JOURNAL OF CHILD MENTAL (JOURNAL OF CHILD MENTAL HEALTH)
Year:2020 | Volume:6 | Issue:4|Papers Count:27

Background and Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that occurs in early childhood. There are various methods for training and rehabilitation of this disorder. So, the aim of the present study was to compare the effect of aquatic exercise and vitamin D supplementation on stereotypic behaviors and body mass index (BMI) in boys with ASD. Method: The present experimental study was conducted using a pretest-posttest design with random groups. Thus, 40 children with ASD (mean aged 10. 9± 2. 14 years) were selected according to convenience sampling and randomly assigned to four groups of aquatic exercise (n=10), vitamin D supplementation (n=10), aquatic+supplementary (n=10) and control (n=10). Height, weight and BMI of children were measured at the beginning and the end of intervention. Aquatic exercise and aquatic+supplementary experimental groups were received the 60-minute water training program for 10 weeks, 2 sessions per week. The Vitamin D supplements and aquatic-supplementary groups also received vitamin D tablets at a dose of 50, 000 IU once daily for 10 weeks. Parents of autistic children completed the subscale of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2) subscale before the experiment and after the end of the 10-week intervention. Finally, covariance analysis test was used for data analysis. Results: The results of data analysis showed that all three methods had a significant effect on the subscale of stereotypical behaviors and body mass index in autistic children (p<0. 05), but the aquaticsupplementary method showed more efficacy than the other two methods. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that swimming can provide a stable sensory input and increase the level of physical activity of children with autism spectrum disorder without weight bearing. Also, given the significant deficiency of vitamin D in these children, vitamin D supplementation can improve body mass index and decrease the severity of symptoms.

Background and Purpose: Motivational processes underlie students' learning behaviors that can be influenced by various psychological factors. One of these variables is called mental toughness which different levels of it can affect students' academic performance. On the other hand, the capacity to sustain effort and interest for long-term goals is an effective factor related to academic success. In this regard, the present study aimed to investigate the role of psychological strength and the capacity to maintain effort and interest for long-term goals (stability) in predicting students' academic achievement. Method: This study is descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study consisted of all high school students in the first district of Rasht city in the academic year of 2018-19. The sample included 300 students from this papulation (150 female students and 150 male students) who were selected using convenience sampling method. Data were collected using the Educational Motivation Scale (Harter, 1981), Mental Toughness Questionnaire (Sheard, Golby, & Van Wersch, 2009), and Short Grit Scale (Duckworth & Quinn, 2009). Data were analyzed by SPSS software using Pearson correlation and multiple regression. Results: The results of multiple regression analysis showed that the effect of confidence (0. 17), constancy (0. 23), control (0. 21) and grit (0. 18) on students' academic motivation was positive and significant. Also, mental toughness and the capacity of sustaining effort and interest for long-term purposes (grit) significantly predict students' academic motivation (p <0. 01). The results also showed that mental toughness, capacity of sustaining effort, and interest for long-term goals (grit) predict 17% of students' academic motivation. Conclusion: According to the research findings, it was found that students who have long-term goals and have a clear plan for their academic future have a higher academic motivation. Also, students who achieve high scores in mental toughness show greater consistency and stability in their studies and will continue to study with a more sustainable motivation. It is therefore essential for teachers and families to focus more on these topics to strengthen students' mental toughness and grit.

Background and Purpose: Academic motivation is an important factor in teaching and learning so that students' academic achievement and success cannot be achieved without motivation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of solution-based group counseling on improving academic motivation in sixth grade male students. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with two experimental and control groups. The statistical population of this study consisted of all sixth grade male students in Tehran during the academic year of 2017-2018. The sample included 20 students from the mentioned papulation who were selected by convenient sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The research instrument was the Harter's Intrinsic/Extrinsic Motivation Scale (1981). The experimental group received nine 90-minute sessions of group counseling intervention, while the control group did not receive any intervention. Finally, post-test was performed for both experimental and control groups and data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results of this study showed that solution-based group counseling had a positive effect on students' academic motivation in both extrinsic motivation (F (1, 16) = 18. 897, P= 0. 000) and intrinsic motivation F (1, 16) = 7. 972, P= 0. 012), That is, the mean scores of academic motivation in both external and internal motivation subscales showed a significant increase in the experimental group compared to the control group. Conclusions: According to the findings of this study, solution-based group counseling focuses on students 'abilities and capabilities, as well as recalling their past successes, changing students' perceptions of their academic issues, and can enhance their motivation to study. Therefore, it can be expected that solution-based group counseling sessions can increase students' academic motivation.

