JOURNAL OF FUNDAMENTALS OF MENTAL HEALTH
Year:2009 | Volume:11 | Issue:1 (41)|Papers Count:12

Introduction: The relation between defense mechanisms and anxiety has been shown in scientific texts. Considering epidemiology of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), this study investigated the correlation between defense styles and trait-state anxiety among university students afflicted with GAD.Materials and Methods: The participants included 30 university students afflicted with GAD and 30 normal ones with the age range of 19 to 27 years old (15 male and 15 female in each group). The subjects, selected via convenient sampling method, were matched with each other in terms of demographical variables. All subjects met the inclusion criteria by answering to structured clinical interview (SCID-CV) and general health questionnaire (GHQ-28).Information questionnaire groups completed defense style questionnaire (DSQ-40) and Spielberger state-trait anxiety inventory (STAI). To analyze data, descriptive statistics, independent t-test, Pearson’s correlation coefficient, and analysis of variance were employed.Results: An indication of a significant difference in utilization of mature defense mechanism was observed by normal versus GAD students (P<0.032). The normal students used the defense mechanisms of humor (P<0.048), denial (P<0.034), suppression (P<0.035), dissociation (P<0.040), and rationalization (P<0.0005) more significantly; the GAD students used projection (P<0.002) and somatization (P<0.001) more significantly. There were significant negative correlations between the scores of general health level as well as state-trait anxiety with mature defense mechanisms. The results showed a poor support for the correlation between immature defense mechanisms and state-trait anxiety; no correlation was observed between neurotic defense style and state-trait anxiety.Conclusion: People with a good level of general health and a low score on state-trait anxiety tend to use mature defense mechanisms more significantly. Furthermore, using humor and projection defense mechanisms by normal students support the findings of this study.

Introduction: Metacognition is a multi-dimensional concept including knowledge, processes, and strategies for appraisal, monitoring, and control of cognition. The aim of this research was to investigate the relationship between general health and metacognitive beliefs in students.Materials and Methods: One hundred students (44 males and 56 females) were selected from faculty of psychology of Karaj Islamic Azad University using cluster-random sampling.All of the subjects were asked to answer demographic questions and the general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) as well as Wells and Cartwright metacognitive questionnaire. The data were analyzed by multivariate regression analysis and Pearson’s correlation coefficient.Results: Research findings showed significant positive relationships between metacognitive beliefs and general health. In other words, individuals with higher scores in metacognitive scale revealed worse general health status. There was also a significant relationship between total scores of both scales and scores on uncontrollability, positive beliefs, cognitive confidence and need to control thoughts (P<0.001); however, no significant relationship was seen between those and cognitive self-consciousness score. A person’s score on metacognitive uncontrollability variable is the best predictor of his or her general health status.Conclusion: Metacognitive beliefs are effective factors in general health. Also, it is possible to promote students’ mental health by changing metacognition beliefs which enhance maladaptive and negative thinking styles or general negative beliefs.

Introduction: Diagnosis of personality disorders based on diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (DSM) criteria has clinical limitation and is not considered as a clinical science. This survey is designed to investigate the efficacy of words list and illustrative pictures tests in personality disorders diagnosis and for propounding differential diagnosis of personality disorders.Materials and Methods: In this study, which was conducted during February 2004 to September 2005, 328 persons who seemed to be afflicted with different personality disorders were selected with random sampling from among those who had referred to therapeutic and consultation centers in Ardabil as well as Ardabil Jail prisoners. They responded to researcheredited words and pictures tests. Out of the mentioned participants, 45 were normal ones.Obtained data were analyzed employing descriptive statistics and discriminative analysis.Results: The findings showed that both words list and illustrative pictures tests can distinguish different personality disorders from normal persons in 96% and 100% of cases, respectively.Words list test can only diagnose borderline, paranoid, and schizotypal personality disorders in the selective executive method. Also, words list test, as a 7 degrees scale for diagnosis of personality disorders, is more useful than selection only words list.Conclusion: Words list and illustrative pictures tests are useful for diagnosis of personality disorders; it is also suggested that further studies be done with the mentioned tests employing more precision in choosing words and pictures.

Introduction: The efficacy of the positive parenting program for parents of children with behavior problems was confirmed in several studies. Yet, such studies have not been conducted for children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Iran, so we decided to evaluate it because of high frequency of the problem.Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, sixty mothers (30 in each control and intervention groups) who had at least one child with clinically diagnosed ADHD and aged between 6 to 12 years old were recruited from the consecutive referrals to the child and adolescent psychiatric clinic of Ruzbeh hospital, Tehran, Iran. The mothers in two groups were matched in some demographic variables. Mothers in both groups completed the battery of self-report questionnaires of study at the beginning and after the 8th session. The discrepancies of pre and post intervention were compared between two groups by SPSS software using repeated measure ANOVA statistical method.Results: Intervention group was associated with significantly lower levels of child behavior problems in Conners’ scale and ADHD rating scale (P<0.001); here, parents reported lower levels of dysfunctional parenting than the control group (P<0.001). The parents in intervention group had significant improvement on measures of depression, anxiety and stress in comparison with the control group (P<0.001). They also showed significant improvement in all items in strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) scale except conduct problems in comparison with the control group (P<0.001).Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, implication of positive parenting program for parents of children with ADHD is recommended to reduce the problem behavior of kids and to improve their abilities.

