Journal of adolescent and youth psychological studies
Volume:5 Issue: 4, Apr 2024

 The current research aimed to predict wisdom based on executive function, attachment style, and personality traits.

Methods and Materials: 

This was a descriptive and correlational study. The study population consisted of all students at Wasit University in Iraq. The sample comprised 350 students selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. The research tools included the Ardelt Wisdom Scale (2003), Executive Function (Yousefi & Golkar, 2020), Personality (Costa et al., 1998), and Parental Attachment Style (Armsden & Greenberg, 2000). The collected data were analyzed using stepwise regression.

 The results of the analysis indicated that all dimensions of executive function were positively and significantly related to wisdom. All personality traits, except for extraversion, showed a positive and significant relationship with wisdom (p = .0051). All dimensions of attachment were significantly related to wisdom, with secure attachment to parents being positively significant (p = .000) and insecure attachment to parents being negatively significant (p = .000). Neuroticism, insecure attachment with parents, and increased hours spent in the virtual environment were negatively and significantly related to wisdom, while the remaining variables had a positive and significant relationship. Stepwise regression results showed that among the variables studied, initiation, organization, monitoring, secure attachment to mother, secure attachment to father, inhibition, emotional control, and insecure attachment to father had predictive power for wisdom.

 Based on these results, it can be concluded that changes in these variables are associated with changes in wisdom among students.

One of the approaches that can lead to changes in reducing psychological distress, negative automatic thoughts, and cognitive fusion among students preparing for university entrance exam is stress inoculation management. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of stress inoculation management training on negative automatic thoughts, psychological distress, and cognitive fusion among students preparing for university entrance exam.

Methods and Materials:

 This research is an applied study in nature and quasi-experimental in implementation, using a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The population consisted of all female students preparing for university entrance exam in Kermanshah in the year 2023. From this population, 60 participants were selected using a convenience sampling method into two experimental groups and one control group. The research tools included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2003), the Negative Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (Kendall & Hollon, 1980), and the Cognitive Fusion Questionnaire (Rachman & Shafran, 1996). Data analysis was performed using multivariate covariance analysis.

The results indicated that the stress inoculation management intervention had a significant effect on the psychological distress of the students preparing for university entrance exam in the post-test phase (p<0.01). The intervention also significantly impacted negative automatic thoughts (p<0.01) and cognitive fusion (p<0.01) in the post-test evaluations.

Stress inoculation management training is effective in impacting negative automatic thoughts, psychological distress, and cognitive fusion among students preparing for university entrance exam.

The present study aimed to develop a protocol for emotion regulation training and to examine its effectiveness on internet addiction among female students.

Methods and Materials: 

The methodology of this study was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, control group, and follow-up period. The study population consisted of all female internet-using high school students in Islamshahr in the year 2021 (ages 15 to 18). The sample size was 100 participants who were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Goldberg’s General Health Questionnaires (1972) and Jackson’s Sensitivity to Reinforcement Questionnaires (2009) were administered before and after the training sessions to the relevant groups. The findings were analyzed using a mixed-methods approach.

The analysis showed that emotion regulation training led to a reduction in internet addiction (p = 0.001).

Consequently, it can be stated that employing an emotion regulation approach can effectively reduce internet addiction among students.

The aim of the current study was to determine the structural model of risk-taking behaviors based on the attention system with the mediating role of emotion regulation among substance users.

Methods and Materials:

 This research was a descriptive-correlational study using structural equation modeling. The population included all marijuana users in Isfahan who visited addiction treatment centers in 2023. The sample comprised 250 marijuana users selected via convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using cognitive training software for attention and memory, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and a risky behavior questionnaire. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were used to organize, summarize, and describe the data on participant characteristics and research variables. In the inferential statistics section, structural equation modeling and Pearson correlation methods were employed to analyze the data using SPSS 22 and AMOS 22.

The model fit indices PCFI = 0.599, PNFI = 0.611, CMIN/DF = 2.88, RMSEA = 0.072, IFI = 0.913, CFI = 0.920, and GFI = 0.909 indicated a good fit of the proposed model with the data. Thus, the proposed model exhibited satisfactory fit.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the structural model of risk-taking behaviors based on the attention system with the mediating role of emotion regulation is appropriate for substance users.

The purpose of this study was to compare behavioral systems and thought control among individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, panic disorder, and healthy individuals.

Methods and Materials: 

The method of the current research was applied in terms of purpose and descriptive-post-event in terms of implementation. The study population included all individuals attending neurology and psychiatry clinics in Qom during 2021-2022. In this study, a total of 200 individuals were selected as the sample (individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder: 50, individuals with major depression: 50, individuals with panic disorder: 50, and healthy individuals: 50) using a non-random and convenient sampling method. The research tools included the Carver and White (1994) Behavioral Systems Questionnaires and the Wells and Davies (1994) Thought Control Questionnaire. The research data were analyzed using the SPSS-24 statistical software, through descriptive and inferential statistics, specifically the multivariate analysis of variance.

