DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2008 | Volume:4 | Issue:14|Papers Count:8

This study investigated the effectiveness of dramatherapy in reducing the symptoms of social anxiety disorder - including performance anxiety, performance avoidance, social anxiety, and social avoidance. 220 children (10-11 years old), enrolled in two elementary schools in Tehran, completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (LSAS-CA; Masia-Warner, Klein, & Liebowitz, 2003). 32 children receiving the highest scores on the LSAS-CA were selected and randomly assigned to an experimental (N=16) and a control group (N=16). For six weeks, the experimental group received two 2-hour sessions of drama-therapy. The control group received none. The results showed a significant reduction of the symptoms among children in the experimental group as compared to the control group. A three-month follow up replicated the findings. Clinical implications for the prevention and treatment of social anxiety disorders among children are discussed.

The entrepreneurship of 456 directors of Islamic Azad University were measured using a researcher devised questionnaire (reliability =0.88). The results showed that the need for progress, perseverance, purposefulness, competitiveness, confidence, internal locus of control, and scores on total entrepreneurship were correlated positive with gender, education, job experience and field of study (Human sciences, basic sciences and technical engineering science). Job experience, education, and field of study coefficients were statistically significant and accounted for 4% of the variance of the need for progress. The coefficients of gender and education variables explained 6% and 5% of the variance of perseverance and purposefulness. The field of study and education were significantly related to competitiveness, self-confidence, and internal locus of control, accounting each for 6% the variance in entrepreneurship.

This study aimed to standardize the Relationship Beliefs Questionnaire (RBQ; Romance & DeBord, 1995) and to investigate irrational beliefs about marital relation- ships in an Iranian population. Data provided by 535 married Iranian participants (244 males and 291 females), completing the RBQ, resulted in omitting 13 items due to low item total correlation and factor loadings. Cronbach's alpha for the remaining 58 items scale and test-retest reliability were 0.95 and 0.93 respectively. The result of explanatory factor analysis using oblique rotation method showed that the scale included seven factors, including expectations to: a) be perfect in a marital relationship, b) be interdependent, c) have monogamous relations, d) be devoted, e) be rational and open to each other, f) read each other's mind, and g) be aware of each others past thoughts, feelings and needs. The extracted factors confirmed by confirmatory factor analysis. A positive correlation (r =0.32, P < 0.01) between RBQ and the Irrational Beliefs Test (Jones, 1968) supported the convergent validity. No university educated participants showed more irrational beliefs than did more educated participants. There were no gender or age differences in irrational beliefs about marital relationships. The length of marriage and number of children also were not correlated to such irrational beliefs. The standardized scores of RBQ measures are presented.

This study explored the descriptive indices of the Rorschach and Exner's Comprehensive System (ECS; Exner, 2003) in diagnosing generalized anxiety disorder among Iranian population. Clinical interviews based on DSM-IV were used to screen 30 patients with generalized anxiety disorder and 30 non-anxious subjects. The Rorschach test was administered and scored using ECS. Profile analyses and MANOV A provided access to an index, based on Rorschach variables, which distinguished the patients with GAD, named Anxiety Index (ANXI).

In order to examine the coping strategies among Iranian high-school students, 365 male and 434 female students completed the Adolescent Coping Scale (Frydenberg & Lewis, 1993). Females reported higher levels of worrying, trying and anticipating, and seeking spiritual support; males reported higher levels of denial and physical recreation. Students in the field of human science reported higher levels of physical recreation than did students in the fields of math and experimental science. The interactions effects determined that males in the field of experimental science and females in the math and hu-man science reported higher levels of trying and anticipation than did the others students. Males in the field of math and females in the field of human science obtained higher levels of apathetic withdrawal. Implications of gender and field of study on coping strategies were discussed.

The personality disorders among 60 non-political prisoners of Zanjan's prison and a control group of 60 non-prisoners without a history of mental illness were assessed, using the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory- II (MCMI-II; Millon, 1987). The development of ego among participants also was measured using a questionnaire that included four factors from Cattell's 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (Cattell, 1965). Results posited that the prisoners scored higher than the non-prisoner in all the subscales of personality disorders except for the obsessive personality subsca1e. Analysis of measurements of ego development showed that two groups were significantly different in ego strength and emotional sensitivity that prisoner group showed significantly lower level of ego development. Among the prisoners, there were negative correlations between ego strength and avoidant, antisocial, masochistic, and schizotypal personality disorders and positive correlations between emotional sensitivity and borderline personality disorder. The highest scores of prisoner group included the borderline personality disorder and schizoid. A more detailed discussion of the findings is presented.

The present research aimed to determine the prevalence of computer games as a pastime amongst adolescents in the province of Zanjan, Iran. 1,500 students from 18 high-schools (750 girls, 750 boys) completed the researcher devised questionnaire consisting of a demographic questions and questions asking if participants played computer games and the amount of time spent playing. Findings showed that 53% of the participants were computer game players, and 43% spent more than three hours per week playing games. Boys played games more (68%) than did girls (39%). Playing computer games was most prevalent among freshmen (63%), followed by sophomores (54%), juniors (57%) and seniors (50%). Students in urban areas played more (62%) than those living in rural areas (35%). Research findings were compared to those of similar studies in other countries