KNOWLEDGE & RESEARCH IN APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY
Year:2015 | Volume:15 | Issue:4 (58)|Papers Count:15

The purpose of this study was to compare the codependency and marriage satisfaction in normal married women and on the verge of divorce women. The study employed a causal–comparative research. The ststisyical population were all normal married women and on the verge of divorce ones. Participants consisted of 50 couples on the verge of divorce, and 50 normal married women which were selected through available sampling. Research tools included Marital Satisfaction Questionaire (Enrich, 1989) and Codependency Questionnaire (Halivice, 2000). The results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that there are significant differences between the two groups on the external focus (P<0.01), reactivity (P<0.05), codependency (P<0.01), and marital satisfaction (P<0.01). the results indicated that the amount of codependency and its dimensions including external focus, reactivity, codependency and marital satisfaction of women on the verge of divorce are more than normal couples.

The aim of the present research was to study the empty nest syndrome among parents before and after their youth(s) left home. The study was a causal-comparative research. Statistical population was all the family in the city of Shiraz that at least one of their children, left home in the year 2012-2013. A sample of 75 urban families were selected by simple random sampling. (GHQ, Goldberg, 1972) For gathering the data, Loneliness Scale (UCLA, Russell, 1980) and General Health Questionnaire level of were used. The data were analyzed by dependent and independent t-test. Anxiety, depression and sense of loneliness were higher in both parents and anxiety, depression and sense of loneliness in mothers were higher compared to fathers and also parents with higher level of education had better psychological conditions and lower level of loneliness than parents with lower level of education after the youth(s) left home (P<0.05). In addition, positive relationship was observed between the number of child(ren) moving out from parent’s house and the level of experienced depression, anxiety and sense of loneliness in mothers (P<0.01).

The aim of the study was to investigate bilan de competences (identification of competencies) effectiveness on self-knowledge and social self-efficacy in personnel of Iran Khodro Company. This study was a semi-experimental research wich employed pretest and posttest with control group design. The research sample consisted of 62 workers of montage line, 32 individuals in experimental group and 30 individuals in control group from personnel of Iran Khodro factory that were selected by random sampling method. The research tools included Self-knowledge Scale (Gaudron, Bernaud & Lemoine, 2001), Social Self-efficacy Scale (Smith & Betz, 2000) and Bilan de Competences (France’s Labour Law, 1991). After administering both scales at the pretest stage, the intervention program was applied and following the program the same scales were applied again at the posttest stage. Data were analyzed by covariance analysis. The research results indicated that self-knowledge and it’s subscales as well as social self-efficacy had significant increases in the posttest (P<0.01). According to the results, despite socio-cultural and economic differences among countries bilan de competences is also effective in Iran. It is, therefore, recommended that organizations and industrial centers use this program to increase their personnel self-knowledge and social self-efficacy.

The aim of the present study was to predict students general health by body image, life stress and personality characteristics. The research employed a correlation study. 200 students were selected from different fields of Tabriz university through multistage random sampling. Scaling in Life Events (Paykel, et al, 1975), Multi-dimensional Inventory of body-self relation (Cash, 1994) personality Questionnaire (Eysenck, 1985) and General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg and Hillier. 1979) were used. Data analysed by Pearson correlation model and step by step regression analysis. The results showed that there is a significant correlation between psychological stresses and mental and general health in students, but there was no significant correlation between psychological stresses and body image, and three personality factors. Also, there was a significant negative correlation between general health and neuroticism and a significant positive correlation between general health and extraversion. Results of step by step regression analysis showed that only three variables of neuroticism, body image and psychological stress can predict students mental and physical health (P<0.001). Also, extraversion and psychosis didn’t predict students mental health.

The purpose of the present research was to study the effect of dimensions of job perfectionism on job satisfaction among teachers in Isfahan city. The research method was descriptive- correlation. The statistical population was all 2400 guidance teachers in the city. Through multistage random sampling, 331 teachers (183 women and 148 men were selected. Tools Research were, Multidimensional Job perfectionism Scale (Hewitt and Flett, 1988) and Job Descriptive Index (Smith et al. 1969). To analyze the data, pearson correlation coefficient and regression analysis were used. Results indicated that there was negative significant relationship between self-oriented perfectionism and job satisfaction (P<0.05). Also, the results of regression analysis showed that only self oriented perfectionism could predict job satisfaction (P>0.05).

Employee's creativity is one of the most important factors affecting employees' performance. The aim of the present research was to investigate the effect of three personal characteristics of. need for cognition, self-enhancement motive, and learning orientation on sale employees' creativity. The research employed a descriptive design. The research population consisted of Sale employees of food companies located in industrial areas of Mazandaran provine. The sample included all the population members (269 sale employees). To gather the data, Need for Cognition (Cacioppo et al., 1996), Self-Enhancement Motive (Yun et al., 2007), Learning Orientation (Elliot and Church, 1997) and Creativity (Zhou and George, 2001) questionnaires were used. Pearson correlation coefficient and path analysis were used for data analysis by using SPSS and LISREL softwares. Results of the study indicated the significant positive effect of need for cognition on creativity (P<0.01), learning orientation has on creativity (P<0.01), Based on the research and self-enhancement employees, creativity (P<0.01). Based on the results, it can be concluded that sale employees who have stronger need for cognition, learning orientation and self-enhancement motive are more creative than other sale employees.

