Psychological interventions in health and diseases
Sharareh Ghasemi; khadijeh Arabsheybani; Mojgan AgahHeris; Mahdieh Rahmanian; Sepideh Nazemi
Abstract
Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy, focusing on dietary traps, in reducing weight and BMI, including thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH), weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI), among individuals with obesity and hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland controls the body's ...
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Objective: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy, focusing on dietary traps, in reducing weight and BMI, including thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH), weight, and Body Mass Index (BMI), among individuals with obesity and hypothyroidism. The thyroid gland controls the body's metabolism through hormone production. Thyroid dysfunction can alter the metabolic rate, impacting weight. Research consistently indicates that increased BMI is often associated with higher TSH levels and an increased likelihood of hypothyroidism. However, the overall findings from studies in this area are not yet entirely consistent. Although individuals with obesity due to conditions like hypothyroidism initially find weight loss straightforward, maintaining this reduced weight becomes challenging over time due to psychological traps such as stress, family issues, and social situations. While cognitive therapy primarily focuses on improving an individual's cognitions and thought patterns, it may not directly influence hormonal physiological processes.
Method: This research utilized a quasi-experimental design involving an experimental group and a control group, with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages. Participants were selected using convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to groups. The study included 30 women from Tehran diagnosed with hypothyroidism and obesity. These participants were divided into two groups: an experimental group (15 individuals) and a control group (15 individuals). The experimental group received 10 weeks of cognitive therapy sessions, concentrating on dietary traps, while the control group received no intervention. Participants signed the consent form before attending the study. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires, blood tests, and BMI measurements. Statistical analysis involved MANOVA, performed using SPSS 26 software.
Findings: Cognitive therapy with an emphasis on dietary traps significantly reduced weight and BMI (P < 0.001), and significant differences were observed between the experimental and control groups at post-test and follow-up stages (P < 0.001). Cognitive therapy focused on dietary traps did not have a significant effect on T3, T4, and TSH hormones. The group × time interaction effect for these variables was not significant (p = 0.358), but the main effect of time was fully confirmed.
Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that cognitive therapy with an emphasis on dietary traps effectively reduces weight and BMI in individuals with hypothyroidism and obesity. The experimental group showed greater improvements compared to the control group, and these effects remained stable during the follow-up period. However, the therapy did not have a significant effect on improving thyroid hormone levels.
Psychological aspects in health and diseases
Zahra Hamzeei; Alireza Aghayousefi; Mahdiyeh Rahmanian
Abstract
Objective: Stress is widely recognized as a critical factor influencing both the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases. Evidence suggests that the use of adaptive coping strategies can enhance psychological resilience and improve patients’ ability to manage stressful life events effectively. ...
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Objective: Stress is widely recognized as a critical factor influencing both the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases. Evidence suggests that the use of adaptive coping strategies can enhance psychological resilience and improve patients’ ability to manage stressful life events effectively. Accordingly, the present study aimed to examine the impact of coping therapy on stress-coping strategies and perceived stress levels among women with cardiovascular disease.Method: This semi-experimental research employed a pre-test–post-test design with a control group and a one-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of 30 women diagnosed with cardiovascular disease and experiencing psychological stress, who were selected through convenience sampling from a cardiology clinic in Qom, Iran. Participants were randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 15) and a control group (n = 15). The experimental group received the Folkman and Lazarus (1984) coping therapy program over 12 weekly sessions (each lasting two hours), while the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were collected using the Perceived Stress Scale (Cohen et al., 1983) and the Lazarus and Folkman Coping Strategies Questionnaire (1980), administered before, after, and one month following the intervention. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 24.Results: Findings revealed a significant improvement in adaptive coping strategies and a significant reduction in perceived stress among participants in the coping therapy group compared with the control group (p < 0.001).Conclusion: Coping therapy proved effective in enhancing stress-coping strategies and decreasing perceived stress levels in women with cardiovascular disease. By enabling participants to identify the root causes of stress, reinterpret stressful experiences, and employ effective coping mechanisms, the intervention contributed to improved psychological and potentially physiological well-being. The findings highlight the importance of integrating coping-based psychological interventions into cardiac rehabilitation programs to improve the overall health of cardiovascular patients.
Psychological interventions in health and diseases
Hasti Chalabi; Hosein Zare; Mahdieh Rahmanian
Abstract
Objective: The present study aimed to present and investigate the structural model of the effectiveness of the cognitive-based intervention on cortisol and lipid profiles, with the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and behavioral brain systems in overweight people with high stress.Method: The ...
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Objective: The present study aimed to present and investigate the structural model of the effectiveness of the cognitive-based intervention on cortisol and lipid profiles, with the mediating effect of cognitive flexibility and behavioral brain systems in overweight people with high stress.Method: The research design was experimental with a control group, pre-test-post-test, and follow-up design. Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. The statistical population of this research was all 190 people referred to the cosmetic surgery clinic in 2023. The research sample consisted of 30 people (15 for the experimental group and 15 for the control group) selected through the purposeful sampling method and according to the research inclusion and exclusion criteria. The respondents answered the Behavioral Activation / Inhibition Systems Scale (Carver & White, 1994) and Connor and Davidson’s Flexibility Questionnaire (2003). A semi-structured interview was used to measure stress.Results: The results of univariate covariance analysis showed a significant difference between the two experimental and control groups in the variables of brain-behavioral systems (F = 3.824, P = 0.035) and cognitive flexibility (F = 4.958, P = 0.032). Also, the effectiveness of the cognitive intervention on cortisol was 0.70. It means that 79% of the changes obtained in the post-test scores of the experimental group were due to the intervention.Conclusion: We can conclude that stress leads to an increase in overweight and a reduction in an individual's flexibility and positive attitude toward body image. Therefore, using Yoga, breathing exercises, cognitive therapy, and treating overweight people to manage their stress correctly is necessary.
Psychological aspects in health and diseases
Mahdieh Rahmanian; Rozalin Shah moradian
Abstract
Objective: Family dynamics play a significant role in establishing emotional relationships among its members and fostering psychological well-being, which extends to individual and collective members' peace of mind. This study aimed to investigate the impact of parenting styles and sexual education styles ...
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Objective: Family dynamics play a significant role in establishing emotional relationships among its members and fostering psychological well-being, which extends to individual and collective members' peace of mind. This study aimed to investigate the impact of parenting styles and sexual education styles of parents, with anxiety as a mediating variable, on the sexual performance of married women.Method: The study population consisted of married women who presented with sexual dysfunction at psychiatric and women's clinics in Tehran. Since the minimum number of samples in structural equation modeling is 200 individuals, 200 individuals were selected through convenience sampling. The research instruments included Baumrind's Parenting Styles Scale (1972), Parental Sexual Education Styles Scale (2010), Beck Anxiety Scale (1990), and Rosen et al.'s Sexual Performance Scale (2000). Structural equation modeling was employed to analyze the data.Results: The findings of the present study showed that anxiety does not have a mediating effect on the effect of parents' strict sexual education style on the sexual performance of married women, but it has a complete mediating effect on the sexual performance of married women in the authoritative sexual education style of parents. Also, anxiety has a partial mediating effect on the impact of parents' authoritarian parenting style on married women's sexual performance, and it does not have a mediating effect on the parents' authoritarian parenting style on married women's sexual performance (p > 0.05).Conclusion: The study concludes that the sexual performance of married women is significantly influenced by the styles of parenting and sexual education they received, with anxiety playing varied mediating roles. An authoritative approach to sexual education, coupled with parenting styles that manage to reduce anxiety, tends to enhance sexual performance in women.
