DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY (JOURNAL OF IRANIAN PSYCHOLOGISTS)
Year:2018 | Volume:14 | Issue:55 |Papers Count:12

he study aimed to establish the psychometric properties of the Culture-Free Self-Esteem Inventory (CFSEI; Battle, 2002). The inventory was administered to 600 students (300 girls, 300 boys) aged between 6 and 8 years. The participants were selected from public preschools, and from the first and the second grade of public primary schools located in northern and southern parts of Tehran using stage sampling method. The results of criterion validity, differential validity, and construct validity of the CFSEI were analyzed. To examine the convergent validity of the CFSEI, the Piers-Harris Children’ s Self Concept Scale (PHCSCS; Piers, 1984) was used. The results indicated that CFSEI had a positive and significant association with the PHCSCS. To establish the divergent validity of the CFSEI, the Spence Children’ s Anxiety Scale (SCAS; Spence, 1998) was used. The results indicated that the CFSEI had a negative and significant association with the SCAS. Except for one question which didn’ t have an acceptable coefficient of determination which was removed from the CFSEI, the validity of the CFSEI was confirmed. To establish the reliability of the CFSEI, split half, test-retest and Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 were used. The results indicated that the CFSEI had good reliability. The findings suggest that the CFSEI is a reliable and valid tool to employ with Iranian children.

the aim of the present study was to examine the mediating role of procrastination in the relationship between perfectionism pathologies and depression/anxiety symptoms. Five hundred and twenty eight students of Tehran university (274 females, 254 males) completed the Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (Besharat, 2007), the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (Lavibond & Lavibond, 1995), and the Pure Procrastination Scale (PPS; Steel, 2010). The results indicated that the hypothesized model had a good fit with the observed data. The relationships among other-oriented perfectionism and socially prescribed perfectionism, procrastination, and depression/anxiety symptoms were significantly positive. The results of path analysis indicated that procrastination mediated the association between perfectionism pathologies and depression/anxiety symptoms. The findings suggest that perfectionism pathologies and procrastination were associated with the severity of depression and anxiety symptoms. Considering perfectionism pathologies and procrastination are important in prevention, diagnosis and treatment of depression and anxiety symptoms as well as in promoting mental health among general population.

the aim of the present study was to review the psychological well-being of Iranian women in dept. Based on a qualitative study, 16 women aged between 20 and 35 years participated in a deep clinical interview. Four interviews with experts and four sessions of focus groups were conducted. After open coding, axial coding, and selective coding, and meeting trustworthiness criteria, the raw data were categorized. The results indicated that the psychological well-being of Iranian women consisted of seven categories: comfort and security in relationships, growth, purposefulness, competence, control and mastery, caring oneself, and autonomy. These findings suggest that some categories are consistent with classical psychological well-being models and some are specific to Iranian women. The findings have been discussed with reference to Iranian cultural foundations.

he aim of this study was to explain academic engagement based on social cognition. In this regard, the mediating role of academic and social positive emotions were investigated. In this study a correlational research method was used. Five hundred and sixty six (278 males, 288 females) students were selected from Shiraz University by multistage random cluster sampling. The participants completed the Social Cognition Questionnaire (Nejati, Kamari, & Jafari, in press), the Academic Hope Scale (Khormaei, & Kamari, 2017), the Admiration Scale (Schindler, & et al, 2013), and the Academic Engagement Inventory (Salmela-Aro, & Upadyaya, 2012). To analyze the data, the structural equation modeling was used. The results indicated that social cognition had direct effects on academic hope (β = 0. 46), admiration (β = 0. 37), and academic engagement (β = 0. 49). The academic hope had a direct effect on academic engagement (β = 0. 24). The social cognition related to academic engagement (β = 0/11) indirectly through academic positive emotion (academic hope). In general, the results indicated that the academic positive emotion (academic hope) mediated the association between social cognition and academic engagement. These findings supported empirically the control-value theory of achievement emotions among Iranian students.

the aim of this study was to compare task-process method with working memory method in reducing spelling errors of homophone letters caused by poor visual memory. Thirty male students in third grade of elementary school were trained 10 sessions of task-process method and working memory method. The participants were selected from four elementary schools according to the teachers’ opinions, considering the previous dictations, and the administration of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale-IV. The participants randomly assigned into two experimental groups and control group. In order to assess the effect of training on visual memory, visual memory tests (Kim Karad & Bento, 1945) were used during training sessions. To study the changes, dictation test and memory tests were administered at the end of the fourth session. At the end, the final test and visual memory tests were administered. After twenty days, follow-up tests were administered. The results of repeated measures ANOVA indicated that the instructional methods of task-process and working memory improved visual memory and reduced spelling errors. The working memory method was more effective than the task-process method. The findings suggest that these two methods can be used in addition to other remedial methods.

the study aimed to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on social self-efficacy and depression among female adolescents protected by welfare organization of Qazvin province. The study was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest control group design. Twelve orphaned and neglected females were selected from a care center in Qazvin using available sampling method. The participants were randomly assigned into either experimental or control groups. The experimental group received 10 sessions of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy for two months. Each session lasted 70 to 90 minutes. Both groups were assessed by the Adolescents Social Self-Efficacy Scale (Connolly, 1989) and the Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (2002) in pre-test and post-test stages, and at the three months follow-up. The results of covariance analysis indicated that social self-efficacy increased significantly and depression reduced significantly in experimental group. These results remained unchanged at the three months follow-up. The findings suggested the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy in increasing social self-efficacy and reducing depression in orphaned and neglected females.

the aim of the present study was to examine psychometric properties of the Positive Youth Development Inventory (PYDI; Arnold, Nott, & Meinhold, 2012). Four hundred students were randomly selected from senior high schools of Tehran city using multistage sampling method. The participants completed the PYDI. The Cronbach's Alpha coefficient and test-retest reliability were between 0. 74 and 0. 83. The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the PYDI had an acceptable fit. All fit indices supported the model. The results indicated the construct validity and factorial structure of the PYDI as well. The composite reliability of second order latent factor had a coefficient of 0. 91 which indicated a good reliability for the second order factor and whole inventory. The findings suggest that the PYDI has acceptable psychometric properties in Iranian adolescents and can be employed as a valid and reliable instrument in this population.

this study aimed to examine the mediating role of the achievement emotions in the relationship between academic resiliency and cognitive appraisal, and academic self-handicapping among university students. Three hundred students (128 males, 172 females) were selected using convenience sampling. The participants completed the Academic Resilience Scale (ARS; Martin, & Marsh, 2006), the Stress Appraisal Measure-Revised (SAM-R; Rowley, Roesch, Jurica, & Vaughn, 2005), the Academic Achievement Questionnaire-Revised (AAQ-R; Pekrun, Goetz, & Perry, 2005). and the Academic Self-Handicapping Scale (ASS; Midgley, Arunkumar, & Urdan, 1996). The structural equation modeling was used to examine mediating role of achievement emotions in the relationship between academic resiliency and cognitive appraisal processes and academic self-handicapping. The results indicated that the partially mediated model of achievement emotions in the relationship between academic resiliency and cognitive appraisals and academic self-handicapping had good fit to the data. In the hypothesized model, all of the regression weights were statistically significant. Academic resiliency, cognitive appraisals, and positive and negative emotions accounted for 59 of the variance in academic self-handicapping.