مجله روانپزشکی و روانشناسی بالینی ایران
سال بیست و هفتم شماره 4 (پیاپی 107، زمستان 1400)

 The present study aims to investigate the effect of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on cognitive flexibility, suicidal ideation, depression, and hopelessness in conscripts.

In this clinical trial with a pretest/posttest design using a control group, 60 conscripts were selected through a convenience sampling method from among those referred to military counseling centers in Khorasan Razavi Province of Iran in 2019, and were randomly assigned into intervention (n=30) and control (n=30) groups. The intervention group received ACT group therapy at eight weekly 90-min sessions, while the control group received no treatment. In the pretest and posttest phases, Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, Beck Depression Inventory-II, and Beck Hopelessness Scale were completed by both groups. Data analysis was performed using the independent ‎‎t-test and analysis of covariance.

ACT significantly led to increased cognitive flexibility and its components (P=0.001) and reduced suicidal thoughts (P=0.001), depression (P=0.001) and hopelessness (P=0.002).

 ACT group therapy can reduce depression, suicidal ideation and hopelessness in conscripts by increasing their cognitive flexibility.

 This study aims to evaluate the efficacy and safety of adding pregabalin to standard antipsychotic treatment in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial, participants were 48 male inpatients aged 18-65 years with chronic schizophrenia but with clinically stable conditions. They were randomly divided into two groups of intervention (n=24) and control (n=24). The intervention group received 75 mg of pregabalin per day for three weeks which was increased to 150 mg per day from the fourth week to the end of the study, in addition to standard antipsychotic medication for six weeks. The severity of psychotic symptoms was assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and their movement disorder symptoms were evaluated by the Barnes Akathisia Rating Scale (BARS) and Simpson-Angus Scale (SAS) at baseline and at 3th and 6th weeks of the intervention. Collected data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA in SPSS v.20 software, considering P<0.05 as the statistically significance level.

 No significant differences were observed in severity of disease based on the PANSS total score and its three subscales (positive scale, negative scale, and general psychopathology) and in the BARS and SAS scores at the end of 6th week in groups and between the two groups.

Adding 150 mg of pregabalin to the standard antipsychotic treatment of patients with chronic schizophrenia is not effective in improving their psychotic symptoms, but it is well tolerated.

This study aims to compare the effectiveness of integrated Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and transdiagnostic treatment in improving symptoms of patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) comorbid with depression.

This is a single-case quasi-experimental study. The study population consists of all people with GAD comorbid with depression referred to counseling centers in Isfahan, Iran in 2019, from whom 10 were selected using a purposive sampling method and randomly assigned into two groups of CBT and transdiagnostic treatment. Subjects in both groups were assessed at baseline, 3rd, 4th, 8th, 10th sessions, and during a one-month follow-up period using the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. To analyze the data, visual analysis,  Reliable Change Index (RCI), improvement percentage, and statistical and clinical significance were used.

Visual analysis, percentage of improvement, and RCI value showed that both treatments caused clinically and statistically significant changes in therapeutic outcomes and their therapeutic effects continued during follow-up period. However, the percentage of improvement in CBT group was higher than in the transdiagnostic treatment group.

 CBT is superior to transdiagnostic treatment in terms of effect size and stability, but both are the same in terms of acceptance.

This study aims to compare the effects of two methods of motivational manipulation and neurofeedback on reward sensitivity, delay discounting, and impulsivity in children with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).

 This is an experimental study with a pre-test/post-test/follow-up design using a control group. Participants were 90 children aged 7-12 years with ADHD in Tehran, Iran who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Neurofeedback and motivational manipulation were performed in the two intervention groups at 12 sessions each session for 45 minutes. Balloon Analogue Risk task and Chocolate  Delay Discounting task were used to collect data. The collected data were analyzed using MANCOVA in SPSS v.23 software.

After controlling the effects of pre-test scores on post-test scores, the difference between the groups in the post-test phase was statistically significant in terms of impulsivity and delay discounting (P<0.01) and reward sensitivity (P<0.05). The neurofeedback method (Mean=4.66) had a greater effect on reward sensitivity than motivational manipulation method (Mean=2.31) compared to the control group, which was significant (P<0.01). The effect of motivational manipulation (Mean=2.31) was not significant in comparison with the control group.

Voluntary activation of dopaminergic regions of the brain by neurofeedback and motivational manipulation leads to endogenous dopamine control in these regions, resulting in successful regulation or inhibitory control and reduced cravings, which reduces impulsivity and reward sensitivity.

This study aims to assess the mediating role of Cognitive Emotion Regulation (CER) strategies in the relationship between brain-behavioral system activity and marital satisfaction.

This is a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population consists of all married men and women referred to two clinics of petrochemical industries in Mahshahr, of whom: 200 (106 female and 94 male) were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data collection tools were the Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire, ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Scale, and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ). Pearson correlation test, multiple regression analysis and path analysis were carried out in SPSS v.17 and LISREL v.8.8. 

All dimensions of CER (negative and positive strategies) and the activity of brain-behavioral system were significantly associated with marital satisfaction. Both negative and positive CER strategies and two Behavioral Activating System and Fight/Flight System as components of the brain-behavioral system had direct association and the Behavioral Inhibition System component had indirect association with marital satisfaction. They had good predictive power to predict marital satisfaction in families. 

