خدیجه علوی

  A significant increase in mental problems among students have been reported during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The present study aims to investigate the prevalence of depression, anxiety, stress, and fear of COVID-19 and the relationships between them among college students, approximately two years after the onset of the pandemic in Iran.

In this descriptive study, 148 students were recruited from the University of Bojnord using a convenience sampling method. The depression, anxiety stress scale (DASS) and the Fear of COVID-19 Scale were used to collect data. Descriptive statistics, t-test, and Pearson correlation test were used to analyze the data.

The results show that 15.5% of students had depression, 12.8% had anxiety, and 14.2% had stress and fear of COVID-19 symptoms. The mean score of DASS in this study was not significantly different from the scores reported in the beginning of pandemic. The fear of COVID-19 had no significant relationship with depression, anxiety, and stress.

The levels of depression, anxiety and stress two years after the COVID-19 pandemic do not differ from their levels at the beginning of the pandemic among college students, but the fear of COVID-19 level is significantly lower. Acceleration of the vaccination and the increase of awareness about the disease might be reasons for improvement in the psychological status of students.

Traffic violations and accidents are serious problems of social and public management in most societies. While much research has been done on the etiology and human factors associated with traffic violations and accidents, the role of psychological factors, especially personality and cognitive variables, less attention has been paid. This study aimed to compare the sensitivity to punishment, sensitivity to reward, and driving risk perception in two groups of offending and non- offending drivers.

In this cross-sectional study, 80 drivers (42 individuals in the offending group and 38 individuals in the non-offending group) from Iran, bojnord, in 2020 were selected by purposeful and available sampling. Data was collected using the Sensitivity to Punishment and Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaires -Revised and Clarified (SPSRQ-RC) and the Driving Hazard Perception Questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis of covariance.

There were statistically significant difference in sensitivity to punishment between the two groups of offending and non-offending drivers, and the offending group had less sensitivity to punishment than the non-offending group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in sensitivity to reward (p>0.05). also, results showed that there were significant difference between the two groups in driving risk perception; driving risk perception in offending drivers was less than non- offending drivers (p<0.05).

Lower sensitivity to punishment and driving risk perception is associated with more driving violations. Accordingly, Strategies generating campaigns that focus on negative sanctions that could activate the BIS may be particularly effective in reducing illegal and risky driving behaviors. Also, the driving risk perception can be considered an essential factor in screening drivers for a driver's license.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of perceived parenting styles and self-compassion in predicting addiction readiness in the youth.

This study was correlational-descriptive. The statistical population included all students of University of Bojnord in 2018-2019. The sample size consisted of 340 individuals who were selected by cluster sampling method and answered to the addiction potential scale, the parental authority questionnaire, and the self-compassion scale. Data were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression.

The results showed that authoritative parenting style and self-compassion negatively and significantly, and the authoritarian and permissive parenting styles positively and significantly predicted addiction readiness. Among the six dimensions of self-compassion, two dimensions of self-kindness and self-judgment negatively and significantly predicted addiction readiness. Among parenting styles, authoritative style was the strongest predictor. Also, self-compassion independently of parenting styles predicted addiction readiness.

The results showed that parenting styles and self-compassion are important predictors of addiction readiness in the youth, and these two components should be considered in addiction-related prevention and treatment programs. Explanations and implications related to the research findings were discussed.

Despite this fact that the common protocols designed for non-chronic depression have low effectiveness in treatment of chronic depression, there are rare treatment protocols that developed especially for chronic depression. The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP) is the only treatment model especially designed for chronic depression. The object of this descriptive-analytic study is to introduce this treatment approach-as a promising treatment for chronic depression-including the basic assumptions, the theory of psychopathology, the treatment model, the treatment process, and the therapeutic techniques. Finally the studies on the effectiveness of CBASP in the treatment of chronic depression are reviewed and summarized.

Lynch’s model is a new transdiagnostic model that explains the development of internalizing disorders. The present study has examined essential parts of this model regarding social phobia as an internalizing disorder. 

In this study, 521 students were recruited from three universities (Tehran University, Shahed University, and Islamic Azad University-Tehran Medical Branch) in the academic year of 2015-2016 using the convenience sampling method. They responded to the Social Phobia Inventory, Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (maladjusted perfectionism subscales), Ambivalence over Expression of emotion Questionnaire, Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale and the Inventory of Interpersonal Problems. Data analyzed through structural equation modeling, SPSS-22, and AMOS-22 software. 

The model showed good fit ( : 2.9, RMSEA: 0.06, CFI: 0.98, GFI: 0.98, AGFI: 0.96). According to the results, over-controlling coping style (including over-perfectionism, emotional ambivalence, interpersonal problems and lack of social safeness) mediates the relationship between parental perfectionism and social phobia (indirect effect of parental perfectionism on social phobia via over controlling: 0.35, p < /em>< 0.001). 

