Journal of Research in Behavioral Sciences
Year:2015 | Volume:12 | Issue:4|Papers Count:17

Aim and Background: Patients with breast cancer suffered from many psychological problems which affect their quality of life. Therefore, this study was performed to predict the role of psychological, medical and demographic factors, on quality of life in patients with breast cancer.Methods and Materials: This Cross sectional study was a descriptive-analytic one conducted in 341 breast cancer patients with simple sampling methodology. Data collection instrument included a questionnaire contains 3 parts (demographic information, general health questionnaire 28 questions (GHQ-28) and standard SF-36 questionnaire). The data was analyzed by descriptive and analytical statistics (One way Analysis of Variance, Student t-Test, Pearson and Spearman correlation coefficients and Multiple linear regressions), with applying SPSSv20 software.Findings: Based on study findings, the majority of subjects' quality of life (51.00%) was moderate (34-36) in the field of mental health, average score of Social Functioning disorders was 9.7±4.30 which was more than other mental health aspects, so this aspect had the greatest effect on breast cancer patients.Results showed that there was a statistically significant relationship between quality of life and mental health, fatigue, the number of chemotherapy sessions and education status among breast cancer patients. The results of regression analysis indicated that the mental health, fatigue, the number of chemotherapy sessions and education status explained totally 41.0% of the variance of patients' quality of life (R2= 41.0).Conclusions: According to the results obtained, quality of life of patients with breast cancer is predicable according to the mental health, fatigue, the number of chemotherapy sessions and education status.

Aim and Background: With attention to increasing age of marriage and young people not wanting to get married, the importance of the study of related variables to facilitate of marriage is be appear. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was investigated the relationship between personality traits and gender differences in compromise in mate selection.Methods and Materials: The design of present study was correlation. Participants were 375 (168 mal and 207 female) students that selected through available sampling from Shahid Beheshti university in education year of 90- 91, and were assessed by employing NEO Personality Test and Buss’ questionnaire of inquiry of criteria for mate selection. Data analysis was conducted by using Pearson correlation and Hierarchical multiple regression analysis.Findings: Result showed that there was a significant relationship between gender and some of personality traits including of openness to experience and conscientious with compromise in mate selection and these variables had significant role in predicting of compromise in mate selection.Conclusions: Result showed that although the personality traits play important role in predicting of compromise in mate selection, to increasing the power of predicting, it is necessary to find other variables in future studies.

Aim and Background: The present study investigates the effect of telepsychiatry on client’s satisfaction and costs children and adolescents with Attention Deficit-Hyperactivity disorder.Methods and Materials: 60 patients admitted to psychiatric centers in Khomeini Shahr city in 1390 randomly were selected and were randomly assigned to the control and experimental groups. Participants in the experimental group (n = 30) with reference to two psychiatric centers, which Therefore in this city were equipped, with using video conference in Isfahan were visited by specialist Psychiatrist. Participants in the control group (n = 30) travel from their city to Isfahan in specialty psychiatric clinic were examined. After completing the intervention cost - benefit questionnaire, the patient satisfaction questionnaire was completed by their parents and themselves.Findings: Analysis of the data from the patient satisfaction questionnaire, by the use of independent t-test, showed that the average tele-Client Satisfaction (3.28) compared with clients who have visited Isfahan (2.86) but the difference is not significant to generalize the population. So, the Cost - Benefit Analysis showed that the cost of the test group (1000) was lower than the control group (31500).Conclusions: It seems that telepsychiatry has desirable effect on patient satisfaction and their costs. Due to poor distribution of specialist psychiatric in different regions, the use of this method can be the appropriate solution.

Aim and Background: Chronic Renal Failure is one of the chronic and life-threatening diseases. these patients require adapting to achieve desirable psycho social and physical health condition. This study was performed to examine the relationship between spiritual health and coping style in patients undergoing hemodialysis treatment.Methods and Materials: This study is a correlation research that done among 96 samples who were refer for treating with hemodialysis to hemodialysis centers affiliated to Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. For data collection, a questionnaire consisting three parts was used; the first part on the demographic characteristics, the second part on the coping style, the third part on spiritual health. The data analyzed by Descriptive and analytical statistical tests.Findings: The result indicated that 25 % of patients had high level, 74% had intermediate level & 1% had low level spirituality. Findings showed a direct relation between spiritual health score and coping score and its dimension (p<0.000). So that increase in the spiritual health score causes increase in the coping score(r=0.445).Conclusions: level of spiritual health in most patients was moderate and there was direct relation between coping style and spiritual health so for increasing coping with illness care plan should be done base on patients' spirituality needs.

