Health Nexus
Volume:2 Issue: 1, Winter 2024

The diagnosis of this disease, as a highly stressful event and the difficult and complex treatment process, causes significant psychological disturbances in the patient. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy with cognitive-behavioral therapy on psychological flexibility and hope for life in cancer patients.

The research method was a quasi-experimental type with pre-test and post-test along with a control group and two experimental groups. The research population included all cancer patients hospitalized in Imam Reza and Omid hospitals in Mashhad in the spring of 2021, among whom 45 individuals were purposively selected and, based on eligibility, entered the study and were allocated to the experimental and control groups with age homogenization. In this study, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory by Dennis and Vander Wal (2010) and the Snyder Hope Scale (2000) were used. The research hypotheses were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance and follow-up tests with the multivariate covariance method by SPSS-23 software.

The results showed that both compassion-based therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy were effective on psychological flexibility (P<0.001) and hope for life (P<0.001) in cancer patients, but there was no significant difference between compassion-based therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy.

It seems that both compassion-based and cognitive-behavioral therapies are effective in reducing psychological problems in cancer patients.

Human efficiency is not always predictable based on economic calculations and other psychological factors such as needs, motivation, and satisfaction must be considered. Sports organizations are among those that, if the working conditions for coaches are favorable, will more fully serve the goals of sports and physical education. This descriptive-survey research, in terms of nature and method, and applied in terms of purpose, was conducted using the structural equation modeling technique. The goal was to model the performance enhancement of sports coaches based on motivational job factors, emphasizing Herzberg's Two-Factor Motivation-Hygiene Theory. The statistical population of this study consists of all sports coaches working in sports clubs of municipalities, general departments of sports and youth, and education departments across the country. The sample was selected using multi-stage cluster and simple random sampling methods. In this method, the provinces of the country are the initial sampling units, and sports clubs within the provinces are sampled in the second stage, followed by a random selection of a number of sports clubs. Given the unlimited size of the statistical population, Cochran's formula was used in the present study. Therefore, the sample size, according to the above relation, is 384 individuals. To measure the research variables, a 78-item questionnaire on "Factors Affecting Job Motivation Enhancement" by researcher based on a five-point Likert scale, from strongly disagree (1) to strongly agree (5), and a researcher-made questionnaire on coaches' performance (technical (knowledge) performance, leadership performance, emotional (intelligence) performance, communication (skills) performance, behavioral performance) were used. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical methods with the help of SPSS software version 21 and LISREL version 8.8. Considering the results, the path coefficients between motivational factors (individual, contextual, managerial-leadership, organizational) and performance enhancement are positive, with t-values greater than 1.96. Therefore, with 95 percent confidence, it can be concluded that these path coefficients are significant at the 0.05 error level, indicating that individual, contextual, managerial-leadership, and organizational dimensions have a significant and positive effect on the enhancement of sports coaches' performance.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy on health anxiety and health resilience in individuals attending neurological and psychiatric clinics. The research method was quasi-experimental, utilizing a pretest-posttest design. The statistical population included adults attending neurological and psychiatric clinics in Sari city during the first three months of the year 2022. The research sample consisted of 30 individuals attending these clinics, who were conveniently selected and then randomly assigned to either the experimental group or the control group, with 15 participants in each group. Data collection tools included questionnaires on health anxiety and health resilience. Subsequently, the experimental group received 10 sessions of schema therapy, each lasting 120 minutes. Findings indicated that the mean scores of health anxiety and health resilience variables in the posttest of the experimental group were significantly different from the pretest. Therefore, schema therapy was effective in reducing health anxiety and enhancing health resilience among individuals attending neurological and psychiatric clinics.

Caffeine is a psychoactive world widely used substance to improve physical and cognitive athletes’ performance. However, its relative impact during outdoor competitions is not well investigated. The present investigation aimed to assess the impacts of a single moderate dose of caffeine ingestion on physical and cognitive performance following a 1500-m running competition.

Fifteen recreational runners performed two test sessions in a randomized order at 09:00 a.m. after ingesting 5 mg.kg-1 caffeine or a placebo. At each session, participants realized the competition of 1500-m running in a field setting. Before and after the race, they performed the correct detection and reaction-time tasks. Compared to placebo, caffeine ingestion improved 1500-m performance time (1.5%, p < .01), increased correct detections (10.6%, p < .01), and decreased reaction time (6.3%, p < .001) following the race. Caffeine consumption is an effective strategy to enhance athletes’ physical and cognitive performances during such running distances.

The aim of this study was to determine the impact of web-based cognitive-behavioral therapy on chronic pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The present study was an applied-semi-experimental research with a test and control group, utilizing a pretest-posttest design. All adults aged 30 to 60 years suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and visiting the clinics of two rheumatology subspecialists in the city of Mashhad constituted the research population. Considering the possibility of attrition, 21 individuals were allocated to the intervention group and 15 to the control group. After the research sample was determined in both the test and control groups, questionnaires on personal characteristics and chronic pain acceptance were completed by them, followed by the implementation of a cognitive-behavioral therapy training program for the intervention group in 8 sessions of 60 minutes each, web-based and through Skyroom. The control group did not receive any specific training. After the intervention ended, the questionnaires were completed again. Two months after the intervention, the questionnaires were filled out again by the groups for follow-up and to assess the persistence of the effect. Data were analyzed using SPSS V26 and EXCEL V2019 software. Based on the findings, web-based cognitive-behavioral therapy affects the acceptance of chronic pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Therefore, considering the results of this research and other studies on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy in chronic physical diseases, in addition to medical treatments, the use of online psychological interventions can be beneficial and productive in increasing the acceptance of chronic pain and improving various functional dimensions of these patients.

