فصلنامه علوم روانشناختی
پیاپی 125 (امرداد 1402)

Adolescents' mental health is related to many aspects of their daily functioning. According to research, poor quality of life is known to cause mental health problems in teenagers. As a deprived demographic group, Afghan teenagers living in Iran face many challenges in various fields such as education, job, identity, exile, and discrimination, negatively impacting their quality of life. Considering that the health of Iranian society is affected by the presence of Afghan teenagers, there is a need for analytical research in this field. However, not enough research has been done in this area.

The aim of the present study was to compare social health and the level of depression, anxiety, and aggression experienced in Afghan teenagers with high and low quality of life living in Tehran.

The current research is a descriptive study, using the causal-comparative method, which compares Afghan teenagers with high and low quality of life. The statistical population of this research included all Afghan boys and girls living in Tehran who were studying in the second semester of the academic year 2019-2019. Sampling was done in a purposeful and random way. In this way, first, according to the cut score of 78 in the quality of life questionnaire, 30 teenage girls with high quality of life, 30 teenage girls with low quality of life, 30 teenage boys with high quality of life, and 30 teenage boys with low quality of life, for Each group was selected. Then, other research tools including the Beck depression questionnaire, Beck anxiety questionnaire, Bass and Perry aggression questionnaire, and social health questionnaire (KSWBQ) were also implemented and scored. Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), James-Huell post hoc test, and Tukey's post hoc test.

In general, except for depression, which was not significant among the groups, Afghan teenage girls and boys with low quality of life were significantly different in terms of anxiety and aggression compared to Afghan teenage girls and boys with high quality of life. However, boys and girls with low quality of life did not differ from boys and girls with high quality of life in terms of social health.

Timely diagnosis and intervention regarding the mental and social health problems of Afghan teenagers living in Iran can reduce the occurrence of more severe mental health and social problems in the future and has a positive effect on the career and overall life of this group. Therefore, it is necessary to design and implement preventive, therapeutic, and educational interventions to improve the quality of life of Afghan teenagers.

Considering the significant impact of early childhood experiences on various dimensions of physical and psychological life and related problems and according to the literature, the lack of a coherent questionnaire to investigate adverse experiences is obvious, so it is essential to prepare a valid questionnaire to perform preventive and therapeutic interventions.

The purpose of the present study was to validate the International Adverse Childhood Experience Questionnaire (ACE-IQ) in Mashhad.

Regarding methodology, this research was among the descriptive researches of (survey) type. The statistical population included all people over 18 years of age living in Mashhad in 2021, of which 285 people were selected by purposive sampling. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to examine validity with the help of SPSS21 and AMOS22 software.

The content of the International Adverse Childhood Experiences Questionnaire items showed that this scale has six factors with favorable fit indices. Also, Cronbach's alpha values for the subscales related to parents and caregivers, family environment, aggression, peer violence, witnessing community violence, and witnessing collective violence or war are acceptable. The results showed that this questionnaire has good convergent and divergent construct validity.

The findings of this research showed that based on the obtained factors, the International Questionnaire of Adverse Childhood Experiences is a suitable scale for evaluating adverse childhood experiences in Iran and can be used as a valid scale in fields such as research and assessment.

Due to the unpredictable nature of MS and high levels of anxiety, depression, and fatigue, psychological interventions can help improve worry, rumination, stress, and anxiety. Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy, which includes the development of awareness, a specific attitude framework, and a correct understanding of vulnerability, has led to the improvement of psychological symptoms and self-efficacy. It encourages clients to focus on their abilities and capabilities and seek solutions to their problems. However, comparative research on these two treatments has been neglected in the past.

The present study was conducted to compare the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and solution-focused therapy on the quality of life of patients with multiple sclerosis.

This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and a control group. The sample size was 60 patients with multiple sclerosis in the city of Mashhad who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly divided into two experimental groups (n = 40) and a control group (n = 20). The first experimental group received 8 two-hour sessions of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy by Segal et al. (2002) and the second experimental group also received 7 two-hour sessions of short-term solution–focused therapy by Desharz et al. (1970). The quality of life questionnaire of Vickery Multiple Sclerosis patients (1995) was completed by the subjects of all groups before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) and Multivariate Analysis of Covariance (MANCOVA).

The results of the analysis of covariance showed that Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and short-term solution–focused therapy increased the mean score of quality of life and its subscales in patients with multiple sclerosis in the experimental group compared with the control group (p<0.05). Also, there was no significant difference between the two treatments in improving quality of life (p>0.05).

Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and solution-focused therapy have both been effective in improving physical health, reducing pain, and improving social functioning, as well as increasing psychological health, such as reducing depression and anxiety in MS patients.

Learning disorder is a concept that attracts more attention from teachers and families, and due to the high prevalence in schools, it needs special attention from researchers to identify practical and efficient intervention methods. A review of the researches shows that interventions such as training the skills of the four processes have received less attention.

This research was conducted in order to determine the effectiveness of four brain processing skills training on the cognitive functions of students with learning disabilities in reading (dyslexia).

This research was applied in terms of purpose and in terms of data collection method. It was semi-experimental based on pretest-posttest with control group and follow-up step. The statistical population consisted of students diagnosed with learning disabilities in reading in the second grade of elementary school of Tehran in the 2018-2019 year. Purposive sampling method was used to select the sample. Based on this, 20 of these people were selected and randomly replaced in two experimental and control groups. Subjects in the experimental group were trained for 10 sessions. The research tools included the Wechsler Intelligence Test for Children (WISC-V), the CAS test, and the brain processing training. Analysis of covariance and repeated measurements were used to analyze the data.

Based on the findings, four brain processing skills training was effective on cognitive functions (comprehension, perceptual reasoning, working memory and processing speed) of students with reading learning disorder at a significant level of 0.001.

Based on these findings, training workshops and courses on brain processing skills for specialists of learning disorder centers and also familiarizing the family with some important strategies of education of students with learning disabilities can lead to improvement in the condition of students' learning disorders.

Love trauma syndrome is one of the most difficult and pervasive experiences in people's lives which makes it difficult for people to express their emotions. Numerous studies show that emotional-focused therapy is effective on emotional injuries, but so far no research has been conducted on the use of art application along with the emotional-focused and experiential therapies.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of emotional-focused therapy with the art application and emotional-focused therapy on the emotional expression of people with love trauma syndrome.

The design of this research was semi-experimental and of pre-test-post-test type with control group and three-month follow-up. The population of the present study was the patients aged 25 to 45 years with love trauma syndrome referred to the psychological clinics of the 2nd district of Tehran, of which 51 people were selected by purposive sampling according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly replaced into three groups of 17 people (two experimental groups and one control group). The measurement tool of this research were love trauma inventory Ross (1999) and the emotional expression questionnaire King and Emmons (1990). For the first group, emotional-focused therapy with art application and emotional-focused therapy were implemented in 12 sessions of 90 minutes, and no treatment was provided to the control group.To analyze the data, variance analysis with repeated measurements method was used.

The results indicated that emotional-focused therapy with art application and emotional focused therapy led increase emotional expression in pre-test-post-test and follow-up stages. Also, the results of Bonferroni's post hoc test showed a significant difference between the effect of emotional focused therapy with art application more effective than emotional focused therapy on positive emotion expression, intimacy and negative emotion expression (P>0/05).

According to the obtained results, it is concluded that art as a catalyst along with emotion-focused therapy through opening the right hemisphere, reaching the core of trauma, healthy expression of positive and negative emotions and acceptance of emotions has led to more effectiveness of emotion focused therapy.

One of the important variables in relation to parents with autistic children is savoring beliefs. savoring beliefs are considered as components of mental health and have a direct correlation and relationship with psychological well-being. Researches show that parents of autistic children are exposed to all kinds of physical and mental injuries, for this reason, identifying, growing and expanding favorable beliefs to prevent injuries and improve mental health in this group of parents seems necessary. In Iran, so far, no valid tool has been reported to measure savoring beliefs in parents of children with autism.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the factor structure of the savoring beliefs questionnaire among parents of children with autism.

The method of the present research was applied in terms of purpose and correlational in terms of the nature of the data. The statistical population of the research included all parents with autistic children in schools and autism associations in the cities of Tehran, Karaj, Shahriar and Hashtgerd in 2022. The sampling method was accessible of targeted type and the statistical sample of the research included 321 people (248 women and 73 men) from parents of children with autism. To collect information, the questionnaire of savoring beliefs (Bryant, 2003) and psychological well-being (Ryff, 1980) were used. Data analysis was also done with confirmatory factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha coefficient using SPSS25 and AMOS24 software.

The results of the present study showed that each of the items in the questionnaire has the necessary power to measure the components of savoring beliefs (anticipation, enjoying the moment and remembering) and each of the components has an acceptable power to measure the general factor of savoring beliefs. Cronbach's alpha coefficients of the three components of prediction, enjoyment of the moment and recall in the savoring beliefs questionnaire were calculated as 0.89, 0.91 and 0.84, respectively. Based on this, it can be said that the items of each of the components of the savoring beliefs questionnaire have an acceptable internal consistency.

