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Abstract Depression in adolescence is common worldwide, with the burden being highest in low- and middle-income countries. This study assessed the efficacy of in-person Memory Specificity Training (MeST) and computerized MeST (c-MeST) as cognitive training programs aimed at addressing depression among Iranian adolescents. A secondary aim was to evaluate the efficacy of MeST and c-MeST on autobiographical memory specificity, emotion regulation and cognitive control. Ninety Iranian male adolescents (aged 13–18 years) with depression were randomly assigned to three groups; MeST group (n = 30), c-MeST group (n = 30) and the non-active control group (n = 30). Participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory-II, Autobiographical Memory Test, Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test and Stroop Color and Word Test. The groups underwent either MeST and c-MeST. All the assessments were re-conducted after the intervention (post-intervention) and at 1-month post-intervention (follow-up). The in-person MeST group exhibited significantly higher autobiographical memory specificity at post-intervention and follow-up compared to the c-MeST group. Both groups demonstrated significantly lower levels of depression at post-intervention and follow-up. Both groups showed improvements in emotion regulation and cognitive control, which were found to mediate improvements in depression symptomatology. c-MeST and MeST appear promising brief interventions for the treatment of depression among adolescents in Iran.

Background Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is prevalent behaviour among adolescents. Although there are different etiological models of NSSI, there is a general lack of evidence-based, comprehensive and transdiagnostic models of NSSI in adolescents. Aims The aim of this study was to investigate a model of transdiagnostic factors of NSSI in adolescents, testing a serial mediation model of the relationship between early maladaptive schemas (EMS), distress tolerance and NSSI through experiential avoidance and rumination. Method A community sample was identified of 1014 adolescents aged 13–17, of whom 425 had a history of NSSI. A serial mediation path analytic method was utilised to examine the relationships between NSSI and its associated functions as criterion variables, EMS and distress tolerance as predictors, experiential avoidance as the first mediator and rumination as the second mediator. Results The path analytic model fit indices were good (X2/d.f. = 2.25, goodness of fit index = 0.98, normed fit index = 0.97, comparative fit index = 0.98, root mean square error of approximation = 0.054, standardised root mean squared residual = 0.028). Rumination significantly mediated the relationship between schemas of ‘vulnerability to harm’, ‘emotional deprivation’, ‘social isolation’, ‘insufficient self-control’, and NSSI frequency and intrapersonal functions. In serial fashion, experiential avoidance mediated the role of rumination in the relationship between social isolation, and insufficient self-control and NSSI frequency and intrapersonal functions. All indirect effects were significant. Conclusions Key indirect effects were found linking maladaptive schemas and distress tolerance to NSSI frequency, and NSSI intrapersonal functions via experiential avoidance and rumination. Thus, it is important to address these transdiagnostic factors with particular emphasis on the sequential mediating role of experiential avoidance and rumination in conceptualisation and therapeutic interventions for NSSI.

Background: The experience of cardiovascular diseases affects various physical, psychological, social and existential aspects of the patient. But, after studying the research background, it was found that Each of the conducted studies have studied only one of these dimensions. Therefore, the absence of a research that examines all the mentioned components in relation to each other is a sign of the existence of a scientific gap in this field. Aims: The present research was conducted with the aim of studying the "disease experience" in people suffering from cardiovascular diseases. Methods: In this qualitative research, interpretive phenomenological method was used. Sampling was done using the purposeful sampling method and in order to collect data, a semi-structured interview based on the axes proposed by Spradley (2016) was conducted individually with 16 cardiovascular patients. The data were analyzed based on the 6-step strategy of Smith, Larkin and Flowers (2021) and using MAXQDA-2020 software. Results: From the analysis of the findings, the central category of "Disease-caused Transformations" was identified, which includes five main categories of phenomenal body, agency barrier, communication interference, difficult emotional experiences, and existential challenges. Conclusion: According to the obtained results, it can be said that cardiovascular diseases cause profound changes in various aspects of the patients' personal and social life. Using the categories identified in the current research can be a guide for specialists to evaluate that In which of the categories of "pathological changes" does the cardiovascular patient have more serious problems and as a result, it can help specialists in designing and implementing interventions according to the same category.

Objectives: The present study aims to design and test a model of factors affecting the acceptance of cosmetic surgery in Iranian female students. Methods: A sample of 600 female students aged 18 to 35 were selected from Kharazmi University using cluster random sampling. The participants completed six questionnaires: The short version of the attitude toward women scale, the beliefs about appearance scale, the body areas satisfaction scale, the body image coping strategies inventory, the rhinoplasty outcome evaluation, and the acceptance of cosmetic surgery scale. A structural model was used to examine the relationships among research variables. Results: Results showed a good level of fit to the data and proposed that gender role attitudes can facilitate cosmetic surgery in women by mediator roles of dysfunctional appearance beliefs, body dissatisfaction, coping strategies, and outcome expectancy. Discussion: The study highlights the importance of traditional gender role attitudes in body dissatisfaction and cosmetic surgeries among Iranian women. Indeed, traditional gender role attitudes can encourage women to conform to beauty standards and undertake cosmetic procedures. These procedures can expose them to risks and unwanted consequences. Therefore, future research and prevention programs should be paid more attention to these traditional beliefs.

