International Journal of Health Studies (IJHS - Shahroud University of Medical Sciences)
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Cognitive Rehabilitation Improves Memory and Distress Tolerance in Social Anxiety Disorder: A Quasi-Experimental Study
No full textBackground: Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is a prevalent mental health condition that can substantially impair an individual\u27s quality of life. This study investigates the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation interventions in ameliorating memory deficits, enhancing distress tolerance, and promoting psychological health among individuals diagnosed with SAD.
Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest control group design. The target population consisted of individuals diagnosed with SAD who sought treatment at counseling and psychological service centers in Ahvaz during 2023. A convenience sample of 30 participants, meeting pre-defined inclusion criteria, was recruited. Participants were then randomly assigned to either the experimental (n=15) or control (n=15) group. The experimental group received ten 90-minute sessions of cognitive rehabilitation. The control group received no intervention during the study period. The Retrospective and Prospective Memory Questionnaire (RPMQ), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), and Symptom Checklist-25 (SCL-25) served as the assessment instruments. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) conducted in SPSS.
Results: The results demonstrated that cognitive rehabilitation significantly improved retrospective memory (F=341.81, P-value<0.001), prospective memory (F=156.43, P-value<0.001), distress tolerance (F=285.75, P-value<0.001), and psychological health (F=180.11, P-value<0.001) in the sample of individuals with SAD.
Conclusions: This study strongly supports the efficacy of cognitive rehabilitation for improving key domains in SAD. Significant improvements in retrospective memory, distress tolerance, and psychological health suggest its therapeutic value for this multifaceted disorder, adding to the growing body of literature on cognitive rehabilitation for anxiety disorders
Knowledge Translation and Moving Towards Improving Childbearing in Iran
No full textThe modern world, alongside the expansion of opportunities and transformation of aspirations, has led to a delay in childbearing.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is one of the leading countries in the sharp decline in fertility rates, dropping from a fertility rate of 7 in 1980 to 1.9 in 2006. This decline aligns with the global trend of decreasing fertility rates, which began in Western societies with France and in non-Western societies with Japan. Scholars have identified Westernization as the main factor in fertility transition in non-Western societies, which are not as socio-economically modern. This includes an emphasis on nuclear families and the belief that the costs of children outweigh their potential benefits. Recent interpretations of contemporary societies address the role of development with broader impacts compared to cultural and ideological changes
Successful management of aluminum phosphide (ALP) poisoning in a teaching hospital in Shahroud: A case report
No full textIn Iran, herbal or chemical rice tablets containing ALP protect grains from pests. Deaths have been reported following both accidental and intentional exposure to aluminum phosphide. A 20-year-old woman who intentionally ingested a 3-gram ALP tablet and became poisoned is the primary focus of this case report. It outlines the successful management of a patient who had taken a rice tablet and suffered from acute cardiogenic shock, severe metabolic acidosis, and severe hypotension.
This patient survived successfully despite the higher mortality rate due to cardiac and multi-organ problems from exposure to phosphine gas, particularly the rice tablet and cellular hypoxia. In addition to daily supportive therapies, an antioxidant regimen, glucose, insulin, and potassium (GIK), and prompt intubation to improve cardiac function assisted with the recovery
Attitudes and Beliefs of Midwifery Students on Sexuality and Evaluation of Sexuality: A Mixed-Method Study
Get PDFBackground: The sexual attitudes and beliefs of midwifery students, who play an important role in improving sexual health, can affect both the students themselves and people with disabilities to whom they provide education and counselling. This study aimed to determine the attitudes and beliefs of midwifery students on sexuality and the evaluation of sexuality.
Methods: This research is a mixed-method study that includes two stages: qualitative and quantitative. In the first stage, data was collected from 334 students using a socio-demographic data form and the sexual attitude and belief scale. The second stage involved conducting phenomenological interviews with 21 students.
Results: The students who believed they had adequate knowledge about sexuality and reproductive health, as well as those who had previously engaged in scientific activities related to sexuality, held more positive attitudes and beliefs towards sexual care. The qualitative section of the study identified four main themes, each containing 13 sub-themes, which provided further insights into the students\u27 perspectives on the subject.
Conclusions: The students acknowledged that their society had strict sexual taboos, but their attitudes toward sexuality changed after studying sexual health and women\u27s health at university. The study highlighted the challenges faced by midwifery students in assessing sexual health. By addressing these difficulties, trained midwives can better evaluate the sexual health of patients in clinical settings, leading to early detection of sexual problems.
Keywords: Sexuality, Sexual health, Sex educatio
Modeling the Relationships between Differentiation and Cognitive Emotion Regulation in Mothers with Children\u27s Anxiety: The Mediating Role of Maternal Mental Health
Get PDFBackground: Children, like adults, experience anxiety when faced with new experiences and different situations. The present study aimed to model the relationships between differentiation and cognitive emotion regulation in mothers with children\u27s anxiety, with the mediating role of maternal mental health.
