مجله روانشناسی و روانپزشکی شناخت
سال دهم شماره 1 (پیاپی 46، فروردین و اردیبهشت 1402)

Due to the high prevalence of different levels of memory disorders and amnesia, many psychiatry and psychology referrals are due to the fear of diseases that cause dementia, including Alzheimer's disease. However, many of these disorders have internal causes and can be classified as functional cognitive disorders. Although the diagnosis of cognitive disorder is made by ruling out organic causes, it is difficult to diagnose functional disorders, thus most of these disorders are not diagnosed. It has been determined that depression, anxiety and behavioral disorders can be precursors of mild cognitive impairment, but it has not been determined whether functional cognitive impairment can also be a trigger or precursor for organic cognitive disorders related to dementia. The typical form of functional cognitive disorder overlaps with the components of attention and concentration. The coexistence of these disorders with depression can make the diagnosis of functional cognitive disorders more difficult. Therefore, it is important to rule out pseudodementia due to depression before making such a diagnosis. Since functional cognitive impairment occur in the midlife period, these disorders are differentially diagnosed with early-onset neurodegenerative disorders. Regardless of the research conducted in the field of diagnosing functional cognitive disorders, no definitive diagnostic criteria have been determined for these disorders, and the long-term prognosis of these disorders is also unknown.

Emotional temperaments are consistently associated with psychopathology and recognized as a risk factor for many psychological disorders. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain unclear.

This study aimed to conduct a path analysis of the effects of emotional temperaments on the symptoms of conduct disorder in adolescents by investigating the mediating role of anger rumination.

This descriptive, correlational study was conducted by the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population consisted of all first- and second-grade high school students in Urmia, Iran, in 2020-2021 academic years. A total of 220 students were selected by the multistage random sampling method and completed the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (2003), Affective and Emotional Composite Temperaments Scale (2011), and Anger Rumination Scale (2001). Descriptive statistics were calculated to analyze the collected data in SPSS version 27, and a path analysis was performed using SmartPLS version 3 to test the study hypotheses.

The emotional temperaments of activation (β=0.21, p<0.01) and sensitivity (β=0.26, p<0.01) had direct positive effects on the symptoms of conduct disorder, whereas temperaments of control (β=-0.29, p<0.01), coping (β=-0.18, p<0.01), and inhibition (β=-0.11, p<0.01) had direct negative effects on these symptoms. The temperaments of activation (β=0.21, p<0.05), inhibition (β=0.11, p<0.01), and sensitivity (β=0.36, p<0.01) had direct positive effects on anger rumination, while the temperaments of control (β=-0.45, p<0.01) and coping (β=-0.28, p<0.05) had direct negative effects on this variable. The results pertaining to the indirect effects of temperaments also indicated that anger rumination mediated the relationship between emotional temperaments and symptoms of conduct disorder (p<0.05).

The results of the present study revealed that the temperaments of activation and sensitivity were risk factors for conduct disorder, whereas the temperaments of control, coping, and inhibition were protective factors for it. Besides, anger rumination mediated the effects of emotional temperaments on conduct disorder.

Today, cosmetic surgery is an option to improve the quality of life. It is acquiring an increasing tendency all over the world.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between experiential avoidance with body image concern in predicting positive attitude towards performing cosmetic surgery in referrals to the dermatologists, hair and cosmetologists.

The research method was correlational, structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all the referrals to clinics of dermatologists and hair specialists, cosmetic and plastic surgeries in Sanandaj city in 2021. The sample size was determined 272 people using Morgan's table. The research instruments included the Standard Questionnaires of Experimental Avoidance, Attitude to Cosmetic Surgery, and the Lillton Body Image Concern. In order to analyze the data, statistical methods of Pearson's correlation coefficient, multivariate regression analysis in a simultaneous way, and structural equation modeling were used by applying SPSS version 26 and LISREL version 8.8 software.