Introduction: Few studies have examined integrative models in the context of chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease. In this context, the aim of the present study was the preliminary evaluation of the transdiagnostic educational package based on the schema therapy model, self-compassion model, and emotion regulation model in cardiac health-related behaviors. Method: 3 people were selected in a single-case pilot study and received an intervention package based on the research model during 15 sessions. Participants responded to the cardiac health behavior scale (Song et al., 2018), Self-Compassion Questionnaire (Neff, 2003), Young's Early Maladaptive Schemas Questionnaire (YSQ-S3), and Emotion Regulation Scale (Gross and John, 2003). The data were analyzed by visual analysis of graphs analysis, indicators of recovery percentage, reduction percentage, and Cohen's effect size.Results: The findings showed that the recovery percentage of the first, second, and third participants in the reappraisal respectively was 40, 38, and 43 percent, suppression was 46, 46, and 45 percent, self-compassion was 41, 34, and 41 percent and cardiac health-related behaviors were 32, 33 and 35 percent.Results: also, the reduction percentage of the first, second, and third participants in reappraisal respectively was 67, 62, and 76 percent, suppression was 32, 32, and 31 percent, self-compassion was 68, 51, and 69 percent, and cardiac health-related behaviors were 47, 50 and 54 percent.The effect size of the reappraisal for the first, second, and third participants was -0.91, -0.79 and -0.80 respectively, suppression was 0.83, 0.91, and 0.93, self-compassion was -0.78, -0.86 and -0.90 and cardiac health related-behaviors were -0.83, -0.75 and -0.87.Discussion and Conclusion: According to the findings supporting the proposed model, the transdiagnostic educational package based on schema therapy, emotion regulation, and self-compassion model can be used to improve cardiac health-related behaviors.

سابقه و هدف: دین و باورهای دینی در بیشتر جوامع نقش مهمی در زندگی انسان­ها ایفا می­کند؛ در جامعۀ ایرانی با ‌توجه به شرایط فرهنگی این نقش بارزتر است. ازاین‌رو پژوهش حاضر با هدف تحلیل کیفی نظر متخصصان ایرانی دربارۀ نقش باورهای معنوی و اعتقادی مؤثر در تنظیم هیجان انجام شد. روش کار: مطالعۀ حاضر از نوع کیفی و به‌روش تحلیل محتوای نهفته است. جامعۀ آماری متخصصان و صاحب‌نظران تنظیم هیجان در ایران بودند که با روش نمونه‌گیری هدفمند تا حد اشباع با 11 نفر از آنان مصاحبۀ نیمه­ساختاریافته صورت گرفت. در این پژوهش همۀ موارد اخلاقی رعایت شده است و مؤلفان تضاد منافعی گزارش نکرده‌اند. یافته‌ها: با اتمام مصاحبه‌­ها، پس از حذف و همسان‌سازی کدهای مشابه و تکراری، نتایج تحلیل داده­‌ها به سه طبقۀ اصلی و شش زیر‌طبقه منجر شد. طبقات شامل نگرش­‌های مذهبی و معنوی، آموزه­های معنوی/ مذهبی تنظیم­کنندۀ هیجان و تمایز باور­ها از خرافات بود. نتیجه‌گیری: یافته‌ها نشان داد که باورهای معنوی و اعتقادی نقش پررنگی در تنظیم هیجان افراد دارند؛ بنابراین به مشاوران و درمانگران سلامت روان پیشنهاد می‌­شود که در ارتباط با مراجعان و در جلسات درمانی به این مهم توجه ویژه‌ای داشته باشند.

Objective: This study aimed to compare health beliefs and obsessive-compulsive symptoms (OCS) in families with (FIM+) or without an infected member (FIM–) two years after the beginning of COVID-19. Additionally, this research intended to predict a decrease in OCS from baseline (T1) to 40 days later (T2) based on health beliefs. Method: In a longitudinal survey, 227 participants in two groups, including FIM+ (n = 98; M = 30.44; SD = 5.39) and FIM– (n = 129; M = 29.24; SD = 4.93), were selected through purposive sampling. They responded to measurements consisting of demographic characteristics, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R), Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and COVID-19 Health Belief Questionnaire (COVID-19-HBQ) at the final assessment phase (T2). To investigate differences between the two groups and predict OCS changes from T1 to T2, data were analyzed using Chi-squared, t-tests, U-Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, Pearson correlations, and linear regression analyses. Results: At T1, FIM+ demonstrated significantly greater OCS, health beliefs, posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTS), and depressive symptoms than FIM–. Furthermore, FIM+ showed a decrease in OCS from T1 to T2 after its infected member recovered from COVID-19 (P < 0.001). A decrease in OCS was correlated with a decrease in perceived susceptibility, severity, and barriers. Lack of a vulnerable family member, lower educational attainment, and being a primary caregiver were associated with a greater decrease in OCS. Changes in perceived severity and self-efficacy accounted for 17% of variation in OCS. Conclusion: Even two years after the onset of the pandemic, COVID-19 not only impacts the life of patients with COVID-19 but family members who care for such patients respond to the disease by engaging in excessive health behaviors in the form of OCS.

