Journal of Assessment and Research in Applied Counseling
Volume:6 Issue: 2, Spring 2024

The personnel of any organization are considered its most principal and enduring assets; hence, understanding their needs for the implementation of organizational programs is essential. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between coping styles, alexithymia, and management styles with job satisfaction among the employees of the Maad Group.

The research method of this study was descriptive-correlational. The study population consisted of employees of the Maad Group in Tehran in the year 2021, from which 127 individuals were selected through convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Smith, Kendall, and Hulin Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (1969), the Short Form of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire by Endler and Parker (1990), the Toronto Alexithymia Questionnaire (1986), and the Schmitt Management Styles Questionnaire (1998). Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and SPSS software version 22.

The results showed that there was a significant positive correlation between job satisfaction and democratic management style, goal-oriented management style, participative management style, and laissez-faire management style, as well as coping strategies (P<0.01). There was also a significant negative correlation between job satisfaction and alexithymia (P<0.01). A significant positive relationship existed between job satisfaction and problem-focused coping styles, while a significant negative relationship was found with emotion-focused and avoidance coping styles (P<0.01). Significant relationships were observed between job satisfaction and identifying feelings, difficulty describing feelings, and externally-oriented thinking (P<0.01).

It can be concluded that there is a relationship between coping styles, alexithymia, and management styles with job satisfaction.

This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on psychological flexibility, emotional self-regulation, and stress coping styles in mothers of children with specific learning disorders.

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, and a three-month follow-up design. The study population included all mothers of children with specific learning disorders enrolled in the fifth grade of primary schools in District 17 of Tehran during the 2021-2022 academic year, from whom 40 participants meeting the inclusion criteria were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two groups of 20. Data collection was conducted using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010), the Emotional Self-Regulation Questionnaire (Larsen & Prizmic-Larsen, 2004), and the Coping with Stressful Situations Questionnaire (Parker & Endler, 1994). Data analysis was performed using mixed ANOVA with SPSS version 25.

Results indicated that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy is effective in improving scores of psychological flexibility, emotional self-regulation, and stress coping styles (P<0.001).

Given the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in mothers of children with specific learning disorders, psychologists and counselors working in this field are advised to utilize these educational and therapeutic methods to enhance psychological flexibility, emotional self-regulation, and stress coping styles in this population.

One of the most significant factors that can disrupt family health is the breaking of commitment and exclusivity in emotional and sexual relationships and the creation of extramarital relationships, namely marital infidelity. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of integrative couple therapy on sexual function, marital intimacy, and impulsivity in women affected by marital infidelity.

This study was a quasi-experimental research with a pre-test, post-test, and three-month follow-up design, accompanied by a control group. The study population included all women affected by marital infidelity who sought help from Yarigar and Organic counseling centers in Tehran during the first six months of 2023. According to the counseling centers' officials, the total number of these individuals was 93. The study sample consisted of 30 women affected by marital infidelity who referred to counseling centers in District 2 of Tehran in 2023, selected through purposive sampling and then randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Marital Intimacy Scale, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale, and the Female Sexual Function Index. In this study, the experimental group underwent emotion-focused therapy in 9 sessions (one 90-minute session per week). Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and SPSS software version 22.

The results showed that integrative couple therapy effectively increased sexual function (F=54.5, P<0.001), marital intimacy (F=9.00, P<0.001), and decreased impulsivity (F=7.09, P<0.001) in women affected by marital infidelity.

It can be concluded that integrative couple therapy is effective in improving sexual function, marital intimacy, and impulsivity in women affected by marital infidelity and can be used to reduce the psychological problems of these women.

Distress tolerance and self-compassion play a significant role in mitigating the harm caused by the experience of infidelity. This study compares the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and compassion-focused therapy (CFT) in improving distress tolerance and self-compassion among women who have experienced marital infidelity.

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test, follow-up design with a control group. The study population included women who had experienced infidelity by their spouse and sought counseling and psychotherapy services in Tehran in the year 2021. From this population, using purposive sampling, 45 women were selected based on the study's criteria and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 per group). The first experimental group received cognitive behavioral therapy, and the second received compassion-focused therapy. The control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Distress Tolerance Scale (Simons & Gaher, 2005) and the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003). Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and SPSS software version 22.

