International Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Volume:9 Issue: 1, 2015

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is one of the third wave's cognitive behavioral therapies and is currently being used in the treatment of a number of psychological conditions and disorders. It also enhances psychological flexibility and subsequently improves patient's mental health. The present research was conducted in order to study the effect of ACT on pain related anxiety and depression in chronic low back pain females in Isfahan. This was a semi-experimental research, and a pre-test, post-test design with a control group was applied. Participants included 40 women with chronic low back pain that were selected with a convenience sampling method from three clinical centers and were randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. All the participants completed both the Hospital Anxiety Scale (HAS) and the short Depression Scale as the pre-test and post-test. Afterwards the experimental group participated in 8 sessions of Acceptance and commitment therapy each of which lasted for one hour. Results indicated that there is a meaningful decrease in pain related anxiety and depression, in the experimental group. Generally, the findings of this study show the efficacy of ACT in decreasing the psychological distress in patients with chronic low back pain and also represents new horizons in clinical interventions which can be used as an appropriate intervention.

The aim of the current study was to assess the induction role of positive & negative emotions on creativity tasks & it's relation with extraversion & psychoticism. To do so، according to the extreme score in the extroversion and psychoticism dimensions of the Persian version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire- Revised (EPQ-R) and inclusion criteria two groups including extraverted and high psychoticism (each with 20 participants) were selected from the female student's population. During performing creativity tasks، participants watched positive and negative mood- eliciting film clips. Results show high scores in creativity tasks in comparison to psychoticism. The assessment of the effect of mood on creative performance show that، extraverts were more likely to produce more creativity responses in positive moods, whereas in negative moods the high psychoticism group displayed this relation. Findings indicated that personality dimensions have a moderating role in creativity and effect of mood on creativity. Our findings have been supported from Martindal's theory of creativity.

Aggression in childhood may lead to delinquent behavior's in adolescence and antisocial behavior's in adulthood. The present study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of social –cognitive skills training on aggression and social desirability of preschool children.

This research was an experimental research and conducted with pre-posttest design with control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all preschool boys children's in Bandar Anzali city in 2013-2014 academic years. The sample of this research were 24 preschool children who were selected by random cluster sampling and were randomly divided into control and experimental group. The data collected with the Preschool Aggression Questionnaire and Social Desirability Questionnaire. Social-Cognitive Skills (Ladd & Mize Model 1983) were training on children experimental group in 12 sessions.

The results of analysis of covariance showed that the social-cognitive skills training resulted in a significant decrease in total score and subscales of aggression. Morever the results show a significant increase in social desirability in the experimental group compared with the control group.

Given that aggressive children have low social desirability, it seems that the training of social –cognitive skills by increase skills such as cooperation, participation, helping others and taking-turns, will lead to social desirability and decrease aggression.

The present study has aimed to examine the effectiveness of counseling and the meta- cognitive approach on reducing test anxiety in students.

The present study was a quasi-experimental practical research, along with a pre-tests and post-tests design and control groups. Forty students were selected by using a randomly cluster sampling method among the fourth grade high school female students in Isfahan. These students were randomly replaced into two groups: the control (n=20) and meta-cognitive therapy groups (n=20). Both groups were pre-tested for test anxiety inventory by Abolghasemi and coworkers. Afterwards the test group was affected by meta-cognitive therapy in 9 sessions while the control group did not receive any training. Finally, tests were performed with the same tools.

The covariance analysis showed that the meta-cognitive training group significantly reduced the symptoms of test anxiety in the experimental group.

By informing people of the meta-cognitive processing system and the challenge of positive and negative meta-cognitive beliefs, meta-cognitive interventions are effective in reducing test anxiety in female students.