This review aimed to assess the recent advancements in radiological techniques for cancer diagnosis, focusing on the clinical applications and the potential for these technologies to improve patient experiences and personalize the diagnostic process. A detailed literature search was conducted in several databases up to February 2024, using a combination of keywords and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms related to "cancer diagnosis" and "radiological techniques." The inclusion criteria were peer-reviewed articles in English that focus on advanced imaging modalities in cancer diagnosis. Data were synthesized to identify key advancements, challenges, and future directions. The advancements in photon counting detector Computed Tomography (CT), quantitative imaging biomarkers, and emerging diagnostic substances like radiotracers were highlighted. The review identified significant improvements in imaging techniques such as multiparametric Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and diffusion-weighted imaging. It also addressed the clinical, technological, and economic challenges in adopting these advancements globally, as well as the initiatives aimed at improving access to advanced diagnostics. The importance of collaboration between radiologists, oncologists, and engineers in optimizing these technologies for clinical use was emphasized. Radiological advancements have enhanced the capacity for precise and personalized cancer diagnosis, with a significant positive impact on patient care. Despite the promising developments, challenges related to access and implementation persist. Addressing these issues requires global efforts to ensure equitable access to advanced diagnostics and collaborative innovation to refine and integrate these technologies into clinical practice, ultimately leading to better global health outcomes.

Trichotillomania is a mental disorder characterized by recurrent and irresistible urges to pull out hair from the body. The present study aimed to elucidate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on impulsivity, emotion regulation, rumination, and self-criticism in individuals with trichotillomania. From an objective standpoint, this study is considered applied research and, methodologically, a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up test design, including a control group with a 2-month follow-up period. The population of this research included all individuals with trichotillomania in districts 2 and 4 of Tehran, from whom 18 persons for each group were selected through purposive non-random sampling and were randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The instruments used in this research included the Massachusetts Hair Pulling Questionnaire, Williams and colleagues' (1997) Emotion Regulation Scale, Barratt and colleagues' (1990) Impulsivity Scale, Gilbert and colleagues' (2004) Self-Criticism Scale, and Nolen-Hoeksema and colleagues' (1991) Rumination Scale. The dialectical behavior therapy intervention was conducted over 8 one-hour sessions; however, the control group did not receive any intervention. The research was analyzed through mixed ANOVA (with repeated measures) and Bonferroni follow-up tests using SPSS version 22. The results of the present study indicated that dialectical behavior therapy has a significant effect on impulsivity (P<0.01), emotion regulation (P<0.01), rumination (P<0.01), and self-criticism (P<0.01), and these effects continue in the follow-up phase. It can be concluded that dialectical behavior therapy is effective in reducing impulsivity, improving emotion regulation, decreasing rumination, and reducing self-criticism, and can therefore be beneficial for individuals with trichotillomania.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus is a common disease of the endocrine glands characterized by chronic hyperglycemia due to disturbances in insulin secretion and function. The metabolic complications of this disease lead to an increased burden of disease in society, and patients require lifelong special self-care behaviors. Psychological factors play a significant role in adherence to self-care programs and treatment outcomes in patients with type 2 diabetes. The present study was conducted with the aim of "developing a causal model of self-care behaviors based on self-compassion with psychological distress mediation in women and men with type 2 diabetes." This study was applied in objective, quantitative in data type, survey in data collection method, and descriptive-analytical based on correlation analysis in analysis type. The study population consisted of individuals aged 40 to 60 years with type 2 diabetes in Tehran, from whom 640 participants were selected using convenience sampling. Data collection tools were the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003), the Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2003), and the Self-Care Behaviors Scale (Toobert & Glasgow, 2000). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and the software SPSS26 and Smart PLS 3.2. The results showed that all model fit indices were within acceptable limits (GOF for men = 0.725 and for women = 0.733), indicating the model's adequate fit with the data. Both direct and indirect effects of self-compassion with psychological distress as a partial mediator on self-care behaviors were confirmed (P < 0.01). The moderating role of gender in the relationship between self-care behaviors and self-compassion with psychological distress mediation was confirmed (P < 0.01), with the effect of self-compassion through psychological distress mediation on self-care behaviors being greater in men (β for men = 0.914) than in women (β for women = 0.855). Given the confirmed role of psychological factors on self-care behaviors in patients with type 2 diabetes, the presence of psychological counselors in the diabetes treatment team is essential. Therefore, psychological counselors are advised to pay more attention to the effective role of self-compassion and psychological distress in supportive and therapeutic interventions for patients with type 2 diabetes.