Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Volume:11 Issue: 42, 2019

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the prominent psychological consequences of war that is seen in veterans. Behavioral activation treatment is a short-term intervention that can target a range of disruptions to the disorder. The purpose of the present study was to investigate effectiveness of short-term behavioral activation therapy on the rumination and experimental avoidance of veterans with PTSD.
Material & In this semi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group, 40 veterans with PTSD who referred to Isar Ardabil psychiatric hospital in 2017 were selected through purposive sampling and randomaly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. The data were collected using a posttrumatic stress disorder checklist (military version), ruminal responses scale and acceptance and action questionnaire-II. Then, behavioral activation therapy were performed for 10 sessions (one hour in per session) for the experimental group. Data were analyzed by SPSS 23 using multiple covariance analysis. After controlling the effects of pretest, the mean scores of rumination (F=4.843; p= 0.035) and experiential avoidance (F=5.123; p= 0.030) were significantly higher in the experimental group than the control group. Training behavioral activation therapy reduces rumination and experiential avoidance of veterans with PTSD.

Studying the psychological injuries of veterans' spouses and helping them to cure their problems have an important role in health and improving their family, social, and occupational life. The aim of this study was to determine effectiveness of solution-focused brief couple therapy on happiness and marital conflicts in veterans' spouses. In this semi-experimental study, with pre-test post-test and follow-up design with control group, 34 veterans' spouses in Isfahan were selected by convenience sampling method and divided in experimental and control groups (17 people in each group). For data collection, Demographic Information Questionnaire, Marital Conflict Questionnaire (MCQ), and Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ) were used. The training plan was submitted to the experimental group in 6 sessions (90 minutes in per session). The data were analyzed, using SPSS 22 software; analysis of variance was done with repeated measures and LSD test. By controlling the effects of pre-test, solution-focused brief couple therapy significantly increased happiness (F=65.52; p<0.01) and decreased marital conflicts (F=9.71; p<0.01) in the experimental group. Also, time had no effect on the effectiveness of the treatment from the post-test to follow-up and no reduction was observed in the follow-up compared to the post-test. Solution-focused brief couple therapy increases happiness and decreases marital conflict of veterans' spouses.

Hospitals and health centers are places, where the injured and chemical veterans go to treatment methods. The aim of this study was to determine the difference in expectations and perceptions of the injured and chemical veterans from the quality of health care services.
Instruments and The present study is descriptive cross sectional survey that was carried out in Kashan in 2017. The statistical population consisted of 900 injured and chemical veterans in Kashan by random sampling method, of whom 270 were selected based on the sample size of the Cochran; they were evaluated, using the SERVQUAL questionnaire. Investigations were performed on the dimensions of tangibility (Physical facilities, appearance of the hospital, and the staff), reliability (Stability and precision in the work), accountability (Timely delivery, prompt response, and readiness for providing service for patient), assurance (Building trust and security in patients), and empathy (Understanding the needs of the patients and paying attention to them). The dependent t test and SPSS 24 software were used to analyze the data. There was a significant difference between the perceptions and expectations of the injured and chemical veterans about the five dimensions of service quality (tangibility, reliability, accountability, assurance, and empathy; p<0.0001). The tangibility showed the highest quality-related gap and the lowest quality gap was related to empathy. Despite the high quality of services, in all aspects of the quality of service, there is a significant difference between patient expectations and existing quality (perception), which requires the authorities to improve the quality in all respects, especially the dimension of tangibility and assurance.

The mental health of any person is affected by disabilities. These effects are not the same in persons with disabilities due to the accidence and in the veterans. The aim of this study was to investigate the mental health in the paraplegic veterans and disables.
Instruments & This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in 2016 amoung 29 paraplegic veterans and 106 paraplegic disables having been supported by the Martyrs and Veterans Foundation of Mazandaran Province. The samples were selected by stratified random sampling method. Data was collected by a demographic questionnaire (assessing age and the educational level) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in 28 questions. Data were analyzed by SPSS 21 software using independent T test and Fisher's exact test. The mean score of mental health was 30.17±12.85 in the veterans and 39.75±12.47 in the disables, which showed a significant difference and the mental health was better in the veterans (t=3.639; p<0.0001). In addition, the mean scores of mental health in the somatic symptoms, social dysfunction, symptoms of anxiety and sleep disorder and depression symptoms in the veterans were significantly higher than the disables (p<0.05). The mental health of the paraplegic veterans and disables is unfavorable. In addition, mental health of the non-veteran disabled persons is lower than the veterans.

