International Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences
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The Effectiveness of Brief Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Rumination and Experiential Avoidance in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome
Get PDFBackground and Aim: Among the physical problems, irritable bowel syndrome can affect the patient's psychological behavior, which makes it necessary to reduce this problem by using appropriate psychological treatments. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of brief cognitive-behavioral therapy on rumination and experiential avoidance in patients with irritable bowel syndrome.
Method and Material: The research method is quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and control group with a two-month follow-up. The statistical population was all men with irritable bowel syndrome referred to Moheb Hospital in Tehran in 2024. The participants were 40 patients selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (20 people in each group). Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy was applied to the experimental group for 10 sessions (one 1-hour per week). The control group did not receive any intervention. In addition to the researcher-made demographic information checklist, the Ruminative Response Scale (RRS) (Nolen-Hoeksema & Morrow, 1991) and the Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (Gamez et al., 2011) were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA).
Results: The mean rumination score and its dimensions in the experimental group improved significantly after the intervention compared to the control group (P<0.05). Brief cognitive-behavioral therapy was beneficial in reducing experiential avoidance and its dimensions in the experimental group compared to the control group (P<0.05), and the effects of this program on dependent variables sustained during the two-month follow-up period (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results showed that brief cognitive-behavioral therapy can improve rumination and experiential avoidance in patients with irritable bowel syndrome. We can conclude that by enhancing the techniques of this treatment, we can hope for further improvement in these patients' psychological and behavioral functions
Developing and Validating a Growth Mindset Educational Intervention Based on Dweck's Theory and Investigating Its Effectiveness on Girls' Intrinsic, Germane, and Extraneous Cognitive Load
Get PDFIntroduction: The present study aimed to develop and validate a growth mindset educational intervention based on Dweck's theory and investigate its effectiveness on girls' intrinsic, germane, and extraneous cognitive load.
Method: This was an applied, mixed-methods study. The research was conducted in three phases: Phase 1 (qualitative) involved the development of the educational package, while Phases 2 and 3 (quantitative) focused on its validation and effectiveness. The statistical population for the validation phase consisted of 10 purposively selected specialists in the field. For the quantitative part, the population comprised second-grade high school female students in Tehran's Education District 2, studying in the 2024-2025 academic year. The sample included 30 students (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group), who were selected via random sampling. The experimental group received the growth mindset training over 10 sessions, each lasting 70 minutes, while the control group received no training. The Cognitive Load Scale by Klepsch, Schmitz, and Seufert (2017) was used as the research instrument. Data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS 24.
Results: The findings confirmed that the growth mindset educational package possessed appropriate validity. The results of the ANCOVA also indicated that the intervention was effective in improving students' cognitive load.
Conclusion: The growth mindset educational package can serve as a practical tool for enhancing adolescents' cognitive abilities and is effective in reducing their cognitive load
The Effectiveness of Dohsa Psycho-Rehabilitation Method on Adaptive Behavior in Children with Autism
Get PDFBackground and Aim: Numerous studies have shown that children with autism show significant deficits in adaptive and social behavior and lack the necessary abilities to establish effective social communication with others. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the Dohsa psycho-rehabilitation method (Dohsa-hou) on adaptive behavior in children with autism spectrum disorder.
Materials and Methods: This study used a pre-test and post-test control group quasi-experimental design. The statistical population of the study consisted of all children with autism in Mashhad. The study sample consisted of 30 children with autism, randomly selected and aged 6 to 11 years. The experimental group received the Dohsa Psycho-Rehabilitation Method (Dohsa-Hou) treatment program. The Adaptive Behavior Scale was used as the research instrument. The treatment consisted of 12 55-minute sessions, held twice a week for each child. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS software, employing both descriptive (mean and standard deviation) and inferential (multivariate analysis of covariance) statistics.
Results: The results showed that the Dohsa-hou psycho-rehabilitation method improved adaptive behavior and its components in children with autism (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Therefore, Dohsa Psycho-Rehabilitation Method (Dohsa-Hou) can be suggested as an effective method to improve interpersonal and social relationships in children with autism. Dohsa-hou method is strongly recommended as a complementary intervention for promoting adaptive, communicative, and emotional functioning in children with ASD, particularly when integrated within broader behavioral or educational plans. The intentional focus on bodily self-regulation in Dohsa-hou not only mitigates repetitive and hyperactive behaviors but also lays the groundwork for improved adaptive functioning and social engagement in children with ASD, thereby holding promising implications for both clinical practice and community-based interventions
Validation of a Self-Report Measure of Mentalizing: The Reflective Functioning Questionnaire
Get PDFBackground and Aim: Reflective functioning is an important psychological construct, but its measurement tools lack validation in Persian-speaking populations. This study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the Reflective Functioning Scale in Persian, as validating this tool is crucial for enabling rigorous research and clinical assessment of mentalizing in Persian-speaking populations.
