Journal of Fundamentals of Mental Health
Volume:13 Issue: 3, 2011

Diet is one of the important causes that directly or indirectly affect the course of non-infectious diseases. Medical students are more susceptible to be exposed to stressors, feel more anxiety and have bad nutritional habits. The present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between rate of consumption of fast-food cuisine and levels of anxiety among medical students in Tehran in 2010. In this cross-sectional study, 204 male and 284 female were selected from students of medical sciences universities in Tehran, using stratified random sampling. Dietary assessment was done using 24-hour recall for frequency of fast food consumption in two times with a week interval. Conversion of intake foods into micronutrients was undertaken using the USDA tables. Persian version Spiel-Berger questionnaire, evaluating trait and state anxiety levels was used. A proportional odd’s regression model with adjusting the effect of probable confounder variables was used to assess the effect of consumption of fast-food cuisine on anxiety variables. Rate of fast food consumption was twice in male students compared to female students. Chance of feeling either moderate or severe anxiety in those students who frequently consume fast-food cuisine was seven folds higher than those students who rarely use fast food (OR=7.0, 95% CI, 2.35-9.74, P<0.001). It was determined that rate of anxiety level might increase by increase in consumption of fast- food cuisine.

During the last three decades, care and rehabilitation of chronic mental patients have received increasing attention in mental health system. This study has been done to determine the effect of group art therapy on interpersonal communication skills of patients with chronic mental disorders. The current research is a quasi-experimental study that has been performed in the maintenance and rehabilitation of chronic mental patients Atef center in Mashhad on September 2010. The research community included female patients with chronic mental disorders in the center. Among them, 28 women who have inclusion criteria for research were selected by convenient sampling method and were assigned to two control and experiment groups by random assignment. Then the rate of their interpersonal communication skills was assessed by Bar-On emotional intelligence questionnaire. Then eight sessions of group art therapy were conducted for the experimental group. The control group received routine care plan. After intervention, the rates of interpersonal communication skills of patients were measured again and collected data were analyzed by covariance analysis. Findings showed that there was a significant difference in scores of interpersonal communication test (P=0.000). Also after adjusting pretest scores, difference between two groups was remained significant (P=0.000). The implementation of group art therapy increased the rate of interpersonal communication skills in hospitalized women with chronic mental disorders.

The purpose of this study is to validate Cognitive Triad Inventory (CTI) among students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad. This questionnaire measures thinking style of depressed people about themselves, world and future. In this cross-sectional descriptive study, 412 students of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad (157 males and 255 females) studying in an academic year (2009-2010) were selected through multistage cluster sampling to validate the questionnaire. The data analyzed through Cronbach’s alpha statistical method. The results showed that Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient for total scale is 0.85, for subscales view of self is 0.80, view of world is 0.73 and finally, view of future is 0.81. Also, questions that cause reduction of Cronbach’s alpha reliability coefficient were determined. Cognitive triad inventory can be a reliable and valid tool for evaluating Beck cognitive theory and can be used to measure depressive thinking style in normal or clinical samples.

This study was designed to compare the frequency of various types of childhood abuse and neglect between drug dependent and normal individuals. This case control study was conducted in one of the districts of Kerman Province (Bardsir) in 2010. Two hundred-twelve drug dependent individuals and 216 normal people as the control group were selected consecutively. The data gathering tool included baseline characteristics, childhood trauma questionnaire and General Health Questionaire-12 (GHQ-12) which were completed anonymously. Logistic regression was used to examine the association between childhood maltreatment and opiate dependency in adolescence. MANOVA was used to compare CTQ subscale scores between the two groups. The frequency of all types of abuse and neglect in the study group was higher than the control group as 70.3% of people in the study group and 33.8% of people in the control group reported at least a kind of abuse or neglect (P<0.001). The average score for Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) (± SE) was respectively 47.2 ± 1.0 and 35.8±0.6 in the study and control groups (P<0.001). After adjusting for baseline characteristics and GHQ-12 score a statistical relationship was found between emotional abuse (OR=5.06), physical neglect (OR=1.96), sexual abuse (OR=1.89) and drug dependence. The occurrence of all types of childhood abuse and neglect in the study group was higher in comparison to the control group. After adjusting confounding variables, a clear relationship was still found between history of childhood emotional abuse, physical negligence, sexual abuse and later drug dependence.

