Journal of adolescent and youth psychological studies
Volume:5 Issue: 3, Mar 2024

The current study aimed to predict social adjustment based on academic performance and academic self-concept in children of single parents.

Methods and Materials: 

This research was applied and descriptive-correlational in nature. The study population consisted of all students (ages 12 to 15) in Sanandaj during the academic year (2020-2022), among whom 200 students were selected using a purposive sampling method. For data collection, the Pekl and Weisman Social Adjustment Questionnaire (1999), the Salehi Academic Performance Questionnaire (2015), and the Yes Yesen Chen Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (2004) were used. For inferential statistics analysis, simultaneous multiple regression was performed using SPSS version 23.

The findings indicated that the t-test for significance in regression for both academic performance and academic self-concept was significant at the level of less than 0.01. Additionally, academic performance and academic self-concept could explain 37.1% of the variance in social adjustment. Therefore, based on the components of academic performance and academic self-concept in children of single parents, their social adjustment can be predicted.

Given the findings of this research on the relationship between social adjustment and both academic performance and academic self-concept, it is essential for educational interventions and counseling to consider the level of social adjustment among psychologists and educational counselors.

Oppositional Defiant Disorder (ODD) is one of the behavioral disorders classified under destructive and harmful behavior disorders. Children with this disorder tend to destroy objects around them and defy the commands of parents and school authorities. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of parental behavioral training on distress tolerance, family cohesion, and maternal parenting self-efficacy in mothers of children with symptoms of ODD.

Methods and Materials: 

This study employed an experimental method. It was designed as a quasi-experimental study with pre-test, p1-10ost-test, follow-up, and control groups. The population of this study included all mothers of children with symptoms of ODD under the coverage of the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee in Sari city during the academic year 2021-2022. Thirty individuals were selected through purposive sampling from among mothers of children with ODD and divided into two groups of 15 (one experimental and one control group). The experimental group received parenting training based on Choice Theory in eight 90-minute sessions, while the control group was placed on a waiting list. Measurement tools included the Distress Tolerance Scale by Simons and Gaher (2005), the Family Cohesion Scale by Olson (1999), and the Parenting Self-Efficacy Questionnaire by Dumka. Descriptive statistics (such as frequency tables, mean indexes, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (univariate analysis of covariance and Bonferroni post-hoc test) were used for data analysis, with SPSS-22 software facilitating the analysis process.

The F-value of univariate analysis of covariance for the distress tolerance variable in the post-test (F=59.57, P=0.001) and follow-up (F=57.85, P=0.001), family cohesion in the post-test (F=45.52, P=0.001) and follow-up (F=47.13, P=0.001), and finally for the parenting self-efficacy variable in the post-test (F=39.48, P=0.001) and follow-up (F=41.14, P=0.001) were significant.

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that parental behavioral training is effective in improving distress tolerance, family cohesion, and maternal parenting self-efficacy in mothers of children with symptoms of ODD.

The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of emotion-focused psychotherapy on perceived stress and psychological well-being in patients with corona anxiety during the pandemic.

Methods and Materials: 

This research was conducted using a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and a control group, along with a three-month follow-up period. The study population consisted of individuals suffering from corona anxiety who had contacted counseling centers in Isfahan for telephone counseling during the summer of 2021. Out of the study population, 33 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. Participants in the experimental group received emotion-focused psychotherapy over two months. The instruments used in this research included the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983) (PSS), the Psychological Well-Being Questionnaire (Ryff, 1988) (PWBQ), and the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (Alipour et al., 2019) (CDAS). The data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA with SPSS version 23.

The results indicated that emotion-focused psychotherapy had a significant effect on perceived stress (P<0.0001; Eta=0.59; F=44.99) and psychological well-being (P<0.0001; Eta=0.68; F=66.28) in patients with corona anxiety.

Based on the findings of the current study, emotion-focused psychotherapy, utilizing techniques of emotional awareness, emotional experience, regulation, transformation, and change, can be an effective method for reducing perceived stress and improving psychological well-being in patients with corona anxiety.

