Journal of Child Mental Health
Year:2022 | Volume: | Issue: |Papers Count:10

Background and Purpose: Internet dependency has dangerous consequences and is increasing at an alarming rate throughout the world, especially in children and adolescents. The current research has aimed at investigating the effectiveness of emotion regulation skills training on academic procrastination and cognitive flexibility among students with internet addiction. Method: This was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all students with internet addiction in the 1st grade of secondary school in region 2 Rasht in the academic year of 2019-2020. A total of 36 individuals were selected by available sampling methods and were randomly assigned to the experimental and control groups (18 individuals in each group). To collect data, the internet addiction test (Young, 1998), the academic procrastination scale (Solomon and Ruthblum, 1984), and the cognitive flexibility inventory (Dennis and Vander Wal, 2010) were used. Emotion regulation training was conducted during 12 sessions in experimental group while the control group did not receive any training. The data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance and SPSS-23 software. Results: The results showed that mean scores of academic procrastination and cognitive flexibility, after emotion regulation training, were significantly different in experimental and control groups (P<0/01). In other words, emotion regulation training increases the mean score of cognitive flexibility and decreases the mean score of academic procrastination in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study, emotion regulation skills training can be used as an effective intervention on the academic procrastination and cognitive flexibility among Students with internet addiction.

Background and Purpose: Attention span, as the most important cognitive function that plays a decisive role in learning, memory and perception, is impaired in children with intellectual disabilities. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of problem-solving training on the attention span of students with Down syndrome. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest-follow-up and a control group design. The statistical population included all students with Down syndrome in Kermanshah in the academic year 2021-2022,30 people were selected by the purposive sampling method and were randomly assigned to the experimental group (n=15) and the control group (n=15). The problemsolving training program was presented to the experimental group during 15 one-hour sessions once a week for 15 weeks. The data collection tool was the Rosvold, s continuous performance test. Data were analyzed using mixed repeated measures in the SPSS-24 software. Results: Analysis of the data revealed a significant difference between the pre-and post-test scores on the attention domain subscales (P ≥,0. 05), but no significant difference between the posttestfollow-up scores (P>0. 05). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that problem-solving education improves the attention of students with Down syndrome,therefore, it is crucial to use this method as an effective cognitive program when educating children with Down syndrome. The implications of the results are discussed in this article.

Background and Purpose: Due to the evolution of the brain during adolescence, adolescents are more likely to experience emotional reactivity and make incorrect decisions,in addition, this period is also considered the peak period for mental illness. Consequently, the present study aimed to explain the causal relationship between cognitive flexibility and borderline personality disorder traits in adolescents: the role of problem solving styles in mediating these relationships. Method: The present research method was practical in terms of purpose and descriptive correlative in terms of the data collection method, which involved the use of structural equation modeling. Approximately 352 teenagers were selected by the available sampling method from the statistical population of the study which consisted of all teenagers studying in the 5th education region of Tehran in 2018-2019. In addition, they completed the borderline personality inventory (Leichsenring, 1999), the cognitive flexibility inventory (Dennis and Vander wal, 2010), and the problem-solving styles questionnaire (Cassidy and Long, 1996). The data were analyzed using the correlation research method and structural equation model method using the SPSS 26 and AMOS 24 software packages. Results: The results showed the total path coefficient between cognitive flexibility and borderline personality disorder traits (β,=-0. 263, P < 0. 01) and the path coefficient between adaptive problemsolving styles and borderline personality disorder traits (β,=-0. 406, P < 0. 01) were negative, and the path coefficient between maladaptive problem-solving styles and borderline personality disorder traits was positive (β,= 0. 275, P < 0. 01). Additionally, the findings indicated that cognitive flexibility indirectly affected borderline personality disorder traits through problem-solving styles (P<0. 01).

Background and Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder is a neuropsychological disorder that causes difficulties in social and intellectual functioning. In order to design an effective intervention program based on functional communication training in the social and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder, the current study was done. Method: In terms of purpose, this research was pragmatic, and its method of data collection was semi-experimental, with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up plan for the control group. In 2018, the statistical population consisted of all children with autism spectrum disorder level 1 between the ages of 4 and 8 in Tehran, as well as their parents. Thirty children with autism spectrum disorder, level 1, were selected on purpose using different criteria from the Padideh Clinic and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received fifteen sessions of the intervention program, while the control group received the standard programs of the rehabilitation center. The Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (James and Gilliam, 2003), the Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (ASSQ,Ehler and Gilberg, 1993), and the Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC,Rimland and Edelson, 1999) were utilized to collect data. The data were then analyzed using SPSS 26's multivariate covariance analysis and a t-test correlated with a modified alpha. Results: The intervention program based on functional communication training significantly improved the social and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder (P<0. 01). The effect size was for the social skills (0. 87 points) and communication skills (0. 92 points) components. In addition, the findings of the paired sample t-test indicated that the effect of the functional communication training program on the social and communication skills components throughout the follow-up phase was successful and consistent. Conclusion: According to the research findings, it can be concluded that training can improve the social and communication skills of autistic children, and that a treatment program based on functional communication training can be utilized as an effective intervention to develop these skills.

