Journal of Child Mental Health
Year:2020 | Volume:7 | Issue:3|Papers Count:24

Background and Purpose: After the birth of their first child, couples often become confused about becoming adaptable to their new living conditions and satisfying the need for emotional intimacy in line with the desired parenting style. Coping with the child-rearing problems and managing the caregiving responsibilities may make the marital relationship more complicated. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of emotionally focused couple therapy on cohesion, adaptability, emotional intimacy and quality of communication in couples after the birth of the first child. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design. The statistical population included all the parents with a child under the age of 5 who was attending a kindergarten in Rasht during March to September 2019. The sample included 16 couples (8 in the experimental group and 8 in the control group) who were selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The experimental group received nine 90-min sessions of emotionally focused couple therapy and the control group was put on the waiting list to receive the intervention. All participants were assessed at pretest and posttest stages through using the Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale III (FACESIII), (Olson et al., 1985), Personal Assessment of Intimacy in Relationships Scale (Schaefer & Olson, 1981) and Quality of Communication between Couples (Khoshkam, 2006). Data were analyzed by analysis of covariance. Results: Findings showed that the emotionally focused couple therapy was positively effective on cohesion (F=500. 492, P< 0. 001), adaptability (F=231. 225, P< 0. 001), emotional intimacy (F=1362. 482, P< 0. 01) and quality of communication between the parents (F=244. 444, P< 0. 0001). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that emotionally focused couple therapy can improve the intimacy between the parents and increase their satisfaction with each other through influencing the effective communication style, developing the emotional bond, identifying beliefs and background of couples' attachment, understanding the relation between behavior and thoughts and emotions and developing realistic expectations about parenting, especially after the birth of the first child.

Background and Purpose: Today, the well-being construct has influenced the field of education in such a way that providing the mental well-being is one of the most important objectives of the developed societies. Regarding the importance of academic welfare and its influence on different aspects of academic performance, this study was done to investigate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment group therapy (ACT) on the components of academic wellbeing (burnout, engagement, satisfaction, and valuability in students) in students. Method: Present research was a quasi-experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design. The study population included all the female students of the first cycle of the secondary school in Birjand city in 2018-2019. Based on the inclusion criteria, 34 students were selected by convenience sampling and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (17 per group). Then, the experimental group received eight 60-min sessions of ACT; whereas the control group underwent no intervention. Data at pretest and posttest stages were gathered by Academic Well-being Scale (Tomin-Sweeney et al., 2012) and then analyzed by multi-variate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: Results showed that after performing the intervention, there was a significant difference between the mean scores of the control and experimental groups in the components of school value, academic burnout, school satisfaction, and schoolwork engagement (P≤ 0. 001). Conclusion: Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that through a combination of vitality, clarifying the experiences and helping to accept them, ACT can make positive changes in the individual. Specifically, because of increasing the efforts focused on personal development, acceptance and commitment make a positive meaning in the student's mind and provide the situation for promoting the academic well-being.

Background and Purpose: Parent-child relationship plays an important role in the vulnerability and flexibility of children. Different methods have been used in clinical studies to improve the parentchild relationship. This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of positive parenting program and parental management on parent-child relationship. Method: This research was a pretest-posttest quasi-experimental study with one-month follow-up. The study population included the parents of all the female primary school students with behavioral problems in Dist. 1 of Tehran during the academic year of 2019-2020. Among them, a sample of 45 parents were selected and then randomly assigned to one of the three groups (two experimental groups and one control group) (i. e. 15 per group). The groups completed the Child-Parent Relationship Scale (Pianta, 1994) at all the three stages. The experimental groups received eight 90-min positive parenting program and twelve 12-min sessions of parental management training, while the control group underwent no intervention. Results: Results of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) showed that the groups were significantly different in the components of parent-child relationship. Both interventions were effective on the improvement of parent-child relationship (closeness: P<. 01, F=12. 01; dependence: P<. 01, F=19. 92; conflict: P<. 01, F=37. 37) and showed equal effectiveness on parent-child relationship. Conclusion: The research findings showed both methods have the necessary efficiency to improve the parent-child relationship but in parental management training in the follow-up phase, lack of coordination and interaction between parents in dealing with the child and motivation and instability of mothers in the skillful use and continuous of educational methods, has reduced the parent-child relationship.