According to the findings, it seems that the Iranian version of the savoring beliefs questionnaire is a valid scale for measuring attitudes regarding the ability to enjoy positive experiences, whether in anticipation, enjoyment of the moment, or recall. Also, this questionnaire has suitable psychometric properties for use in research activities and clinical work.

Diabetes is a common chronic disease that causes many physical and mental injuries. Sexual dysfunction is one of the common consequences of diabetes in women, which has many negative consequences for the patient. On the other hand, stress can be an effective factor in aggravating sexual disorders. Regarding the effectiveness of interventions based on stress management such as autogenic training and stress reduction training based on mindfulness on the sexual performance of type 2 diabetic patients, there is a research gap in comparing the effectiveness of these two training methods.

The present study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of autogenic training and mindfulness-based stress reduction training on sexual performance in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The current research design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of the study included all women with type 2 diabetes referred to Kasra Hospital in Tehran in 1400, 45 of them were selected by purposeful sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 people in each group). The Female Sexual Function Index (Tyler et al., 1994) was used to collect data. For the first experimental group, 10 autogenic training sessions (MirzamohammadAlaeini et al., 2021) and for the second experimental group, 8 sessions of mindfulness-based stress reduction training (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) were implemented, While the control group did not receive any intervention. Analysis of covariance and SPSS24 software were used for data analysis.

Based on the findings, the effect of the educational interventions on the post-test scores of the sexual performance of the members of both experimental groups was significant, so that after the intervention, the scores of the sexual performance increased significantly (P<0.05). The results of Bonferroni's post hoc test also showed that the post-test scores of sexual performance in the experimental groups have increased significantly compared to the control group. Also, mindfulness-based stress reduction training has been more effective compared to autogenic training (P<0.05).

According to the results obtained in the present study, which confirm the effectiveness of stress reduction training methods based on mindfulness and autogenic training, in reducing the stress level of diabetic women, it is suggested that psychologists and psychiatrists use the mentioned training methods to improve the sexual performance of women with diabetes.

Anxiety sensitivity and focused – attention are important components in creating and maintaining social anxiety disorder, and a defect in each of them can play a role as a potential risk factor in this disorder. Some studies have shown that paradoxical time table therapy can lead to a reduction in worry and social anxiety symptoms. In Iran, there is a research gap regarding the efficacy of this treatment method on anxiety sensitivity and focus of attention in people with social anxiety disorder.

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the efficacy of paradoxical time table therapy on anxiety sensitivity and focused–attention in people with social anxiety disorder.

The current research design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The statistical population of the research included all people who referred to counseling centers and psychotherapy clinics in Tehran in the fall and winter of 2022. The statistical sample included 30 people with social anxiety disorder who were selected as available samples and were divided into two groups of 15 people (experimental group and control group). Focous of Attention Questionnaire (Woody et al., 1997) and revised anxiety sensitivity index (Taylor & Cox 1998) were used to collect data. Also, the treatment of the paradoxical time table therapy (Besharat, 2017) was implemented in six sessionsof 45 minutes on the experimental group. In addition to descriptive statistics, data analysis was performed using multivariate analysis, variance analysis with repeated measures, Bonferroni post hoc and SPSS25 software.

The results of the research showed that the treatment of paradox time program on all components of anxiety sensitivity (fear of respiratory symptoms, Fear of anxiety reactions, fear of cardiovascular symptoms, cognitive dyscontrol and the total score) and focused – attention (self-focused attentio and attention to the outside) had a significant effect (P<0.001).

According to the findings of the current research, it seems that the paradoxical time table therapy can be used by psychologists and psychiatrists as an efficient treatment to reduce the symptoms of social anxiety disorder, especially anxiety sensitivity and focused–attention.

Studies have shown that students are among the most vulnerable people to the consequences of depression. On the other hand, depression can affect students' satisfaction and meaning in life by facilitating pessimistic and irrational thoughts about the future. Various studies have shown that the level of depression and the meaning of life of students can be adjusted by using psychological interventions.

The present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effectiveness of positive psychology interventions on the meaning of life and depression of art university students.

The current research design was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test type with a control group. The statistical population of the present study was all undergraduate students of the University of Art in 2021. From this statistical population, 60 people were selected in the accessible way and were randomly assigned in two groups of 30 people (positive psychology intervention group) and control group. Quilliam educational package (2003) was used in the positive psychology educational intervention sessions, and the Beck depression scale, second edition (1996) and the Morgan and Farsides (2009) meaningfulness of life questionnaire were used to collect data. For data analysis, univariate covariance analysis and SPSS22 software were used.

