Journal of Assessment and Research in Applied Counseling
Volume:6 Issue: 1, Winter 2024

The primary aim of the current research was to present a forgiveness model based on childhood maltreatment and attachment styles with the mediating role of defensive mechanisms in betrayal victims.

Methods and Materials: 

The method of this study was descriptive-correlational and of the structural equation modeling type. The population of this study consisted of individuals who were victims of betrayal and had sought counseling in Tehran in the year 2022, from whom 653 persons were selected through convenience sampling. The instruments used in this study were the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire by Bernstein et al. (2003), the Attachment Styles Questionnaire by Hazan and Shaver (1987), the Defense Mechanisms Questionnaire by Andrews et al. (1993), and the Forgiveness Questionnaire by Rey et al. (2001). Data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and AMOS-24 software.

The results indicated that there is a negative relationship between childhood maltreatment, insecure attachment styles, and undeveloped and neurotic defensive mechanisms with forgiveness (P<0.01); whereas secure attachment style and developed defenses had a positive relationship with forgiveness (P<0.01). Additionally, the results suggested that defensive mechanisms mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and attachment styles with forgiveness in betrayal victims.

Overall, the results demonstrated that the evaluated structural model has a satisfactory fit, and the findings could aid therapists and counselors in better understanding the forgiveness process in betrayal victims.

One of the effective methods in couples experiencing infidelity is schema therapy. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of schema therapy on schemas and self-differentiation in individuals committing infidelity.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study was quasi-experimental. The population of the study consisted of infidelity clients who referred to the Sahel Counseling Center in Tehran during the winter of 2021 and spring of 2022. Forty participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two groups (each group consisting of 20 individuals), including experimental and control groups. The experimental group underwent schema therapy intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Measurement tools included Young's Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire and the Skowron and Friedlander Self-Differentiation Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used for data analysis using SPSS software.

The results showed that schema therapy is significantly effective in modifying most of the early maladaptive schemas and also in enhancing all components of self-differentiation in individuals committing infidelity in marriage.

Overall, the results of this study indicate that schema therapy is beneficial in changing maladaptive schemas and self-differentiation, and thus can be effective in treating infidelity behavior and reducing the rate of infidelity recurrence.

Nursing assistants, due to their sensitive and serious work, have an urgent need to enhance their capabilities. Accordingly, this research aimed to compare the effectiveness of positive psychology training on self-control and resilience among nursing assistants.

The present study is a quasi-experimental research conducted in three phases: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population consisted of nursing assistants in the city of Isfahan during the years 2021-2022, from which 45 nursing assistants were purposively selected and divided into three groups (each group containing 15 individuals). The Tangney et al. (2004) Self-Control Scale and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (2003) were used to measure the dependent variable at three stages. Two training groups, each underwent 8 sessions of 75 minutes of training, and the control group did not receive any treatment. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test through SPSS software version 26.

The results showed that there is a significant difference in self-control and resilience between the positive psychology training and the control group (p < 0.01).

Considering the effectiveness of positive psychology training in enhancing self-control and resilience, it is recommended that this approach be employed in hospitals for nursing assistants.

Extramarital relationships represent one of the most significant threats to the stability of marital relationships and are among the leading causes of divorce across various cultures. Given the social and cultural context of Iran, the importance of religious boundaries in relationships between women and men, and the prevalence of these relationships as indicated by statistics published by the Welfare Organization, extramarital affairs are recognized as a social issue.

Methods and Materials: 

Since solving a problem without descriptive studies and identifying the processes affecting the emergence of the problem is not feasible, the current qualitative study was conducted through problem-centered interviews with 19 participants (13 women and 6 men).

The results showed that the most significant factors include the ineffective presence of the man in the home, a history of marital infidelity in the family and acquaintances, forced marriage based on traditional criteria, differing social classes of the spouses, the opportunity for infidelity in society and the workplace with colleagues of the opposite sex, and the disappearance of traditional norms, changes in attitudes towards marriage and family values, lack of adherence to ethical and religious values, forced marriage based on traditional criteria, spouse addiction to drugs and psychotropic substances, inappropriate living environment and the presence of seducers, influence from social networks, having a previous marriage, stinginess, and suspicion and cynicism of the spouse, and changes in the normative structures of society as the most significant background and intervening factors in the creation and expansion of extramarital relationships.

