Chronic Diseases Journal
Volume:8 Issue: 4, Autumn 2020

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) is one of the techniques for shaping behavior and procedure for changing non-adaptive beliefs by using cognitive-behavioral theory to treat addiction disorders. This study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness on mental well-being of opioid users.

The present study was conducted in a pretest-posttest experimental design that was conducted among addicted drug users in Sanandaj City, Iran, in 2016. To conduct the research, 20 subjects were selected by available sampling method and randomly divided into two groups of experimental and control (each one: 10 subjects). The experimental group received knowledge about cognitive therapy for 8 sessions of 90 minutes, but no training was provided for the control group. The data gathering tool in both groups was used before and after mindfulness training, and the Mental Well-being Questionnaire was used. Data were analyzed using independent t-test.

Mindfulness therapy had a significant effect on subjective well-being of opium users. Thus, the mean scores of the variable of the overall index of mental well-being in the experimental group were significantly lower than the control group in the post-test with the control of the effect of the pre-test (P < 0.001).

Findings of the present study suggest that cognitive therapy based on mind-awareness strategies helps people to replace reasonable beliefs with irrational beliefs in order to achieve new insights that seek to communicate with others and improve subjective well-being.

The positive effects of antioxidants in preventing atrial fibrillation (AF) after cardiac surgery and their low side effects have been proven. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral vitamin C supplementation on preventing post-operative AF in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery. Vitamin C was given orally to the patients three days before surgery for up to 5 days after surgery. This time difference was based on previous studies and cardiologist’s order.

In this study, patients who underwent CABG surgery, were divided into two groups. The first group (30 patients), as the intervention group, received oral vitamin C supplementation, and the second group (30 patients), as the control group, did not receive vitamin C supplementation. All patients, during the post-operative period, underwent cardiac monitoring in cardiac intensive care unit (CICU). The inclusion criteria were: being over 50 years old, undergoing cardiac surgery only and no other kinds of surgery, undergoing coronary artery bypass surgery for the first time, and no cardio-respiratory arrest during or after surgery. Data were collected by convenience sampling method and were analyzed using SPSS software.

The results of this study showed that 7 patients in the control group experienced post-operative AF, while 3 patients in intervention group had the same experience. According to the results, the risk of AF in the intervention and control group was, respectively, 10.0% and 23.3%. Vitamin C significantly decreased the risk of AF after CABG surgery by 2 times.

According to the results, oral vitamin C supplementation affected the incidence of AF after CABG surgery. Therefore, oral intake of vitamin C supplementation before and after surgery reduces the incidence of AF.

Affective temperament and emotional expression can be important in the mental and physical consequences of patients with cancer. This study aimed to determine the role of affective temperament and emotional expression in predicting chronic fatigue in patients with cancer.

110 patients with cancer, hospitalized in the surgery and hematology wards of Fatemi and Imam Khomeini Hospitals in Ardabil City, Iran, in autumn of 2016, were selected by purposive sampling and participated in this cross-sectional study. The Affective and Emotional Composite Temperament Scale (AFECTS), Berkeley Expressivity Questionnaire (BEQ), and Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFQ) were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed by correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis using SPSS software.

Chronic fatigue positively correlated with depressive (r = 0.69, P < 0.01), anxious (r = 0.59, P < 0.01), apathetic (r = 0.64, P < 0.01), dysphoric (r = 0.37, P < 0.01), volatile (r = 0.61, P < 0.01), irritable (r = 0.36, P < 0.01), disinhibited (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), and obsessive (r = 0.52, P < 0.01) affective temperaments, but it negatively correlated with cyclothymic (r = -0.35, P < 0.01), hyperthymic (r = -0.62, P < 0.01), euphoric (r = -0.69, P < 0.01), and euthymic (r = -0.21, P < 0.01) affective temperaments. Also, it was found that there was a negative relationship between chronic fatigue and emotional expression (r = -0.27, P < 0.01). Results of regression analysis showed that 79% of the total variance of chronic fatigue was explained by affective temperaments. In addition, 27% of the total variance of the chronic fatigue was explained by emotional expressiveness.

These findings suggest that we can consider the affective temperament and emotional expression as psychological factors underlying the chronic fatigue in patients with cancer.

The purpose of this study was to compare the attitude toward nutrition and general health in native and non-native students.

The statistical population of this study included all female students with emphasis on the students who were studying at Islamic Azad University of Tehran, Iran, in the year 2017-2018. According to the Morgan’s table, a sample of 320 people was selected using the convenience sampling method and was divided into two groups of 160 people. Regarding the purposefulness of the emphasis on the indigenous and non-homogeneous nature of the students by matching the groups (in order to control the variables of gender, economic status, marital status, age, and educational level), the non-native group was first identified and then the native group was matched. In this research, Eating Attitudes Test (EAT) (Garner and Garfinkel, 1979) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) (McDowell et al., 1996) were used. To analyze the data obtained from independent t-test, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and multivariate regression, SPSS software was used.

