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Dance has entered mainstream empirical research: dance as an experimental stimulus, and dancers as movement experts. Informed by several sources, including primary sources (original, historical documents, and oral reports, such as interviews with practitioners and academic scholars of Iranian dance genres) and secondary sources (research literature), we describe what we label "Iranian classical dance" within this paper as an important resource for empirical research, not only in humanities scholarship but also, and importantly, for empirical aesthetics, emotion psychology, cross‐cultural psychology, and affective neuroscience. For this purpose, we (1) describe the aesthetics, characteristics, and history of Iranian classical dance; (2) outline issues of definition and systematization; and (3) give an overview of the cultural complexities and sociopolitical issues regarding Iranian classical dance in the past 40 years, which have shaped its current form. After the political revolution of 1979 (Iranian solar calendar year: 1358), dance in Iran—both as everyday practice and as a cultural heritage—was first forbidden, and now remains heavily restricted. International, interdisciplinary research teams can contribute to safeguarding Iranian classical dance in the future by firmly enshrining it into empirical research on human dance. We outline empirical research perspectives on Iranian classical dance, dataset resources, and expert communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Lack of a valid and reliable women's empowerment tool was reported by previous studies in Iran. The authors of this paper, accordingly, intended to fill this gap by developing a valid questionnaire. 600 women in Dezful city, southeast of Iran, took part in the study in 2014-2015. Multistage sampling method was used to recruit the participants. Our exploratory factor analysis revealed that 18 items of the model loaded on 4 factors. Internal consistency of the questionnaire was suitable as Cronbach's alpha coefficient was 0.77. Considering high validity and shortness of the questionnaire, it can be used as a trustful and comprehensive tool to measure women's empowerment in future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: This paper has attempted to explore views of patients with severe mental illness and their care providers about sharing sexual problems with care providers in these patients within the context of Iran. Method: A total of 17 in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted in one of the psychiatric hospital in Tehran: 4 with patients, 2 with patient's family, and 11 with health providers who had been employed for 5 years in psychiatric wards at least. All participants were selected by purposive sampling. Using conventional qualitative content analysis data reduction was done. Findings: A total of 89 codes about the reasons for lack of communication between clinician and patients, about sexuality were extracted. These are classified in two categories. The first is "Clinicians avoidance from addressing sexual issues" and second is "Patients avoidance from expressing their sexual problems." Conclusion: Despite having sexual needs, severe mental illnesses patients do not disclose it due to poor communication between clinician and patients, about sexuality. So, physician had to be pioneer in communicating with them. Therefore, to enhance clinicians' sexual knowledge and effective communication skills with patients, especially those with severe mental illnesses, training is completely necessary. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has long been identified as a way of providing optimal mental health services (MHS). It is important, therefore, to identify and facilitate factors driving IPC. This paper presents health professionals' experiences and perceptions regarding the clients' role as a driving factor for IPC in MHS in an Iranian context. Health professionals included nurses, physicians (general physicians and medical specialists), psychologists and consultants. Qualitative methods were employed in the form of in-depth individual interviews and focus groups to collect data from 24 professionals and 4 clients. Data analysis generated four key themes: 'Clients as axis of IPC', 'Seamless services as a common incentive for IPC', 'Clients as a common interprofessional linkage' and 'Clients as a driving force to achieve IPC'. From the professionals' perspective, it was found that clients had a mediating role in their collaborative relationships and practices. These findings are discussed in relation to the interprofessional literature. This paper goes on to argue that professionals need to be aware of and be trained about how to manage, as well as benefit from, the clients' fundamental role in IPC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this paper is to show different Iranian accountants' as well shareholders' ideas on Non-audit services and their effects on audit independence in Iran. In other words, in this paper the authors have attempted to deal with this question: does providing non-audit services by an Iranian auditor impair audit independence? And in order to gather usable data a suitable questionnaire was designed and developed. The results of this study show that the participants strongly believe that non-audit services may impair audit independence. It is interesting to note that, although the auditors offer to clients non-audit services, they believe that offering such services leads to audit independence being questionable. Further, the result reveals that literate participants moderately agree that NAS has a negative effect on audit independence, however illiterate participants strongly agree that NAS has a negative affect on audit independence. This paper is the first paper which includes two groups of participants: the first group is auditors in general, or we can call them academiciana with pretensions to having auditing literacy and the second group is non- academician, including stakeholders who may not have auditing literacy skills. This may useful for future studies regarding the non-audit service and its effect on audit independence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper reviews medical psychology in Iran and describes the two major professional associations representing the profession. The unique role of religion in Iran is stressed, and limitations of the current health care system are described. The paper also addresses human resource issues and the educational requirements for the practice of psychology in Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose Social support is a significant factor in the life of homeless people, as it helps them meet their life challenges more efficiently and increases the likelihood of return to a normal life. Social support plays a different role in homeless women’s life, as gender culture often causes them to be exposed to more risks. The purpose of this paper is to identify homeless people’s access to social