The results showed that there was a positive and significant relationship between experimental avoidance with image concern (p<0.01, r=0.59), and positive tendency to cosmetic surgery (p<0.01, r=0.25). Also, there is a positive and significant relationship between body image concern and cosmetic surgery (p<0.01, r=0.49). The data analysis shows the appropriateness of the indicators and the model had a good fit.

The result of the research showed that the positive tendency towards cosmetic surgery can be predicted by the variables of experimental avoidance and body image concern. Therefore, it is suggested that psychologists and counselors pay more attention to the role of experimental avoidance and body image concern in order to reduce the possibility of the referrals tending to cosmetic surgeries.

Extramarital affairs disrupt family functioning and have serious negative consequences for the family members.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of combined cognitive-behavioral couple therapy and integrated behavioral couple therapy in improving family functioning in couples with extramarital affairs.

In this quasi-experimental study, with a pretest-posttest control group design, the statistical population consisted of all couples, referred to the counseling centers of Mashhad, Iran in 2021. Thirty nine couples were selected using the convenience sampling method among people with extramarital relationships and randomly assigned to three groups: control group (13 couples), combined cognitive-behavioral couple therapy (13 couples), and integrative behavioral couple therapy (13 couples). The experimental and control groups completed the Family Functioning Scale by Epstein et al. (1983) before and after the interventions. In order to data analysis covariance analysis was performed in SPSS version 20.

Results indicated that the scores of all family functioning components significantly decreased in the intervention groups compared to the control group (P<0.05). Combined cognitive-behavioral couple therapy was more effective in the dimensions of problem-solving and communication, while integrated behavioral couple therapy was more effective in emotional companionship (P<0.05).

According to the present results, both combined cognitive-behavioral therapy and integrated behavioral couple therapy had positive effects on improving family functioning. Therefore, depending on the conditions and type of marital problems, therapists are suggested to use a combination of these two methods to improve family functioning in couples with extramarital relationships.

Despite the negative consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health, our knowledge of the changes in the severity of symptoms of psychological disorders during the pandemic is insufficient.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the changes in the symptoms of anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, social anxiety, and generalized anxiety in the student population during the covid-19 pandemic.

This study is a longitudinal descriptive study in terms of data collection. A sample of 376 people was selected with the convenience sampling method from the Zanjan University of Medical Sciences and Zanjan National University undergraduate students using an online research platform (Porsal). The sample was evaluated in 4 stages at 6-month intervals from April 2020 to September 2021. BDI-II, BAI, GAD-7, OCI-R, and SPIN were used for data collection. The data were analyzed by repeated measure ANOVA using SPSS version 26, and R software.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, the intensity of symptoms of anxiety (p=0.008), obsessive-compulsive (p=0.023) and generalized anxiety (p=0.052) had an increasing trend, and with the subsidence of the pandemic conditions, the intensity of these symptoms has also been reduced. However, the intensity of depression was continuously increasing (p=0.001), and the intensity of social anxiety also had slight changes (p=0.964).

Covid-19 pandemic has caused a significant increase in the severity of the symptoms of psychological disorders; therefore, it is necessary to investigate the underlying factors of these changes and other psychological consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic by conducting more extensive studies.

Marital satisfaction is a crucial state and Linked with the survival of a marriage for spouses and takes a different form in blended families.

The purpose of this study was developing a conceptual model of explaining marital satisfaction of spouses in Iranian blended families using grounded theory.

In this qualitative grounded theory study, the statistical population included all couples in blended families living in Mashhad, Iran in 2022. A total of 21 couples were purposefully and voluntarily selected for in-depth semi-structured interviews. The interviews were continued until theoretical saturation and the data were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s method.

In the paradigmatic model, fifteen categories were obtained in six main dimensions: causal conditions (type and motivation of marriage, physical and psychological health, commitment, sexual satisfaction, imprinting, emotional factors, disposition, behavioral factors, personality and behavioral traits, parenting), central category (communication skills), strategical category (lawful living), contextual conditions (demographics), intervening conditions (economic and financial needs, extrafamilial needs, cooperation), and outcome (personal and social).

