INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Year:2010 | Volume:4 | Issue:1|Papers Count:16

Introduction: The present study was carried out aiming at finding the validity and reliability of Endler & Parker coping inventory.Method: The research sample consisted of 410 students of different high schools of Tabriz, studying in firstgrade, that were selected by multistage cluster sampling. They were evaluated by administering CISS, and Billings and Moos coping Inventories. To obtain the structural validity, the confirmatory factor analysis and Principal component analysis (PCA) were used. Also, Test-retest, half splitting, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient were used to investigate reliability.Results: The obtained components explained the 58% of total variance.Conclusion: The number of extracted final factors gives the main agreed factors of Endler & Parker which corresponds with the factor analysis results of present study and reveals that this scale has appropriate validity. Also, there are correlation and correspondence between scale factors. Instrument and its subscales have acceptable validity and reliability.

Introduction: This study aimed at investigating the effect of relationship enhancement on improving the marital quality of couples.Method: The design of this study is quasi-experimental with pretest, posttest with control group. 36 couples were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (20 couples) and control group (16 couples). The independent variable was relationship enhancement which was administrated in 8 sessions on the experimental group while there was no treatment for the control group. The research instrument was Revised Dyadic Adjustment Scale (RDAS). The data was analyzed using covariance analysis.Results: Relationship enhancement led to improvement of marital quality of couples (p<0.05) and its aspects including marital consensus (p<0. 01), marital satisfaction (p<0.01), and marital cohesion (0.01). According to the results of following up after a month, there was significant difference between experimental and control group regarding the amount of marital quality and its aspects (0.01) and the efficacy of relationship enhancement has remained after a month. Conclusion: Relationship enhancement skills effectively lead to improvement of marital quality.

Introduction: This study was conducted in order to compare the copying strategies and personality styles in depressed and non-depressed dormitory students. Method: 215 female students living in Iran University Medical Science’s dormitory were selected by random cluster sampling method. Billings and Moos copying strategies questioner, NEOPI-R personality styles, and Beck depression interview were administrated. Data were analyzed using linear regression and variance analysis.Results: Depressed students used more problem solving, cognitive assessment and somatization (physical control) comparing to non-depressed students. On the other hand, there was significant difference between two groups of depressed and non-depressed students. Conclusion: There is relationship between copying strategies and personality traits of neurosis, extroversion and openness to experiments, and depression.

Introduction: The present study was conducted aiming at investigating the efficacy of cognitive-behavioral therapy accompanying with instruction of problem solving skill, in reducing the test anxiety symptoms in female high school students.Method: This study is experimental with pretest-posttest design. The studied population was all the high school female students of first to third grade in Feraydoon Kenar, Mazandaran. Thirty students who have taken TAI diagnostic test (Test Anxiety Inventory) and shown the test anxiety symptoms were chosen randomly based on cluster sampling method and were randomly divided into two equal (15 participants) groups: experimental and control groups . The experimental group was receiving cognitive-behavioral therapy with problem solving skill instruction for 10 sessions while the control group did not receive any intervention. The obtained data were analyzed by covariance method (ANCOVA). Results: Test anxiety symptoms in subjects of experimental group significantly reduced comparing with control group (p<0.001). Conclusion: The methods of cognitive-behavioral therapy with problem solving skill instruction are effective and useful strategies in reducing test anxiety and improving the high school students’ educational efficiency.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), coping ways and chronic stress psychophysiological symptoms.Method: 452 disabled veterans with severity of disability from 25 to 70% (according to martyr foundation and Isargaran affairs organization standards that have been recorded in disabled veterans' files) were selected by systematic categorical randomized sampling method (based on severity of disability) from the society of Qom city veterans. The studies instruments were Scheier & Carver brief cope questionnaire, post traumatic symptoms scale (PTSS-10) and chronic stress symptoms checklist (CSSC).Results: PTSD, dysfunctional and emotion oriented coping ways and residence in area 1 of Qom city related to and could predict the chronic stress symptoms. Conclusion: Coping-therapy and simultaneous medication can help disabled veterans to have psychological and physical health.

Introduction: This study was designed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral intervention on coping responses and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in women.Method: This study is a quasi-experimental with pretest posttest and follow up design. 58 employees of AL-Zahra university were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental and waiting list groups (n=29). 12 threehours sessions of cognitive behavioral treatment were implemented for two groups in different times. Coping Responses Inventory, and Cognitive Emotion Regulation questionnaire were used for collecting data. Data were analyzed using independent T-test, covariance analysis, repeated measure.Results: cognitive behavioral intervention showed a significant difference in the scales of coping responses and cognitive emotion regulation strategies in two groups. Also, the changes in three-month follow up was persistent.Conclusion: Cognitive behavioral intervention can positively increase the use of problem oriented coping responses, cognitive strategies focusing on planning, revising and reappraisal in regulating emotions and also can decrease the emotion oriented coping responses, self blame, rumination and catastrophizing cognitive strategies.