The objective of this research was to develop a causal model of perception of the COVID-19 pandemic based on psychological distress, emotional processing, and self-control, with the mediation of psychological well-being in young adults.

Methods and Materials: 

This study is applied in terms of its purpose, descriptive-correlational in terms of its study type, and field study in terms of data collection. The statistical population included the youth of Tabriz city. This group consists of all residents of Tabriz. The sample size was determined to be 385 individuals using convenience sampling, based on Cochran's formula (in an infinite population) (Erikson's theory considers youth age to range from 19 to 30 years). The instruments used in this study for data collection were the Perception of COVID-19 Pandemic Questionnaire, Psychological Distress Scale by Kessler et al. (2002), Emotional Processing Scale by Baker et al. (2010), Self-Control Scale by Tangney et al. (2004), and Psychological Well-Being Scale by Ryff (1989).

The results indicated that there is a positive and significant relationship between psychological distress and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults, whereas this relationship between emotional processing, self-control, and psychological well-being with the perception of the COVID-19 pandemic in young adults is negative and significant. Additionally, based on the research findings, it can be stated that there is a positive and significant relationship between psychological distress and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic with the mediation of psychological well-being in young adults, but there is a negative and significant relationship between emotional processing, self-control, and perception of the COVID-19 pandemic with the mediation of psychological well-being in young adults.

The results confirm the suitability of the causal model of perception of the COVID-19 pandemic based on psychological distress, emotional processing, and self-control with the mediation of psychological well-being.

The aim of this study was to compare the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy and schema therapy on cognitive emotion regulation in patients with major depressive disorder.

Methods and Materials: 

The research employed a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The study population included all patients visiting Entekhab-e No and Aryaz clinics in Tehran during the period from February 2021 to May 2021, who were diagnosed with major depressive disorder by a psychiatrist. Forty-five individuals were purposively selected and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 per group). The first and second experimental groups underwent 12 and 8 sessions of cognitive behavioral therapy based on the Rosello protocol (2015) and schema therapy based on Young's protocol (2003), respectively. The research instrument was the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ) (Garnefski & Kraaij, 2006). Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni test, and SPSS version 24.

Results showed that both cognitive behavioral and schema therapy interventions significantly improved scores of adaptive emotion regulation and decreased scores of maladaptive emotion regulation compared to the control group (P<0.001), with these effects maintained up to the one-month follow-up period. Additionally, there was a difference in the efficacy of the two intervention methods in increasing adaptive emotion regulation scores and decreasing maladaptive emotion regulation scores (P<0.001), with cognitive behavioral therapy being more effective than schema therapy.

Thus, utilizing cognitive behavioral therapy and schema therapy can take an important step in reducing the negative outcomes of emotion regulation deficits in depressed patients.

The student period is an exciting and challenging time for students. During this period, due to facing more stress-inducing factors and the necessity for appropriate adaptation, all students must have greater mental health and self-reliance to achieve greater success in their studies and, ultimately, in their profession. This research aims to investigate the impact of motivational interviewing on social anxiety and academic procrastination among students of the Islamic Azad University, Saravan branch.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method is descriptive-analytical. The statistical population includes all students of the Islamic Azad University, Saravan branch. Forty individuals suffering from social anxiety and academic procrastination were selected via convenience sampling method and introduced as the statistical sample, randomly divided into two groups (each group containing 20 participants) for motivational interviewing and control. The experimental group received concepts and strategies of motivational interviewing by Rollnick and Miller (2002) in eight 70-minute sessions. Solomon and Rothblum's (1984) Academic Procrastination Questionnaire and Connor's (2000) Social Anxiety Questionnaire were used to collect data. Covariance analysis with pre-test statistical control was used to examine the hypotheses of this research.

Based on the results, motivational interviewing explains 63.9% of the variance in post-test scores in the academic procrastination variable and 30.1% of the variance in post-test scores in the social anxiety variable.

Therefore, it can be concluded that motivational interviewing was effective on social anxiety and academic procrastination among students.

