Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2002 | Volume:7 | Issue:4 (28)|Papers Count:12

Objectives: An epidemiological study of suicide can provide grounds for effective preventive measures. The present study was carried out to examine the incidence of suicide in the Province of Kerman. Method: In this cross-sectional research lasting a year, all cases of suicide in the province recorded at the Kerman Forensic Medical Center were studied using the census method; and the relatives of the subjects were also interviewed in Kerman city using questionnaires. Findings: 63 cases of suicide were recorded within a period of one year in the Province of Kerman, of which 26 were committed in the city of Kerman. The incidence of suicide within the one-year period in the whole Province was 3.1 in 100000, ranging from Zero in Rafsanjan and Shahre Babak to 7.3 in 100000 in Zarand. Men committed suicide 2.26 times more than women did. Considering the age distribution among the population of the Province, suicide was found to be more common (P<0.05) among young adults and adolescents than older people, and more frequent in the warmer seasons of the year. The most common method was self poisoning followed by hanging. Only in 32% of the cases the relatives of the victims believed that mental illness was the cause of suicide; and only 4% had previously called on a psychiatrist. It seems that there is a low to moderate background rate in the province upon which we are facing an epidemic in Kerman city and southern areas of the province. This paper presents a model for explaining regional differences in the incidence of suicide. Some suggestions are also presented both for reducing the incidence of suicide and for further research in the field.

Objectives: This study was designed to examine the demographic features, correlates, motives and the status of the people who commit self-burning behavior. Method: In a descriptive study, 318 self-burning cases admitted within a period of three years to the only burn center in the province of Mazandaran were studied through a demographic questionnaire and a semi- structured interview. Findings: The average age of subjects was 27 and 83% of them were females. Most of the subjects were married housewives with an education at the high school level. 62% of the subjects had engaged in self- burning behavior impulsively. The major reasons for self- burning were assessed to be family feuds and marital discords. The occurrence of self-burning was mostly common in the day time hours and in spring season; the resulting mortality rate was 79%. In the follow-up survey, a male subject was reported to have died of self-hanging suicide 6 years later. An 8-10 year follow up showed no repetition of self-burning amongst the subjects in the study. Results: The demographic features and motivation indicators of the subjects suggest different preventive measures in various situations.

Objectives: This study was based on a hypothesis suggested by some cognitive theories regarding depressive people having attempted suicide, which holds that because of depressive patients’ difficulties in retrieving autobiographical memory, they are unable to engage in efficient problem solving. This in turn traps them in a vicious circle of depression, inefficient problem solving, and disappointment, which finally leads to suicide. Method: To investigate this hypothesis, the problem- solving approaches of a group of Iranian depressive suicide-patients were studied through Beck Depression Inventory, the Means- End Problem Solving Task, the Semantic Memory Test, and a memory test. Two cognitive scales were used to assess retrieval of autobiographical memory and problem solving approaches. Twenty such patients were compared with 20 healthy subjects who were all matched in terms of sex and age. Findings: The results demonstrated that the suicide group provided more irrelevant and limited numbers of solutions as compared to the control group. Moreover, significant correlation was noted between autobiographical memory and problem solving variables.

Objectives: This study compared some cognitive activities of two groups of patients: those suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and those suffering from anxiety and depression. Method: 20 patients in each group were studied through semi-structured interviews, cognitive tests of learning, visual and verbal pairs associations, digit span, word fluency, learning digit, and Verbal Intelligence Scale. The results were analyzed through a multi- variate MANOVA. Findings: The findings demonstrated that the two groups were significantly different in terms of cognitive performance. The multi-variate analysis showed that the performance of the patients suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder was significantly less satisfactory than the depressive anxious patients on tests of word fluency, learning visual pairs associations, delayed learning and learning verbal pairs associations. Results: The patients with post-traumatic stress disorder suffer from disabilities in expression, verbal and visual memories, which might be the result of soft brain abnormalities particularly in the hypocompus in the left hemisphere caused by an accident; this can seriously affect their social and individual life.

