Journal of Research in Behavioral Sciences
Year:2010 | Volume:8 | Issue:2 (16)|Papers Count:11

Aim and Background: The aim of current study was to investigate the factor structure, reliability, and validity of Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (PSI-SF) among Tehran city's mothers with 7-12 year-old children.Methods and Materials: After translation, back translation and adaptation of instrument, due to normalization this instrument by applied survey design, 468 mothers from those which selected by multiphase cluster sampling method, complete the PSI-SF questionnaire. The data were analyzed by structural equating model using LISREL software.Findings: The results of Cronbach's alpha showed that the reliability quotients for parenting stress and each of subscales of parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction and difficult child were 0.90, 0.80, 0.84, and 0.80 respectively for total sample (these results for mothers of boys were 0.89, 0.80, 0.83, and 0.78 and mothers of girls 0.91, 0.80, 0.84, and 0.80). Test-retest reliability after 18 days showed 0.75 for total score, 0.82 for parental distress, 0.73 for parent-child dysfunctional interaction, and 0.71 for difficult child. Depression anxiety stress scales (DASS) and the child behavior checklist (CBCL) tests were used for evaluating the divergent and convergent. By using factor analysis, we extracted 3 factors (parental distress, parent-child dysfunctional interaction and difficult child).Conclusions: Results of this study showed that PSI-SF has psychometric properties for utilizing in psychological research and clinical diagnosis of mother's parenting stress.

Aim and Background: Alexithymia or emotional inhibition is an important risk factor for psychosomatic disorders such as gastrointestinal disorders. The aim of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the dimensions of alexithymia with depression and anxiety in patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID).Methods and Materials: In a descriptive-correlation study, 129 patients were selected from patients with FGID referred to digestive clinic of the Noor hospital in Isfahan (during 5 months in 2008). They were investigated using Toronto Alexithymia scale, hospital anxiety and depression scale and gastrointestinal symptom rating scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, correlation coefficient and regression analysis.Findings: Only the dimension of “difficulty in identifying feelings” has a significant positive correlation with depression, anxiety and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms in FGID patients. This dimension is predictor variance of depression, anxiety and severity of gastrointestinal symptoms.Conclusions: The study emphasizes on the role of alexithymia especially the dimension of “difficulty in identifying feelings” to understand the psychopathology of FGID. So, it seems that assessment and considering it as an effective factor in the treatment of these patients is essential.

Aim and Background: The aim of present study was to compare attachment styles between young adults with visual or auditory defects and normal groups in Isfahan city.Methods and Materials: The present study assessed by ex-post facto method. The statistical society of the study is including of all young adults with visual, auditory defects and normal people.80 young adults with visual defects (40 girls and 40 boys), 90 with auditory defects (45 girls and 45 boys) and 80 normal ones (40 girls and 40 boys) were selected randomly. The research tools were questioners including; the Hazan and Shaver attachment styles questionnaires and research–made sociological questioner. Data analyzed using Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), Post–hoc LSD and chi–square tests.Findings: The results of this study show that there was a significant difference among attachment styles of young adults with visual, auditory defects comparing with normal population (P<0.001). Also the results show that there was a significant difference among the scores of anxiety/ avoidance insecure attachment, ambivalent/ anxiety insecure and secure in these 3 groups. In this study there was no significant differences between mean scores of young male and female’s avoidance/ anxiety, ambivalent/anxiety insecure and secure attachment styles (P= 0.165).Conclusions: Young adults with visual, auditory defects more commonly were at risk for insecure attachment in compare with normal group. It is also important to mention that the avoidance/ ambivalent insecure attachment style was more common in the groups with visual, auditory defects and the secure attachment style in normal group. The avoidance and ambivalent insecure attachment styles was more common in the group with auditory defects than those with visual defects.