Background: Research shows that metacognition, ambiguity tolerance, and psychological flexibility are related to resilience. However, there is a research gap in the scope of indigenous studies in the research community. Aims: This research was conducted to investigate the role of metacognition, ambiguity tolerance, and psychological flexibility in predicting resilience in the wives of martyrs of Alborz province. Methods: The descriptive research method was correlation type. The statistical population included all the wives of the martyrs in 2021- 2022. 451 people were selected through the available sampling method and Wells and Cartwright Hutton (2004) metacognition questionnaires, Bond et al.'s acceptance and action questionnaire (2007), Bodner's ambiguity tolerance questionnaire (1960), and Connor et al.'s resilience questionnaire (2003) was implemented on them. Data analysis was done using multiple linear regression analysis. Results: According to the data analysis, the variables of psychological flexibility (β=0.37), ambiguity tolerance (β=0.25), cognitive stability (β=0.22), uncontrollability and dangerousness of thoughts (β=-0.19), and cognitive trust (β = -0.13) are respectively the strongest predictors of resilience. In addition, psychological flexibility (F=7.23, p≥0.001), ambiguity tolerance (F=10.6, p≥0.001), and cognitive stability (F=19.5, p≥0.001) predict an increase in resilience, but belief in the uncontrollability and dangerousness of thoughts (F=99.2, p≥0.003) and cognitive trust (F=51.2, p≥0.012) predict a decrease in resilience. Conclusion: From the above findings, it can be concluded that metacognition, ambiguity tolerance, and psychological flexibility are directly related to resilience and increase resilience. Repeating the research with more samples in other groups is needed.

Mentalization, operationalized as reflective functioning (RF), is the ability to understand one’s own and another’s mental world implicitly or explicitly. RF is a newly discovered research field in Iran and is largely under-studied in Eastern cultures in general, underscoring the high need for cross-cultural studies in this field of research. A qualitative method was used to examine the ability to understand, process, and respond to high-arousal attachment situations in typical and clinical populations of Iranian children recruited from a Tehran primary school. A well-known semi-structured interview commonly used to assess RF in children was used to collect data. Required information on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, demographic information, and all formal diagnoses of children were collected by parents. The results indicated the identification of four different profiles of RF in children, one of which was adaptive, while the other three were maladaptive. Also, the results showed that typically developing children and those having a high social and economic status (SES) were characterized as having a more adaptive profile of RF, while children from the clinical population and those with a low SES reported a more maladaptive profile (passive mentalizing, helpless mentalizing, narcissistic mentalizing) of RF. The present study is an important step in increasing our understanding of the development of mentalization in children and has significant educational and clinical implications.

Aim and Background: Because of the similarity between some signs of panic disorder (PD) and COVID-19, individuals with PD like individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) are vulnerable to negative outcomes of the pandemic. However, previous studies did not adequately address the impacts of COVID-19 on this disorder. Regarding the importance of cognitive mechanisms for both disorders, examining the cognitive impacts of COVID-19 is especially critical. The study aims to compare individuals with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder (PD), and nonclinical samples in terms of obsessive beliefs and COVID-19 stress, two years after the beginning of the pandemic. Methods and Materials: In a survey, 127 individuals were recruited through purposive sampling. After being taken for the clinical interview, they were divided into OCD (n=42), PD (n=40), and nonclinical (n=45) groups. Participants responded to the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44), COVID-19 Stress Scale, and Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Data were analyzed by one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and Scheffe posthoc tests. Findings: There were no significant differences between clinical groups based on any obsessive beliefs. In terms of socioeconomic outcomes and traumatic stress components of COVID-19 stress, there were no significant differences between clinical and nonclinical groups. However, individuals with OCD and PD obtained meaningfully higher scores in xenophobia and obsessive checking/ reassurance-seeking components, respectively, than other groups. Even two years after the beginning of the pandemic, clinical groups were significantly more concerned about the danger and contamination of COVID-19 than the nonclinical group. Conclusions: Obsessive beliefs in individuals with PD are comparable to individuals with OCD during the pandemic. Also, individuals with PD engaged more in obsessive checking/ reassurance-seeking than individuals with OCD and the nonclinical group; it could burden extensive costs for the therapeutic system during the pandemic.

Background: The symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder, quality of emotion regulation, self-efficacy, and resilience play a role as important aggravators based on the research. In addition, these symptoms are experienced in the general population. In this field, there has not been too much research. Aims: This study is conducted to predict the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder in the general population according to self-efficacy, resilience, and cognitive emotion regulation. Methods: The descriptive-correlation design was used in this study. People between 17 to 70 years old in Tehran were the study population (spring and summer 2019). Among them, 636 people were selected as a sample. The Bill Brown (1989) Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Questionnaire, the Garnfsky & Craig (2001) Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Connor & Davidson Resilience Questionnaire (2003), and the Scherer and Maddox Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (1982) were used to collect data. To analyze the data, Pearson and stepwise regression tests were used. Results: The results indicated that there is a significant positive relationship between other blame, rumination, and catastrophe with the symptoms of obsessive-compulsive disorder (P