Background and Purpose: Over the years, academic performance has been widely considered as one of the indicators of assessing the students' learning and the quality of education. During their academic life, students face different challenges, obstacles and stresses which may threaten their academic performance and academic vitality. Therefore, this study was done to investigate the effectiveness of emotional self-control training on the academic vitality and academic performance of students. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design including the follow-up stage. The study population included all the male students studying at the first cycle of the secondary school in Birjand city in the academic year of 2019-2020. Among which a sample of 40 students were selected by purposive sampling and then assigned randomly to the experimental or the control group (20 per group). The experimental group received eigth 60-min sessions of emotional self-control; whereas no training was done for the control group. The research tools included Questionnare of Academic Vitality (Dehghanzadeh and Hosseinchari, 2012), Academic Performance Questionnaire (Dortaj, 2004) and Self-control Scale (Tanjeny et al., 2004). Data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA at the significance level of α = 0. 05. Results: Results of data analysis showed that emotional self-control training was effective on academic vitality (p <0. 01) and academic performance and its components (self-efficacy, emotional effects, planning, lack of outcome control and motivation) (p <0. 01). The findings persisted in the follow-up period (p <0. 01). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that emotional self-control training can improve the skills related to resilence and adjustment and prevent the inappropriate emotions in students which in turn can increase the academic vitality and academic performance in them.

Background and Purpose: Anxiety is a common disorder in children which may be influenced by several interpersonal and intrapersonal factors. Based on the studies done, it seems that the components of thought, feeling and behavior of parents and children influence the anxiety in children. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between cognitive bias, anxiety sensitivity and maternal beliefs and anxiety in children through the mediating role of coping strategies in children. Methods: This research was a descriptive-correlational research. The study population consisted of all the students of grade 5 and 6 (i. e. 11-12 years old) studying at the non-governmental schools of District 3 in Tabriz city in the academic year of 2015-2016. Among which, a sample of 279 students (150 girls and 129 boys) together with their mothers were selected by cluster sampling. Anxiety Sensitivity Index (Tsao et al., 2006), Cognitive Error Questionnaire (Covin et al., 2011), Coping Strategies Questionnaire (Hernandez, 2008), Anxiety Questionnaire (March et al., 2010) and Parental Beliefs about Anxiety Questionnaire (Chorpita, 2010) were used to gather the data. Correlation and path coefficient analysis were used to analyze the data. Results: The results showed that anxiety sensitivity, maternal beliefs and coping strategies directly affect the anxiety in children. The result also indicated that anxiety sensitivity, cognitive bias and maternal beliefs had an indirect effect on the anxiety in children through the coping strategies (p=0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that coping strategies play an important role in the relationship between anxiety sensitivity, cognitive bias, and maternal beliefs and anxiety in children. Therefore, cognitive training of mothers and children which improves the coping strategies in children can be very effective in reducing the anxiety in children.

Background and Purpose: Neurodevelopmental disorders are a group of disorders that begin during the developmental period and before a child enters school and lead to impairment in individual, social, academic and professional functioning. The presence of a child with a disability in the family causes problems and tensions in the relationships between family members and the normal routin of their daily lives. The aim of this study was to investigate the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation in the relationship between resilience and academic buoyancy with loneliness in siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. Method: For this purpose, in a descriptive-correlational research project, among siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders living in Tehran and Karaj in 2019, 200 subjects aged 9 to 18 years were selected by convenience sampling method. The research instruments included the Child and Adolescent Resiliency Questionnaire (Ungar & Linberg, 2009), Academic Buoyancy (Dehghanizadeh & Hossein Chari, 2012), Feeling Lonely (Ashroohkemar, 2010), Fear of Negative Evaluation (Larry, 1983). Data were analyzed using path analysis modeling. Results: The results showed that resilience and academic buoyancy had a significant negative effect; and fear of negative evaluation had a significant positive effect on loneliness (p <0. 01). Also, the indirect relationship between resilience and academic buoyancy with loneliness in siblings of children with neurodevelopmental disorders is confirmed by the mediation of fear of negative evaluation (p <0. 05). Conclusion: In developing psychological interventions to improve loneliness in children, special attention should be paid to resilience and academic buoyancy and the mediating role of fear of negative evaluation. The presence of a child with a neurodevelopmental disorder in the family will have a profound effect on other family members, and environmental conditions such as family and community environment, emotional support of parents and friends, accessibility of facilities, and social and financial support can have significant effects on family functioning.

