فصلنامه روان شناسی بالینی
سال چهاردهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 55، پاییز 1401)

The purpose of this research was to compare the effectiveness of two approaches of reality-therapy and schema-therapy on self-differentiation in a group of dependent women.

A controlled clinical trial design was chosen. Among population of referred women to counseling centers in Mashhad in 2019, a sample of 24 women were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided to three groups of schema-therapy, reality-therapy and control group. Two experimental groups received 8 sessions of 90 minutes interventions for 1 month, whereas the control group remained in the waiting list. Instruments were included the Skorown Friedlander's Differentiation and Dependence on Others questionnaires. Multivariate and univariate covariance analysis were used to analyze the data.

The results showed that both treatment approaches had a positive and significant effect on self-differentiation in the post-test phase. Given the comparisons between two counseling groups, schema therapy was more effective than reality therapy on differentiation, but both approaches had no significant effect on emotional cut-off.

Reality therapy by emphasising on responsibility, and schema therapy by identifying the roots of problems and creating autonomy, both can improve self-differentiation in dependent women.

The aim of this research was to determine the effectiveness of Object-relations Couple Therapy on marital satisfaction of divorce applicant couples with higher-level personality organizations, considering the role of executive functioning.

Among the society of divorce applicant couples a total sample of 90 individuals, referred to counseling centers in Tehran, was selected using a purposeful sampling method. Participants were screened by STIPO structured interview for their levels of personality organization, and a sample of 48 individuals with higher-level personality organization was selected and randomly divided into control and experimental groups. After attrition experimental and control groups respectively included 11 and 8 couples. The experimental group received 14 sessions of Object-relations Couple Therapy, while the control group remained on the waiting list. Research tools included the Wisconsin Card Classification Test and the Enrich Marital Satisfaction Scale. Data were extracted and analyzed by a Multivariate Analysis of Covariance.

Significant positive effects were found for marital satisfaction and its components in the post-intervention stage (P<0.001). Significantly better results were also evident for couples with higher executive function scores (P<0.001) as well.

It could be concluded that Object-relation Couple Therapy could promote the marital satisfaction of couples with higher-levels of borderline personality organization, and executive functioning can positively moderate the therapeutic effects.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of online emotional schema therapy on distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation in university students with adjustment disorder due to romantic break-ups.

By a randomized controlled trial design, among students of 4 universities with romantic break-up experiences in the 2020 year, applying an online procedure a final sample of 30 participants was selected and divided randomly into two equal groups. Participants were in the 18 to 38 age range. After filling out the demographic information questionnaires, Adjustment Disorder New Model and the DSM-5 diagnostic interview, participants were accepted into the sample based on a puposeful sampling . The experimental group received emotional schema therapy for 10 sessions and the control group remained on the waiting list. Participants completed the distress tolerance scale (DTS) and cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (CERQ) in three stages of the study.

Results of a mixed analysis of variance showed a significant difference (P<0/05) between the post-test scores of the experimental and control groups in the distress tolerance and cognitive emotion regulation strategies variables.

The results of this study suggest that online group therapy based on emotional schema therapy can reduce the symptoms of a romantic breakup and is recommended for them.

The purpose of this study was structural equation modeling of test anxiety based on academic self-concept with emphasis on mediating role of maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation.

In a correlational research design among the statistical population of all secondary school students of Tehran in the 2022 academic year a total sample of 456 students was selected by an online convenience sampling. Instruments of the study include the Test Anxiety Inventory, School Self-concept Inventory, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. Data were collected and analyzed by Pearson’s correlation and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SPSS-24 and AMOS.

Significant direct relations were found for academic self-concept and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation with test anxiety in students (p<0.05). Maladaptive emotion regulation mediated the relationship between academic self-concept and test anxiety in students (p<0.05).

It could be concluded that academic self-concept and maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation can play an important role in students’ test anxiety. Relevant interventions based on academic self-concept and cognitive emotion regulation are recommended to treat students’ test anxiety.

This study aimed to investigate the effect of mentalization training on the promotion of mentalization capacity and marital satisfaction in dissatisfied married Iranian people.

This study was part of a single-case experimental design. Participants included three married students of Tarbiat Modares University. All participants completed a mentalization-based training course after 12 sessions lasting 90 minutes. Each participant was assessed on nine occasions (three baselines, five during the training period, and a one-month follow-up) by mentalization, marital satisfaction, and clinical interview scales. Visual analysis for the inside and outside of the situation was used for data evaluation.

Mentalization-based training significantly enhanced mentalization capacity with an impact factor of 0.36 (P< 0.05) and marital satisfaction with an impact factor of 0.85 and (P< 0.05).

