Iranian Journal of Practice in Clinical Psychology
Volume:6 Issue: 4, Autumn 2018

Given that divorce is an important phenomenon with significant impacts on families, especially on children, the present study aimed to examine rumination, healthy locus of control, and emotion regulation in children of divorce and normal children. This was a cross-sectional study. The statistical population included all students in the first grade of high school, in Tabriz City, Iran in the first semester of 2016-2017 academic year. With the help of school consultants and using a convenience sampling method, 45 children of divorce and 45 normal children were selected from this population. The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Multidimensional Health Locus of Control scale, and the Ruminative Response Scale were used to collect the study data. The obtained data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics, including the multivariate analysis of variance. According to the results, compared to normal children, children of divorced parents had significantly higher rumination, suppression emotion regulation, and chance and powerful others locus of control; but significantly lower reappraisal emotion regulation and internal locus of control (F1, 88=27.53, P<0.05). Rumination, healthy locus of control, and emotion regulation have important role in mental health and adjustment. Because impairment in these scopes is common among children of divorce, it is suggested that the results of the present study be used in designing treatment and care programs for children of divorce.

The present study aimed at examining the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on psychological aspects of quality of life, depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with multiple sclerosis. This was a quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest and control group design. A total of 30 members of the MS Society of Semnan City, Iran, was selected by purposive sampling in 2015 and were randomly divided into two groups, i.e. experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The experimental group received mindfulness-based cognitive therapy and the control group received no treatment. Before treatment and immediately after treatment, the patients filled in Lovibond psychological distress scale and multiple sclerosis quality of life questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. The results showed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of health distress, mental well-being, cognitive function, and role limitations, but no significant difference was found between the two groups in terms of overall quality of life. Also there is not any significant difference between the experimental and control group in term of depression, anxiety and stress. mindfulness-based cognitive therapy has a significant effect on psychological aspects of quality of life, including health distress, mental well-being, role limitations due to emotional problems, and cognitive performance (p<0.05). However, this effect was not statistically significant on one of the psychological aspects of quality of life (overall quality of life), depression, anxiety, and stress in patients with multiple sclerosis (p>0.05). Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy can improve the psychological quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis.

Individuals suffering from hoarding disorder tend to collect objects, belongings, and riches excessively. They are not able to or do not want to throw away the throng of worthless and useless items they have aggregated. Some psychological factors, especially maladaptive schemas and immature defense mechanisms can play a crucial role in the development and maintenance of hoarding disorder. In this regard, the present study investigates the predictive role and relationship of early maladaptive schemas and defense styles in hoarding behaviours in students. The present study was a population-based cross-sectional study carried out on 300 students (149 females and 151 males) of the Payame Noor University of Khoy City, Iran in the academic year 2016-2017. All participants completed the Young schema questionnaire-short form, the defense style questionnaire, and the saving inventory-revised. The obtained data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, the Pearson correlation coefficient, and multiple linear regression. The results showed a significant correlation between early maladaptive schemas and defense styles with hoarding disorder. Also, all three defense styles (mature, neurotic, and immature) (R2=12%), and the domains of Impaired autonomy/performance and impaired limits (R2=17%) could predict the hoarding disorder in students. Considering the study result, it can be useful to set up cognitive behavioural and dynamic treatment interventions aiming at early maladaptive schemas and defense mechanisms in individuals suffering from hoarding disorder.

This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive group therapy on self-efficacy and depression among divorced women. This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with control group. In this study, all divorced women referring to Hazrate Zeinab Charity Institution in Varamin City, Iran were considered as the statistical population with a sample size of 30 subjects who were selected via purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=15). A weekly cognitive group therapy was applied to the experimental group for 12 sessions, but the control group was placed on the waiting list. Assessment instruments consisted of general self-efficacy scale and Beck depression questionnaire. The obtained data were analyzed using multivariable analysis of covariance. Cognitive group therapy led to significant increase in self-efficacy (df=1, P<0.05, F=66.05) and significant decrease in depression (df=1, P<0.05, F=108.65) among divorced women. According to the results, cognitive group therapy is an effective way of decreasing depression and increasing self-efficiency in divorced women.