Background and Purpose: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) affects communication skills and appropriate response to the outside environment. One of the newest ways to improve the communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder is hydrotherapy. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of hydrotherapy on communication skills of children with ASD. Method: This study is a single case study with A-B design. The statistical population includes all children with ASD in Alborz province in 2017. Purposeful sampling was used to select the sample. Accordingly, 3 children with autism disorder symptoms and symptoms were selected from Kahrizak rehabilitation center as a sample. The research instrument was the second version of the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS-2) and a researcher-made checklist for measuring communication skills. According to the Hollywick program, treatment sessions were conducted in 2 sessions (one hour) per week and for 2 months during 8 weeks (16 sessions). Results: During the visual analysis of chart, intervention was effective in all three subjects. The percentage of non-overlapping data (PND) in the two baseline and intervention situations for the 3 subjects were 100%, 80%, and 90%. Conclusion: The results showed that hydrotherapy significantly increased the communication skills of children with ASD, which could be achieved by enhancing sensory motor skills as well as providing the necessary contexts and conditions for communication. Therefore, it is recommended to use this method as a complementary approach in the field of education and rehabilitation of children with ASD along with other therapies.

Background and Purpose: Dyslexia is one of the most common and important reading disorders among children, characterized by problems with word decoding, poor ability in phonological processing skills, and various problems with the written language. The purpose of the present study was to compare the effect of executive functions training and Barclay’ s model on reading performance and academic self-concept in students with dyslexia. Method: This research is a quasi-experimental research. Accordingly, 45 students with dyslexia were selected from among the students of third grade primary school in Bandar Abbas in the academic year of 2016-2017 and randomly assigned into 3 groups of 15 students (two experimental groups and one control group). The Reading Performance Questionnaire (Abedi, 2016) and the Academic Self-Concept Questionnaire (ASCQ) (Yi-Hsin Chen, 2004) were used to collect data in two pre-test and post-test stages. The Barclays Model Practices and executive functions education was given to the participants in the first and second experimental groups respectively in 7 sessions, but the control group did not receive any intervention. Results: Results of univariate analysis of covariance showed that executive functions intervention and Barclay's intervention had significant effect on reading performance and self-concept of students with dyslexia in general. Also, the results of multivariate analysis of covariance showed that both interventions had significant effect on the dimensions of reading performance and academic selfconcept, but training of executive actions had more effect on both dependent variables (p <0. 05). Conclusion: Given the effectiveness of executive-based intervention in comparison with Barclay's model in students with reading disorder, it can be explained that the components of executive functions such as working memory, planning, and mental organization are very closely related to reading skills and thus increase their level of self-concept.

Background and Purpose: Divorce is one of the most stressful events in life and the most important indicator of marital disturbance that affects students' psychological, emotional, behavioral, academic, and communication processes. Thus, the present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of group play therapy on resiliency and self-control strategies in children of divorced parents. Method: The method of this study was pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all children of divorced parents aged 7-10 years studying in primary school in the academic year of 2016-17. The sample size consisted of 30 children from the mentioned statistical population who were selected by cluster sampling method and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups (15 children in each group). The experimental group received play therapy intervention in 8 sessions of 60 minutes for two and a half months, while the control group did not receive this intervention during the research process. Questionnaires used in this study included Resiliency Scales for Children and Adolescents (Ungar and Liebenberg, 2009) and Children's Perceived Self Control Scale (Humphrey, 2000). The data were analyzed by SPSS 23 software using covariance analysis. Results: The results of the data analysis showed that play therapy was effective on resilience and self-control strategies in children of divorced parents (P <0. 001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that group play therapy using techniques such as discovering and treating the causes of resistance and opposition to others and the laws, training how to identify their emotions, and anger management can be an effective way to improve resilience and self-control strategies for children of divorced parents at school and psychological clinics.

