Journal of Child Mental Health
Year:2024 | Volume:11 | Issue:2|Papers Count:6

Background and Purpose: Interactional patterns are conflicting in parent and child with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADH (,And there are few effective treatments for them. Therefore, this study aimed the effectiveness of child-based working memory educational program on the parent-child interaction of children with ADHD. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental, pre-test, post-test, follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all children 7 to 10 years with ADHD who referred to the Asal counseling center in Tehran in the second half of 2022. Among them, thirty children with ADHD were selected based on inclusion criteria and by purposive sampling method and randomly were placement into two groups (15 people). Child-based working memory educational program was performed simultaneously for each child and mother in 12 sessions of 45 minutes, and the control group was on the waiting list. The research instrument included Parent-Child Relationship Survey (Fine et al., 1983). The data were analyzed using repeated measure of covariance analysis in SPSS23 software. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the parent-child interaction in experimental and control groups,And child-based working memory educational program increased the parent-child interaction (F= 4. 40, P<0. 05) and the components of hate/loss of mother's role (F= 9. 61, P<0. 05), and communication (F= 4. 37, P<0. 05) of children with ADHD, and the effect of this therapeutic intervention was stable in the follow-up phase (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, the intervention program used emphasized on the decrease symptoms of the communication between parents and children, has improved the parent-child interaction of children with ADHD. Therefore, it can be of interest to clinical psychologists as one of the major axes of improving parent-child interaction.

Background and Purpose: Reading stories play a significant role in language learning, getting to know cultures, learning morals, and increasing listening skills. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of storytelling on shyness, empathy, and academic progress in the Persian course of bilingual elementary school students. Method: The research method was a semi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and one control group. The statistical population included all the bilingual primary school students of the 3rd to 6th grades of Baneh City in 2021. First, 338 students were selected by cluster random sampling method from the statistical population. In the final stage, 30 students with the highest scores on the shyness test were selected as the study sample and were placed in two experimental (including 15 students) and control groups (including 15 students) randomly. The experimental group participated in storytelling sessions for 11 sessions of 90 minutes for two months, While the control group received no intervention. To collect data, the Empathy Questionnaire of Davis (1980), Cheek-Briggs' Shyness Questionnaire (1990), and the teacher-made Persian course test were used, which were administered in two stages, pre-test and post-test, on both experimental and control groups. To consider ethical considerations at the end of the study, two storytelling sessions were held for the control group. In the end, the data were analyzed using multivariate and univariate analysis of covariance tests in SPSS24. Results: There was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the studied variables. Storytelling had the most impact on distress and social withdrawal (F=26. 78, P<0. 001), empathic concern (F=46. 42, P<0. 001), and progress in the Persian course (F=17. 22, P<0. 001). Conclusion: Storytelling helps the students to be aware of the impact of their behavior on the feelings of others, as a result, their empathy increases. Also, when students repeatedly read stories to their classmates, their shyness decreases, and reading stories strengthens the Persian language of bilingual students and, as a result, their academic progress. It is suggested that storytelling be held as a separate curriculum or together with Persian lessons for primary school students.

Background and Purpose: Childhood maltreatment affects people’s mental and physical health and causes physical, mental and interpersonal problems. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and body image disorder with mediating role of attachment styles and depression. Method: The design of the current research is descriptive and correlational. The statistical sample of this study consisted of 452 female students in the 9th, 10th, and 11th grades who were selected by multi-stage cluster sampling from among the students of secondary schools in Rasht city. In this study, in order to measure the studied variables, Body Image Concern Questionnaire (Littleton et al, 2005), Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein et al, 2003), Revised Adult Attachment Scale (Collins & Read, 1990) and Children's Depression Questionnaire (Kovacs, 1992) were used. SPSS24 and AMOS24 software were used to classify, process and analyze statistical data. Results: The results showed that the modified measured model has a relatively good fit with the hypothetical model. Attachment styles and depression are able to significantly mediate the relationship between childhood maltreatment and negative body image(p<0. 05). Insecure attachment styles and depression are directly related to negative body image(p<0. 05). No significant direct relationship between childhood maltreatment and body image was observed. Conclusion: Based on the results obtained, it can be said that negative body image can be the result of the interaction of attachment styles and depression with childhood maltreatments. Paying attention to these results can be effective in formulating preventive and therapeutic interventions for body image disorders.

