Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Volume:16 Issue: 4, Dec 2022

 Despite their high effectiveness, rehabilitation therapies can reduce the number of families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) visiting clinics due to the number of treatment sessions and the long duration of treatment. The use of technological methods, such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) as one of the therapeutic interventions to improve cognitive function in rehabilitation clinics, can help reduce the duration of treatment for these children.

 The present study was carried out to examine the effectiveness of tDCS in behavioral and cognitive aspects of executive functions in children with ASD.

 A pretest and posttest design with follow-up were used in this study. The subjects were children with high-functioning ASD aged 8 - 11 years who were selected by the convenience sampling method from occupational therapy clinics in Tehran, Iran. A total of 20 eligible candidates were included in the study according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups (10 subjects in each group). The intervention group received tDCS during 12 sessions of 20 minutes in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex area, with an electrode size of 35 cm2 for 3 weeks (four sessions per week). The control group received common cognitive interventions used in occupational therapy clinics in 12 sessions of 60 minutes (one hour) for 6 weeks (two sessions per week). Follow-up was performed one month after the end of the interventions. The research instruments included the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function and computer-based tests, such as the Tower of London, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Stroop test.

 The results demonstrated that tDCS, similar to cognitive rehabilitation, could affect the cognitive functions of the brain, such as executive functions, and several basic cognitive processes, such as inhibitory control, cognitive flexibility, and mental planning.

 The findings recommended using tDCS as a new intervention method to improve the cognitive function of individuals with ASD. This is due to the lasting effect of the results of this intervention as a technological instrument with faster results than other clinical interventions.

 There are scarce Iranian and worldwide research articles on designing the questionnaires of the factors influencing violence prevention. This indicates the need to design a specific questionnaire on factors affecting violence prevention and examine its psychometric properties before using it.

 The present study aimed to design and evaluate psychometric properties (the reliability and validity) of factors affecting violence prevention questionnaire in female students.

 The current psychometric research was conducted in Rudsar, Iran during 2017 - 2018. In the first part (designing the questionnaire), data were collected from 50 participants by purposive sampling and using Waltz methodology. In the second part (evaluating psychometric properties of the questionnaire). The validity of the questionnaire was assessed using face, content, and structural validities. Reliability was evaluated using Cronbach’s alpha and intra-class correlation coefficient, and SPSS 20 software was used for data analysis.

 The initial version of the questionnaire was designed with 212 items. After confirming the validity and reliability, the second version of the questionnaire was extracted with 56 items with an impact score of > 1.5 for all 56 items, the mean CVI = 0.94, and the mean CVR = 0.88. Concerning construct validity, 48 items were extracted with a predictive power of 38.16 based on exploratory factor analysis. The Internal Consistency of Reliability (α = 0.88; ICC = 0.92) was also confirmed.

 In general, the questionnaire represented acceptable reliability and validity for use in the student population. Therefore, the present questionnaire can predict the risk of violence against female adolescents.

 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the most prevalent anxiety-related disorders caused by many environmental factors, including anxiety. The COVID-19 outbreak has exposed nurses to greater levels of occupational anxiety.

 This study aimed to investigate the frequency of obsessive-compulsive) OC) symptoms and the relationship between OC symptoms and anxiety in nurses of COVID-19 patients at Dr. Ganjavian hospital, Dezful, Iran.

 This cross-sectional study encompassed 190 nurses working in units for COVID-19 patients meeting the inclusion criteria. They were evaluated using a demographic characteristics form, the Maudsley Obsessional Compulsive Inventory (MOCI), and the Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) (Spielberger, 1983). Sampling was performed via a stratified random sampling method. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (absolute frequency and percentage) and analytical statistics (Pearson correlation coefficient and independent t-test) via SPSS version 21 at a significance level of 0.05.