Aim and Background: From past, study on the behavior and individual differences based on brain asymmetry is important in understanding of various disorders. Therefore, the aim of this study was comparing the difficulties of emotion regulation in patients with irritable bowel syndrome based on handedness.Methods and Materials: The present study was based on causative-comparative design. 30 right handedness and 30 left handedness patients among 120 patients with irritable bowel syndrome were selected by convenience sampling method that matched on gender, age and education level. The subjects completed two questionnaires: Edinburgh Handedness Inventory and Difficulties of emotion regulation scale (DERS). Data were analyzed using, Univariate Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Mann Whitney analysis.Findings: the results showed the mean score of left handedness patients in difficulties in emotional regulation was higher than right handedness patients (P<0.05). Between the two groups, among the subscales of emotional regulation difficulties, Difficulties engaging in goal directed behavior, Impulse control difficulties and Lack of emotional awareness had significant differences (P<0.05).Conclusions: The present study is a preliminary study in support of the role of emotion regulation in functional autonomic disorders such as irritable bowel syndrome.

Aim and Background: Child abuse is one of the most prevalent and complex psycho-social issues in the society, with serious emotional and behavioral outcomes both in childhood and adulthood. It can be viewed from various perspectives including social/cultural factors impacting the family unit and those associated with individual parents or the family as a social system. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of psychological, social, and demographic factors in child abuse.Methods and Materials: In this descriptive causal-comparative study, 130 abused high school students who attended counseling centers and Alzahra Hospital with accessible sampling and 130 non-abused from 5 section of educational system in Isfahan city via random cluster sampling method were selected according to the cut-off point of self-report child abuse scale. Their parents were also asked to complete demographic questionnaires and SCL90 inventories. Applying Pearson correlation, simultaneous regression, the collected data were analyzed using the SPSS18 software package.Findings: The results indicated that child’s gender, divorce, and presence of a stepmother as well as mother’s aggressiveness, and paranoid thoughts were correlated with child abuse (p£0.001). Furthermore, regression analysis also revealed that aggressiveness, divorce, mother’s job, and child’s gender can predict child abuse.Conclusions: Multiple factors may contribute to increasing the risk of child abuse. Gaining an understanding of these factors can prove helpful in developing effective intervention strategies.

Aim and Background: Smoking as a health risk behavior endangers not only the individual but also mommunity health and is one of the reventable causes of death. This risk behavior is growing among educated young people. In this study, we examined factors which were associated with smoking and psychiatric symptoms.Methods and Materials: This is a cross-sectional study. The number of the sample was 305 medical school students in Isfahan university of medical sciences which were selected randomly. The researcher-made questionnaire and the SCL-90-R questionnaire were completed by the samples. The data was gathered by putting a box in the place where the questionnaires were distributed. The data recorded was analyzed in software SPSS19 descriptive and inferential statistics were obtained to analyze data.Findings: Based on the findings 4.6% of the study, students are smokers at present 13.4% have history of smoking and smoking in men was significantly higher than women. There was no significant relation between marital status and residence status. There was significant relation between Education mean scores and levels of education with smoking. There is not significant correlation between smoking and smoking family. The most familiar way to start smoking cigarettes for the first time has been through friends (35.7%). Among psychiatric symptoms, paranoid and somatic complaints were significantly higher in smokers than nonsmokers. GSI score (General severity Index) was higher in smokers than nonsmokers, but the difference was not significant.Conclusions: In considering Smoking prevalence among the students of medical school specially in men can lead to many physical and mental problems, and as it was also shown in this study, the level of paranoid and somatic symptoms in these individuals would increase. Hence, the educational and preventive policies to reduce smoking in young people and to increase their true attitude toward this issue are important at high school and college levels.