Background and Purpose: Emotion regulation plays a crucial role in children's adaptive behavior. The importance of this concept in managing the interpersonal relationships, coping with problematic situations, and achieving the personal goals indicates the need for a valid tool to measure it. The purpose of this study was to investigate the factorial structure and psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist – Parent Form among students aged 6 to 12. Method: This research was a descriptive developmental study. The study population included all the male and female 6 to 12-year old students in the governmental primary schools of Arak in the academic year 2018-2019. Then a sample of 471 students was selected among this population through cluster sampling, whose parents completed the Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1995) and Social Skills Rating System (Gresham & Elliot, 1990). The classical test theory and itemresponse theory were used to analyze the data. Results: The results of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis in classical test theory and multidimensional models in item-response theory confirmed the validity of Emotion Regulation Checklist in two factors of emotion regulation and emotion lability/negativity. Results from Cronbach's alpha analysis showed the reliability of 0. 76 and 0. 69 for emotion regulation and emotional lability/negativity, respectively, which is considered appropriate and acceptable. Also, the prognostic function of the checklist showed that the emotional lability/negativity in trait range of-2 to 3 had the highest prognosis, and the emotion regulation factor in trait range of 2 to-3 had high prognosis and low measurement error (p<0. 01). Conclusion: According to the results of this study and the importance of evaluation of emotion regulation especially in children, it can be concluded that the Persian version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist is a suitable and valid tool for evaluating this concept in the children aged 6 to 12.

Background and Purpose: Illegible handwriting is one of the common problems in preschool children. Handwriting is a complex perceptual-motor skill that depends on the evolution and integration of a number of cognitive-perceptual and motor skills that can develop through training. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the effect of training the perceptual-motor skills on the improvement of handwriting in preschool children. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design. The population included all the 5 to 6-year old pre-school boys who had been referred to the counseling center of Education Administration in District 2 of Isfahan city in the academic year 2017-2018. They were screened by Handwriting Problems Checklist (Keshavarzi& Shojaee, 2015). A sample of 20 children with handwriting problems was selected by convenience sampling and then randomly placed in the experimental or control group (10 per group). The experimental group received the cognitive-movement skills training program for sixteen 45-min sessions but the control group received no training. Then, both groups completed the posttest. The measurement tool in this research was Handwriting Problems Checklist (Keshavarzi& Shojaee, 2015). For data analysis, univariate analysis of variance and multivariate analysis of variance were used. Results: Data analysis showed that cognitive-motor skills training program was effective on the improvement of handwriting problems (F = 14. 73, P = 0. 001) and on the subscales of handwriting errors (F = 12. 40, P = 0. 002) and body condition error at the time of writing (F = 6. 12, P = 0. 024) in the 4 to 6-year old pre-school boys. Conclusion: Based on the results, it can be concluded that cognitive-motor skills training was effective on the improvement of handwriting skills through strengthening the hand muscles and reinforcing the gross and fine motor skills. As a result, this method can be used as a supplementary treatment along with other therapies available for this problem.