Background and Purpose: Dysgraphia causes some serious problems in writing which is an abstract and complex activity. Given the relationship between dysgraphia and various cognitive functions, this study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of perceptual-motor skills training on the executive functions in students with dysgraphia. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. The population included all the students with dysgraphia and aged 8 to 12 who had referred to the learning disability centers in Rasht during the academic year 2023-2024. From this population, a sample of 26 students was selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to the experimental (n=13) and control group (n=13). The experimental group received twelve 45-min sessions of the Werner-Rini perceptual-motor skills program training, while the control group underwent the routine training provided by the learning disability center,however, they received a summary of the intervention at the end of the study. Data were collected by Minnesota Handwriting Test (1993) and Barkley Deficits in Executive Functioning Scale--Children and Adolescents (BDEFS-CA) (2012). The data were analyzed using analysis of covariance in SPSS-26. Results: The results of the data analysis indicated that perceptual-motor skills training led to the improvement of executive functions (F=28. 87, P<0. 05) and its components, including self-management of time (F=8. 21, P<0. 05), self-organization/problem-solving (F=5. 77, P<0. 05), self-control/inhibition (F=6. 50, P<0. 05), self-motivation (F=11. 04, P<0. 05), and emotional self-regulation (F=5. 17, P<0. 05) in the students with dysgraphia (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Perceptual-motor skills training can enhance brain growth and development by stimulating neural pathways. Also, it can lead to the improvement of executive functions such as self-management of time, self-organization/problem-solving, self-control/inhibition, self-motivation, and emotional self-regulation in students with dysgraphia by increasing the function of the neural system. Therefore, it can be considered as one of the key intervention strategies for the rehabilitation of these students.

Background and Purpose: Various factors can play a role in violence in schools and students. The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the role of brain-behavioral systems and impulsivity (five-factor model) in predicting violence among students with a history of violence in schools. Method: The present research method is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of this research was the students in the second year of high school with a history of violence in schools in the academic year of 2020-2021 in the city of Urmia. There were 245 of which 150 were selected as a case sample by random cluster sampling. Gary–Wilson Personality Questionnaire (Wilson et al., 1989), Impulsive Behavior Scale (Whiteside and Lynam, 2001), and Conflict Tactics Scale (Strauss, 1979) were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using Pearson's correlation and stepwise regression analysis. Results: The research results showed a positive and significant relationship between BAS and violence (r = 0. 40, p<0. 01), and there was a negative and significant relationship between BIS and violence (r =-0. 25 p<0, 01). Also, there is a positive and significant relationship between impulsivity and components of positive urgency (r = 0. 19), negative urgency (r = 0. 35), lack of perseverance (r = 0. 37), and lack of Premeditation (r = 0. 26) and Sensation seeking (r = 0. 16) with violence (p > 0. 01 and p<0. 05). On the other hand, the results of the step-by-step regression analysis showed that the variables of BAS and BIS, negative urgency, and lack of perseverance can significantly predict 36% of the changes in violence in students. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this research, it can be concluded that BAS/BIS and impulsivity play an important role in predicting student violence in schools. The findings of the present study can significantly help mental health professionals in formulating and implementing preventive and therapeutic interventions for violent students.

Background and Purpose: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in children is characterized by chronic abdominal pain and alterations in bowel habits, such as frequent stools and constipation. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on alexithymia, pain intensity, and emotional regulation in children with IBS. Method: The research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and control group. The statistical population consisted of children with IBS in Rasht city in 2023. A total of 30 participants were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data were collected using the Alexithymia Questionnaire (Bagby et al., 2003), Pain Intensity Scale (Von Korff et al., 2016), and Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003). The experimental group underwent eight 90-minute sessions of MBCT based on Segal et al. (2018), while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed by SPSS-24 and multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) method. Results: MBCT significantly reduced difficulty in identifying emotions (F= 26. 01), difficulty in describing emotions (F= 22. 76), externally oriented thinking (F= 30. 36), pain intensity (F= 19. 85), disability (F= 32. 38), and suppression (F= 32. 89), while significantly increasing reappraisal (F= 23. 39) in children with IBS (P< 0. 01). Conclusion: MBCT proves to be an effective intervention for managing IBS in children. The results suggest that incorporating MBCT into treatment plans may help alleviate both emotional and physical symptoms associated with IBS in children.