Journal of

The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral stress management training on anxiety, cognitive avoidance, and health-related quality of life in patients with chronic pain. This semi-experimental study used a pre-test-post-test design with follow-up and a control group. The statistical population consisted of patients with chronic pain in Tehran during the second half of 2023. Thirty patients were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups. The experimental group participated in 10 sessions of cognitive-behavioral stress management training (Hajilu et al., 2018). To evaluate the impact of the intervention, the Beck Anxiety Inventory (1990), the Sexton and Dugas Cognitive Avoidance Scale (2004), and the Health-Related Quality of Life Questionnaire (2003) were administered at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Multivariate analysis of covariance revealed that the intervention significantly reduced anxiety and cognitive avoidance while improving health-related quality of life (P<0.05). The results suggest that cognitive-behavioral stress management training can be an effective intervention for improving the mental health and quality of life of patients with chronic pain.

Informal caregivers play an important role in meeting the communication, nutrition and health needs of the elderly. Understanding the experiences and perspectives of informal caregivers in caring for the elderly is important. This study aims to identify and organize the experiences of informal caregivers. The purpose of this research is to analyze the physical, cognitive and psychological problems of an elderly person with a stroke with a qualitative approach. The research method in this study is qualitative and based on unstructured interviews. The sampling method is purposeful. Interviews were conducted with the caregivers of an elderly person who had a stroke. The interview was conducted in an elderly person’s home located in Ilam city. Data analysis was done by using NVIVO software. Therefore, the interview were reviewed and initially coded, and at this stage, 570 initial codes were extracted. The initial codes were reviewed and revised several times and finally the number of five main classes with the titles of cognitive, physical, economic, care, and environmental conditions were achieved with 13 sub stage. In this study, it was found that the care provided was based on rotin actions and according to psychological, physical, health, nutrition and medicinal aspects.
 

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of positive psychology intervention on self-care and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels in women with type 2 diabetes. This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. A total of 30 women with type 2 diabetes who visited the endocrinology department of Shahid Dr. Labbafi Nejad Hospital between June and July 2024 were randomly selected. Participants were then randomly assigned to experimental (n=15) and control (n=15) groups using Microsoft Excel. The experimental group received positive psychology intervention for eight weekly sessions (90 minutes each), while the control group received routine hospital care. Data were collected using the Diabetes Self-Care Scale and HbA1c measurements at three time points: baseline, post-intervention, and three-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance (RM-ANOVA). The results indicated a significant increase in self-care scores in the intervention group compared to the control group. Additionally, the experimental group showed a significant reduction in HbA1c levels compared to the control group. These findings suggest that positive psychology intervention can be an effective approach to improving self-care behaviors and reducing HbA1c levels in women with type 2 diabetes.

The present study aims to explore the impact of mentalization on the quality of parenting in mothers who experienced childhood emotional trauma. This qualitative, phenomenological research used semi-structured interviews for data collection, which were then analyzed using Collaizi's seven-step phenomenological method. The participants, selected through purposive sampling, consisted of 9 mothers of children aged 3-6 years who had experienced emotional trauma during childhood. The analysis yielded five main themes: the mother's mentalization capacity, her inner psychological state, the mother-child relationship, trauma transmission, and her parenting practices. The findings suggest that mothers with strong mentalization abilities tend to experience more positive mental states, establish secure relationships with their children, avoid repeating traumatic behaviors from their own parents, and demonstrate effective parenting. In contrast,mothers with deficits in mentalization showed more negative mental states, struggled to create security with their children, repeated traumatic behaviors, and exhibited poorer parenting practices.
 

The phenomenon of phubbing and its relationship with mental health has recently raised concerns. Due to the lack of studies in this area, the aim of this research was to examine the mediating role of self-control in the relationship between phubbing and mental health among students. This study was fundamental in nature and employed a descriptive-correlational method. The study population included all 14,000 students at Kharazmi University during the 2023-2024 academic year, from which 255 individuals were selected through convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Phubbing General Questionnaire (Chotpitayasunond and Douglas, 2018), the Self-Control Questionnaire (Tangney, Baumeister, and Boone, 2004), and the General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg, 1972). The collected data were analyzed using Pearson correlation tests and structural equation modeling with the help of SPSS 27 and JASP 0.18.3.0 software. The findings indicated a significant negative relationship between phubbing and self-control. Additionally, there was a significant positive relationship between self-control and mental health. Furthermore, a significant negative relationship was found between phubbing and mental health. In this study, the indirect relationship between phubbing and mental health through self-control was significant at the 0.01 level. Based on the results, increasing students' awareness of the negative impacts of phubbing is crucial.
 

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on anxiety sensitivity and alexithymia in women with skin picking and hair pulling disorders in Tehran. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest control group design. A total of 30 female students from the Islamic Azad University, Tehran Medical Sciences Branch, who met the research criteria for skin picking and hair pulling disorders, were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. The experimental group received eight sessions of ACT, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using demographic information, the Anxiety Sensitivity Index, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale at baseline, post-intervention, and a three-month follow-up. The results indicated no significant difference between the two groups in the pretest stage, confirming group homogeneity. However, posttest and follow-up results showed significant reductions in anxiety sensitivity and alexithymia scores in the experimental group compared to the control group (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that ACT is effective in reducing emotional and cognitive symptoms associated with skin picking and hair pulling disorders and may be considered a beneficial therapeutic approach for women affected by these conditions.

 

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy on marital conflicts and differentiation of self among women affected by marital infidelity. This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with two treatment groups, in which 40 affected women were randomly assigned to schema therapy and compassion-focused therapy groups. Data were collected using validated questionnaires on marital conflicts and differentiation of self, and analyzed through multivariate analysis of covariance. The results indicated that both therapeutic approaches significantly reduced marital conflicts and enhanced differentiation of self, with significant differences observed between the two groups. Schema therapy demonstrated greater effectiveness in improving specific dimensions of marital conflicts, whereas compassion-focused therapy showed stronger effects on dimensions of differentiation of self. These findings highlight the critical role of specialized psychotherapeutic interventions in restoring psychological well-being and improving the quality of marital relationships among women affected by infidelity. They also emphasize the importance of tailoring therapeutic approaches to the individual needs and characteristics of clients. Furthermore, the results provide a scientific basis for the integrative and targeted use of these two therapeutic approaches in counseling and psychotherapy centers.