 The study revealed that 74.4% of the participants showed OC symptoms, 47.4% stated anxiety below moderate, and 61.1% trait anxiety above moderate. The results of the Pearson correlation displayed that OC symptoms were significantly associated with state/trait anxiety (P = 0.001). Furthermore, the independent t-test indicated that the mean score of OC symptoms was significantly higher in females (P = 0.03) and married subjects (P = 0.006).

 The frequency of OC symptoms was high in nurses working in COVID-19 units, especially females and married subjects. There was also a significant relationship between OC symptoms and anxiety, such that anxiety increased with OC symptoms. Thus, it is suggested that nursing managers identify anxiety-causing factors in nurses to prevent more severe anxiety disorders.

 Breast cancer patients’ psychological problems affect different aspects of their life, such as quality of life and response to treatments.

 This research aimed to study the effectiveness of Masnavi-based poetry therapy on anxiety, depression, and stress in patients with breast cancer.

 The study was conducted on 91 patients with breast cancer. They were divided into the poetry therapy group (n = 31) and no intervention as the control group (n = 60). The intervention group attended six sessions of weekly Masnavi-based poetry therapy. The Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale-21 Items (DASS-21) questionnaires were completed by patients before, one week, and two months after the intervention.

 Depression, anxiety, and stress were not significantly different between the two groups at the baseline. Poetry therapy decreases anxiety, depression, and stress of patients based on DASS-21 after one week and eight weeks in the intervention group (P = 0.006, P = 0.001, P = 0.01, respectively). One week after the intervention, the scores for depression, anxiety, and stress were significantly lower in the poetry therapy group than those in the control group (P = 0.02, P = 0.01, P = 0.03, respectively). All depression, anxiety, and stress presentations were significantly improved in the poetry therapy group in comparison to the control group at the end of week eight (P = 0.01, P = 0.03, P = 0.02, respectively).

 Group poetry therapy as useful psychotherapy could decrease anxiety and depression in women with breast cancer.

 Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and entrepreneurship are two concepts that have recently received attention from researchers.

 This study aimed to find the relationship between ADHD symptoms and entrepreneurial behavior with the mediating role of entrepreneurial self-efficacy and attitude, as well as to assess the relationship between entrepreneurial self-efficacy and entrepreneurial behavior with the mediating role of entrepreneurial attitude.

 This study was conducted on 388 Iranian entrepreneurs in 2021. The Entrepreneurial Behavior Scale, the Entrepreneurial Attitude Questionnaire, the Entrepreneurial Self-efficacy Scale, and the Adult ADHD Self-report Scale were used to collect the data. Data were analyzed using Mplus software (version 8).

 The results revealed that hyperactivity/impulsivity symptoms were positively and significantly related to entrepreneurial behavior (P < 0.001), and attention-deficit symptoms were negatively and significantly related to entrepreneurial behavior and entrepreneurial attitude, mediated through entrepreneurial self-efficacy (P < 0.01).

 Our findings suggest that the entrepreneurial behaviors and entrepreneurial attitudes of individuals with ADHD symptoms depend on their entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Our findings hold important implications for empowering individuals with ADHD symptoms in the entrepreneurial path.

 Depression is the most prevalent mental health problem in the pregnant women with significant implications for mother and infant’s health. The content of maternal antenatal representations may be related to their depressive symptoms during the perinatal period.

 This study aimed to compare maternal mental representations between depressed and non-depressed groups of pregnant women.

 In a causal-comparative study, participants were selected using an inverse stratified sampling method among pregnant women in the last trimester of pregnancy (depressed mothers = 93, and non-depressed mothers = 97). All participants completed Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), Dépistage Anténatal de la Dépression Postnatale (DADP), and semi-structure Interview-R after the consent form. Independent- samples t-test, Two-way ANOVA, and Pearson correlation coefficient were applied to compare maternal mental representations subscales between groups, using SPSS-26.

