Applied Psychology
Year:2021 | Volume:15 | Issue:3 (59)|Papers Count:10

Aim: Character strengths are one of the important issues in positive youth development. The purpose of this qualitative study was to investigate the special character strengths of Iranian adolescents. Method: The statistical population of the study consisted of child and adolescent’ s specialists and adolescents of Tehran city who were entered this study non-randomly and voluntarily. The specialist group (including psychologists, counselors, and teachers) was ten people. Adolescents consisted of two groups of nine-grade students (seven girls, six boys, M age: 14/5 years old). Data were analyzed using the content analysis method (concept-driven). Results: Specialists uttered positive traits such as “ learning fast” , “ loyalty” , and “ keeping secrets” as Iranian adolescents’ specific character strengths. In the adolescents' group “ purity” , “ qeirat/gheirat” , and “ chastity” were declared as special strengths of Iranian youths. Conclusion: Characteristics mentioned by specialists can’ t be considered as character strengths because they don’ t have the ten criteria of the character strength but characteristics mentioned by adolescents such as modesty/inhibition, zeal, and chastity have some of these criteria and the addition of these traits to the 24 character strengths could be offered. These findings were discussed in the context of Iranian culture.

Aim: Past studies investigating the phenomenon of Intimate Partner Violence against women employed mainly quantitative methods, yielding significant findings in prevalence rates and causes of this experience. However, there is a need for more qualitative studies to provide the rich details in order to develop more congruent concept of domestic violence during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Method: A phenomenological design was used in this study to investigate women’ s' “ lived experiences” of domestic violence and how they managed these experiences. The sample consisted of 25 women victims of domestic violence who referred to a counseling center in Tehran for counseling services. The data were collected through online in-depth semistructured individual interviews. After recording and rewriting the interviews, the available data were analyzed by the application of Colaizzi’ s method. Results: Two major themes were extracted from the analysis, including the autonomous motivation orientation and controlled motivation orientation toward romantic relationships. In addition, based on the results, subthemes of the aforementioned major themes were as follows: causal attributions, goal orientations, emotion regulation, eempathetic response, cognitive appraisals, assertiveness, social problem solving, positive perception of others, positive feelings for others, coping and mental sets. Conclusion: The results showed that in a situation where the family is under pressure, for some men the only way to take care of their powerful position, is to seek harsh and authoritarian methods. Therefore, the use of interventions based on social empowerment to strengthen men's psychological capital and skill treasury has an important role.

Aim: The aim of this study was the effectiveness of mental toughness on distress tolerance and mental vitality in parents of children with leukemia. Method: the research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and follow-up with control group. The statistical population included all parents of children with leukemia who were admitted to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran in 1399. The sample consisted of 30 parents of children with leukemia located in Imam Khomeini Hospital who were selected by purposive sampling and randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. To conduct the research, first both groups were pre-tested using distress tolerance and the mental vitality questionnaires and then the experimental group was trained for 8 sessions per week for a 150-minute session. They were subjected to mental toughness. at the end of the experimental group training sessions, both groups completed the distress and vitality Tolerance questionnaire in two stages, one stage immediately after the end of the training and one stage after three months of training, and the data were analyzed using a mixed ANOVA of repeated measures. Results: findings of this study showed that there is a significant difference between the experimental and control groups during the research stages. Conclusion: the results show that mental toughness training due to training can improve the mental vitality and distress.

Aim: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of relationship enhancement program, CREW intervention and combined method on the enhancement of relational energy of employees. Method: The research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest, posttest and control group design. The statistical population was comprised of employees of central office of Isfahan Gas Company in year 2019. The sample consisted of 75 volunteer staff of Gas company who randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 people in each group). The research instrument was the relational energy questionnaire (Owens, Baker, Sumpter & Cameron, 2016). The subjects responded in two stages: pre-test and post-test. The experimental groups received the CREW intervention, the relationship enhancement program and the combined method (the combination of the CREW intervention and the relationship enrichment program) separately for 8 sessions, each session 90 minutes. The data was analyzed through ANCOVA by SPSS-23. Results: The results showed that CREW intervention, relationship enhancement program and combined method enhanced relational energy of employees in the posttest. The results of post hoc tests suggested that combined approach, has enhanced the relational energy, more than the other approaches-relationship enhancement program and CREW intervention. Conclusion: Therefore, managers can use relationship enhancement program, CREW intervention and combined method to enhance the relational energy of personnel and prioritize the implementation of the combined method.

Aim: This study was conducted to determine the relationship between character strengths, person-job fit and job involvement with organizational well-being in west Tehran social security employees. Methods: The research method was correlation and statistical population was 1400 employees of west Tehran Social Security Organization and its branches. The sample size was 312 employees which were selected by random cluster sampling. Tools used for this study were Kanungo’ s job involvement questionnaire (1982), workplace Perma profiler by Kern (2014), via character strengths questionnaire by Peterson and Seligman (2004) and person job fit questionnaire by Ahmadi (2015). Data from 312 questionnaires were analysed using structural equations with partial least squares method in Smart Pls software. Findings: Calculation and analysis of fitness indicators using Smart-PLS software, confirmed adaptation of conceptual framework and empirical data. The conceptual model was validated by Goodness of Fit index (GOF=0. 733). The results also showed that character strengths, person job fit, job involvement and organizational well-being are related and job involvement played a mediating role in the relationship(p=0. 001, t= 3. 137, t=3. 543). Conclusion: Fostering and encouraging using of character strengths by employees alongside with applying person job fit concept in hiring and task assigning in organization, can lead to higher organizational well-being and positive outcomes for both organization and employees.