The results of the analysis indicated that behavioral systems and thought control vary among individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, panic disorder, and healthy individuals.

Therefore, in the current study, thought control varies among individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depression, panic disorder, and healthy individuals.

This study aimed to predict feelings of loneliness based on decision-making styles in couples, mediated by social support.

Methods and Materials: 

The research was correlational in nature. The study population consisted of couples attending counseling centers in District Four of Tehran in 2021. The sample size was determined to be 250 individuals, selected through stratified random sampling. Data collection tools included: the Russell Loneliness Scale (1978), the Scott and Bruce Decision-Making Styles Inventory (1995), and the Zimet et al. Social Support Scale (1988). Statistical methods used descriptive statistics, SPSS software, path analysis, t-tests, Sobel test, and PLS software.

The results indicated that rational and intuitive decision-making styles were positively related to social support, while dependent, spontaneous, and avoidant decision-making styles had an inverse relationship with social support. There was a negative relationship between rational and intuitive decision-making styles and feelings of loneliness, and a direct relationship between dependent, spontaneous, and avoidant decision-making styles and feelings of loneliness.

Decision-making styles were predictors of feelings of loneliness. Additionally, social support played not only a mediating role but also amplified the relationship between decision-making styles and feelings of loneliness.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the self-harmonization counseling model based on the sharing approach in reducing mother-adolescent conflicts.

Methods and Materials:

 The research method was quasi-experimental, employing case studies. For this purpose, three mother-adolescent pairs, characterized by non-sharing, high-conflict mothers, were selected in 2022 from Tehran using purposive sampling based on entry criteria. Over the course of eight 60-minute sessions, they underwent counseling using a sharing-focused self-harmonization model. Mothers and adolescents completed the Parent-Adolescent Conflict Questionnaire by Asadi Younesi et al. (2011) at baseline and intervention stages, while only mothers responded to the Sharing Lifestyle Questionnaire by Esmaeili et al. (2022) during these phases. Additionally, before treatment, both mothers and adolescents filled out the General Health Questionnaire GHQ-28 (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979). Data were analyzed using visual plotting, reliable change index, and percentage of improvement formula.

The results indicated that the overall percentage of improvement in conflict post-intervention from the perspectives of parents and adolescents was 58.11% and 42.17% for the first participant, 47.01% and 37.13% for the second participant, and 28.29% and 27.75% for the third participant, respectively. Also, the increase in sharing by mothers was 62.23%, 51.88%, and 34.76% for the first, second, and third participants, respectively. These values represent successful short-term counseling outcomes.

Therefore, the self-harmonization model based on the sharing approach provides an opportunity for mothers to foster self-harmonization across various dimensions by adopting a sharing attitude and implementing productive strategies, thereby experiencing reduced conflicts with their adolescents. The findings can be utilized by counselors in the fields of family and adolescent.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (MBCBT) and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) on cognitive sensation seeking in adolescents with Internet addiction.

Methods and Materials: 

This study was a pre-test, post-test, follow-up design with a control group. The population included adolescents with Internet addiction residing in Tehran, from which 45 eligible volunteers were selected using convenience sampling. Data were collected using Young's Internet Addiction Test (Young, 1996), and Zuckerman's Sensation Seeking Scale (Zuckerman, 1978) at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Eight 90-minute sessions of MBCBT and eight 90-minute sessions of EFT were conducted for the experimental groups. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with Bonferroni post hoc tests using SPSS version 26.

The results indicated that both MBCBT and EFT had a reducing effect on sensation seeking (p < .001). MBCBT and EFT showed a significant decrease over time in sensation seeking (p < .001).

Based on the findings of the current study, there was no significant difference between MBCBT and EFT in reducing sensation seeking among adolescents with Internet addiction.

This study aimed to develop a structural model of the quality of life for cardiac patients based on health locus of control and illness perception with the mediating role of alexithymia in the cardiac patient population visiting hospitals in Tehran.

Methods and Materials:

 The research method was correlational. A total of 281 patients were selected through purposive sampling and responded to the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire, the Illness Perception Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling.

The results indicated that the structural model of quality of life for cardiac patients based on health locus of control and illness perception, mediated by alexithymia, was a good fit. Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between health locus of control and illness perception with quality of life (p < 0.05), a significant negative relationship between alexithymia and quality of life (p < 0.05), and a significant negative relationship between health locus of control and illness perception with quality of life (p < 0.05).

