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Articles
Publication Date: 2025
Journal of Child Health Care (17412889)29(1)pp. 97-108
Adolescents’ mental health may be influenced either negatively or positively through loss of a parent, especially bereavement due to a traumatic death. This descriptive phenomenological study aimed to investigate Afghan adolescents’ post-traumatic growth after traumatic loss of father. The participants were 14 female and male Afghan adolescents who met the inclusion criteria. Post-traumatic growth was substantiated by virtue of post-traumatic growth questionnaire. Data was collected through a semi-structured interview, and Colaizzi analysis method was used for data analysis. Two main themes were extracted: (a) moving forward with hope and (b) factors associated with enhancement of hope. Findings showed that Afghan traumatized adolescents achieved post-traumatic growth over time. The most important factors in enhancement of hopefulness were social support, psychological, and cognitive factors, as well as spiritual well-being. Our findings suggested that both schools and non-governmental organization in Afghanistan may be benefitted from more accessible opportunities to enhance post-traumatic growth for bereaved adolescents. © The Author(s) 2023.
Publication Date: 2024
Journal of Education and Health Promotion (22779531)13(1)
BACKGROUND: Multiple sclerosis is a central neurogenic demyelinating disease. This is one of the most common neurological diseases in humans and is the most debilitating at a young age. Symptoms of multiple sclerosis include vision problems, balance problems, dizziness, sensory disturbances, chronic neuropathy, and fatigue. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up design was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy on distress tolerance and feelings of entrapment in 30 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Patients were conveniently sampled in 2021 and randomly assigned to either an experimental or control group, with 15 patients in each. The experimental group underwent eight sessions of 90-min positive psychotherapy over consecutive weeks, while the control received no therapy. Both groups completed the Simons and Gaher Distress Tolerance Questionnaire (DTS) and feeling entrapment questionnaire before and after the intervention period as pre- and posttests. Repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed on the collected data using SPSS 22 software to compare changes between the groups over time and assess the impact of the psychotherapy. RESULTS: Repeated measures ANOVA results showed that positive psychotherapy had a significant effect in increasing distress tolerance (Sig = 0/001 and F = 545/434) and reducing feelings of entrapment (Sig = 0/001 and F = 275/05). CONCLUSION: Positive psychotherapy increases distress tolerance and reduces the feelings of entrapment in MS patients. It is therefore suggested that interventions based on positive psychological points should be done in different centers. The context should be repeated and include larger and more ethnically and socioeconomically diverse examples. © 2024 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.
Publication Date: 2024
Advances in Public Health (23147784)2024(1)
Introduction: Bullying has become a growing concern among adolescents, particularly in the context of cyberbullying, where electronic devices are used to harass others. Understanding the distinct roles of cyberbullies and victims of cyberbullying in relation to various consequences on psychological well-being is crucial. Therefore, this research aimed to investigate the mediating role of perceived social support in explaining the relationship between cyberbullying and the psychological well-being of secondary high school students. Method: This study employed a cross-sectional design, in high school students (aged 15–18 years) in Isfahan city, Iran, in 2021. A stratified sampling method was used to select 1051 students. Data were collected through a checklist and three cyberbullying psychological well-being and perceived social support questionnaires. Considering that the purpose of the study was to examine a set of dependency relationships, the data were analyzed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS), Mplus, and Analysis of Moment Structures (AMOS) softwares and the structural equation method was applied. Results: The results revealed a significant negative relationship between cyberbullying, psychological well-being, and all its dimensions, except for autonomy and positive relationship with others. Conversely, a positive and significant relationship was observed between cyberbullying victims and psychological well-being, except for purpose in life dimension. Additionally, there was a negative and significant relationship between cyberbullying, cyber victimization, and perceived social support, including its dimensions. Furthermore, perceived social support was found to mediate the relationship between cyberbullying and psychological well-being significantly. Conclusion: The study highlights that high school students involved in cyberbullying and cyber victimization are susceptible to a decline in their psychological well-being. Therefore, it is imperative for parents, teachers, and education officials to understand the role of social support to mitigate the negative impacts of cyberbullying in adolescents. Copyright © 2024 Malihe Kahi et al.