Aim and Background: Education has devoted a great amount of the budget of every country to itself. It is necessary to provide an appropriate organizational climate and calm and stress less environment in educational section to improve the organizational effectiveness of personnel, which will finally lead to the their creativity. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between organizational climate and occupational stress and creativity of the administrative personnel of the educational office of west Azerbaijan province.Methods and Materials: This descriptive-analytical research was assessed by correlative method, during 2009-2010 academic years. The statistical population was all the administrative personnel of educational office in West Azerbaijan province which was about 1569 persons (1469 males, 80 females). The studied group included 479 (409 males, 69 females) which has been selected by multistage cluster sampling method, through different stages. The research tools were Halpin and Croft organizational climate description questionnaire (OCDQ), Rice's Job Stress test and Abedi’s Pencil–Paper Test of Creativity. The data for both descriptive and analytical level was analyzed using the two sample independent t-test and multivariate regression test.Findings: The results of multivariate regression showed that the effect of organizational climate in general on occupational stress and employee’s creativity was significant (P<0.01). It was significant in men (P<0.01) and women (P<0.05) too. The difference between organizational climate and gender was significant (P<0.01). But, it was not significant between creativity and stress, and gender (P>0.05).Conclusions: In the open environment some parameters such as intimacy, consideration influence, dynamism and morale can be the causes of creativity and decrease in their stress. In closed environments elements such as separation, lack of interest and commitment to their jobs, emphasis on productivity, interference and motivation reduce creativity in the personnel and increase their stress.

Aim and Background: Adoption is a subject with prolix antecedent in historical society and culture. Child acceptation affects on partner and family relation; so recognition of these families experience help nurses to have a deep knowledge about the individual and social relationship of these families.Methods and Materials: In this phenomenological qualitative study, 15 families with adopted child were selected by target based method, in Shahrekord, Iran. Data collected by in-depth semi-structured face-toface interviews. Data analysis was conducted using the phenomenological analytic method defined by Colaizzi.Findings: Totally, 160 codes were extracted. Nine main themes were obtained related to psychological experiences including; parent role acceptation, adoption tools, interaction with others, child specification, mental changes, family relation, life changes, child acceptation and relation with child.Conclusions: Based on our findings, mental changes were the most important experience mentioned by families. Adoption has some compensation for the adopted child and consolidates the family basis. Nurses should consider these findings in the psychological interventions for solving related problems.

The concept of theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to predict and explain feelings, thoughts, ideas and intentions of self and others. Patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) show a deficient development of theory of mind. Specifically, individuals with autism spectrum disorders fail to understand not only that others have minds, but also that other minds have different thoughts, and that behavior is determined by mental states.Individuals with ASD have marked difficulties to infer their own and other persons' mental states, what has been referred to as theory of mind. It has also been claimed that a person with autism spectrum disorders in part fail to respond appropriately to the emotional experiences of others These results show that although children with autism spectrum disorders can learn a simple discrimination between two identities, adaptive face-coding mechanisms are severely compromised, offering a new explanation for previously reported face-perception difficulties and possibly for some of the core social deficits in autism spectrum disorders.The author’s propose that the prefrontal cortex is involved in theory of mind; also, internal simulation mechanisms, such as the mirror neuron system, are necessary for normal development of recognition, imitation, theory of mind, empathy, and language. Additionally, the authors suggest that dysfunctional simulation mechanisms may underlie the social and communicative deficits seen in individuals with autism spectrum disorders.

Late life depression is both underdiagnosed and undertreated. The impact of medical conditions may mask depressive symptoms. Untreated depressive disorder in older people impair their quality of life and leads to decreased ability for self care and diminish in social interaction and increase in health care use. This article provides an update and current evidence in relation to old age depression and its diagnosis and treatment especially in co occurring depression and medical disorders.

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe psychiatric disorders and 25% of the patients need long term hospitalization. They have somatic illness that may be ignored and lead to death. Considering the lack of information regarding the causes of death in schizophrenic patients, the aim of this study was to determine the main causes of death in the long term hospitalized schizophrenic patients in Shahid Modares psychiatric hospital in Isfahan.In this descriptive study the causes of death were determined in 252 hospitalized schizophrenic cases by reviewing their hospital and medical reports after death. Patients with known organic disorders were excluded.X2 test was used for analyzing obtained data and relation between mortality and sex or age.The crude mortality rate was 3.27 % (4.16% in females and 1.9% in males (P>0.05). The most common causes of death were; sudden death (44%), aspiration (14.7%), infection disease (8.9%), falling (5.9%) and myocardial infarction (5.88%) respectively.The findings of current study were different from other studies in this field. By using proper care centers and planning for the education of Staff, we can reduce the rate of mortality in long term hospitalized patient.