 The results showed significantly fewer positive ratings for all subscales of Interview-R, including child, partner, self as mother, and mother as own mother in the depressed group (P < 0.05). In the group of depressed mothers, 57% and 32% of the correlations among the representations of child/self as mother and child/partner were significant, while in the non-depressed group, 28% and 48% of the correlations between child/self as mother and child/ partner were significant (P < 0,05), respectively. The characteristics of self as mother and own mother showed significant differences in the depressed group compared to the non-depressed group (P < 0.05).

 Depressed pregnant mothers are less likely to differentiate themselves from their children compared to non-depressed pregnant mothers. Besids, depressed pregnant mothers perceive themselves as mothers more positively than their own mothers, while the opposite is true for non-depressed pregnant mothers.

 The literature suggests the increasing application of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for people with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (SSD).

 This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of ACT on the positive and negative symptoms and emotion regulation of patients with SSD.

 The experimental design of the current study was an AB (baseline and intervention phases) along with the follow-up phase, in addition to Treatment-As-Usual (TAU), ACT sessions were held for the participants. Among the 20 participants who had inclusion criteria to the study, five participant (three men and two women in the age range of 32 - 43 years) were randomly allocated to participate in the intervention through drawing and evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) in three phases of baseline, intervention, and follow-up. For data analysis, non-overlapping indices and Cohen's d effect size were measured, and visual diagrams were plotted for interpretation.

 The present results showed that the effect sizes of psychotic symptoms in the first to fifth participants were 1.7, 1.9, 0.6, 4, and 1.4, respectively in the intervention phase relative to the baseline; the effect size was only large for the fourth participant. Also, the effect sizes of emotion regulation in the first to fifth participants were 0.8, 1.6, 1.5, 1.2, and 2.7, respectively; the effect size was only large for the fifth participant.

 The results of data analysis showed that ACT is effective in reducing psychotic symptoms and improving emotion regulation. The effect size of ACT was the largest for the fourth participant; medium for the first, second, and fifth participants; and small for the third participant.

 About 1% of psychiatric consultations are concerned with a factitious disorder. Unlike malingering, factitious disorder is a special psychiatric disorder that should be taken into consideration by the medical staff.

 This case reports a woman with fever and epistaxis as a primary clinical manifestation of a factitious disorder which was diagnosed and treated after further investigation and psychiatric consultation.

 Procrastination of diagnosis usually leads to an increase in the length of stay for unnecessary clinical and paraclinical investigations. The purpose of this case presentation was to raise the issue of psychiatric problems and their importance alongside physical problems.

 Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most familiar childhood psychiatric disorders. Various molecular genetic reviews indicate that genes are crucial in susceptibility to ADHD. The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) has polymorphisms that correlate with ADHD. The association between ADHD and SLC6A4 gene variants in the Iranian population has not been investigated yet.

 This study analyzed the STin2 (intron 2) variant of the SLC6A4 gene in Iranian children and adolescents with ADHD.

 In this retrospective case-control study, 86 ADHD patients and 99 healthy volunteers aged five to 14 were enrolled as the case and control groups, respectively. The STin2 (intron2) fragment of the SLC6A4 gene was amplified using specific primers by conventional PCR, and three STin2 alleles of the SLC6A4 gene (STin2.9, STin2.10, and STin2.12) were examined using the acrylamide gel method.

 We found no significant difference between the ADHD and control groups in STin2.9 (34.9% vs. 39.4%, P-value = 0.824), STin2.10 (29.1% vs. 23.2%, P-value = 1.354), and STin2.12 (36% vs. 36.4%, P-value = 0.986) variants.

 There was no association between the frequency of STin2 variant alleles of the SLC6A4 gene and ADHD, but in the study of risk estimation, allele 10 of this variant was a risk allele in ADHD patients.

 Numerous autoimmune disorders accompany with psychosis. The Vogt-Koyanagi-Harada (VKH) disease is an autoimmune disease with no reports about its concomitance with psychosis so far.