Publication Date: 2023
Journal of Clinical Medicine (20770383)12(14)
The internal and external validity of cognitive disengagement syndrome (CDS) relative to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder-inattention (ADHD-IN) was evaluated herein with Farsi-speaking adults. A total of 837 Iranian adults assessed throughout the whole country (54.72% women, Mage = 23.85; SD = 7.05; age range = 18 to 58 years; 75% between 18 and 24 years old; reporting higher educational training) completed self-report measures of CDS, ADHD-IN, ADHD-hyperactivity/impulsivity (HI), depression, anxiety, and stress. Seven of the fifteen CDS symptoms showed a good convergent (high loadings on the CDS factor) and discriminant (higher loadings on the CDS factor than the ADHD-IN factor) validity. CDS also showed stronger first-order and unique associations with depression than ADHD-IN, whereas ADHD-IN showed stronger first-order and unique associations with ADHD-HI and anxiety than CDS. The first-order and unique associations of CDS and ADHD-IN did not differ in relation to stress. This study is the first to support the validity of the self-report of assessing CDS symptoms with the Adult Concentration Inventory with Farsi-speaking individuals residing in Iran, thus further strengthening the transcultural validity of the CDS, and paving the way for further transcultural research in the field of CDS among adults. © 2023 by the authors.
Publication Date: 2021
Life (20751729)11(2)pp. 1-19
Insomnia is a common problem in the general population. To treat insomnia, medication therapies and insomnia-related cognitive-behavioral interventions are often applied. The aim of the present study was to investigate the influence of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on sleep quality, dysfunctional sleep beliefs and attitudes, experiential avoidance, and acceptance of sleep problems in individuals with insomnia, compared to a control condition. A total of 35 participants with diagnosed insomnia (mean age: 41.46 years old; 62.9% females) were randomly assigned to the ACT intervention (weekly group therapy for 60–70 min) or to the active control condition (weekly group meetings for 60–70 min without interventional and psychotherapeutic character). At baseline and after eight weeks (end of the study), and again 12 weeks later at follow-up, participants completed self-rating questionnaires on sleep quality, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes about sleep, emotion regulation, and experiential avoidance. Furthermore, participants in the intervention condition kept a weekly sleep log for eight consecutive weeks (micro-analysis). Every morning, participants completed the daily sleep log, which consisted of items regarding subjective sleep dura-tion, sleep quality, and the feeling of being restored. Sleep quality, dysfunctional beliefs and attitudes towards sleep, emotion regulation, and experiential avoidance improved over time, but only in the ACT condition compared to the control condition. Improvements remained stable until fol-low-up. Improvements in experiential avoidance were related to a favorable change in sleep and cognitive-emotional processing. Micro-analyses showed that improvements occurred within the first three weeks of treatment. The pattern of results suggests that ACT appeared to have improved experiential avoidance, which in turn improved both sleep quality and sleep-related cognitive-emo-tional processes at longer-term in adults with insomnia. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.
Publication Date: 2021
Frontiers in Psychiatry (16640640)12
Background: Excessive gaming has become a psychological health issue for both gamers and their social environments. This observation holds true for western but also non-western countries such as Iran. The aim of the present study was to translate and validate a Persian version of the Game Addiction Scale 21 (GAS 21) using a sample of adolescents and adults. Methods: A total of 412 participants (mean age: 22.16 years; 55.3% females) took part in the study. They completed questionnaires covering sociodemographic information and gaming-related information, as well as the Persian version of the GAS 21, the GAS 7, the Internet Addiction Test, and the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale. Results: Of the initial 21 items of the Persian version of the GAS 21, five proved redundant and were eliminated. Factors analyses yielded four factors explaining 66.35% of the variance: 1. Withdrawal; 2. Feelings of guilt and addiction; 3. Mood modification; 4. Issues of time budget. Cronbach's alphas were satisfactory (alphas > 0.87). To validate the results, scores on the translated version were compared with the well-established Young Internet Addiction test. Factors correlated positively (rs between 0.21 and 0.31) with overall score on this latter test but, against expectations, positively with the generalized self-efficacy scale. Conclusions: A Persian version of the Game Addiction Scale-21 proved to be a useful tool for assessing the risk of game addiction behavior. Further, the solution with 16 items loading on four factors appears respond to the ecological need of parsimony. © Copyright © 2021 Abdoli, Farnia, Alikhani, Sadeghi-Bahmani, Dürsteler, Esmaeili, Brühl and Brand.
