Iranian Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Psychology
Year:2014 | Volume:20 | Issue:3 |Papers Count:13

Objectives: The present study was conducted to determine national priorities of mental health and funded by Iranian Mental Health Research Network. The most important advantage of priority setting is effective investment and budgeting on mental health problems. Exact prioritizing increases cost-effectiveness of interventions and prevents waste of national resources. Method: Researchers from various related disciplines, health care program planners and authorities, executive managers and service providers participated in this study. In the first stage, a comprehensive list of mental health topics was prepared and classified by reviewing the literature and brain storming. In the second stage, the criteria for priority setting of topics under each field and their impacts were determined. In the third stage, using nominal group technique (NGT), 50 topics were screened and 25 topics were selected. These 25 topics were classified to smaller subjects and then expert (s) in each subject reviewed the national and international evidence of relevance and importance of each subject. Using available evidence, and by nominal group technique, priority of subjects in each field was set based on the prioritizing criteria.Results: Finally, 25 subjects were chosen. The top 10 subjects as the national mental health priorities were: three subjects from psychiatric disorders including substance dependence, depression and suicide; two subjects from mental health problems and determinants including domestic abuse and aggressive behaviors, stress and disasters; three subjects from mental health & substance use services, systems and policies including integration of mental health in primary health care, urban mental health and emergency services; and two subjects from specific populations including children and adolescents, and vulnerable women.Conclusion: The document on national priorities in mental health confirmed by main authorities in the field would, as much as possible, support and promote mental health policies and programs in the country towards the determined priorities.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the frequency of child abuse and its related risk factors in clients referred to urban healthcare centers in Bandar-Abbas, Iran. Method: The study was conducted in healthcare centers and urban bases of Bandar-Abbas. The centers’ staffs in this stage of the project identified the cases of child abuse. All the staffs participated in the workshops to be familiar with various types of child abuse. The clients while referring for usual care were also investigated for child abuse and in case of any suspicious signs, they were registered in related forms. This study was the first stage of a research project aiming at studying the necessity to include child abuse issues in primary health care services and it contained identification of cases of child abuse at healthcare centers and its related risk factors.Results: Among the children referred to the healthcare centers, 110 cases of negligence and 19 cases of physical abuse were recognized. Hyperactivity and anxiety were child-related risk factors of abuse and negligence. Illiteracy and depression of mothers, and illiteracy, addiction and unemployment of fathers were other risk factors. The rate of negligence was more in girls, children under two years and those with young fathers, and the rate of physical abuse was higher among boys and children over four years and was less in children having mothers with university degrees and those with young fathers.Conclusion: Child abuse is due to different factors relevant to child and parents. Identification of these risk factors is helpful in planning proper interventions to reduce child abuse. Having monthly and regular reference of families, healthcare centers are suitable places for identification of child abuse cases.

Objectives: The aim of present research was to compare the attachment dimensions, emotion regulation, and coping strategies between the runaway girls and the control group. Method: The study sample consisted of 90 persons (45 runaway girls and 45 control probands) selected using convenience sampling. Participants completed the Inventory of Parents and Peer Attachment (IPPA), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Adolescents Coping Scale (ACS). The data were analyzed through the independent t-test and Pearson correlation.Results: The runaway girls significantly were different from the control group in the attachment dimensions and emotion regulation (p<0.01). In addition, there was significant difference between the two groups in coping strategies, subscales of the efficient problem solving and non-productive coping (p<0.01).Conclusion: The results emphasized on the importance of attachment dimensions, emotion regulation, and coping strategies in the phenomenon of girls running away from home.