 We report the co-occurrence of schizophrenic spectrum diseases with VKH for the first time. They have common manifestations such as aggression, agitation, and self-talking, subsiding after chemotherapy. Workup evaluation was performed by computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), electroencephalography (EEG), lumbar puncture (LP) study, IQ test, lab tests for hepatitis and other infections, and retinal angiography and sonography. The patient underwent corticosteroid therapy, immunosuppressive therapy, risperidone, propranolol, and trihexyphenidyl.

 Our results showed the significant role of autoimmunity in the genesis of psychosis. On the other hand, unusual manifestations and slow response to treatment in these patients show that autoimmune disorders with psychosis may worsen the prognosis of psychosis.

Context: 

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a neurological disease in which the myelin lining the central nervous system is damaged and often occurs between the ages of 20 and 40. In addition to loss of motor, sensory, and cognitive function, patients with MS also experience related symptoms such as depression, anxiety, stress, fatigue, and pain.

 The aim of this study was to systematically and meta-analyze the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness and acceptance and commitment (CMAC) therapies to improving the psychological symptoms of patients with multiple sclerosis in Iran.

 The study was conducted using preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis. This study examined articles published from the beginning until November 20, 2021 in Persian and English on cognitive and behavioral interventions performed in Iran, in order to influence psychological symptoms for people with multiple sclerosis. Articles relevant to research were screened in external (Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, Science Direct, Web of Science) and internal databases (Sid, Magiran, Ganj, Irandoc, Civilica). The quality of the included RCTs was assessed using the Cochrane guideline risk of bias tool. The results were expressed in terms of mean difference (MD) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval. Data analyses were performed by RevMan5.4.

 In the first stage of the search, 792 articles were obtained. After reviewing the titles of the articles, 701 articles were discarded due to irrelevance and duplication and 91 articles remained. Finally, 21 studies were selected by reviewing the abstracts and considering the inclusion criteria. Compared with the control group, the standardized mean difference (SMD) estimate depression was 1.60 (2.27, 0.93), for anxiety 0.49 (0.80, 0.19), for stress 0.97 (1.70, 0.23) and for fatigue 0.19 (2.75, 1.25) had a positive effect; But no significant effect on pain reduction equal to 0.49 (2.21, 1.23) was not found.

 The meta-analysis in the posttest showed that the effects of CMAC were considerable on reducing depression, anxiety, stress, and fatigue, but the effects were not notable for pain mitigation. Future high quality studies with follow-up evaluations are needed to support the effects of CMAC on reducing symptoms in people with multiple sclerosis and to evaluate the interventional features that enhance and maintain the effects.

 Child sexual abuse is a public health problem in most countries. Sensitization, research, and programs for identifying and preventing child sexual abuse have been carried out at the national level with increased political and social awareness and international commitments to decline its consequences.

 This study investigated the facilitators and barriers to community-based interventions for child sexual abuse.

 Semi-structured interviews were conducted between September 2021 and March 2022 with 15 purposefully selected experts. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the content analysis method.

 Several barriers and facilitators affected child sexual abuse interventions. The barriers included: (1) sociocultural challenges; (2) legal challenges and gaps; and (3) managerial-structural challenges, while the facilitators were: (1) the improvement of the quality of provided services; and (2) facilitative role of the law.

 Social interventions for child sexual abuse could consider some items to improve implementation, namely as follow: (1) the intersectional cooperation of organizations and beneficiaries to conduct child abuse interventions for children and their families at the local and national levels; (2) the implementation of empowerment activities for the return of children and parents to the community after child sexual abuse; and (3) the revision of the laws and establishment of more deterrent punishments.

