Journal of adolescent and youth psychological studies
Volume:5 Issue: 7, Jul 2024

 The increasing delay in the age of marriage and the decreasing interest and willingness of single women to marry have led to a rise in the age of marriage, resulting in an increase in the number of single women with higher ages. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy before marriage on the emotional maturity and body image of single women.

Methods and Materials: 

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test and post-test design with a non-equivalent control group. The study population included single women from District 1 of Tehran in 2022. The research sample consisted of 60 participants selected through convenience sampling based on a call from the study population, and they were randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. Participants completed the Emotional Maturity Questionnaire (Yashvir Singh and Mahesh Bhargava, 1991) and the Body Image Questionnaire (Fisher, 1970) before the intervention, after the intervention, and at follow-up. The first experimental group received schema therapy and the second experimental group received cognitive-behavioral therapy in eight 90-minute sessions based on the schema therapy protocol (Leahy, 2013) and the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol (Beck, 1964), respectively. Data were analyzed using one-way ANCOVA and one-way ANOVA with post hoc tests using SPSS software.

 The results indicated that schema therapy and cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly (mean difference with p < 0.05) reduced emotional maturity instability and improved body image (mean difference with p < 0.05) in single women.

 Based on the findings, it is concluded that schema therapy before marriage and cognitive-behavioral therapy can be effective therapeutic methods for improving the emotional maturity and body image of single women and can be used as important and key interventions in the pre-marriage domain.

 Nowadays, internet addiction has become a social problem that can disrupt an individual's health and productive presence in society. Everyone spends a significant amount of time on various programs and using the internet daily, but some people excessively engage in these activities to the extent that their mental health, behavior, and social life are adversely affected. Therefore, it is essential to intervene and prevent internet addiction. The purpose of this research was to investigate the effectiveness of quality of life intervention based on reality therapy according to adolescents' lived experiences on internet and computer game addiction.

Methods and Materials: 

The first part of the research employed a qualitative phenomenological approach. The statistical population consisted of all adolescents with internet addiction under counseling in counseling centers in Isfahan. Fifteen adolescents were purposefully selected and interviewed until saturation. After analyzing the interviews using Colaizzi's method and MAXQDA software, nine main concepts (lifestyle, identity formation, self-efficacy, psycho-physical factors, family structure, parent-adolescent relationship, family demographic characteristics, interpersonal relationships, and society) and 33 sub-concepts were categorized. Consequently, the quality of life intervention based on reality therapy was developed based on the extracted themes. The second part of the research was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test control group, and follow-up period. The statistical population included all adolescents with internet addiction under counseling in counseling centers in Isfahan. Thirty adolescents were purposefully selected based on the inclusion criteria (scoring above 50 on the Internet Addiction Questionnaire) and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the quality of life intervention based on reality therapy over two months in ten 120-minute sessions. The questionnaires used included the Internet Addiction Questionnaire by Kimberly Young (1998) and the Computer Game Addiction Questionnaire by Soltani and Farhadi (2016). The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with SPSS23 software.

 The results indicated that the quality of life intervention based on reality therapy according to adolescents' lived experiences had a significant effect on internet and computer game addiction (P < 0.001).

 Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the quality of life intervention based on reality therapy according to adolescents' lived experiences, utilizing the principles and techniques of changing conditions and enhancing quality of life based on Glasser's reality therapy theory, can be an effective intervention for improving internet and computer game addiction.

 Extramarital affairs are phenomena that often occur to fulfill an individual's emotional or sexual needs through relationships outside the marital domain. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy (EFT) in increasing intimacy and marital forgiveness and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital affairs.

Methods and Materials: 

The present study is a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up, along with a control group. The statistical population of this study included all women affected by their spouse's extramarital affairs who referred to specialized family counseling centers in District 6 of Mashhad. From this population, 30 women were selected through purposive sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using the Marital Forgiveness Scale by Rye et al. (2001), the Marital Burnout Scale by Pines (1996), and the Marital Intimacy Scale by Thompson and Walker (1983). Participants were randomly assigned to three experimental groups and one control group, each consisting of 15 individuals. Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA with SPSS-20 statistical software.

 The results indicated that Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy was effective in improving intimacy and marital forgiveness and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital affairs (P<0.01). The results of this study remained stable during the follow-up phase.

 Therefore, it can be concluded that Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy is effective in enhancing intimacy, forgiveness, and reducing marital burnout in women affected by extramarital affairs. This therapeutic approach can be used to alleviate the psychological problems of couples affected by extramarital affairs.