Materials and Methods: This study employed a cross-sectional design. Out of 70 initial participants, 60 met the criteria. After excluding 9 participants for various reasons, the final sample consisted of 51 participants. In this study, three instruments were used for assessments: the Revised Adult Attachment Scale (RAAS), the Reflective Function Questionnaire for Adults (RFQA), and the Eye Test - Revised Version. All testing procedures were conducted daily at a hospital in Shiraz.
Results: Reliability analyses showed good internal consistency (α = 0.78), split-half reliability (0.77, adjusted to 0.79), and test-retest stability over three weeks (r = 0.80), while content validity was confirmed by expert review with a high content validity index (CVI = 0.81). Reflective functioning showed strong positive correlation with secure attachment (r = 0.60) and social cognition (r = 0.65), moderate negative correlation with avoidant attachment (r = -0.45), and weak to moderate negative correlation with ambivalent attachment (r = -0.35), supporting the RF tool’s good convergent validity across attachment styles and social cognitive abilities.
Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the Reflective Functioning Scale has acceptable reliability and validity, making it a suitable tool for assessing mentalizing ability in Persian-speaking populations
The Role of Hardiness and Moral Intelligence in Predicting the Anxiety of Corona Disease in Students
Get PDFBackground and Aim: The present study investigated the role of hardiness and moral intelligence in Corona disease anxiety in middle school male students of Khalkhal City.
Materials and Methods: This research was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population was all male secondary school students of Khalkhal City in the academic year 2019-2020, and a sample of 265 students was selected using the cluster random sampling method. Alipour et al.'s Corona Disease Anxiety Scale, Lennick and Keil's Moral Intelligence Questionnaire, and Kobasa's Hardiness Scale were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient and Multiple regression analysis in SPSS software version 26.
Results: The findings showed that there is an inverse and significant relationship between predictors of hardiness (r=-321) and moral intelligence (r=-668) with the criterion variable of Corona disease anxiety (P<0.001). Also, the results of multiple regression analysis showed that the predictor variables of hardiness and moral intelligence explained a total of 0.56 of the changes in the anxiety variable of Corona disease.
Conclusion: In conclusion, increasing students' resilience and moral intelligence could reduce their anxiety about coronary disease. According to the results of the research, we can state that teachers and managers of educational centers can hold workshops focusing on teaching hardiness and moral intelligence in order to reduce anxiety in these people and improve their level of mental health
The Relationship between Job Attachment, Cultural Intelligence, and Organizational Citizenship Behavior among Shiraz Municipality Employees
Get PDFBackground and Aim: organizational citizenship behaviors (OCBs) contribute to a more positive and productive work environment. Understanding what factors influence OCB allows organizations to develop strategies to promote these desirable behaviors. This study aimed to predict OCB based on job attachment and cultural intelligence among Shiraz municipality employees.
Materials and Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational. The research population consisted of all 303 employees of the Shiraz Municipality's Cultural-Social Organization in 2023. 108 employees were selected using a convenience sampling method. Data were collected using questionnaires for OCB, job attachment, and cultural intelligence. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and stepwise regression.
Results: The results showed significant positive relationships between job attachment and OCB (P<0.01) and cultural intelligence and OCB (P<0.01). Additionally, there was a multiple relationship between job attachment, cultural intelligence, and OCB among Shiraz municipality employees (P<0.01).
Conclusion: These findings suggest that employees with higher levels of job attachment and cultural intelligence are more likely to engage in OCBs. This study contributes to the understanding of factors influencing employee OCB by highlighting the importance of both affective (job attachment) and cognitive (cultural intelligence) factors
Comparing the effectiveness of compassion-based therapy (CFT) and emotion-focused therapy (EFT) on the fear of negative evaluation in adolescent girls with psychosomatic problems
Get PDFBackground and Aim:Psychosomatic disorders are characterized by a bidirectional manifestation of symptoms, encompassing both physical and psychological dimensions. A significant concern for adolescents experiencing psychosomatic issues is the fear of negative evaluation (FNE), which is primarily defined by an excessive and persistent fear of being negatively judged by others. This fear often leads to feelings of worthlessness and shame. The objective of this study is to compare the effectiveness of Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) and Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) in alleviating the fear of negative evaluation among adolescent girls with psychosomatic disorders.
Materials and Methods:The research method was semi-experimental with a pretest-posttest, a control group, and a one-month follow-up design. The sample consisted of 45 female students aged 14-18 years from Mashhad during the academic year 1402-1403, selected via convenience sampling. Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: experimental group 1 (CFT), experimental group 2 (EFT), and a control group that received no intervention. The instruments utilized for data collection included the Lowry Evaluation Fear Questionnaire and the Takata Psychosomatic Complaints Scale. In the pre-test phase, all groups were assessed using these instruments. Following this assessment, experimental group 1 underwent eight sessions of compassion-focused therapy, while experimental group 2 received eight sessions of emotion-focused therapy. The control group did not participate in any therapeutic intervention. Post-intervention evaluations were conducted for all groups, followed by a follow-up assessment one month later. To analyze the data, repeated measures analysis of variance was performed using SPSS26.