Context: 

Methamphetamine (MA) use and the mortality it causes are increasing worldwide. The neurobiological mechanisms underlying the destructive effects of MA use are complex; however, there is much evidence that MA induces the dysfunction of monoaminergic transmission and causes oxidative stress, neuroinflammation, gliosis, and apoptosis. These toxic effects are associated with cardiotoxicity and neurotoxicity and with an imbalance in the autonomic nervous system, which altogether manifest themselves in clinical symptoms, such as neuropsychiatric disorders and cardiovascular diseases.

Evidence Acquisition: 

There is no approved treatment for methamphetamine use disorder (MUD) despite all efforts made to date. The behavioral and pharmacological approaches currently used for the treatment of MUD are not completely effective. In this study, it is hypothesized that the stimulation of the vagus nerve and biological pathways underlying the processes of this stimulation might be effective as adjunctive therapy.

 Despite the potential effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) to improve MUD, no study has yet examined the clinical potential effects of VNS in patients with the disorder.

 Therefore, further studies, including experimental and clinical trials, are needed to examine the effects of VNS on MUD.

 Uncivil behavior in clinical learning environments is a growing challenge that severely disrupts the teaching and learning process.

 The aim of this study is to evaluate the incidence of uncivil behavior in clinical learning environments from the perspective of nursing students in western Iran.

 In this self-report descriptive cross-sectional study in the 2020 year, 135 undergraduate nursing students of semesters 3, 4, 6, and 8, who were taking training and internship courses, were enrolled. The standard UBCNE questionnaire with 20 questions based on the Likert scale and subscales of exclusionary, hostile/rude, and dismissive behaviors constituted research tools. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and descriptive and inferential statistics.

 103 (76.3%) trainees and 32 (23.7%) interns with a mean age of 21.53 years (1.60) participated in this study. According to the results of the Kruskal-Wallis test, the mean scores of hostile/rude, exclusionary, and dismissive behaviors and the total score in different semesters were significantly different (P < 0.001). In terms of the semester, these behaviors had the highest rate in semester 6 students and the lowest in semester 8 students. There was no statistically significant relationship between gender and the mean incidence of these behaviors in students.

 The results show the students’ experience with different behaviors in clinical settings according to different contexts. Further research is required to understand these behaviors in clinical settings better and to provide strategies to minimize such behaviors.

 Anxiety persists following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and has caused dysfunction.

 We compared the effect of the online Balint group and pharmacotherapy on COVID-19-induced anxiety in Iranian healthcare workers (HCWs).

 In the current clinical trial in the north of Iran in 2021, the participants were randomly assigned to two groups, including the Balint group (eight 60-minute online sessions) and the pharmacotherapy group (sertraline), following a phone screening procedure by a psychiatrist. The groups filled out two questionnaires, namely the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale and Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, at baseline and after the intervention (fourth week).

 Forty-five HCWs were assessed. There was a significant difference in total anxiety score and also in sub-component in each group (P ≤ 0.001). No significant differences were observed regarding the effectiveness of both interventions in anxiety (P = 0.52); however, the pharmacotherapy interventions significantly affected the resilience and related subscales (P ≤ 0.05). The domain of spiritual influences significantly increased in the pharmacotherapy group (P = 0.031).

 Balint group and pharmacotherapy can improve COVID-19-induced anxiety and boost resilience in HCWs.

 Risk-taking has an influential role in accident occurrence or prevention. Hence, having a valid tool to evaluate workers for risk-taking is necessary. Risk-taking has been intensely studied in the field of psychology and neuroscience, leading to the development of several questionnaires and software.

 In the present study, a new questionnaire was developed and validated based on the conceptual model to assess risk-taking behavior in people working in operator control rooms in industrial settings.

 Questions were selected from well-known psychological scales based on a conceptual model, followed by approving its face validity and conducting exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Afterward, some models were computed with confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and Bayesian structural equation modeling (BSEM). The questionnaire was completed by 208 males who worked in the control room of some industries in Markazi province, Iran, in 2021. Test-retest reliability was done by 42 participants at a three-month interval.

