Contemporary Psychology
Year:2016 | Volume:11 | Issue:1 (21)|Papers Count:11

Infertility is a burdensome experience for women which requires high levels of emotional adjustment. The aim of the present study was to investigate the mediating role of cognitive emotional regulation strategies on the relationship between attachment styles and ego strength with adjustment to infertility in women. A total of 275 women with primary infertility who were referred to Valie-Asr Reproductive Health Research Centre (Tehran Imam Khomeini Hospital) participated in this study. Data was collected via Demographic Information Questionnaire, Adult Attachment Inventory (AAI), Ego-Strength Scale (ESS), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), and Adjustment to Illness Scale (AIS). Secure attachment style, ego strength and adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies revealed significant positive associations with adjustment to infertility. Avoidant and ambivalent attachment styles as well as nonadaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies showed significant negative correlations with adjustment to infertility in women. Results of path analysis revealed that cognitive emotional regulation strategies mediated the relationship between ego strength and adjustment to infertility. Based on the results of the present study, it can be concluded that adjustment to infertility might be predicted by psychological factors. The results of the present study can be helpful in identifying high risk patients and planning psychological interventions.

Depression and anxiety are highly prevalent and comorbid disorders. High rates of comorbid depression and anxiety often complicate psychological intervention. The transdiagnostic treatment model based on emotion regulation skills is applicable to a broad range of emotional disorders. This study aimed to examine the efficacy of a group transdiagnostic treatment on depressive and anxiety symptoms and emotion regulation.34 students with comorbid depression and anxiety, subsequent to primary clinical assessment and obtaining study requirements were selected and randomly assigned to either transdiagnostic treatment (n=16) or a waiting list control group (n=18). The experimental group received eight weekly transdiagnostic sessions. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ) were used as outcome measures. The questionnaires were administered immediately before and after the intervention and two months following the termination of the intervention. Results show that transdiagnostic treatment is effective on reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, as well as increasing the lilelihood of adopting emotion regulation strategies in participants. Treatment gains are maintained to some extent over the two month follow-up. Given the efficacy of transdiagnostic treatment on the apparent reduction of symptoms of depression and anxiety and modifying emotion regulation in students, these results have practical implications for clinicians and counselors engaged in university counseling centers.

Organizational citizenship behaviors in the workplace are among the most important positive behaviors. This has attracted the attention of researches during the past decades. Based on the latest evidence, these behaviors may lose their voluntary and optional nature because they are considered as positive and useful and therefore there may be too much emphasis placed upon them. In this study it was assumed that job satisfaction is a mediator in the relationship between compulsory citizenship behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors. In accordance with the purpose of study, 212 employees of a public sector organization were selected using simple random sampling and they were asked to respond to Compulsory Citizenship Behaviors (CCBQ), Organizational Citizenship Behaviors (OCBQ) and Job Satisfaction (JSQ) Questionnaires. Results indicated that there was a negative and significant relationship between compulsory citizenship behaviors and job satisfaction, but there was no significant relationship between compulsory citizenship behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors. Results of structural equation modeling (SEM) revealed that, job satisfaction could indeed be considered to be a mediator variable in the relationship between compulsory citizenship behaviors and organizational citizenship behaviors (with regards to individual, organizational and total scores). Results of this study suggests that compulsory citizenship behaviors are able to reduce organizational citizenship behavior. It is suggested that this occurs because compulsory citizenship behaviors may actually reduce job satisfaction.

Spiritual identity defined as self-identification based on spirituality and spiritual experiences, has gained increasing attention during recent years. Considering the phenomenological nature of spirituality and difficulties in its measurement, the scientific study of spiritual identity as a unified construct began a few decades ago. Considering the fact that very little quantitative research is available in this area, the aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of spiritual identity in the relationship between parent and peer attachment and resilience. Participants were 280 (174 girls, 106 boys) students of Shiraz University. Data collection tools consisted of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Conner-Davidson’s Resilience Scale (CD-RIS) and the Spiritual Identity Questionnaire (SIQ). Results showed that parent and peer attachment predicted resiliency both directly and indirectly through components of spiritual identity. Parent attachment predicted resilience through metaphysical beliefs and peer attachment predicted resilience through moral beliefs. Conclusively, results of this study showed that emotional relations with significant people in life had an important effect on resilience through spiritual identity. Results can help counselors and health experts to help young people cope better with their problems through the identification and addressing the role of spiritual identity and its components.

