Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2014 | Volume:20 | Issue:2 |Papers Count:13

Objectives: In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5), children with severe nonepisodic irritability are diagnosed as disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) and this diagnosis is included in the mood disorder section. The current study aimed to know whether the DMDD is a subgroup of bipolar disorder (BD) or an independent disorder. Method: For gathering valid English and Persian data, Medline, PsycINFO, Scopus, and DSM databases for English and SID for Persian resources were searched and reviewed until Summer of 2013.Results: Up until now research comparing severe and permanent (nonepisodic) irritabilities (equivalent to DMDD) with BD indicate that BD and DMDD are similar in severity and functional impairment, and different in gender distribution, familial clustering, course and prognosis, comorbidities and neuropsychophysiologic functions. In following years, children with DMDD are more likely to suffer from unipolar depressive and anxiety disorders, but BD has not been seen among them.Conclusion: The DMDD seems not to be a subgroup of BD and rather it should be included as an independent diagnosis in the mood disorder section. The DSM editors need to be flexible enough to make necessary revisions encountering further new findings.

Objectives: The study goal was to investigate the effectiveness of anxiety-regulating short-term dynamic psychotherapy (STDP) in the treatment of male patients with social phobia. Method: The study was carried out over six young men with social phobia who were selected using purposeful sampling method, as a multiple baseline experimental single case study framework design, and 20 sessions for each patient accompanied with three months of follow-up. The Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID) was used for patient selection and Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) and Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) for assessing clinical status of patients. Graphic analysis, clinically significance, improvement ratio, and six index efficacy scales were used for data analysis.Results: The anxiety-regulating STPD could decrease severity of social phobia (66% improvement) in which continued up to three months of follow-up period (67%). The patients’ scores based on SPIN were higher than the cut-off point (score of 19), nonetheless decreased to lower than the cut-off after the intervention and follow-up.Conclusion: The anxiety-regulating STPD focusing over emotional conflicts, may be an effective treatment for patients with social phobia.

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to assess masculine and feminine gender roles in a group of healthy Iranian males and females, using two different instruments and to compare these findings. Method: Eighty-one male and 89 female healthy individuals participated in this cross-sectional study. Gender roles were assessed using gender-masculine (GM) and gender-feminine (GF) scales derived from MMPI-2 and the Bem Sex Role Inventory (BSRI). Sex-typing was performed using median split-half method.Results: Based on the normative data of Iranian population for GM-GF scales, 48.1% of normal males and 37.1% of normal females were undifferentiated on sex-typing and none of them was considered as androgynous. However, BSRI showed that the frequency of androgyny was 6.2% in male and 10.1% in female samples and the frequency of undifferentiated individuals was 39.5% in males and 36.0% in females. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was 0.530 between GM scale of MMPI-2 and masculinity traits in the BSRI and 0.528 between GF scale of MMPI-2 and femininity traits in the BSRI (for both: p<0.001).Conclusion: These two instruments showed moderate correlations. However, it seems that these two instruments measure different attributes of gender roles, though they have considerable overlap.