This study demonstrated that extramarital relationships and infidelity are complex and multidimensional phenomena, and individuals are inclined towards marital infidelity for various reasons. Therefore, this phenomenon should be approached considering these complexities, and a single solution cannot be offered to everyone.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of compassion-based cognitive behavioral therapy with the Satir communication model on behavioral flexibility and anxiety sensitivity in couples experiencing marital conflict.

Methods and Materials: 

The statistical population consisted of couples with marital conflicts who visited counseling centers in Tehran in 2023. The research method was a quasi-experimental design with a non-equivalent control group, pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. Participants were randomly assigned into two groups of 15, matched for comparability. The research instruments were the Anxiety Sensitivity Index by Floyd et al. (2005) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale by Connor and Davidson (2003). The first experimental group received the Satir communication model, and the second group underwent compassion-based cognitive behavioral therapy over eight sessions. Data were analyzed using SPSS through a two-way repeated measures analysis of variance.

The results showed that both compassion-based cognitive behavioral therapy and the Satir communication model led to an increase in behavioral flexibility and a decrease in anxiety sensitivity in couples with marital conflicts (P<0.001); furthermore, compassion-based cognitive behavioral therapy was found to be more effective between the two approaches.

The findings confirm the impact of both the Satir communication model and compassion-based cognitive behavioral therapy on improving behavioral flexibility and reducing anxiety sensitivity in couples.

The aim of this research was to predict school anxiety based on procrastination, attachment to parents, and personality traits among students in Diwaniyah city, Iraq.

Methods and Materials: 

This study was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population consisted of both female and male students from Diwaniyah. The sample was selected through convenience sampling, including 300 students of both genders. The research instruments were the researcher-made School Anxiety Scale, Solomon and Rothblum's (1984) Academic Procrastination Questionnaire, Armsden and Greenberg's (1987) Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, and Costa and McCrae's (1992) Five Factor Personality Questionnaire.

Results indicated that neuroticism and insecure attachment styles to peers and parents have a significant positive relationship with academic procrastination, while secure attachment to parents and peers, openness to experience, and conscientiousness have a significant negative relationship with academic procrastination; extraversion and agreeableness were not related to academic procrastination. Stepwise regression results showed that openness to experience, conscientiousness, and secure attachment style to peers and parents can predict procrastination.

It can be concluded that school anxiety can be predicted by procrastination, attachment to parents, and students’ personality traits.

The purpose of the current research was to determine the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral couple therapy on communication beliefs and marital burnout among couples on the verge of divorce.

Methods and Materials: 

The study employed a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest design with a control group. The population consisted of couples seeking divorce who visited counseling clinics in Tehran in the year 2022, with 32 individuals being conveniently selected and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group, each comprising 16 members. Data were collected using the Communication Beliefs Questionnaire and the Marital Burnout Questionnaire. The cognitive-behavioral couple therapy intervention for the couples in the experimental group was conducted over eight weekly sessions, each lasting an hour and a half, while the control group was placed on a waiting list.

The findings indicated that there were significant differences in post-test scores between the experimental and control groups in terms of communication beliefs and marital burnout.

Therefore, cognitive-behavioral couple therapy has an effect on communication beliefs and marital burnout among couples on the verge of divorce.

This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of storytelling therapy on creativity and emotional intelligence in children with separation anxiety disorder.

Methods and Materials: 

The present research is a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The population of this study included all children aged 5 to 7 years old suffering from separation anxiety disorder, who attended clinical psychiatric centers in Tehran in the year 2023. The sample consisted of 30 subjects selected through convenience sampling and were randomly divided into two groups (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group), but the control group remained on a waiting list for treatment. Before and after ten treatment sessions, all participants were assessed with the Torrance Creativity Test (Torrance, 1979) and the Emotional Intelligence Scale (Mavroveli et al., 2008). Additionally, participants received a psychiatric diagnosis regarding the disorder in question. Data analysis obtained from the administration of questionnaires was performed using SPSS software in two parts: descriptive and inferential (covariance).