Attention to health locus of control and providing training to strengthen internal locus of control, designing psychological interventions based on illness perception, and training in emotional expression and management for psychosomatic patients like those with cardiac conditions are recommended.

This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy, brief intervention, and combined intervention on social alienation among COVID-19 recovery patients in Andimeshk. 

Research Methods and Materials:

 The method used in this study was a quasi-experimental pre-test post-test design with a control group. The sample consisted of 80 COVID-19 recovery patients covered by comprehensive health centers in Andimeshk, who were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group containing 20 individuals). The experimental group underwent cognitive-behavioral therapy interventions in eight 90-minute sessions held weekly, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Melvin Seeman Social Alienation questionnaire, and hypotheses were tested using analysis of covariance.

The results showed a significant difference between the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and brief intervention on social alienation among COVID-19 recovery patients in Andimeshk; however, no significant difference was found between the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and the combined intervention on social alienation among these patients.

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy is effective in reducing social alienation, and there is no difference in effectiveness between cognitive-behavioral therapy and the combined intervention (cognitive-behavioral therapy and brief intervention).

The current research aimed to present a structural model for readiness to change based on achievement motivation and psychological capital with problem-solving mediation in students of Islamic Azad University, Roudehen.

Methods and Materials:

 The research method was correlational using structural equation modeling, and the population included all undergraduate students at Islamic Azad University, Roudehen branch, in the academic year 2022-2023. The sample size comprised 220 individuals selected via multi-stage cluster random sampling and responded to the Readiness for Change Questionnaire by Sloo (2006), Hermans' Achievement Motivation (1970), and Cassidy and Long's (1996) Problem-Solving Styles questionnaire.

The findings from the structural equation modeling using AMOS software indicated that the structural model of the study fits the collected data. Moreover, achievement motivation positively and significantly predicts readiness for change in students. Psychological capital also predicts readiness for change positively and significantly in students. Adaptive problem-solving strategies positively and maladaptive strategies negatively and significantly predict readiness for change in students.

Both adaptive and maladaptive problem-solving strategies significantly mediate the relationship between achievement motivation and readiness for change, as well as between psychological capital and readiness for change in students.

Disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD), classified under depressive disorders, leads to functional impairments across various domains and a reduction in mental health during adulthood. The current study aimed to compare the effectiveness of unified transdiagnostic therapy and reality therapy on social information processing and emotion regulation among students with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder.

 Methods and Materials:

The research employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments, including a control group. The sample consisted of all 8 to 11-year-old boys diagnosed with DMDD in Isfahan, along with their mothers, who visited the Superior Counseling Center and the Child and Adolescent Home affiliated with the Isfahan Municipal Cultural, Social, and Sports Organization in Spring 2022. Forty-five participants were selected through purposive sampling and then randomly assigned into three groups of fifteen (two experimental and one control group). Research Tools: The research instruments included the Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Diagnostic Scale – Parent Form (DMDDS) (Shahmohammadi et al., 2021), Social Stories (Turkospa & Bryan, 1994), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski, 2007). The experimental groups received separate interventions (unified transdiagnostic therapy and reality therapy), each consisting of ten 60-minute sessions for the students and thirty-minute sessions for the parents, while the control group received no intervention. Data Analysis: The data were analyzed using SPSS version 23 and repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results indicated that both unified transdiagnostic therapy and reality therapy significantly improved social information processing and both positive and negative emotion regulation in students with DMDD at post-test (p < .01), and these effects were maintained at follow-up (p < .001). No significant difference was found between the two therapeutic methods in this regard. Only the goal clarification aspect of unified transdiagnostic therapy was effective at post-test, showing greater efficacy than reality therapy, though the effectiveness of both therapies was not significant at follow-up.

Given the effectiveness of unified transdiagnostic therapy and reality therapy on social information processing and emotion regulation in students with disruptive mood dysregulation disorder, both therapies can be utilized in clinics and specialized counseling centers to improve outcomes for students with this disorder.

 Metacognitive beliefs have significant impacts on individual performance, and enhancing and altering these beliefs lead to meaningful changes in metacognitive awareness. The present study aims to present a causal model of the relationships between metacognitive beliefs, the need for cognition, and metacognitive awareness: exploring the mediating role of goal orientation and self-efficacy in the context of students taking a general English course at Payame Noor University, Fars Province, during the first semester of 2021.

