International Journal of Applied Behavioral Sciences
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Strategic Differences in Visual Scanning between Field Dependent and Field Independent individuals on the basis of Eye Tracking Measures
Get PDFIntroduction: According to previous findings, visual scanning approaches may play a main role in cognitive styles, which is also important in learning processes. This study aimed at comparing field dependent (FD) and field independent (FI) groups in their visual scanning indicators during performance on a set of stimuli.Methods: 68 undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti University participated in this study through purposive sampling method. Participants were assigned into FD and FI groups through the scores of Group Embedded Figures Test (GEFT). Participants’ eye movements, including fixation details, were tracked by a binocular remote eye-tracking system (SMI-RED120Hz) during their performance on the GEFT.Results: Mixed MANCOVA analyzing was used in this study. Comparing to FD group, FI group fixated their eyes more on the stimuli in shorter time. Revisits were less in FI group and they had longer fixations. Moreover, there were some significant interactive effects among groups and different areas of GEFT.Conclusions: It seems that FI individuals use some practical strategies in their visual scanning which enables them to succeed in differentiating components of a whole picture. These strategies are related to time management and taking new perspectives from which, they can probe the stimuli in more effective methods.Declaration of Interest: Non
Psychological flexibility mediate the effect of early maladaptive schemas on Psychopathology
Get PDFIntroduction: The present research aims to study the mediation role of psychological inflexibility on the relationship between the schemas domains) and anxiety symptoms. Methods: In order to achieve the study objectives, a sample of 230 students has been selected, applying availability sampling. The applying tools included the short-form of Young questionnaire (YSQ-SF), the acceptance and action questionnaire-II (AAQ-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Results: Correlation analysis has shown that there is a relationship between the early maladaptive schemas and anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, the path analysis shows a mediation role of psychological inflexibility between disconnection/rejection (2.37, p<0.01) impaired autonomy and performance (3.19, p<0.01), overvigilance/inhibition (2.90, p<0.01) and the anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: The most obvious finding to emerge from this study was that considering some techniques for decreasing psychological inflexibility enhances the outcome of schema therapy. This research managed to answer how the early maladaptive schemas have their effects on the anxiety symptoms in a students' sample. Further work needs to be done to study the relationship between the early maladaptive schemas and psychological inflexibility in the clinical samples. Declaration of Interest: None
Evaluation and improvement of the psychometric properties of the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression using Rasch analysis for applying in Belarusian population
No full textIntroduction: The Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) has not been tested for the psychometric properties in Belarusian population. In this regard conducting psychometric assessment of the HAM-D used in Belarusian population has special importance. The aim of this study was to investigate and improve the psychometric properties of the HAM-D applying in Belarusian population through Rasch analysis. Methods: Data from 551 Belarusian patients with confirmed diagnosis of depression were used in this study. The Partial Credit Model was used in the psychometric analysis. Results: The analysis of item-person map showed disagreement between distributions of person measures and item categories. Only 8 items had appropriate values of Rasch fit-indexes. I have improved the psychometric properties of the HAM-D. Five items with bad values of fit-indexes were recombined into two new items. New items were added to the remaining 8 items with acceptable fit-indexes values and then Rasch analysis was repeated. All items showed adequate construct validity. The person separation index (PSI) for original HAM-D was 2.32. The person reliability was 0.84. Reliability analysis of the final model included 10 items showed higher estimates: the PSI was 3.61, the number of strata rose to 5.14, the person reliability was 0.93. Conclusion: This study revealed that the HAM-D applied in Belarusian population has several psychometric problems. After removing invalid items and changing score rules of bipolar items psychometric properties of the scale were improved. Declaration of Interest: None.
Validation of Persian version of PHQ-9 for diagnosis of major depressive episode in psychiatric wards in IRAN
Get PDFMajor depressive disorder is one of the most serious and disabling psychiatric disorders. It can be followed by medical problems, impaired individual functioning, reduced quality of life and mortality (1-3). The prevalence varies among different countries. This discrepancy depends on genetics, environmental parameters, racial factors, cultural differences in perceiving diagnostic parameters, psychometric characteristics of diagnostic tools and sampling protocol (3). Major depressive episode may happen during major depressive disorder (unipolar depression) and also in bipolar disorder type I and II patients
The Effectiveness of Psychological Intervention on Multiple Sclerosis Patients’ Subjective Well-Being
Get PDFIntroduction: The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of group quality of life therapy (GQOLT) on refractory disease patients’ subjective well-being.Methods: The design of the study was experimental with an experimental and a control group, including a pre-test, post-test and follow-up test. Statistical population consisted of patients suffering from MS referring to health centers in Shiraz from which 24 patients were selected using convenience sampling method. They were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each 12 members). The experimental groups received GQOLT during eight 90-minute weekly sessions. The control group received no treatment. All participants completed the Subjective Well-being Questionnaire as pre-test, post-test and follow-up test. The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance method.Results: All differences regarding to comparing of means of pretest, posttest and follow up phase were at the level of P<0/001 significant. The results of the post-test revealed that group quality of life therapies have positive and significant effects on improving subjective well-being of MS patients. In the follow-up test, these impacts proved to be long-term.Conclusions: This research shows that group quality of life therapy have improved subjective well-being of MS patients remarkably. Therefore, it is recommended that psychological interventions to be done for these patients
Efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy on fear of intimacy and selfcriticism in women working in Welfare Institute of Kerman
Get PDFIntroduction: This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on fear of intimacy and self-criticism in women working in welfare Institute of Kerman City. Method: It was a quasi-experimental study including a pre-test, post-test, and one-month follow-up with a control group. Among all the working women in this institute, 50 women were recruited via convenience sampling method and were randomly put in experimental and control group. The experimental group received eight sessions of ACT, while the control group received no intervention. Covariance analysis were used for analyzing the data using SPSS software. Results: Our results showed that the self-criticism and the fear of intimacy were reduced in the experimental group after eight sessions of ACT. This finding was still significant in the one-month follow up (P<0/05).Conclusion: The results showed that the ACT group training can be effective to modify the self-criticism and fear of intimacy.