Results:The findings indicated a significant difference (p<0.001) in reducing the fear of negative evaluation in the CFT and EFT groups. Notably, EFT was found to significantly decrease the fear of negative evaluation in adolescent girls with psychosomatic symptoms. These results remained stable throughout the follow-up period (p<0.001).
Conclusion:The superior efficacy of emotion-focused therapy compared to compassion-focused therapy can be attributed to its emphasis on reframing issues by addressing negative cycles, underlying emotions, and attachment-related needs. It suggests that EFT may offer a more effective therapeutic approach for reducing the fear of negative evaluation in adolescents suffering from psychosomatic disorders
The Effectiveness of Reality Therapy on Anger Rumination, Depression, and Quality of Life among Individuals Bereaved Due to COVID-19
Get PDFBackground and Aim: This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of reality therapy on anger rumination, depression, and quality of life among individuals bereaved due to COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: The research method was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, including a control group. The statistical population comprised all first-degree survivors of COVID-19 victims in Nishapur city. A total of 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling and were then randomly assigned to two groups of 15: experimental and control. The experimental group underwent an intervention of reality therapy over 8 sessions, each lasting 1.5 hours, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Anger Rumination Scale (ARS), the World Health Organization Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-BREF), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II). The data were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) via SPSS24 software.
Results: The results of Bonferroni post-hoc tests comparing time effects indicated that the differences in the mean scores of qualities of life, anger rumination, and depression between the pre-test and post-test phases, as well as between the pre-test and follow-up phases, were statistically significant. However, the differences in mean scores between the post-test and follow-up phases were not significant (P > 0.05).
Conclusion: Accordingly, reality therapy was effective in improving anger rumination, depression, and quality of life among survivors of COVID-19 victims, and this effectiveness persisted during the follow-up period. Psychologists and counselors can use reality therapy to enhance anger rumination, depression, and quality of life among individuals bereaved due to the COVID-19 pandemic
Comparing the Effectiveness of In-person and Telehealth Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy on Psychological Distress and Resilience in People Recovered from COVID-19: A Quasi-Experimental Study
Get PDFBackground and Aim: Apart from the physical effects that COVID-19 causes, the disease is also associated with various psychological problems that required research and clinical attention. Purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of in-person and telehealth Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in people who have recovered from COVID-19.
Materials and Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-post design, a control group, and three-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of patients who recovered from COVID-19 in Tehran between 2022-2023, of which 45 patients were selected using a convenience sampling method and randomly divided into three groups including the two study groups: in-person CBT and telehealth CBT group (15 patients for each) and a control group (15 patients). The in-person CBT group received 11 sessions, and the telehealth CBT group received 12 sessions. Research instruments included the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS-21) and the Resilience Scale (RS). The data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance.
Results: The results showed that although both treatments led to improvements in psychological distress (P<0.01) and resilience (P< 0.01), the effectiveness of in-person CBT was greater and statistically significant. Between effects size for depression, anxiety, stress and resilience was 0.37, 0.38, 0.44, and 0.64, respectively.
Conclusion: The study results show that both in-person and virtual CBT lead to improvements in psychological distress and resilience in patients with a COVID-19 background compared to the control group, and the improvement rate for in-person CBT is higher in compared to the virtual group. In fact, in-person CBT leads to significant improvements in psychological distress and resilience
Relationship of mother-child emotional interactions and oral habits in 3-6-year-old children: A cross-sectional study
Get PDFBackground and Objectives: Continuation of oral habits in children can bring about adverse oral and dental health consequences. Considering the significance of psychological and emotional factors in this regard, this study aimed to assess the effect of mother-child emotional interactions on continuation of oral habits in 3-6-year-old children.
Method: This cross-sectional study was conducted between Jun 2023- May 2024 on 196 eligible children between 3-6 years. The first questionnaire included questions regarding family demographics, infancy period, and oral habits of the child and family members (thumb sucking, pacifier use, bruxism, nail biting). The second questionnaire had 26 questions regarding mother-child emotional interactions, which were filled out by the parents. The collected data were compared between the two groups with and without oral habits.
Results: Bruxism and nail biting had a higher prevalence than other habits. The two groups had a significant difference in the mean score of mother-child emotional interactions, and children with poorer mother-child interactions had a significantly higher frequency of oral habits (P=0.037). Boys had a significantly higher frequency of oral habits than girls (P=0.022). Also, oral habits had a significantly higher frequency in children with a positive family history for oral habits (P=0.000). However, other demographic factors had no significant association with oral habits (P>0.05).
Conclusion: Considering the increased prevalence of oral habits such as bruxism and nail biting, and the significant effect of mother-child emotional interactions on continuation of such habits in children, mother-child interactions should be investigated and improved in children over 3 years with oral habits