Community Health Journal
Year:2019 | Volume:13 | Issue:3|Papers Count:7

Introduction: Cytokines play an important role in generating and maintaining acquired immunity responses during preterm, term, and prolonged pregnancy. It seems that IFN- levels in the maternal serum and neonatal cord blood are associated with the type of delivery. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the cytokine IFN- concentrations in the maternal serum and neonatal cord blood in term and prolonged deliveries. Materials and Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 125 cord blood specimens from neonates born through term and prolonged-pregnancy and the 122 serum samples from their mothers in Rafsanjan Niknafs Maternity in 2018. The IFN- levels in the maternal serum and neonatal cord blood were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and compared by the independent samples t-test. Results: The results revealed that IFN- levels were not significantly different between prolonged-pregnancy mothers and their neonates compared with term mothers and their neonates, but a weak positive correlation was found between IFN- in cord blood of term neonates and the age of the mothers (r = 0. 240, p=0. 05). Conclusion: The results showed that IFN- has not effect on prolonged-pregnancy

Introduction: Community health is dependent on meeting women’ s health, economic, and cultural needs. Menopause is a part of women’ s life which has a particular importance in their reproductive health, and thus appropriate educational programs are needed to improve women’ s mental capabilities. Acordingly, this study aimed to determine the effects of educational intervention based on Pender’ s Health Promotion Model on self-actualization and interpersonal relations in menopausal women. Materials and Methods: This study was a clinical trial, with pre-test, post-test, and the control group. Of menopausal women working in non-government schools in Tehran in 2019, a total number of 60 women were selected by purposive sampling and were randomly divided into experimental (n=30), and control (n=30) groups. The required data were collected using a researcher-made demographic information checklist, and the Health Promotion Lifestyle Profile-II (PHPLP-II). The health promotion lifestyle program was administered for the particpants in the experimental group in six sessions, one session per week and each for two hours. At the end of the training program, the post-test was taken from the participants in bith groups. The collected data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, paired samples t-test, and multivariate analysis of covariance using SPSS software (version 25). Results: The results showed that educational intervention based on health promotion model had a positive and significant effect on increasing self-actualization (F=9. 53, p=0. 006, Eta=0. 60) and interpersonal relations (F=8. 40, p=0. 009, Eta=0. 71) in menopausal women in the experimental group as indicated by their post-test scores. Conclusion: The results showed that the educational intervention based on Pender’ s Health Promotion Model can be effective in transition to the menopausal stage and researchers and therapists can use Pender’ s model to improve health-promoting behaviors and lifestyle in Iranian inmenopausal women.

Introduction: Decreased intimacy, compatibility, and assertiveness are common problems between couples and have negative effects on their marital life. One of the treatment methods recently introduced to overcome this problem is reality therapy. The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of reality therapy on intimacy, compatibility, and assertiveness of married women. Materials and Methods: This study employed a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with the control group. The research population included all married women whose marriage duration was under 5 years aged below 40 years living in Tabriz in 2018. A sample of 30 married women were selected using availability and randomly placed into two control and experimental groups, each with 15 members. Both groups completed the Dyadic Compatibility Scale (DAS), Bagarozzi Marital Intimacy Needs Questionnaire (MINQ), and Assertion Inventory (Gambrill & Richey, 1975) as the pre-test. Then the experimental group received the treatment in the form of reality therapy for 12 hours over 8 weeks. Then, the same tests were administrated to both groups as the post-test. The data collected through the pre-test and post-test were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that reality therapy was effective on intimacy, compatibility, and assertiveness of the experimental group compared to the control group in the post-test stages (p=0. 001). Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be concluded that reality therapy training can reduce couples' marital problems by increasing intimacy, compatibility, and assertiveness.

Introduction: Frustration and emotion dysregulation have been among the most factors contributing to suicidal tendencies faced currently by societies. Therefore, developing a training program to decrease such tendencies seems necessary. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of an integrative intervention in decreasing frustration and emotion dysregulation as determinants of suicidal tendencies among adolescents and young people. Materials and Methods: The present study is an experimental trial with a pretest-posttest design and control group and was conducted on 40 adolescents and young persons aged 15-25 who were selected through the random cluster sampling in 2018-19 in Ilam. All of the participants completed the Suicide Attitude Questionnaire, Children's Health Locus of Control Scale(CHLC), and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ-P). The experimental group received an integrative intervention, while the control group received no intervention. Upon the completion of the intervention and collecting the data, they were analyzed using multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) and by SPSSV22 software. Results: The results of multivariate analysis of variance showed that there is significant difference in the scores of the two groups (Wilks' lambda=0. 251, F=5. 664, p=0. 001) in terms of despair (F=6. 843, p=0. 013), self-blame (F=10. 412, P=0. 003), rumination (F=5. 016, p=0. 031), catastrophizing (F=6. 331, p=0. 016), blaming others (F=14. 132, p=0. 001), positive re-focus (F=9. 126, p=0. 005), planning re-focus (F=10. 275, p=0. 003), and positive re-evaluation (F=6. 024, p=0. 019). However, there was no significant intergroup difference in terms of acceptance (F=0. 830, p=0. 368) and perspective taking (F=0. 121, p=0. 730). Conclusion: Organizing training programs based on an integrative approach has been effective in decreasing despair and emotion dysfunction among the adolescents and young people with suicidal tendencies. Conducting training programssuch as problem-solving, emotional, regulation, mindfulness, etc. for psychologists, parents, adolescents, health professionals, and social pathologists can be effective in decreasing and preventing suicide among adolescents.