The Role of Traumatic Experiences and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies in Predicting High-risk Behaviors among Adolescents
Get PDFIntroduction: The goal of the present study was to investigate adolescents’ tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors based on traumatic life experiences and adaptive and maladaptive emotion regulation strategies. Method: A descriptive/correlational design was used. The participants included 220 adolescents (154 girls and 66 boys) who were selected among high-school students in Shiraz, using a convenience sampling method. The Traumatic Experiences Checklist (TEC), the Iranian Adolescents Risk-taking Scale (IARS), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies Questionnaire (CERQ) were used collect data. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, and regression analysis. Results: According to the results, among traumatic experiences, only emotional abuse (P<0. 001), and among maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, only rumination (P<0. 001) had a significant effect on high-risk behaviors. In addition, no significant relationship was found between adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies and tendency to engage in high-risk behaviors. Conclusion: The results suggest that providing training on emotion regulation can help students select adaptive emotion regulation strategies in coping with high-risk situations. Declaration of Interest: None.
The Mediating Role of Coping Strategies in Relation with Psychological Needs and Internet Addiction among College Student
Get PDFIntroduction: Internet addiction has negative consequences, including physical, psychological, social and educational problems. The current research intended to assess the mediation role of coping strategies in relation with psychological needs and internet addiction.Methods: This cross-sectional study assessed 375 students (129 male, 244 female) from Karaj Islamic Azad University in 2018 selected by stratified sampling. Data collected by self-report method. Research instruments were internet addiction test, satisfaction of psychological needs questionnaire and coping response scale. Data were analyzed by SPSS v.19 and using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients and Concurrent hierarchical Regression analysis.Results: Pearson correlation coefficients showed negative correlations between autonomy, relatedness, competence and internet addiction (P<0.01). There is negative correlation between autonomy, relatedness, competence and maladaptive coping strategy (P<0.01) and positive correlation between maladaptive coping and internet addiction (P<0.01). Also, Hierarchical regression analysis by Baron and Kenny method showed that maladaptive coping is mediator between and satisfaction of psychological needs and internet addiction.Conclusion: in general, this results indicate that high level of satisfaction of psychological needs are associated with low level of internet addiction and unsatisfied of psychological needs has positive impact in maladaptive coping strategy, subsequently maladaptive coping increases internet addiction.Declaration interest: None.
The Effect of Avoiding Cognitive Errors through Narrative Therapy on Depression and Dysfunctional Attitude in Primary School Girls
Get PDFIntroduction: The present study was conducted to investigate the effect of teaching to avoid cognitive errors through narrative therapy on depression and dysfunctional attitude in primary-school girls. Methods: This experimental study was conducted with a pretest-posttest design and a one-month follow-up. The assessment tool consisted of the Depression Self-Rating Scale (DSRS), and DAS-C and clinical interviews were used to evaluate dysfunctional attitude among the students. The sample population consisted of 36 fourth- and fifth-grade, female, primary-school students with depression in Shiraz. The experimental group was exposed to narrative therapy, the placebo group to selective stories (without educational content on avoiding cognitive errors) and the control group received no treatment. The ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: The three groups were not different in terms of their depression score in the posttest (F=2.36, P=0.11), but the difference between them was significant in the follow-up stage (F=5.53, P=0.009). Significant differences were observed among the groups in terms of dysfunctional attitude and depression in the posttest (F=4.84, P=0.001) and the follow-up (P=0.0001, F=12.08). Conclusion: Narrative therapy was found to be effective in reducing depression and dysfunctional attitude in the students. Declaration of Interest: None.
The Moderating Role of Lifestyle on Maladaptive Schemas and Responsibility among Iranian Male Teachers
Get PDFIntroduction: Responsibility can be affected by personality and life conditions. The present study was conducted to investigate the moderating role of lifestyle on maladaptive schemas and responsibility among Iranian male teachers. Method: The study population consisted of all male teachers at primary schools in the city of Manneh, North Khorasan, Iran (n=250), 250 teachers who were selected using the census sampling method were participated in this study. The data collection tools comprised responsibility, early maladaptive schemas, and lifestyle questionnaires. For data analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient and hierarchical regression were employed. Results: The results showed a significant correlation between responsibility and early maladaptive schemas (r=-0.38, p<0.001) and lifestyle (r=0.42, p<0.001). Also, the results of moderation regression reflected that lifestyle modifies the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and responsibility. Conclusion: Results indicated that high scores in maladaptive schemas were associated with low responsibility scores in case of an unhealthy lifestyle, whereas high maladaptive schemas scores were associated with high responsibility scores in cases with a healthy.Declaration of Interest: None