Background and Purpose: Attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common childhood disorder and finding effective treatment that reduces the severity and depth of its symptoms is particularly important. This disorder is one of the most common problems in childhood that the rate of referral to health centers is higher than all other disorders. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of cooperative learning on academic motivation and emotion control in children with attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test with control group. The study population consisted of sixth grade male students with ADHD in Tabriz in the academic year of 2017-18. A sample of 30 people was selected by multistage cluster random sampling and were divided into two groups of 15 (one experimental and one control). Harter's (1981) academic motivation questionnaire and Gross and John's (2003) Emotion Regulation Questionnaire were administered to both groups. Then, the experimental group received 10 sessions of collaborative learning. No intervention was performed on the control group during this period. Data were analyzed using one-way analysis of covariance at the significant level (α = 0. 05) using SPSS software version 2. Results: The results showed that collaborative learning training increased educational motivation (F = 12. 25 and P <0. 041) and emotion control (F = 19. 92 and P <0. 03) in the experimental group in post-test. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that using cooperative learning can enhance academic motivation and control their emotions by enhancing the sense of cooperation and usefulness of children with ADHD. As a result, this method can be used as a complementary method along with other methods of intervention for these children.

Background and Purpose: Proper nutrition plays an important role in the brain and cognitive, emotional, and social development of children. Eating problems in preschool and primary children are common and need to be treated. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare of the effect of child-parent relationship therapy (CPRT) and parent management training (PMT) on nutritional problems in children 3 to 6 years Method: This is a quasi-experimental study with two experimental and one control group. The sample consisted of 75 mothers of 3 to 6 year old children with nutritional problems in Tabriz in 2017 who were selected by convenience sampling and randomly assigned into three groups including 2 experimental and 1 control group. Child Eating Behavior Questionair (Warle, Guthrie, Sanderson, Rapport, 2001) was used for data collection. Parent management training was performed in six 90-minute sessions and child-parent relationship therapy in ten 2-hour sessions. Follow-up was also performed one month after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using mixed betweenwithin subject ANOVA with SPSS 20 software Results: The results of data analysis showed that there was a significant difference between the three groups in terms of eating problems. Both interventions reduced eating problems, but the parental training program had more efficacy in reducing both components of eating problems, namely, food intent(within group factor P=0. 001, F=818. 84 and between group factor P=0. 001, F=31. 32) and food avoidance (within group factor P=0. 001, F=1237. 56 and between group factor P=0. 001, F=47. 86). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the parent management training program can improve the inappropriate behaviors between mother and child by improving the parenting skills and behavioral strategies. Child-parent relationship therapy has also improved eating disorders by establishing a secure attachment relationship and meeting emotional needs.

Background and Purpose: Children and teenagers who are poorly supervised, experience different psychological traumatic damages. These students have inappropriate developmental background that makes them prone to suffering from psychological and emotional disturbances. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive emotion regulation training on emotional knowledge and emotional control of poorly supervised students. Method: The research method was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all poorly supervised students between the ages of 12 to 16 years old in the academic year of 2017-18. The sample consisted of 30 people who were selected by purposeful sampling and were assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received cognitive emotion regulation intervention in eight 90-minute sessions over two and a half months, while the control group did not receive this intervention during the research process. Questionnaires used in this study included Emotional Control Questionnaire (Roger and Nesshoever, 1987) and Emotional Knowledge Test (Izard et al., 2003). The data were analyzed using SPSS 23 software using covariance analysis. Results: The results of data analysis showed that cognitive emotion regulation was effective on emotional knowledge and emotional control of poorly supervised students (p <0. 001). The effect size also showed that 84% and 77% of changes in emotional knowledge and emotional control of poorly supervised students, respectively, were explained by cognitive emotion regulation intervention. Conclusion: Cognitive emotion regulation using techniques such as recognizing different types of emotions, teaching ways to reduce negative emotions, conscious attention to current emotions, reevaluating and expressing positive and negative emotions, and training to change negative emotions can affect the emotional processing and emotional control of poorly supervised students.