The objective of the present research was to explain the structural model for quality of life based on early maladaptive schemas and the role of treatment adherence and coping strategies in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Methods and Materials: 

This study, in terms of research methodology, falls into the category of descriptive-correlational research using structural equation modeling. The research population consisted of all patients with type 2 diabetes in Tehran who visited medical centers during the year 2021. The sample of the current study included 350 patients with type 2 diabetes in Tehran in 2021, selected through convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study. Data were collected using the short form of the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire, Young's Early Maladaptive Schemas Short Form Questionnaire, Treatment Adherence Questionnaire, and Young's Avoidance Coping Strategies Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and Pearson correlation statistical methods, employing SPSS 22 and AMOS 22 software.

The results showed that the fit indices PCFI=0.655, PNFI=0.661, CMIN/DF=2.90, RMSEA=0.089, IFI=0.917, CFI=0.914, and GFI=0.903 indicate a good fit of the proposed model with the data. The highest coefficient (-0.47) was attributed to the path from autonomy and impaired performance to quality of life. The coefficient of determination for the quality variable of marital relationship in the proposed structural model is 0.889, indicating that the external variables can predict 89 percent of the variance in quality of life, which is considered strong.

Therefore, it can be concluded that the structural model for explaining quality of life based on early maladaptive schemas and the role of treatment adherence and coping strategies in patients with type 2 diabetes fits appropriately.

The present study aimed to compare the attachment styles and object relationships among women engaged in romantic relationships with an age difference of 10 years or less and an age difference of 15 years or more (with the man being older).

Methods and Materials: 

This was a causal-comparative study; the population consisted of 91 individuals, with 50 participants in the first group (women involved in romantic relationships with an age difference of 10 years or less) and 41 participants in the second group (women involved in romantic relationships with an age difference of 15 years or more), selected via convenience and snowball sampling methods. Participants responded to the Hazan and Shaver (1987) Attachment Style Questionnaire and the Bell (1995) Object Relationships Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) with SPSS software.

The results showed a significant difference between the two groups in the anxious/ambivalent attachment style and the avoidant attachment style (P<0.01). There was a significant difference between the two groups in the insecure attachment, alienation, and incompetence components from the object relationships variable (P<0.05). Also, there was no significant difference between the two groups in the secure attachment style and the self-centeredness component (object relationships) (P>0.05).

It is recommended that decision-makers and practitioners in the fields of education, training, and culture pay attention to educating parents on correcting child-rearing styles to amend educational patterns, emphasizing the significant role of fathers in the psychological well-being of children, especially daughters.

Dark personality traits, which have been the focus of empirical and research attention in the last decade, include narcissism, antisocial behavior, and Machiavellianism. The aim of the current research was to model dark personality traits based on childhood traumas with the mediation of guilt, anxiety, and depression.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study was correlational and utilized structural equation modeling due to its objectives. The study population consisted of university students in 2021. Based on Cochran's formula, 382 individuals were selected via convenience sampling and responded to questionnaires. The Johnson and Webster (2010) Dark Personality Traits questionnaire, the Lovibond and Lovibond (1995) Anxiety and Depression scales, the Mosher (2008) Guilt Inventory, and the Bernstein et al. (1994) Childhood Trauma questionnaire were used in this research. Data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling. SPSS 22 and AMOS 18 software were utilized for data analysis.

The modeling results indicated that guilt did not play a mediating role in the relationship between childhood traumas and dark personality traits (p = .39), whereas childhood traumas had a significant indirect relationship with dark personality traits through anxiety and depression (p = .05).

Given the findings, it is concluded that dark personality traits are a consequence of childhood traumas, where anxiety and depression play a significant role in this process. Therefore, it is necessary to implement intervention strategies to prevent dark personality traits in students who have experienced childhood traumas.

Psychiatric interventions for individuals with complex grief are essential; therefore, this study was conducted to compare the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy on experiential avoidance in individuals grieving due to COVID-19.

