Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2011 | Volume:17 | Issue:1 (64)|Papers Count:14

Schizotypal personality is important from both historical and etiological perspective, because of its relationship with schizophrenia. However, within a ‘fully dimensional’ framework, the schizotypy dimension could be extended to a continuum that starts from normal and ends up in schizophrenia and other pathological spectra. This perspective represents schizotypy as continuously distributed traits, which are sources of normal variations as well as predisposition to psychosis. The present study reviews schizotypy, focusing on the dimensions, models, schizotaxia, comorbidity and relationship with other psychological phenomena and measurement tools.

Objectives: To assess the relationship of emotional intelligence, schizotypy and psychopathology.Method: In this descriptive-analytical study 150 normal  high school students (94 girls and 56 boys) aged 14 to 17 years (15.5±0.67) in the educational year 1387-1388 in Shahr-e-Rey, completed schizotypal trait questionnaire (STA), Modified Schutte (Emotional Intelligence) EI Scale (MSEIS), and three subtests of Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R), namely, psychoticism, hostility, and paranoid ideation. Data analysis was done by SPSS 11.5 and LISREL 8.54 using independent t-test U, Mann-Whitney test, and path analysis.Results: Path analysis revealed a causal relationship between EI and psycho-pathology (t=-4.03, p³0.05), as well as a causal relationship between emotion appraisal and magical thinking (t=-2.25, p³0.05), paranoid ideation (t=2.03, p³0.05) and schizotypy (t=-3.39, p³0.05).Conclusion: An accurate assessment of the relationship between factors revealed that emotion appraisal has a causal effect on schizotypy and psychopathology. Emotion appraisal is the perception and evaluation of the emotional situation in oneself as well as others. In fact, individuals with positive emotion appraisal and evaluation are at lower risk of developing signs of schizotypy and psychopathology.

Objectives: This study was carried out to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) in a student sample.Method: 727 university students (442 males, 285 females) with a mean age of 23, who were selected using stepwise stratified method, and 15 patients with schizophrenia who were selected using convenience sampling, completed SPQ. The SPQ is a 74 items self-report questionnaire, which assesses nine DSM-III-R criteria for Schizotypal Personality Disorder. Data were analyzed by SPSS-16 and using Pearson’s correlation coefficient, independent t-test, multivariate analysis of variance, and exploratory factor analysis.Results: Cronbach’s alpha for the total questionnaire and its subscales were 0.90 and 0.59-0.82 respectively. SPQ accurately differentiated patients with schizophrenia from normal population. The exploratory factor analysis for SPQ confirmed the accuracy of three-factor structure introduced by Raine (cognitive-perceptual, interpersonal, and disorganized).Conclusion: SPQ is a valid and reliable instrument for assessing symptoms, dimensions, and factors of Schizotypal Personality Disorder.

Objectives: The objective of the present study was to develop a Farsi version of Quality of Life in Epilepsy Inventory (QOLIE-89), and to assess its psychometric properties.Method: The Farsi version of QOLIE-89, which was developed through translation/ back translation, along with Beck Depression Inventory-Primary Care (BDI-PC) and General Health Questionnaire-12 (GHQ-12) was administered to 75 epilepsy patients in Alzahra and Ayatollah Kashani clinics in Isfahan. The reliability and internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, construct validity was assessed by correlation with GHQ-12 and BDI-PC, and discriminant validity was confirmed by comparing scores for known groups. Results: Cronbach’s alpha was 0.96 for the total score, and varied between 0.70 and 0.89 for subscales. High correspondence with GHQ-12 (r=0.63, p³0.01) and BDI-PC (r=-0.55, p³0.01) indicates construct validity, and differentiating between depressed versus non-depressed and drug-sensitive versus drug-resistant epilepsy patients, indicates discriminant validity of QOLIE-89. Conclusion: The results of the present study indicate that the Farsi version of QOLIE-89 has a good reliability and validity, and it could be used as a valid tool in clinical trials and research related to epilepsy.