As a psychological stressor, war imposes a wide range of consequences in a variety of personal and social contexts. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation of religious commitment with hardness and mental health in veterans' spouses.
Instruments and This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in 2017 among all veterans' spouses with injury percentage of 25-49% in Karaj. Based on Morgan's table, 250 people were selected as sample, using simple random sampling method. For data collection, Worthington's Religious Commitment Inventory, Kobasa’s Hardiness Questionnaire, and Mental Health Questionnaire were used. The data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis tests, using SPSS 24 software. There was a positive and significant correlation between religious commitment and hardness (r=0.206; p=0.040), mental health (r=0.122; p=0.027), and its components including physical symptoms (r=0.273; p=0.027), anxiety (r=0.239; p=0.023), social dysfunction (r=0.319; p=0.037), and depression (r=0.239; p=0.042). Also, 4% of variance of hardness (p=0.05) and 15% of variance of mental health (p=0.02) were predicted by religious commitment. There is correlation between religious commitment with hardness and mental health among veterans' spouses; as the veterans' spouses with high religious commitment have more hardness and mental health.

The adverse effects of war have been well proven on the veterans’ children. However, very little research has shown the effect of these adverse effects on marriage and attitude of veteran’s children toward marriage. The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between self-differentiation, family function, and life satisfaction with the attitude toward marriage of veterans' children.
Instruments and In this descriptive-correlational study, 300 veterans' children were selected from different units of foundation of martyrs and veterans affairs of Qaem Shahr in 2018. The statistical population of this research included all the veterans’ children in Qaem Shahr in the mentioned year. The subjects were selected by convenience sampling method. The data were collected, using attitude toward marriage scale, self-differentiation inventory, family assessment device, and life satisfaction scale. The data were analyzed by SPSS 21, using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis tests. There was a negative and significant relation between family function and attitude toward marriage (r=-0.30), and there was a positive and significant relationship between attitude toward marriage with self-differentiation (r=0.25) and life satisfaction (r=0.23). 30% of the variance in attitude toward marriage resulted from family functioning, self-differentiation subscales including I-position, emotional reactivity, and life satisfaction (p<0.05). Also, among the variables of the research, family function had the most role in predicting attitude towards marriage of veterans’ children. family function, self-differentiation, and life satisfaction can play an important role in predicting attitude toward marriage of veterans' children.

Adherence to therapeutic regimen is one of the important factors in achieving therapeutic goals; prediction of effective factors affecting it, especially in patients with spinal cord injury, is very important due to the nature of the disease. This study aimed at determining correlation between self-efficacy and adherence to therapeutic regimen in veteran with spinal cord injury in Khatamolanbia Hospital in 2018.
Instruments and This study is a descriptive-correlational study, consisting of all veterans with spinal cord injury referring to Khatamolanbia Hospital, Tehran, in the first half of 2017. 200 veterans were selected, using available sampling method and based on inclusion criteria. To collect the data, we used 3 questionnaires, including demographic, Moorong’s self-efficacy scale (MSES) and Modanloo’s Adherence to Therapeutic Regimen questionnaires. The data were analyzed by SPSS19 software, using Smirnov-Kolmogorov, Pearson correlation, and multivariate regression. Self-efficacy of veterans with spinal cord injury was 75.61±14.98 and adherence to therapeutic regimen was 77.04±11.14. There was a positive and significant correlation between self-efficacy and adherence to therapeutic regimen (p=0.008; r=0.214). The self-efficacy of patients with spinal cord injury is directly and significantly correlated with their adherence to therapeutic regimen. It means that by increasing self-efficacy in these patients, their adherence to the prescribed therapeutic regimen is higher.

Scientific documentation of the experiences of Iran-Iraq war in different aspects and their uses in the same conditions are undeniable. The captivity of the Iranian prisoners in the Iraqi prison camps is to be studied in different dimensions. One of these dimensions is the issue of mental and physical health of prisoners during their captivity. Therefore, the aim of this study was to design a model of factors affecting the physical and psychological damage of Iranian captives and methods of prevention and treatment in Iraqi camps.
Participants and This descriptive-survey study was conducted in Semnan from the early 2016 to late 2017. The data were collected, using examining the documents and books published about the prisoners of war (POW), as well as some semi-structured interviews with 20 prisoners to reach main results. The interviewees were selected through a decision making process of those strategic leaders, cultural activists at the time of captivity, and camp administrators. The data were analyzed, using content analysis method and the research model was so designed. The designed model had 5 sections, including the effective factors causing physical and psychological injuries, the role of strategic leaders, the role of Red Cross forces, the cultural-scientific programs, and the sports programs. The components, model elements, and their relationships were confirmed by the participants. The prisoners' cultural and sports activities in the Iraqi camps have many positive effects, including increasing the patience of the prisoners, increasing their physical and mental health and their social health level, increasing their freshness, happiness, feeling of trust, concentration and accuracy, and reduction of depression.