Publication Date: 2020
Health Education And Health Promotion (25885715)8(1)pp. 13-18
Aims Peace psychology is defined as a field which is in search of developing theories and operations whose goals are prevention and reduction of direct and structured violence. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of intrapersonal and interpersonal peace-based intervention on emotional and psychological well-being of male aggressive adolescents. Materials & Methods This quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with the control group was conducted on 26 male aggressive adolescents selected via the randomized cluster sampling method in a male high school of Isfahan city in 2016. The students who got higher scores in Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), were randomly assigned into control (N=13) and experimental (N=13) groups. Then the Keyes Mental Health Continuum- Long form (MHC-LF) was implemented as a pre-test on both groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of intra and interpersonal peace-based intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Then post-test was performed on both groups. After gathering the data, it was analyzed by SPSS 24 software using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Findings By controlling the effect of pretest, after intervention, the mean scores of psychological well-being and emotional well-being in the experimental group was significantly higher than the control group (p<0.001). Conclusion Intra and interpersonal peace-based intervention can improves psychological and emotional well-being of the male aggressive adolescents. © 2020, TMU Press.
Publication Date: 2020
Health Education And Health Promotion (25885715)8(2)pp. 101-105
Aims The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy on the psychological hardiness of students referring to the Student Counseling Center of Shahreza University in 2016-2017. Materials & Methods The present study was a quasi-experimental research with pre-testpost- test design and follow-up with the control group. In this study, 34 subjects were selected by simple random sampling and were divided into two groups of control and experiment. The experimental group received an 8-session course of metacognitive therapy, and both groups answered a pre-test and post-test Kobasa’s Psychological Hardiness Questionnaire, followed by 4 weeks of follow-up. Findings There is a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups in the three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up in the psychological hardiness variable (p= 0.001). Conclusion Metacognitive therapy helps to improve and enhance psychological hardiness in students and is a good way to increase the level of this positive trait. © 2020, TMU Press.
Publication Date: 2020
Journal Of Research And Health (24235717)10(3)pp. 193-200
Background: A healthy diet is one of the most important aspects of health. Nowadays, scrutinizing dietary patterns rather than specific nutrients have prime importance. The purpose of this study is to dietary patterns among adults in Gonabad City in 2019. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 250 individuals aged 18-70 years living in Gonabad were selected by multistage random sampling from urban zones 1, 2, and 3 covered by community health centers. Regular dietary intakes of individuals over the past year were obtained using the food frequency questionnaire, and demographic characteristics were obtained via face-to-face interviews. Factor analysis was used to identify dominant dietary patterns. The relationship between dominant dietary patterns and demographic characteristics was assessed employing a Chi-square test. Results: Participants’ ages range from 36.40±13.16 years, of whom 44.8% were male, 82.4% were married and 60% were employed. Two healthy and unhealthy dietary patterns were identified. There was a statistically significant relationship between healthy dietary patterns and variables of age (P<0.001), sex (P=0.01), and occupation (P<0.001). Moreover, there was a statistically significant relationship between unhealthy dietary patterns with variables of age (P<0.001), sex (P=0.014), and the number of family members (P=0.035). Demographic characteristics are among the influential factors affecting the type of adult food pattern in Gonabad. It is suggested to consider demographic factors in determining the relationship between dietary patterns and disease. Conclusion: Demographic characteristics are among the influential factors affecting the type of adult food pattern in Gonabad. It is suggested to consider demographic factors in determining the relationship between dietary patterns and disease. © 2020, Gonabad University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020
Iranian Journal Of Psychiatry (17354587)15(4)pp. 322-330
Objective: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic neurological disease that could aggressively affect patients' quality of life in most instances. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of an existential-spiritual psychotherapy with a cognitive-behavioral therapy on quality of life and meaning in life in women with multiple sclerosis. Method: A convenience sample of 43 women with multiple sclerosis participated in this quasi-experimental study. They were randomly assigned into 3 groups: an existential-spiritual intervention, a cognitive-behavioral intervention, and the control group. Participants were assessed for outcome measures (quality of life and meaning in life) at 3 points in time: pretest, posttest, and 5-months follow-up. The Multiple Sclerosis Quality of Life-54 (MSQOL-54) and the Meaning in Life Questionnaires (MLQ) were used as outcome measures. To compare outcomes among the study groups, repeated measures analysis of variance was performed. Results: The results showed that while no difference was observed for the control group, scores for meaning in life improved significantly for existential-spiritual intervention and cognitive-behavioral therapy (p = 0.027, p = 0.039). Also, both mental (p < 0.001, p = 0.014) and physical (p = 0.001, p = 0.013) health dimensions of quality of life increased significantly in the 2 intervention groups. However, the results indicated that women in the existential-spiritual intervention group showed greater improvement in some aspects of meaning in life (search for meaning) and quality of life (role physical and role emotional, pain and energy) compared to women in the cognitive-behavioral intervention group. However, the latter group showed better improvements on 2 subscales (physical function and health distress). Conclusion: Both existential-spiritual and cognitive-behavioral interventions can improve quality of life and meaning in life among women with multiple sclerosis. However, the findings suggest that although both interventions were effective, the existential-spiritual intervention resulted in more positive improvements in some aspects of meaning in life and quality of life. © 2020 Tehran University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2020
