research
Psychological interventions in health and diseases
Mohammadhassan Asayesh
Abstract
Objective: Anxiety disorders require cost-effective and time-limited interventions. The present study aimed to design and validate a Paradoxical Group Therapy (PGT) protocol for anxiety disorders.
Method: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, conducted in two phases using a sequential qualitative ...
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Objective: Anxiety disorders require cost-effective and time-limited interventions. The present study aimed to design and validate a Paradoxical Group Therapy (PGT) protocol for anxiety disorders.
Method: This study employed a mixed-methods approach, conducted in two phases using a sequential qualitative (focus group) and quantitative (descriptive-survey) design for the purpose of designing and establishing the content validity of the Paradoxical Group Therapy protocol. The statistical population consisted of eight expert psychotherapists experienced in paradoxical therapy and group therapy. The protocol's validity was then evaluated using the Content Validity Ratio (CVR) and the Content Validity Index (CVI).
Results: The protocol comprised five core stages: (1) the pre-group stage, (2) the initial stage, (3) the transition stage, (4) the working or therapeutic stage, and (5) the termination stage. Special paradoxical therapy techniques such as symptom prescription, exaggeration therapy, goal reversal, paradoxical role-playing, paradoxical intention, and focusing on the here and now were collected. The results indicated that the content validity of the protocol was confirmed at an acceptable level (CVI = 0.91; CVR = 0.97). Given that all session-level CVR values exceeded 0.85, and the overall mean CVR (0.97) was higher than the minimum acceptable value proposed by Lawshe (1975), it can be concluded that experts rated the paradoxical group therapy protocol for anxiety disorders as appropriate and valid.
Conclusion: This validated protocol can serve as a standardized and practical tool for psychotherapists and clinicians familiar with paradoxical psychotherapy, providing a structured approach to the treatment of anxiety disorders in group settings.
research
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.
research
Psychological and social aspects of disease prevention
Majid Mahmood alilou; Khalil Esmaelpour; Abbas Bakhshipour; Fariba Pourjabbar Akhuni
Abstract
Objective: The present study, a descriptive-cross-sectional design using structural equation modeling, aimed to determine the structural relationships between coping strategies and somatoform symptoms, with the mediating role of emotional dysregulation among individuals with somatoform disorders in Tehran.Method: ...
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Objective: The present study, a descriptive-cross-sectional design using structural equation modeling, aimed to determine the structural relationships between coping strategies and somatoform symptoms, with the mediating role of emotional dysregulation among individuals with somatoform disorders in Tehran.Method: The statistical population consisted of all individuals with somatoform disorders referred to the psychosomatic departments of Tehran's hospitals. Following the recommendations of Guadagnoli and Velicer (1998), a sample of 250 patients (149 women and 101 men), who met the inclusion criteria, was recruited via purposeful sampling. Data were collected using the Lazarus and Folkman (1984) Coping Strategies Questionnaire, the Gratz and Roemer (2004) Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Rief and Hiller (2003) Somatoform Disorders Questionnaire. After confirmatory analysis, the proposed model was evaluated through structural equation modeling and path analysis.Results: The findings showed that the developed model has a good fit. The mediating variable, emotional dysregulation, was found to be a positive and significant predictor of somatoform symptoms (p < .001). Furthermore, mediation analysis revealed that problem-focused and emotion-focused coping strategies can respectively decrease and increase somatoform symptoms by reducing and increasing emotional dysregulation.Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that somatoform symptoms are affected by coping strategies and emotional dysregulation. Therefore, reducing the somatoform symptoms of people with this disorder requires serious attention to adopting appropriate, problem-focused coping strategies and correcting emotional dysregulation.
research
Psychological aspects in health and diseases
Fariba Tabe Bordbar; Fahime Koraei
Abstract
Objective: Parenting styles, parental conflict, child anxiety, and behavioral problems are closely linked in health psychology. These factors influence a child's emotional, psychological, and behavioral development. Their interaction can have long-term effects on mental health. This study examined whether ...
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Objective: Parenting styles, parental conflict, child anxiety, and behavioral problems are closely linked in health psychology. These factors influence a child's emotional, psychological, and behavioral development. Their interaction can have long-term effects on mental health. This study examined whether anxiety mediates the relationship between parental conflicts, parenting styles, and children's behavioral disorders.