Background: During the COVID-2019 pandemic, the hospital staff was among the first to deal with this problem. Because of the high workload, the medical staff may experience psychological distress. In this regard, the present study was conducted to investigate the role of resilience and emotion regulation in managing the psychological distress of hospital staff during the COVID-2019 pandemic. Methods: In the present study, we searched English databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Scopus, ScienceDirect, and Iranian databases, such as Iranian databases of Scientific Information Database (SID), Iranian Publications (Magiran), and Iranian Medical Sciences Articles from February 2020 to July 2021 with using the keywords of “coronavirus 2019”, “COVID-19”, “depression”, “anxiety”, “stress”, “resilience”, “emotion regulation”, “mental health”, “medical staff”, and “psychological distress”. We also used the PRISMA (The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analysis) checklist to review and control the quality of the articles. Results: Studies have shown that resilience and emotion regulation strategies positively affect nurses, physicians, hospital staff, and medical students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Good resilience and using adaptive emotion regulation strategies have reduced their anxiety, depression, insomnia, and fear, which results in increased psychological well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusion: Based on the reviewed articles, we found that COVID-19 can affect various aspects of the mental health of hospital staff. Given that COVID-19 is still mutating and it is impossible to predict a specific time for the end of this deadly virus, medical staff must receive the necessary training to improve resilience and emotion regulation strategies.

People who receive a cancer diagnosis, they have doubts about their past, present, and future, and are seriously challenged their relationships, their control over life, and their physical experiences. These experiences can change their sense of self. Therefore, this study was conducted to explore the experience of "sense of self" in cancer survivors. The present qualitative research used interpretive phenomenological analysis (IPA). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 people with cancer. From the implementation of interpretive phenomenological analysis on the interview texts, the general concept of "self-disruption" was discovered, which includes seven conceptual clusters: temporal disruption, highlighted body, interference in agency, individual- self disruption, over differentiation, relational- self disruption, painful emotional experiences. With these results, it can be concluded that in the exposure of cancer, different dimensions of sense of self are damaged and disrupted, and its severity affects the patients' adaptation. These findings indicate that cancer survivors need to reconstruction their sense of self, and it should be considered by cancer-related service providers.

Mentalization refers to the ability to understand the mental states of oneself and those of others that motivate action and behavior. Mentalization has generally been linked to adaptive development and healthy functioning whereas diminished mentalization has been associated with maladaptive development and psychopathology. The vast majority of research on mentalization and developmental trajectories, however, is based on Western countries. The overall aim of this study was therefore to examine mentalizing abilities in a novel sample of 153 typically developing and atypically developing Iranian children (Mage = 9.41, SDage = 1.10, Range = 8–11, 54.2% females) recruited from a primary school and health clinic in Tehran. The children completed semi-structured interviews that were later transcribed and coded for mentalization. The parents provided reports on internalizing and externalizing symptoms, demographic information, and all formal diagnoses of the children. The results pointed at general age and sex differences across the two groups. Older children showed more adaptive mentalization compared to the younger children; boys and girls used different mentalizing strategies when facing difficult situations. The typically developing children were better at mentalizing than the atypically developing children. Finally, more adaptive mentalization was associated with lower externalizing and internalizing symptoms among all children. The findings of this study contributes with expanding mentalization research to also encompass non-Western populations and the results hold crucial educational and therapeutic implications.

Aim and Background: Skin diseases, such as psoriasis, are associated with significant psychological and social disabilities. Therefore, the current research was done with the aim of examining the effectiveness of self-compassion Therapy on psychological distress and quality of the life of Psoriasis Skin Patients. Methods and Materials: This research is a semi-experimental with control group and follow-up which was observed for a month. The statistical population of the research includes all skin patients with psoriasis who went to skin treatment centers in Tehran between Dec and Feb in 2019. From this population, 40 people were selected by available sampling method and after matching were randomly assigned to experimental (20 people) and control (20 people) groups. The subjects of experimental group received seven sessions of self-compassion Therapy, however, the control group did not receive any training. The questionnaires of Kessler's Psychological Distress (2002) and Bref's Quality of Life (1996) were distributed before and after educational interventions as pretest, posttest and follow up study on all subjects. The findings of the research were analyzed with Variance with repeated measures and SPSS-20 software. Findings: The results of the analysis showed that the self-compassion Therapy was significantly effective in reducing psychological distress and increasing quality of life in Psoriasis Skin Patients (p

Introduction: Death anxiety is one of the ultimate anxieties of humankind, which is caused by consciousness of mortality and inevitability of death. Considering the fact that knowledge of death and experience of death anxiety arise from childhood, the objective of this study was to explore the experiences of children with heart disease and cancer about death anxiety. Methods: This study was conducted qualitatively with a phenomenological approach. The participants were 15 children with cancer and congenital heart disease (CHD) at Ali Asghar (AS), Modarres, and Rasoul-e-Akram hospitals in Tehran in 2018, whose information was collected through semi-structured interviews. The participants were selected via purposive sampling and the data were analyzed by Colaizzi's method. Results: The analysis of the data led to the development of a main category called anxiety, which consists of six subcategories including imaginary manifestations of death, loneliness and nothingness, fear and anxiety, unknowns, religious beliefs, and sorrow for others. Conclusion: The investigation of the experiences of children showed that death anxiety is a very important concept in the minds of children with heart disease and cancer and it has different aspects. Therefore, proper knowledge of the various aspects of death anxiety can lead to the provision of appropriate educational materials and the use of various sources for reducing the level of anxiety experienced by children.