Objectives: The present research was conducted to study the effect of sandplay therapy on social cognition development of educable mentally retarded children. Method: The present study was a pretest-posttest with control group. To measure the dependent variable social cognition, Kay Cognitive Diagnostic Test (KCDT) was used in both pretest and posttest sections. The sample was selected randomly in which included 16 people in experimental group (8 girls and 8 boys) and 16 in control group (8 girls and 8 boys). Then during 12 sessions sandplay therapy employed on experimental group and finally the posttest was administered to both experimental and control groups. The data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance.Results: The mean score of cognition development in experimental group was 1.07 and in control group it increased 0.06. There was a difference between the posttest mean scores of experimental and control groups in social cognition development (p<0.001).Conclusion: Sandplay therapy can increase social cognition development of educable mentally retarded children.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to investigate the predictive role of emotional dysregulation, metacognitive beliefs, intolerance of uncertainty and experiential avoidance in repetitive negative thinking. Method: In current correlational study, 510 students of Tehran University completed Repetitive Negative Thought Questionnaire (RNTQ), Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Metacognitive Questionnaire (MCQ), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), and Multidimensional Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (MEAQ). The data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and multiple regression.Results: All study variables were correlated with the repetitive negative thought (p<0.001). The multiple regression analysis indicated that the predictive model for repetitive negative thinking respectively consisted of emotional dysregulation, experiential avoidance, metacognitive beliefs and intolerance uncertainty. These variables account for %78 of the repetitive negative thinking variance.Conclusion: The repetitive negative thinking is a metacognitive multifaceted construct with cognitive, behavioral, emotional and metacognitive mechanisms.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to assess the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Conners’ Adult Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Screening Scale (screening form-self reporting). Method: The Persian version of the scale was produced through translation to Persian, back-translation and confirming the accuracy of translation. The face and content validities of translated scale were checked by four child and adolescent psychiatrists. Afterwards, 100 parents of children with ADHD were chosen using convenience sampling method. Interview with these people was performed by a child and adolescent psychiatrist. The results of interviews for detecting affection with adult’s ADHD based on Utah criteria were compared with the results of Persian version of the Conners’ Adult ADHD Screening Scale, and criterion validity was calculated. For assessment of the test-retest reliability, 30 individuals from the participants completed the scale once more after three weeks. The data were analyzed using Pearson’s and Spearman’s correlation coefficients.Results: The mean age of the studied population was 36 (SD=5) of whom 67% were women. Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) for all subscales was higher than 0.7. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for all subscales was also higher than 0.8. The Pearson’s correlation matrix of subscales was significant (p<0.01). Also, correlation matrix of items was suitable to each other. Based on the psychiatrists’ clinical interview, 27 parents were diagnosed as having adult ADHD. In assessment of criterion validity, sensitivity and specificity of cut-off point (t score=65) were 59% and 92%, respectively, and for cut-off point of 55, sensitivity and specificity were 89% and 68%, respectively.Conclusion: By changing cut-off point from 65 to 55, the validity and reliability of the Conners’ Adult ADHD Screening Scale (screening form-self reporting) become partially suitable for Iranian population, nonetheless, its specificity criterion is not suitable.

Objectives: The aim of the present study was to determine the reliability and validity of the Persian version of Sexual Self-Esteem Index for Woman-Short Form (SSEI-W-SF). Method: Through convenient sampling method, 510 married women from public places in Mashhad, Iran were selected and investigated using Persian version of SSEI-W-SF, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale 21-item (DASS-21), Revised Moosher Guilt Inventory (RMGI), Revised Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (RCSEI), and Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI). Factor structure of the index was investigated using principal component method, and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient of the Persian version of SSEI-W-SF, and Pearson’s correlation coefficients between scores of the mentioned instruments were calculated.Results: Internal consistency of items for all the sample was 0.88. The correlation coefficients between each items of the scale and the total scale score varied from 0.54 to 0.72 (in all cases: p<0.001). Through exploratory factor analysis, five factors of experience and skill, control, attractiveness, moral judgment and adaptiveness were determined which account for 50.37 percent of total variance. The test-retest reliability coefficient for the whole scale was 0.91 and for its five subscales ranged from 0.82 to 0.94. There were also significant correlations between SSEI-W-SF and RCSEI (r=0.31, p<0.05) and FSFI (r=0.31, p<0.05) that shows convergent validity of the scale. Divergent validity of the sale was confirmed by observing negative correlation between Depression subscale of DASS-21 and SSEI-W-SF (r=-0.29, p<0.05).Conclusion: Considering the satisfactory reliability and validity, SSEI-W-SF can be utilized in clinical and research practices.

Objectives: The purpose of the current study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the short form Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS-10) in college students. Method: This is a descriptive cross-sectional study. The study statistical population consisted of students of Tehran University of Medical Sciences and the place of research was schools (faculties) of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Four hundred students (234 women; 166 men; with mean (±SD) age of 22.18±4.06 years) were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling. The assessment measures were Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21), Dysfunctional Beliefs and Attitudes about Sleep Scale (DBAS-10), and Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Cronbach’s alpha and test-retest method were used to determine reliability of the scale. The scale’s construct validity was assessed by exploratory factor analysis.Results: Statistical findings showed that the DBAS-10 internal consistency (Cronbach’s α=0.84) and test-retest reliability (r=0.83) are reasonable. The DBAS-10 total scores were significantly correlated with PSQI (r=0.45) and DASS-21 subscales of depression (r=0.25), anxiety (r=0.35), and stress (r=0.25). Factor analysis identified two significant subscales for DBAS-10.Conclusion: The DBAS-10 has an appropriate validity and reliability in college students.