Introduction: The purpose of this research was inquiry of students’ criteria for mate selection (specially physical and bodily criteria) and comparing these criteria in males and females, single or married students in different ages.Materials and Methods: The study sample included 1126 subjects (432 males and 694 females) selected via available sampling from undergraduate and graduate students as well as Ph.D. candidates who were studying in universities of Tehran city (Tehran, Shahed, Shahid Beheshti, Tarbiyat-e-Modarres, Al-Zahra, Elm-o-Farhang Universities and Tehran branches of Islamic Azad University). The participants were assessed employing researcher-designed questionnaire of inquiry of physical and bodily criteria for mate selection. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and X2 test.Results: The findings of this research showed that the criteria for mate selection among females and males, belonging to different age groups, were significantly different in regard of couples’ age difference, physical attractiveness, and bodily criteria. Whereas about %73 of males believed that their partner should be younger than themselves, %95 of females preferred their partner to be older. Females preferred men with brunette skin, long noses and pretty tall while male preferred women with white skin, small noses and medium height.Conclusion: Findings of this study showed that gender and age have important roles in physical criteria for mate selection among students. Most of the students believed that wives should be younger than husbands. Like other studies, physical attractiveness has important role in mate selection.

Introduction: Anxiety disorder is one of the prevalent disorders among children which could be the cause of many dysfunctions. As many researchers have shown the family structure for anxiety disorders, this study is aimed at investigating the frequency of anxiety and depressive disorders in the parents of children with anxiety and comparing it with the control group.Materials and Methods: In this case-control study, the parents of 30 children which had been diagnosed as an anxiety case by child psychiatrist in Dr. Sheikh Hospital and 30 children without any psychiatric disorder with the age range of 3 to 12 were tested employing Beck Depression Inventory and Spielberger state trait anxiety inventory to evaluate the severity and frequency of depressive and anxiety disorders.Results: The frequency of depression in patients’ mothers was significantly higher than the control group (P=0.002) whereas the results among fathers showed no meaningful difference.The frequency of trait anxiety was significantly higher (P=0.004) in patients’ mothers in comparison to the control group; however, this revealed no meaningful difference among fathers of the two groups. Although, the frequency of state anxiety in both fathers and mothers of the control group was a little higher than the patient’s parents, this showed no significant difference.Conclusion: The results of this study showed that the frequency of depressive and anxiety disorder in patient’s mothers was higher than the control group. Also, the findings indicated that the mentioned disorders in patients’ fathers did not show any significant difference.

Introduction: Depression is reported as a side effect of coronary artery bypass graft surgery and is associated with an elevated risk of mortality and morbidity. This study aimed to assess the protection effect of health education on this disease.Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study conducted in 2007, 54 patients were selected following bypass surgery in the Isfahan Cardiovascular Research Center. The patients were randomly assigned into the intervention and control groups. In addition to Cardiac Depression Scale Inventory, the researcher-made questionnaires were employed to evaluate the patients’ knowledge, attitude, skills and self-helping behaviors before and after the study. The education planning program contained nine training sessions (60 to 90 minutes each) educational sessions per week. The follow up procedure took 2 months following the program. Data analysis was carried out using SPSS software and t2, independent-t and Mann-Whitney tests.Results: After presenting educational intervention, the mean score of knowledge, attitude, skills and self-helping behaviors increased significantly (P<0.001). The mean score of depression showed no significant difference in two groups before education while this dropped significantly in the intervention group after education compared to the control group (P<0.001). Here, there was a significant difference (P<0.001) in self-judgment, mood, hopelessness and exhaustion dimensions in two groups.Conclusion: The findings of the study revealed that health education program is significantly effective in enhancing preventive behaviors and decreasing depression level in patients recovered from coronary artery bypass surgery.

Introduction: Anal fissure is one of the commonest anorectal diseases which may cause trouble in its acute phase. The purpose of this research is to evaluate the relationship of anxiety (state and trait) with anal fissure.Materials and Methods: It is a prospective case-control study which was conducted on 83 patients with anal fissure which, diagnosed by a general surgeon, and 83 normal demographically matched controls during 2007-2008 in Mashhad, Iran. Participants filled out Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) as well as researcher-made demographic questionnaires under the supervision of researchers. The collected data were analyzed employing logistic regression, chi-square, and exact fisher tests.Results: Participants in each experimental and control groups consisted of 19 males and 64 females. The two groups were homogeneous on sex, age, educational level, and marital status in males. Logistic regression test showed a significant difference in trait anxiety between two groups in each sex (females P=0.0085, males P=0.0206). Such difference was not observed between the two groups in state anxiety. Exact fisher and chi-square tests revealed a significant difference between females with higher levels of anxiety in two groups (state P=0.015, trait P=0.010).Conclusion: The findings of this study showed a significant relationship between trait anxiety and anal fissure in both sexes. This relation was not observed for state anxiety. Also, the results revealed a relation between rate of anxiety and anal fissure in females.