Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2010 | Volume:15 | Issue:4 (59)|Papers Count:13

Objectives: The present study was carried out with the purpose of investigating lifetime non-fatal overdose of illicit addictive substances, its relationship with demographic characteristics, and pattern of abuse in individuals with substance dependency.Method: In a descriptive study, data were gathered from 29 provinces in Iran from May to September 2008. Addicted individuals were interviewed in prisons, treatment centers, and on the streets. Selection of participants was random in prisons and treatment centers, and via snowball sampling on the streets.Results: 3329 (42.1%) of individuals with dependency on illicit addictive substances, reported experiencing overdose in their lifetime.Lifetime experience due to non-fatal overdose in Iranian drug users was significantly higher in those whose primary substance was Norjesik (53.9% vs. 41.6%, p<0.001) or Heroin (50.2% vs. 40.1%, p<0.001), and intravenous drug users (56.1% vs. 38.8%, p<0.001). Logestic regression showed that gender (p<0.01), living alone (p<0.05), unemployment (p<0.05), illegal income (p<0.01), history of cigarette use in one family member (p<0.001) were predictors of experiencing non-fatal overdose.Conclusion: Paying attention to non-fatal substance overdoses in addicts in general, and heroin, Norjesik and intravenous users in particular are crucial. Organizations active in prevention, treatment and harm reduction should make the necessary preparations.

Objectives: This study was carried out with the aim of normalizing Clinician Administered PTSD Scale-version 1 (CAPS-1) for psychological consequences due to war.Method: Participants comprised 105 Iran-Iraq war male veterans with a disability degree of 15-50 percent, all diagnosed with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Reliability was evaluated by test-retest with two weeks interval and Cronbach's alpha. Factorial analysis with principle component analysis method was used to evaluate validity.Results: Test-retest reliability and Cronbach's coefficient for scale were 0.86 and 0.92 respectively. Factorial analysis with principle component analysis method indicated a high validity for the scale. Exploratory factorial analysis indicated a robust six-factor structure.Conclusion: CAPS-1 has appropriate validity and reliability for the population of Iranian veterans.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the factor structure, validity and reliability of the Modified Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale in a sample of Iranian students. Method: The method of this study was standardization.After the translation of the original version of the mentioned Scale to Farsi and confirming it by three psychology and English language professors, the final version was administered to 100 students (50 males, 50 females) of Isfahan University who were selected through stratified-cluster sampling. The age range of the participants was between 19 to 35 years. To assess reliability, internal consistency and split half methods were used. Also, concurrent validity and validity of diagnostic factorial structure were used to determine reliability.Results: The range of Cronbach’s alpha was from 0.78 for factor of “power of thought control” to 0.93 for “obsessive thoughts and behaviors”. Also, the coefficients of Cronbach’s alpha reliability, split half, and Gotman coefficient were 0.93, 0.83, and 0.92 respectively. The correlation coefficient of this questionnaire with Padua Inventory and Body Satisfaction Scale was 0.58 and 0.33 respectively. Factor analysis of two factors, namely “power of thought control” and “obsessive thoughts and behaviours”, accounted for 66% of questionnaire variance in total.Conclusion: Modified Yale-Brown Obsessive-compulsive Scale for body dysmorphic disorder has satisfactory reliability and validity in the sample of Iranian students, and could be used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the factorial structure of marital satisfaction scale in staff members of Shahid Chamran University, Ahvaz, Iran.Method: 200 married staff members of Shahid Chamran University who were randomly selected from among the staff of the university, completed Mehrabian Marital Satisfaction Scale as well as Enrich Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire.Results: Internal consistency of all the scale in women, men and the two extracted factors, indicated a high validity of the scale. Correlation coeficient between each scale item with the total score of the items ranged between 0.06 to 0.88, and all (exept for item 10) were satistically significant (p<0.001). Concurrent validity coefficient between this scale and ENRICH Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire was 0.83. Principle Axis Factoring (oblique rotation) on Marital Satisfaction Scale accounted for 57.46% of the variance. The greater portion of this variance (45.64%) was accounted for by the first factor. Also, confirmatory factor analysis determined the two-factor model relative to the onefactor model.Conclusion: Regarding the satisfactory reliability and validity of Marital Satisfaction Scale, this scale could be useful in research settings and measuring couple satisfaction in consultation centers.