 Today, the academic progress and performance of students have been considered an important indicator for evaluating the educational system. The present study aimed to fit the proposed model of the causal relationship between childhood traumas, deviant behaviors, and academic performance with the mediation of resilience in students.

Methods and Materials: 

This correlational study employed structural equation modeling (SEM) or causal modeling for model fitting. The statistical population included all male and female high school students in the 22 districts of Tehran during the 2023-2024 academic year, from which 370 students were randomly selected. Data were collected using the Bernstein et al. (2003) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, the Eyberg and Ross (1978) Child Behavior Checklist, and the Liebenberg et al. (2012) Child and Youth Resilience Measure. Data were analyzed using SPSS.24 and AMOS.24 software.

 The results showed that childhood traumas had a direct effect on resilience (t = -6.38, β = -0.61). Childhood traumas had a direct effect on deviant behaviors (t = 4.27, β = 0.38). Childhood traumas had a direct effect on academic performance (t = -2.68, β = -0.28). Resilience had a direct effect on deviant behaviors (t = -4.96, β = -0.47). Additionally, the model of childhood traumas with deviant behaviors and academic performance mediated by resilience in students was a good fit.

 It can be concluded that resilience plays a mediating role in the relationship between childhood traumas, deviant behaviors, and academic performance.

 Drug use, considered a socially unacceptable habit across all human societies, has involved countless individuals, particularly from adolescence and youth to middle age. This study aimed to determine the role of stressful events and the behavioral brain system in addiction tendencies among the youth of Yasuj.

Methods and Materials: 

This study was descriptive and correlational in nature. The statistical population included all young people aged 18 to 35 years in Yasuj in 2022. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan table (1987) and using multi-stage cluster random sampling, 384 young people from Yasuj were selected and studied. Data collection was conducted using the Holmes and Rahe Stressful Life Events Questionnaire (1960), the Behavioral Inhibition/Activation System by Carver and White (1994), and the Addiction Potential Scale by Weed and Butcher (1992). After data collection and extraction, the participants' scores were analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient and the fitted values, with the help of SPSS-24 statistical software.

 The results of Pearson's correlation coefficient showed a significant positive relationship between stressful life events and addiction tendencies among the youth of Yasuj (P < 0.01). There was a significant negative relationship between the behavioral inhibition system and addiction tendencies among the youth of Yasuj (P < 0.01). There was a significant positive relationship between the behavioral activation system and addiction tendencies among the youth of Yasuj (P < 0.01).

 Based on the results, by identifying stressful life events and the behavioral activation system in young people, measures can be taken to prevent their tendency toward addiction.

 This study aimed to determine and compare the motivation levels of adolescent girls during simultaneous and delayed observational learning of targeting skills with a racket.

Methods and Materials: 

This quasi-experimental study involved 40 girls aged 16 to 18, randomly divided into two groups: simultaneous observational learning and delayed observational learning. The protocol lasted for three days, and the task involved performing a forehand strike in clay tennis with the non-dominant hand toward a concentric target on the ground. On the first day, the pre-test was conducted, followed by the acquisition phase, and after a one-hour rest, the post-test. The retention test was conducted on the second day, and the transfer test on the third day. The motivation questionnaire was completed after the pre-test, after the acquisition phase, and before the retention test. For the simultaneous group, the video was played concurrently with the participants' performance, whereas for the delayed group, the participants started hitting after the video ended. To determine the effects of the independent variables, the present study's data were analyzed using SPSS software version 26. Descriptive statistics were used to draw graphs, calculate the mean and standard deviation, and inferential statistics (multivariate analysis of variance) and a 2 (group) × 4 (test) analysis of variance with repeated measures on the test factor were used to examine the total score of the motivation questionnaire.

 The results of this study indicated that there was a significant difference in motivation between the simultaneous and delayed observational learning groups.

 The mean total motivation score for the delayed observational learning group was higher than that of the simultaneous observational learning group.

 Ego strength indicates an individual's capacity to endure stress without experiencing crippling anxiety and is related to a sense of competence and self-sufficiency in personal and social domains. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of therapy based on the integrated self-analytic approach on psychological capital, psychological well-being, ego strength, and emotion regulation difficulties in individuals suffering from COVID-19 grief syndrome.