The findings of the present study showed that positive psychology interventions were effective in increasing the meaning of life and reducing depression in male and female students (P<0.05).

According to the obtained findings, it is concluded that positive psychology education can help to increase the meaningfulness of students' lives while reducing the level of depression. Therefore, paying attention to positive psychology interventions can play an important role in improving the psychological and even spiritual dimensions of students by emphasizing their capabilities and increasing happiness.

Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) is a genetic disease in which peripheral nerves are damaged, also known as hereditary sensory and motor neuropathy. Despite the impact of this disease on all aspects of the sufferers' lives, few studies have investigated the effectiveness of psychological treatments on death anxiety, peak experiences, and mental health of Charcot MarieTooth patients.

The present study was conducted with the aim of comparing the effect of existential therapy and therapy based on acceptance and commitment on death anxiety, peak experiences and mental health of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease.

The design of the current research was a quasi-experiment with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of this research included all patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease in Tehran in 2019 and the purposeful sampling method was available. After obtaining the necessary permits and coordinating with the patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth who met the necessary entry criteria to participate in the present study, 30 people were randomly assigned to the experimental groups (15 people in each group) and 15 people to the control group. In order to collect data, Templer's Death Anxiety Scale (1970), Wilson and Monta's Peak Experience Questionnaire (2015) and Keyes' Mental Health Questionnaire (2002) were used. For data analysis, multivariate covariance analysis was used to compare groups in research variables. SPSS22 software was also used to analyze the data.

The findings of the present study showed that both existential therapy approaches and acceptance and commitment-based therapy have a significant effect on death anxiety, peak experiences, and mental health of Charcot-Marie-Toth patients (P<0.05).

According to the obtained results, it can be concluded that existential therapy and therapy based on acceptance and commitment can be used by doctors, psychiatrists and other mental health professionals in order to moderate death anxiety, strengthen peak experiences and mental health of patients with Charcot-Marie-Tooth.

The research indicates that dysfunctional attitudes and psychological distress are among the most important structures that can cause problems to people's health. In addition, the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on these structures in women has conflicting results, requiring more research in this field.

This research aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy on women's psychological distress and dysfunctional attitudes.

The current study was practical and semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The research's statistical population included all women referred to Khavaran Cultural Center in 2020. The research sample consisted of 30 women selected by the available sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. They completed the Beck et al. dysfunctional attitudes questionnaire (1991) and Kessler et al. psychological distress questionnaire (2002) in two phases, pre-test and post-test, and received an acceptance and commitment-based therapy trial group (Wells and Sorrell, 2007). After collecting the data, the data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis using SPSSV19 software.

The results showed a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups in the post-test stage (p<0.01), which indicates the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based therapy in the variables of ineffective attitudes and psychological distress.

The women who participated in acceptance and commitment-based training obtained lower scores in ineffective attitudes and psychological distress in the post-test than before participating in the said program compared to the group that did not participate. This issue indicated the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment-based education in research variables.

The research shows that the treatment based on acceptance and commitment has effectively reduced the stress and anxiety of women with emotional and sexual experiences of extramarital relationships. However, there is a research gap in applying this training to the cognitive, behavioral, and emotional components of the attitude toward extramarital behavior in the researched society.

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of education based on the approach of acceptance and commitment to improving attitudes towards extramarital behavior.

This research was applied in terms of purpose and mixed type in terms of method. The statistical population included 476 women of Tehran in 2021. In the qualitative part, the sample size included 16 women who were invited for an interview in a targeted manner. In the quantitative part, the sample size was 30 qualified women randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of training based on acceptance and commitment. To analyze the qualitative content of the interviews, the open and axial coding method was used using Maxqda software, and in the quantitative part, covariance analysis was used using SPSS24 software.

The results of the qualitative content analysis of factors affecting the formation of women's attitudes towards extramarital behavior in four elements: 1. Weakness of attitude and individual values; 2. Weakness in lifestyle and defects in marital well-being; 3. Problems related to family life before marriage; 4. The shortcomings of the educational-cultural-economic system were categorized. The results of the implementation of the teaching method based on the acceptance and commitment approach showed a significant level (P < 0.05), indicating the mentioned method's effectiveness.

The teaching method based on the approach of acceptance and commitment has led to the change and modification of the attitude of this group of women towards extramarital behavior. Therefore, using this research with more samples is suggested to other researchers.