Background and Purpose: Depression as a psychological disorder can negatively affect one's important functions in various dimensions. As a result, not paying attention to the psychological and emotional problems of people with depression can aggravate their problems and in some cases suicidal thoughts. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of unified transdiagnostic therapy on self-concept and psychological distress in students with depression symptoms. Method: The research method was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population consisted of all high school students with depressive symptoms in Shiraz in the academic year 2017-2018. The study sample consisted of 30 students with depressive symptoms who were selected by convenient sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the unified transdiagnostic therapy in 10 sessions of 90 minutes for three months, while the control group did not receive the intervention during the research process. Data were collected using the Mental Disorders Questionnaire (Drogatis et al., 1994), Self-concept Questionnaire (Pierce-Harris, 1969) and Depression Scale (Beck et al., 1994). Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance and statistical software SPSS23. Results: The results of data analysis showed that the unified transdiagnostic therapy was effective on level of self-concept (F = 35. 33 P <0. 001) and psychological distress (F = 71. 16 P <0. 001) in students with depressive symptoms. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that unified transdiagnostic therapy using techniques such as training emotional awareness, learning to observe emotional experiences, emotion recognition, identifying avoidance patterns, and cognitive reevaluation can improve psychological self-concept and reduce psychological distress symptoms in students with depression symptoms.

Background and Purpose: The first and most important issue of hearing-impaired children is communication problems because they are often unable to interact with peers and adults. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of communication skills training on interpersonal relationship, resilience, and stress in people with hearing impairment. Method: The research method is quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with experimental and control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of deaf people with the mean age of 15 years in Tehran in the academic year of 2018. 30 subjects were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. The effective communication skills training program was administered to the experimental group for ten 90 min sessions but the control group did not receive any intervention. Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire (Matson, 1983), Resiliency (Connor & Davidson, 1) and Perceived Stress Questionnaire (Cohen, 1983) were used as research tools. Results: The results of univariate analysis of covariance showed that effective communication skills training were effective on interpersonal relationships (P = 0. 01, F = 26. 29), resilience (P = 0. 03, F = 5. 27) and stress in (P = 0. 01, F = 22. 60) hearing impaired children, so that this intervention was able to increase interpersonal relationships and resiliency in the experimental group, and reduce their stress levels. Conclusion: The results of the present study showed that the communication skills program training was able to prepare the experimental group for effective coping with interpersonal problems and reinforce the psychological need for communication and belonging.

Background and Purpose: Social skills are accepted and learned social behaviors that improve communication with others and improve the quality of life and play an important role in effective communication and social acceptance. On the other hand, problem solving is one of the most important skills that can preserve and enhance children's mental health in the face of present and future problems, so the aim of the present study was to determine the effect of problem solving on preschool children's social skills. Method: The method of this study was a quasi-experimental design with pretest-posttest and follow up with control group. The preschool children of Kermanshah in the academic year of 2017-2018 formed the statistical population of this study. 24 children (16 boys and 8 girls) were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups. Social Skills Rating Scale (Gersham & Elliott, 1990) was used to collect data. Pre-test was performed in both groups, then the experimental group received 16 sessions of problem solving skills training while the control group did not receive targeted intervention. Then, post-test was performed on both groups. After four months, the follow-up period was administered to both groups to evaluate the stability of the results over time. Finally, data were analyzed by repeated measure test and SPSS-20 software. Results: Findings showed that problem solving training in two stages of post-test and follow-up increased social skills (including cooperation, assertiveness, responsibility and self-control) in preschool children (p <0. 001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that problem solving skills are related to how to solve problems and manage life issues, so teaching these skills to the child improves effective interaction and communication and interpersonal relationships. In this study problemsolving skills training has been able to reinforce the favorable cooperation, responsibility, and interpersonal interaction in children and has ultimately increased the social skills of the individuals in the experimental group.

Background and Purpose: Emotional behavioral disorders can seriously harm the educational, communication, and personal future of children. In this regard, different methods have been used for the treatment of psychological disorders in children that one of these methods is child-based mindfulness training. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of child-centered mindfulness on impulsivity and aggression in children with out-of-group behavioral disorders. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with control group. The statistical population of this study included all children with externalizing behaviors in Tehran in the academic year of 2017-2019. In this study, 30 children were selected from the mentioned statistical population by convenient sampling method, and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received intervention for 10 sessions in two and a half months, while the control group did not receive this intervention during the research process. Questionnaires used in this study included Child Behavior Inventory Questionnaire (Achenbach & Raskorla, 2001), Child Aggression Questionnaire (Shahim, 2006) and Impulsivity Questionnaire (Patton, Stanford & Bart, 1995). The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance using SPSS 24 statistical software. Results: Results showed that child-based mindfulness training had a significant effect on impulsivity and aggression in children with externalizing disorders (F = 29. 29, 46. 83; P <0. 001). The effect of child-based mindfulness training on impulsivity and aggression of children with externalizing disorder was 55% and 75%, respectively. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that mindfulness therapy using techniques such as conscious thoughts and emotions can be used as an effective treatment to reduce impulsivity and aggression in children with externalizing disorders.

