Practice in Clinical Psychology
Year:2017 | Volume:5 | Issue:3|Papers Count:8

Objective: This study investigated the role of family communication patterns, including consensual, pluralistic, protective and laissez-faire, on Internet addiction.Methods: A total of 230 Jahrom Medical University students (120 females and 110 males) answered the questionnaires of the study. The samples were selected based on the random cluster sampling method. In this research, we used Young’s Internet Addiction scale and Family Communication Patterns scale. We used two-ways ANOVA for analyzing the effect of communication patterns on Internet addiction, considering gender as a moderator.Results: Our findings indicated that among the four types of family communication, there are significant differences in individuals’ scores in Internet addiction: F (3, 190)=10.16, P<0.000). Also, Internet addiction in consensual and laissez-faire patterns was higher in males than in females.Conclusion: According to the results of the study, children with laissez-faire familial patterns have the highest levels of using Internet and the pluralistic family has the lowest scores of Internet use.

Objective: Anxiety is one of the most common disorders of childhood. The treatment Interaction therapy can be used for determining anxiety symptomsis. In line with this, the Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) has been successful in America as well as in some other countries. However, the application of this approach was more limited in Asia. The present study aimed at evaluating the extent of the effect of PCIT approach on child’s anxiety level according to mother’s anxiety index.Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted at Bijan Center for Substance Abuse Treatment in Tehran, Iran, from December 1, 2013 to November 1, 2014. It involved parents referred to two addiction clinics for methadone maintenance treatment in regions of 7 and 9 in Tehran. A sample of 72 mothers and children (aged between 19 and 41 years with an average age of 29.4 years) were selected by convenient sampling method. According to the assumed cutting point score in anxiety index (response rate=94%), the subjects were assigned to two groups, i.e., control and experimental. Based on the three levels of mother’s anxiety, i.e., low, medium, and high levels (response rate=91%), the subjects were sub-divided into six groups. PCIT protocol was presented to experimental groups during the six weekly sessions. A pretest and a posttest (after 12 weeks of training) were administered to the participants. The analysis of data was done by two-way factorial variance analysis test (ANOVA), Scheffe Post-hoc test, and Chi-square using IBM SPSS Statistics Version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA).Results: The results showed that PCIT has been effective in reducing the anxiety among children whose mothers had low anxiety level (P<0.001) while it was not effective in reducing the anxiety symptoms in children whose mothers had medium and high anxiety levels (P>0.05). Confidence interval of scores of children’s anxiety in the group of mothers with low anxiety was 95%, which was estimated to be 6.94 (3.68-10.19) in experimental group and 12.91 (9.59-16.22) in control group.Conclusion: Implications of these protocols are discussed with regard to their unique potential to address the clinical needs of young children with internalizing problems. However, further research into the evaluation of PCIT using a randomized controlled trial is recommendable.

Objective: In this study, we planned to investigate the effectiveness of life skills training on the social skills of students with intellectual disabilities.Methods: In this experimental study, with pretest and posttest design and control group, an equal number of participants was randomly assigned to experimental and control group. Life skills training were provided to experimental group (n=20) in nine sessions, whereas control group was in neutral state. The teacher completed the pretest and posttest Social Skills Rating Scale (Teacher Form) for the participants. The data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) using SPSS software.Results: The results of MANCOVA revealed a significant difference between total social skills and subscales of the test (cooperation, assertiveness, and self-control) in the experimental group (P<0.005), whereas there was no significant difference in the control group. It is important that educators and parents reinforce learning of social skills through direct and indirect life skills training procedure.Conclusion: The results of this study support the effectiveness of life skills training including cooperation, assertion, and self-control on social skills of high school students with intellectual disabilities.

Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the interactional relationship between behavioral inhibition and cognitive factors which lead to social anxiety.Methods: This is a cross-sectional study involving 408 participants who were recruited using convenient sampling method. All participants completed four questionnaires namely Social Phobia Inventory, Behavioral Inhibition Scales, Focus Attention Questionnaire, and Consequences of Negative Social Events Questionnaire. Data were analyzed by path analysis using LISREL software.Results: There was a significant correlation of cognitive factors with each other (P<0.05). Behavioral inhibition and cognitive factors had a significant effect on upgrading social anxiety. This confirms the casual model that social anxiety is caused by behavioral inhibition along with mediation by cognitive factors.Conclusion: This study may serve as a tool for screening and predicting the occurrence of social anxiety in students. According to the mediating effect of cognitive factors on behavioral inhibition in rising social anxiety, this knowledge can be used for prevention and treatment of social anxiety.