Background and Purpose: Considering the significance of working memory in academic performance, cognitive and metacognitive skills and creativity of students, this study was done to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-emotional-social working memory training package on the improvement of metacognition and emotional creativity in female students with poor working memory. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental research with control group pretest-posttest design. The study population included all the 10 to 12 year old female students at the 5th grade of the primary school in Tehran city in the academic year 2015-2016. Among this population, a sample consisted of 40 students with poor working memory was selected by multi-stage (cluster) random sampling and then randomly assigned to the experimental or control group (20 students per group). Metacognition Questionnaire for Children (Bacow, 2009) and Emotional Creativity Inventory (Averill, 1999) were used to collect the data. Both groups were assessed by the mentioned tools at the pretest phase. Then, the experimental group received twenty 90-min sessions of cognitive-emotional-social working memory training for three month, while the control group received no training. Data were analyzed by Analysis of Covariance using SPSS 20. Findings: Data analysis showed that cognitive-emotional-social working memory training improved significantly metacognitive performance (F=89. 18, P<0. 01) and emotional creativity (F=23. 09, P<0. 01). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it seems that the cognitive-emotional-social package of working memory due to having multidimentional and diverse tasks, is effective on the improvement of metacognition and emotional creativity in female students with poor working memory performance.

Background and Purpose: Nowadays, psychopathologists emphasize the role of emotional schemas in explaining mental disorders in adulthood. Emotional schema refers to the interpretation, evaluation, inclination to action and behavioral patterns that people use to deal with their emotions. Therefore, present research aimed to investigate the role of childhood abuse experiences in predicting emotional schemas in adulthood. Method: This study was a descriptive correlational study. The population included all the students of Urmia branch of Islamic Azad University in the academic year 2017-2018, from which a sample of 375 students was selected by cluster random sampling in proportionate to the number of students at each faculty. The participants responded to the Child Abuse Self-report Scale (Mohammadkhani et al., 2003) and Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (Leahy, 2002). Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis. Results: Findings showed that there was a significant relationship between most of childhood abuse experiences, i. e. emotional, physical and sexual abuse and neglect and emotional schemas. Also childhood abuse experiences can significantly predict the ability of maladaptive emotional schemas, including validation, incomprehensibility, guilt, simplistic view of emotions, lack of control, demand for rationality, consensus, rumination and blame and adaptive emotional schemas, including higher values, emotional self-awareness, acceptance of feelings and emotional expression (P<0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that attention should be paid to the role of childhood abuse experiences to decrease the maladaptive emotional schemas and increase the adaptive ones and families should be informed of the severe, destructive and long-term consequences of childhood abuse experiences.

Background and Purpose: Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) experience many problems in executive functions which later may result in numerous negative consequences in different dimensions. Therefore, this study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of parent based metacognitive executive functions training on behavioral symptoms and cognitive functions of children with ADHD. Method: This study was quasi-experimental in the methodology with a control group pretest-posttest design. The population included all the 1st to 3rd grade primary school students aged 7 to 10 in Tehran in the academic year 2018-2019. Among them, 40 students together with their mothers were selected by purposive sampling and then randomly divided into the two groups, the experimental and the control group. Mothers of the experimental group received twelve 2-hour sessions of metacognitive executive functions training whereas the mothers in control group (n=20) were placed in the waiting list. SNAP-IV Rating Scale (Swanson, Nolan and Pelham, 1983) and CNS Vital Signs Neurocognitive Assessment (Gualtieri & Johnson, 2006) were used to gather the data. Then, data were analyzed by Multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA). Results: Results showed that metacognitive executive functions training was significantly effective in decreasing the behavioral symptoms (F=24. 782) and increasing the cognitive functions (working memory: F=32. 130 and cognitive flexibility: F=6. 053) of children with ADHD. Conclusion: By using game based activities structurally managed by the parents, this therapeutic method targets dimension of executive functions which are important in the management of cognition and behavior; hence it can improve the cognitive and behavioral symptoms in children with ADHD.