Background and Purpose: Cerebral palsy is one of the most common causes of motor disability in children which causes many psychological problems in them. Because these children need the constant care and support of their parents, they create many stresses and problems for all family members, especially the mother. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment based therapy on psychological distress and negative automatic thoughts in mothers of children with cerebral palsy. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and follow-up with control group. The statistical population consisted of all mothers of children with cerebral palsy in Dorud city in the academic year of 2017. Sample size in this study consisted of 30 mothers from the mentioned papulation who were selected by convenient sampling method and were randomly divided into experimental and control groups. Data collection tools included Brief Symptom Inventory (Derogatis, 2000) and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (Hollon & Kendall, 1980). Acceptance and commitment based therapy was given to the experimental group for 8 sessions of 90 minutes. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that acceptance and commitment based therapy had a significant effect on decreasing the dimensions of psychological distress (somatization, depression, and anxiety) and negative automatic thoughts (amount of thoughts and beliefs about thoughts) (p <0. 05). The effect size for the dimensions of psychological distress were 0. 66, 0. 56, and 0. 71, respectively, and for the dimensions of negative automatic thoughts were 0. 58 and 0. 73, respectively Conclusion: The results of this study emphasize the usefulness of acceptance and commitment therapy in reducing psychological distress and negative thoughts in mothers of children with cerebral palsy, so this training can be used as an effective method of reducing Psychological problems and improve the mental health of mothers with children with cerebral palsy.

Background and Purpose: Anxiety problems are common disorders in children that can cause many other disorders in later ages. Many children with anxiety disorders in childhood and adolescence also have many adjustment problems. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of narrative therapy on school anxiety of female primary students. Method: This was a quasi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population of the study included all female students of primary school (7-11 years) in Isfahan in the academic year 2015-2016. Sample size included 30 female students who were selected by multistage random sampling method. Phillips (1987) anxiety test was used to measure the level of anxiety of the subjects. The experimental group received eleven one-hour storytelling sessions and the control group received no intervention. Both experimental and control groups were re-evaluated in post-test and data were analyzed by covariance analysis. Results: The results showed that narrative therapy had a significant effect on school anxiety in female primary students and there was a significant difference between the experimental group and the control group. That is, the mean scores of the experimental group in the post-test compared to the control group were significantly lower in terms of school anxiety (F= 12/03, P = 0. 003). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that narrative therapy enables students to identify their positive and negative emotions and thus reduce their anxiety, so it is recommended to use this approach along with other methods of anxiety treatment to reduce school anxiety in female primary school students.

Background and Purpose: Sense of connectedness with school is defined as individuals’ attitudes that enhance their affinity with school environment and is improved through social-emotional Learning. The current research aimed to assess the effectiveness of strong kids’ social-emotional learning program in the sense of belonging to school of primary school students in Hamedan’ s affluent and deprived districts. Method: The study was carried out by following quasi-experimental unequal groups design. To choose the sample from the statistical population of male five graders in the academic year of 2017-2018, the researcher selected four five-grade classes, purposively chosen from deprived (2 classes and 51 subjects) and affluent (2 classes and 45 subjects) districts and randomly assigned as control and experimental groups. As a pre-test, sense of belonging to school questionnaire (Brew, Beatty, Watt, 2004) was administered, followed by the treatment which included 12 instructional sessions (each continuing for 60 minutes in a 3-month period) and covered strong kids’ social-emotional learning program for the experimental groups. Finally, the same questionnaire was administered as a post-test across the four groups. Results: The results indicated that sense of connectedness with school and its constituent components (teacher support, engagement in the broader community, the observation of fairness and respect at school, relatedness of self with school, academic engagement, positive sense to school) are higher in experimental groups than those of control groups (p<. 05). In addition, it was found that strong kids’ social– emotional instruction influenced sense of connectedness with school and its constituent components (teacher support, engagement in the broader community, fairness and safety, relatedness of self with school, academic engagement, and positive sense to school) equally benefitted the students in deprived and affluent district’ s students. Conclusion: The staff who provide an environment that allows students to grow emotionally, socially, mentally, and educationally, reinforce the sense of belonging to school. If the students feel to be cared and supported by the school, they will have better educational progress and show a decrease in risky behaviors.