Objective: Psychologists have warned about the disadvantages of overusing Internet and a new kind of addiction named Internet addiction. The present study intended to review the role of both sensation seeking (directly and indirectly, by mediation of attachment styles) and attachment styles (directly) in Internet addiction.Methods: The present research was a cross-sectional study. Statistical population of the research was all the students studying Bachelor’s Degree course at the Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences of Allame Tabatabaei University. Of the total 420 individuals, 180 persons (35 men and 145 women) were selected as members through convenience sampling method. Zukerman’s Sensation Seeking, Collins and Read’s Attachment Styles and Young’s Internet Addiction" questionnaires were applied to collect data, which were analyzed through structural equation modeling using AMOS and SPSS 16.Results: Findings demonstrated that the proposed model had adequate goodness-of-fit indices (CMIN/DF: 1.67, GFI: 0.991, RMR: 0.001, CFI: 0.961 & RMSEA: 0.031). Sensation seeking and attachment styles variables were directly related to Internet addiction. Meanwhile, sensation seeking predicted internet addiction indirectly.Conclusion: Considering the obtained results, sensation seeking, directly and indirectly, by mediation of attachment styles is related to Internet addiction and can predict it. Attachment styles variable also predicts Internet addiction directly.

Objective: This study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy on guilt feeling among family caregivers of patients with Alzheimer’s disease.Methods: This research was a quasi-experimental study where in the pre-test and post-test control group design was employed. The statistical population of this study consisted of the female family caregivers of the Alzheimer’s patients who were referred to the Iran Alzheimer’s Association in 2012. Among this population, 32 volunteers were selected via convenience sampling method and were then randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. The participants of both groups filled in the guilt feeling questionnaire and caregiver guilt questionnaire in both the pre-test and post-test phases. The therapy program lasted for 14 sessions. Multivariate regression analysis and covariance analysis were used to analyze the data.Results: The results showed that the levels of overall guilt and caregiver guilt had significantly decreased in the experimental group after the exposure of this group to cognitive-behavioral group therapy as compared to the pre-test and control group (P<0.01).Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, cognitive-behavioral group therapy was found to reduce the overall guilt and caregiver guilt among the family caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients. This therapeutic method is recommended as a cost-effective treatment to be used by family caregivers of Alzheimer’s patients.

Objective: The present research aimed to study the relationship between traumatic experiences and somatic symptoms severity in students.Methods: This research was a cross-sectional study. The study population included all students of the University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran, Iran. The study sample consisted of 264 healthy adult university students, who were selected using a convenience sampling method. Participants were asked to fill out two self-report measures: Patient Health Questionnaire Physical Symptoms and Traumatic Experiences Checklist. The study data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. All analyses were conducted using SPSS20.Results: Based on the obtained results, a significant relationship was found between traumatic experiences and somatic symptoms severity (P<0.01). Multiple regression analysis indicated that emotional neglect significantly predicted 23% of somatic symptoms severity (P<0.001). In addition, no significant correlation was found between physical abuse, sexual abuse, sexual harassment, and emotional abuse with somatic symptoms severity.Conclusion: Study results indicated that traumatic experiences, especially emotional neglect, are important in the prediction of somatic symptoms severity.

Objective: Cognitive deficits play an important role in differential diagnostics, prognosis and rehabilitation of people with psychological disorders. Attention problems have profound impact on the therapeutic response, risk of relapse, function and quality of life in people with major depressive disorder and schizophrenia. This study compared selective attention of people with schizophrenia, Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and healthy controls.Methods: The sample consisted of 16 hospitalized schizophrenics, 16 with major depressive disorder, and 16 matched healthy controls. The Stroop color word task was presented to the participants, and the RTs and error rates in naming the color stimuli were recorded. Data were analyzed by one-way ANOVA and multivariate regressions.Results: Those in the MDD group and healthy controls showed the highest and the lowest error rates and RT averages, respectively. In addition, the demographic/personal variables were also used to predict the performance measures.Conclusion: The findings gave support to the notion of morbidity-specific selective attention impairment. The higher levels of interference in the MDD group have been explained in line with the filtration deficit conceptualization.