Background and Purpose: Dyslexia is the most common learning disability. One of the most important factors associated with dyslexia is attention which can affect reading accuracy, speed and comprehension. Present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation program and attention reinforcement on the dimensions of attention and reading efficacy in students with dyslexia. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design. The study population included all the male primary school students of grade 3 in Kermanshah in the academic year 2016-2017. Among them, 30 students with dyslexia were selected by convenience method and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 in each group). The experimental group received the cognitive rehabilitation program for 12 sessions of 45 minutes, while the control group underwent no intervention. Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition), Reading Disorder Test, Stroop Test, Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and Continuous Performance Test were used as the study tools and data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA. Results: The findings of the study showed that cognitive rehabilitation program was effective on selective attention, shifting attention, and reading efficacy of students with dyslexia and the effect of this intervention was persistent after two-month follow up period, however there was no significant effect on sustained attention (Commitment error: F= 1. 52, p≥ 0. 05; Negligence error: F= 2. 32, p≥ 0. 05; Reaction time: F= 0. 13, p≥ 0/05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that by strengthening the dimensions of attention and increasing the accuracy and more accurate processing of letters and words read, the intervention method used in this study improves the reading efficacy of students with dyslexia.

Background and Purpose: Having a child with disability or disease in the family causes a great deal of stress for parents, especially for mothers, because they may experience more stress, feeling of guilt, and fatigue compared to other parents. The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral training on decreasing the punitive behavior in the mothers of students with intellectual disability. Method: This research was an experimental study with control group pretest-posttest design. The study population included the mothers of all primary school students with intellectual disability in Shadgan city in the academic year of 2014-2015 (i. e. 90 mothers in total). Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 20 mothers were selected as the sample and then randomly placed into the experimental or control group. Sessions of cognitive-behavioral training was conducted for the experimental group, while no training was done for the control group. Data were collected by Punishment Questionnaire (Malekpour, 1997) and clinical interview. Analysis of covariance was used to analyze the data. Results: Results of data analysis showed that cognitive-behavioral training significantly decreased the punitive behavior in the mothers of students with intellectual disability, in such a way that mothers in the experimental group showed significantly less punitive behavior than mothers in the control group at the posttest phase (P=0. 001, F=539. 494). Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, cognitive-behavioral training can be used as an accepted method to solve the psychological problems of parents and to reduce the punitive behavior in the mothers of students with intellectual disability.

Background and Purpose: The factors affecting learning are very wide and it is very important to identify these factors in solving the problems in the educational system. Learning style is one of these factors. Hence, present study was conducted to identify and compare the learning styles based on the gender, the syllabus and the educational level by using cluster analysis. Method: This study was an applied research in its goal and a descriptive-survey study in its methodology. The study population included all the primary school students of grades 4, 5 and 6 in West Azerbaijan in the academic year 2017-2018. Among which, a sample of 1961 students (928 boys and 1033 girls) was selected by multi-stage clustering and completed VARK Learning Style Questionnaire (1998). Data were analyzed by cluster analysis and Chi-square. Results: The results of cluster analysis indicated five learning styles in the students, including the visual, auditory, reading/writing, kinesthetic and multiple styles. Among which, the multiple style was the most prevalent, while the auditory style was the least prevalent one. Results also showed that learning style is different according to the gender (P<0. 01; X2=16. 87) and educational level (P<0. 05; X2=18. 320), but no significant difference was found in the learning style of the students based on the syllabus. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, students prefer using multiple learning styles. Learning styles are different based on the gender and educational level, however no significant difference was found according to the syllabus. Accordingly, identifying the learning style of the students can help teachers in teaching more efficiently and decreasing the learning problems.

