DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2013 | Volume:9 | Issue:34|Papers Count:16

The aim of the study was to identify culture-specifics of Iranian values and to explain the origins of Iranian specific value model in terms of causal impacts of socio-political conditions. In three separate studies, three age groups (15-17, n=1532; 18-28, n=600; 24-62, n=821) were assessed using the Schwartz Value Survey (SVS; Schwartz, 1992) and the 40-item version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ-40; Schwartz et al. 2001). Through separate Smallest Space Analyses (SSA) regarding value structure relations for all samples and comparing them with the original model (human basic values; Schwartz, 1992, 1994) cross-cultural differences were recognized. As it was expected there were some deviancies from theoretical model which represent the impact of Islamic-revolutionary ideology within socio-political arena: (1) the dynamics relations of higher order dimensions of self-transcendence and self-enhancement were in conflict with all three samples, (2) similar to Eastern Europe samples, a location of socio-political values were formed in self-transcendence dimension, (3) moderate value was removed from tradition and religion values, and (4) in examining the differential impacts of socio-political atmosphere on younger generations in relation to adults, it was found that adolescents did not come to a coherent and continuous understandings of self-transcendence values in two levels of close relations (benevolence) and extended relations (universalism).

The present study examined a theoretical model of indirect relationship between maternal bonding and symptoms of vulnerability related to eating through two mediational variables: eating disorder beliefs and alexithymia. Five hundred and twenty five students (215 females, 210 males) were selected through the cluster random sampling. The sample completed the Eating Disorder Inventory (Garner & et al., 1987), the Alexithymia Scale (Bagby & et al., 1994), the Eating Disorder Belief Questionnaire (Cooper & et al., 1997) and the Parental Bonding Instrument (Parker & et al., 1979). The results of structural equation modeling indicated that the maternal bonding had a significant indirect relation to symptoms of vulnerability to eating through alexithymia. However, relation of maternal bonding to symptoms of vulnerability to eating through eating disorder beliefs wasn’t significant. The findings suggested that strengthening maternal bonding can play an important role in preventing eating disorders in adolescents.

This study aimed to examine the moderating effects of cultural and gender groups in the relationship between perceived social support and academic stress among Iranian and Swedish university students. The sample consisted of 212 students (112 Iranian: 34 males, 78 females; 100 Swedish: 29 males, 71 females). The participants completed the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley, 1988) and the Academic Stress Questionnaire (ASQ; Zajacova, Lynch, & Espenshade, 2005). The results of hierarchical regression analyses indicated that (1) there was a negative and significant relationship between perceived social support and academic stress among Iranian students, but insignificant among Swedish students, and (2) there were nonsignificant negative correlations between social support and academic stress for both genders among Iranian and Swedish students. In sum, these findings emphasized that the functional properties of social support in predicting academic stress were dissimilar in the two cultural contexts but were similar in both gender groups.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between perfectionism and burnout among physically-motionally disabled elite athletes. The sample consisted of 118 athletes (mean age 24.83±5.74 yrs, athletic experiences 12.43±6.53 yrs, and competitive experiences 8.39±4.40 yrs) who attended in Guangzhou Asian Games in 2010. The participants voluntarily completed the Positive and Negative Perfectionism Scale (Haase & Prapavessis, 2004) and the Athlete Burnout Questionnaire (Raedeke & Smith, 2001). The results of Pearson correlation coefficients indicated that (1) positive perfectionism had significant and negative relationships with the reduced sense of accomplishment, emotional/physical exhaustion, devaluation, and total level of burnout, and (2) negative perfectionism had significant relationship with only the reduced sense of accomplishment. The results of regression analysis indicated that positive perfectionism was the only determinant of total level of burnout. The findings indicate that the positive perfectionism tendencies are effective in preventing ruining effects of burnout in physically disabled elite athletes.

The aim of this study was to test the factor structure and internal consistency of the 12-item identity subscale of Erikson Psychosocial Stage Inventory (EPSI; Rosenthal, Gurney, & Moor, 1981). The sample consisted of 594 students (297 females, 297 males, age group 12-13). Exploratory factor analysis identified two factors accounting for 39.93% of the variance: Identity coherence (24.66%) and identity confusion (15.27%). Internal consistency of the identity coherence and identity confusion factors were 0.694 and 0.632, respectively. Confirmatory factor analysis results indicated that the two factor model fit the data better than one factor model.

The purpose of this research was to compare substance abuser and non-substance abuser students in relation to personality traits. Participants were students at Imam Khomeini International University in Ghazvin. Three hundreds and seventy students (172 males, 198 females) were selected using stratified random sampling. The participants completed the Rapid Substance Abuse Assessment Questionnaire (Taremian, 2008) and the short form of the NEO Five Factor Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992). Using the Rapid Substance Abuse Assessment, the participants were divided into four groups: Non-substance abuser (group 1: n=205), substance abuser (group 2: n=77), former substance abuser (group 3: n=31), and dependents to substance (group 4: n=33). The results of one-way analysis of variance indicated that there were significant differences in conscientiousness, agreeableness and neuroticism between groups. Non-abuser students were more agreeable and conscientious than substance abusers and substance dependents. Non-abuser students had lower scores in neuroticism in comparison with substance dependents. Also, there was no significant difference between the former substance abusers and the other three groups in all of the five factors. Overall, the findings suggest that the personality traits are one of the determinants of students’ tendencies to substance abuse and dependence.

This study was performed to examine the efficacy of structured group reminiscence on the enhancement of life quality and happiness of the elderly in Hamedan. The study design was pretest-posttest with control group. The statistical method was variance analysis with double repeated measure analysis. Twenty four elderlies (10 females, 14 men) with age ranges of 60-82 years old (M= 70.79, SD=7.83) were assigned equally to control and experimental groups. The experimental group received 12 weekly sessions of structured reminiscence. To record the trend of changes in scores, the participants were asked to complete the short form of Life Quality (SF-36; Ware & Sherbourne, 1992) and Depression-Happiness (McGreal & Joseph, 1993) questionnaires in the pretest phase, the third session, the sixth session, the ninth session, the twelfth session and one month after the intervention. The results indicated that structured group reminiscence did not have any significant effect on life quality score of the elderly. Yet, the score of happiness increased significantly and these achievements were remained in one-month follow up. Based on the findings, the necessity of using structural group reminiscence for enhancing positive emotions in the elderly was emphasized.

The aim of the present study was to examine the relationship between academic self-efficacy, academic self-handicapping, and gender. Three hundred and eighty seven students of Tehran public high school in fourth grade (199 females, 188 males) completed the Academic Self-Handicapping Scale (ASHS; Midgley et al., 1996) and the Academic Self-Efficacy Scale (ASES; McIlroy & Bunting, 2002). The sample was selected by the cluster random sampling. The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient, Fisher’s Z test and multivariate analysis of variance. The results indicated that academic self-efficacy was negatively related with academic self-handicapping and gender couldn’t play a moderating role in the relationship between these two variables. The results also indicated that female students reported significantly more academic self-efficacy than males and male students reported significantly more academic self-handicapping than females. The results were discussed within the social cognitive theory and social-specifics affecting the fourth grade high school students in Iran.