Iranian Journal of Practice in Clinical Psychology
Volume:7 Issue: 4, Autumn 2019

One of the most common and recent highlighted psychological problems is anxiety symptoms. This study investigated the moderating role of defense mechanisms in the relationship between confrontation with existential issues (death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness) and anxiety.

A total of 389 students (218 men and 171 women) of Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, in the academic year 2017-2018 were randomly selected as the research sample. In this study, anxiety symptoms, death anxiety, loneliness, meaning in life, responsibility, and defense style were measured. The obtained data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test and stepwise and hierarchical regression analysis.

Mature and immature defense mechanisms moderated the prediction of anxiety symptoms by confrontation with loneliness and responsibility. Neurotic defense mechanisms moderated the prediction of anxiety symptoms by confrontation with death, anxiety, loneliness, and responsibility.

Defense mechanisms affect the amount of relationship between confrontation with existential issues and anxiety.

Disability deprives individuals from participation in the overall process of personal and social life and its independent activities. Moreover, it causes imbalance due to damage and disrupts the healthy development and coordination of the body. Therefore, this study compared emotion regulation strategies and adjustment in students with physical disabilities and healthy students.

This was a causal-comparative study. The study population included all students with physical-motor disabilities and healthy students. The study sample included 200 students (100 with physical disabilities and 100 healthy subjects). They were selected by cluster sampling method. To collect the required data, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) and the Adjustment Inventory for School Students (AISS) were applied.

The obtained results revealed that students with physical disability significantly differed in measures of emotion regulation (repression and re-evaluation), compared to the healthy ones (P<0.05). In addition, students with a physical disability in two subscales, including social and emotional adjustment, indicated significant differences compared to the healthy samples. However, there was no significant difference between the two study groups in terms of educational adjustment (P<0.05).

There were significant differences between students with a physical disability and healthy student in emotion regulation strategies and social adjustment.

The present study aimed to examine the relationship between different forms of maltreatment and cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

This research is a cross-sectional study. The sample included 321 individuals from the general population aged 18-50 years. They were selected from different districts of Tehran, using the convenience sampling method. The data were collected by the traumatic experiences checklist and the cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and multivariate regression analysis and the enter method.

Emotional maltreatment explained part of the variance of self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, and blaming others (P<0.01). Physical maltreatment explained part of the variance of catastrophizing and blaming others (P<0.01), and sexual maltreatment had a significant positive correlation only with catastrophizing (P<0.05).

The results indicated a positive association between a history of maltreatment and the use of maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Besides, it was found that various forms of maltreatment have different relationships with maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies.

The Dysmorphic Concern Questionnaire (DCQ) is a widely used screening instrument assessing dysmorphic concerns ranging from a mild to an excessive level. In Iran, there is no brief and valid questionnaire for the assessment of body dysmorphic disorder.

To investigate the psychometric properties of this scale, 210 university students (103 males and 107 females) were selected by convenience sampling method. The study participants were requested to complete the DCQ, scales of external shame, self-compassion, negative affect, and perfectionism. LISREL and SPSS were used for analyzing the obtained data. Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), correlation coefficient, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were calculated, as well.

The one-factor structure of  DCQ was supported by the results of CFA in an Iranian sample (X2/df=2/12, RMSEA=0.07, NFI=0.94, CFI=0.97). Dysmorphic concern was positively and significantly correlated with external shame scale (0.38), perfectionism (0.22), and negative affect (0.22); however, they were negatively and significantly correlated with self-compassion (0.16). Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was obtained equal to 0.78 in this respect.

DCQ demonstrated acceptable psychometric properties in university student populations. This scale has appropriate psychometric properties for research and clinical practice.

The frequency and impact of pain and depression have been long underestimated in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Therefore, systematic screening and management of pain and depression are recommended for these patients. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBT) in reducing pain and depression in patients with MS. 

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test and a control group design. We conducted a randomized trial on 24 MS patients with primary pain and depression. Moreover, they were members of the MS Society at Shahid Sadooghi Hospital in Yazd City, Iran, in 2017. The study participants were randomly divided into the test (n=12) and control (n=12) groups. The study participants were evaluated at 3-time points (baseline, end of the treatment, follow-up) using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as outcome measures.

The repeated measures Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) results revealed that MBT significantly reduced pain and depression in MS patients compared to the controls (P<0. 05). The effect of outcome measures was maintained at 2-months follow-up (P<0.05). The effect size on pain and depression were 0.41 and 0.43, respectively.

MBT has been effective on pain and depression reduction among MS patients.

The present study aimed at examining worry, cognitive avoidance, intolerance of uncertainty, and metacognitive beliefs, as transdiagnostic factors, in clinical samples with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).

In total, 200 patients (66 with GAD, 74 with OCD, and 60 with comorbid GAD and OCD) were selected to participate in this study using the purposeful sampling method. The participants completed the Penn State worry questionnaire, cognitive avoidance questionnaire, intolerance of uncertainty scale, and metacognitive beliefs questionnaire.

The findings showed no significant difference between patients with GAD and OCD in total scores of these constructs; however, the patients with comorbidity of GAD and OCD showed significantly higher scores in these measures (P<0.01) compared with the patients with GAD or OCD.

These cognitive factors are possible transdiagnostic factors shared between GAD and OCD. Moreover, they considerably increase when GAD and OCD co-occur.

Attitude toward dying and death is a conceptual response to the various aspects of death, which is based on an individual’s psychosocial and cultural experiences. The present study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Multidimensional Orientation toward Dying and Death Inventory (MODDI-F) among Iranian students.

A total of 320 subjects were selected from students in universities of Tehran in the academic year 2016-2017, using the convenience sampling method. The study data were collected using the following instruments: the MODDI-F, the Existential Anxiety Scale (EAS), the Oxford happiness questionnaire, the general health questionnaire, and the Death Anxiety Scale (DAS). Data analyses were performed by factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and Cronbach's alpha coefficient in SPSS v. 22.

Factor structure was assessed using the confirmatory factor analysis. The proposed model for the MODDI-F with 8 factors had a good fit to the data. Besides, the reliability of the MODDI-F was assessed using Cronbach alpha and test-retest reliability coefficients. The Cronbach alpha values of higher than 0.7 were found for all of the subscales, except for death denial. Moreover, using the Pearson correlation coefficient, significant relationships were found between the scores on the factors of the MODDI-F and scores on convergent and divergent factors of other questionnaires, indicating the convergent and divergent validity of the inventory.

MODDI-F enjoys acceptable psychometric properties regarding the ease of administration, scoring, and interpretation, as well as the suitable validity and reliability of the questionnaire. Thus, researchers can safely use it in their studies.

The present study investigates the psychometric properties of the abridged version of the Autism-Spectrum Quotient (AQ).

A total of 254 students were chosen from universities in Tehran by the cluster sampling method. Then, the demographic questionnaire, close relationships-revised questionnaire, Autism Spectrum Quotient Short (AQ-S) form, and the empathy quotient-short forms were distributed among them. The data were analyzed using SPSS, Lertab, and LISREL software.

The results of the exploratory factor analysis revealed 5 factors for the AQ-S, and the confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the results of the exploratory factor analysis. The Cronbach alpha values were 0.95, 0.92, 0.48, 0.94, 0.58, and 0.89 for AQ-Short, the social skills, routine, imagination, attention switching, and number/pattern components, respectively. The divergent and convergent reliability of AQ-S was satisfactory.

The results provide evidence for the applicability of the AQ short form in assessing the autistic traits of the Iranian population.