It seems that Lynch’s transdiagnostic model for internalizing disorders got support regarding social phobia. Accordingly, the parental maladaptive perfectionism leads to an over-controlling coping style. This coping style, in turn, leads to social phobia.

Current studies show that specific pathological features separating chronic depression from non-chronicremain largely unknown. In his psychopathological theory, Lynch has introduced two constructs namely overcontrolling and social connectedness that can not only explain the depression but also its chronicity and treatment resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate the strength of these two constructs in distinguishing chronic depression from non-chronic depression. The study sample consisted of 20 patients with chronic depression, 16 patients with non-chronic depression and 17 healthy subjects (n=53) who were selected using purposeful sampling. The data were analyzed using MANOVA. The findings showed that overcontrolling and social connectedness were able to distinguish patients with chronic depression, patients with non-chronic depression and healthy subjects from each other; however, analyzing each variable individually, reveal that ambivalence over expression of emotions did not differentiate between patients with chronic depression and patients with non-chronic depression. Also the personal need for structure could not differentiate between the groups. The implications of the findings are discussed.

The objective of this study were to investigate Lynch’s theory of psychopathology with regard to depression. students from three universities in Tehran (n= 521) was selected by convenience sampling method. The measures used in this study were negative temperament scale of Schedule of Non-adaptive and Adaptive Personality, Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale, maladaptive perfectionism subscales of Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale, Ambivalence over Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire, Personal Need for Structure Scale, Inventory of Interpersonal Problems, Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale and Beck Depression Inventory. The results showed that the model has good fit with data. Bootstrap analysis also confirmed the mediating role of over-controlling and social disconnectedness. Accordingly, the interaction of sensitivity to threats, sensitivity to rewards and parental perfectionism leads to development of an over-controlling coping style; this coping style leads to disturbance in social connectedness and subsequently to depression. Therefore, the results of this study support the Lynch’s model of psychopathology for depression.

Aim: This study aimed to determine psychometric properties of the Persian version of Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale.
Research method was evaluation using test development and the population consisted of 46000 students at universities of Shahed, Tehran, and the Islamic Azad- Medical Branch; 521 students were selected none randomly based on their availability. To determine the validity of the scale, construct validity was determined via exploratory as well as confirmatory factor analyses and convergent validity via calculating the correlation between the scale and Beck, Steer & Brown’s Depression Inventory-II (1996) and the Social Phobia Inventory Connor, Davidson, Churchill, Sherwood, Foa, & Weisler (2000). The reliability of the scale was measured using Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest coefficient.
Exploratory factor analysis suggested the emergence of three factors which were labelled consummators pleasure, abstract anticipatory pleasure and contextual anticipatory pleasure. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the three factor structure resulted from exploratory factor analysis and its superiority over the factor structure of the original version amongst Iranian sample (relative χ2= 1.47, GFI= 0.94, AGFI= 0.90, CFI= 0.95, RMSEA= 0.04). For total scale and three extracted factors, Cronbach alphas ranged from 0.62 to 0.82 and the test- retest reliability coefficients ranged from 0.71 to 0.93. TEPS showed significant, albeit weak, negative correlation with Beck’s Depression Inventory-II (r= -0.12, P= 0.006) to (r= -0.21, P= 0.0001) and Connor’s Social Phobia Inventory (r= -0.13, P= 0.002) to (r= -0.21, P= 0.0001).
The Persian version of the Temporal Experience of Pleasure Scale has adequate reliability and validity and it can be used for Iranian population.

The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of Persian language version of the ambivalence over emotional expression questionnaire (AEQ). Translation-back translation was used to prepare the Persian version of AEQ. A convenience sample of 521 students from three universities in Tehran in 2015-2016 was examined. We assessed validity of the questionnaire by construct validity (via exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis) and convergent validity. Cronbach alpha, split half reliability, test-retest reliability coefficients were used for assessing reliablity. Exploratory factor analysis of AEQ’s items showed two factors named ambivalence over expression of positive emotions and ambivalence over expression of negative emotions. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the factor structure resulted from exploratory factor analysis which was different from the proposed factors in original questionaire. For total questionnaire and two extracted factors, Cronbach alphas were between 0.77 and 0.86, the Spearman–Brown coefficients were between 0.77 and 0.88 and the test- retest reliability coefficients were between 0.72 and 0.79. The results of this study indicated that this questionnaire have appropriate psychometric properties among Iranian Population.