The purpose of this study was to determine the mediating role of interpersonal problems in the relationship between emotion regulation strategies and depression in female students who were in romantic relationships. The research method was descriptive-correlational based on the research hypotheses. The sample of 317 participants were selected from all single female university students in Tehran province in the academic year of 1397-98 who had been in a romantic relationship for at least two months. The measurement tools used in the research were cognitive emotion regulation strategies questionnaire, depression scale, and interpersonal problems scale. The results were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM).The results showed that emotion regulation strategies (adaptive/ maladaptive) with standardized coefficient of -0.04 and 0.10 respectively, had significant effect on depression by the mediation of interpersonal problems (p < 0.05). Based on the results, low adaptive emotion regulation strategies and high maladaptive emotion regulation strategies by the mediation of interpersonal problems could contribute to an increase in the symptoms of depression.

Background: Depression symptoms are one of the basic pathological features of students with learning disabilities. The goal of the current study is to evaluate the effectiveness of working memory training in depression dimensions of student with learning disabilities. Methods: Using a single subject experimental design with stepwise multiple baselines, 6 students with learning disabilities were selected according to available sampling method. The subjects were received working memory training over 15 sessions. To measure dimensions of depression, the subjects completed children’s depression inventory before the treatment and once every three sessions during the intervention. Findings: The visual inspection of charts, effect size, Cohen, slope and trend change indexes showed that working memory training leads to a reduction in general depression and its concern/sorrow, morale, and low morale/sorrow components in students with learning disabilities, whereas inconsistent effects were obtained in physical development and components of physical symptoms. Conclusion: These findings have important research and applied implications in the field of the role of working memory-related training in the area of depression of students with learning disabilities.

Background: Marital quality can be considered the most important indicator of marital success that is influenced by various factors such as marital satisfaction, but the key question is which educational package has the most impact on the marital quality of couples? Aims: To compare the effectiveness of Iranian marital satisfaction training package and Masters & Johnson's approach on marital quality of couples. Method: The research design was quasi-experimental and the research design was three groups in three stages of pre-test, post-test and two months follow up. The statistical population consisted of 60 married individuals referring to two psychology and counseling centers in Tehran in the field of sexual relations in the winter of 1977. Were. The tools are: Demographic Fact Sheet and Marriage Quality Questionnaire of Busby, Crane, Larsen, & Christensen (1995), the Masters & Johnson Training Program (Masters & Johnson, 1976; quoted by Masters & Johnson & Claudia, 2006) and the Marital Satisfaction Training Package. Native Iranian (Rasouli, 1977). Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA and post hoc test. Results: Native Iranian marital satisfaction training package and Masters & Johnson approach had significant effect on marital quality of couples (P

Health, as one of the most important sources of comfort in life, is the complete physical, mental and social well-being, while there are dynamic mutual relationships among the three components. This study was aimed to investigate the role of attachment styles and emotional intelligence components in the prediction of health dimensions. The statistical population was consisted 160 parents who participated in the trainees’ health assessment programs in Khalkhal city (Iran). Attachment styles questionnaire, emotional intelligence questionnaire and general health questionnaire were used to collect data. Results of the study indicated that avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles has significant relationship with depression dimension. The relationship between emotional intelligence and dimensions of depression, anxiety, physical symptoms and social performance was also significant. Multivariate regression analysis indicated that dependent and ambivalent attachments are predictors of depression/anxiety; secure attachment is a predictors of depression moreover, stress tolerance, social responsibility, empathy, self-esteem, optimism, self-actualization, interpersonal relations, problem solving, independence and assertiveness are predictors of depression, anxiety, physical symptoms and social performance. This study demonstrated that attachment styles and emotional intelligence components play important role in the prediction of health dimensions. Therefore they are applicable and effective in health related programs.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Weight Control Strategies Scale among individuals engaged in weight loss or weight maintenance. Method: This descriptive study conducted from October 2019 to February 2020 on social media networks. A total of 420 men and women were selected using consecutive sampling. They completed the Persian version of the Weight Control Strategies Scale and the Self-Compassion Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s α, confirmatory factor analysis, and Pearson product-moment correlations. Results: Internal consistency for the total score of the Persian version of Weight Control Strategies Scale was excellent and acceptable to good for all 4 subscales (in all cases over α = 0.70). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure of the original model of the scale, but, it was different from the model at the item level. Moreover, the Persian version of Weight Control Strategies Scale had good convergent validity. Conclusion: Psychometrically speaking, the Persian version of the Weight Control Strategies Scale is a valid and reliable tool to assess the psychological and behavioral profile of individuals engaging in losing or maintaining weight, both for clinical and research purposes.

