International Journal of Behavioral Sciences
Volume:17 Issue: 3, Autumn 2023

The prevalence of obesity has increased significantly in the last few decades, and with its increase, the risk of some diseases has increased. The present study aimed to compare the effect of metacognitive training and decision-making strategies on self-management of health behavior (SMHB) among overweight middle-aged people.

A pre-test/post-test controlled quasi-experimental study was conducted with a follow-up period and two experimental groups. The population comprised overweight middle-aged individuals visiting weight loss clinics in Tehran in 2022. 75 individuals were selected via convenience sampling and randomly placed into two experimental groups and one control group. The experimental groups received training in either metacognitive or decision-making skills (eight 90-minute sessions). The control was not exposed to any intervention. The data were collected by using the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile (HPLP). Three months later, the same questionnaire was administered to the three groups. SPSS-24 was employed to analyze the data utilizing repeated measures ANOVA.

The findings revealed that metacognitive training and decision-making strategies improved SMHB (P<0.001). No major differences in effectiveness were found between the two intervention programs.

The findings of this study support the use of approaches to the third wave of cognitive-behavioral therapy for health-enhancing behaviors. It is suggested that metacognitive training and decision-making strategies be used to improve health behaviors in overweight people.

Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is a prevalent childhood disorder that affects millions of children worldwide. This neurodevelopmental disorder is characterized by symptoms such as inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity, which can significantly impact a child's daily functioning and academic performance. This article focuses on the effectiveness of behavioral training for mothers of boys with ADHD. The study examines how training sessions can reduce parenting stress, decrease externalizing behaviors, and improve behavioral functioning in children with ADHD. The importance of this research lies in the fact that ADHD and externalizing problems are among the most common childhood disorders, making it crucial to find effective interventions that can support both parents and children in managing these challenges. By providing evidence-based behavioral training to mothers, the study aims to enhance parental skills in dealing with ADHD symptoms and promote positive behavioral outcomes in children.
This study utilized a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test measures and a control group. The participants were male students with ADHD (Combined type) and their mothers. The sample consisted of 30 mothers who were selected through convenience sampling and divided into experimental and control groups. Data was collected using the Children Adaptive Behavior in Home Questionnaire (1993), the Child Behavior Checklist (2001), and the SNAP-IV (1994). Both groups completed the Child Behavior Checklist and Children Adaptive Behavior in Home Questionnaire. The experimental group received nine ninety-minute sessions of parental behavior training while the control group continued with their usual routines. As for the experimental group, they were trained using Barkley's Parent Training Program (1997). Barkley's Parent Training Program is a behavioral program designed to educate parents and has been shown through empirical evidence to be effective in reducing behavior problems in children with ADHD or Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD). After the training, both groups completed the same questionnaires as post-tests. The obtained data was entered into SPSS-16 and analyzed using t-test and analysis of covariance.
The study found that Barkley's Parent Training Program was effective in reducing behavior problems in children with ADHD. Specifically, it improved their behavior at home and decreased their aggression. The program was particularly effective for children whose mothers participated in the experimental group compared to those in the control group. The results were statistically significant, with a p-value of 0.001 for improving the behavior of children at home and 0.05 for aggression reduction.
The current study suggests that Barkley's parental training is an effective way to enhance the self-control of children with ADHD. This can be achieved by altering the way parents interact with and model behavior for their children with ADHD. As a result, it led to a decrease in behavioral issues and aggression among children with ADHD.

The present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on pain catastrophizing, sexual function, and resilience in women with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).
The method of the present research was semi-experimental and its design was pre-test-post-test with a control group. The study's statistical population included patients with MS in Tehran in 2022. Among the eligible patients, 30 women with MS were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n=15), and the control group (n=15). The collection tools included pain catastrophizing (Sullivan et al. 1995), women's sexual function (Isidori et al. 2010), and resilience (Connor and Davidson, 2003) questionnaires. The intervention group received eight sessions of 90-minute therapy focused on compassion, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance by SPSS-24.
The results showed that compassion-focused therapy significantly reduces rumination (39.87), magnification (53.14), helplessness (35.42), sexual function (20.27), and resilience (17.65) in women with MS (P<0.001).
The findings of this research indicated the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy on women with MS. Since women experienced many problems during MS, it is necessary to take measures to improve their mental and physical health.

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of transcranial direct current stimulation treatments and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on sexual desire disorder in women.
The methodology of this study was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design. The statistical population of the present study consisted of all women who suffered from the problem of decreased sexual desire and for this purpose went to medical centers during the year 2021 in Tabriz and were diagnosed with the hypoactive sexual desire disorder. In this research, the sampling method was available. The sample included 30 women (each group including 10 women) who had the problem of decreased sexual desire and were randomly selected in three groups including test group one transcranial Direct-Current Stimulation (tDCS), test group two (CBT) and the control group. In order to collect data, the Hurlbert index of sexual desire was used. Hurlbert obtained the reliability of the sexual desire questionnaire as 0.86 in the test-retest method. The internal consistency coefficients of Halbert's sexuality questionnaire using two methods of Cronbach's alpha was 0.89. To test the research hypotheses, one-way covariance analysis was used, using the SPSS software version 26.
The mean of the tDCS and CBT groups showed that both treatment methods were effective in reducing sexual desire disorder (P < 0.001). To generalize the results of this study, more research is needed in the future.
The results showed that both tDCS and CBT methods are effective in reducing hyposexuality in women with sexual desire disorder. In fact, these two methods can be used in the treatment of the abovementioned disorders.