The purpose of the present study was to compare the cognitive emotion regulation strategies and understanding emotions in obsessive compulsive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, and normal people. The research method was causal-comparative. The statistical population were all male and female patients with the disorders mentioned, in private psychiatric centers in Shiraz (2012 and 2013). 300 patients (100 patients in each disorder group) were selected through available sampling method. 100 people from those who accompanied patients considered as the normal participants. All participants completed the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Garnefski et al., 2001), the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (Bagby et al., 1994), and General Health Questionnaire (Goldberg & Hillier, 1979). The results of multivariate analysis of variance and Tukey post-hoc test showed that the three patient groups reported more maladaptive cognitive emotional regulation strategies, less adaptive strategies, and lower understanding of emotions than the normal group (P<0.001). There was a significant difference among the three patient groups in using adaptive strategies and low understanding of emotions (P<0.001). In general, cognitive emotion regulation strategies and understanding emotions appear differently in these disorders.

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of mothers' marital satisfaction on the prediction of self-concept and anxiety of female adolescents. The study was a descriptive and correlation research. The population of the study consisted of all female students in the third grade of guidance schools of Tehran in the academic year 2011-2012 (1390-91s.c.). 144 students of fourth education region in Tehran were selected through cluster random sampling. Research instruments included Cattell's Anxiety Questionnaire (1960), Carl Rogers’ Self-concept Questionnaire (1957) and short form of ENRICH Marital inventory (Olson, 1989).The data were analyzed by Pearson correlation and regression analysis. The results of the study indicated that mothers' marital satisfaction, communication, conflict resolution and idealistic distortion can predict anxiety in female adolescents (P<0.05). Also, mothers' marital satisfaction (P<0.01), communication (P<0.05), conflict resolution (P<0.05), and idealistic distortion (P<0.01) can predict self-concept in female adolescents. Moreover, subscales of Marital satisfaction can predict 25% of variation in anxiety and 33% of variation in self-concept of female adolescents (P<0.01). In sum, the results of the study indicate that mothers' marital satisfaction has a role in predicting anxiety and self-concept of female adolescents.

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the effect of induced stress on the number of students’ visual working memory mistakes for emotional & none motional stimuli. This experimental study used a post-test with control group design. 60 students were selected through available sampling and randomly assigned into experimental and control groups. Through Socially Evaluated Cold-Pressor Test, stress was induced and perceived stress was measured by using a scale consisted of 100 points and then the level of Physiological signs of participants were checked. Afterward, an n-back task (Kirchner, 1958) was used to evaluate the visual working memory. Finally, the participants’ mental attempts were evaluated by another scale (Zijlstra, 1993). Each participant, through a between groups design, completed different stages of the study. Mixed-model ANOVA and Paired t-test were used to analyze the data. According to the results, the number of omission errors in emotional stimuli were significantly more than none emotional stimuli, in which negative stimuli (P=0.01) were wrongly selected more than positive ones significantly (P=0.001). Also, males (M=10) made more omission mistakes than females (M=9.23). It seems that the function of visual working memory under stress is not as normal condition, especially for negative stimuli. Generally, by impairing the function of visual working memory, stress increases the rate of mistakes in remembering the presented stimulus.

The aim of the present study was to compare the brain- behavior systems, psychological hardiness and ambiguity tolerance in substance abusers and normal people. The study was a causal comparative research. Statistical population included all drug users in 2011 (1391s.c.) in the city of Urmia. 50 people were selected through cluster sampling from five drug rehabilitation centers in Urmia and 50 normal participants were matched with them. Data were collected with the Gray-Wilson Personality Questionnaire (GWPQ, 1989), Kubasa Personal Perspectives Survey Questionnaire (1970), and the Scale of Ambiguity Tolerance (Lin, 1993). Data were analyzed through multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA). Analysis of data showed that there were significant differences in brain behavioral systems, hardiness and ambiguity tolerance between substance abusers and normal group (P<0.001). Substance abusers, scores in the behavioral inhibition system subscale, hardiness and ambiguity tolerance, were lower than the normal group but their scores in behavioral approach system were higher than the normal group. Results indicated that some personality traits such as brain-behavior systems, hardiness and ambiguity tolerance may have an important role in tendency to substance abuse.

The aim of this study was to examine if perceived effects can predispose male adolescents to addiction. The population included addicted male adolescents in Tehran Reformatory and male high school students from District the two in Tehran in 2012. The sample was 33 of addicted male adolescents from Reformatory Who were selected via purposeful random sampling, and 33 students of male high school students which were chosen by cluster sampling. The research type was qualitative. Data were collected by an open-ended questionnaire, a semi-structured interview. Data were analyzed using content analysis. Descriptive statistical analyses and frequency tables were used. The Chi square test was used to examine the differences between groups. The addicted sample in the three factors of family, attachment and belief had more pathology than students. Chi square findings revealed a significant difference between the two groups regarding indices of their parents education, age, job, life status, number of siblings, conflict of parents, emotional deprivation, feelings of deprivation and failure, childhood deprivation, and attention to social and religious values (P<0.001). There was no a significant difference regarding the feeling of being inferior or worthless among family members (P>0.005). The findings have important implications concerning prevention and therapy for adolescents disposed to addiction.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effect of life skills training on social adjustment and academic performance of guidance- school female students in Yazd city. The statistical research used a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and control group. The population was all guidance school female students of Yazd city in 2011-2012 (1390-91s.c.) academic year. The research sample included thirty second- grade students who were selected through multistage random sampling who were then assigned randomly into two experimental and control groups: The instruments used were California Test of Personality (Thorpe, Clarck & Tiegs, 1953) and students’ grades in the first and second semester of 2011- 2012 academic year. The life skills training included 12 sessions, each 90 minutes, on a weekly basis for training group. The results of analysis of covariance indicated that life skills training is effective on social adjustment and academic performance of adolescent female students (P<0.001). Therefore, it is concluded that life skills training, as basic skills of mental health, can be an effective approach in increasing social adjustment and academic performance of adolescent female students.