Journal of Education and Health Promotion (22779531)9(1)
BACKGROUND: Suicide ideation is one of the common mental health problems among university students. This study aimed to explain suicide ideation susceptibility by examining the relationships between psychological factors. METHODOLOGY: The population of the study included all female undergraduate students at the University of Isfahan in autumn 2018. A sample of 180 individuals were selected through multistage sampling from different faculties and majors. The scales used in this study included adults attachments inventory, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situation, Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale, and Suicide Ideation Scale. The statistical analyses included t-test, Pearson correlation, and path analysis. RESULTS: Suicide ideation was reported in 25% of the participants. The t-test analysis indicated that the mean scores for dysfunctional attitudes (P < 0.01) and problem-focused coping (P < 0.01) were significantly different in with and without suicide ideation groups. Suicide ideation significantly correlated with problem-focused coping (r =-0.42, P < 0.01), emotion-focused coping (r = 0.25, P < 0.05), and dysfunctional attitudes (r = 0.23, P < 0.05). Path analysis showed that dysfunctional attitudes and emotion-focused coping significantly influenced suicide ideation. Moreover, the indirect effect of insecure (ambivalent and avoidant) attachment styles by mediating role of dysfunctional attitudes and emotion-focused coping was statistically significant (P < 0.01) and the indirect effect of dysfunctional attitudes by mediating role of emotion-focused coping as well (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Insecure attachment styles and dysfunctional attitudes work as stress-diathesis model in predicting suicide ideation and increase suicide ideation susceptibility by affecting emotion-focused coping strategy. The hypothesized model in this study can help formulate, evaluate, and prevent suicide risk. © 2020 Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2019
Iranian Journal of Epidemiology (17357489)15(3)pp. 289-299
Background and Objectives: Nowadays, despite several global initiatives, the use of doping agents has become a problem in athletic societies. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to investigate the prevalence, attitude and tendency toward the use of performance-enhancing supplements among athletes in North Khorasan Province. Methods: The statistical population of this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was all athletes of North Khorasan Province. Demographic characteristics and data related to doping agents were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was approved by doping experts and its reliability was calculated by Cronbach's alpha. The questionnaires were then distributed using stratified random sampling and 436 questionnaires were collected. Data were analyzed using SPSS software at P<0.05. Results: The findings showed that 39.2% of the subjects used at least one of the agents for doping. The most common agents were vitamin and protein supplements (36%), minerals (28.7%) and drugs (21.3%). Also, there was a significant negative correlation between the prevalence of using doping agents and age, sport background, and educational level. In addition, attitude and tendency toward the use of doping agents were higher in weightlifters, body builders, and footballers compared to other athletes. Furthermore, knowledge of athletes, awareness about side effects, and the overall awareness of athletes toward performance-enhancing supplements was low. Conclusion: It is necessary to develop comprehensive educational programs to raise the knowledge and awareness of athletes and coaches toward the use of performance-enhancing supplements in North Khorasan Province. © 2019, Iranian Epidemiological Association. All rights reserved.
Publication Date: 2017
Journal of Isfahan Medical School (10277595)35(434)pp. 677-685
Background: Nonepileptic seizures are of serious neurological disorders associated with a combination of neurological symptoms and psychological conflict. The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of emotion regulation on quality of life, cognitive emotion regulation, and frequency of seizures in patients with nonepileptic seizures in Isfahan City, Iran. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, post-test and follow-up stages. Among patients admitted to Noor and Ayatollah Kashani Hospitals, 16 patients with nonepileptic seizures were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control (n = 8). Twelve 90-minute sessions of emotion regulation group therapy intervention was implemented for the experimental group. Quality of life questionnaire from World Health Organization, cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire designed by Garnefeski, and demographic questionnaire designed by the researcher were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using repeated measure analysis via SPSS software. Findings: Regulation of emotion intervention showed a significant difference in aspects of quality of life, cognitive emotion regulation, and number of seizures between the 2 groups. In addition, changes were persistent in one-month follow-up period (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Emotion regulation intervention improved the quality of life, increased use of positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, and reduced negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies and the frequency of seizures in patients with nonepileptic seizures Isfahan City. © 2017, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences(IUMS). All rights reserved.