The results showed that both distress tolerance and self-compassion scores in the cognitive-behavioral and compassion-focused therapy groups were higher in the post-test compared to the pre-test (p<0.01). Furthermore, a comparison of the two experimental groups revealed no significant difference in scores of distress tolerance and self-compassion between the groups.

It can be concluded that both cognitive-behavioral therapy and compassion-focused therapy were equally effective in improving distress tolerance and self-compassion among women.

Sexual education presents a series of essential psychological, physical, and religious information in the domain of individual sexual aspects along with providing individuals with knowledge and awareness in understanding the characteristics of the opposite gender. The current study aimed to present a structural model of sexual education style with the mediating role of spiritual health on the religious attitudes of high school students in Shiraz.

This descriptive-correlational research included all female high school students in Shiraz during the academic year 2023-2024 and their parents, with a total of 1234 students selected through cluster random sampling method according to the Morgan formula. Data collection tools included the Surajzadeh Religious Attitude Questionnaire, the Islamic Spiritual Health Questionnaire by Miri et al. (2016), and the Abdollahzadeh and Keykhosravi Sexual Education Style Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Amos software.

The findings indicated that the permissive sexual education style has a direct negative effect on spiritual health. Furthermore, the relationship between this style and religious attitude is negatively significant considering the mediating role of spiritual health. Additionally, the authoritative style has a direct and significant effect on spiritual health, and the relationship between this style and religious attitude is positively significant considering the mediating role of spiritual health. The authoritarian style has no direct or indirect relationship with spiritual health and religious attitude. Also, spiritual health has a direct and significant effect on religious attitude.

In conclusion, sexual education plays a pivotal role in imparting psychological, physical, and religious knowledge. The study elucidated a structural model of sexual education, revealing the permissive style's detrimental impact on spiritual health, while the authoritative style positively influenced both spiritual health and religious attitudes among high school students in Shiraz.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy with and without maternal acceptance and commitment intervention on anxiety and depression in anxious children and obsessive thoughts related to COVID-19 in mothers with corona anxiety.

Methods and Materials: 

The method of this research was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test-post-test (two experimental groups and one control group) along with a two-month follow-up period. The population included all anxious elementary school students in the second half of the year 2021-2022 in districts 1 and 2 of Sari city whose mothers also had corona anxiety. Transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention combined with acceptance and commitment therapy for the parent was applied in the first group, and transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention without acceptance and commitment therapy for the parent in the second experimental group, while the control group received no intervention. Sixty participants were selected through purposive sampling. They were then randomly assigned into 3 groups (Group 1; transdiagnostic child-parent centered intervention with parental acceptance and commitment intervention (20 participants), Group 2; transdiagnostic child-centered intervention without parental acceptance and commitment intervention (20 participants), and Group 3; as the control group (20 participants)). For data collection, depression and anxiety questionnaires were used for children, and a practical obsessive-compulsive questionnaire with COVID-19 was used for mothers. For the implementation of interventions, Ehrenreich-May et al.'s (2019) transdiagnostic intervention (12 90-minute group sessions twice a week), and Eifert et al.'s (2017) acceptance and commitment therapy (12 90-minute group sessions twice a week) were utilized. For data analysis, repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS software, version 26 was used.

The results of the repeated measures ANOVA regarding the children showed that the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy combined with maternal acceptance and commitment intervention was significantly greater than transdiagnostic child therapy without acceptance and commitment intervention for the mother, in terms of anxiety and depression. Although anxiety and depression decreased in both experimental groups and were stable over time. The results of the repeated measures ANOVA regarding mothers showed that there was no significant difference in the effectiveness of transdiagnostic child therapy combined with maternal acceptance and commitment intervention with transdiagnostic child therapy without acceptance and commitment intervention for the mother regarding obsessive thoughts, although both interventions showed significant effectiveness over time.

Therefore, it is recommended that therapists and counselors use this treatment in conjunction with other therapeutic interventions to improve the interaction between children and parents.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) is one of the functional gastrointestinal disorders and the most common digestive disorder. The purpose of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy on the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms and depression in patients with the diarrhea subtype and concurrent depression of Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study employed a single-case quasi-experimental design. Three patients with the diarrhea subtype and concurrent depression of Irritable Bowel Syndrome, who had visited neurology and psychiatry clinics in Qom in December 2023, were selected through purposive sampling and each received 18 sessions of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy. Data derived from the Somatic Symptom Scale by Solati Dekordi et al. (2009) and the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) by Beck et al. (1996) were recorded at three stages (baseline, treatment, and follow-up) and analyzed using visual plotting methods, the Reliable Change Index, and the percentage of improvement formula.

