فصلنامه مددکاری اجتماعی
سال نهم شماره 31 (بهار 1399)

The stress caused by parenting a child with autism leads to caregiver burden and mental fatigue in mothers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction of caregiver burden and mental fatigue of mothers with autistic children. 

The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test/post-test and a control group design. The statistical population of the present study included all mothers of children with autism in autism educational centers in Isfahan in the academic year of 2018-2019. Among them, thirty mothers were selected by the available sampling method and then randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. For data collection, the mental fatigue questionnaire (Falman et al., 2013) and the caregiver burden questionnaire (Zarit et al., 1980) were used in the pre-test and post-test state. The experimental group received mindfulness-based stress reduction therapy for eight sessions, but the control group received no intervention. Data analysis was performed using covariance analysis.

The results showed that mean scores of caregiver burden and mental fatigue in the experimental group significantly decreased. (P<0.05)

Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that mindfulness-based stress reduction can be used as an interventional method in reducing the caregiver burden and mental fatigue of mothers with an autistic child.

Social health is one of the dimensions of health defined by the world health organization. Social capital components have close relations with social health. This study reviewed reported documents about social health and social capital components improving interventions. 

A systematic review was conducted to identify social health and social capital improving interventions using electronic databases (ScienceDirect, PubMed, ISI web of sciences, Scopus, UNDP, Legatum, WHO, World Bank, and ILO) published 2000 to 2019. 

A total of forty-one studies were included in our review. More than seventy-five percent of studies participants were both females and males but in more than ninety percent of the interventions, women were considered as the main group. Students were the target group of fifty-six percent of studies and the interventions conducted in the school setting. In more than ninety point two percent of studies clinical/community trial was the main research methods. The studies reported several objectives; poverty reduction, violence prevention, health promotion, social integration, social support, social well-being and quality of life, etc. Group discussion and lecturing were two common methods of communicating with target groups in most of these studies. More than sixty-five percent of the interventions were conducted by experts. Most interventions were performed in less than three months. Short-term interventions were able to have a positive effect on the promotion of social health components. Projects with more than fifty thousand people as the targeted group were implemented at least for twelve months. 

This review provides updated information on social health and social capital improvement interventions, which is vital information for developing guidelines for social health improvement. These interventions can be conducted in organized groups like schools or community-based organizations of society. The group participation of children, adolescents, young people, and minority or isolated groups in social health promotion programs needs to be considered and prioritized. Social health promotion can be considered as one of the goals in economic development programs.

Anger might spread from epileptic discomfort and resentment to full-scale anger. But it is quite a natural phenomenon and, like other emotions and excitements, is a sign of human emotions. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of anger management training on the rate of child labor aggression in the city of Isfahan. 

This study was a pre-test, post-test interventional with a group. The statistical population of this study includes Isfahan labor children at two social centers in 2017; through which, sixty children were selected by the available sampling method and completed Bass &Perry Aggression Questionnaire. After the implementation of the questionnaire, the experimental group was treated eight sessions of sixty minutes, one session per week, and the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS21 software and covariance analysis. 

The findings of this study showed that there is a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control group in the post-test. In other words, anger management training reduced children’s aggression at the post-test stage. (P<0.001)

Based on the findings, it can be expressed that anger management training is one of the most important factors influencing the control of aggression among labor children. Hence, according to the results of the present study, it is offered that the use of anger management training, as one of the useful therapeutic training in reducing aggression, should be more considered.

Infidelity is one of the most pernicious interpersonal issues in the family, which in many cases could lead to emotional and behavioral symptoms in the person particularly women who have been betrayed. In this regard, the present study was undertaken with the aim to identify the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment group counseling on emotion regulation in women with infidelity trauma.

The research method was quasi-experimental designed with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The statistical population included all women with the infidelity trauma who were separated from their husbands and referred to counseling clinics and family courts in Tehran in 2017. Thirty couples were selected via the purposive and available sampling method based on the study’s criteria. Then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, fifteen people in each group, and finally were investigated through dual assessment of pretest-posttest. All participants were asked to complete the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Gross & John, 2003. Following the experimental group attended eight sessions of ninety-minute acceptance and commitment group counseling while the control group received non.

The results of the univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) indicated that acceptance and commitment group counseling significantly increased the post-test average scores of emotion regulation in the experimental group. 

Thus, it could be concluded that acceptance and commitment group counseling is an effective way of improving emotion regulation in women with the infidelity trauma and can be used by counselors and therapists in the field of family therapy.

 Active aging phenomenon emphasizes optimizing opportunities for health, participation, and security to improve the life quality of elderlies. To achieve this purpose the most important policy is to remove the existing obstacles in society so elderlies could have an active life. This study aims to identify the obstacles and boundaries that faced elder people from having an active life by the concept of “The Right to the City”.

 This research is done by quantitative methods along with thematic analysis. The statistical population consisted of all active elders of Karaj city, among which twenty-three people were selected by purposeful sampling method study population. According to the phenomenological approach of the study, a semi-structured interview was applied to collect the participant opinion based on their life experience. Then, the opinions were provided in a written format and were analyzed through the thematic method.

The result of the analysis showed six main content and twenty-two secondary content in regards to obstacles preventing active aging according to the concept of “the right to the city”. The main contents of the study include “lack of access to urban space”, “lack of security in life”, “lack of welfare resources which fit elder requirements”, “social rejection”, “urban governance infirmity” and “lack of social justice”. 

Results of this study showed that these contents are related to components of the concept of “the right to the city” (participation and space allocation) and due to the mentioned obstacles and boundaries, elderlies are not able to have an active life in Karaj. Due to this study, the most important obstacles that prevent elderlies from having active life are the environmental and social factors of Karaj.

Dysfunctional relationship beliefs are one of the factors affecting marital dissatisfaction in couples applying for the divorce. The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of McMaster and Bowen family therapy approaches on the relationship beliefs of couples applying for the divorce.

This study was a quasi-experimental method including a pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population consisted of all couples applying for the divorce and referred by the family court to counseling centers of Rasht city in 2017. Through the available sampling method, forty-eight couples who meet research entering criteria were selected as study and randomly assigned to three groups of sixteen people; in the end, the number reduced to ten people in each group due to Exit criteria. Two methods of McMaster and Bowen family therapy approaches were performed for Eight sessions of one hundred twenty minutes each for two experimental groups; while the control group did not receive any intervention. After completing the sessions, the post-test was applied to all groups. The instrument of this study was the Edelson & Epstein’s Relationship Beliefs Inventory. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and LSD post hoc test by SPSS22.

The results of the analysis of covariance and LSD post hoc test showed that Bowen Family Therapy and McMaster’s model had a significant effect on couples’ relationship beliefs while Bowen’s approach was more effective. (P = 0.037)

The results showed that Bowen family therapy was more effective than McMaster’s model on relationship beliefs in couples applying for the divorce. Therefore, this approach can be used to reduce dysfunctional relationship beliefs in couples applying for the divorce.