نشریه روانشناسی معاصر
سال هفدهم شماره 2 (پاییز و زمستان 1401)

Articles are the most common and best means of communication between scientists and researchers in a scientific field. Without this inter-subjective tool, the possibility of growth and development of human knowledge in a scientific field is, if not impossible, very difficult. In this editorial, we tried to describe what and the nature of scientific articles as the most appropriate way to report research. Then, we briefly examined the function, quality and two complementary elements of this type of research reports. Finally, we briefly introduced the types of published articles in scientific journals. The aim of the bi-quarterly journal of contemporary psychology in the near future will be to include this type of articles in its publication list with a new structure.

Academic self-efficacy is one of the important factors that in academic success, so identifying the factors affecting it is very important. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of the Imposter Syndrome in the relationship between academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy. The research design was descriptive and correlational, and the statistical population included all masters and doctoral students of the Islamic Azad University (South Tehran Branch) in the academic year 2021-22. A total of 294 students volunteered to take part in the study and responded to Students' Academic Self-Concept Scale (Reynolds, Ramirez, Magrina, & Allen, 1980); the Impostor Syndrome Scale (Clance, 1985) and the College Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (Owen and Froman, 1988). Correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression based on Baron and Kenny’s method and Sobel’s test were used to analyze the data. Findings of the research showed that there was a significant negative correlation between the Impostor Syndrome with academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy, and a significant positive correlation between academic self-efficacy and academic self-concept. Also regression analysis showed that the Impostor Syndrome had a mediating role in the relationship between academic self-concept and academic self-efficacy. Overall, results of this study suggest that a negative academic self-concept may increase the Imposter syndrome in students, which in turn leads to feelings of academic inadequacy and distrust of academic ability and thus, academic self-efficacy may be weakened.

The present study was conducted with the purpose of investigating the effect of emotion regulation training on cognitive flexibility and loneliness in addicts. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the research includes all addicts who self-reported to the welfare organization of  the City of Shiraz in the first six months of 2022. Among these, a sample of 30 participants were selected and randomly placed in one experimental and one control group (N= 15 in each group). The experimental group was subjected to the emotion regulation training for eight sessions of 90 minutes, while no intervention was allocated to the control group. The questionnaires used in this research included the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & VanderWal, 2010) and The Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adalts Scale (DiTommaso & Spinner, 1997). The research data was analyzed using multivariate and univariate covariance test and SPSS-25 software. The results showed that emotion regulation training has a significant impact on increasing flexibility and reducing the feeling of loneliness in addicted people. The adverse consequences of drug addiction and its destructive role in mental health overshadow the process of personal, social and professional life and even the personal and family life of this group, so it is necessary to take appropriate measures to improve the psychological, emotional and the behavior of these people. Based on this, it is necessary to use appropriate psychological interventions that improve psychological capabilities and interpersonal relationships and reduce their psychological symptoms.

The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the effect of emotional literacy training on academic engagement and theory of mind of 9-12 year-old girls. The research method was semi-experimental with pre and post- test with a control group. The statistical population included female students aged 9 to 12 in the city of Isfahan in the academic year 2020-21. Of these, 24 were selected based on availability and randomly assigned to either a control group (N=12) or an experimental group (N=12) groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of emotional literacy training for 60 minutes, and the control group did not receive any training. All participants completed the following questionnaires: Zarang's (2012) Academic Engagement Questionnaire and Stirenman's (1999) Theory of Mind Test. Results of Mann-Whitney U test showed that emotional literacy education improved the level of theory of mind and academic engagement of students. Therefore, emotional literacy training in schools and counseling centers can be used to increase students' theory of mind and academic engagement

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the fit of model of the relationship between the perception of parental relationships and parenting styles with the academic vitality of adolescent girls through the mediation of general self-efficacy. This was a descriptive correlational study. The statistical population included all female students of the middle school in Masal City in Gilan province in 2021-22 and their parents. The statistical sample included 238 students who were selected by cluster random sampling method. The Measurement tools include: Grolnick et al.'s (1997) Perceptions of Parents (POPS) Questionnaire; Baumrind's (1988) Parenting Styles; Dehghanizadeh and Chari (2012) Academic Vitality Scale; and Sherer et al.'s (1982) General Self-Efficacy Scale. Data analysis was done by Pearson's correlation and structural equation methods using SPSS24 and AMOS26 softwares. The findings showed a structural relationship between authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles and perception of parental relationships with academic vitality through the mediation of students' general self-efficacy. The path coefficients of the direct effects of authoritarian parenting style and general self-efficacy on academic vitality were also significant. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that General self-efficacy plays a mediating role in the relationship authoritarian and authoritative parenting styles and perception of parental with academic vitality. the findings have practical implications for counselors and psychologists active in the field of family and education.