Career is defined as a set of jobs that a person takes during his life. Employee satisfaction of his career has some positive outcomes such as higher performance and commitment. It seems that leadership empowerment behavior like subordinates’ participation in decision making and autonomy assignment and also job enrichment can result in career satisfaction. Given the importance of career satisfaction consequences for organizations, the current research was conducted with the aim to investigate the relationship between of leadership empowerment behavior and job enrichment and career satisfaction. Intrinsic motivation was considered as a mediating variable in this relationship. The research sample included 438 personnel of Iran Polyacryl companies who completed the following research instruments: The Career Satisfaction Questionnaire (CSQ), the Job Enrichment Questionnaire (JEQ), the Leadership Empowerment Behavior Questionnaire (LEQ) and the Intrinsic Motivation Questionnaire (IMQ). Results indicated that intrinsic motivation plays a partial mediation role in the relationship between leadership empowerment behavior (participation in decision making and job autonomy) and job enrichment with career satisfaction. According to the findings, organizations should enrich employee jobs. Also, leaders and supervisors should increase employee participation in decisions and give them autonomy. This behavior may increase employees` intrinsic motivation by empowering them and finally result in an increase in career satisfaction.

Considering the complexity of its cognitive, emotional and behavioral components, procrastination takes many forms, of which the most common form is academic procrastination. The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of procrastination management training on the enhancement of self-efficacy and learning strategies, and the reduction of procrastination and avoidance of failure in female students. The population in this study included all female students who were studying during the 2013-14 academic year. The sample consisted of 30 female students, who were selected via random sampling. The instruments of this study included the Academic Procrastination Orientation Questionnaire (APOQ), Motivational Cognitive Inventory (MCI) and Motivation and Engagement Scale (MES). Results showed that procrastination management training caused significant improvement in students’ expectancy for success, task-value, organization, rehearsal, metacognitive self-regulation and self-efficacy. Also, the results indicated that procrastination management training caused significant decrease in students’ procrastination and failure-avoidance. Most of the difference between the experimental and the control group were in students’ procrastination, self-efficacy, and metacognition. The finding of the present study confirm that procrastination management training enhances cognitive and motivational strategies and thus it is recommended that educators and therapists use this intervention for improving learning strategies and decrease procrastination.

For some time researchers have focused on processes involved in mind-reading investigation the limitations in what is called automatic mind reading. As a part of mind-reading, visual perspective taking formed the base in the present study. The study was performed to determining the impact of quality and quantity of others’ perspective on visual perspective taking. For this purpose, 42 participants were selected, and then assigned to two groups randomly. The participants were examined by Visual Perspective Taking Instrument (VPTI). Results showed that the main effects of judgment type, quality perspective and their interactions were significant. This means that participants’ perspectives were judged faster that others’ perspectives and that equal positioning was perceived faster than incomplete and identical positioning. In computing perspective area, results showed that others’ perspectives were being computed automatically, albeit in an irrelevant manner. This automaticity is not limited by perspective quantity. An unexpected result was that judgment about others’ perspective in equal positioning was faster than indifferent positioning. These results to some extent challenge the simulation theory.

One of the most important foundations for growth and development in individual and social life is learning. Today, mathematics disorder is considered as great obstacles to academic achievement and learning of individuals. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on "sympathetic mind" on modifying maladaptive schemas and reducing negative emotions in students with mathematics disorder. This research was an experimental study including pre-test and post-test with a control group. The statistical population of the study included 40 female middle school students in Delfan city, who were identified as having mathematical learning disabilities. After students were identified by the Key Math Scale (KMS) and a structured clinical interview they were randomly assigned to an experimental and a control group. The Short Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire (YSQ-SF) and the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule (PANAS) were used. For both groups the pre-test and post-test was performed. The intervention group received compassionate-mind training for 12 sessions of 90 minutes while the control group received no intervention. Results showed that intervention significantly reduced maladaptive schemas and negative emotions of female students with mathematics disorder. This finding has important implications as regards the education and mental health of students. It is suggested that this treatment program be used in schools and clinics as a complimentary method to other treatments in order to reduce negative emotions and prevent the formation of maladaptive schemas in high school students.