The percentage of improvement in the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms and the severity of depression symptoms for each patient in the treatment and follow-up stages was higher than 50%, indicating therapeutic success. The Reliable Change Index for the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms and depression severity for all three patients was above 1.96, indicating significant improvement.

Short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy appears to be effective in reducing the severity of gastrointestinal symptoms and depression in these patients. Therefore, it is recommended that randomized controlled trials with long-term follow-up be conducted as a continuation of this preliminary study.

Students endowed with creative and critical thinking, alongside their unique intellectual and behavioral styles, confront academic and social life challenges. They efficiently fulfill their duties by optimally utilizing their existential forces and spirituality. The purpose of this study was to investigate the development of a model of student creativity based on perceived competence with the mediation of perfectionism.

Methods and Materials: 

The design of this study was descriptive-correlational. For this purpose, 300 students were selected using cluster random sampling and responded to the Abedi Creativity Scale (1993), the Harter's Self-Perception Profile for Adolescents (1982), and the Frost, Marten, Lahart, and Rosenblate Perfectionism Scale (1995). Data analysis was performed using path analysis. Additionally, SPSS 24 and AMOS 24 software were utilized for classification, processing, data analysis, and hypothesis testing.

The evaluation of the hypothesized model using fit indices showed that the model fits the measurement model (CFI=0.93, NFI=0.91, RMSEA=0.07). Overall, in the proposed model of the study, the results indicated that perceived competence is related to creativity both directly and indirectly through perfectionism (p<0.05). Moreover, the results showed a positive and significant relationship between perceived competence and perfectionism.

Therefore, to enhance student creativity, intervening in perceived competence and perfectionism could be significant.

Marital infidelity is the primary reason couples seek divorce, leading them to family counseling clinics. The current study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy on marital relationship quality and emotion regulation in couples affected by infidelity.

Methods and Materials: 

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test control group design. The population included all couples in Nowshahr affected by infidelity in 2023. The sample consisted of 30 couples affected by infidelity (15 for the control group and 15 for the experimental group), selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups. Data collection tools were the Busby et al. (1995) Marital Relationship Quality Questionnaire and the Garnefski and Kraaij (2006) Emotion Regulation Questionnaire. For data analysis, mean, standard deviation were used in the descriptive section, and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) and SPSS version 26 were employed in the inferential section.

The results showed that schema therapy had a significant effect on marital relationship quality (F = 72.99, P < 0.01) and emotion regulation (F = 51.44, P < 0.01) in couples affected by infidelity.

It can be concluded that schema therapy was effective in improving marital relationship quality and emotion regulation in couples affected by infidelity, and can be utilized to reduce psychological problems in such couples.

Extramarital relationships are among the factors that challenge family health and are the most important threat to the performance, stability, and continuity of marital relationships. The purpose of this study was to model structurally the trust in couples affected by infidelity based on emotional schemas with the mediation of communication patterns.

Methods and Materials: 

The research design was correlational of the structural equation modeling type. The study population consisted of all couples affected by infidelity who attended counseling centers in the cities of Noushahr, Chalous, and Tonekabon from May to August 2021. The research sample comprised 300 individuals from among men and women affected by infidelity (240 women and 60 men) selected through convenience sampling. The research tools included the Emotional Schema Scale (ESS-P) by Leahy 2002, a 37-item version, the Communication Patterns Questionnaire, and the Trust Scale in Interpersonal Relationships. All analyses were performed using structural equation modeling with the assistance of SPSS26 and AMOS24 software. For analyzing mediating relationships, the bootstrap method in the Preacher and Hayes (2008) MACRO program was used.

The results showed that adaptive emotional schemas indirectly affected trust in couples affected by infidelity through the mediation of communication patterns (P<0.01).

The results of this study can provide useful intervention strategies for improving the communication patterns of couples and assessing their emotional schemas.

Heart diseases, including coronary artery disease, are among the three main causes of death alongside cancer and stroke in most countries. The current study aimed to predict functional disability in functional somatic syndromes in patients with coronary artery disease based on personality traits and illness perception, considering the mediating role of self-care behavior.

