Research in Cognitive and Behavioral Sciences
Year:2014 | Volume:3 | Issue:2 (5)|Papers Count:7

Assessment of validity of the Draw A Story test was the aim of this study. The sample consisted of 137 elementary students (53 girls and 84 boys) recruited from fourth and fifth grades, and were categorized into two groups of aggressive and withdrawn based on assessments. They were given the Draw A Story test (DAS). According to the results, the differences between the two groups were significant for self image (p<.04) and non significant for the emotional content of DAS. The aggressive group showed stronger self image in comparison to the other group.Aggressive boys showed a stronger self image while the withdrawn children showed a weaker self image (p<.04). Aggressive and withdrawn girls had higher mean scores in the emotional content than boys, whereas the aggressive boys showed a weaker emotional content (p<.02).The range of positive to negative response frequencies were significantly different for both groups and both groups had the highest response frequency in emotional content in the range of moderately negative. The range of self image response frequencies in the aggressive group was significantly different and positive response had the highest frequency. The range of self image response frequencies in the withdrawn children was significantly different, and the unpleasant and negative responses had the highest frequency. Content analysis of the aggressive stories showed a high engagement ratio of aggression components with the highest frequency of murdering and killing imageries, while in the withdrawn children content analysis indicated the high engagement ratio with the highest frequency of components such as loneliness, fear and anxiety. These results indicate that Draw a Story Test is a valid instrument for discriminating aggressive and withdrawn children from normal subjects.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between coping styles and adolescents' depression. Participants were 341 high school students (170 boys & 171 girls) in Lordegan city who were randomly selected. All participants were asked to complete the Frydenberg & Lewis Adolescent Coping Scale, Beck Depression Scale, and the demographic researcher made questionnaire. The results showed that girls' mean depression scores was higher than that of boys. Problem focused and emotion focused coping styles were negatively correlated to depression (p<0.001). The correlation between boys’ non productive coping styles and their depression was not significant. The results of the study revealed that problem focused coping style and emotion focused coping style, but not non productive coping style predicted depression. These results suggest that using problem focused coping style and emotion focused coping style is associated with decrease in adolescents' depression.

Marital stress is an important issue associated with incidence and maintenance of coronary heart disease and adverse consequences of this disease. This research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group contracting and behavioral activation therapy with and without family support on marital stress in coronary heart disease patients (CHD). In the Quasi-experimental design, fifty nine married male coronary heart patients were selected and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. Participants completed Stockholm-Tehran Marital Stress Scale (STMSS), Social Support Questionnaire and a demographic questionnaire as the pretest, posttest and follow up. The treatment groups only received therapeutic intervention in 7 sessions (once weekly) and 6 month later were followed up. The results showed that there were statistically significant differences in marital stress among contracting and behavioral activation therapy group, contracting and behavioral activation therapy group with family support, and the control group (P<0.001). It was concluded that clinicians can use this therapy for the reduction of marital stress in patients with coronary heart disease as a means of quality of life promotion and recovery from the disease.

The purpose of this research was to determine validity, reliability and factor structure of Coping Preference Enquiry. Therefore a group of 240 University of Isfahan students (168 females and 72 males) were randomly selected as the statistical sample. The instrument of the research was Carver, Scheier and Weinterub's Coping Preference Enquiry. To assess reliability, Chronbach's alpha was computed, and to assess construct validity, exploratory factor analysis and the item total correlation within each subscale was calculated. Using varimax rotation five factors were obtained which were named: 1) cognitive- approach coping 2) behavioral- approach coping 3) emotional- approach coping 4) cognitive- avoidance coping 5) behavioral- avoidance coping.Overall, the results showed the above validity and reliability in the population of the students of Isfahan University.

The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of meta-cognitive beliefs with social anxiety symptoms in non-clinical population. The sample consisted of 300 (166 females and 134 males) Ilam University students who selected by cluster sampling method. The participants completed the Meta-Cognations Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) and Social Phobia Inventory (SPIN). The results showed that meta-cognitive beliefs were positively correlated with social anxiety symptoms (P<0.05). Also, the results of regression analysis of MCQ-30 subscales showed that uncontrollability danger and cognitive self– consciousness are predictors of avoidance, negative beliefs about uncontrollability of thought and danger are predictors of fear, negative beliefs about uncontrollability of thought and danger and positive beliefs about worry and cognitive security are predictors of physiological arousal. These were the significant predictors of social anxiety symptoms (P≤0.05). Results of this study support the metacognitive Wells and Matthew’s model of social anxiety and indicate that meta-cognitive beliefs have an important role in social anxiety symptoms. Therefore, the modification of metacognitive beliefs with regard to the importance of their role in avoidance, fear and physiological arousal, can be a preventative factor in intensification and continuity of social anxiety symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of transactional analysis training on love styles of couples in Khoram- abad. It was a quasi-experimental design with pre and post-tests and a control group. The population was the couples who referred to counseling centers in Khoram- abad in 2008-2009. The sample consisted of 30 couples (60 persons) who were randomly selected and assigned to two experimental and control groups. The couples in the experimental group received transactional analysis training, and at the end, both groups took a post-test. Lee’s love styles questionnaire was used as the measuring instrument. The results of analysis of covariance showed that transactional analysis training significantly affected eros, storge, pragma, mania and agape love styles (p<0.05). However, it did not significantly affect ludus love style (p>0.05). Therefore, it can be concluded that transactional analysis training seems to be able to improve eros, storge, pragma, mania and agape love styles of the couples.

Worry is a popular phenomenon and a common feature of many disorders, especially anxiety disorders. The objective of the study was to predict worry by using three predictive factors related to biological, emotional and cognition areas. In this study, behavioral inhibition, behavioral activation system, difficulties in emotion regulation and metacognition were examined as predictive variables. In a correlation cross-sectional design, 234 Medical Group students [BA and MA] of Tehran University of Medical Sciences participated in this study by using cluster sampling. The students completed these scales: Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation Systems (BAS/BIS), Difficulty of Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30) and Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ).Behavioral inhibition system, difficulty of emotion regulation and metacognition variables were significantly positively correlated with worry (P<0.01). Behavioral activation system variable was not significantly associated with worry. Stepwise multiple regression analysis indicated a predictive model for worry in which behavioral inhibition system, difficulty of emotional regulation and metacognition were its components respectively. Behavioral activation system was not included in the model. The findings of this study that worry should be studied in different biological, emotional, and metacognitive aspects. The results also emphasize the role of behavioral inhibition system as a temperamental and biological factor in psychopathology of worry in adult population.