 One factor and 12 items were suggested by EFA. The model was accepted based on the results of Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire (ORTQ) goodness of fit CFA (χ2/df = 1.89, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.90, root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0.09, and P < 0.001). The correlation coefficient (P < 0.001) between risk-taking and impulsivity was 0.65. However, it was 0.69 between venturesomeness and risk-taking and 0.58 between impulsivity and venturesomeness. Cronbach's alpha was 0.89 for ORTQ test-retest reliability. Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire was confirmed to have a better leave-one-out cross-validation information criterion (LOOIC) based on BSEM rather than Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis (BCFA).

 Operator Control Room Risk-taking Questionnaire is a valid and reliable questionnaire that can be used as a screening tool for risk-taking traits in workers before enrolment.

 Neuropsychiatric disorders are described by their neurological, behavioral, and cognitive symptoms. However, behavioral symptoms may often be overlooked due to the current approach in neurology.

 This study investigated the relationship between behavioral symptoms and cognitive functioning in neurological disorders. The second aim was to predict neurocognitive patterns by behavioral symptoms as independent variables.

 Behavioral symptoms were collected based on semi-structured neuropsychiatric interviews with 211 patients admitted to the neuropsychiatry department of Ayatollah Kashani hospital in Isfahan by both a neuropsychiatry fellow and an attending neuropsychiatrist. A neuropsychiatry fellow assessed all patients using the neuropsychiatry unit cognitive (NUCog) assessment tool. We used a generalized linear model (GLM) to indicate the effect of behavioral symptoms on the risk of decline in cognitive domains. Due to the use of all available samples, this study had no age limit, and the patients were 15 to 92 years old.

 The regression coefficient of NUCog subscale scores for behavioral symptoms using GLM revealed that education level had a positive relationship with the scores of attention (P < 0.001), visuoconstruction (P < 0.001), memory (P < 0.001), executive function (P < 0.001), language (P < 0.001), and the total score of NUCog (P < 0.001). Patients with apathy had lower scores on the memory subscale (P = 0.002) and total NUCog (P = 0.021). Similarly, patients with delusion had lower scores on memory (P = 0.006) and executive function (P = 0.026). There was a negative relationship between agitation and attention (P = 0.049), visuoconstruction (P = 0.015), memory (P = 0.018), executive function (P = 0.005), and total score of NUCog (P = 0.007). Sleep disturbances were accompanied by lower memory scores (P = 0.056) and lower mean NUCog scores (P = 0.052). Visual hallucination was associated with declined performance in attention (P = 0.057).

 Behavioral assessment can help predict cognitive patterns in patients with neurobehavioral syndromes.

 Cerebral palsy (CP) is a developmental-neurological disorder that is common in children. As children with CP have several problems and limitations regarding locomotion and mobility, accessing an assessment tool for measuring mobility is crucial.

 This study aims to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the 47-item mobility questionnaire in Iranian children with cerebral palsy between 6 and 12 years of age in Tehran, Iran September 2019.

 In this psychometric study, 202 participants (84 girls and 118 boys, with a mean age of 95.92 months ± 23.73), 15 parents, and nine occupational therapists participated. A multistage sampling method was used. Content, construct, convergent, and face validity were estimated. Internal validity and test-retest reliability were studied, too. The convergent validity of MobQ was studied according to the gross motor functions classification scale (GMFCS).

 The results showed that all items of the 47-item mobility questionnaire had a content validity higher than the minimum acceptable value (0.78 for CVR and 0.79 for CVI). Further, based on the opinions of 9 experts and 15 persons completing the questionnaire, an understandable and unambiguous questionnaire was reported regarding face validity. The evaluation of the intragroup correlation coefficient's reliability in this study also showed that ICC was 0.998 and Cronbach's alpha coefficient value was 0.996. A Spearman correlation coefficient of 0.937 was obtained to assess the convergent validity of the Persian version of the "Mobility Questionnaire" and the Gross Motor Skills Classification Scale.