 The purpose of this study was to examine a hypothesized model which considers the role of neuro-psychological components (brain-behavioral systems) and emotional insecurity and emotional flexibility in Internet addiction.
  The design of the present study was descriptive-correlational and structural equation modelling. The statistical population of the study included Iranian adolescents who lived in Shiraz in 2021. Among them, 587 adolescents (318 girls and 269 boys) were selected by cluster sampling method. Subjects filled Jackson's five-factor scale, Young's Internet addiction, emotional flexibility, and emotional insecurity questionnaires. After data collection, the relationship between variables was examined using SPSS and Lisrel software. 
 The findings suggest that the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) neither directly nor indirectly had a significant correlation (P> 0.05) with Internet addiction; the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) is only directly related to addiction to the Internet (P <0.01 and b= -0.18), and finally the Fight-Flight-Freeze System (FFFS) is directly (P <0.01 and b= 0.29); and indirectly (P <0.05 and b= 0.09) correlated with the mediating role of emotional insecurity and emotional flexibility, linked to Internet addiction.
Among Gray’s brain-behavioral subsystem theory, the FFFS is the strongest predictor of Internet addiction (both directly and indirectly, by influencing emotional flexibility and emotional insecurity), which may indicate that avoidance behavior plays a crucial role in Internet addiction.

This study has aimed to determine the effectiveness of emotion regulation training on psychological symptoms and risky behaviors in child laborers. In this prospective quasi-experimental study, 30 child laborers aged between 12 and 17 in Ahvaz city, Khuzestan Province, southwest of Iran were randomly assigned to the experimental group (receiving emotion regulation training) (n=15) and the control group (n=15).At first, the participants of both groups completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales and the Iranian Adolescents Risk-taking Scale. The participants in experimental group received the eight 90-minute session of emotion regulation training based on predetermined protocol per week, while the subjects of the control group did not receive any intervention. After the intervention, and 45 days after the training program, both groups completed the research questionnaires. Repeated measurement analysis and independent t test were used to analyze the data. Findings showed that the mean of depression, anxiety, stress, and risky behavior in the emotion regulation training group were decreased drastically immediately after the intervention in the experimental group but a small reduction was observed in the control group. The mean of the psychological factors and the risky behaviors were also lower in the experimental group. Findings revealed that intervention can reduce psychological symptoms and risky behavior in child laborers (p<0.05). Emotion regulation training can be used as a preventive program for child laborers or it can be used in the form of an intervention program to reduce vulnerability in children and youths prone to risky behaviors.

Interoceptive awareness is a multidimensional concept encompassing appraisals, beliefs, attention, and behavioral responses, playing a vital role in emotional regulation, decision-making, and self-awareness. As abnormal self-reported interoception is associated with mental health problems, the 37-item Multidimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness version 2 (MAIA-2) is widely used in clinical and non-clinical settings. However, its psychometric properties in different linguistic and cultural contexts need to be examined to ensure its validity and reliability. This study aimed to explore the psychometric properties of a Persian translation of the MAIA-2.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 475 residents in Tehran (409 women and 66 men) who completed the translated MAIA-2 in 2021. Psychometric properties were assessed using the Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). Additionally, validated measures of Emotion Regulation and Mindful Attention Awareness were used to evaluate divergent and convergent validity.

The eight-factor model of MAIA-2 has been confirmed with appropriate fit indices (RMSEA = 0.055 [95% CI 0.052–0.058]; SRMR = 0.064), and demonstrated improved internal consistency reliability. The MAIA-2 also exhibited significant divergent validity (-0.20 to -0.59) with the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and significant convergent validity (0.18 to 0.38) with the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale, both at the 0.01 significance level. Additionally, the Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the factors were within the satisfactory range, ranging from 0.58 to 0.95.

The findings concluded that the Persian version of MAIA-2 is a valuable tool for assessing interoceptive awareness in Persian-speaking populations.

The aim of the present study was to investigate relationship between locus of control and psychological distress among working women during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A mixed method study was conducted among 81 working women in Bangalore identified through convenient and purposive sampling. In Phase 1, Levenson’s Locus of control Scale and Kessler Psychological Distress Scale were administered to measure the locus of control orientation and the level of psychological distress. In Phase 2, interviews were conducted based on open ended questions developed by the researchers to understand the perception of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on personal and professional life.
Pearson’s product moment correlation was used for Phase 1 and thematic and content analysis for Phase 2. The findings from Phase 1 revealed a moderate negative correlation between internal locus of control and psychological distress, and a weak negative correlation between external locus of control and psychological distress. The thematic analysis showed the variations in the perceptions of the impact of the COVID-19 on the personal and professional lives and the adaptable nature of women.
The present study helps to understand whether a relationship exists between locus of control orientation and psychological distress during the time of COVID-19 and reflects on the how the COVID-19 has affected the personal and professional lives of working women.