A large number of studies have been undergone about self-regulation, physical hygiene, and the role of self-regulated learning on school achievement and motivation of learning, but few researches has been done in the field of self-regulated leaning and mental health. This research has been done to investigate efficacy of teaching self-regulated learning strategies on mental health in boys who are studying in 2nd grade of junior high school in Mashhad between 2008 to 2009. At this experimental study,30 students (15 in each interventional or control group) were selected with random cluster multi-stage sampling method from heptagonal zones of the educational ministry office in Mashhad. At first, MSLQ (?) and GHQ-28 questionnaires were used as a pre-test in both groups. Interventional group received 18 one-hour educational sessions in self-regulated learning strategies, followed by post-test using the aforementioned questionnaires. The data were analyzed using independent T-test. There was no meaningful difference between means of mental health condition (P=0.34) and its components as physical complaints (P=0.37), anxiety (P=0.59), social dysfunction (P=0.12) and depression (P=0.19) in both experimental and control groups. According to the results, teaching of self-regulated learning strategies do not have a significant effect on mental health. Although, the correlation between these variables can be affected by factors such as measurement tools, teaching method, the timing and length of teaching period, providing opportunity to practice and utilize strategies. More studies are needed to prove our hypothesis, provided to consider the mentioned confounding factors.

According to previous studies, frequency of psychological symptoms or disorders among applicants for cosmetic surgery is more than normal population. The aim of the present study is to compare psychopathological profile of applicants for plastic surgery with normal population. In this cross sectional, case-control study, samples were selected through convenient sampling; 50 subjects who were between 18 to 45 years old, were selected among applicants for cosmetic surgery and compared with 50 matched controls. The subjects were assessed with Millon Clinical Multi-axial Inventory-III that has 175 true-false questions. MANOVA was used to compare two groups. Results demonstrated that group of applicants for cosmetic surgery, gothigh scores in depressed, histrionic, narcissistic, compulsive, masochism, borderline and schizotypal scales of personality profile; They got also high scores in anxiety, somatoform, alcoholism, thought disorder and major depression scales (among clinical symptom and severe symptom indexes) (P<0.05). Applicants for plastic surgery have some differences in clinical personality profile and show some clinical psychiatric symptoms, comparing with control group. These symptoms and personality characters may affect them, seeking help by cosmetic surgery. Therefore pre-operative psychological assessment could help to assess clinical and personality profile and identify any personality or psychiatric disorder in these patients. It is helpful for these patients to be referred for psychological assessment before surgery.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy (MCT) on reduction of the symptoms related to the meta cognitive features in patients with body dysmorphic disorder (BDD) patients. In this randomized clinical trial 20 participants were selected from referrals to dermatology and cosmetic surgery clinics in the city of Isfahan in 2009 on the basis of DSM-IV-TR diagnostic criteria for BDD and were randomly assigned to either experimental or control group. The Yale-Brown obsessive compulsive scale modified for body dysmorphic disorder (BDD-YBOCS) and metacognitive questionnaire (MCQ) were used as the pre-test measures. The experimental group received 8 weekly metacognitive intervention sessions. The control group was in the waiting list until end of the follow up. The same measures were used for post-test and follow up. It was utilized multivariate analysis of covariance method using SPSS.18 for analysis of data. The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that MCT had a significant effect in reducing symptoms related to metacognitive briefs (positive beliefs about worry, uncontrollability and danger,cognitive confidence, etc) of patients with BDD in post-test and follow up (P<0.01). The findings of this study show that MCT, even in a six-month follow up, is effective in reducing the symptoms of the metacognitive beliefs in patients with BDD.

Cardiovascular complications are prevalent and serious clinical outcomes of type II diabetes. The purpose of this study was to investigate psychological, social and disease-related risk factors for incidence of cardiovascular complications in patients with type II diabetes. In a correlational descriptive study, 264 patients with type II diabetes were selected by convenient sampling in Tehran, Shariati Hospital outpatient clinics from May to Aug 2010. Data were collected by demographical questionnaire along with disease characteristics and scales of quality of life, resiliency and diabetes self-management. Then, data analyzed by binary logistic regression with PASW software. Glycosylated hemoglobin, body mass index, quality of life, resiliency and diabetes self-management are significantly able to differentiate diabetic patients with cardiovascular complications from diabetic patients without cardiovascular complications (P<0.001). Sex, age, diabetes duration and treatment type are not significantly able to differentiate two groups (P>0.05). The total regression model explained that 97% of this sample was classified correctly. Glycosylated hemoglobin, body mass index, quality of life, resiliency and diabetes self-management contribute in incidence of cardiovascular complications in patients with type II diabetes and all together may explain greater variation in prevalence of cardiovascular complications in these patients. These results could be applied in planning preventive intervention for diabetes and its complications. It is necessary to consider these factors in health promotion programs for diabetic patients.