Objectives: This study was designed to examine the prevalence of depression among primary school children in Mashhad. Method: For this study 2071 four and five grade (10-12 years old) children (1049 boys, 1022 girls) were selected through random cluster sampling from all the seven educational districts in Mashhad; they were assessed in 1999–2000 using the Children Depression Inventory (CDI). The data were analyzed and further interpreted through application of non- parametric tests and statistical methods, Kolmogorov- Smirnov, Mann-Whitney, Wilcoxon and Kruskal-Walis, and linear correlation coefficients. Findings: The study demonstrated that the frequency of depression with a cut off point 20 in this city was 10.3%; depression was more prevalent among girls than boys (girls 13.1%, boys 7.6%). Moreover, the following variables were shown to effect childhood depression: divorce, changing neighborhood, changing school, family’s socio-economic status, number of family members, traces of neuropsychiatric disorders in the family, and death of relatives. Results: The results indicate that children must be considered as a target group in future prevention plans. Moreover, utilizing screening tests to identify depression in children will help the health authorities to take secondary preventive measures more effectively.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of life between blind students and their sighted counterparts in Tehran. Method: The subjects of this study were 93 blind students (18 girls and 75 boys) aged 15 and over, residing in Tehran and studying at Tehran schools for exceptional children. The comparison group was selected through a multi-stage random sampling from among students attending ordinary schools in Tehran. The number of girls was three times and the number of boys was two times that of their respective gender counter parts in the study group. Data was collected through the Quality of Life Questionnaire and an investigation of the subjects’ visual acuity. A pilot study was carried out to eliminate some of the inefficiencies, and to increase both the reliability (Cronbach Alpha estimation) and the structural validity (through factor analysis). Findings: Analysis of the data demonstrated no significant difference in terms of quality of life between the two groups. However a significant difference was noticed in the mobility domain (as a subset). A significant relationship was also noticed between quality of life and visual acuity in blind students. The level of education was significantly higher among the parents of sighted students. To increase the quality of life for the blind students, the followings were suggested by the Results: provision of group and individual means of transportation for the blinds, prevention of the development of visual disability, and complete correction of low vision through the use of modern appropriate vision aids.

Objectives: In order to prepare, modify and standardize the Revised Wechsler Memory Scale, a pilot study was carried out in the city of Shiraz, after which the Farsi version of the Scale was produced. This study led to assessment of reliability as well as validity, generation of the sub-scales, and formulation of a set of standardized normative scores for the Scale. Method: 205 normal subjects aged 16 to 64 years and 11 mouths were classified into four age groups and tested by the Scale. Findings: The data collected through the performance of the subjects was converted into five composite scores, standard scores, and five composite indices for each age group. Moreover, the percentile ranks corresponding to the five composite scores were calculated for each age group. The reliability of the scale was measured through a test-retest method. The reliability coefficients of the retests ranged from 0.28 to 0.98 for the subtests and the composite tests, which is satisfactory. The standard error of measurement was calculated as well. The most reliable index was Attention/Concentration; after that came Verbal Memory. To investigate validity of the new version of Scale, it was administered to a clinical group who were either diagnosed with or suspected of memory impairment. In comparison with the normative sample in terms of five indices, the clinical group scored lower in the scale indices.

Objectives: The present research is a qualitative study of the behavioral disorders of slow-learning female school children. Method: 24 students were assessed through a Rutter Behavioral Questionnaire (Teacher’s From). They suffered from behavioral disorders and had been referred to occupational therapy clinic by their teachers. They were 6-8 years old. On the basis of the Questionnaire, 18 were diagnosed with behavioral disorders. Thus group sessions were held with their families and teachers. Furthermore, the children’s behaviors were also observed in their educational environment. Findings: The findings indicated that the most common behavioral problems among the slow-learning students were dependence on mother for homework and habitual behaviors (e.g. nail biting, lip sucking, pencil biting etc). Moreover, different forms of maladaptive behaviors were noticed in those children; these behaviors were geared toward reducing anxiety stemming from failure in obtaining both scores of 20 (A+) and educational advancements. Results: The common behavioral disorders which are accompanied by slow-learning can be easily identified and treated through consulting parents and teachers.

Objectives: The study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of Dela Cato method in the treatment of hyperactive 7-12 years old boys. Method: 60 out of 120 boys admitted to psychiatrists’ offices and the Children Clinic of Roozbeh Hospital were randomly selected. These subjects had a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) on the basis of DSM-IV criteria and Conners Parents and Teachers Scale. In the pre- treatment phase, the Conners Parents and Teachers Scale was administered to all the children. The experimental group was treated with Dela Cato neuropsychological method. Findings: After the treatment phase, which took four months, the Conners Scale was once again administered to both groups. The data was analysed through central indices.A t-test compared the means between the correlated groups. The results demonstrated a significant difference between the behavior of ADHD children and that of the control group.

Objectives: The present study, an ex post facto design was carried out to compare the degree of stress, coping strategies, and the state of mental health in fertile individuals with those in infertile individuals. Method: Two groups of subjects were compared with one another, each consisted of 20 males and 20 females; the first group was consisted of infertile and the other one of fertile individuals. The infertile subjects were randomly selected from the cases admitted to Rooyan Infertility Clinic. Both groups were matched in terms of variables such as sex, age, education, and length of marriage. Findings: the study demonstrated that the infertile group experienced greater stress and lower mental health. Moreover infertile males experienced less stress and better mental health as compared to infertile females. The infertile subjects who tended to adopt less useful coping strategies, possessed lower mental health, but showed no significant difference in adopting problem-centred and emotion-centred coping strategies. Moreover, the adoption of less useful coping strategies was significantly greater among infertile females than infertile males.