Iranian Journal of War and Public Health
Year:2017 | Volume:9 | Issue:1|Papers Count:13

Aims: To the parents and adolescents, the adolescence period is full of stressful situations. The children of the veterans undergoing mental pressures due their veteran fathers’ emotional avoidance continuously during all their mental improvement stages, their quality of life decreases. The aim of the study was to investigate the effectiveness of the positive-thinking skills on the improvement of paternal engagement, dialogue, and anger in the adolescent female children of the veterans’ families.Materials & Methods: In the controlled pretest-posttest experimental study, 30 female high-school students of the veterans’ families in Isfahan were studied in the academic year 2015-16. The subjects, selected via cluster random sampling method, were randomly divided into two groups including experimental (n=15 persons) and control (n=15 persons) groups. Data was collected by the parent-child survey (the father form). Eight positive-thinking skills training sessions were conducted in experimental group, while control group received no training. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16 software using onevariable analysis of covariance test.Findings: At the posttest stage, the mean scores of the groups were significantly different including the relationship components (dialogue), paternal engagement, and anger (p<0.05). Nevertheless, the groups were not significantly different in the positive emotion component (p>0.05). Then, through the pretest effects control, the positive skills trainings improved paternal engagement, relationships, and anger in the girls, excepting the positive emotion.Conclusion: The positive-thinking skills trainings can improve the paternal engagement, dialogue, and anger in the female students of the veterans’ families. Such trainings can also enhance their mental health quality.

Aims: Many and different tensions that the veteran and disabled athletes always experience during their lives take part in their mental activities. Therefore, one of the most effective methods in the prevention of their mental disorders is to find out the psychological factors that resolve the veteran athletes’ behavioral disorders and problems. The aim of the study was to determine the correlation between mental toughness, the stress coping styles, and optimism in the veteran and disabled athletes of the Iranian Sitting Volleyball Super-League.Instrument & Methods: In the correlational descriptive study, 70 male veteran and disable volleyball athletes of the Iranian Sitting Volleyball Super-League were studied in 2014. The subjects were purposefully selected. Data was collected by athlete mental toughness, stress coping styles, and the life orientation revised test questionnaires. Data was analyzed by SPSS 20 software using correlational Spearman correlation and simple linear regression tests.Findings: The mental toughness significantly correlated with the stress coping styles and the problem-focused, intuitional, and avoidance styles. More than %8 of the changes in the stress coping styles was explained by the mental toughness. The optimism significantly correlated by the mental toughness and the confidence and control components. In addition, more than 18% of the mental roughness changes was explained by the optimism. However, the optimism significantly correlated with the intuitional stress coping style only.Conclusion: The tougher veteran and disabled volleyball athletes cope with stress through better styles. In addition, it is possible to improve mental toughness through the optimism skills trainings.

Aims: The post-traumatic stress disorders sometimes continue years after wars. The aim of the study was to estimate the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorders in the veterans 26 years after the end of Iran-Iraq war. Instrument & Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 341 Iranian veterans were studied in 2014. The subjects were selected via cluster random sampling method. Data was collected using post-traumatic stress disorder checklist military edition (PCL-M-5), clinician-administered post-traumatic stress disorders scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5), and a demographic questionnaire. Data was analyzed through descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation coefficient and simultaneous regression analysis tests.Findings: 82 veterans (24.0%) were with post-traumatic stress disorders diagnostic criteria. In addition, their most prevalent post-traumatic stress disorders symptoms were arousal and reactivity, and negative changes in the cognition and mood, successively. Domographic parameters, including educational level (r=-0.191; p<0.01), age during military services (r=0.046; p<0.05), military services length (r=0.107; p<0.05), and injury and its severity (r=0.347; p<0.01) significantly correlated with post-traumatic stress disorders. In addition, 13% of the post-traumatic stress disorders variance were explained by the demographic parameters (p<0.01).Conclusion: 26 years after the end of Iran-Iraq war, many veterans are with post-traumatic stress disorders, and their most prevalent symptom is arousal and reactivity.

Aims: Due to many marital psychological problems and many stressful mental conditions, the quality of life of the veterans’ spouses decreases. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the sexual self-esteem, alexithymia, and marital adjustment in the veterans’ spouses.Materials & Methods: In the controlled pretest-posttest semi-experimental applied study, 40 veterans’ spouses of Arak were studied in 2015. The subjects, selected via available sampling method, were randomly divided into two groups including experimental and control groups (n=20 persons per group). Data was collected using women’s sexual self-esteem index (SSEL-W-SF), Locke-Wallace marital adjustment, and Toronto alexithymia scale (TAS-20). Ten ACT sessions were conducted in experimental group, while control group received no intervention. Pretest and posttest were conducted in both groups. Data was analyzed by SPSS 23 software using descriptive statistics and one variable covariance analysis test.Findings: After the intervention, the mean scores of sexual self-esteem and marital adjustment significantly increased, while the mean score of alexithymia significantly decreased in experimental group compared to control group (p<0.001).Conclusion: The ACT increases sexual self-esteem and marital adjustment, while reduces the alexithymia in the veterans’ spouses.

