JOURNAL OF FUNDAMENTALS OF MENTAL HEALTH
Year:2006 | Volume:7 | Issue:27-28|Papers Count:10

Introduction: The borderline traits scale (STB) was developed at Oxford by Claridge and Broks (1984). As outlined in detail in Claridge and Broks, STB scale was based on the criteria for borderline personality disorder, and was set out in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual –3rd editions (DSM-III; American Psychiatric Association, 1980). Recently this scale was revised by Rawlings et al (2001). In this study STB corresponded with DSM-IV-TR’s criteria for borderline personality disorder. This scale represented one form of a more general ‘borderline’ condition, referring to unstable modes of interpersonal responding, including ambivalence and degree of control of emotional expression. This scale investigates borderline characteristics of normal population on the base of continuity view of psychotic characteristics. The aim of this study was to investigate psychometric properties and standardization of borderline personality scale (STB.(Methods and Materials: A group of 749 normal participants (380 male and 369 female from collages of Shiraz University) and 60 patients (30 with schizophrenia and 30 with major depression disorders) took part in this research.Results: Principal Component Analysis with promax rotation for STB, extracted three factors which were labeled hopelessness, impulsivity and stress related paranoid/dissociative symptoms factors respectively. However for this scale three other types of validity (concurrent validity, differential validity and correlation between subscales and the whole scale and among subscales) and three reliability (test retest, internal constancy and half splitting reliabilities) were reported.Conclusions: Based on these results, it was concluded that STB scale contain good psychometric properties in Iranian population and it be can used, as valid measure, in psychological and psychiatric researches. Finally the result of this study showed standardized information for STB with sample of 749 participants.

Introduction: This is an old presumption that atopic syndromes including asthma, hay fever and atopic dermatitis (AD) may have a psychological component that may manifest itself either before, during or after the physical manifestations of atopic but few controlled studies have been conducted to show this possible correlation and their results have shown some contradictions and different conclusions. The aim of this study was to compare the behavioral characteristics of infants with atopic dermatitis (AD) with normal control group. Methods and Material: the behavioral characteristics of 30 infants (3-12 months old) with atopic dermatitis (AD) were compared with 40 matched controls. We used infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ), version/2000 that has a total of 145 questions for measuring the following scales: Distress to limitation, Fear, Duration of orienting, smiling & laughter, High pleasure, low pleasure, Soothability, Rate of recovery from distress, Perceptual sensitivity, Sadness and Approach (11 scales). The Questionnaires were completed by the parents or the infants care givers, supervised by the author. Results: There was no significant difference between the two groups in the Fearfulness, Duration of orienting, Smiling & Laughter, Sadness and Low & High pleasure. But Rate of recovery from distress was significantly higher in infants with AD (P= 0.05). There was also significant excess of Distress to Limitation (P=0.05) and Soothability (P=0.01) in infants with AD than in control group. The score of Approach & Perceptual Sensitivity were also shown to be significantly higher in AD group. Conclusions: Infants with atopic dermatitis are shown to have higher perceptual sensitivity to environmental stimuli and express more pleasure and enjoyment to rapid, more complex, novel or intense stimuli. Infants with AD also show frequently more excitement and rapid approach compared with none atopic infants.

Introduction: A mentally healthy individual is one who is free from anxiety and disability symptoms. If he can establish relationship with others, cope well with life’s demands then his physical, mental, social, and emotional well-being can be said to be complete. The main purpose of this study is to compare mental health of Isfahan and Chandigarh secondary school principals.Methods and Materials: The study used a comparative - ex post facto method of research to measure current level of mental health of principals. The sample consisted of sixty secondary school principals who were selected randomly by the cluster-sampling technique in Isfahan and Chandigarh cities of Iran and India respectively. The Mental Health Scale employed for gathering the required data. The t-test was used to analyse the research hypothesis (there is a significant difference between Isfahan and Chandigarh secondary school principals in respect of mental health).Results: Finding of the study shows that there was a significant difference between Isfahan and Chandigarh secondary school principals in respect of mental health. The study of mean scores indicated that Chandigarh secondary school principals were healthier than Isfahan principals.Discussions: The Research shows that the Chandigarh secondary school principals were healthier than Isfahan principals in aspects of anxiety factor and capacity to cope with the ordinary demands and stress of life, disability symptoms. Analyzing study of findings indicated that difference between schools principals of two different cities regarding to their mental health can be divided into three various categories as educational, personal and cultural cause.