Due to the increasing prevalence of kidney problems and increase the number of kidney transplants, it is necessary to consider psychological problems and quality of life of these patients. This study was aimed to investigate the relationship between quality of life, general health and dysfunctional attitudes in kidney transplant patients.Methods and Materials: This study was a descriptive-correlation one, and its target population consisted of all kidney transplant patients in Ali Asghar and Al Zahra Hospitals in Isfahan, 2012. The participants were 96 kidney transplant patients. They were selected by available sampling method. The survey tools included demographic form, General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), Dysfunctional Attitudes Scale (DAS-26) and kidney Transplant Questionnaire (KTQ-25).Pearson correlation and regression analysis were used.Findings: Analysis of the data showed that there was a significant relationship between quality of life, disturbance in general health and dysfunctional attitudes in kidney transplant patients (p<0.001) There was a significant relationship between quality of life and general health dimensions(lack of confidence, p<0.002) (social dysfunction, p<0.001) and (anxiety/depression, p<0.001).Conclusions: participants with higher scores on general health problems and dysfunctional attitudes had lower quality of life. quality of life in kidney transplant patients appears to be predicted by some psychological variables such as general health indexes.

Aim and Background: The current research is aimed at The preliminary design of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Protocol for Children with Chronic Pain (CHACT) and The Initial trial on the psychological Inflexibility in Pain of children 7 to 12 years old.Methods and Materials: The current study was conducted in two stages. In the first stage, for protocol design, on the one hand, the resources associated with acceptance and commitment therapy and psychological therapy for children, And the other hand, the initial version of acceptance and commitment therapy on children and To consult with Association for Contextual Behavioral Science, were used. In the second stage, the clinical trial of the protocol was conducted. Therefore,, 20 children whose according to their parents were prepared to participate in this study and met the inclusion criteria, were selected with available sampling method from specialized and subspecialty pediatric hospitals of Tehran. The children’s were placed in the experimental group (n = 10) and control group (n = 10). The child and parent versions of the psychological Inflexibility in Pain Scale was administered on both groups at pre- test, post- test, the first follow-up and the second follow-up.Findings: The results showed that in the first phase, the designed protocol, Formed by the eight steps and the home works of parents and children. In the second phase, the experimental group compared with the control groups howe dsign if can’t change in the flexibility variable in multiple steps and this change has continue after the end of treatment, first follow-up and second follow-up.Conclusions: According to the results, we can say that CHACT protocol is able to show the components and steps for intervention on children with chronic pain, And clinical data on the flexibility in pain for children and their parents is effective.

Aim and Background: Although infertility is categorized as a physiological disorder at the first level but its experience has a huge psychological and social aspect. The present study aims at determining the predictive power of cognitive representation of illness, personality and the cause of infertility in the psychological wellbeing in infertile women.Methods and Materials: 60 infertile women referred to Tehran Women General Hospital were selected by purposeful sampling method. The subjects filled out the Demographic and medical questionnaire, Illness Perception Questionnaire- Revised (IPQ-R), Type D Scale (DS14), Flourishing scale and Scale of Positive and Negative Experience (SPANE). For statistical analysis of research data, stepwise multivariate regression analysis was used.Findings: Results obtained from stepwise regression analysis indicated that among the studied variables of the research, timeline (acute/chronic), consequences and social inhibition have more predictive power in explaining flourishing variance and could explain flourishing by 47%. Timeline (acute/chronic) and identity have more predictive power in explaining positive experience variance and could explain positive experience by 37% and negative affectivity has more predictive power in explaining negative experience variance and could explain negative experience by 14%.Conclusions: The findings of the study show that flourishing has a negative meaningful relationship with timeline (acute/chronic), consequences and social inhibition; positive experience has a negative meaningful relationship with Timeline (acute/chronic) and identity and negative experience has a positive meaningful relationship with negative affectivity. Hence, programming for cognitive and emotional interventions is assumed necessary in clinical interventions for infertility.

Aim and Background: Although several research investigated memory status of patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), but the autobiographical memory and the role of depression on it have been neglected. Therefore the purpose of this study was to investigate autobiographical memory performance in depressed and non-depressed patients with MS and to compare them with healthy control.Methods and Materials: In this Causal-Comparative research 52 patients with MS (26 depressed and 26 non-depressed patients) from Kashani hospital in Isfahan in 2012 & 2013 and 26 healthy controls were selected and were assessed through the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) and Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). The data was analysed with the use of covariance.Findings: The results indicated significant (p<0.01) differences in autobiographical memory performance between three investigated groups. Based on the results, depressed patients with MS has less specific memories retrieval, most over-general memories retrieval and most time latency for memories retrieval and healthy control has most specific memories retrieval, less over-general memories retrieval and less time latency for memories retrieval.Conclusions: The autobiographical memory performance in patients with MS not only is affected by neurologic injuries but also it is affected by depression. Depression can intensify autobiographical memory dysfunctions and can alter type of memories.