Background and Objective: Prevalence of obesity globally has increased in recent years, which is associated with an elevated risk of various diseases and increased healthcare expenses. Understanding the psychological determinants involved in obesity is important for the development of new interventions. Thus, the current study aimed to compare dispositional mindfulness and self-compassion among women with high and normal body mass index (BMI). Materials and Methods: This causal-comparative study was conducted with participation of 200 adult women (100 women with high BMI and 100 women with normal BMI). Participants were selected through convenience sampling method from Tehran. Participants were asked to complete self-report inventories including the Mindful Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and Self-compassion Scale (SCS) which were used as measurement instruments. Data were analyzed by Independent t-test in SPSS-22 software. Results: The mean (SD) of dispositional mindfulness score in high BMI group was significantly lower than normal BMI group: 59.3 (11.3) versus 64.5 (9.5), P

Background & Aim: The premenstrual syndrome (PMS) is a set of physical and psychological symptoms that occurs periodically and affects women’s social and individual functionings. This study aimed to investigate the effect of stress management group counseling on the symptoms of premenstrual syndrome. Methods & Materials: This semi-experimental study (IRCT2016052127994N1) was conducted on 44 students with PMS (22 in the intervention group and 22 in the control group) from Zanjan University of Medical Sciences in 2016. Data were collected using a demographic characteristics form and premenstrual symptoms screening test (PSST). Descriptive and inferential statistics including independent t-test, Chi-square, ANCOVA and repeated measurement test were used for data analysis via the SPSS software version 21. Results: Before treatment, the mean scores of mood-behavioral symptoms, physical symptoms and the impact of symptoms on life had not any significant differences between the two groups. At the first month after treatment, mood-behavioral symptoms (P

For downloading the full-text of this article please click here. Background and Objective: There is strong evidence to suggest that psychological distress and emotion regulation problems have adverse effects on life. Given that, finding the underlying processes seems important. Besides, since religion is a determining factor in emotion regulation and mental health, this study aimed to investigate the role of religious attitude in emotion regulation difficulties and distress. (Depression, Anxiety, stress). Method: This descriptive-correlational study used multistage cluster sampling from all students at University of Tehran in academic year of 94-95. 211 students (120 female and 91 male) were selected. They were asked to complete Religious Attitude Scale-Short Form (RAS-R), difficulties in emotion regulation questionnaire (Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale or DERS-16) and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS-21). Then, the data were analyzed with using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. In this study, the ethical issues were all considered and the authors declared no conflict of interest. Results: The results show that religious attitudes negatively affect depression, anxiety and stress. Also, anxiety has negative relationships with inner spirituality, worship and religious morality. Besides, morality had predictive power for anxiety. Moreover, among the four dimensions of distress, only anxiety negatively correlated with religious attitude (morality, inner spirituality and worship) and morality had predictive power for anxiety. Furthermore, the results indicated that morality had predictive power for difficulties in emotion regulation (limited access in emotion regulation, impulse control) and the inner spirituality had predictive power for non-acceptance of emotion. Conclusion: It can be concluded that different aspects of religious attitude can both directly and indirectly play important roles in anxiety and difficulties in emotion regulation. Therefore, paying attention to religious attitude in pathology and treatment protocols of anxiety disorders is necessary. For downloading the full-text of this article please click here.

Introduction and Aims The aim of the present study was the evaluation of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy efficacy on self-compassion of patients with mixed anxiety-depression disorder. Materials and Methods Three participants with mixed anxiety-depression disorder were selected by available sampling. Participants evaluated 9 times by Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Neff self-compassion Scale (SCS). For data analysis, we employed procedure index, Cohen’ rate of variability, interpretation of ups and downs in the graphs. In the hand to determine the clinical significant percent recovery and effect sizes were recruited. Results: MBCT significantly increased self-compassion in patients who received MBCT and also controlled their anxiety, depressive signs and symptoms in their follow-up (60 days). Conclusion: MBCT can imply high efficacy in terms of self-compassion and it can decrease depression and anxiety of participants.

Background: The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional stimulus-based working memory training in improving the cognitive emotion regulation strategies in adolescents with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD). Methods: Based on the framework of single case and using multiple –baselines, 3 adolescents (2 females, 1 male) were candidated from one of the Labor Child Educational Centers of Karaj, using 2 instruments (SCID-I) and (IES-R). The participants, one by one, participated in 20 sessions of emotional working memory training. All participants were assessed during three stages (pre-training, during training, and 2-month follow-up), using Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire-Kids form (CERQ-k). Data were analyzed using the indexes for trend changes, gradients and revision of the charts, and the clinical significance was determined using Cohen's index, recovery percent and effect size. Results: The results showed that emotional stimulus-based working memory training is significantly effective in increasing adaptive strategies and reducing maladaptive strategies of cognitive emotion regulation in adolescent with PTSD. Conclusion: According to the results, emotional stimulus-based working memory training can be an effective alternative for improving the cognitive emotion regulation strategies in adolescents with PTSD.