Objectives: The present research investigates the efficacy of Group Cognitive-Remediation Therapy (GCRT) in decreasing clinical symptoms and enhancing cognitive performance among patients with schizophrenia.Method: Forty subjects were randomly selected from inpatients with at Razi Psychiatry Schizophrenia Hospital, and were assigned to one experimental and one control group, each one comprising 20 subjects. Both groups received drug therapy, and the experimental group received 16 sessions of GCRT in addition. Subjects were examined before, during and after intervention, using measures for assessing positive and negative symptoms, neuro-behavioral and cognitive examination, and nurse observation. Data were analyzed using multivariate repeated measures.Results: GCRT had decreased positive and negative symptoms in patients in the experimental group, and enhanced their cognitive performance. However, it had no effect on behavioral performance. Conclusion: Treatment of patients with schizophrenia requires a multifaceted program, which takes cognitive disorders into consideration. GCRT, which is based upon the Iranian socio-cultural situation, could be effective for improving cognitive disorders and decreasing clinical symptoms.

Objectives: The present study was carried out to assess the efficacy of discharge planning on insight, clinical symptoms and frequency of hospitalization in patients with schizophrenia.Method: In this clinical experiment, 46 inpatients with schizophrenia at hospitals affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences, were selected according to inclusion criteria, and were assigned to two experimental and control groups. Discharge planning for the experimental group was designed based upon nursing process, and was carried out for six sessions at the hospital and six sessions at the patients’ residence (for three months after discharge). Data were gathered using demographic questionnaire, patient discharge list, and measurement of insight. Data were analyzed using Friedman tests, independent t-test, 2, Mann Whitney U, and McNemar test.Results: The experimental group’s insight was higher than the control group at discharge (t=-9.63, p<0.001) and three months after discharge (t=-9.63, p<0.001). With regard to clinical symptoms, the experimental group was better compared to the control group at discharge (t=-7.34, p<0.001) and three months after discharge (t=-14.67, p<0.001). Also, regarding hospitalization, there was significant difference in the experimental group between before and three months after hospitalization; however, the difference was not significant in the control group.Conclusion: A more favourable insight, decrease in clinical symptoms, and a decrease in the frequency of hospitalization are among the benefits of discharge program, which deserve special attention, regarding high rate of relapse and re-admission of patients with schizophrenia, and the high budget allocated to the care and treatment of these patients.

Objectives: The Purpose of this study was the standardization of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), in the city of Isfahan.Method: Subjects consisted of 1880 seven to eleven -year old schoolchildren in Isfahan, in addition to their parents and teachers. Data were gathered using the Youth Self- Report (YSR), the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and the Teacher's Report Form (TRF).The CBCL itself comprises two sections, namely, skills and behavioral and emotional problems. Subsequent to back-translation and the assessment of face validity, the Farsi version of the checklist was administered to the subjects. Data were analyzed by SPSS-17 using Pearson’s correlation.Results: The highest Cronbach’s alpha for parent, teacher and child forms were 0.90, 0.93, and 0.82 respectively. Regarding construct validity, the correlation of the subscales of the section of behavioral and emotional problems, and its total score in parent, teacher and child forms were 0.62-0.88, 0.44-0.91 and 0.51-0.85 respectively. Also, the correlation of the subscales of the skills section and its total score in parent, teacher and child forms were 0.24-0.82, 0.77-0.93 and 0.64-0.87 respectively.Conclusion: Cronbach’s alpha, correlation between the forms, and correlation between the subscales and the total score of the related sections, point to the construct validity and appropriate reliability of this tool, for the assessment of skills and behavioral problems of these children.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the rate of personality disorders and coping strategies in female sex-workers.Method: In this observational cross-sectional study 30 female sex-workers who were selected using convenience sampling, completed the Structured Clinical Interview DSM-IV axis II disorders (SCID-II) and Billings Coping Style Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results: The findings showed a prevalence of 90% for personality disorders, with passive- aggressive personality disorder having the highest prevalence of 53.3%. Also, schizotypal personality disorder was not present in subjects. Among coping strategies, emotion-focused coping (56.7%) and somatization-focused coping (23.3%) were the most prevalent.Conclusion: Considering the high prevalence of personality disorder among female sex-workers and their high use of emotion-focused coping in confronting life events, training this group with coping and problem solving skills is recommended.