The results of the covariance analysis showed that storytelling therapy improves creativity and emotional intelligence in children with separation anxiety disorder at the post-test stage.

Therefore, it can be inferred from the findings that storytelling therapy can be effective in enhancing the creativity and emotional intelligence of children.

The current research aimed to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy and reality therapy on self-differentiation in couples seeking divorce.

Methods and Materials: 

This study was a quasi-experimental type with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design including a control group. The statistical population consisted of all couples seeking divorce referred by the judiciary to the psychoanalytic center of Jolfa city from spring to winter of 2022. The sample included 45 individuals who were selected using inclusion and exclusion criteria through purposive sampling. After selecting the sample members, the selected individuals were randomly (via lottery) placed into three groups of 15. After sampling, two experimental groups and one control group received group mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy in 8 sessions of 90 minutes (weekly) and group reality therapy in 8 sessions of 90 minutes (weekly), respectively, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Data were collected using the Self-Differentiation Questionnaire (DCI-SF) and analyzed using mixed ANOVA and Bonferroni post-hoc test with the help of SPSS-24.

The findings indicated that there is a significant difference between the overall mean of self-differentiation in the two groups of mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy and reality therapy, with mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy having a greater impact on self-differentiation (P<0.05).

Based on the results, both mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy and reality therapy are effective in improving self-differentiation in couples seeking divorce. It can be concluded that mindfulness-based cognitive-behavioral therapy is preferable over reality therapy.

Cardiovascular diseases are the primary cause of premature death worldwide, causing 18 million deaths annually. The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based schema therapy on mental pain and experiential avoidance in patients with cardiovascular diseases.

Methods and Materials: 

The current study was a quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test design with a control group and a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population included patients visiting the Tehran Heart Center during March to May 2023. Thirty patients were randomly selected and assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received mindfulness-based schema therapy in ten 90-minute sessions, once a week. The instruments used included the Orbach & Co (2003) Mental Pain questionnaire and the Bond & Co (2011) Experiential Avoidance questionnaire. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS software version 26.

The results showed that mindfulness-based schema therapy has a significant effect on mental pain and experiential avoidance in patients with cardiovascular diseases (p < 0.001).

Based on the findings, it can be concluded that mindfulness-based schema therapy can be used as an effective intervention for reducing mental pain and experiential avoidance.

This research aimed to assess the effectiveness of an educational package based on the theory of five-factor positive thinking skills on psychological capital in adults.

Methods and Materials: 

The method was a quasi-experimental design with two groups and three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The sample consisted of 40 individuals (20 females and 20 males), selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to either the experimental group (20 people, males and females) or the control group (20 people, males and females). The Psychological Capital Questionnaire by Luthans et al. (2007) was used for data collection. The training group received 8 sessions of 100 minutes each, while the control group received no training. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc test.

Results indicated that in the variable of psychological capital, the components of self-efficacy, hope, optimism, and resilience showed significant differences between the pre-test and the post-test/follow-up stages (p < 0.01), meaning that the training in five-factor positive thinking skills was effective in the post-test phase and this effectiveness was sustained and enhanced up to the follow-up stage.

Given the impact of the findings, the use of this training in psychological associations and counseling centers is recommended.

Social anxiety disorder is among the most common disorders during childhood and adolescence. The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP) and schema therapy for mothers on social anxiety in children aged 5 to 6 years in Shahin Shahr.

Methods and Materials: 

This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design, including a control group. The research population consisted of all mothers of children aged 5 to 6 years with social anxiety in Shahin Shahr in 2023, from which 45 individuals were purposively selected based on scoring two standard deviations above the mean on the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (Parent Version) and other entry criteria of the study, and were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (each containing 15 individuals). One experimental group received 10 weekly sessions of 90 minutes of schema therapy, while the second experimental group underwent 10 weekly sessions of 90 minutes of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy (ISTDP). The control group did not receive any intervention. The research tool was the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale (Parent Version, 1999), completed by the mothers at three stages: pre-test, post-test, and a 3-month follow-up. The obtained data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA, mixed-design ANOVA, and Bonferroni post-hoc tests with SPSS software version 24.