This semi-experimental study was conducted with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group and a three-month follow-up. The population of the study consisted of all families grieving due to COVID-19 during 2020-2021 in the city of Chalus, from which 45 individuals were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria and randomly assigned into three groups (two experimental and one control) of 15 members each. The first group received 9 sessions of Greenberg's (2017) emotion-focused therapy, the second group received 9 sessions of Beck's (2011) cognitive-behavioral therapy, and the control group received no intervention. The Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ; Gámez et al., 2011) was completed by participants at three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, for data collection. The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results indicated that both emotion-focused therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy are effective in reducing experiential avoidance in grieving individuals, and moreover, in comparing the two therapies, emotion-focused therapy was more effective than cognitive-behavioral therapy in controlling experiential avoidance (p<0.05).

The findings of this study suggest that emotion-focused therapy can be utilized to improve experiential avoidance in grieving individuals.

The present study aimed to investigate the mediating role of personality functions in the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and existential anxiety in individuals with depression and anxiety.

The research was cross-sectional, and the analysis was conducted using correlation methods, specifically structural equation modeling (SEM), and in particular, regression equations. The statistical population of this study consisted of all individuals referring to psychological counseling clinics in Mazandaran province (Sari and Babol) during the summer and autumn 2022. To determine the sample size, considering the number of observed variables and allocating a coefficient of 15 for each observed variable, 600 individuals were selected as the sample size, which were chosen through purposive sampling. For data collection, the Young Schema Questionnaire (2005), the Good and Good Existential Anxiety Questionnaire (1974), and the Costa and McCrae Personality Functioning Questionnaire (1992) were used. SPSS-22 and AMOS-23 software were utilized for data analysis, employing structural equation regression modeling.

The results of the research indicated that there is a direct relationship between early maladaptive schema and existential anxiety. Additionally, there is an indirect relationship between early maladaptive schema and existential anxiety, mediated by personality functions.

Given the findings of the current study, it seems that the psychological organization, along with health and treatment organizations as influential institutions, can provide the necessary conditions for increasing cognitive awareness of early maladaptive schemas and improving coping skills with them.

Cognitive flexibility enables individuals to adapt their cognitive processing strategies to cope with new and unforeseen situations; thus, the current research aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on cognitive flexibility in adolescent girls.

This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test, post-test, and control and experimental groups. The population consisted of all female middle school students in Karaj for the academic year 2022-2023, totaling 2,864 individuals. Through simple random sampling, 60 individuals (20 in the first experimental group, 20 in the second experimental group, and 20 as the control group) were selected as the sample size and responded to the questionnaire by Dennis and Vander Wal (2009). Pre-tests regarding both groups were conducted before the interventions; subsequently, eight one-hour sessions of ACT based on Hayes et al. (2013), and eight one-hour sessions of CBT based on Heimberg and Becker (2002) were implemented on the experimental groups. No specific intervention was conducted for the control group. Immediately after the sessions concluded, a post-test was administered to both groups. Data were analyzed using covariance analysis.

The results of data analysis indicated that the effects of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy on increasing cognitive flexibility in adolescent girls are approximately at the same level, and the difference in the mean of the cognitive flexibility variable between the two treatment groups and the control group was significant.

As a result, both cognitive-behavioral therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy significantly impact increasing cognitive flexibility in adolescents.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy before marriage on the desire to marry and fear of marriage among single women.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study was quasi-experimental, employing a pre-test and post-test design with a non-equivalent control group. The study population consisted of single women in district one of Tehran in 2022. The sample included 60 individuals selected via convenience sampling based on a call from the study population and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Participants responded to the Heidari, Mazaheri, and Pooretemad (2004) marriage desire questionnaire and the Samiei, Yousefi, and Nashatdoust (2014) fear of marriage questionnaire before and after the intervention. The first experimental group underwent schema therapy and the second experimental group underwent cognitive-behavioral therapy in eight 90-minute sessions, based on the schema therapy protocol (Leahy, Robert, 2011) and the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol (Beck, 1964), respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA and follow-up tests with SPSS software.

The results showed that schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly increased the desire to marry and decreased the fear of marriage among single women (p < 0.05).

Given the findings, it can be concluded that pre-marriage schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be proposed as effective therapeutic methods for improving the desire to marry and reducing the fear of marriage among single women, and can be employed as significant and key interventions in the pre-marriage domain.

The aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on impulsiveness, self-esteem enhancement, and reduction of rumination in male adolescents aged 12 to 18 in Tehran.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was applied in terms of objective and quasi-experimental in terms of information collection method. The statistical population of this study included male adolescents aged 12 to 18 in Tehran. The sample size for this part of the research was 30 individuals. The research instruments were the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (Barratt et al., 1995), the Eysenck Self-Esteem Questionnaire (Eysenck, 1976), and the Ruminative Responses Scale (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991); also, the educational protocols used in this research were Dialectical Behavior Therapy by Linehan (1993) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy by Fletcher and Hayes (2003).

Findings showed that Dialectical Behavior Therapy was effective on impulsiveness in male adolescents aged 12 to 18, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was effective on impulsiveness in male adolescents aged 12 to 18, Dialectical Behavior Therapy was effective on self-esteem in male adolescents aged 12 to 18, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was effective on self-esteem in male adolescents aged 12 to 18, Dialectical Behavior Therapy was effective on reducing ruminative thoughts in male adolescents aged 12 to 18, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was effective on reducing ruminative thoughts in male adolescents aged 12 to 18; it was also determined that Acceptance and Commitment Therapy was more effective than Dialectical Behavior Therapy.

The effectiveness of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) in impacting impulsiveness, self-esteem, and rumination in male adolescents offers a nuanced understanding of therapeutic interventions. Each therapy's influence on these variables underscores the importance of targeted psychological strategies in addressing specific facets of adolescent mental health.

The application of spirituality in today's fast-paced and concern-filled life; attention to the transcendent aspect, inner truth, meaning-making, and deep thinking that, by shaping in the minds of students, leads to the development of security, peace, the spread of joy and contagious happiness among the community, and its spiritual elevation. The present study aimed to design a model for the spiritual elevation of students with an emphasis on outcomes.

Methods and Materials: 

The method of the current study was qualitative and utilized an interpretative content analysis approach. For this purpose, findings from the review of literature and theoretical foundations were aligned with the results from the analysis of semi-structured interviews conducted purposively and optimally with members of the educational science group at universities and higher education centers in Lorestan province in 2023. The research tool was semi-structured interviews, for which validity was assessed using a formal method, and reliability was measured using an inter-coder agreement coefficient, which resulted in 87%. Data analysis was also conducted using a coding method.

After analyzing the data, eventually, eight indicators based on the outcomes formed the model of students' spiritual elevation, which included insight, faith, social responsibility, spiritual self-awareness, spiritual aesthetics, purposefulness, meaning-centeredness, and ethics-orientedness.

The use of the findings of this article can practically play a role in fostering the spirit of spirituality among students in a real and non-abstract manner, and its extension to society can be beneficial.

The present research aimed to model the relationship between reality testing and object relations with psychological well-being through the mediation of defense mechanisms in grief disorder.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was correlational and of the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) type. The statistical population included all individuals who met the diagnostic criteria for grief disorder and visited psychological clinics in District 1 of Tehran in the year 2022. The sample size, considering the number of observed variables and allocating a coefficient of 15 for each observed variable, was selected as 240 individuals through a convenience sampling method. Data collection tools included Bell’s Reality Testing and Object Relations Questionnaire (1988), Andrews’ Defense Mechanisms Questionnaire (1993), and Ryff’s Psychological Well-being Questionnaire (1995). In this study, structural regression equation modeling and SPSS22 and Amos 23 software were used for data analysis.

The research results showed that the indirect relationship of object relations to psychological well-being through defense mechanisms (β = -0.32) is significant (p ≤ 0.01). Also, it was determined that the indirect relationship of reality testing to psychological well-being through defense mechanisms (β = -0.35) is significant (p ≤ 0.01).

Based on the results of the present study, the research model was confirmed in terms of significance and fit indicators. The findings highlight the role of reality testing, object relations, and psychological well-being in grief disorder, hence, these findings can have clinical applications and be effective in therapeutic programs related to grief disorder.