Methods: The research belonged to the category of correlation designs. The target population of the study consisted of all mothers residing in Shiraz in 2019. The sample in the present study consisted of 200 mothers residing in Shiraz. The sample individuals were selected using the cluster sampling method for the research. The instruments used in the present study included the Differentiation of Self Inventory (DSI), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Garnefski’s Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the General Health Questionnaire. The obtained results were analyzed using the Amos test.
Results: Findings indicated that the differentiation of mothers does not directly impact children\u27s anxiety significantly (P-value=0.311, β=0.052). However, this factor does have a positive influence on mental health (P-value=0.000, β=0.411). Similarly, the cognitive regulation of mothers can be used to predict children\u27s anxiety. The results from the table demonstrate that mental health has a direct negative effect on children\u27s anxiety (β=-0.298, P-value<0.001). Negative strategies also contribute negatively to mental health (P-value=0.030, β=-0.169) and positively to child anxiety (P-value<0.001, β=0.847). On the other hand, positive strategies do not directly impact child anxiety significantly (P-value=0.916, β=0.01), but they do have a positive and significant effect on mental health (P-value<0.001, β=0.624).
Conclusions: The results indicated that differentiation in mothers and positive cognitive emotion regulation strategies lead to improved maternal mental health and reduced anxiety in children. Additionally, differentiation and negative cognitive emotion regulation strategies result in increased anxiety in children and reduced maternal mental health
Effects of Benson Relaxation Technique on the Anxiety and Hemodynamic Parameters in Women before Cesarean Section: Randomized Controlled Trial
Get PDFBackground: Cesarean section (CS) as a delivery method is commonly used in Iran and other countries. Many women experience anxiety before CS. This study aimed to determine the effects of the Benson relaxation on the anxiety and hemodynamic parameters of women before CS.
Methods: A two-group clinical trial was conducted with a study population consisted of 108 women waiting for CS in educational hospitals in Shahroud City, Iran. The participants were randomly allocated to two groups of control and intervention each with 31 participants. After receiving a face-to-face relaxation method by the researcher, the intervention group listened to a relaxation training audio file three to five hours before CS and exercised Benson muscle relaxation at least three times. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics questionnaire, Standard Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Hemodynamic Parameters questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed in SPSS v23 using descriptive and inferential tests.
Results: The results showed that the mean and standard deviation of the anxiety score in the intervention group before the intervention was 10±2.43, which was significantly higher than that after the intervention (6.86 ± 1.45). On the other hand, the mean and standard deviation of the anxiety score in the control group before the intervention was 10±3.08 and increased to 10.19 ±3.19 after the intervention. There was also a significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of the mean and standard deviation of the hemodynamic parameters scores, including systolic blood pressure index (p =0.021), diastolic blood pressure index (p = 0.010), respiratory index (p= 0.037), and heart rate index (p= 0.042) after the intervention.
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, Benson muscle relaxation significantly reduced the anxiety and hemodynamic parameters scores in the intervention group. Given that this method is uncomplicated, non-pharmacological, and inexpensive, it can be useful for pregnant women in the stressful conditions before CS
Investigating the Mediating Role of Mindfulness in Relation to Optimism and MentalVitality in Women with Autoimmune Disease
Get PDFBackground: The prevalence of certain autoimmune disorders among women is rising at a faster rate compared to men, potentially affecting the well-being of women globally. This study aimed to explore the moderating influence of mindfulness on optimism and mental energy among women diagnosed with autoimmune conditions.
Methods: Descriptive-correlational and cross-sectional research methods, along with structural equation modeling (SEM), were utilized in this study. The research population consisted of all women with autoimmune diseases in Tehran from May to April 2023. A total of 204 women with autoimmune diseases were selected as the statistical sample using targeted sampling. The research utilized the Trauma Resilience Scale (TRS), Mental Vitality Questionnaire (MVQ), and Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) as measurement tools. Descriptive statistics were analyzed using SPSS version 27 software, while path coefficients were analyzed using SmartPLS version 4 software. Additionally, Sobel\u27s test was employed to determine the significance of the mediator variable. A significance level of 0.05 was considered.
Results: Based on the findings optimism had a favorable and noteworthy influence on mental vitality (β=0.399, P<0.001). Similarly, the variable of optimism also had a favorable and noteworthy impact on accompanying action with awareness, description, no judgment, and view aspects (P<0.001). However, the optimism variable did not exhibit a significant influence on No reaction (P=0.134). Furthermore, a negative and significant correlation (β=-0.065, P=0.007) was identified between optimism and Mental vitality, with the intervening aspect of the no judgment component. Conversely, a positive and meaningful association (β=0.172, P<0.001) was observed between optimism, and mental vitality, with the involvement of the view component. Nonetheless, the indirect associations between optimism and mental vitality, with the mediating role of No reaction, accompanying action with awareness, and Description components, were not statistically significant (P>0.05).