The purpose of the present study is to compare Brain/Behavioral systems in social anxiety, shyness with social anxiety symptoms, and shyness without social anxiety symptoms. 1800 high school students in Kermanshah completed the Stanford Shyness and Social Anxiety questionnaires. Firstly, according to the gained scores, 215 subjects were selected as shy and 105 subjects were selected as social anxiety disorders. Afterwards, among the 105 nervous people 60 were selected based on the DSM-IV-TR interview. By performing the SPIN questionnaire again on the 215 shy sample and also interviewing them once more, two shy groups with/without anxious symptoms were selected. In the end, all the subjects of each group (each group 60 people) completed the Jackson-5 questionnaire. Fight, flight, and freeze with social anxiety symptoms was much higher in the shy group compared to the social anxiety group. Although BIS in the social anxiety group was higher compared to the shy group without social anxiety symptoms, fights were meaningfully higher in the shy group without social anxiety symptoms compared to social anxiety group. The comparison between the two shy groups showed that the shy group with social anxiety symptoms had more BIS, flight and freeze behaviours compared to the shy group without social anxiety symptoms. Also, the shy group without social anxiety symptoms showed higher BIS and fighty activities.

Abstract

The aim of the present study was to examine the role of early maladaptive schemas and personality traits in predicting the symptoms of cluster B personality disorders.

This research is a correlational study. The population included 430 students of the Azerbaijan University of Shahid Madani who were randomly selected. The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III), Young early maladaptive Schemas - Short Form (YSQ-SF) and NEO Personality - Short Form (NEO-FFI), were used as data collection tools.The Data Analysis of this study was performed by multiple regression and Pearson correlation.

Multiple regression analysis showed that enmeshment/undeveloped self-Schema was the best predictor of Histornic personality disorder. Unrelenting standards play the most important role in Narcissistic personality disorder. Also, mistrust Schema was the best predictor of antisocial and borderline personality disorders. Neuroticism traits had the most power in predicting Cluster B personality disorders, compared to other personality traits.

Early maladaptive schemas and personality traits play an important role in predicting the symptoms of personality disorders in students.

Hypoactive Sexual Desire Disorder (HSDD) is a prevalent sexual dysfunction in women. For determining the effects of marital and sexual skill training in HSDD patients, an educational package was developed. The efficiency of the package was assessed for improving sexual disorders and marital satisfaction in HSDD women. The design of this study was a single case with multiple base lines. At first, the package was developed by reviewing the literature. The clinical psychologists assessed the package and later on were revised by their recommendations. Afterwards, 4 women with HSDD participated in 13 intervention sessions. The instruments were: marital satisfaction questionnaire (Enrich) and female sexual function index (FSFI). These patients had a 1 month follow-up period. The assessments after interventions and a 1 month follow-up showed that sexual desire and marital satisfaction had increased in the patients. From the ninth sessions the curve of both sexual desire and marital satisfaction increased. The results of the research showed the educational packages in regards to marital and sexual skills increased the marital satisfaction o fHSDD patients and their sexual desires.

The aim of the current study was to explore the mediating role of the coping and problem solving styles on the relationship between rumination and depression in Qom's students. In a descriptive study, participants were selected from the undergraduate students of the Qom Azad University (N=200 females) through a random sampling. Participants completed the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and the Problem Solving Styles and Coping Responses Inventory (CRI). Data were analyzed by using a Structural Equation Modeling. The results of the present study illustrated that coping styles, non-constructive problem solving styles, rumination and depression have a significant relationship with each other. The structural equation model revealed that the two dimensions of problem solving styles, helplessness and control, and cognitive, physical and emotional dimensions of coping styles have mediating roles in the relation between rumination and depression. Findings of the present study suggests that the relationship between rumination and depression will be explained more accurately and more comprehensively by a mediating role of coping styles and non-constructive problem solving styles. The results implicated the complicated nature of depression, and emphasized the understanding and conceptualization of influenced diverse variables on depression.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the factor structure, validity and reliability of the multidimensional student’s life satisfaction. This study had a correlation design. The sample consisted of 677 high school students which were selected by a multi stage cluster sampling in Shiraz city. The participants completed the multidimensional student’s life satisfaction scale. Data were analyzed by using factor analyses and correlation. By using the alpha Cranach's the internal consistency of this scale were, 0/86, 0/81. 0/83,0/79 and 0/76 for self, family, school, friend and environment living life satisfaction and the mean of three week test- retest coefficient was 0.82. The results of the factor analysis revealed that MSLS is a multidimensional instrument with five distinct and related factors including self, family, school, friends and environment living satisfaction. In addition, goodness of fit indices of confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the 5 extracted factors. The multidimensional student’s life satisfaction scale (MSLS) has an appropriate reliability and validity and is a suitable scale for research and clinical.