It could be concluded that many of the relational conflicts in couples are due to a lack of mentalization capacity, and their awareness during training could be highly effective in reducing these conflicts. These results emphasized using psychological training of mentalization in relational patterns of dissatisfied Iranian married people.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Histrionic Personality Scale including internal consistency, test-retest reliability, divergent validity, and convergent validity in Iranian culture and society.

For this purpose, the questions of this scale were first translated into Farsi, then by retranslating the questions from Farsi to English and comparing it with the original text, the accuracy of the translation was ensured. This study is descriptive research, and the studied population included 350 adults (231 women - 119 men) of Yazd province with at least a diploma education in the age range of 17 to 58, who were selected by convenience sampling method. Participants were asked to complete the Cosmetic Surgery Acceptance Scale and the Demonstration subscale in Short Form MMPI2.

The test-retest reliability (r=0.63) and the personality scale's internal consistency (0.83) were satisfactory .Convergent and divergent validity were assessed by calculating the correlation coefficients .Pearson correlation coefficient showed that there was a significant positive correlation between the presentation scale and cosmetic surgery acceptance (r=0.27). Also, there was a significant positive relationship between the presentation scale and the MMPI2 subscale (r=0.53) .These results confirm the convergent and divergent validity of the histrionic personality scale.

Based on the results, the histrionic personality scale proved to measure this construct with sufficient reliability and validity in Iranian samples in spite of the cultural differences of Iran, and then can be used in related research.

Craving drug abuse is a common manifestation of the urgent and irrecoverable desire against substance abuse. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) on cravings, cognitive flexibility, and the abstraction of opiate abusers.

The research design was a randomized clinical trial design with a 2-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of opiate addicts, and 30 men selected through the convenience sampling method were assigned into experimental (tDCS) and sham groups (15 people per group). The tools used in this research were Franken et al. Instant Craving Questionnaire and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test which was performed on two groups before the intervention. The tDCS intervention method included 10 sessions of 20 minutes with an intensity of 2 milliamps. The obtained data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

The results obtained using covariance analysis showed a significant difference between the experimental and sham groups in the post-test and follow-up in all three components of the cravings and the scores of the components of the Wisconsin test (P<0.001).

TDCS has essential implications in reducing cravings and improving executive cognitive flexibility in addicts to opiates and is recommended as an effective treatment method for addiction therapists in treatment clinics.

Gender dysphoria is a disorder that affects psychological and personality traits. This study aimed to compare self-regulation behaviors, social cognition, and brain behavioral systems in people with and without gender dysphoria.

Applying a causal-comparative design, among the statistical population of patients with gender dysphoria with a file in Ardabil Welfare Organization in the 2022 year a sample of 40 gender dysphoria patients was selected based on the psychiatrist's diagnosis. A group of 40 normal individuals was also selected based on clinical interviews with convenience sampling methods. Data were collected by the Self-regulation Questionnaire, The Reading Mind in the Eyes Test, and the Gray-Wilson Personality Questioner and analyzed by a multivariate analysis of variance.

The mean scores of self-regulation behaviors, social cognition, and behavioral activation system in normal subjects were higher than in individuals with gender dysphoria. However, no significant difference was observed between the mean behavioral inhibition system and the fight-flight system of patients and normal individuals.

self-regulation behaviors, social cognition, and behavioral activation system have a role in the pathology of people with gender dysphoria and psychological interventions can be effective in treating and promoting their mental health.

The quality of the parent-child interaction plays a major role in children’s normal development. Social skill acquisition is also part of children’s socialization process which can lead to an ideal emotional relationships. The purpose of the present study then was to determine the role of attachment styles in the prediction of social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder and to examin the mediating role of emotion regulation in this relation.

In a descriptive-analytical study, among Tehran clinics and autism schools 420 children (315 boys, 105 girls) with Autism Spectrum Disorder were assessed in the 2022 year by the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ), and the Raven’s Colored Progressive Matrices (RCPM). A sample of 102 children (24 girls and 78 boys) was selected with a ≥19 score in ASSQ and >70 in RCPM. All children’s parents completed the Autism Social Skills Profile (ASSP), Middle Childhood Attachment Scale (MCAS), and Emotion Regulation Checklist (ERC) as well. Path Analysis analyzed the data in SPSS Macro version 24.

The Spearman correlation matrix showed that attachment style has a negative and direct correlation with social skills (r= -0.42) and by moving from a secure to an insecure attachment style it is possible to predict a weakness in social skills. In addition, emotion regulation showed a positive correlation with social skills (r= 0.57). Path analysis showed that one unit increase in emotion regulation could add 0.89 units to social skills. Although no direct effect was observed on social skills by attachment styles, emotional regulation could significantly mediate the relationship between attachment styles and social skills.

Considering the mediating role of emotional regulation in the relationship between attachment styles and social skills in children with autism, it can be concluded that parents play an important role in creating a secure attachment style and help children acquire social skills with emotional regulation.