 The results of this study, therefore, showed that the Persian version of the 47-item mobility questionnaire had good psychometric characteristics for children with CP between 6 and 12 years of age. Therefore, this questionnaire can be suitable for measuring children's mobility in research and clinical studies.

 Medical students serve as frontline individuals to COVD-19 patients, and their mental health affects the quality and safety of the provided services.

 The present study aimed to identify the relationship between anxiety, resilience, and posttraumatic growth of medical interns during COVID-19 pandemic.

 This descriptive-correlational study was conducted in Kerman and Isfahan, Iran, from June to September 2020. The socio-demographic questionnaire, Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RIS), and Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) were completed by 235 medical students. Pearson correlation test and descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.

 The mean and standard deviation scores of anxiety, resilience, and posttraumatic growth were 10.49, 1.08, and 50.60, as well as 13.39, 65.70, and 15.90, respectively. The results showed no significant relationship between anxiety and resilience (r = 0.16 and P = 0.057). A positive and significant correlation was observed between resilience and posttraumatic growth (r = 0.42 and P = 0.000). Furthermore, a significant negative correlation was found between anxiety and posttraumatic growth scores (r = -0.20 and P = 0.002).

 In sum, the more resilient and less anxious a person was, the greater his/her posttraumatic growth became. Therefore, it was recommended that appropriate psychological interventions be designed and implemented to improve the mental health of medical interns.

 Depression is a common and debilitating disorder of the brain. Many pharmacological therapies, including many plant components (such as flavonoids), are used to treat depression. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a useful method for depressed patients who do not respond to medication. However, this method has some side effects. Hence, investigators have tried to improve ECT’s positive points by diminishing its side effects.

 We investigated the effect of hesperetin (a flavonoid component) on the antidepressant activity of ECT in an enforced reserpine model of depression in male rats.

 Eighty male rats (230 - 250 g) were randomly divided into control, ECT + reserpine (Res), Res + hesperetin (Hes; 10 or 20 mg/kg), Res + ECT, and Res + ECT + Hes (10 or 20 mg/kg) groups. The effects of hesperetin were evaluated by the forced swimming test (FST), sucrose preference test (SPT), open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze test (EPMT), as well as by measurement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and oxidative stress biomarkers [ie, malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and glutathione (GSH)] in the prefrontal cortex area.

 The outcomes of the behavioral experiments showed that Hes + ECT treatment could raise the percentage of open arm entrance in EPMT, anhedonia in SPT, and decrease immobilization time in FST compared to the groups treated with ECT (P < 0.05) or hesperetin alone. Our biochemical research also illustrated a significant reduction in MDA in the groups treated with ECT + Hes (10 or 20 mg/kg; P < 0.01 and P < 0.001) and ECT or hesperetin, as well as a significant increase in GSH, SOD, and BDNF in the ECT + Hes (20 mg/kg) animal group (P < 0.001).

 In depressed rats, the ECT linked to the application of hesperetin could significantly elevate BDNF, GSH, and SOD reduction in depressed male rats.

 The process of cognitive control and resultant selective attention construct the shared root of a continuum of neurocognitive functions. Efficient inhibition of task-irrelevant information and unwanted attributes has been evaluated through various paradigms. Stroop tasks in different forms could provide a platform for detecting the state of this type of inhibition and selective attention. Computational modeling of electroencephalography (EEG) signals associated with attentional control could complement the investigations of this discipline.

 We used a machine learning-based classification to examine whether earlier or later epochs are more representative. So, through the present preliminary investigation, Gaussian SVM models were trained on the early (150 - 300 ms) and late (350 - 500 ms) intervals.