Self-efficacy beliefs and negative self-referent cognitions can have a significant role in the general performance of individuals and in particular their social position. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediation role of Self-efficacy beliefs on the relationship between negative self-statements and social anxiety. The Present study was a descriptive correlational design of a type path analysis. The society of this study consisted of all high school students of Gotvand Township in the academic year 2011-2012. In this study, 318 high schools students (196 girl and 122 boy; mean 16/26) were selected randomly by a multi-stage random cluster sampling. The results were interpreted using Pearson correlation and path analysis. The data were collected by using the Self-Efficacy Questionnaire for Children (SEQ-C), Self-Efficacy for Social Situations Scale (SESS), Negative Affectivity Self-Statement (NASSQ) and Social Anxiety Scale for Adolescents (SASA). Results show that there is significant negative correlation between self-efficacy beliefs (general and social) and social anxiety. Negative self-statements had a significant positive correlation with social anxiety. It has been seen that there was a significant negative correlation between negative self-statements and self-efficacy beliefs (general and social). Path analysis indicated a good fitness for the model and results revealed that negative self-statements have a significant indirect effect on social anxiety by the mediation of self-efficacy beliefs (general and social). According to the findings, it can be said that self-referent cognitions influencbeleifs about general and special abilities and can also increase or decrease overall rates of social anxiety.

Depression is a common disorder characterized by prolonged periods of time, variety of symptoms, a high rate of recurrence, and lots of physical and mental disorders. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of direct electrical stimulations of the brain on reducing the symptoms of depression among female students. This research is a semi-experimental study, in which the subjects were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups. These groups were accompanied by pretest, posttest and follow-ups. Thirty students were selected among patients referring to the clinic using a random assignment. They were then randomly assigned into two experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The Beck Depression Scale was used in the current study. The treatment sessions with a direct electrical stimulation of the brain (tDCS) included 20-min anodal stimulation of F3 region, and Kathodal stimulation of the right orbit with a current of 2 mA. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and a dependent t-test. Analysis of the data using analysis of covariance showed that there is a significant difference between experimental and control groups in the rates of depression in the post-test phase. Also, the analysis of data using dependent t-test showed that there were no significant differences among female students at the post-test and follow-up phase. In other words, the effectiveness of direct electrical stimulation of the brain (tDCS) on depressive symptoms has a good stability over time. The results showed that electrical stimulation of the brain (tDCS) can reduce the symptoms of depression in patient with major depression. Hence, the recommend psychologists and psychotherapists to use direct electrical stimulation of the brain (tDCS) as an intervention method to prevent problems in patient with major depression.

Patience is the most moral construct that is emphasized in the holy Quran and has a significant role in promoting mental and physical health. The aim of the present study was to compare patience components (Transcendence, Tolerance, Consent, Persistence, Delay) among patients with major depression, generalized anxiety disorder and normal individuals. depression disorder and generalized anxiety disorder. Thirty patients with MDD, 30 patients with GAD and 30 normal individuals were recruited among them via an available sampling method. Moreover, the three groups were matched on the basis of age, gender and lack of medical and other mental diseases. Participants completed Beck Depression Inventory (BDI- II), Speilberger State – Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and the Patience Scale. The results indicated that there were significant differences between the three groups with regards to the components of patience. In other words, anxious individuals in comparison with depressed and normal individuals got higher scores in the component of Transcendence. Moreover, normal individuals compared to anxious and depressed individuals got higher scores in the component of Tolerance. Normal individuals also got higher scores in the component of Consent compared to the two groups. Depressed and anxious individuals in comparison with normal individuals got higher scores in the component of Persistence. Finally, the depressed group compared to the normal group showed higher scores in the component of Delay. It can be concluded that applying patience components in the treatment of depressed and anxious patients is necessary.