Aim: The aim of this study was to standardize the 20-item life satisfaction index of the elderly without cognitive problems. Method: The present study was cross-sectional and descriptive and was in the category of developmental research. The population of this study is the elderly of Tehran, the method of judgmental sampling and the sample after removing the incomplete cases of 199 people, including 116 women and 83 men. After translating and obtaining the opinions of experts and subjects, the face validity and content of the questionnaire were confirmed. SPSS-22 and AMOS-23 software were used for statistical analysis. Results: The reliability of the questionnaire was calculated by internal consistency method and Cronbach's-alpha coefficient for the whole test was 0. 840 and for all subscales was between 0. 295 and 0. 678. The construct validity of the questionnaire was assessed by first and second-order confirmatory factor analysis. The results show that five factors, including zest for life, Resolution and fortitude, consistency between aspirations and goals achieved, positive self-image and how to mood are approved with 99% confidence and 18 questions of the questionnaire with 99% confidence are included in the test scales. The results of convergent validity were also favorable and the correlation between the elderly life satisfaction questionnaire and the public life satisfaction scale was r = 0. 726 (P <0. 001). Conclusion: The analysis of the findings shows that the 18-item questionnaire on life satisfaction of the elderly is acceptable in terms of psychometric properties.

Aim: Increasing the elderly population in the 21st century one of the best ways to improve the life of the elderly and increase their ability and reduce their dependence on drugs and treatments that impose a significant cost on them is music therapy. The present study was conducted with the aim of the effect of music therapy on self-esteem and meaning of life in 60 elderly people up to 80 years old in Tehran. Method: A quasi-experimental research method was used with a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all elderly people aged 60 to 80 years living in a nursing home. By purposive sampling method, 22 people were selected in two groups (11 in the experimental group and 11 in the control group). The experimental group received ten sessions of 45 minutes of music therapy intervention. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale Questionnaire (1965) and the Meaning of Life Questionnaire (Estger, 2010) were used to collect data. Results: Studies showed that music therapy has a significant effect on the self-esteem of the elderly (p /0 0. 05) and on the meaning of life in the elderly (p /0 0. 05). Conclusion: Therefore, based on the results obtained, nursing homes can use music and related interventions to increase self-esteem and the meaning of life of the elderly and thus improve their quality of life.

Aim: Psychological capital is a positive construct and indicates the latent readiness and capacity for individual change and consists of components such as self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. These four components work synergistically to help a person adapt more easily to life, community, and the workplace and achieve success. The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of schema, therapy and reality therapy on the psychological capital of preschool teachers in Shahrekord. Method: The statistical population was all preschool teachers in Shahrekord, from which 45 people were selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to 2 experimental groups and 1 control group (15 people each). The research instrument was the Psychological Capital Questionnaire (Lutans et al., 2007) which was completed in three stages: pre-test, post-test and 3-month follow-up. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that the two methods of schema therapy and reality therapy had a stable effect on the average scores of total psychological capital and the components of self-efficacy, hope and optimism (P <0. 05). ETA coefficients for psychological capital were 0. 432 and for self-efficacy, hope and optimism were 0. 265, 0. 207 and 0. 151, respectively. Conclusion: It was concluded that both schema therapy and reality therapy methods, in terms of their multifaceted structure and content, have almost the same value as the ability to improve psychological capital and the components of self-efficacy, hope and optimism, and can be He used these two intervention methods for preschool teachers.

Aim: This research was carried out with the purpose of investigating The Mediating Role of Interpersonal needs and Parent-Adolescent Conflict in the Relationship Between Parenting Styles and Basic Psychological Needs with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and Suicidal Ideation. Method: Research statistical population were the 224, 400 male and female high school students in Tehran in year 1398-1399. Among them 420 students were selected via sampling cluster random method. The research instruments consisted of: Beck scale for suicide ideation (Beck, Kovacs & Weissman, 1979), Self-harm inventory (Sansone, Wiederman & Sansone, 1998), Basic needs satisfaction in general scale (Gagne, 2003), Parents as social context questionnaire (Skinner, Snyder & jonson, 2005), Conflict behavior questionnaire (Robin & Foster, 1989) and Interpersonal needs questionnaire (Van orden, Cukrowicz, Witte & joiner, 2012), Result: Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and structural equations. The results of structural equations showed that parenting styles and basic psychological needs have a significant indirect effect on non-suicidal self-injury and suicidal ideation through thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and parent-adolescent conflict. Conclusion: Based on the research results, it can be found that the reduction of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness and parent-adolescent conflict in adolescents can play an effective role in reducing non-suicidal selfinjury and suicidal ideation.

Aim: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of forgiveness training programs on academic well-being in high school Victims of Bullying Students. Methods: This study was a semi-experimental study with pre-test / post-test and had a control group. From the high school students of Tabriz in the academic year of 2019-20, a sample consisting of 32 students who were victims of bullying was selected and randomly divided into two groups of 16 people. The experimental group received ten sessions of forgiveness training intervention. After the training, post-test scores were obtained and analyzed by multivariate covariance. Research tools include; Bullying Victim Scale (BVS), Academic well-being questionnaire (AWBQ), and Forgiveness Training Package. Results: The results showed that forgiveness training has a positive and significant effect on school value, Academic Satisfaction, and schoolwork engagement. It has a negative effect on school burnout. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it is suggested that a forgiveness training program be introduced in schools so that students can increase academic wellbeing by repairing injuries caused by past experiences, strengthening relationships, and creating positive feelings and attitudes toward peers and the school.