for mothers to educate sexuality matters to their adolescent girls in Mahshahr, Iran.

 This field trial was conducted among 140 mothers with 12- to 18-year-old adolescent girls in Mahshahr during the second half of 2014. The multi-stratified sampling method was performed for determining the study participants. Data was collected by using “Parent-Child Relationship: Mother” and “Knowledge and Attitude About Sexuality Education to Adolescents” questionnaires. Based on the baseline results, an educational intervention for mothers was designed and implemented. Data were collected, analyzed, and compared before and three months after the intervention implementation. Means and standard deviations were calculated, and statistical analysis was performed using a paired t-test. A confidence interval of 95% with significance at P < 0.05 was used.

 Compared with the pre-intervention phase, mothers’ awareness of sexual issues significantly increased from 30.00 to 36.50 (P < 0.001). While the mean score of attitudes towards sexuality education significantly increased from 46.65 to 48.57 (P < 0.001), no significant difference was observed between mothers’ communication skills before and after the educational intervention (P = 0.98).

 The designed educational program was an effective tool to improve the knowledge and attitudes toward sexuality matters in mothers. Thus, continuous and regular programs are required to improve communication skills in mothers.