Objectives: Given the lack of a specialized instrument for evaluating Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in Iran, current study aimed to standardize the Secondary Trauma Stress Scale (STSS) in warfare victims’ children. Method: The study population included warfare victims’ children living in Yazd, Isfahan, Najafabad, and Yasuj studying at Shahed and Isargar Schools of these cities. Among that population subjects were selected using cluster sampling method. Data was collected by STSS, Mississippi PTSD Scale, and Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21). Confirmation factor analysis, Pearson correlation, and independent samples t-test were used to analyze the data.Results: The confirmatory factor analysis revealed that the STSS included three subscales of intrusion, avoidance and arousal and that its factor structure was similar to the original version of the scale. The Cronbach's Alpha for the whole scale was calculated as 0.89 and content validity of the scale was approved by some specialists experienced in the subject. The significantly high correlations among STSS score and scores from stress, anxiety, and depression subscales and Mississippi PTSD subscales approved convergent validity of the scale (p<0.01). Moreover, the STSS was able to discriminate the group of subjects with high mental health from those with low mental health.Conclusion: The Persian version of STSS has a favorable reliability and validity in Iranian warfare victims’ children.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate psychometric characteristics of Persian version of Kendall Chronic Sorrow Instrument (KCSI) among a population of Iranian mothers of children with cancer. Method: The KCSI was translated using Wilde et al. method and its content and face validity were determined by 15 faculty members in different fields in nursing and psychology. Then, using convenience sampling method, 246 mothers of children with cancer referring to Medical Center for Children (Markaz-e-Tebbi-e-Koodakan), Mofid and Ali Asghar hospitals were selected and they filled out the Persian version of KCSI. Construct validity were assessed by exploratory factor analysis. For internal consistency Cronbach’s alpha coefficient and for reliability test-retest method was used for 20 participants within a two-week interval.Results: The factor analysis confirmed three factors explaining 49.9% of variance of total scores. The Cronbach's alpha for the whole instrument was 0.84 and Pearson's correlation coefficient within two times implementation was 0.86 (p<0.001). The participants’ KCSI mean score was 74.6 (SD=15.8).Conclusion: The KCSI could be used as a valid and reliable instrument for measuring chronic sorrow in mothers of children with cancer.

Objectives: The aim of the current study was to investigate the predictability of perfectionism dimensions and emotion regulation strategies in the severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms of university students. Method: Through cluster random sampling method, 280 students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and Amir-Kabir University of Technology were chosen from the whole students of state universities located in Tehran and were administered Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS), Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), Depression and Anxiety subscales of Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21) and Planful Problem Solving and Escape-Avoidance subscales of Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WOCQ). Data were analyzed through stepwise regression analysis.Results: The perfectionism and emotion regulation strategies accounted for 36% of changes in the severity of students’ depressive symptoms and 30% of changes in the severity of students’ anxiety symptoms.Conclusion: Perfectionism and emotion regulation strategies could be considered as predictors of severity of depressive and anxiety symptoms.

Objectives: The current study aimed at a preliminary investigation of validity and reliability of Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI). Method: A total of 141 (88 females and 53 males) students from Honar University (Tehran, Iran) were selected based on a convenience sampling method and assessed by BORRTI and the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) questionnaires. Data was analyzed by Pearson correlation method.Results: There were significant correlation among all subscales of BORRTI and all components of SCL-90-R (p≤0.001). The BORRTI reliability by test-retest within 21 weeks interval was from 0.78 for delusion and hallucination subscale to 0.65 for uncertain perception. Besides, alpha Cronbach for subscales was from 0.66 for social incompetency to 0.82 for alienation.Conclusion: The Persian version of BORRTI was suitably valid and reliable in assessing two constructs of object relations and reality testing.

Objectives: The current research aim was to investigate reliability and validity of Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN) in Ahwaz universities’ students. Method: The sample for current survey included 800 (400 girls and 400 boys) students from Shahid Chamran University, Jondishapoor University of Medical Sciences, Payam-e-Noor University of Ahvaz, and Islamic Azad University Ahvaz Branch who were selected using multistage cluster random sampling method. Data collection was through SPIN.Results: Findings showed that the SPIN measures three dimensions of social phobia including fear, avoidance and physiological sign. The scale validity was examined in two ways of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. All items significantly loaded on their related factors. The internal consistency for the whole scale and all three extracted factors were favorable. The within items and with the whole scale correlations were between 0.378 and 0.708 range, and all were significant (p≤0.001). Similar to the main scale, a varimax rotation exploratory factor analysis revealed three factors determining 49.05% of the scale variance. Cronbach’s alpha was 0.869. Based on standard Z score, examinees scores were described under 5 scales of “no clear signs” (percentile score lower than 20), “low” (percentile score 20-40), “moderate” (percentile score 40-70), “high” (percentile score 80-90) and “very high” (higher than 90).Conclusion: The Persian version of SPIN is suitable regarding psychometric properties and could be used as a screening, clinical diagnosis and research instrument.