Methods and Materials: 

This study, with applied objectives and a correlational research design, was conducted using the structural equation modeling approach. The statistical population included all patients with coronary artery disease in the city of Amol in the year 2022, from which 250 individuals were purposefully selected. Data collection tools included the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (2014), the McCrae and Costa Personality Traits Questionnaire (1985), the Illness Perception Questionnaire (2006), and the Self-Care Questionnaire (2003). The statistical technique used was structural equation modeling with full latent variables. SPSS version 26, AMOS version 24, and R version 4.2.0 software were used for statistical data analysis.

The results showed that all five personality dimensions, illness perception, and self-care significantly explain the variance in functional disability (P<0.01). Additionally, the mediating role of self-care behavior was significant in the relationship between functional disability and four personality dimensions: extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and illness perception (P<0.01).

It can be concluded that functional disability in functional somatic syndromes in patients with coronary artery disease can be predicted based on their personality traits and illness perception, taking into account the mediating role of self-care behavior.

The current article aims to compare the effectiveness of study methods and time management training on the academic self-regulation of students.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was quasi-experimental, employing a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The population consisted of all twelfth-grade male and female students in Tabriz schools during the academic year 2021-2022. Fifty-two students were selected as the sample through single-stage cluster sampling and were assigned into two groups: experimental (26 students, including 13 females and 13 males) and control (26 students, including 13 females and 13 males). The Savari and Arabzadeh questionnaire was used to measure academic self-regulation. Before the intervention, a pre-test of academic self-regulation was conducted for both groups. The experimental group received training on study methods and time management through an educational package in eight sessions, while the control group did not receive any educational intervention. After the intervention, in the post-test phase, both groups again answered the pre-test instrument. Data were analyzed using one-way multivariate and two-way multivariate analysis of covariance tests.

The results of the two-way multivariate analysis of covariance also indicated that the training on study methods and time management was effective on the academic self-regulation of both male and female students and its sub-scales. It showed a higher effectiveness in overall self-regulation and particularly in the help-seeking sub-scale among males (p < 0.05). For other sub-scales of academic self-regulation, the effectiveness of study methods and time management training was at the same level for both genders (p < 0.008).

Therefore, it can be concluded that training in study methods and time management can be used as an effective intervention for high school students.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological hardiness and the quality of marital relationships in couples with marital conflicts.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of couples with marital conflicts in Tehran in 2023. Then, 32 couples with marital conflicts were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental group (16 people) and the control group (16 people). The data collection tools were questionnaires on psychological hardiness and the quality of marital relationships. Subsequently, cognitive-behavioral therapy training was conducted on the experimental group over 8 sessions of 90 minutes each. After the training sessions, post-tests were administered to both the experimental and control groups.

The findings indicated that the post-test scores of the experimental group in psychological hardiness and the quality of marital relationships were significantly better than those of the control group.

Therefore, cognitive-behavioral therapy has an effect on psychological hardiness and the quality of marital relationships in couples with marital conflicts.

The need for children and adolescents to have a space conducive to growth has led to the widespread selection of adoption as a means to complete a family. With the hope of enhancing the well-being of the child and the family and aimed at identifying the psychological issues of Iranian adoptive families and proposing solutions for their adaptation, this study was conducted.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method, in both stages, was qualitative and followed the grounded theory approach according to Strauss and Corbin. Initially, to find the problems of adoptive families, an interview was conducted with a representative from each of the 13 families in 2022. In the next stage, the results of the first phase of the research were presented to experts, and their proposed solutions were obtained. Data analysis was performed using maxqda2020 software. Ethical considerations were observed at all stages.

In the first phase of problem identification, 4 concepts emerged: issues related to child development in an environment of social harm, legal-psychological problems, issues related to attitudes, and problems associated with the resilience of couples. From the next stage, 4 groups of adaptation solutions were extracted, including explaining the what, how, and why of adoption in Iran (knowledge enrichment), practical solutions to solve problems, intervention strategies for family resilience, and attitude change strategies. Problems related to attitudes and worldviews were the causal conditions for other issues. In the end, the final model was presented. Knowledge enrichment, correction and improvement of attitudes, increasing parental resilience, making legal reforms, and removing executive obstacles should be prioritized in this field.

Conditions should be facilitated so that volunteer parents can share their experiences and researchers can conduct scientific studies in this field. This facilitates better decision-making and creates more confidence for families with a suitable mental background to start this journey. Additionally, the need for psychological support from welfare for families should be considered in planning.