Background: Addiction has negative consequences on addicted person and his/her family members. The goal of pThe relationship between personality traits and socioeconomic status with substance use has been shown in a variety of studies. However, it is little known about the mechanisms of this relationship and variables may effect this relationship. Therefore, the present study investigated in frame of a model the moderator role of conscientiousness in related to effect of socioeconomic status, neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, and agreeableness on Substance, Alcohol, and tobacco Use. Materials and methods: Current study is analytical- cross sectional and regarding to data gathering and analysis methods was conducted in correlational way. The number of 300 (124 mal and 176 female) students were selected through available sampling from Kharazmi university and were assessed employing NEO Personality Questionnaire and researcher made Questionnaires on socioeconomic status and substance use. Data were analyzed based on the path analysis and using 8.8 vesion of Lisrel software. Results: Result showed that conscientiousness had significant positive relationship with extraversion (r=0.46, P

Background and Objective: Substance abuse is a chronic recurring disorder who needs to manage therapy over time. The goal of current study was to assess the cognitive emotion regulation strategies and emotional schemas in men with substance abuse, abstinent and normal individuals.Materials and Methods: In the form of a causal-comparative design, using available sampling method 30 men with substance abuse, 30 abstinent and 30 normal individuals were selected and after matching on the base of age, education and the substance they used were assessed via cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire and emotional schemas questionnaire. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to compare the three groups.Results: In self-blame (P=0.0004) and catastrophizing (P=0.0008) maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies, the scores of individuals with substance abuse were higher than abstinent and normal individuals and in rumination (P=0.0007) individuals with substance abuse and abstinent obtained higher score in comparison with normal individuals. In refocusing on planning (P=0.0005) and positive reappraisal (P=0.00) adaptive strategies, normal individuals and abstinent in comparison with individuals with substance abuse obtained higher scores. In mental rumination (P=0.0008), blame (P=0.0008) and simplistic view of emotions (P=0.0009) individuals with substance abuse, abstinent had higher scores in comparison with normal individuals. In guilt (P=0.008) and uncontrolled (P=0.006) emotional schemas, individuals with substance abuse in comparison with normal individuals obtained higher scores.Conclusion: No effective emotional schemas and emotion regulation strategies can play a key role in substance abuse initiation, maintenance and relapse.

Background: Hypoactive sexual desire disorder is the most common sexual disorder among women, which interferes with their various functions. Activity of brain-behavioral and psychological distress systems are considered among factors affecting sexual function. Objectives: The present study aimed to compare women with hypoactive sexual desire and normal women in terms of brain-behavioral and psychological systems. Materials and Methods: In the present causal-comparative study, 37 women with hypoactive sexual desire and 37 normal women were purposively selected with maximum matching in terms of demographic variables from among eligible women attending health centers across Alborz Province in Iran. Data were collected using the following scales: behavioral inhibitory/activation scales (BIS/BAS) and depression, anxiety, stress (DASS) and were analyzed using multivariate analysis (MANOVA) in SPSS software version22. Results: The results obtained showed that mean score of women with hypoactive sexual desire was significantly lower compared with normal women in brain-behavioral activation system (drive, response to reward and pleasure seeking), but significantly higher in behavioral inhibitory system. Furthermore, women with hypoactive sexual desire obtained higher scores which indicate worse conditions than normal women in the components of psychological distress including anxiety, depression and stress. Conclusion: Women with hypoactive sexual desire have weaker behavioral inhibitory/activation systems and higher levels of anxiety, depression, and stress compared to normal women. Given these results, it is recommended that greater attention be paid to factors such as brain-behavioral and psychological distress systems in prevention and treatment programs for hypoactive sexual desire.

Background: Studies show that unwanted intrusive thoughts occur to most people that is acommon phenomenon in itself. Trying to control the intrusive thoughts and misinterpretations of thoughts that gives the pathological aspects to common thought. Objective: The aim of the current study was to predict OCD on the basis of metacognitive beliefs' and thought control strategies' variables. Method: A sample of 433 Oshnaviyeh citizens (176 women and 257 men) were conveniently selected and answered Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), Thought Control Questionnaire (TCQ) and Maudsley Obsessive Compulsive Inventory (MOCI). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and stepwise regression analysis. Result: Results indicated that metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies were positively correlated with obsessive- compulsive symptoms. Among the subscales, uncontrollability and danger, punishment, worry and cognitive confidence were the best predictors of obsessive symptoms. Conclusion: Result of this study emphasizing the role of metacognitive beliefs and thought control strategies in obsessive compulsive symptoms, can justify the change and modify maladaptive metacognitive beliefs and control strategies in order to control the disorder symptoms

The phenomenon of infertility, in addition to the medical field, have been discussed in behavioral and social sciences realm also. The aim of this study was to compare emotion regulation strategies and mindfulness among infertile women, fertile women with IVF and normal women. using casual-comparative design 120 women (40 infertile women, 40 women conceived by IVF and 40 normal fertile women) were selected and assessed by cognitive emotion regulation (CERQ) and five factors mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ). The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that infertile women and women conceived by IVF in comparison with normal fertile women have more maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (self-blame, other-blame, rumination, catastrophizing) and more adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies (acceptance, positive reappraisal and putting into erspective) and lower mindfulness (observation, description, lack of judgment & non-reactive). The results indicate disturbance in the proper management of emotions, processing and biased assessment of environmental stimuli and a lack of awareness of the present, including venture factors for developing mood and anxiety disorders in infertile women & infertile women undergoing treatment.