 Ninety-six trials of a three-condition Color-Word Stroop task were performed while recording EEG. All subjects (9 participants) were right-handed (20 - 25 years), and half were male. Three-condition signal epochs were redefined as two conditions: (1) differentiated incongruent epochs (DIe), which are incongruent epochs that their equivalent congruent epochs are subtracted from and (2) neutral epochs, in which intervals of 150 - 300 ms and 350 - 500 ms post-stimulus were extracted. Preprocessed data were then analyzed, and the whole EEG epoch was considered the variable to be compared between conditions. An acceptably fitted support vector machine (SVM) algorithm classified the data.

 For each individual, the comparison was made regarding DIe and neutral epochs for two intervals (150 - 300 and 350 - 500 ms). The SVM classification method provided acceptable accuracies at 59 - 65% for the 150 - 300 ms interval and 65 - 70% for the 350 - 500 ms interval within individuals. Regarding frequency domain assessments, the Delta frequency band for these two intervals showed no significant difference between the two conditions.

 The SVM models performed better for the late event-related epoch (350 - 500 ms) classification. Hence, selective attention-related features were more significant in this temporal interval.

 The occurrence of some psychological and emotional crisis in pregnancy may lead to postpartum depression in mothers.

 This prospective cohort study aimed to estimate the incidence of postpartum depression (PPD) and its associated factors among Iranian mothers.

 A total of 164 women in their third trimester of pregnancy were recruited through quota sampling from February to July 2018 in Kerman, Iran. Women suffering from depression were excluded. The remained healthy women (n = 164) were traced up to two months after the delivery. The incidence of PPD was calculated by dividing the number of new cases of depression within the postpartum period by the number of initial healthy mothers. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was applied to detect PPD. The Cox regression model was used to assess PPD-related factors. Crude and adjusted hazard ratios, as well as their 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were reported. P-values of < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. SPSS version 22 was used to analyze the data.

 The incidence of PPD within the two months after delivery was 9.8% and was higher among mothers who had high-school diploma or lower (11.9% vs. 6.4%), had unplanned pregnancy (25% vs. 9.2%), underwent cesarean section (11.3% vs. 8.7%), or were multiparous (10.6% vs. 6.3%). The mean (SD) social support was lower among mothers with depression (69.1 ± 13.1 vs. 77.4 ± 16.6). There was significant association between type of delivery (adjusted hazard ratio [AHR] = 0.57, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) = 0.36; 0.97) and social support (AHR = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.93; 0.97) with PPD.

 In sum, the concerning incidence of PPD highlighted the need for establishment and strengthening of screening programs during the post-partum period. Families’ knowledge about the significance of providing sufficient social support for mothers may have prevented this disorder and therefore, it was recommended that it should be incorporated into prenatal cares.

 Drug abuse and its consequences place a considerable social and economic burden on society. Drug abuse has increased in Iran and reached three times the global average, indicating the need to develop innovative strategies to cope with this phenomenon.

 Following a community-based participatory research approach, the aim was to identify the lived experience of drug users regarding the psychological aspect of their lifestyle.

 Narrative inquiry and phenomenological design were applied as the research framework. The use of in-depth interviews and field notes guided the data collection and analysis. A total of 26 in-depth interviews were conducted with people who suffered from drug use (7 females and 19 males) in 2021. Interviews ranging from 70 to 90 minutes and conducted in a quiet, private location chosen by the researcher. All interviews were audio-taped and transcribed, and analyzed using Colaizzi's method. Data analysis was administered using MAXQDA version 2020.

 Most of the participants were educated Diploma and above. The participants' age ranged from 25 to 53 years old. The analysis revealed four themes, and 11 sub-themes emerged. The themes were as follows: (1) negative emotions; (2) poor psychological capital; (3) poor support; and (4) psychological well-being.

 The most important problems of people with substance use, in the psychological dimension of lifestyle, include experiencing negative emotions, weak psychological capital, weak social support, unhealthy psychological well-being such as negative self-acceptance, reduced positive relations, not having a purposeful life, and inability to control environmental pressures. Hopefully, this study can help health policymakers develop more effective strategies against drug use.