Objectives: This research investigated the role of marital conflict and family emotional security in children’s physical and psychosocial health.Method: 413 fifth-grade school children in the city of Tehran (220 girls and 193 boys) with a mean age of 10.81 were selected using relative stratified random sampling. Mothers responded to the Overt Hostility/ O’Leary-Porter Scale (OPS) and the Child Health Questionnaire-Parent Form (CHQ-PF-28) and children responded to the Security in the Family System (SIFS) scales.Results: The findings indicated that marital conflict and family emotional insecurity have inverse relationship with children’s physical and psychosocial health. Also, marital conflict was a predictor (inversely) of children emotional security.Conclusion: Marital conflict leads to an insecure attachment of children to parents.

Objectives: This study was carried out to investigate the relationship of coping styles and stress with Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), as well as evaluating inefficient coping styles in patients with this disease.Method: In a casecontrol study, 80 patients with coronary heart disease (40 males, 40 females) who had presented to Shahid Madani Hospital in the city of Tabriz were compared with 80 controls (40 males, 40 females) who were selected using convenience sampling, and were matched by a number of demographic factors with each other. Data were gathered using Coping Style Questionnaire (CSQ) and Holms-Rahe Life Stress Inventory, and were analyzed via Logistic Regression, Multiple Analysis of Variance (MANOVA) and t-test.Results: CHD patients have higher stress rates in comparison with controls, and use emotion oriented coping styles in general. Seventy nine percent of the variance related to the development of CHD is due to stress and coping styles, among which emotion oriented coping style had the highest (51%) and stress had the lowest (11%) share. Male CHD patients mostly used the inefficient direct confrontation style and female CHD patients mostly used the inefficient self-control style.Conclusion: There is a significant relationship between emotion oriented coping styles and CHD, and gender has an important role in this regard.

Objectives: The aim of this descriptive study was to examine the relationships between identity styles of the Berzonsky model and religiosity.Method: 359 students (182 males and 177 females) who were selected using a randomized stratified multi-stage method from among undergraduate students of Shahid Beheshti and Tehran universities were assessed using Berzonsky Identity Styles Inventory (ISI), Islamic Orientation Questionnaire, and the Duriez Post Critical Belief Scale (PCBS). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and stepwise regression analysis.Results: Based on correlation analysis, most religiousity variables were positively related to informational and normative identity styles and negatively related to diffuse/avoidant identity style. Also, stepwise regression analysis showed that religious belief and practice, was predicted by informational and normative identity styles, inclusion of transcendence was predicted by normative and diffuse/avoidant identity styles (negatively) and symbolic processing was positively predicted by informational identity style.Conclusion: The positive relation of most religiousity factors with informational and normative identity styles, and their negative relationship with diffuse/avoidant identity styles indicates that these factors belong to a common religious construct.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to examine the factors leading to murder in females convicted of this crime.Method: In this qualitative research, a deep interview was carried out with 19 female murder convicts in Isfahan Central Prison, during which factors such as childhood and familial conditions, marriage, personal and familial features of the spouse, and motivations for murder were discussed.By coding the interviews and classifying similar codes together, three principal groups resulted: “factors related to the murderer”, “factors related to the victim”, and “factors related to murder”. Results: The convicts belonged mainly to suburban and rural areas, and crowded families of low education and income. Most subjects had only passed the elementary years of school, and except for one case, none had a history of crime and imprisonment before committing the present crime. Also, a history of a major psychiatric disorder, antisocial and promiscuous behavior, aggression, and addiction before marriage was not present in any of the cases. Major motivations of murder included personal factors related to the victim and domestic problems after marriage.In most cases, the murder victim had been an aggressive individual, with a history of severe physical, sexual and psychological abuse toward his spouse, addiction, history of extramarital relations, encouraging or threatening women to make an earning through illicit means, unemployment, and improper financial status.Conclusion: Unsuitable marriage can lead to detrimental individual, familial and social consequences.