Background and Purpose: Few studies have examined the role of mindfulness in well-being in children. Given that individual differences can play an important role in the acceptance and effectiveness of mindfulness training, understanding the role of Big Five personality traits in responding to mindfulness interventions seems necessary. Therefore, the aim of this study is to investigate the effect of MindUp curriculum on well-being and Big Five personality traits, based on Maloney et al. (2016) theory of change, Method: This study employed an experimental approach with a pre-test and post-test design and a control group. The study population included all elementary school girl students in grades 3-5 in Kerman in 2020-2021. Randomly, 35 individuals were assigned to the intervention group and 35 individuals were assigned to the control group. They answered Health-related Quality of Life Index (KIDSCREEN-10) (Erhart et al., 2009) and Big Five Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents (BFQ-C) (Markos & Kokkinos, 2017). The MindUp curriculum was then presented in 15 sessions over the course of six months to the experimental group, while the control group did not receive any training. The final data analysis was performed by MANCOVA using SPSS with 66 participants. Results: According to the findings, there is a difference in the mean of well-being, agreeableness, and extraversion variables in the experimental and control groups, and the MindUP curriculum improved students' well-being, agreeableness, and extraversion in the intervention group (p≤, 0/05). Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrated the need for MindUp curriculum to emphasize well-being enhancement. T In addition, students who receive mindfulness training based on their personality traits, particularly agreeableness and extraversion, can expect more significant outcomes.

Background and Purpose: As we move forward, the importance of adolescent student creativity becomes more apparent, yet creativity has received less attention among students. The aim of this study was to present a model of creativity based on psychological well-being mediated by the role of self-efficacy in students. Method: In terms of purpose, this study was basic research that was conducted using the descriptivecorrelative method and structural model analysis (SEM). The statistical population included all high school students studying in 2018–, 2019 in Abbas Abad, a city located in Mazandaran Province. In this regard, a sample of 314 people (269 girls and 45 boys) participated in the study using the available sampling method. Data were collected using the Creativity Questionnaire (Abedi, 1992), the Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB) (Riff, 2002), and the Sherer's Genenal Self-Efficacy Scale (SGSES,1982). Data analysis was conducted using SPSS and Lisrel software. Results: The results of the research showed that the direct effect of psychological well-being on creativity is 0. 31 (P = 0/002), self-efficacy on creativity is 0. 37 (0/001), and psychological well-being on self-efficacy is 0. 79 (P = 0/002). Also, the indirect effect of psychological well-being on creativity mediated by self-efficacy was 0. 11 (T = 3/32). Therefore, according to the results, the present model had a good fit and was approved. Conclusion: The present results provide valuable insights for researchers and educators on issues related to creativity for students, and the importance of self-efficacy in relation to students' creativity and psychological well-being has been supported.

Background and Purpose: Modifying the child's attachment style is one of the ways to reduce the damage caused by disorders and negative emotions. Accordingly, the present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of the mother-child interaction instructional program based on the secure attachment style on the attachment components of elementary school students with anxiety disorders. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-posttest and follow-up with the control group. The population consisted of female elementary school students with anxiety disorders in district 3 of Tehran City, Iran. Using the purposeful sampling method, 30 mother-child pairs were chosen as a sample based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. They were randomly divided into experimental and control groups (n = 15 per group). In the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up stages, participants completed the Kinship Center Attachment Questionnaire (Kappenberg & Halpern, 2006). The mother-child interaction instructional program based on secure attachment style was conducted with the experimental group in twelve 60-minute sessions for mothers and eleven 30-minute sessions for mothers and children. At the end of the 12 sessions, both experimental and control groups were assessed by posttest and follow-up. Repeated measurement analysis of variance and the Bonferroni post hoc test were utilized to evaluate the obtained data. Results: The results indicated a significant difference in attachment component scores between the control and experimental groups at the posttest (p<0/05). Furthermore, the result of the Bonferroni post hoc test showed that the impact of the instructional program on attachment components was consistent until the follow-up (p<0/05). Conclusion: With regards to the present study`s findings, it can be concluded that the designed intervention program emphasizing secure attachment style led to the improvement of attachment style in primary school students with anxiety disorders.