 The brain-behavioral system activity, as a biological model of personality, and the use of CER strategies have can predict marital satisfaction.

 This study aims to translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue) in college students.

This is a descriptive study. Participants were 551 students from selected universities in Tehran, Iran who were enrolled using a stratified random sampling method. The students completed the Persian version of TEIQue as well as the Schutte Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (SSEIT) and the Neo-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI). Data were analyzed in SPSS v. 22 software using independent t-test, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA).

The results of EFA confirmed that the Persian TEIQue had four factors of well-being, self-control, emotionality and sociability. Cronbach’s alpha value was reported 0.95 for the global EI, and ranged 0.69-0.90 for its four factors. In the split-half reliability, the Cronbach’s alpha was obtained 0.92 for the first half and 0.89 for the second half. The convergent/discriminant validity assessment in relation to SSEIT and NEO-FFI, showed a positive correlation with the most subscales of SSEIT and a negative correlation with the neuroticism subscale of NEO-FFI. There were gender differences in TEIQue scores between males and females, where females had higher scores in the global index and in factors of well-being and emotionality. 

The Persian version of TEIQue has acceptable reliability and validity for measuring trait emotional intelligence in Iranian adult population.

 This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Self-Report Personality Questionnaire of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-5-SPQ) in Iranian clinical samples.

This is a descriptive survey study. Participants were 289 outpatients and inpatients referred to Iran Psychiatric Hospital, Hazrat-e Rasool General Hospital and the clinic of Tehran Institute of Psychiatry who were selected using a convenience sampling method. In addition to a demographic form and the Persian version of SCID-5-SPQ, the Persian version of SCID-5 Personality Disorder (SCID-5-PD) was used. Finally, face validity, internal consistency (by Cronbach’s alpha), convergent validity (by Spearman correlation test) and the differences between self-reports of women and men (by Mann-Whitney U test) were evaluated.

The Persian SCID-5-SPQ showed good face validity. Regarding the convergent validity, all subscales of this questionnaire showed a significant positive correlation with the SCID-5-PD (P<0.001). Moreover, Cronbach’s alpha was reported α=0.93, indicating good internal consistency.

The Persian version of SCID-5-SPQ has good validity and reliability, and can be used alone or along with the interviews in psychiatric clinics and hospitals in Iran for screening personality disorders.

This study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS) including reliability, validity, measurement invariance, and factor analysis.

In this cross-sectional study, 390 college students from the three universities in Tehran participated. They completed a battery of four self-report tools including the PPS, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), and Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). 

The Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) results confirmed the three-factor solution of the Persian PPS which were decisional procrastination, implemental delay, and timeliness. The results of multi-group confirmatory factor analysis showed the between-group invariance of the factor structure, measurement weights, structural covariances and measurement residuals of PPS for demographic variables. The results revealed high internal consistency and high test-retest reliability. There Persian PPS and its subscales had statistically significant correlations with DASS-21, DERS, and SWLS.

The Persian PPS has good reliability and validity for assessing procrastination in Iranian population.

 The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is regarded as the biggest global health crisis in recent decades. The changes in major life domains due to infection control strategies resemble the functional impairment consequential to emotional distress and place many people at greater risk of psychiatric conditions. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic and associated social distancing have widely increased the usage of smartphone to receive COVID-19-related information in the past year. However, the excessive use of smartphones has deleterious consequences. The current study investigated general anxiety symptoms and COVID-19-induced anxiety, and their impact on problematic smartphone use (PSPU) severity. 

Adults aged 18–75 years were recruited by stratified, probability sampling from a database representative of the population. Among 1080 Hong Kong Chinese (age 18–75 years), a cross-sectional web-based survey was conducted between July 23 and August 25, 2020 (the period of the third wave outbreak of COVID-19 in Hong Kong).  Participants were assessed with the measures, including the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21, Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale-7, and Smartphone Addiction Scale-Short Version. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to evaluate the associations among general anxiety symptoms, COVID-19-induced anxiety, and severity of PSPU by the Amos 22.0 software.

 Using established cut-off scores, our results found that prevalence of at least moderate anxiety level in around 22% of participants. Using SEM, both general anxiety symptoms and COVID-19-induced anxiety were associated with PSPU severity. Moreover, COVID-19 anxiety partially mediated relations between predisposing general anxiety with PSPU severity.

This study provides initial data on the mental health status of people affected by COVID-19. It also investigated the relations between COVID-19-induced anxiety and PSPU severity as a coping mechanism.

Wikipedia is one of the most important online sources of information that can be edited by any one. About 80% of people in developed countries use the Internet to search for mental health information, which generally includes disease symptoms, illnesses, and treatment methods. Existing studies have reported varying degrees of quality for mental health information on the Wikipedia website. To our knowledge, there is no study on the quality of information on the Persian version of Wikipedia, especially in the field of mental health. Due to the importance of Wikipedia for Internet users, the main purpose of this letter is to present a brief report on the Iranian authors' efforts in improving the quality and quantity of mental health information on the Persian Wikipedia. This can a step to promote the general knowledge of the community about the mental health.