Children with physical disabilities may face challenges in mobility, exploration of their environment, and social interaction due to movement restrictions. These limitations can also lead to delays in the development of social cognition, specifically in theory of mind (ToM). This study aimed to compare the level of ToM abilities among students with motor problems, intellectually disabled students (ID), and students with typical development (TD), with a focus on the role of motor disabilities. To achieve the goal of this causal-comparative research, we recruited 44 students with cerebral palsy (CP), 29 ID students, and 46 TD students through from schools in Zanjan, Iran. The Gross Motor Function Classification System - Expanded & Revised (GMFCS - E&R), as well as the Wechsler, Leiter, and Goodenough intelligence tests, and a 38-item Theory of Mind questionnaire were employed to collect the necessary data. The results of multivariate analysis of variance revealed that despite having normal intelligence and homogeneity in terms of gender and age, students with physical disabilities performed poorly compared to TD students in the third level of theory of mind (F=6.02, p=0.003). However, students with motor disabilities outperformed ID students in the second level of theory of mind (F=21.18, p<0.001). Overall, the results of the study confirmed the relationship between motor limitations and ToM, revealing that despite normal intelligence, movement restrictions can negatively impact children’s ToM capabilities by limiting their social relationships.

The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between psychological capital, job motivation, satisfaction and performance with regard to the mediating role of job emotions in a group of university employees.The design of this research was correlational using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of the research included all employees of Dezful University of Medical Sciences. Of these, 270 were selected using multi-stage cluster sampling. Research tools include the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Luthans et al., 2007); the Job-Related Affective Well-being Scale (Van Katwyk et al., 2000); THE Job Motivation Questionnaire (Robinson, 2004); Job Satisfaction Questionnaire (Judge and Bono, 2000); and the Job Performance Questionnaire (Paterson, 1963). Fitness of the proposed model was examined through structural equation modeling using SPSS-23 and AMOS-23 software packages. Results suggest that psychological capital had a direct effect on positive emotions, negative emotions, job motivation, job satisfaction and job performance. It was also shown that the direct effect of positive emotions and negative emotions on job motivation, job satisfaction and job performance; and the indirect effect of psychological capital on job motivation, satisfaction Job and job performance were mediated by  positive emotions and negative emotions. It is suggested that teaching psychological capital to employees, in addition to reducing negative emotions and improving positive emotions, it may be possible to significantly increase job motivation, satisfaction and performance.

The aim of the present study was to improve reading skills by improving effective mechanisms including selective attention and inhibition using mindfulness and Sahaja Yoga techniques in a group of fifth grade students with academic and attention problems. In a post-test experimental design with a one-month follow-up, 200 male and female students with academic failure from two schools volunteered to participate in the study in Tehran. They were introduced to the researcher by their teachers. Of these, 60 girls and 60 boys were selected for the study according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria. These girls and boys were randomly divided into three groups: mindfulness program (experimental group 1), Sahaja Yoga program (experimental group 2) and no intervention (control group). In total, 20 girls and 20 boys were placed in each group. After the end of intervention, all three groups in the post-test and follow-up stages completed the tests of reading skills based on Perls’ selective attention d2 and the Stroop test to measure inhibition. Results of mixed analysis of variance showed that meditation improved reading skills and executive function of students' selective attention and inhibition. This effect remained relatively stable over time. In addition, Sahaja Yoga intervention was more effective on reading skills and selective attention than mindfulness. The effect of time and the interaction effect of time × group were not significant for any of the dependent variables. It seems that meditation may be more suitable as it is easier to apply in various settings to reduce learning problems and applying academic skills and may be more available than other methods to professional and non-professional experts.