Conclusions: The results of the present study indicated that optimism increases mental vitality and the dimensions of mindfulness, of course, except for lack of reaction. And the mediating variable of mindfulness also has significant effects on optimism and mental vitality
A Neural Network Model of Risk and Protective Factors for Poor Sleep Quality in Healthcare Providers: Role of Aggression and Self-regulation
Get PDFBackground: Although the literature discusses the benefits of good sleep on physiological, psychological, and physical health, poor sleep quality is common among healthcare providers. The present study aimed to predict poor sleep quality among healthcare providers based on multiple risk factors (aggression, gender, and age) and the protective factor of self-regulation using a neural network model.
Methods: Using multistage cluster sampling, a group of 400 healthcare workers (70% female, with an age average of 32 years) from Kermanshah city in western Iran were selected for the cross-sectional study. Data were collected using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), the Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ), and the Self-Regulation Questionnaire (SRQ). A neural network model and receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve were used for data analysis.
Results: Four hidden units were found in a single hidden layer extracted using the current model. More than 84% of the training and testing models accurately predicted good and poor sleepers. The neural network model\u27s good predictive value was indicated by the Area under the ROC Curve (AUC=0.863). The results imply that self-regulation (0.30), anger (0.20), physical aggression (0.19), verbal aggression (0.11), hostility (0.10), age (0.06), and sex (0.05) have normalized importance values ranging from 18% to 100%, making them significant predictors of both the good and poor sleep subgroups.
Conclusions: The present neural network-based algorithm, which considers the risk and protective factors of poor sleep quality, could be effectively used by healthcare providers
Investigating in the Relationship between Psychological Stress Response and Non-Suicidal Self-Injurious Behaviors in Senior High School Students: The Mediating Role of Sleep Disorders
Get PDFAbstract:
Background: One of the high-risk behaviors throughout adolescence is intentional self-injury without suicidal intent, which can be considered one of the destructive behaviors in adolescence. The present study seeks to investigate the mediating role of sleep disorders in the relationship between psychological stress response and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors in senior high school students.
Method: The research study followed a descriptive-correlational design and was conducted in a cross-sectional approach. As for the analytical method, the study adopted Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The statistical population comprises all male and female senior high school students studying in Tehran from September to October 2023. Two hundred sixty-eight individuals were selected through the purposive sampling method. In the present study, the Self-Harm Inventory (SHI), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) were administered. Descriptive statistics were calculated using SPSS-27; data trends and standard coefficients were analyzed using SmartPLS 4 software. Likewise, the Sobel test was utilized to assess the significance of the mediating variable.
Results: According to the standard path coefficients, Task-oriented coping demonstrated a significant negative impact on Self-injurious behaviors (β=-0.446, p < 0.001) and Sleep disorders (β=-0.567, p < 0.001). Likewise, Emotion-oriented coping significantly impacted Self-injurious behaviors (β=0.262, p = 0.015); however, it had no significant impact on Sleep disorders (β=-0.05, p = 0.153). Also, as evidenced by the obtained results, the Avoidance-oriented coping variable significantly affected the self-injurious behaviors variable (β=-0.567, p < 0.001) as well as the sleep disorders variable (β=-0.438, p < 0.001). Sleep disorder variables also demonstrated a significant positive impact on the self-injurious behaviors variable as a mediating variable of the research model(β=0.358, p < 0.001).
Conclusion: According to the results, task-focused treatment had a significant negative effect on suicidal behavior and sleep disturbances. Similarly, emotion-focused coping contributed significantly to self-injury; However, it had no significant effect on sleep disorders. The sleep disorder variables also showed a significant positive effect on the suicidal behavior variable as a mediator in the research model
Comparing Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Emotional Schema Therapy (EST) in Effects on Rumination and Anxiety Sensitivity in Students with Clinical Symptoms of Social Anxiety
Get PDFBackground: Social anxiety is one of the most prevalent and debilitating anxiety disorders. Students with social anxiety are faced with countless problems, e.g., dropping out of school at a young age, showing avoidance behavior in social situations, and experiencing lower levels of social support and mental health. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) and emotional schema therapy on rumination and anxiety sensitivity in students with social anxiety disorder (SAD).
Methods: This quasi-experimental research adopted a pretest-posttest control group design with a follow-up stage. The statistical population included the female senior high school students of Ahvaz, Khuzestan Province (Iran) in 2022–2023. Random sampling was employed to select 75 out of 120 listed students, randomly assigned to three 25-member groups (i.e., two experimental groups and a control group). The research instruments included the Rumination Response Scale (RRS), and Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI). The ANCOVA was then used for data analysis.
Results: According to the results, both therapies affected rumination and anxiety sensitivity in students with SAD (Pvalue<0.001). However, MBSR had greater effects than emotional schema therapy on anxiety sensitivity. In addition, two therapies had no significant differences regarding effects on rumination.
Conclusions: The MBSR and EST can alleviate rumination and anxiety in female students with social anxiety. Given the positive effects of MBSR and emotional schema therapy, it is recommended that they be used in schools, psychotherapy centers, and counseling clinics to help students with SAD