Introduction: The present study was performed to analyze the general health and emotional intelligence of female and male head masters of Tehran city guidance schools and its relation with teacher's job satisfaction of those schools.Method: 61 male and 52 female head masters of 19 regions of Tehran city’s guidance schools and 339 teachers of the same schools were randomly selected and completed emotional intelligence and general health questionnaire as well as job satisfaction questionnaire, respectively. Pearson correlation coefficient, independent t-test, regression analysis and two-factor variance analysis were used to analyze data. Results: There was a significant relationship between emotional intelligence, general health and head masters' age. Female head masters had more emotional intelligence than males. At schools in which head masters had more emotional intelligence, teachers had more job satisfaction. Head masters’ emotional intelligence and gender had interaction effect on general health. Conclusion: There is a positive relationship between general health and emotional intelligence and head masters that had high emotional intelligence, have both general health and successful interaction with teachers.

Introduction: Present study was conducted in order to evaluate the relationship between NEO-PI-R personality test with the questionnaire SCL-90-R, aiming at evaluation of this test efficiency in investigating the indices related to mental health that are considered as the primary symptoms of common psychiatric disorders. Method: 500 students of Tabriz & Shiraz Universities were selected through simple random sampling procedure in 2008-9. NEO-PI-R & SCL-90-R tests were carried out on participants. For analysis of data the regression analysis, Pearson Correlation Coefficient and independent T-test were used.Results: The neuroticism (N) factor with the highest power, predicted all indices related to SCL-90-R. Totally, the main personality factor had the highest and the best predictions for somatization, obsession & phobia indices, respectively.Conclusion: The scales and main factors of NEO questionnaire can be used as indices for evaluation of mental health, and even for investigating the explicit symptoms of axis I psychiatric disorders.

Introduction: Immediate clinical diagnosis of cognitive disorders in older adults can cause timely intervention. The goal of this study was to investigate the executivecognitive functions of Iranian older adults using clinical measures.Method: This cross sectional study with categorical random sampling was conducted on 150 elderly people in Qom Province in 2007 (Iran- Qom). Research instrument included mini-mental state examination (MMSE) and clinical tests of evaluation of cognitive executive functions of frontal lobe (Trail Making Test, Verbal Fluency Test and Digit Span Test). ANOVA and Independent T-Test were used for statistical analysis.Results: Mini-mental state examination (MMSE) affected by age, gender and education (P<0.01). The efficiency of other used tests had no difference in both genders (P>0.05). Semantic verbal fluency and working memory had higher performance in lower age and higher education (P<0.01). Psychomotor speed (Trail Making Test; first part), showed significant correlation with education (P<0.01), but cognitive flexibility (Trail Making Test; first part) did not show any significant difference (P>0.05).Conclusion: Working memory performance is reduced with increasing the age and in all cognitive evaluations concerning cognitive functions the role of education should be taken into account. Education is a protector factor against cognitive deterioration resulted from senescence.

Introduction: There was always a kind of attitude interaction between family, community and sub-systems related to it during history. Attitude of different generations to the categories related to the family is considered as an important criterion for evaluating changes and differences between generations. Accordingly, the present study aimed to compare the value system of two generations.Method: This is a descriptive after event study. The sample was 200 persons consisted of 50 fathers, 50 mothers, 50 daughters and 50 sons. The instrument wass “value system questionnaire” and all data were analyzed by using descriptive statistics and T-test. Results: The results showed significant difference between child and parents in the personal values (p>0.05). The collected results from intensity of orientation of parents and child showed significant difference between parents and child in family, socioeconomic, political, art and religion values (p>0.05). Conclusion: Lack of significant difference in terms of most categories of value systems between parents and children showed a concurrence between the two generations’ value systems. Also, being more the intensity value orientation of parents than children shows that the parents have more ciliated value system and are more committed to the values.

Introduction: This study was to determine the relation between attachment styles and weight concerns of adolescence girls.Method: This descriptive-correlation study performed on 322 freshman, sophomore and junior high school students of Shiraz that were selected randomly. After clarifying the validity and reliability of the study tools, the main study was done by adult attachment questionnaire (AAQ); new version (1993) and weight concern scale (WCS), Beck depression index (BDI) and body mass index (BMI). Two way analysis of variance and Scheffe were the two statistical methods used to analyze data. Results: Girls with insecure attachment styles (avoidant and ambivalent) in comparison with girls with secure attachment were more concerned about their weight. There was no significant difference between the weights concern of subjects with avoidant attachment style and ambivalent attachment style. There was no significant affect interaction between attachment styles. Body mass index had no significant effect on weight concern. Conclusion: Attachment style knowledge can play a significant role as an important variable in predicting weight concern and also in psychopathology toward eating disorders.

Introduction: With regard to the admission of Hijab as one of the most important and fundamental principles of Islam for women, and its role in intellectual, political, and social independence, this study was conducted aiming at comparing the attitudes of young and middle aged people toward the superior Hijab. Method: This study is a cross-sectional survey; statistical population was 823 young and middle aged individuals who referred to the medical centers of one of the medical science universities of Tehran in 2005. The data was collected with the researcher’s prepared questionnaire and analyzed using SPSS 15 software, and statistical techniques such as frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation and chi square.Results: There is significant difference (p<0.01) between the attitudes of young and middle aged population concerning the necessity of observing the Islamic Hijab by women, the degree of familiarity with the conditions of proper Islamic dressing, the best kind of Islamic dressing for women and restricting role of veil (or Chador) in performing their activities. Conclusion: Paying more attention to Islamic genuine culture and investment in cultural activities and giving real identity to Muslim women personality in order to understand and accept Islamic values and its proper transfer to the next generation is necessary.