Background and Purpose: Epidemology of the autism spectrum disorder in childhood is particulary important due to its ever-increasing prevelence in different countries and the significance of early intervention. In this regard, present study aimed at screening and determining the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in 3 to 6 year-old children of kindergartens supervised by Mazandaran welfare organization. Method: This research was a descriptive-cross sectional study. The study population included all the 3 to 6 year-old children of kindergartens supervised by Mazandaran welfare organization in 2016-2017. From this population, a sample of 10040 children was evaluated. To collect data, the sample was first evaluated by the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT) (Robins, Fein, & Barton, 1999) and follow-up interview. Then at the screening phase, high-risk kids were assessed by demographic information questionnaire and Gilliam Autism Rating Scale-Second Edition (GARS-2)(1994). Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation and percentage) and inferential statistics (Chi-square). Results: Results showed that 53 children (i. e. 46 boys and 7 girls) with autism spectrum disorder were attending the kindergartens of Mazandaran province in 2016-2017. The prevalence of autism spectrum disorder was 0. 96% in boys and 0. 13 % in girls. Also the male to female ratio of prevalence was 6. 5 to 1 (P≥ 0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, prevalence of autism spectrum disorder in 3-6 yearold kindergarten kids in Mazandaran was 0. 53 (approximately 0. 5 %). The severity of the disorder and cognitive and socio-economic condition play a significant role in the admission of children with autism spectrum disorder in kindergartens and have caused the presence of these children in Mazandaran kindergartens to be less than the global prevalence.

Background and Purpose: Bullying is a very common phenomenon which brings about intense psychological consequences for the people involved. It may lead to the development of antisocial personality disorder and violent behavior in adolescents and adults. One of the approaches and treatment programs to cope with bullying is a bullying prevention and modification program for children and adolescents with bullying behaviors. According to this program, educating children and adolescents increases their awareness of the nature of the disorder and helps them control and reduce their inappropriate behaviors. This study aimed to identify the components of bullying prevention in the theory of individual psychology. Method: This study was a qualitative research. The study sample included 5 books written by Alfred Adler and Dreikurs on the methods of coping with bullying in children. Inductive content analysis was used to analyze the data and the simultaneous coding method was used to provide validity. Results: Based on the results, seven major components were specified: family-child cooperation, use of group and friendly relationship, equal communication, position and responsibility, child's cognition, modification of beliefs and behaviors, and hope, encouragement, and empowerment. Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that classic works of individual psychology are useful references for finding preventive and interventional guidelines for bullying. It may be said that due to the emphasis on social context, prevention, and strengths of children and adolescents, the individual psychology provides an appropriate ground to understand and prevent bullying. Results of the present research can be used in developing individual and group programs for preventing or modifying bullying.

Background and Purpose: Aggression is one of the most common behavioral problems in children, which is mostly the result of troubled and unhealthy structure of the family and poor parent-child relationship. Thus, this study was done to determine the effectiveness of mother-child rhythmic movement games training on reducing verbal and nonverbal aggression in 3 to 5 year-old children. Method: The present study was a quasi-experimental study with a control group pretest-posttest design and a two-month follow-up period. The population included 3 to 5 year-old girls and boys attending the kindergarten of Shahid Beheshti University in 2017. After screening with Aggression Scale (Vahedi et al., 2008), 18 girls and boys together with their mothers were selected by convenience sampling and then assigned to either the experimental or control group. Mothers and children of the experimental group received 10 sessions of rhythmic movement games training, while the control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Findings showed a significant difference between the experimental and control group in terms of general aggression (F = 6. 68, P = 0. 02), verbal-invasive aggression (F = 16. 59, P = 0. 001), physical-invasive aggression (F = 14. 16, P = 0. 002) and relational aggression (F = 22. 36, P=0. 000) in the post-test and follow-up phases. Conclusion: According to the results of this study, it can be said that using rhythmic movement games, children learned to deal with stimuli and extended it to their surroundings, especially in relation to peers, which reduced g verbal and non-verbal aggression in them. As a result, this method can be used as a supplementary method along with other therapies for this disorder.