Aims: Due to low psychological well-being level in veterans with the posttraumatic stress disorders, the symptoms are exacerbated in them. The aim of the study was to predict the psychological well-being in the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders, based on the personality parameters including self-compassion, sense of coherence, and the thought-action fusion.Instrument & Methods: In the descriptive correlational study, 120 veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders, hospitalized in Isar Psychiatric Hospital in Ardabil, were studied as available subjects in 2016. Data was collected using the psychological well-being questionnaire, self-compassion scale, the sense of coherence scale, and the revised thought-action fusion scale. Data was analyzed by SPSS 17 software using Pearson correlation coefficient test and step-wise regression analysis.Findings: The psychological well-being in the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders significantly and positively correlated with the sense of coherence and the self-compassion, while it significantly and negatively correlated with the thought-action fusion (p<0.05). In addition, 63%, 49%, and 67% of variance of psychological well-being scores in the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders were predicted by the sense of coherence, thought-action fusion, and the self-compassion, respectively (p<0.001).Conclusion: High sense of coherence and high self-compassion, as well as low thought-action fusion, improve psychological well-being in the veterans with post-traumatic stress disorders.

Aims: Inefficient attitudes and low quality of life correlate with many behavioral disorders and problems. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of self-compassion trainings on inefficient attitudes and quality of life in persons with amputations due to the land-mine explosions.Materials & Methods: In the controlled pretest-posttest experimental study, 40 men with amputations due to the land-mine explosions, who were under the protection of the Martyrs Foundation of Gilan-E-Gharb Township, were studied in 2016. The subjects, selected via simple random sampling method, were randomly divided into two 20-person groups including experimental and control groups. Data was collected by the inefficient attitudes and quality of life questionnaires. Eight 1-hour compassion-training sessions were conducted in experimental group for two months, while control group received no intervention. Data was analyzed using multi-variable covariance analysis test.Findings: At the posttest stage, the pretest scores having been controlled, the mean scores of inefficient attitudes were significantly lower in experimental group compared to control group (p<0.01). In addition, the mean scores of quality of life and its components were significantly higher than control group (p<0.05).Conclusion: The self-compassion trainings improve the inefficient attitudes and quality of life in persons with amputations due to the land-mine explosions.

Aims: One of the factors that reduce the quality of life in many aspects is the blindness, affecting daily activities of the blind persons. The veterans’ dependence might face them with many difficulties in daily activities. The aim of this study was to investigate the instrumental activities of daily life (IADL) in veterans with monocular blindness.Instrument & Methods: In the descriptive cross-sectional study, 1371 veterans with monocular blindness were studied in 2015. The subject were selected via census method from 15 provinces. Data was collected using a demographic form and the IADL scale. Data was analyzed by SPSS 23 software using descriptive statistic and Chi-square and Pearson correlation coefficient tests.Findings: Mean score of IADL in the monocular -blinded veterans was 3.8±11.9 Washing and ironing the clothes (61.6%), household chores (58.9%), and food preparation (49.3%) were the highest dependence items of the veterans, respectively. Phone utilization (17.4%) and transport (24.6%) were the lowest dependence items of the veterans, respectively. About two-thirds of the veterans (62.0%) were independent at IADL. Age, injury age, injury percentage, educational level, occupation, and injuries other than the monocular blindness were significantly correlated with the scores of IADL (p<0.05(.Conclusion: Monocular blindness does not much reduce the instrumental activities of daily life in persons. Nevertheless, about one-third of the monocular-blinded veterans are dependent to other persons at instrumental activities of daily life.

Aims: The first step to respond to the health needs of the retirees of the military organizations is to identify such needs. The aim of the study was to determine the frequencies of physical problems and diseases of the military retirees, as well as to determine the potential impact of the services provided by the military organiztions on the old-age health needs.Instrument & Methods: In the cross-sectional descriptive-analytic study, 299 military retirees, who were residing in Tehran, were studied between 2013 and 2015. The subjects were selected via available purposeful sampling method method. Data was collected by the study questionnaire consisted of the abbreviated mental test score (AMTS) and a researcher-made questionnaire as the main survey of the study. Data was analyzed by SPSS 16 software using descriptive statistics and one-way ANOVA and independent T tests.Findings: 159 retirees (%53.2) were without any communication-limiting physical problem. Nevertheless, the most prevalent limiting disorder was the auditory problems (12.0%). 144 retirees (48.2%) were with active diseases, and the most prevalent diseases were high blood pressure (21.5%) and diabetes (19.4%). Totally, the physical health status was declared by 214 retirees (71.6%), and 15 retirees (5.0%), 77 retirees (25.7%), and 99 retirees (33.1%) declared their own satisfaction levels as very good, good, and moderate, respectively.Conclusion: The most important health problems of the military retirees are the chronic non-communicable diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardio-vascular diseases. Only one third of the subjects are satisfied with their own health status.