Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2017 | Volume:23 | Issue:1|Papers Count:14

Spirituality is the sublime aspect of human existence bestowed on all humans to traverse the path of transcendence which is closest to God. Despite many studies in this field, no evidence supports their contribution in treatment and care programs of the mental health system. Simple trainings in the” spirituality and health” can certainly affect our mental health services.

Objectives: The present research was conducted to compare cognitive errors and rumination in patients with obsessive–compulsive and social phobia disorders.Methods: The research design was cross-sectional post event descriptive survey. The research participants included 30 patients with social phobia disorder and 30 patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder who were aged between 15 and 50 years in Zanjan city, who were available samples. They were selected on the basis of psychiatrist diagnosis and structured diagnostic interviews (SCID-I) and (SCID-II), and the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Cognitive errors questionnaire and ruminative response style questionnaire were used to measure the variables.Results: The results, analyzed using multivariate analysis of variance, indicated that there is a significant difference with regard to the components of cognitive error between the patients belonging to the two groups (obsessive–compulsive and social phobia disorders) (P£0.05). There was no significant difference between the mean scores of rumination components in groups’ P£0.05 level.Conclusion: According to the research findings, cognitive errors and rumination play important roles in obsessive–compulsive and social phobia disorders as experienced by both the groups. However, the patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder had more cognitive errors compared to the patients with social phobia disorder. The results confirm the equal role of rumination in the psychopathology of these two groups.

Objectives: This study examined the variables of impulse control and emotional regulation in patients with food addiction compared to the control group.Methods: The study was cross-sectional, and the sample was composed of men. Thirty patients admitted to a clinic for food addiction were part of the research group, and another 30 persons were part of the control group. Semi-structured interviews were used for screening the participants. The Yale Food Addiction Scale was used for diagnosis and research groups, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and Graz Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale were used to assess impulse control and emotional regulation, respectively. To evaluate each variable, multivariate analysis of variance was conducted.Results: The findings demonstrated that patients had statistically achieved the lowest scores in all aspects of food addiction, impulse control and emotional regulation compared with the control group.Conclusion: Patients with food addiction had high impulsivity and lower emotion regulation compared to the control group. Thus, it can be inferred that impaired impulse control and emotional regulation are important factors in the formation and persistence of addictions.

Objectives: Spouse abuse against women is the most prevalent type of family violence, and its harmful consequences threaten both women’s health and their well-being in family and society. It is very important to find the factors that eliminate these deleterious effects and protect women’s health. The aim of this study was to explore the moderator effect of personality characteristics in the relationship between spouse abuse and symptoms of depression among women.Methods: For this purpose, 300 married women were provided with questionnaires measuring spouse abuse, depression symptoms (Beck depression inventory) and personality characteristics (NEO-FFI).Results: According to the results, depressive symptoms in women were correlated with spouse abuse.Agreeableness was found to serve as a moderator between spouse abuse and depressive symptoms.Conclusion: From these findings, one can conclude that women who experience spouse abuse suffer from depressive symptoms. The battered women who were more agreeable experience less depressive symptoms.

Objectives: Mental health acts have been developed in different countries to protect human and civil rights of people with psychiatric disorders. In Iran, although there are some scattered laws within the existing body of laws, there is no separate mental health act. The aim of the present project was to prepare a draft pertaining to the mental health act in the country.Methods: The draft of the mental health act was developed over three stages. In the first stage, the authors reviewed the existing literature on domestic and foreign codified laws. Thereafter, the selection procedure of one mental health act, which seemed more complete and thorough as a model and guide, took place. Then, various issues were discussed from different vantage points in group sessions; and finally, keeping in mind the cultural aspects, the first draft of the act was prepared. The draft was sent to a number of mental health experts, organizations, governmental and non-governmental institutions, and their views were summarized and categorized. Following that, the disputed issues were presented at a national workshop in which various experts and stakeholders participated. Their opinions were summed up and the initial draft was finalized. In the second stage, at the Center for Ethics and History of Medicine, where a number of lawyers participated, the draft was converted into the form of legal codes (articles) and like the first stage, the opinions of legal experts, judicial authorities and a large number of universities, governmental and non-governmental organizations were obtained. In order to make the final decision, the conflicting views were addressed at a second national workshop, where the final corrections were made, and the draft spanning 10 chapters and 112 articles was prepared. In the third stage, considering the suggestion of the legal office of the Ministry of Health, Treatment and Medical Education, the prepared text was revised and the draft was condensed into 50 articles.Results: The first draft of the mental health act was developed over 8 years and included six chapters and 50 articles. The draft includes chapters on Definitions, Hospitalization, Involuntary Treatment, Special Treatment Methods, special groups, and other provisions.