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a chronic, disabling, and functional disorder of the gastrointestinal tract in the absence of identifiable structural disorder. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and life style with perceived stress considering mediating role of duration of syndrome in patients with IBS using structural equation modelling.

In this correlational study, 170 IBS patients (93 women, 77 men) recruited via convenient sampling method from gastrointestinal clinics in Urmia. The relevant data were collected by means of high sensory processing scale, perceived stress scale, and Miller-Smith life style assessment inventory. The obtained data were analyzed using correlation coefficient, and structural equation modelling. Duration of syndrome had a mediator role between sensory processing sensitivity, and perceived stress in patients with IBS (path coefficient reported 0.24, P<0.00, Chi-square value: χ2=0.01, P<0.001, goodness of fit indices (CFI=0.99, NFI=0.98) and standardized error (0.05). The same mediator role of duration of syndrome was not reported in relation between life style and perceived stress (path coefficient=0.06, P<0.001). Sensory processing, life style, and duration of syndrome explained 50% of perceived stress variance. Results indicate that sensory processing sensitivity may be a temperamental disposition that interacts meaningfully with environmental factors in chronic illnesses. The relationship between sensory processing sensitivity and stress in an illness is best explained considering the possibility of contributory factors.

Emotion dysregulation, negative effects, and aggression can affect each other. This study aimed to demonstrate the role of the negative effects and emotion dysregulation in aggression. The statistical population was Kharazmi University students that 280 of them were selected by random multiphasic sampling method. The study instruments were Buss-Perry aggression questionnaire, the short form of cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and positive affect and negative affect scale. The Pearson correlation, Student t test, and hierarchical regression tests were used to analyse the data. Gender, negative affect and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies (rumination, catastrophizing, and others blaming) were correlated with aggression. After controlling for gender and negative affect, maladaptive emotion regulation explained only 0.029% of the aggression variance and in this case and negative affect could explain 11.4% of its variance. Furthermore, by controlling for gender and negative affect, others blaming and catastrophizing strategies could explain 0.077% of the aggression variance. This study demonstrates the more important role of negative affect in predicting aggression. It seems that efficient methods to improve mood state can be helpful in aggression reduction.

Our study aims to examine the mediating role of prosocial moral reasoning, emotion regulation, and emotion lability in the relation between temperamental characteristics and prosocial behaviour. In a cross-sectional study, a sample of 202 students were recruited through random multistage sampling method. The participants were interviewed about their prosocial moral reasoning. Their mothers also completed questionnaires on temperament, emotion regulation, and prosocial tendencies. Path analysis indicates that model is fit to data (χ2/9=13.97, CFI =0.92, RMSEA =0.06, SRMR =0.05). Emotion regulation partially mediates the relation between effortful control and altruistic behaviour. In addition, emotion lability mediates the relation between negative affectivity and altruistic behaviour. Our findings show that emotion regulation and emotion lability have stronger determinant role in mediating the relation between temperamental characteristics and prosocial behaviours than prosocial moral reasoning. Our results have implications on the heterogeneity of prosocial behaviours

The current study was conducted to investigate the role of internalizing and externalizing symptoms and social isolation in internet addiction and cyberspace use among teenage girls in 2016-2017. This was a cross-sectional study. The study population included all second grade high school female students in public schools of Tehran City, Iran during the academic year of 2016-2017. Based on multi-stage cluster sampling, 300 girls were randomly selected. The study tools used for data collection were Russell's loneliness scale, Young's internet addiction test, and Achenbach’s self-report questionnaire. Finally, the collected data were analyzed using Pearson and regression tests in SPSS-20. The results show a positive and significant relationship between internalized syndrome (r=0.53), extraversion syndrome (r=0.57), and social isolation (r=0.54), with internet addiction. Regression test shows that seizure syndrome, thinking syndrome among internalized syndromes, obsessive compulsive syndrome, other problems, favourable conditions, outbreak law, problems of disorder among extraversion syndromes and social isolation had the most impact on the variability of internet addiction. The results of this study showed that individuals with internalized and externalized symptoms and girls who are socially isolated tend to use more internet and virtual space.