Methods and Materials:

 This is an applied study using a descriptive correlational research design through path analysis. The statistical population includes all undergraduate students at Payame Noor University, Fars Province, who enrolled in a general English course in the first semester of 2021, totaling approximately 3,422 students. A sample of 480 students was selected using stratified random sampling based on Morgan’s table. Data collection tools included the Bufora et al. (1998) goal orientation questionnaire, Wells’ (1997) metacognitive beliefs questionnaire, Sherer and Maddux’s (1997) self-efficacy scale, and the Cacioppo (1996) need for cognition questionnaire.

 The current study indicates that the indices of the conceptual model’s fit are in an acceptable condition. The four factors of metacognitive beliefs, need for cognition, goal orientation, and self-efficacy have a significant effect on students’ metacognitive awareness. Among the internal variables, self-efficacy had the most substantial effect (0.19), and metacognitive beliefs had the least (0.164).

 Overall, considering the goodness-of-fit indices and the overall examination of the model within the study group, the model exhibited appropriate fit and can be utilized in decision-making and policy-setting.

The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) on quality of life in adolescents diagnosed with social anxiety disorder in Karaj.

Methods and Materials: 

The research methodology was a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The sample included all adolescents visiting the Cultural Clinic in Karaj from February 2021 to May 2021, who were definitively diagnosed with social anxiety disorder by a psychiatrist. Fifty-one individuals were purposively selected and randomly assigned into two experimental groups and one control group (each group consisting of 17 participants). The first and second experimental groups underwent 12 and 8 sessions of CBT and EMDR respectively. The World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHO-QOL-BREF, 1996) questionnaire was used as the measurement tool. Data analysis was conducted using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni tests.

Results indicated that both CBT and EMDR interventions significantly improved quality of life scores compared to the control group (p < 0.001), and this effectiveness was maintained during the one-month follow-up period. There was no significant difference between the effectiveness of the two intervention methods in improving quality of life scores (p < 0.001).

Therefore, using CBT and EMDR can significantly enhance the quality of life in adolescents suffering from social anxiety disorder.

Recognizing the factors that influence creativity and enhancing creative skills is essential to facilitate the enhancement of creativity in environments such as schools. Therefore, the current research aims to examine the role of individual and social variables in predicting students' creative progress.

Methods and Materials:

 This applied research was conducted with a mixed-method approach and an exploratory design. The qualitative sample consisted of 25 professors from the educational management departments of universities in Mashhad, selected through purposive sampling and considering the saturation rule. The quantitative sample included all school managers working in middle and high schools in the sacred city of Mashhad, with a sample size of 172 individuals, calculated based on Cochran's formula. In the qualitative section, semi-structured interviews were used, while in the quantitative section, a researcher-developed questionnaire was employed.

The qualitative results identified two main categories: intra-personal skills and inter-personal skills, along with six subcategories: technical skills, problem-solving skills, ethical skills, emotional competencies, cognitive competencies, and social competencies derived from the interviews. Structural equation modeling results indicated that creative self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation are significant predictors of creative advancement. Wisdom did not significantly predict creativity, while general self-efficacy indirectly predicted creativity through its impact on creative self-efficacy. The university environment also had a significant role in predicting students' creative advancement.

Based on the findings of the current research, considering social factors alongside individual factors provides a clearer and more comprehensive understanding of students' creativity.

The increasing use and influence of mobile phones on individuals' daily habits, behaviors, and lifestyles have brought significant changes and may cause serious and important problems in people's lives. This study investigated the impact of variables such as impulsivity and intolerance of uncertainty, along with smartphone management styles on smartphone addiction, mediated by warm executive functions.

Methods and Materials: 

The current study was descriptive and correlational. The sample consisted of 722 high school students selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Bianchi and Phillips (2005) Mobile Phone Addiction Questionnaire, the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (1997), the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale by Dugas et al. (1998), the Hsieh, Jen, and Chou (2019) Smartphone Management Styles Questionnaire, and the BRIEF Executive Functions Questionnaire (Parent Form) by Gerard et al. (2000). Data analysis was conducted using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) through AMOS software version 25.

Results indicated significant inverse relationships between impulsivity and warm executive functions (β = -0.74, p < 0.001), impulsivity and smartphone addiction (β = -0.56, p < 0.001), and warm executive functions and smartphone addiction (β = -0.51, p < 0.001). Direct and significant relationships were found between intolerance of uncertainty and warm executive functions (β = 0.66, p < 0.001), intolerance of uncertainty and smartphone addiction (β = 0.73, p < 0.001), and warm executive functions and smartphone addiction (β = -0.51, p < 0.001). Significant inverse relationships existed between management styles and warm executive functions (β = -0.83, p < 0.001), and management styles and smartphone addiction (β = -0.71, p < 0.001).

Therefore, it can be concluded that there are relationships between impulsivity, intolerance of uncertainty, and smartphone management styles with smartphone addiction mediated by warm executive functions.