Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2015 | Volume:21 | Issue:3 (82)|Papers Count:11

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare temperament-character dimensions of personality among patients with separation anxiety disorder and healthy person.Method: This research has Ex Post Facto Research Design. The sample consisted of 200 female students from Tehran and Shahed universities who were selected through convenient sampling method. The participants were assessed by the 27-item Adult Separation (ASA-27), the Structured Clinical Interview for Separation Anxiety Symptoms in Adults (SCI-SAS), and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) was used for data analysis.Results: The results showed that, compared to healthy individuals, the group with adult separation anxiety obtained significantly higher scores on harm avoidance and reward dependence (p<0.001) and significantly lower scores on self-directedness (p<0.001) and cooperativeness (p<0.01). Conclusion: Temperament-character dimensions of personality play a significant role in intensifying and maintaining the clinical characteristics of adult separation anxiety disorder.

Objectives: This research was conducted to compare the reaction of married people to marital conflict among three generations of women and two generations of men.Method: The study was a qualitative research and the target population was all married people belonging to last three generations living in Tehran in 2014. Sampling was conducted in two stages using convenience and purposive methods. Data were collected through in-depth interview with a total of 45 people, with 9 people in each generation group (the first, second and third generation of women and the second and third generation of men). The interviews with women were conducted at their residences and with men were done over the telephone. The collected data were coded using content analysis method. Results: In this research, information was gathered through interviews with 9 daughters, 9 mothers and 9 grandmothers with an average (±SD) age of 27±2.5, 49±4.7 and 71±6.1, respectively. Also, interviews were conducted with 9 sons and 9 fathers with an average (±SD) age of 28±1.2 and 45±6.3, respectively. Data analysis showed that conflict avoidance in the second generation was more than the third generation. Compared with the women, men reported less conflict avoidance in bringing up the conflicting issues.Conclusion: It seems that some factors such as people’s age differences, life cycle and differences in standards influence their behavior during marital conflict.

Objectives: This study was conducted to determine the quality of life of the elderly with diabetes and its association with emotional intelligence.Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive- correlational study, conducted on 85 older adults with diabetes who were referred to Diabetes Clinic of Shariati Hospital in Tehran. To assess quality of life Leipad Quality of Life in the elderly Questionnaire and for emotional intelligence Shrink Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire were used. Data were analyzed through SPSS v.16. Results: The findings showed that the mean total scores of quality of life and emotional intelligence in elderly with diabetes is moderate to high. The quality of life and emotional intelligence in elderly men were higher compared to elderly women. The quality of life had a significant relationship with level of education, marital status and housing (p<0.05), but there were no significant relationships between quality of life, age and economic status (p>0.05). There were significant relationships between emotional intelligence and educational level, marital status and housing (p<0.05) but no significant relationship between emotional intelligence with age and economic status (p>0.05). Overall, the results showed positive association between emotional intelligence and quality of life in elderly individuals with diabetes (r=0.536 and p<0.01).Conclusion: Considering the positive association between emotional intelligence and quality of life of elderly with diabetes, planning with a focus on emotional intelligence and its dimensions in elderly with diabetes may lead to improvement in their quality of life.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate pseudoneglect from visual and representational dimensions and its relation to attention deficit in patients with schizophrenia.Method: A group of 30 patients with schizophrenia and a group of 30 healthy individuals were recruited using convenient sampling method. Four tests were used to examine pseudoneglect: Line Bisection Task (LBT), Mental Bisection Task (MBT), Star Cancellation Task (SCT), and Mental Dice Task (MDT). To evaluate attention, the Trail Making Test (TMT) (A and B) and WAIS III Digit Symbol Coding (DSC) were used.Results: Normal individuals, marked bisection line leftward significantly (p=0.03) on the LBT , but this was not observed in patients. Also, on MBT, the normal individuals significantly reported lower score from real middle score, though it was not observed in patients. Mean biases in LBT had a significant positive correlation with TMT A (r=0.42, p=0.001) and mean biases in MBT had positive correlation with TMT B (r=0.29, p=0.023), and negative correlation with Symbol Coding test A (r=0.30, p=0.018).Conclusion: Research findings indicate a possibly lack of pseudoneglect and the presence of an anomalous brain asymmetry in patients with schizophrenia.