Methods and Materials: 

The present research method was quasi-experimental, employing a pretest-posttest control group design with a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of individuals with COVID-19 grief syndrome in Isfahan during the second half of 2022. Using a purposive sampling method, 30 eligible individuals were selected and randomly assigned equally to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the integrated self-analytic approach therapy (Atashpour et al., 2021) and the acceptance and commitment therapy (Hayes, 2004), while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data collection tools included the Bart and Scott Grief Experience Questionnaire (1989), the Garnefski and Kraaij Emotion Regulation Scale (2006), and the Ego Strength Scale (PIES). Descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (mixed ANOVA with repeated measures) were used for data analysis. SPSS-26 software was used for conducting the statistical tests.

 The calculated F-value for the between-group factor was significant at the 0.05 level (P<0.05). Consequently, there was a significant difference between the mean pretest, posttest, and follow-up scores of psychological capital in the experimental and control groups. Bonferroni post-hoc test results also indicated a significant difference between pretest and posttest, and pretest and follow-up scores of ego strength and emotion regulation difficulties in both experimental groups (P<0.05). However, the post-hoc test results showed no significant difference between posttest and follow-up scores of the study variables (P>0.05). The Tukey post-hoc test also indicated no significant difference in the effectiveness of these two approaches (P>0.05).

 The results demonstrated that both integrated self-analytic approach therapy and acceptance and commitment therapy were significantly effective in improving ego strength and reducing emotion regulation difficulties. These effects were sustained at the follow-up stage, and the effectiveness of the two approaches was identical.

 Intense emotions following physical, psychological, and cognitive changes in adolescents may lead to aggression. Aggressive adolescents, due to negative experiences in relationships, are at risk for multiple psychological problems. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on cognitive flexibility and alexithymia in aggressive adolescents.

Methods and Materials: 

This quasi-experimental study employed a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included all high school students (grades 1 and 2) in Shahdad County during the 2021-2022 academic year. Thirty students were selected using convenience sampling from these schools, having scored higher than 78 on the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Out of these, 30 students were randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups. The research instruments included the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (1994), and the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) was used to analyze the data using SPSS-26 software.

 The findings indicated that dialectical behavior therapy had a significant effect on cognitive flexibility and alexithymia in aggressive adolescents (p<0.005).

 Considering the effectiveness of dialectical behavior therapy on cognitive flexibility and alexithymia in aggressive adolescents, the implementation of intervention methods based on dialectical behavior therapy, particularly for emotional regulation and increasing cognitive flexibility, is recommended in schools and for high school students.

 Students in every society are an efficient and future-building class, a group that constitutes a significant portion of the planning and budget of each country. Their academic progress is crucial for their future success. The present study aimed to predict academic engagement based on mindfulness and perceived academic motivation with the mediating role of academic burnout and academic self-handicapping among students at Islamic Azad University.

Methods and Materials: 

This research utilized a descriptive-correlational methodology. The statistical population included all students of Islamic Azad University in Tehran who were studying in the academic year 2020-2021. A random sampling method was used to select a sample of 350 students. Data analysis was conducted using structural equation modeling and factor analysis through AMOS software. The instruments used included the Academic Engagement Questionnaire by Reeve (2013), the Freiburg Mindfulness Inventory (FMI-SF), Harter's Standard Perceived Academic Motivation Questionnaire, the Academic Burnout Questionnaire by Pekrun, Goetz, and Perry (2020), and the Academic Self-Handicapping Questionnaire by Jones and Rodault (2020). The factor analysis and Cronbach's alpha results confirmed their validity and reliability.

 The results indicated that academic motivation and mindfulness directly and positively predict academic engagement, while academic self-handicapping and academic burnout directly and negatively predict academic engagement. Additionally, the proposed research model demonstrated good fitness.

 It can be concluded that mindfulness and academic motivation, considering the mediating role of academic burnout and academic self-handicapping, have a significant impact on students' academic engagement.

 Victimization has increased in recent decades and is now considered a concerning factor for public health. Adolescents are vulnerable and impressionable, and their early experiences of inappropriate relationships and victimization may potentially create a pattern for their future unhealthy relationships. This study aimed to design and validate a tool to measure the perception of victimization in Iranian adolescents.

Methods and Materials: 

This descriptive and survey-based study included a statistical population of adolescent students aged 12 to 20 years. The sample was purposively selected and calculated to be 343 participants based on Mueller’s formula. The research instrument initially comprised 49 items, which were reduced to 44 items after analysis. Data analysis was performed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis methods. The research data were analyzed using SPSS19 and LISREL8.8 software.

