Journal of clinical psychology and counseling research
Year:2017 | Volume:6 | Issue:2|Papers Count:11

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of transactional analysis group therapy on decreasing aggression in addicted couples.Method: The design of this study was quasi experimental with a pretest–posttest control group design. The participants included 40 addicted couples from the camp of ' Life Expectancy' in Sabzevar. They were randomly assigned into two groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of transactional analysis group therapy while the control group was not offered any intervention. Before and after the intervention, aggression questionnaire was completed by the participants of the study.Findings: The results of ANCOVA revealed that, in the post-test, the experimental group's aggression decreased significantly in comparison with that of the control group. The findings also confirmed that transactional analysis group therapy can reduce aggression in addicted couples.

Purpose: To investigate the impact of existential group therapyon self-differentiation and communication patterns of engaged female students in the University of Kurdistan.Method: In the present study, a quasi-experimental design was used that incorporated pre-and post-tests as well as a control group. The participants were selected from all the engaged female students of Kurdistan University in the academic year of 2013-2014. Subsequently, the experimental group participated in 10 sessions of existential therapy while the control group received no intervention. The data were collected using aquettionaire-based survey. Then, SPSS 21 software was utilized to analyze the data through analysis of covariance (ANCOVA).Findings: In the post-test, compared with the control group, the experimental group showed a significant decrease in the variables of expecting/retiring communication pattern and emotional reactivity. Moreover, in the mutually constructive communication pattern, self-differentiation and I-position showed a significant increase as compared with those of the control group (p<0.05). It was concluded that existential group therapy can provide a good opportunity for members who are faced with gaps in communication. Furthermore, the effectiveness of this treatment will prevent problems in engaged female students' lives after going under the same roof.

Purpose: To investigate the effect of narrative therapy on shyness, depression and self-esteem of preschoolers in Ahwaz.Method: The participants of the study included 40 preschoolers (12 girls and 28 boys) from Ahvaz that were randomly selected through multistage sampling. The design of this study was quasi-experimental. The research instruments employed for data collection were Rafi's (1983) shyness questionnaire, Beck's (1971) children and adolescents depression scale-A (CDS-A), and Coppersmith's (1967) self-esteem questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and analysis of multivariate covariance (MANCOVA) were utilized for data analysis. The experimental group was provided with 12 sixty-minute sessions of narrative therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention.Findings: The results showed that narrative therapy has a positive effect on reducing shyness and depression in children. Furthermore, narrative therapy has a positive effect oneself-esteem and its subscales including the overall, social, family, and educational self in children.

Purpose: To investigate prediction of life expectancy of spouses based of meta-cognitive belief and cognitive fusion.Method: The study was based on a descriptive correlational method. Statistical population consisted of all spouses in Ardabil city in 2015.126 people (63 married Spouses) were selected as the statistical sample using the convenience sampling. Data were collected through Wells' metacognitive belief questionnaire (2004), Gillander's cognitive fusion questionnaire (2014), and Snyder's life expectancy questionnaire (1991). Research data were analyzed by Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression methods.Findings: The results showed that there is a significant negative relationship between meta-cognitive belief and cognitive fusion with life expectancy of spouses. Beta coefficients for predictor variables indicated that cognitive self-awareness -0/20, cognitive confidence -0.19, uncontrollability of worry -0.13, need to control thoughts -0.28, and cognitive fusion -0.17 have significantly predictive capability of life expectancy of spouses (p<0.05). Thus, it can be concluded that metacognitive belief and cognitive fusion are considered the predicting variables related to life expectancy.

Purpose: To investigate the effectiveness of a structured approach to group counseling on family function and marital satisfaction in married women.Method: The research design was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design. The population was the married women who had been referred to the Faculty of Education and Psychology' s clinic in Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, for marital and family problems. From among them, 20 married women were selected through convenience sampling. The marital satisfaction questionnaire and the family function scale were used for data collection. The experimental group participated in 8 two-hour-long sessions of group counseling, while the control group received no training. Then, the data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance.Findings: The results showed significant differences in favor of the experimental condition on family function and marital satisfaction as compared with the control group (p<0.05). The findings also suggested that a structured group counseling approach can improve family function and marital satisfaction in married women.

Purpose: To investigate the validity and reliability of Carlo Magno (2010) Academic Self-Regulation Learning scale (ASRL-S).Method: In this regard, 360 students including 252 girls and 108 boys were selected by stratified sampling method among students of the Faculty of Humanities of Islamic Azad University of Quchan. To assess the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach's alpha coefficient and to do so for its validity, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis were used.Findings: Just like Magno’s results (2010, 2011a, b), this study showed that the internal consistency Cronbach' s alpha coefficient for a total acceptable of 0.939 and its subscales between 0.718 and 0.874. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis also confirms that the structure of the questionnaire has a reasonably good value with the data and all good indicators of value confirm the model (RMR=0.03, RMSEA=0.047, GFI=0.927, AGFI=0.902). Thus the questionnaire can be a useful tool for assessment of students' selfregulation learning.

Purpose: To determine the effectiveness of cognitivebehavioral stress management on increasing the quality of life in breast cancer.Method: 40 patients with breast cancer were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned into the experimental and control groups. Based on a pretest-posttest control group design, subjects in the experimental group underwent 10 sessions of cognitive-behavioral stress management training. Both groups were evaluated using the quality of life questionnaire (SF-12) in the pre-test and post-test, and the data were analyzed utilizing MANCOVA.Findings: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the two groups in the pretest, while cognitive-behavioral stress management training, significantly (p<0.05) increased the components of quality of life scores in the experimental group in the posttest.

Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of Mindfulness Training on Happiness among High School Students.Method: This study used a quasi-experimental study (pretest-posttest design with a control group unequal). The study population included all high school boys of Sheshtamad during the academic year 1395- 1394. The sample consisted of 30 high school boys by multistage cluster sampling method who were to randomly divide into control and experimental groups. The instrument used in this study was Oxford Happiness Questionnaire was used in the pre- and post-test. Experimental group participated in 8 sessions of mindfulness training. The assumption was that mindfulness training may increase happiness among students.Findings: The results of ANCOVA, showed that mindfulness training may increase happiness among students (P<0.05). The differences between experimental and control groups or measure the impact of training courses (h2=0.23), ie 23% of the remaining variance by mindfulness.