support from their network members, with a comparison between men and women.Design/methodology/approach In this study, a survey method was used with an administrated questionnaire. Participants were recruited from among the homeless people (men and women) who used the municipal social services in shelters and social service centers in Tehran. The main variables in this study included frequency of contact, social support, and gender.Findings The results have shown significant differences between homeless men and homeless women in terms of frequency of contact and receipt of social support. Homeless women contacted their network members more often than did homeless men and also received more support. There seems to be a strong correlation between the receipt of social support and women’s greater ability for social communication, as well as with traditional culture, which considers women to be weak and dependent so that they receive more support compared with men. The weakness of social support, especially among homeless men, requires serious attention; however, homeless women are not in a favorable situation either.Originality/value The social networks of homeless people who usually live on the streets and in public places without permanent shelter are weak because of various reasons, including poverty, addiction, immigration, and divorce. The weakness of social support leads to an escalation of their vulnerabilities. Thus, it is necessary, in social policy and services, to improve the social network of high-risk people such as homeless people, which would help the rehabilitation process and reduce the probability of exposure to harm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper investigates the interaction of gender, disability and education in rural Iran, which is a relatively unexplored field of research. The responses of 10 female students with disabilities from Isfahan indicated that the obstacles they faced included marginalization, difficulties in getting from home to school, difficulties within the school building itself, and discrimination by teachers, classmates and school authorities. The data collected for the study contain a wide range of conservative gendered discourses, and show how traditional gender beliefs interact with disability to aggravate the problems faced in education by young women with disabilities. It is hoped that the findings will raise awareness among policy-makers of the many formidable obstacles that make it difficult for young women with disabilities to achieve their full potential in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Limited research has been undertaken on suicide in developing countries. This paper aims to investigate characteristics of suicide attempts in Hamadan district of Iran. Methods: A prospective study was conducted in all university hospitals in the Hamadan district of Iran and patients admitted for attempted suicides were included. All cases were assessed by psychiatrists and visited by two trained interns of Medicine. Results: The incidence rate per 100,000 persons of attempted suicides was 228.6 for males and 263.1 for females; moreover, 344.9 for rural areas and 222.7 for urban areas. The suicide attempt was the highest in the 15 to 24 age category for both sexes and regions. Conclusions: Suicide is a complex, long-term outcome that requires multifaceted theoretical constructs for the appropriate study of its antecedents. Findings of this study along with other studies in Iran revealed that unemployed men, housewives, and rural women, high-school students, and those with a low level of education were at higher risk of suicidal behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

shahbazi s. (2012) The consequences of unsafe abortion : a qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing 68(6), 1247-1255. Abstract Aim. This paper is a report of a study of the consequences of illegal abortions experienced by Iranian women. Background. Despite the increase in effective and safe methods of contraception and the distribution of information about these methods, unwanted pregnancy is still a problem in some societies. Induced abortion is a common procedure throughout the world and at least half of more than 45 million induced abortions which happen in a year are performed under unsafe circumstances. Unsafe abortions carry a high risk of maternal mortality and morbidity, accounting for more than 80,000 maternal deaths per year. Method. In this qualitative study, 27 participants were interviewed in 2006. Some participants were women who had illegal abortions and others were people who had contact with those women. Content analysis was used to identify and categorize participants' responses to the interview questions. Findings. Four consequences of women's experiences of illegal abortion were identified: physical, psychological, socio-political and judicial. Conclusion. In Iran, as in some other developing countries intentional abortion, except for some special cases, is illegal because of social and religious beliefs. In these countries, offering services and support to women with unwanted pregnancies seems to be the best solution for reducing or preventing illegal abortion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Older people are among the most vulnerable in major disasters. In their aftermath, it is crucial to institute efforts that will maintain a high level of elders' quality of life (QoL). This paper presents QoL assessments of elderly survivors five years after the Bam earthquake in Iran, and evaluates the determinants. A cross-sectional analysis of 210 randomly-selected survivors was carried out in 2008 using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire. A comparison of the results with data on the general population showed that experiencing the earthquake may adversely affect psychological dimensions of QoL even five years after, but paradoxically the earthquake resulted in better social relationships in affected communities than in the general population. Lower QoL associated with female gender, higher age, living alone, severe earthquake-related injury, poor quality of living conditions, increased dependency in the activities of daily living, living in an urban area, and being temporarily housed. Recovery experts and donors should carry out long-term monitoring of health status and QoL in disaster-affected communities, with a focus on psychological wellbeing. Intervention programmes that emphasise post-disaster quality of care and satisfactory housing may lead to better QoL of the victims and may shorten the recovery phase. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This paper reports on the finding of a qualitative grounded theory study on drug dependency and parenting in Iran. Data were obtained through semi-structured interviews with 41 opium- and heroin-dependent parents selected from Self-Referred Drug Addicts' Treatment Centre in Rasht in Iran. Research findings showed that parental drug dependency impacts various aspects of parenting such as parent-child relationship, parent-child communication, and disciplinary strategies of parents. Intervention and prevention programs to support the children of drug-dependent parents are needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: According to Florence Nightingale's hypothesis, the environment can play a central role in the healing of the patient's body and mind. The nurse should, therefore, strive to provide a healing and stress‐reducing environment for patients about to undergo invasive procedures. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the effects of environmental factors on anxiety as experienced by patients in waiting rooms prior to coronary angiography. Methods: In this randomized controlled trial, 200 patients undergoing coronary angiography in an urban area of Iran were assigned randomly to the following intervention groups: (1) nature sounds; (2) nature sounds and daylight; (3) nature sounds, daylight, and colour enhancements; and (4) control. Portable monitors were used to measure the patients' physiological indices upon admission and 30 and 60 minutes thereafter. Results: Patients who experienced environmental affecting interventions had significantly lower physiological indices of anxiety than the control group (P < 0.001). Some significance was demonstrated between the three interventions groups, with patients in the intervention group that experienced maximum environmental interventions demonstrating the most overall reduction in anxiety indices. Conclusion: Environmental factors were shown to have a positive effect on the indices of anxiety experienced by patients waiting for the procedure of coronary angiography; this is therefore an area of study and practice worthy of further development. SUMMARY STATEMENT: What is already known about this topic? Waiting for coronary angiography is a source of anxiety for patients.Anxiety can influence patients' physiological responses.People have an inherent tendency to respond positively to nature sounds, daylight, and colour.What this paper adds? Environmental factors had positive effects on the physiological indices of anxiety among patients undergoing coronary angiography.Environmental factors can reduce the physiological indices of anxiety before coronary angiography.Nature sounds, daylight, and colour can affect positively physiological indices of anxiety. The implications of this paper: Environmental factors should be considered, alongside other interventions, during the provision of nursing care to prevent adverse physical and psychological affects in patients.Environmental changes help nurses to relieve patients' anxiety when they are waiting for invasive procedures.Environmental factors can help create a relaxing waiting time and improve the physiological indices of anxiety among patients undergoing coronary angiography. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction:Assisted reproductive technologies (ART) are new methods used primarily for infertility treatment. They consist of different methods for including inseminated sperm into the uterine tube, developing embryo transfer into the fallopian tube, injecting sperm into the egg, and also IVF. This article examines the legal aspects and civil liability resulting from these modern technologies. In other words, we are going to see how children born by these technologies are related to the sperm owners and egg donors, and in what circumstances religion allows these technologies. Materials and Methods: This study uses documentary and library methodology. Given the fact that ART bloodline is not defined in Iranian law, this paper tries to find an appropriate solution by appealing to dynamic Islamic fiqh and general legal rules. Results: Parentage debates are quite significant, since we can decide for other crucial affairs including privacy, inheritance, alimony, and custody once parents are determined. Therefore, it is essential to examine parenthood regardless of religious permission. Gamete and embryo donation act approved in 2003 by Iranian Parliament would not suffice to manage issues and further arrangements need to be considered. In addition, it is essential that parents, sperm owners, egg donors (provided they are married) mention all terms and conditions in a contract and liabilities be determined. Laws and rules concerning civil liability are general and would embrace the subjects discussed. Yet, the novelty of these emergent technologieshave restrained them from being merged into the customs, let alone adopting children born by them. Conclusions: Parentage of children born by ART bears significant civil and religious consequences. Turning a blind eye to it can cause harm and result in morbid social problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background Working in the form of shift works especially with irregular circulation derange the circadian rhythms of human body, that this derangement has a close relation with' aggravation of depression's sign and other psychological problems. So shift work can be propounded as a risk factor of psychological problems creation. This study has been executed to determine relation between shift work and psychological problems among hospital's personnel of Ardabil University of Medical science. Materials and methods This study is a retrospective case-control one and has been executed on 388 persons of personnel of hospitals of Ardabil University of Medical Science (223 as case group and 65 as control group), that has been selected randomly. Requisite information was collected with three questionnaires. Including General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), personal questionnaire and standardized sleep state evaluation questionnaire and were analyzed by SPSS statistical software. Chi-square and analysis of variance tests were used to test investigation's hypothesis. Results In evaluation of general relation between shift work and prevalence of psychological problems no meaningful relation was found, but with renewed encoding and psychological problems determining, meaningful relation were found between these problems such as somatoform signs (p<0.005) anxiety (p<0.019) social action disorder (p<0.001) and depression (p<0.019) and shift work. At the same time result of comparison of sleep state in the case and control group showed that in all items s1sep1 taking nap throughout day, there is meaningful difference between two case and control group and this difference show that more sleep problems is found in case group as compared with control group. Also, meaningful relations were seen between record of service and prevalence of mentioned problems (p<0.001). According to obtained results in this survey and meaningful relation between prevalence of psychological problems and shift work, in hospitals that has been studied. Conclusions It is advised to reform irregular circulation of shift Work in hospitals and with due attention to work conditions of any hospital, a sought after shift work system be executed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]