 The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the Victimization Perception Questionnaire has five factors: emotional-mental, behavioral (verbal and non-verbal), virtual, sexual, and physical. The validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by experts' opinions. The construct validity of the Victimization Perception Questionnaire was examined using exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. To assess the reliability of the questionnaire studied in this research, Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was calculated for the entire test and the five discovered subscales. Accordingly, the reliability coefficients for the overall scale and the five identified dimensions were 0.94, 0.91, 0.84, 0.91, 0.89, and 0.78, respectively.

 Based on the results of this study, this scale has appropriate reliability and validity for measuring the perception of victimization in Iranian samples.

 Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) negatively impacts thoughts, beliefs, cognitions, and emotions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to present a model of OCD based on family functioning and life stressors with the mediation of perfectionism in students.

Methods and Materials: 

This cross-sectional correlational study was conducted on students in Tehran during the 2020-2021 academic year. The sample size was 404 participants, selected through multistage cluster sampling. The research instruments included the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory (Hodgson & Rachman, 1977), Family Assessment Device (Epstein et al., 1983), Life Events Scale (Pekel et al., 1971), and the Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost et al., 1990). Data analysis was performed using structural equation modeling with path analysis in SPSS and PLS software.

 The results showed that the model of OCD based on family functioning and life stressors with the mediation of perfectionism in students had a good fit. Additionally, family functioning and life stressors had a direct and significant effect on perfectionism and OCD, and perfectionism had a direct and significant effect on OCD (P < 0.05). Furthermore, family functioning and life stressors had an indirect and significant effect on OCD through the mediation of perfectionism (P < 0.05).

 The findings indicate the significant mediating role of perfectionism in the relationship between family functioning and life stressors with OCD. Therefore, to reduce OCD, interventions can focus on improving family functioning, reducing life stressors, and enhancing perfectionism.

 The present study aimed to investigate the moderating role of family communication patterns in the relationship between childhood trauma and the tendency toward addiction in adolescent boys.

Methods and Materials: 

The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all adolescents aged 12 to 17 years, from seventh to twelfth grade, in the year 2023. The research sample included 380 individuals selected through multistage cluster sampling. They were evaluated using the Ahvaz Addiction Tendency Questionnaire, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), and the Revised Family Communication Patterns (RFCP) questionnaire. Data analysis was performed using SPSS 21 software at both descriptive and inferential levels, and hypothesis testing was conducted using hierarchical regression analysis.

 The results showed a positive and significant relationship between dimensions of childhood trauma and the tendency toward addiction (p ≤ 0.05), as well as a positive and significant relationship between conformity and the tendency toward addiction (p ≤ 0.05). However, there was a negative and significant relationship between conversation orientation and the tendency toward addiction (p ≤ 0.05). Additionally, family communication patterns moderated the relationship between physical abuse and the tendency toward addiction, as well as the relationship between emotional abuse and the tendency toward addiction. However, family communication patterns did not moderate the relationship between physical neglect and the tendency toward addiction, nor the relationship between emotional neglect and the tendency toward addiction. Family communication patterns did moderate the relationship between sexual abuse and the tendency toward addiction.

 It can be concluded that family communication patterns mediate the relationship between childhood trauma and the tendency toward addiction in adolescent boys.

 The emigration of elite athletes from Iran has adversely affected the nation's growth and development. This study seeks to identify the determinants influencing the migration of elite Iranian athletes.

Methods and Materials: 

This research utilized a qualitative approach employing systematic grounded theory methodology. Participants were purposefully selected and included male and female national athletes who had changed citizenship and relocated abroad for athletic purposes. Data collection was conducted through 10 Persian and English articles and 16 interviews.

 The data analysis resulted in the identification of 136 initial codes. These codes were consolidated into 12 subcategories, which included personal reasons, sports growth and development, favorable conditions in the destination country, personal weaknesses and psychological elements, resources, facilities and infrastructure, economic problems in the country, financial issues for athletes, sports management weaknesses, political restrictions, cultural challenges, and social issues. Furthermore, these subcategories were organized into three main categories: intra-personal factors, economic factors, and extra-personal factors.

 The study suggests that senior officials should address discriminatory perspectives, ensure justice within the sports sector, provide equal opportunities, enhance management practices, offer economic support to athletes, combat discrimination, decouple politics from sports, and respect the privacy of athletes, particularly women.

