DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2010 | Volume:7 | Issue:25|Papers Count:12

The psychometric properties of the Persian translated of Kindergarten Inventory of Social/ Emotional Tendencies (KIST; Miller, Michie & Miller, 1997) were studied, using cross-validation method. A sample of 1435 children (767 boys and 668 girls) aged 5-6 years old-were randomly selected from Tehran kindergartens and preschools and assigned into two groups (sample A=725, sample B=710). The mothers of sample group filled out the KIST (50 items rated from zero to 5). Results of exploratory factor analysis using oblique rotations showed that by combining KIST’s two original subscales of Hy- peractivity/Inattentiveness and Maladaptive Behaviors and omitting the Sleep behavior subscale, the Persian version of KIST consisted of six factors: 1) Hyperactivity-Maladaptive behaviors, 2) Social skills, 3) Communications skills, 4) Daily living skills, 5) Eating behavior, and 6) Separation anxiety smptoms. These factors accounted for 40.2% of the variance. The fit indices of CFA confirmed the cross validity of the inventory. Significant positive coefficients between the KIST total score and the tea- cher scores (r=0.35) confirmed the convergent validity. KIST's significant negative coefficients with the Children Behavior Checklist (-0.32) and Teacher Report Form (-0.33) of Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (Achenbach, 1991) confirmed the divergent validity. The theoretical bases of extracted factors are discussed.

The underlying components of executive functioning in 18 non-treated and 18 treated children (with medication) with ADHD were compared with 18 normal children. There were 3 girls and 15 boys in each group and their age ranged from 7 to 12 years old. All the children responded to the Stroop Color-Word Test (Stroop, 1935), Wisconsin Card Sorting (Grant & Berg, 1948), and Continuous Performance Tests (Rosovold, Mirsky, Sarason, Bronsome & Beck, 1956), and the Digit Span subscale (Wechsler, 1974). The results of MANOVA showed that compared to treated and normal sample, the non-treated sample performed significantly weaker in most of executive functions. No significant differences were found between the performance of treated and normal children in executive functions.

This research aimed to investigate differential diagnosis for social and stereotyped repetitive patterns of behavior among children with special needs. Using the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (Lord et al. , 1994), two groups of autistic (5 girls and 11 boys) and trainable mentally retarded (5 girls and 11 boys) aged 6-8 years old were selected from special schools. The results of MANOVA showed that the mean score of qualitative damage to social interaction, communication and stereo- typed repetitive patterns of behavior in autistic children is significantly higher than trainable mentally retarded children. Implica- tions on differential diagnosis of children with special needs are discussed.

The relationship between emotional intelligence and attachment styles was studied. Two-hundred and sixty two female (mean age 21) and 238 male (mean age 22) university students responded to the Bar-On Emotional Quotient Inventory (1997) and the Attachment Style Questionnaire (Hazan & Shaver, 1987). The results indicated that among both genders, emotional intelligence was positively correlated with secure attachment style and negatively with avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles. Multivariate regression analysis showed that ambivalent, avoidant and secure attachment styles could explain 25% and 17% of variability in emotional intelligence among female and male participants respectively.

The Terror Management (Greenberg, Pyszczynski, & Solomon, 1986) and Emotional-Processing Mind (Longs, 2004) theo- ories suggest that the threat of death is the most fundamental and important source of adaptive and maladaptive psychological structures like high and low self-esteem. The present research examined the effect of Mortality Salience (MS; Rosenblatt et al. , 1989) on self-esteem. A sample of 91 female and 128 male students of TehranUniversity were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. The experimental group answered the two questions about MS topic and the control group answered the two questions about Non Mortality Salience topic (Pyszczynski et al. , 1999). Then both groups filled out Rosenberg's Self-Esteem scale (Rosenberg, 1965). Findings revealed that the self-esteem of experimental group was significantly higher than control group (P=0.03). Results are discussed based on the role of death in the psychological structure of the individual.

I Intrusive thoughts are characteristic of emotional and anxiety disorders. This study aimed to compare strategies that pati- ents and nonpatients use to control the intrusive thoughts. Two groups of patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD, 11 males and 14 females, mean age 29) and Mixed Anxiety-Depression Disorder (MADD; 10 males and 15 females, mean age 27), and a group of non patients (12 males and 13 females, mean age 28) were selected. Participants answered the Thought Control Questionnaire (Wells & Davies, 1994) and Beck Anxiety and Depression Inventories (Beck, Epstein, Brown, & Steer, 1988; Beck, Rush, Shaw, & Emery, 1979). The findings showed that OCD and MADD patients mostly used punishment and worry strategies. The non patient group used more distraction and social control strategies. No significant differences between groups were found in terms of utilizing the reappraisal strategy.

This research explored the role of perfectionism and parenting styles in explaining students’ social phobia. A sample of 396 students (215 females and 181 males) from GuilanUniversity responded to Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Question- naire (1973), Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Frost, Marten, Lahart, & Rosenblate, 1990), and the Social Phobia Inventory (Connor, Davidson, Churchill et al. , 2000). The findings based on Pearson correlation showed that social phobia was positively correlated with authoritarian parenting styleand with two dimensions of perfectionism including “concern over mistakes” and “doubt about actions". Social phobia was negatively correlated with authoritative parenting style and parental expectations (a dimension of perfectionism). Implications are discussed in terms of interactions of parenting educational con- sequences and parents' personality characteristics on children's mental health.

Based on Keyes' Pattern (2002), mental health is divided into three categories: flourishing, languishing and relatively me- ntally healthy. This study aimed to explore the pattern in Iranian population. A sample of 424 (226 female, 198 male) students completed The Emotional Well-Being Scale (Keyes, 2002), Psychological Well-Being Scale (Ryff & Keyes, 1995), and Social Well-Being Scale (Keyes, 1998). Findings revealed that about 16% of students were flourishing, 20% were languish- ing, and 64% were relatively mentally healthy. No gender difference was found in the pattern of mental health.