International Journal of Body, Mind and Culture
Volume:5 Issue: 1, Winter 2018

The biomedical model had proved its effectiveness in treating acute diseases and has caused widespread developments in some fields such as genetics and macrobiotics. However, it has showed its shortcomings in treating chronic diseases and the psychocultural conditions affecting health. These have led to the arising of a paradigmatic crisis in all levels of biomedicine. At this point, a significant question arises: "Is it possible to incorporate all human dimensions in a medical model?" It seems as if biomedicine considered man as it-experience; that is, it had an objective, evident-based, and positivist view; while the I-experience -the phenomenological world of the patient- had no roles in disease prognosis, diagnosis, and treatment. Through the systemic model of medicine, the patient can become a major part of the therapeutic team, which, while he/she stands on one point of the health continuum at any given time, has crucial roles especially in chronic conditions and preventive care. Through such models, the patient-physician relationship transforms into an essential healing technology.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a common type of traumas and the most important cause of mortality in survivors of accidents in most countries. The inabilityto regulate positive and negative emotions is one of the features of head trauma. The present study was performed to compare positive and negative emotions and problems in emotion regulation between patients with mild TBI and healthy individuals.

In order to collect the required data, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule ‎(PANAS) scale and a demographic characteristics questionnaire were used. After obtaining informed consents, the research procedure was performed by a clinical psychologist for the two groups. The 40 patients with TBI (75% men) were compared with the 40 healthy participants of the control group (75% men).

Multivariate tests such as Hotelling’s Trace showed significant differences between TBI and control groups (F = 4.883, P = 0.001, ES = 0.32). There were significant differences between the two groups in terms of the negative mood scale of the PANAS scale and the subscales of non-acceptance of emotional responses (NONACCEPT), difficulties engaging in goal directed ‎behavior (GOALS) and limited access to emotion regulation strategies (STRATEGIES) and total score of the DERS.

The fact that there was no significant differences between the groups in the lack of emotional awareness (AWARE) and lack of emotional clarity (CLARITY) may show that people with mild TBI have some access to their emotions, but cannot regulate them. This study adds to previous knowledge by understanding emotions and emotional regulation strategies in patients with mild TBI. Some limitations of the present study and suggestions for future studies have been discussed in the present text.

 This study investigated the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on alleviation of hopelessness symptoms among women with breast and gynecological cancer. The diagnosis of gynecologic cancer not only has evident physical ramifications for the patient, but also produces secondary psychological stressors that negatively impact the patient's quality of life (QOL). A research study investigating the effects of MBCT interventions may provide a new approach to coping with these problems.

 This study employed a pretest-posttest and intervention group-control group design to evaluate the outcome of the intervention among individuals receiving MBCT in the Cancer Research Center of Shohadaye Tajrish Hospital, Iran. A total of 82 patients participated in the study (intervention group = 41 individuals, control group = 41 individuals) and 61 participants completed the study (intervention group = 29 individuals, control group = 32 individuals). In the intervention group, 29 of the 41 enrolled participants completed the MBCT intervention.

 After adjusting for pretest, MBCT had a significant effect on the dependent variables of hopelessness [F (2,52) = 59.270, P < 0.001; Wilk's lambda = 0.305; partial eta squared = 0.695)]. There was a significant difference between the groups in terms of hopelessness due to loss of motivation (F = 21.711, df1 = 54, P < 0.001; eta = 0.291). The effect size is 0.291 and it is slightly high. Moreover, there was a significant difference between the groups in terms of hopelessness due to future expectation (F = 87.030, df1 = 54, P < 0.001; eta = 0.622). The effect size is 0.622 and it is higher than the average. The findings indicated that MBCT significantly improved measures of hopelessness.

 Analysis of covariance showed that MBCT was effective on reduction of hopelessness among patients suffering from breast and gynecological cancers.

 The aim of the present study was to predict eating disorder on the basis of body dissatisfaction and emotional regulation.

 The participants were 200 female students (age range: 25 to 45 years) who were selected using convenience sampling from among the students of Karaj University in Iran. The instruments used consisted of Body Shape Questionnaire (BSQ), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q). The Pearson correlation and stepwise regression methods, with inter and stepwise methods, were used during data analysis.

 The results of this study revealed that eating disorder has a strong relationship with body dissatisfaction and emotion regulation. In addition, both body dissatisfaction and emotional regulation predicted eating disorder, but body dissatisfaction, compared to emotion regulation, predicted more eating disorders in female students.

 This study suggests that eating disorder can be predicted with both emotion regulation and body dissatisfaction.

 This study was designed to determine the effect of unified therapy on quality of life (QOL) in patients with eating disorder.

 The study population consisted of all women diagnosed with eating disorder in Kashan, Iran. A total of 95 patients in Kashan city were screened, from among whom, 60 were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received 12 sessions of unified therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Subjects in both groups were evaluated for health related QOL.

 The results of ANCOVA revealed a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in terms of QOL.

 Unified therapy with lifestyle variation, interpersonal relationships improvement, emotion regulation strategies, distress tolerance, and mindfulness is effective on QOL.

This article examines the impact of traditional birth attendants (TBAs) in rural areas of Ghana and Wurubegu-Anansu community in particular. It examines the challenges that TBAs face as well as the reasons why pregnant women in the community find it difficult to attend antenatal check-ups at modern health centres or hospitals. The narratives bring to the fore the kind of advice that TBAs give to women who go to them for antenatal care as well as delivery care. The absence of a clinic within the Wurubegu-Anansu community was identified as one of the many reasons for pregnant women resorting to TBAs for assistance when their time is due for delivery. The findings suggest that TBAs in the study area do not practise on a full time basis because of the meagre income they receive after assisting women in delivery. TBAs therefore engage in different economic activities to support their families. Most of them engage in farming activities or in petty trading and only attend to women when the need arises. If the government of Ghana is unable to provide health facilities in all rural communities in the country, it should adopt the reformist approach through the auspices of the ministry of health. Thus, it should continuously equip and empower TBAs with medical training and delivery tools to enable them to carry out safe and efficient deliveries rather than encourage any policy or action that will hinder their activities.