Method: This correlational study surveyed 1,500 five- to six-year-old preschoolers in Behbahan City. Using the Klein rule, a sample of 200 was selected through single-stage cluster sampling. Tools included the Child Behavior Checklist, the Interparental Conflict Scale, the Parenting Style Questionnaire, and the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale. Data were analyzed with path analysis in SPSS 22 and AMOS.
Results: Structural model analysis showed parental conflicts directly and significantly affected externalizing behavior problems (β = 0.22, p< 0.05). Parental conflicts also significantly impacted children’s anxiety (β=0.417, p<0.05). Parenting styles (permissive and strict) significantly predicted anxiety and internalizing problems (p<0.05). Authoritative style had a negative, significant effect on anxiety and behavioral problems (β = -0.17, p<0.05). Indirect effects of parental conflict and all parenting styles on behavioral problems, through anxiety, were significant (p<0.05).
Conclusion: Children's behavioral problems are influenced by anxiety, parental conflicts, and parenting styles. Anxiety can intensify the effects of parental conflicts and parenting styles. Increased perceptions of parental conflict are linked to higher behavioral problems and anxiety in children.
research
Psychological and social aspects of disease prevention
zahra Bahrami; Parvaneh ghodsi; Fariba Hassani
Abstract
Objective: One kind of violence and social injury that harms the victim and the family's physical and mental well-being is domestic violence. Years after the violence has stopped, its repercussions may still be felt. The purpose of this research was to examine the structural model of childhood emotional ...
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Objective: One kind of violence and social injury that harms the victim and the family's physical and mental well-being is domestic violence. Years after the violence has stopped, its repercussions may still be felt. The purpose of this research was to examine the structural model of childhood emotional abuse on psychological distress with the mediation of executive functions in women victims of domestic violence.
Method: This study was a descriptive-correlational study conducted using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population included 650 women referred to Social Emergency Welfare Centers (123) in Tehran in 2023 (1402 in the Iranian calendar). Participants were selected purposively based on predefined criteria. Data were collected using the Childhood Emotional Abuse Questionnaire, Executive Function Questionnaire, Short Form Domestic Violence Screening Scale, and Psychological Distress Questionnaire. The data were analyzed using SEM and model fit indices in AMOS software.
Results: The model fit indices for the causal model of psychological distress based on childhood emotional abuse, mediated by executive functions in women with domestic violence experiences, were greater than 0.90—indicating acceptable and desirable values. The findings show that the direct, indirect, and total effects in the model of executive functions in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and psychological distress were significant at the 0.05 level.
Conclusion: The findings indicate that childhood emotional abuse significantly contributes to psychological distress in women who have experienced domestic violence, with executive functions mediating this relationship. These results highlight the importance of interventions targeting executive functioning to mitigate the enduring psychological effects of early emotional maltreatment in this population.
research
Psychological aspects in health and diseases
Fatemeh Azizi Ganjehei; Isaac Rahimian-Boogar
Abstract
Objective: Death anxiety and fear of infection are crucial psychological factors influencing adjustment disorders during infectious disease outbreaks. Conversely, perceived social support and psychological resilience function as protective buffers. This study investigated how death anxiety and fear of ...
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Objective: Death anxiety and fear of infection are crucial psychological factors influencing adjustment disorders during infectious disease outbreaks. Conversely, perceived social support and psychological resilience function as protective buffers. This study investigated how death anxiety and fear of COVID-19 predict adjustment disorder, with perceived social support and psychological resilience as potential mediators.Method: Using a descriptive cross-sectional design, 400 adults were recruited through convenience sampling in Tehran, Iran. Participants completed the International Adjustment Disorder Questionnaire, Death Anxiety Scale, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (SPSS v26) and structural equation modeling (AMOS v26).Results: Fear of COVID-19 showed a significant positive association with adjustment disorder (β = 0.18, p = 0.012), while perceived social support (β = –0.25, p < 0.001) and psychological resilience (β = –0.24, p < 0.001) were negatively associated with adjustment disorder. Psychological resilience partially mediated the link between fear of COVID-19 and adjustment disorder (indirect β = 0.07, p = 0.016). Death anxiety was not a significant predictor of adjustment disorder (p > 0.05).Conclusion: The findings emphasize that fear of COVID-19, resilience, and perceived social support play distinct and interrelated roles in predicting adjustment disorder. Interventions aimed at strengthening resilience and social support may mitigate the psychological impact of pandemic-related stressors. Further research is recommended to refine these pathways and inform targeted prevention and treatment strategies.