Objectives: Death depression consists of death despair, death loneliness, death sadness, death dread, and death finality. The present study was carried out with the aim of investigating some religious correlates of death depression.Methods: In this descriptive analytical study, a sample of 347 participants was selected using stratified sampling method. The participants responded to death obsession, acting on religious beliefs, religious coping, and attachment to God Scales. Data were analyzed using multiple regression analysis.Results: Among the religious variables, insecure attachment to God and negative religious coping showed high contribution in predicting death depression.Conclusion: When the participants faced real-life events, those who used negative coping strategies experienced higher death depression. In addition, those who considered God Asa source of punishment rather thana source of love and remained doubtful and anxious in accepting God as a secure base showed higher death depression.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to design and validate a scale of research anxiety for students at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad.Methods: The correlation method was used in this study. The population consisted of MA students at the Ferdowsi University of Mashhad in the academic year 2014-15. The prepared scales were analyzed in two stages: preliminary and final stages. In the preliminary stage, the scale was implemented on 100 students selected via convenient sampling, and in the final stage, the tool was implemented on 400 students selected via quota sampling method based on gender and field of study. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The results showed that the factor analysis using varimax rotation supported only one factor, and 40 items were selected on each phrase for at least 0.3 loadings. The validity of the scale was obtained with the help of the judgment of experts, convergent-divergent validity, and factor analysis. Scale converging-diverging validity done of correlation with the Spielberger State-Trait anxiety (STAI) and Cooper Smith self-esteem. The results showed negative relation (- 63.0) between self-esteem and research anxiety and a strong positive correlation (0.650) between Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety and research anxiety. Scale reliability was 0.87 via Cronbach's alpha and 0.76 via re-test after seven days.Conclusion: The results showed that research anxiety scale has acceptable reliability and validity and can be used for a variety of applications.

Objectives: the aim of present study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the Body Image Psychological Inflexibility Scale (BIPIS) in students of both genders.Methods: The study sample consisted of Bu-Ali-Sina University students enrolled during the academic year 2016. A total of 329 students were selected based on multistage cluster sampling. To study the psychometric characteristics of the BIPIS, it was first translated with the help of the double-translation technique and then administered along with the Body Dysmorphic Meta-Cognitive Questionnaire and Body Image-Acceptance and Action questionnaire. The collected data was analyzed, and thereafter, its reliability, validity and confirmatory factor analysis were calculated.Results: Analysis of the collected data showed that the scale has a reliability of 0.90 to 0.93 alpha coefficients in general and both genders. In addition, the concurrent validity of both genders with the sub-scales of Body Dysmorphic Meta-Cognitive Questionnaire and Body Image-Acceptance and Action Questionnaire was 0.71, 0.62, 0.75, 0.69 and -0.58 for Meta-Cognitive strategies, thought- action fusion, Meta-Cognitive negative and positive beliefs, safety behaviors, and body image-acceptance and action questionnaire respectively. Which in the P<0.01 level was significant. Moreover, the results of the confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor structure of the questionnaire.Conclusion: The BIPIS favors psychometric properties among Iranian students.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the effectiveness of telephone follow-up in patients with severe mental illness after discharge from hospital compared to Treatment As Usual (TAU).Methods: This is a randomized control trial with the primary hypothesis that telephone follow-up for patients with severe mental disorders in outpatient clinic would be more effective when compared to TAU in reducing the length of hospital stay and any psychiatric hospitalization. The sample population was recruited from Iran Hospital. After obtaining informed written consent, the patients were randomized into two intervention and control groups. In the intervention group, the research team closely followed the patients by telephone a day before their psychiatric follow-up visit after discharge, for timely attendance and also the day following the appointment to be ensured about their attendance. Patients were then followed up for 12 months afterward. The primary outcome measures were length of hospital stay and any hospitalization during 12 months follow-up. The secondary outcome measure was the severity of the patients’ psychopathology during the follow-up period.Conclusion: This article presents a study protocol for an RCT that assesses the effectiveness of telephone follow-up for patients with severe mental disorders in an outpatient clinical setting in Iran. The findings of this study can influence policy-making and planning for patients with severe mental disorders across the country.

Navab Safavi Mental Hospital was established in 1981 while it suffered from considerable shortages in therapeutic and welfare infrastructures, as well as in professional human resources. After foundation of Iran University of Medical Sciences in 1986 the hospital was involved in training nurses, medical students, and psychiatric residents. In 2001, by request of Navab Safavi’s family the name was changed to Iran Psychiatric Hospital and Now, after 35 years, the hospital has 160 beds in 6 wards, including men, women, neurotic (Mehr), emergency, substance and alcohol wards, and extensive facilities like community psychiatry, cognitive-behavioral and analytical psychotherapies, neurocognitive lab, and substance use disorder clinic. The increasing growth of Iran Psychiatric Hospital in more than 3 decades has been in line with qualitative and quantitative development of Iran University of Medical Sciences.