The results indicated that communication skills, lawful living, physical and psychological health, commitment, sexual satisfaction, financial needs, cognitive-behavioral factors, personality traits, and parenting were linked with marital satisfaction of couples in blended families. Therefore, it is recommended to use the findings in premarital and marriage counseling for blended families and marriage enrichment programs.

Today, obesity caused by emotional overeating has become a ubiquitous phenomenon with major side effects.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based group therapy and group schema therapy in emotion regulation difficulties and body mass index (BMI) of obese people with emotional eating.

In this quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest, control group, follow-up design, the population included all men and women, aged 21-50 years, who were referred to the nutrition and obesity clinics of Tehran, Iran, from September 2020 to December 2020. The study sample included 45 obese people with emotional eating, who were selected through convenience sampling among individuals visiting Mehrdadi and Behpouyan nutrition and obesity clinics and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The data collection tools were the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (1986), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale by Gratz and Romer (2004), and BMI measurement. The collected data were analyzed using analysis of covariance and Bonferroni's post-hoc test in SPSS version 24.

Results from Covariance analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the scores of control and experimental groups. Compared to the control group, the experimental groups have improved emotion regulation and reduced body mass index. In addition to results indicated that acceptance and commitment-based group therapy and group schema therapy similarly improved emotion regulation and reduced the BMI of obese people with emotional overeating (P<0.05).

Acceptance and commitment-based group therapy and group schema therapy were effective methods in improving emotion regulation difficulties and reducing the BMI of obese people with emotional eating. So it's suggested to use these methods in the treatment of obese people suffering from emotional overeating.

Students’ sense of responsibility has a substantial impact on their academic and professional progress, as well as the future of their society. Therefore, it is necessary to examine and identify factors influencing their sense of responsibility.

The present study aimed to propose a model of responsibility based on identity styles with the mediating role of self-concept.

In this correlational study, the path analysis method was applied. The study population consisted of all students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, and Science and Research Branch of Islamic Azad University in 2022. A total of 411 students were selected via random cluster sampling. The data collection tools were Kurdlo's Responsibility Questionnaire (2015), Identity Style Inventory (1989), and Rogers’ Self-Concept Scale (1957). Pearson's correlation coefficient test was carried out using AMOS version 24 and SPSS version 25 for statistical analysis.

The correlation coefficients indicated significant positive correlations between informative and normative identity styles and the sense of responsibility, with the mediating role of self-concept, while the diffuse/avoidant identity style had a significant negative correlation with the sense of responsibility (P<0.01). Moreover, the coefficients were significant for the indirect effects of informative identity style (β=0.028, t=5.17), normative identity style (β=0.047, t=4.32), and diffuse/avoidant identity style (β=-0.056, t=-3.27) on the students’ sense of responsibility, with the mediating role of self-concept (P<0.05). The direct path coefficients for all three identity styles in predicting responsibility were also significant (P<0.01).

The present results showed that self-concept mediated the students’ sense of responsibility based on identity styles. Therefore, authorities should take the necessary measures to improve the students’ sense of responsibility, depending on their identity styles.

Patients with depression and comorbid anxiety experience more complicated and higher levels of psychological harm than the ones without comorbidity.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional schema therapy on the intolerance of uncertainty and the difficulty of emotion regulation in people suffering from comorbid depression and anxiety.

This study was a quasi-experimental research, applying a pre-test and post-test control group design. After interviewing a group of patients with depression and comorbid anxiety who attended counseling centers in Isfahan in 2019, 32 women participants were chosen. Then they were randomly assigned to two groups, including an experimental group and a control group. Each group consisted of 16 participants. The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (1994) and the Emotion Regulation Difficulty Scale (2004) were used as the instruments of the study. The experimental group went through emotional schema therapy, which lasted for ten 90-minute sessions. The data analysis was performed through repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni's post hoc test, using SPSS-22.

The results of the study indicated that emotional schema therapy had a significant effect on uncertainty intolerance and emotion regulation difficulty in both intra- and inter-group status (P<0.01). The effect of this intervention lasted until the follow-up session. The effect size for uncertainty intolerance and emotion regulation difficulty were 0.324 and 0.430 respectively (P<0.01).