Researches have shown that social safeness is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor in a wide range of psychological problems. Therefore it seems to be necessary that researchers and clinicians consider this component in their investigations. To achieve this, the first step is to prepare an appropriate measure for evaluating this construct. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of Persian version of the Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale (SSPS).
Translation-back translation was done to prepare the Persian version of SSPS. A convenience sample of 521 students from three universities in Tehran was examined in 2015-2016. To investigate the validity of the scale, construct validity (via exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis) and divergent validity were used. Therefore, the total sample was split randomly to two samples of 300 subjects (for exploratory factor analysis) and 221 subjects (for confirmatory factor analysis). For investigation of reliability, Cronbach's alpha and test-retest reliability coefficient were used.
Exploratory factor analysis of SSPS’s items showed a single factor structure and confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this structure. Cronbach's alpha was 0.91 and test- retest reliability coefficient was 0.82. The divergent validity was verified by calculating the correlation between SSPS and IIP, BDI-II, and SPIN.
It seems that the Persian version of the Social Safeness and Pleasure Scale has adequate validity and reliability.

The objectives of this study are preparation of Persian language version of Personal Need for Structure Scale and investigation of its psychometric properties. A convenience sample of 521 from three universities in Tehran in 2015-2016 was examined to achieve the aims of this study. To investigate the validity of the scale, construct validity (via exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis) and convergent validity were used. For the investigation of the reliability, Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability coefficients were used. Exploratory factor analysis showed two factors named desire for structure and response to lack of structure. Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the superiority of the factor structure of the 9th version which was resulted from exploratory factor analysis, in comparison to the other versions in Iranian samples. For total scale and two extracted factors, Cronbach alphas were between 0.69 and 0.77 and the test- retest reliability coefficients were between 0.69 and 0.75. PNSS showed positive correlation with SPIN; also the response to the lack of structure had the strongest correlation. In sum, the Persian language version of the Personal Need for Structure Scale has adequate reliability and validity.

Increasing prevalence and wide range consequences of depression indicate the necessity of investigating psychopathological factors associated with this disorder. Study of intermediary effects is a standard method for investigating pathological models. This study has examined the relationship between ambivalence over emotional expression and depression and the intermediary role of interpersonal problems in this relationship.
Therefore, in a descriptive correlational study, a sample of 521 (420 female and 101 male) students from three universities in Tehran (Shahed University, Tehran University and Islamic Azad University- Tehran medical branch) in academic year 2015-2016 were selected through availability sampling method and evaluated by Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire (AEQ), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), and Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP). Path analysis method of the data revealed that only ambivalence over positive emotional expression is related to depression and aspects such as [difficulties in] assertiveness, sociability, and aggressiveness are the indications of intermediary role of interpersonal problems in this context. The significance of direct effect between ambivalence over positive emotional expression and depression is also demonstrating that [difficulties in] assertiveness, sociability, and aggressiveness are comparative mediators in the relationship of these two variables, and that there are other variables acting as mediators. According to this study, it is concluded that disturbance in interpersonal relationships is one of the mechanisms that link ambivalence over the expression of positive emotions to depression.

Self-talk style، which is the core set of cognitive- behavioral regulation that plays a crucial role in creating and continuing of emotional disturbances. By recognition of self talk style and its components، one can access to self control which has noticeable effect on self efficacy. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between self talk and emotional difficulties in Payam-e-Noor University of Mashhad students.

In this descriptive-correlation study، 375 students of Payam-e-Noor University of Mashhad were selected using voluntarysampling in 2010. Self Talk Inventory (ST) and Depression، Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS) were employed for assessment of self talk and emotional difficulties. Data were analyzed applying Pearson''s correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis.

The results of Pearson’s correlation coefficient indicated that negative self talk is significantly associated with depression and anxiety (P≤0. 001) but not with stress. On the other hand، there was strong negative relationship between positive self talk and stress (P≤0. 05). Moreover، the results of regression analysis also showed that negative self talk can better predict depression and anxiety)P≤0. 001)، while positive self talk can predict stress (P≤0. 05).

Self talk style can predict students’ emotional difficulties. By increasing cognitive awareness and sensitivity through special training aimed to alter self talk style، we can promote students’ mental health and function.

This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) on depressive symptoms through improves their mindfulness, distress tolerance and emotion regulation. In this semi-experimental study, 20 subjects with depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)≥14) were identified from the students of Ferdowsi University and Mashhad Medical Sciences University (during 2008-2009) using convenience sampling and then were randomly assigned in experimental and control group. For experimental group, DBT manual was performed in 8 sessions while control group subjects were not given treatment. Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) used to assess clients before and after treatment. Follow- up evaluation was performed one month later. Data were analyzed by Repeated measures analysis of variance and Paired-samples T test. The results indicated the efficacy of DBT in decreasing depressive symptoms (P<0.001), with significant increasing in indexes of mindfulness (P=0.001) and distress tolerance (P<0.05). However subjects in experimental group did not show significant decreases in emotion regulation index in comparison of control group. The subjects in experimental group had retained the improvements in one month follow-up. The results suggest that DBT can decrease some depression symptoms through effecting on mindfulness and distress tolerance components.