Background: Diabetes mellitus is a common metabolic disorder worldwide. It imposes excessive psychological stress on patients which negatively affect the course of the disease. The brain-behavioral systems have a role in dealing with stressful events such as chronic disorders. Objective: Comparison the brain-behavioral systems and psychological distress in diabetic patients and non-diabetics. Materials and Methods: This causal-comparative study was conducted on patients with diabetes type II and controls that were selected by simple sampling method from January to March 2015 in Tehran, Iran. A demographic questionnaire and also Behavioral Inhibition/Activation systems scale (BIS/BAS) and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DASS) were used to assess subjects. The data were analysed in SPSS 18 software using descriptive statistics and multi-variate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Results: A total of forty-three subjects (22 female and 21 male) were included in each group of diabetic and control subjects with mean age of 41.77±5.34 and 40.21±6.47 years respectively (p>0.01). The groups had a significant difference in terms of brain-behavioral systems activity [F(5, 80)= 22.33, p < 0.001] with significant differences in BAS and its subscales of drive and pleasure seeking, while no significant difference was observed between the two groups in BIS activity or BAS subscale of reply to reward. Also results demonstrated significant differences as the matter of psychological distress [F(3, 82)=26.26, p

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of group training of procedural emotion regulation strategies in cognitive coping of individuals suffering substance abuse. Method: A quasi-experimental design along with pretest-posttest and control group was used for this study. Then, 16 patients suffering substance abuse were selected through convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two control and experimental groups. The experimental group received 10 sessions of group training of procedural emotion regulation strategies while the control group received no treatment. Both groups before and after the treatment completed the Persian version of cognitive emotion regulation questionnaire (Hasani, 2011). Results: The results showed that group training of e procedural motion regulation strategies leads to a reduction in maladaptive strategies such as self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing, and other-blame and an increase in adaptive strategies such as refocus on planning, positive reappraisal, and perspective development. Conclusion: Training of procedural emotion regulation strategies via the reduction of maladaptive and increase of adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies can provide the opportunity for the improvement and non-return to substance abuse.

The research results of recent decades of health psychology show that psychological state affects biological mechanisms. The aim of present study was to assess the effects of positive and negative emotional experiences induction in adolescent’s cardiovascular reactions with regard to the moderating role of state/ trait anxiety dimensions. From a large population of adolescents based on the extreme scores of state- trait anxiety distribution and inclusion criteria four groups (high stat anxiety, low stat anxiety, high trait anxiety and low trait anxiety) were selected and their cardiac indices including systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and heart rate were obtained in baseline (relaxed) state and following positive and negative emotional experiences induction. Data was analyzed using mixed analysis of variance. The result showed that in baseline, the systolic blood pressure of individuals with high trait anxiety characteristics is higher than individuals with low trait anxiety characteristics and the diastolic blood pressure of individuals with high trait anxiety characteristics is higher than individuals with low stat anxiety characteristics. The induction of positive emotional experiences led to significant reduction in systolic blood pressure of individuals with low trait and stat anxiety characteristics in comparison with individuals with high trait anxiety characteristics. The induction of negative emotional experiences led to significant increase in systolic blood pressure of individuals with high trait anxiety characteristics in comparison with individuals with low trait and state anxiety characteristics and diastolic blood pressure of individuals with high state anxiety characteristics in comparison with individuals with low state anxiety characteristics. The findings support the model of psychosomatic disorders and the role of anxiety, mood states and emotional experiences in cardiovascular reactions.

The chronic pain is a common physical illnesses. Cognitive Behavior Therapy is considered to be a useful treatment for it. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavior therapy on mindfulness, resiliency and quality of life in patients with chronic pain in Tehran. Using convenience sampling, 2 patients with chronic pain were selected as the sample. All patients were assessed 5 times by Bauer and colleagues mindfulness questionnaire (FFMQ), Connor and Davidson resiliency scale and quality of life questionnaire (QOL). This study was a basic, multiline, and single subject research. The collected data were analysed using repeated measures analysis. The improvement percentage formula was used for judging improvement rate. The patients with chronic pain obtained high improvement percents in 30 days post-treatment and folow-up phases; they proved their effectiveness in all variables. Cognitive behavior Therapy led to a sinificant increase in the level of all three variables, in patients with chronic pain. Therfore clinicians should pay attention to it more than before

Objective: The aim of current research was to assess implicit and explicit memory bias to drug related stimuli in opiate Dependent, abstinent and normal Individuals. Method: Three groups including opiate Dependent, abstinent and normal Individuals (n=25) were selected by available sampling method. After matching on the base of age, education level and type of substance use all participants assessed by recognition task (explicit memory bias) and stem completion task (implicit memory bias). Results: The analysis of data showed that opiate dependent and abstinent groups in comparison with normal individual had implicit memory bias, whereas in explicit memory only opiate dependent individuals showed bias. Conclusion: The identification of explicit and implicit memory governing addiction may have practical implications in diagnosis, treatment and prevention of substance abuse.