 The present study aimed to construct and validate the Meaning Formation Scale for adolescents aged 12-20 years in the city of Isfahan during 2022-2023.

Methods and Materials: 

The research was conducted using a mixed-method approach with a sequential exploratory qualitative-quantitative design. The quantitative sample included adolescent girls and boys aged 12-20 years, from which 443 adolescents (248 girls and 185 boys) were randomly selected using cluster sampling. The Meaning in Life Questionnaire (Steger, 2010) was used to determine convergent validity, and the researcher-developed Meaning Formation Scale was completed by the researcher. Data were analyzed using SPSS-22 and Amos-26 software, employing correlation coefficients and confirmatory factor analysis. The content validity of this scale was confirmed by 15 psychology experts.

 The results of the factor analysis for the Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents, with five factors—Conflict Creation, Conflict Expression, Conflict Confrontation, Conflict Engagement, and Solution Attainment and Integration—showed an acceptable fit with the collected data (χ2/df = 1.82, CFI = 0.915, GFI = 0.903, AGFI = 0.859, and RMSEA = 0.043). Each component also demonstrated acceptable capacity for measuring the factors of the questionnaire. Additionally, the items related to each factor of the Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents exhibited acceptable internal consistency, with Cronbach's alpha coefficients for Conflict Creation, Conflict Expression, Conflict Confrontation, Conflict Engagement, and Solution Attainment and Integration being 0.83, 0.66, 0.71, 0.79, and 0.80, respectively, all of which were close to or above 0.70.

 It can be concluded from this study that the 36-item Meaning Formation Scale in adolescents is a suitable tool for use in various psychological, educational, and research domains.

 Adolescence is a critical period; the identity formed during this time impacts all major life decisions, including career decision-making. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an awareness and preparedness model for career decision-making among 11th-grade high school girls in Khorramabad.

Methods and Materials:

 This research was conducted using a sequential exploratory mixed-method design. The study population included 11th-grade female students from Behesht Aein School in Khorramabad during the 2021-2022 academic year. In the qualitative phase, 20 adolescents were selected through purposive sampling, and semi-structured interviews were conducted. The data were then analyzed using conventional qualitative content analysis, and a career decision-making awareness model was developed based on the findings. Then, 30 adolescents were selected through simple random sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups of 15 each. Data were collected using the Dielas Career Identity Questionnaire (1981) and the Betz and Taylor Career Decision-Making Questionnaire (1996). The experimental group received twelve 1.5-hour sessions of the career decision-making awareness model. Data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis in SPSS version 25.

 In the qualitative results, three main categories emerged: "the process of self-concept discovery," "facilitating factors in the development of career self-concept," and "contextual factors in job selection." In the quantitative results, there was a significant difference between the pre-test (3.87) and post-test (4.8) scores of career identity in the experimental group (P=0.001, ƞ2=0.388, f=17.091). There was also a significant difference in career decision-making scores between the pre-test (2.96) and post-test (3.72) in adolescent girls before and after the career decision-making awareness model (P=0.001, ƞ2=0.893, f=25.327).

 The awareness model intervention, designed considering the context, environment, and teachings relevant to 11th-grade high school girls, led to increased career identity formation and career decision-making readiness. School counselors can utilize this intervention to assist in career identity formation and enhance career decision-making readiness among adolescents.

 The lack of an appropriate behavioral model and the necessary training in the socialization process leads to disruptions in social communications. This study aimed to investigate the effect of basic and advanced communication skills training on the quality of interpersonal relationships and organizational commitment among employees of Kimiya Chlor Petrochemical in Shushtar.

Methods and Materials: 

This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population consisted of the employees of Kimiya Chlor Petrochemical in Shushtar in 2022. Sixty employees were randomly selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group consisting of 30 individuals). The experimental group received eight sessions of communication skills training, each lasting one and a half hours over four weeks, while the control group did not receive any training. The research instruments included the Interpersonal Relationship Questionnaire by Monajemizadeh (2012) and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire by Allen and Meyer (1977). Data were analyzed using covariance analysis and SPSS.22 software.

 The results showed that basic and advanced communication skills training had a significant impact on the quality of interpersonal relationships, organizational commitment, and its components in the experimental group (p < 0.05).

 It can be concluded that basic and advanced communication skills training effectively improved the quality of interpersonal relationships and organizational commitment among the employees of the petrochemical company.