Background and Purpose: Success in school is one of the most important goals of students which require appropriate social skills and psychological hardiness, so using effective intervention strategies to promote hardiness and social competence in schools seems to be essential for researchers and psychologists. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of positive thinking training on increasing psychological hardiness and social competence in students. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest-control group. The sample of this study consisted of 40 first grade students who were selected by cluster sampling and were randomly divided into two groups (20 students in each group). The experimental group received eight 90-minute sessions of positive thinking but the control group did not receive this intervention. Data were collected using Ahvaz Psychological Hardiness (Kiamarsi, (1998) questionnaire and Social Competence scale (Felner, 1990). Analysis of variance with repeated measures was used for data analysis Results: The results showed that the positive thinking training was effective on increasing psychological hardiness and social competence among the students, both in post-test and follow up stages (P<0/05). Conclusion: Positive thinking helps people to evaluate stressful situations and problems with a positive attitude. Therefore, based on the results of the present study, positive thinking training has been able to develop psychological hardiness and social competence by generating positive mental thoughts and schemas in students.

Background and Purpose: The environment is an essential element for human development, and children are more affected by the environment other than age groups. Considering the importance of children's motor and social development and the type of teaching method on different aspects of development, , the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of task and exploratory teaching methods in outdoor space on motor and social development of pre-school children. Method: This research was semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design and control group. The sample study consisted of 45 girls and boys aged 4-6 years old in Tabriz in 2018 that selected by purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned into two experimental and one control groups. Experimental groups received intervention in 12 sessions of 4 hours, while the control group did not receive the intervention. The dependent variables were measured using the Peabody Motor Development Test (1983) and the Social Skills Observation Matrix (Walker, Calvin & Ramsay, 1995). To analyze the data, covariance analysis was used. Results: The results showed that the use of exploratory teaching method led to improvement of the gross (F= 22/34), fine (F= 47/70) and social development (F= 76/70) of pre-school girls and boys (P≤ 0. 05). Conclusion: According to research findings, it can be concluded that the educational method and living environment play an important role in their development, and if the environment is richer and focuses on exploratory learning in the natural environment, this impact is greater and will improve children's motor and social development.

Background and Purpose: The incidence of cancer in children is a stressful event that, in addition to causing various health problems for the family, may also have different physical and psychological consequences for the child. Depression is one of the most important comorbid psychological symptoms with cancer, which has been widely reported in both studies and clinical observations in people with the disease. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of emotion regulation training on depression in children with cancer Methods: The method of this study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test. The statistical population of this study included all children aged 8 to 12 years (boys and girls) with cancer who were admitted to the medical centers of Shahid Bahrami Children's Hospital in 2016. Ten children from these health centers were selected by convenience sampling and received emotion regulation intervention program in nine 30-minute sessions. Research data were collected by parents and teacher forms of the Child Behavioral Inventory Questionnaire (Achenbach and Rescorla, 2001) during the pre-test and post-test stages. Data were analyzed using dependent t-test. Results: Dependent t-test results showed that the depression score of children in post-test was significantly decreased compared to pre-test; therefore, emotion regulation training had a significant effect on reducing depression in children with cancer (P <0. 001). Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the intervention program used in this study has been able to reduce the depression syndrome in children with cancer by enhancing positive emotion regulation skills and reducing negative skills. In addition, increasing the use of positive emotion regulation strategies in children with cancer will help them to accept existing conditions of the disease and increase their cooperation, thereby facilitating their treatment in the hospital.

Background and Purpose: Social anxiety and aggressive behaviors are common childhood problems that have been studied in different ways in recent years. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of cognitive-behavioral play therapy on social anxiety and aggressive behaviors in primary school children. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study (pretest-posttest with control group). The statistical population of this study included all male and female primary school students in Tabriz in the academic year of 2018-2018. From this papulation, 30 students who had received social anxiety and aggression diagnoses were selected using multistage cluster sampling method and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (15 individuals in each group). Both groups completed the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale for Children and Adolescents (2003) and Shahim Primary School Aggression Questionnaire (2006) in the pre-test and post-test stages. The experimental group received eight sessions (one session per week for 8 weeks) of group cognitive-behavioral play therapy and the control group did not receive any intervention. Data were analyzed using univariate and multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: Based on the findings, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the experimental and control groups, and cognitive-behavioral play therapy reduced social anxiety (p=0. 001, d=0. 37), Physical aggression (p=0. 001, d=0. 35), Verbal and functional reactive aggression (p=0. 001, d=0. 47) and relational aggression (p=0. 001, d=0. 30) in the experimental group. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that students in the process of cognitive-behavioral play therapy learn how to communicate well with other peers and thereby gradually reduce their aggressive behaviors and social anxiety.

