Iranian Journal of Rehabilitation Research in Nursing
Year:2021 | Volume:7 | Issue:4|Papers Count:8

Introduction and Aim: Autism is a developmental disorder that is associated with impaired visual and auditory concentration, irritability, stereotyped and repetitive behaviors. Storytelling is a training method for conveying concepts and increasing concentration in children. In the present study, the effect of storytelling on visual and auditory concentration in children with autism was evaluated. Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 30 children with autism were randomly selected and randomly assigned to the intervention and control groups. Inclusion criteria were age 6-10 years, diagnosis of mild to moderate autism by a psychiatrist based on GARS criteria, absence of sensory disorders (blindness and deafness, physical-motor). Storytelling was performed in 10 sessions for the intervention group, but no intervention was performed for the control group. To collect the data, two tools were used: the Toulouse-Pié ron test and the Wepman's test, which were completed by children before and after the intervention. Results: The difference between the mean visual attention and concentration before and after the intervention in the intervention group was significant (p<0. 001) but this difference in the means for the control group measures was not significant (p=0. 597). The mean difference in auditory attention and concentration dimension before and after the intervention was significant in the intervention group (p<0. 001) but this mean difference was not significant in the control group (p=0. 379). Conclusions: The findings of the present study indicate the effectiveness of storytelling in increasing the visual and auditory attention and concentration of children with autism. Therefore, it is recommended that storytelling be considered for increasing attention and concentration.

Introduction and Aim: Having balance in daily activities is important and one of the ways to maintain and improve balance is to do sports exercises. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of yoga exercises with the ultimate fitness (UF) and Hatha Yoga approach on static balance in middle-aged women. Methods: The present study was quasi-experimental. The statistical population included middle-aged women who are active in sports clubs in Isfahan, Iran in 2019. 45 women were selected by purposive sampling and randomly divided into three groups of yoga with UF approach (n=15), Hatha Yoga (n=15), and control (n=15). The two exercise groups performed yoga exercises with UF and Hatha Yoga approaches for 8 weeks, two sessions of 60 minutes per week, and the control group did not receive any intervention. The stork-test and angel-test were used to measure static balance Results: After 8 weeks of yoga exercises with UF and Hatha Yoga approaches, static balance in middle-aged women had a significant improvement (P≥ 0. 05) compared to baseline values and this result was due to intergroup changes in stork-test (P=0. 009) and angel-test (P=0. 001). Also, the range of changes of all variables in exercise groups was significantly higher than in the control group (P≥ 0. 05). This has a significant difference between the UF approach group with control in stork test (P = 0. 007) and the Hatha Yoga group with control in angel test (P=0. 04) Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, yoga exercises with the UF approach and Hatha Yoga can be used as a non-pharmacological method in rehabilitation, maintenance, and improvement of balance in middle-aged women.

Introduction and Aim: Breast cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women and patients have problems with subjective well-being, emotional regulation, and body image. There is little research on the effectiveness of psychodrama, the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of psychodrama on body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being in women with breast cancer. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up study with a control group. The study population was women with breast cancer who were referred to Shohada Tajrish Hospital in Tehran, Iran in 2019. Thirty women were selected by the available sampling method and were divided into two equal groups of test and control (n=15 in each group) by simple random method. The experimental group was trained in 10 sessions of 90 minutes by psychodrama and the control group was placed on a waiting list for training. Data were collected using body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being questionnaires. Results: The experimental and control groups were matched in terms of age, education, marriage, and the number of children (P>0. 05). Also, there was no significant difference between the groups in the pre-test phase in terms of body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being (P>0. 05), but in the post-test and follow-up phases, a significant difference was recorded in terms of all three variables (P<0. 001). In addition, psychodrama improved body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being in women with breast cancer, and this improvement was maintained in the follow-up phase (P<0. 001). Conclusions: The findings showed the effectiveness of psychodrama on improving body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being and continuing its effectiveness. Therefore, therapists and health professionals can use the psychodrama method along with other treatment methods to improve the characteristics of breast cancer patients, especially improving body image, emotional regulation, and subjective well-being.

Introduction and Aim: A disabled child causes many psychological problems for family members, especially the mother. Considering the importance of maternal mental health in the family and society, the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of family resilience training on the psychological hardiness of mothers of children with physical disabilities. Methods: The research design was quasi-experimental, pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population included all mothers of disabled children living in Khorramabad, Iran in 2019. The sample size was 30 mothers who were selected by available sampling method from those who wanted to participate in family resilience training sessions. Participants were then randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control (n=15 in each group). All subjects in the intervention and control groups completed the psychological hardiness questionnaire as a pre-test under the same conditions. The intervention group received family resilience training for 9 sessions, but the control group did not receive any training. After that, both groups participated in the post-test. Results: Family resilience training was significantly effective on psychological hardiness of mothers of disabled children and in the intervention group, showed a significant increase in this variable (p<0. 01). Conclusions: In general, the findings of the study showed that family resilience training is an appropriate intervention to improve psychological hardiness in mothers of disabled children and should be used in rehabilitation clinics and family training centers.