Objectives: Depending on different circumstances, religious variables may reduce or stimulate pathological attitudes towards death. The present study was carried out with the aim of investigating the relationships between death obsession, religious coping, acting on religious beliefs and attachment to God.Method: In a correlational study, a sample of 300 participants was selected using stratified sampling method. Participants responded to Death Obsession, Acting on Religious Beliefs, Religious coping, and Attachment to God Scales. Data were analyzed using stepwise multiple regression analysis. Results: Among religious variables, insecure attachment to God and negative religious coping had greater contribution in predicting death obsession.Conclusion: Those whose beliefs about God are a source of punishment rather than love, and those who are doubtful and anxious in accepting God as a secure base may experience more death obsession.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Self-Report Scale in Iran.Method: This was a descriptive/survey (validation) study. First, the Persian version of the ASRS was prepared using translation-back translation procedure. Then, this scale along with the Conners’ Adult ADHD Rating Scales-Self-Report: Short Version (CAARS-S: S), the Substance Abuse Attitude Survey (SAAS) questionnaire, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) were administered to 330 clients (181 males and 149 females), ages 18 to 45, from counseling centers in Mashad who were selected through multistage cluster sampling procedure. In order to assess the diagnostic validity, the scale was also administered to two groups of normal (30 participants) and adults with ADHD (30 participants). Data were analyzed using SPSS statistical package and Amos Graphics.Results: Correlation analysis results showed convergent relationships between the ASRS and BIS (r=0.566, p<0.01) and SAAS (r=0.45, p<0.01) and concurrent relationship with Conners’ scale (r=0.566, p<0.01). The results of confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) revealed that all of the eighteen items had acceptable factor loadings. None of the questions were eliminated. The two factors of attention deficit and hyperactivity/impulsivity were confirmed. The analysis indicated that sensitivity of ASRS, with 50 as the cutoff point for diagnosing ADHD, is 70% and its specificity is 99%.Conclusion: The Adult ADHD Self-Report Rating Scales has sufficient validity and reliability in evaluating and assessing the problems of hyperactivity in adults.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Social Distance and Dangerousness scales used for studying stigma of severe mental illnesses.Method: In a cross sectional study, Social Distance and Dangerousness scales were administered to 200 mental health workers of Razi Psychiatry Hospital who were selected through random sampling procedure. The reliability of the scales was assessed through internal consistency and test-retest procedures. The content and construct validity were also assessed.Results: Cronbach’s alpha for the Social Distance and Dangerousness scales were 0.92 and 0.96, respectively. Test-retest reliability coefficients for the two scales were 0.89 and 0.88, respectively. The content validity coefficients of the scales were 0.75 and 0.77. Factor analysis of each scale yielded one factor. The social rejection factor accounted for 76% of the Social Distance scale and the dangerousness factor accounted for 74% of the Dangerousness scale.Conclusion: The results indicate that the Persian version of the Social Distance and Dangerousness scales have satisfactory psychometric properties and can be used to measure the stigma of severe mental illness in Iran.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the factor structure and reliability of the Persian version of “Wagnild and Young’s Resilience Scale” in institutionalized adolescents.Method: Considering Wild et al approach the scale was translated to Persian and back-translated; its content and face validity were determined on the basis of comments of specialists in fields of nursing, psychology, social welfare and institutionalized adolescence. Based on inclusion criteria convenience sampling was used and 223 adolescences were investigated. The tool’s construct validity was assessed by confirmatory and exploratory factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used for assessing internal consistency. For reliability, test-retest within a two-week interval was used.Results: The result of confirmatory factor analysis (first time) was not confirmative for two factors of scale in Persian version. Exploratory Factor analysis revealed five factors explaining 43.80 of variance of total scores. Data goodness of fit was shown with Persian version of five factors model using confirmatory factor analysis (second time). The Cronbach’s alpha for the whole scale was 0.77, and intra-cluster correlation coefficient (ICC) within two times application of scale in two weeks interval was 0.90 (p<0.001). The mean score of adolescents’ resilience scale (RS) was 84.41±11.01, which was assessed moderate.Conclusion: Persian version of RS can measure various dimensions of resiliency in institutionalized adolescents and has suitable validity and reliability.