Background and Purpose: Being a crucial concept, quality of life bears special significance in our life. Research indicates that this construct is influenced by several variables. As there is no explicit consensus on explaining the factors influencing the quality of life, including attachment to parents, attachment to God, and self-compassion, this study was conducted to investigate the pattern of relations between attachment to parents, attachment to God, and self-compassion and quality of life of poorly supervised and neglected girls. Method: The research was a correlational study with structural equation modeling. The study population included all 9 to 19-year old girls in the 24-hour daycare centers of Welfare Organization of Tehran province in 2019. The study sample consisted of 241 girls out of this population who were selected by simple random sampling. World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQoLBREF) (1996), Muslim Spiritual Attachment Scale (M-SAS) (Ghobari Bonab & Hadadi Kouhsar) (2011), Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment-Revised (IPPA-R) (Armsden & Greenberg, 1987) and Self-Compassion Scale (SCS) of Neff (2003) were used to gather the data. AMOS software was used to analyze the structural relationships between variables. Results: Findings showed that attachment to parents (p<0. 001, β = 0. 56) and self-compassion had a significant positive direct effect on the quality of life (p <0. 001, β = 0. 52). Attachment to God had no significant direct effect on the quality of life (p> 0. 05, β = 0. 03), but attachment to God and attachment to parents had a significant positive effect on the quality of life through the mediating role of self-compassion with the amounts of (p <0. 001, β = 0. 29) and (p <0. 001, β = 0. 34), respectively. Conclusion: Results showed that self-compassion can play a mediating role in the relationship between attachment to God and attachment to parents and quality of life.

Background and Purpose: Researchers and practitioners in the field of specific learning disabilities have applied different therapeutic methods in their experimental and quasi-experimental studies to help individuals with this disorder and to solve their academic problems. Current study, using metaanalysis methodology, aims to investigate the effectiveness of therapeutic-training interventions on the improvement of specific learning disorder. Method: This meta-analysis study included all the national researches available in the area of therapeutic-training interventions done for specific learning disorder, published during 2001 to 2014. To achieve these researches, the database of the Academic Center for Education, Culture and Research, Magiran database, and the website of human sciences were searched. To select the initial studies, the keywords of specific learning disorder, learning disability, math learning disability, reading disability, writing disability, spelling disorder, dyslexia, dysgraphia, Davis method, Fernald method, Kephart, training interventions, and psychological interventions were used. To determine the effect size of the therapeutic-training interventions, 33 effect sizes were selected by convenience sampling out of the 24 researches accepted and the meta-analysis was done on them. Study tool was meta-analysis checklist. Results: Findings showed that the effect size of therapeutic-training interventions on the improvement of specific learning disorder was 0. 75 which is considered a high value as per Cohen's table. Results also indicated that the effect size of Fernald therapeutic technique was higher than the two other methods (practice and repeat and multi-media) which had the effect sizes of 0. 87 and 1. 32, respectively. Conclusion: The effect size obtained shows the effectiveness of therapeutic-educational interventions on the improvement of specific learning disorder. Also, regarding the results of this study indicating the greatness of the effect size of Fernald multi-sensory technique, it can be concluded that multi-sensory techniques that pay attention to different problems of students with specific learning disorder should be prioritized in designing therapeutic programs for these students.

Background and Purpose: Research indicates that a number of emotional, cognitive and social elements are involved in children's cognitive-emotional development. Thus, the present study was conducted to investigate the effect of emotional development training on the social acceptance and cognitive emotion regulation in children. Method: This study was an experimental research of control group pretest-posttest design. The study population included all the 8 to 12 year old female students in West Tehran, who were studying at grades two to six of the primary school in 2017-2018. A sample of 30 students was selected out of this population by multi-stage cluster sampling and then randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group (15 students per group). To collect the data, Social Acceptance Scale for Primary School Children (Ford& Robin, 1970) and Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire for Children (Garnefski et al., 1999) were used. At the pretest phase, both groups were assessed by the mentioned tools. Afterwards, the experimental group underwent 12 sessions of emotion development training (two sessions per week and 60 minutes per session) while the control group received no training. Data were analyzed by ANCOVA by using SPSS. Results: Data analysis showed that after emotional development training, the social acceptance (F=10. 591, P<0. 01) and positive emotion regulation (F=26. 950, P<0. 01) increased in the experimental group, while negative emotion regulation decreased in them (F=15. 887, P<0. 01). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, it can be concluded that if emotional development training is done continuously and in proportion to the child's ability, it can help the children to show more appropriate and social behaviors. Also, emotional development skills facilitate the access to the essential emotions and thus they can result in the persistence of the optimal behavior, elimination of the unadaptive behaviors and improvement of the social acceptance.