There was no significant difference between attitude toward nutrition and general health in native and non-native students.

Higher attention should be paid to non-native students’ nutrition.

The problems of drugs and addiction and the consequences of drug into abuse are considered as a phenomenon that affects different aspects of human life and is one of the main problems of modern age. The main goal of performing this investigation was identifying general demographic factors which affect the process of addiction in order to make available the facility of diagnosis and practice of therapeutic programs.

In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, a number of 500 addicts in Kermanshah, Iran, were selected using sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage frequency, cumulative frequency, and average).

The mean age of the subjects in this study was 36.6 + 8.80 years. Most addicts were in the age category of 31 to 40 years old. 62.8% of them began drug use for the first time in the age range of 10 to 20 years. 47% had primary education and 68.4% were unemployed and had no specific source of income. The top cause of drug use was reported as entertainment and enjoyment (47.6%) and the other cause was curiosity (26.4%). The most common cause of drug cessation was being tired of drug use.

With regard to the fact that most addicts are unemployed with no source of income, thus it seems that the authorities have to assess effective treatments and find ways to create youth employment and also healthy entertainment activities and source of income on which one can rely.

Iodine deficiency is known as a major nutritional health problem in Iran. The aim of this study was to evaluate iodine salt intake, salt storage, and urinary iodine in households of Markazi Province, Iran, in 2014.

In this cross-sectional analytical study, 440 households of 11 cities in Markazi Province in 2014 were selected through a multistage random sampling. A structured questionnaire was used to collect information about the type of salt used and awareness about salt storage. Parameters of salts were measured by taking the samples from household salt. Simultaneously, urinary iodine was measured via samples from the elementary students in the household. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.

Of 440 households, 225 households (58.0%) used iodized refined salt. Approximately, 60.0% of households were aware of the correct way of salt storage. The mean urinary iodine concentration (UIC) of children was 19.2 ± 18.3 μg/l. The average iodine concentration in household salts was 29.3 ± 3.8 ppm and only half of the salt-producing companies had iodine levels above 30 ppm. The average of salt heavy metals at the level of production and consumption was at a standard level.

The average iodine concentration of salts was less than the standard level. Therefore, in the absence of proper monitoring of the cycle of production and supply of iodized salt, there is a possibility of recurrent iodine deficiency complications in Markazi Province. Enhancing public awareness about salt storage for maintaining the quantity and quality of iodine is recommended.

A transtheoretical model (TTM) can be considered as a cognitive and motivational view, a component which plays a significant role in addiction. Further, the theoretical basis of contingency management (CM) treatment is the origin of behaviorism and relies on operant conditioning. The present study is performed aiming to determine the effectiveness of TTM and CM on cocaine use and sexual risk behaviors in cocaine users.

In this randomized clinical trial with 6-month follow-up, which was performed from 15 December 2014 to 20 November 2015, 75 male cocaine users were selected based on a respondent-driven sampling (RDS) method and were randomly divided into three groups by block randomization. The experimental group received a 12-week CM protocol and TTM and the control group was placed on the waiting list. Pre-test, post-test (after 12 weeks of training), and follow-up (six months) were administered. Data analysis was carried out using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA), Scheffe’s post hoc test, and chi-square test through SPSS software.

The mean age of the CM group, TTM group, and control group was estimated 26.12, 25.31, and 23.91, respectively. The primary outcome showed that CM and TTM had a significant effect on decreasing the sexual thoughts, sexual hyperactivity, and high risk behaviors. This effectiveness was stable until six months (P = 0.008), however there was not a significant difference between the two treatments (P = 0.200). The secondary outcome showed that in the changing stages, TTM (F-72%) and CM (F-60%) had a significant effectiveness which maintained until the follow-up stage.

The findings more enhance the hope to integrate the theoretical approaches into the clinical interventions.

Low emotional intelligence (EI) could affect individuals' coping strategies and make them vulnerable to violence and addiction. This study aims to study the effect of life skill training to improve EI in chronic addicted women with a history of spousal abuse.

The study was semi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test design. Conducted between October 2016 and January 2017, this study included women addicted to cannabis with a history of spousal abuse referring to some addiction intervention clinics in Tehran, Iran. 30 individuals were selected based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and also cut-off point for EI (participants under 70 have less) using the convenience sampling method. They were then assigned to two groups randomly (each group n = 15). In six sessions, the experimental group received life skill training and the control group were in the waiting list. Both groups were evaluated in baseline and after the intervention by Ghahari’s domestic violence questionnaire and Bar-on Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) in SPSS software.

The experimental group had improvements in total score and components of EI including interpersonal EQ (F = 312.30, P < 0.05) and intrapersonal EQ (F = 295.04, P < 0.05).

Life skill training could improve EI in addicted women with a history of spousal abuse.