The results showed that both treatments were effective in improving children's social anxiety (P<0.01), but the effectiveness of schema therapy for mothers on improving children's social anxiety was greater (P<0.01), and the effectiveness of both treatments was sustained until the end of the follow-up period.

Both treatment methods, especially schema therapy for mothers, are effective in improving social anxiety in children and can be utilized.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between problematic social media use and dark personality traits with the mediating role of emotion regulation among adult Instagram users in Tehran.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was descriptive-correlational and utilized a structural equation modeling approach. The population included all adult Instagram users (aged 18 to 80) in Tehran in the year 2022. The sample consisted of 306 individuals selected through convenience sampling. The questionnaires used in the study were the Mobile Social Networking Addiction Scale by Khajeh Ahmadi et al. (2016), the Dark Personality Traits by Jonason and Webster (2010), Emotion Regulation by Gratz and Roemer (2004), and Self-Compassion by Neff (2003). Data analysis was performed using Structural Equation Modeling and Amos.22 software.

The results showed a significant positive relationship between problematic social media use and dark personality traits (P = .001, β = .523). There was a significant positive relationship between emotion regulation and dark personality traits (P = .001, β = .376). A significant positive relationship existed between problematic social media use and emotion regulation (P= .001, β = .602). Moreover, the indirect path coefficient between problematic social media use and dark personality traits was negative and significant (P = .001, β = -.275). The indirect path coefficient between problematic social media use and dark personality traits through emotion regulation was positive and significant (P = .001, β = .226). Emotion regulation significantly mediated the relationship between problematic social media use and dark personality traits in a positive manner.

It can be concluded that emotion regulation is an important component in predicting problematic Instagram use.

The expansion of the use of new technologies and cyberspace, including smartphones and tablets, has caused significant changes in people's behaviors and habits. The present study was conducted to investigate the impact of mindfulness therapy on locus of control and nomophobia in adolescents with internet addiction.

Methods and Materials: 

In a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group, 30 adolescents with internet addiction in Tehran were selected through convenience sampling and then randomly assigned into two groups: experimental and control (each group consisting of 15 individuals). Subsequently, members of both groups completed the Internet Addiction Questionnaire (Young, 1999), the Nomophobia Questionnaire (Yildirim & Correia, 2015), and the Locus of Control Questionnaire (Rotter, 1966) before starting therapeutic interventions. The experimental group underwent mindfulness therapy in 90-minute sessions once a week for 8 sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention during this period. The data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS version 22.

The results showed that mindfulness therapy had a significant effect on locus of control (F=10.89, P=0.003) and nomophobia (F=8.16, P=0.008) in adolescents with internet addiction.

It can be concluded that mindfulness therapy can improve the locus of control and reduce nomophobia in adolescents with internet addiction, making it an effective therapeutic method in reducing psychological problems in these adolescents.

The current study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of therapist-assisted couple therapy on psychological well-being, negotiation increase, and aggression reduction in women victims of partner violence.

Methods and Materials: 

This research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The study population included couples visiting counseling and psychotherapy centers in Qom city during the second half of the year 2021, among whom 30 couples were randomly assigned to two groups after controlling for entry criteria: the therapist-assisted intervention (15 couples) and the control group (15 couples). Research instruments included the Conflict Tactics Scale by Straus et al. (1979) and the Psychological Well-being Scale by Ryff (1989), administered to the female victims of violence in three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The intervention group received an educational package by Aghayousefi et al. (2020) over eight sessions, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.

Results indicated that therapist-assisted couple therapy was effective in reducing aggression, increasing negotiation, and enhancing the psychological well-being of women victims of violence (P<0.05), with these effects being stable at the follow-up stage.

The findings suggest that therapist-assisted couple therapy is an appropriate method for resolving conflicts and improving psychological wellbeing.