Emotional schema therapy as a unified treatment can improve trans-diagnostic factors of depression and comorbid anxiety. If proven in various studies in terms of applicability, this intervention can be pioneering in the treatment of depression and comorbid anxiety.

During the outbreak of Corona, the anxiety due to Corona led to psychological distress and challenged distress tolerance.

The present study aimed to investigate the structural relationships between Corona anxiety and experiential avoidance with the mediating role of distress tolerance in the period of the outbreak of Covid-19.

The method of this study was based on the fundamental objective and the descriptive method of the correlation type based on the structural equation method. The statistical population included all students of Kharazmi University in 2018-2019, who were students during the outbreak of Corona and virtual education. Based on this, 350 students were selected by multi-stage cluster random sampling. The participants responded to Alipour et al.'s Corona Anxiety Scale (2018), Simons and Gaher's Distress Tolerance Scale (2005), and Bond et al.'s (2011) Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire in a Google form. Finally, the data were analyzed via SPSS-24 and AMOS-14.

The results showed; the structural model between Corona anxiety and experiential avoidance with the mediating role of distress tolerance had the goodness of fitness. The direct effect of experiential avoidance on the anxiety of Corona disease was positively significant, therefore, the direct effect of experimental avoidance on distress tolerance and distress tolerance on Corona anxiety was negatively significant (P<0.01).

Experiential avoidance can predict the level of Corona anxiety with the mediating role of distress tolerance. Based on the findings, it is suggested; researchers should pay attention to the psychological findings obtained from this study in future studies in the field of disease anxiety, especially diseases that are highly contagious such as covid-19 in humans.

Due to the significance of desirable organizational behaviors, all available resources have been utilized to improve organizational behavior training.

The purpose of this qualitative research is to provide a model for enhancing organizational behavior training based on cognitive-behavioral components.

The current research was mixed in terms of data collection and applied in terms of purpose. According to Strauss and Corbin's model, the qualitative method employed grounded theory. The statistical population of the research consisted of individuals who were familiar with the research topic, and according to the method of purposeful sampling, the number of 15 individuals was determined until theoretical saturation was reached. Tehran was the location of the research, and 2022 was the year of its implementation. Also included in the data collection tool were interviews. To analyze the data, coding was employed. In MaxQD, the entire data analysis process was performed.

According to the results, it was determined that infrastructure, cultural issues, specialized knowledge, and motivation should be emphasized in organizational behavior training. In addition, the findings revealed that there are both macro and micro barriers to enhancing organizational behavior training.

Creating a platform for enhancing infrastructure, cultural issues, specialized knowledge, and motivation can serve as a foundation for enhancing organizational behavior training. Attention to the provided template can play a decisive role in enhancing cognitive-behavioral component-based organizational behavior training.

Addiction treatment is one of the challenges facing mental health studies, leading to failure if psychological components are not considered.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and schema therapy on the self-efficacy of addicts undergoing methadone maintenance treatment.

The research was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest control group design. The study population included all addicts undergoing methadone maintenance treatment in de-addiction clinics in district 5 of Tehran during 2021-2022, of which 3 clinics and 54 patients were purposefully selected, based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria and placed randomly in two experimental groups and one control group. The research instrument was Sherer's General Self-efficacy Scale (1982). The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test through SPSS-26.

The results showed that schema therapy significantly affected self-efficacy (P<0.001, F(1.167, 32.687)=43.881). Emotion-focused therapy also improved significantly self-efficacy (P<0.001, F(2, 56)=29.048). Moreover, the results from comparing the two treatment methods indicated that in the post-test stage, emotion-focused therapy was more effective in improving self-efficacy and the component "coping with obstacles" in addicts undergoing methadone maintenance treatment than schema therapy.

Considering the effectiveness of both treatments on self-efficacy and its components, it is suggested that therapists of addicts, especially patients treated with methadone, use these treatment methods to treat clients. Additionally, as emotion-focused therapy had a relative superiority, it can be used especially to improve coping with obstacles.