Background and Purpose: Motor skills are essential skills for learning and success in school. Movement and learning are the source of all perceptions and learning. In relation to motor impairments in students with intellectual disability, motor-sensory integration is one of interventions that is consistent with perceptual-motor theories. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of motor sensory integration exercises on the gross motor skills of students with intellectual disability. Method: The present study was conducted with experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up period with control group. The study population consisted of all students with intellectual disability in Firoozabad city during the academic year of 2017-2018. The sample consisted of 30 students from this papulation (7-14 years old) who were selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group received motor sensory integration training for 10 sessions (two days a week), while the control group did not receive any training. In this study, the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, was used as pre-test, post-test, and follow-up for data collection. Multivariate analysis of variance was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of the data analysis of this study showed that the intervention of motor sensory integration increased the scores of gross motor skills in the experimental group which remained stable after one month (P <0. 001). Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, it can be concluded that the intervention based on motor sensory integration method has been able to control basic motions, maintaining body posture or balance, lateral superiority, movement and orientation movements, body awareness and imagery, and thus improve motor skills in students with intellectual disabilities.

Background and Purpose: Studies have shown that cognitive emotion regulation and the type of coping strategy are among the factors that are effective in coping with stress and anxiety. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on emotion regulation and coping strategies for patients with generalized anxiety disorder Method: The design of this study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population of the study consisted of all patients with generalized anxiety disorder aged 13 to 15 years referring to Psychology and Counseling Centers in Tehran in 2017. From this papulation, 30 patients were selected using purposeful sampling and were randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups (15 in each group). The experimental group received acceptance and commitment treatment for 8 sessions and the control group did not receive this intervention. Research data were collected using Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003) and coping styles (Jarvis, 1993). Multivariate analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that acceptance and commitment therapy had a significant effect on the emotion regulation components and coping styles of the experimental group (P <0. 01). Also, the effect size of the cognitive emotion regulation variable was 49%, repression 53%, problem solving factor 79%, and emotion regulation factor 83%. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that the commitment and acceptance treatment method teaches people how to deal with events purposefully, effectively and efficiently, and thus helps them to better understand their capacities and abilities to respond and to employ better ways to overcome stressful situations.

Background and Purpose: Academic procrastination is one of the behavioral problems that has affected the academic life of most students. People who are procrastinated deny their position and task at the moment and are unaware of what to do. Therefore, the present study aimed to investigate the effect of mindfulness training on academic procrastination in two groups of students with high and low test anxiety Method: In this study, a pretest-posttest design with two control and two experimental groups were used. The statistical population of the study included all sixth grade primary school students in Sari city who were studying the academic year of 2017-2018. Sample size consisted of 60 students from the mentioned papulation who were selected by cluster random sampling method and assigned in two control and experimental groups with high test anxiety students (n=30) and two control and experimental groups for low test anxiety students (n=30). The experimental groups received eight sessions of mindfulness intervention. Solomon's academic procrastination questionnaire (1984) and Spielberg test anxiety inventory (1970) were used for data collection. Data analysis was performed using covariance analysis. Results: The findings of this study showed that mindfulness training was effective in high anxiety students (P = 0. 01 and P <0. 01) but had no effect in low anxiety students (P <0. 5 and P = 0. 5). F). There was also a significant difference in the effectiveness of mindfulness training on academic procrastination in students with high anxiety and low anxiety (F = 0. 1 and P = 0. 1). Conclusion: According to the findings, it can be concluded that test anxiety as a moderating variable in students' success is effective on the effect of mindfulness training on academic procrastination. Therefore, to reduce students' academic procrastination through mindfulness training, it is necessary to pay attention to the component of student test anxiety. According to the findings, it is concluded that test anxiety is effective on the effectiveness of mindfulness education on students' academic procrastination; therefore, in order to reduce students 'academic procrastination through mindfulness training, it is necessary to pay attention to the component of students' test anxiety.