Middle-aged women seem to perform a multitude of tasks in the family which may be very stressful. As a result, and combined with physiological and hormonal changes during menopause, these women may be at increasing. This in turn may result in decreased cognitive abilities. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of mindfulness in the relationship between depression and anxiety with cognitive abilities in middle-aged women. The research method was descriptive-correlational using structural equation modeling. The statistical population of this study included all women between 40 and 60 years old living in Shiraz in the first quarter of 2023. Of these, 331women were available to take part in the study having fulfilled research criteria. Measurement tools used include: Mindfulness, Attention, Awareness Scale(MAAS) (Brown and Ryan, 2003); the Short Form of Depression, Anxiety and Stress scale (DASS-21) (Lavibond and Lavibond, 1995); and Nejati’s (2013) Cognitive Abilities Questionnaire. Data was analyzed by using the maximum likelihood estimation and the Bootstrape Significance Test. Findings showed direct and indirect (with the mediation of mindfulness) significant relationships between depression and anxiety with cognitive abilities in middle-aged women. Also, the direct and negative relationship between depression and anxiety with mindfulness and the direct and positive relationship between mindfulness and cognitive abilities were significant. Therefore, high levels of depression and anxiety and low levels of mindfulness can be considered as negative factors affecting cognitive abilities in middle-aged women.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of anger rumination in the relationship between trait anger and aggression and the moderating role of moral disengagement. This research is in the form of correlational path analysis and more precisely modeling the moderating mediator. The statistical population of this research was all the twelfth grade students of the second period of high school in the academic year of 2021-2022 in Ahvaz city, from which 200 students were selected using a multi-stage random sampling method. The instruments used in this research included the Aggression Questionnaire (Buss & Perry, 1992); Trait-State Anger Expression Inventory– 2 (Spielberger, 1999); Anger Rumination Scale (Sukhodolsky, Golub & Cromwell, 2001); and Civic Moral Disengagement Scale (Caprara, Fida, Vecchione, Tramontano & Barbaranelli, 2009). The evaluation of the proposed model was done through the Software SPSS 22 and PROCESS method, model No. 15. Results showed that trait anger had a positive and significant relationship with aggression and anger rumination was the mediator of this relationship. Moral disengagement moderated the conditional direct relationship between anger rumination and aggression and the relationship between trait anger and aggression at two levels (out of three levels). Regarding the conditional indirect results between trait anger and aggression through anger rumination, moral disengagement moderated this relationship only at two levels (at the mean and one standard deviation above the mean). Overall, by incorporating moral disengagement as a moderator into the model, the current study detected effects that would have been neglected without the moderation analysis.

Approximately one-third of adolescents who have suicidal ideation, plan to commit suicide in teenage years. The aim of the current research was the comparison of the effectiveness of existential therapy and rational-emotive behavior therapy on meaning of life and anger management of high school male students with suicidal ideation. The research method was semi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test-follow-up plan with a control group. The statistical society included all male high school students with suicidal thoughts during the 2022-2023 academic year in the city of Izeh. Among them, 45 individuals were selected through a multi-stage cluster random sampling method, taking into account the criteria for entering the research. They were then randomly assigned to three groups: the existential therapy group, the rational-emotive behavioral therapy group, and the control group (each group consisting of 15 individuals). Research tools included the Beck Suicide Scale Ideation (Beck, 1979), the Meaning of Life Scale (Stiger et al., 2006) and the Spielberger's State–Trait Anger Expression Inventory-2 (1999). The participants attended existential therapy (10sessions) and rational-emotive behavior therapy (8 sessions) in parallel and simultaneously. Research data were analyzed through multivariate covariance analysis and Bonferroni Post Hoc test in SPSS software 26 version. The results showed that existential therapy and rational-emotional behavioral therapy were affected on the meaning of life and anger management (p≤0.01). And they indicated the stability of the interventions in the follow-up stage on the scores of the meaning of life and anger management. The results of Bonferroni's Post Hoc test showed that there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of both treatments (p>0.05). Furthermore, the results of this research support the positive effect of educational interventions on the meaning of life and anger management of adolescents with suicidal ideations.