Introduction: Childhood aggression is a significant factor in the occurrence of behaviors, such as a tendency to delinquency, dropout, as well as violence in adolescence and adulthood. Meanwhile, zinc plays a key role in brain and behavior development. This study aimed to evaluate the serum zinc level in aggressive children aged 6 to 12. Materials and Methods: In this descriptive study, 69 children with aggression symptoms referred to the Rafsanjan psychiatric clinic in 2016, together with 69 children without aggression symptoms, were included in the study by purposive sampling after clinical interviews. Their parents completed Shahim's aggression questionnaire. Then, the serum zinc level was determined by the spectrophotometry method. Data were analyzed by independent t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: Of the 138 children, 97 (70. 3%) were boy. The mean serum zinc level of aggressive children was 75. 07± 12. 77 mcg/dl, which was significantly less than that of non-aggressive children (80. 96± 15. 05 mcg/dl) (p=0. 015). Serum zinc level was 78. 93± 13. 90 mcg/dl in boys and 75. 85± 15. 06 (p=0. 249) in girls. The relationship between serum zinc level with total aggression (r=-0. 169, p=0. 048) and physical aggression (r=-0. 216, p=0. 011) of children was reversed significantly. Conclusion: The results of this study showed that serum zinc levels of aggressive children were lower than healthy ones in Rafsanjan city. Therefore, parents and chiefs of community health, especially school health, need to identify and treat these cases on time to reduce aggressive behavior in childhood in order to prevent delinquent behavior in adulthood.

Introduction: The increase in the population of elders has socio-economic consequences for Iran. One of the problems faced by the elderly is the decreased cognitive abilities that, in turn, can cause many problems in their daily life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of loving-kindness meditation intervention on the executive functioning and psychological well-being of the elderly. Materials and methods: In an experimental pre-test/post-test control group design performed in Tehran, 50 elderlies aged 65-74 years were randomly assigned to control and experimental groups to all whom Addenbrooke's Cognitive Examination test, executive functions test, and Reef Psychological Well-Being Inventory were administered. Then, an eight-week loving-kindness meditation intervention was performed. Besides, the tests for post-testing were re-administered. The collected data were analyzed by covariance analysis using SPSS software. Results: Results showed that the experimental group had significant improvements in attention (F=58/340، p<0/001، η 2=0/632), working memory (F=11/959، p<0/001، η 2=0/260), cognitive flexibility (F=15/823، p<0/001، η 2=0/318), and psychological well-being (F=18/846، p<0/001، η 2=0/357). There was no significant difference between variables of processing speed and problem solving after the intervention between two groups. Conclusion: It can be concluded that teaching loving-kindness meditation to the elderly can affect the psychological well-being and executive functions (attention, working memory, cognitive flexibility); thus, it is expected to have a positive effect on their life quality. Accordingly, the relevant institutions and specialists are recommended to offer meditation training to the elderly.

Introduction: This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation on the improvement of depression syndrome and brain wave pattern in patients with major depressive disorder. Materials and Methods: The present study was semi-experimental. The statistical population of the study was all depressed patients referring to psychiatric centers of Tabriz in 2018. A total of 30 depressed patients were selected after the diagnosis of a psychiatrist and randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control. Then, the experimental group received cognitive rehabilitation for 12 sessions of 60 minutes, as well as related training. Finally, the data were analyzed using Neuroguid software and SPSS version 23. Results: The results of this study showed that in the experimental group, cognitive rehabilitation reduced depression together with brain alpha in the F3 region, and increased brain beta in the F4 region p<0/01. The experimental group pre-test and post-test scores decreased for depression from 30/86 to 22/20 and alpha F3 from 11. 33 to 8. 60; however, they increased for beta F4 from 20/23 to 28/80. Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, cognitive rehabilitation can be used as an effective treatment to reduce depression.