Background and Purpose: Autism is a disorder associated with problems in social interaction, communication, and repetitive and limited behavior patterns. According to the results of some studies, some mothers of children with autism have higher levels of depression and stress symptoms than mothers of typically developing children, so the purpose of the present study was the effect of family interactions training on marital satisfaction and communication skills of children with autism spectrum disorder. Method: The study was a quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test, and control group design. The statistical population of the study included all mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Tehran in 2016. The study sample consisted of 24 mothers with autistic children from the mentioned population who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (each group consisting of 12 persons). The intervention program was taught to the experimental group for 12 sessions and the control group did not receive this training. At the end both groups were evaluated in post-test and follow-up. The research tool was Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (1994) and Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (Afroz, 2012) which were completed in three stages. The obtained data were also analyzed using covariance analysis Results: The results of the data analysis showed that the intervention program increased the mean subscales of marital satisfaction, family interactions, and communication skills of autistic children in the experimental group (P <0. 05), while the post-test scores of the control group in all subscales did not change significantly. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, it can be concluded that the family interactions training used in this study was able to improve the communication skills of children with autism by increasing the level of parental awareness and improving the appropriate interaction with the child and spouse.

Background and Purpose: One of the most common problems in children is emotional-behavioral problems that leads to disruptions in academic performance and reduces the efficiency of individuals. In this regard, the role of parenting methods in aggravating or reducing these problems is undeniable. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of parenting skills training on emotionalbehavioral problems and parent-child relationship in preschool children. Method: The research method was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical population consisted of all mothers with preschool children in Shahroud in the academic year of 2017-2018. Using convenient sampling method, 30 mothers were selected and then randomly assigned into two experimental groups (15) and control (15). The experimental group was taught parenting skills in 8 sessions of 90 minutes, while the control group did not receive any training. The instruments used for data collection were Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) (Godman, 2001) and Pentecost-Paternal Relationship Scale (Pianeta, 1994). Data were analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance Results: Findings showed that parenting skills training had a significant effect on reducing emotional and behavioral problems and its components such as attention deficit / hyperactivity disorder, coduct problems, peer problems, and desirable social behaviors. In addition, the present study confirmed the effectiveness of parenting skills training on parent-child relationship and the components of conflict, proximity and dependency (P <0. 001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that parenting skills training improve mothers' knowledge of how to communicate positively with their child, how to reinforce positive child behaviors, and how to manage high-risk situations. Therefore, the intervention program used in this study was able to improve the emotional-behavioral problems and the parent-child relationship.

Background and Purpose: Given the importance of hearing sense in the cognitive and social development of children, damage to this sense has many negative consequences. The severity of the hearing loss may be mild, moderate, severe, or profound. Over 90% of children with hearing impairments are born to hearing parents. Hearing parents unlike deaf parents with a deaf child, do not have any experience with the development of a deaf child. Since hearing impairments have many problems for both the affected person and his or her family, the present study aimed to investigate the mothers' problems with hearing impaired mothers. Method: The design of this research was a qualitative with phenomenological study. The study population consisted of mothers with hearing impaired children in Tabriz in 2017. In this regard, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 mothers of this group of children who were purposefully selected to reach the theoretical saturation stage. Data analysis was done by means of Colaizzi method and identification of main and sub-themes. Results: The body of evidence available regarding the family system of developmental disorders, including those with hearing impairments, shows that this group of families reported both positive and negative effects of their child's presence in their reports. Thus, despite reporting negative experiences such as chronic stress, personal growth experiences are also of interest in this group of families. The present study identified problems faced by parents of children with hearing impairments, including independent living, behavioral problems, and social problems, respectively. Conclusions: The multiple problems of independent living, behavioral, and social problems reflect the effects of hearing impairments on the overall context of the child's life and social environment. Developmental disorders, including hearing impairments, are not only health problems, but also have their effects on one's social interactions with the environment. Language problems, which are an important communication tool for the interaction of this group of children, lead to their social isolation and their behavioral problems negatively affect adaptation conditions. Based on the problems faced by parents, comprehensive evidence-based psychological interventions and social support are needed to help this group of parents of children with hearing impairments.