Introduction and Aim: Low back pain has attracted clinical attention due to its high prevalence. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the effect of rehabilitation with a medicine ball on ground reaction force components in low back pain patients during walking. Methods: The statistical population included patients with low back pain aged 20-30 years in Ardabil city, Iran in 2019. Twenty men with low back pain were randomly divided into two groups of exercise (age: 25. 8± 2. 9 years; weight: 79. 0± 3. 1 kg; height: 176. 6± 7. 1 cm) and control (age: 25. 4± 2. 5 years; weight: 79. 4± 3. 6 kg; height: 176. 3± 7. 4 cm). The exercise group performed 12 sessions of core muscle strengthening exercise with a Beta medicine ball. Ground reaction force components were recorded during the pre-and post-test by Bertec force plates. Results: Pain index in the exercise group decreased significantly during the post-test compared to the pre-test (P=0. 044). Also, the interactive effect of time and group on the peak values of ground reaction force in the internal direction during the pushing phase was significant (P=0. 045). Pair comparison showed that the values of this component in the exercise group increased significantly during the post-test compared to the pre-test. The values of ground reaction force components did not change in the control group (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Core muscle strengthening exercise can be useful in improving kinetic variables and pain index in patients with low back pain. However, further proof of this requires further research in this area.

Introduction and Aim: The most common eating disorder is overeating which is seen in obese or overweight people. Overweight people have problems with eating habits and mental health, and there is little evidence of the effectiveness of neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) interventions in improving health-related outcomes. Therefore, the present study was conducted to determine the effectiveness of the NLP method on eating attitude and mental health of overweight people. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was a pre-test, post-test, and 3-month follow-up with a control group. The study population was overweight people referred to nutrition clinics and health centres in Dehdasht, Iran in 2019. Based on inclusion criteria, 24 people were selected by the purposive sampling method and randomly allocated into two equal groups. The experimental group received 10 two-hour sessions for five weeks of NLP training and the control group did not receive training. Data were collected using the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Results: There was no significant difference between experimental and control groups in terms of gender, marriage, education, and employment (P>0. 05). In addition, there was no significant difference between the groups in the pre-test stage in terms of eating attitude and mental health (P>0. 05), but in the post-test and follow-up phases, a significant difference was recorded in terms of both variables (P<0. 05). Also, the NLP method compared to the control group improved the eating attitude and mental health of overweight people and the results were maintained in the follow-up phase (P<0. 05). Conclusion: According to the current findings, planning to use the NLP method along with other training methods is necessary to improve psychological characteristics. As a result, health professionals and therapists can use the NLP method to improve eating habits and the mental health of overweight people.

Introduction and Aim: Genu varus is one of the most common lower extremity complications that affect the performance of people during daily activities and exercise. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of using knee braces on the ground reaction forces in people with genu varus during walking. Methods: The present study was a clinical trial. Thirty male students with genu varus (20-30 years old) were randomly divided into control and intervention groups. The intervention group used knee braces for 8 weeks during their daily activities. The control group did not receive any intervention. Ground reaction force data were recorded by a force plate system during walking. Results: After 8 weeks, the peak of ground reaction force in the lateral direction during the post-test increased significantly compared to the pre-test (P=0. 003). Also, after 8 weeks, the peak of the ground reaction force in the anterior direction during the post-test was significantly increased compared to the pre-test (P=0. 015). Conclusion: In general, braces increased the lateral peak values of the ground reaction force, which can lead to increased foot pronation and thus increase the likelihood of long-term injury.

Introduction and Aim: Neck pain is one of the main musculoskeletal disorders in adults and is the fourth leading cause of disability in the world. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of sensorimotor training on proprioception, posture and pain in female patients with chronic non-specific neck pain. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and a control group. Thirty women with chronic nonspecific neck pain were selected by purposive sampling method and randomly divided into experimental and control groups of 15 patients. The subjects in the experimental group participated in a sensorimotor training program (three days a week for 8 weeks), while the subjects in the control group did not participate in any exercise program. Pain, proprioception and forward head posture angle with Visual Analogue Scale (validity 0. 94 and reliability 0. 97), craniocervical joint position error test (validity and reliability; 0. 85%), Craniovertebral Angle (Validity and reliability; 0. 88%) were measured before and after 8 weeks of sensorimotor training. Results: The groups in the pre-test phase were match in terms of pain, proprioception and forward head angle (P<0. 05); but in the post-test phase, significant differences was recorded (P<0. 001). After 8 weeks of sensorimotor training, the experimental group showed a significant improvement in pain, proprioception and forward head angle compared to the control group. Conclusion: The findings showed the effectiveness of sensorimotor training program on pain, proprioception and forward head angle. Sensorimotor exercises significantly reduced pain, proprioception and forward head angle improvement in patients with chronic nonspecific neck pain. As a result, it seems that these exercises can be used as a comprehensive treatment protocol to improve various disorders in these patients.