Background and Purpose: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that negatively affects different dimensions of child development. Executive dysfunction is one of the symptoms of ASD. This study aimed at comparing the effectiveness of the pivotal response treatment (PRT) model and the therapeutic-educational model for children with autism and related disabilities (TEACCH) on the executive functions of students with autism spectrum disorder. Method: The present research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design including two experimental groups and a control group and follow-up stage. Thirty-six students with ASD of moderate to high level (21 boys and 15 girls) were selected by purposive sampling and received 16 sessions of sensory integration activities for sensory adaptation. Then, they were randomly placed in one control group (7 boys and 5 girls) and two experimental groups (PRT model: 8 boys and 4 girls and TEACCH model: 6 boys and 6 girls). The participants of the experimental group underwent the intervention for twenty sessions of 45 minutes. Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (Gioia, 2000) and Autism Spectrum Screening Questionnaire (Ehlers & Gillberg 1993) were used to collect the data. Results were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that the PRT model was more effective on the components of inhibition, attention change, emotional control, and initiation, while the TEACCH model was more effective on the components of material organization, working memory, monitoring, and planning. The results remained constant in the two-month follow-up phase. Conclusion: Results of the present study indicate that PRT model leads to better interaction with the environment and increases the individual self-esteem, while the TEACCH model provides the ground for more visualization and communication with the physical environment as well as for sensory modulation.

Background and Purpose: Presence of a child with special needs may lead to different tensions for the parents and other family members. It may negatively affect the family functions and the relationship between the parents and may expose the family to negative psychological consequences. Whereas the frequency of consanguineous marriages in the parents of these children is higher than the normal level, this study was conducted to examine the psychological characteristics of kin and non-kin parents with more than one child with special needs. Methods: This research was descriptive-analytical study with retrospective study. The study population consisted of all kin and non-kin parents with more than one child with special needs in Mazandaran province in 2017; i. e. 430 families in total. Among them, a sample of 150 families (75 kin parents and 75 non-kin parents) was selected by simple random sampling. The study tool was the Biological, Cognitive, Psychological and Social Characteristics Questionnaire for Parents (Afroz, 2004) which was completed through interviewing the parents. Chi-square and independent t-test were used to analyze the findings. Results: Chi-square test showed that the kin and non-kin parents were significantly different in terms of marital satisfaction (p ≤ 0. 05). The results of t-test showed that there was no significant difference between the kin and non-kin parents in terms of mother's readiness for pregnancy and parent's consistency in childbearing (p >0. 05). Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, children with special needs have a negative effect on the mental health and quality of life of parents. Therefore, identifying the needs of these families and providing them with psychological and social support is essential. Also, preventing the birth of unwanted children must be emphasized as one of the important elements in training the parents.

Background and Purpose: Considering the results of different studies indicating emotion regulation difficulties in children with Attention Deficit/ Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), efforts are made here to determine the effect of cognitive emotion regulation training on the anger of boys with ADHD. Method: This study was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest control group design. The sample consisted of forty 12-year-old primary school boys with ADHD in Tehran in the academic year 2016-2017, selected by multi-stage cluster sampling and then randomly placed into the control and experimental groups. After running the pretest on both groups, the experimental group underwent twelve 45-min sessions of cognitive emotion regulation training while the control group received no intervention. Questionnaire of Children's Behavioral Problems-Parent Form (Conners, 1970) and State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (Spielberger, 1999) were used to gather the data. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data. Results: The results of data analysis showed that cognitive emotion regulation training significantly decreased the anger in boys with ADHD (F=27. 83, p> 0. 05). Conclusion: Students with ADHD are not so much capable to control their negative emotions. Cognitive emotion regulation training can reinforce the positive emotions in these children and led to the reduction of anger in them.