Aim and Background: University Students are at more risk for psychological problems. Although a lot of research in this area pointed out to situational risk factors of this phenomenon, but so far a comparative study between Iranian and non-Iranian has not been done. This study was done to compare the depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life in Iranian and non - Iranian students of the Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical schools of Isfahan University of Medical Sciences.Methods and Materials: This study conducted in a cross-sectional method on 1392 in Isfahan University of Medical Sciences. In this study, Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS) used for assessing depression, anxiety and stress, and the short form of World Health Organization- Quality of Life (WHO-QOL-Bref) for quality of life assessment. After entering data into the computer, analysis was done using SPSS version 20 software and Fisher Exact tests, T test, Multivariate analysis, multiple regression and Pearson correlation statistical tests.Findings: The mean scores of anxiety, depression and stress in Iranian and foreign students was 28.88±20.11 and 38.47±33.57 respectively (p<0.001). Quality of life scores in the areas of physical health, psychological health, social relationships and environment were 24±4.1, 19.6±4.1, 9.8±2.2 and 26.2±4.8 respectively. Iranian students were significantly better than foreign students in the area of physical, mental, social health and environmental factor.Conclusions: Foreign students were different in depression, anxiety and quality of life scores with their Iranian counterparts represents that foreign students are more prone to experience psychological problems.

Aim and Background: The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between family function and responsibility in adolescents with visual impairments and normal adolescents.Methods and Materials: In this causative-comparative study, 60 male students with visual impairments and 150 normal male students were chosen using general and multistage sampling in Tehran high schools in academic year of 1389-90.Findings: There was no significant statistical difference (P>0.96) between normal and blind students regarding family functioning variable; however, there was a significant association between responsibility and correlation coefficient with family function and responsibility between normal and blind students.Conclusions: The family function was effective on responsibility of blind adolescents.

Aim and Background: Human sexual function is an essential component of life, and Female sexual dysfunction (FSD) adversely affects health, well-being quality of life. The combinations containing L-arginine theoretically lead to vasodilatation of genitalia in women and can, through this mechanism, increase sexual arousal. The goal of this study is to investigate the effects of topical L-arginine on female sexual function.Methods and Materials: This randomized clinical trial was performed on 76 women who were interested in improving their sexual function. They entered the study to apply either of two identical tubes of gel (one L-arginine gel and one placebo gel), to the clitoral hood prior to intercourse for four weeks. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups of experimental (n=38) and control (n=38). Sexual function in both groups before and four weeks after treatment was assessed by Female sexual Function Index Rosen (FSFI). Data were analyzed using SPSS.Findings: The obtained results showed, in both groups, the score of total FSFI, and score of each domain including sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain were significantly increased after intervention (p<0.001), but there was no significant difference concerning sexual function after 4 weeks between two groups (in total scale and in each domain) (p>0.05).Conclusions: Topical L-arginine and placebo equally improved female sexual function and showed no significant difference in two groups.

Aim and Background: As cancer grows exponentially in world and affects the quality of life, the quintessence of taking appropriate actions on quality of life, like logotherapy which is a psychotherapic intervention is essential. This study aims at measuring the impact of logotherapy on the quality of life in cancer patients who were cured in Seyed-o-Shohada hospital, Isfahan, Iran in year 2012.Methods and Materials: This is a quasi-experimental study who was cured in Seyed-o-Shohada hospital, Isfahan, Iran in year 2012. It contains pretests and post-tests, and a questionnaire of demographic and SF-36 quality of life information.Sampling is done by convenience method and allocation of samples to two groups of intervention and control. Each group contains 37 samples. Samples are measured by standard tools of quality of life. Then logotherapy sessions were arranged for patients in 8 session twice a week for 2 hours, and after a month they were again tested for their quality of life. Descriptive and analytical methods by SPSS software are used to render the statistics.Findings: The average of quality of life points after the intervention in comparison to what it was before the intervention in control group was 8.6±3.3 units reduced but in intervention group 19.8±3.1 units increased. According to the T test, the difference between the average quality of life points in intervention group is significantly increased in comparison to control group (t=-6.22 (df=71); P<0.001).Conclusions: This shows how this method can be used to improve the quality of life in cancer patients as well as their knowledge about cancer as related to the impacts of logotherapy on their lives.