Introduction: Violence in family is one of the family phenomena, which is considered by researchers. Therefore, the main aim of this paper is achieving the extent of men’s violence against women and its related variables among families of Ardabil city.Methods and Materials: Achieving the aims of the study 400 families (including husbands and wives) were selected by double cluster sampling method. Correlation and survey research method have been used due to the research nature; and instruments of collecting data consisted Zigmond and Snit Tests for testing anxiety and depression, Kambril and Riji Assertiveness Test, Izing 57-question, and researcher own made questionnaire.Results: The results showed psychological violence, social violence, and physical violence respectively in %55.5, %30, and % 28.5 of families. In addition, men’s violence against women is related with some demography variables such as women’s education, social class of family, income and literacy of men as well as psychological variables such as anxiety, depression, and assertiveness of men and women.Conclusions: Considering the results it is necessary that the families take cognizance of coping styles with life challenges so can replace quiescence with violence and other emotional conditions in families by control of violence, anxiety, and depression as well as obviate of other problems of life.

Introduction: Addiction is an ominous social process that affects badly on quality of addicts’ lives and their families. The factors that lead to unsatisfaction of addicts's spouses in addition to the factors that define quantity and quality of satisfaction should be known because the knowledge lead to formation of positive senses and motivations for giving up opium derivates. Thus, we decided to define the amount of satisfaction and it's correlation with age, sex, education, kind of opium derivates, duration of addiction, etc, in addicted ones and their spouses.Methods and Materials: Among addicts referred to renouncement clinics of Mashhad in 2004- 2005, 146 subjects consist of addicted ones and their spouses agreed to fill the questionnaire which has been confirmed by a group of specialists. We decided to assess the correlation between marital satisfaction and age, sex, education, kind and duration of addiction in addicts and their spouses. For definition the questionnaire reliability we used alpha- Cronbach. Satisfaction quantities were classified by using Z. score.Results: Among 146 subjects in three groups (90 addicted husbands and nonaddicted wives in group 1, 26 nonaddicted husbands and addicted wives in group 2 , 30 addicted husbands and wives in group 3) marital satisfaction level was moderate. There was not significant difference between the marital satisfaction of husbands who were addicted and their wives who were nonaddicted, mostly (p=0.76). Correlation between marital satisfaction of addicts and their ages (p-0.012), kinds of opium derivates (p= 0.045), and their educations (p=0.029) were meaningful.Conclusions: Marital satisfaction of addicts and their spouses were assessed moderately that is contrary to the destructive effects of addiction on the basis of family. Thus, there must be the personal or manneral causes leading to this finding. Cooperation of addicted people and their partners for treatment of addiction based upon health programs specially, when this manner leads to renouncement and a happy, fortunate and without opium life is probable cause of getting moderate level of marital satisfaction in them.

Introduction: Incidence of adverse drug reaction ranges from the fourth to sixth leading cause of death in the United States and result in an additional $4 billion direct cost annually. Sometimes complications which results from antipsychotic agents are lethal or irreversible and patients have to tolerate them lifelong. A majority of these complications are identifiable and preventable by regular monitoring.Methods and Materials: This research is a descriptive study with the aim of survey and of description of neuroleptic -induced movement disorders among hospitalized Veterans in psychiatric Isar hospital. Study samples were all of Veterans that were hospitalized in psychiatric Isar hospital along 2005 to 2006. The questionares includes two part: the first art was related to demographic characteristics statistic and the second part evaluate neurolepticindused movement disorders. This questioner was made by researcher by use of Simpson Angus Rating Scale (SARS) and Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). For data analysis the Chi- square and Pearson tests were used for comparison of symptoms of nervous reactions among age groups and corellation between age and symptoms numbers perspectivly.Results: Findings of research showed that 80.6% patients had at least one neurolepticindused movement disorders. 23 body(14.4%) had1 to 3 symptoms, 58(36.3%) 4 to 6 symptoms, 56(35%) 7 to 9 symptoms, and 23(14.4%) had 10 to 13 symptoms. The most prevalence symptom was altering in facial expression (76.9%) and the least symptom (22.5%) was drooling. Also findings of research showed that there was significant correlation between age and symptoms numbers (p=0.01) but there was no significant correlation between neuroleptic- induced movement disorders and years of drug consumption or illness severity.Conclusions: With regard the findings of this research it is suggested that there should be an instrument or scale for neuroleptic-induced movement disorders in each veteran's medical record and it must be completed periodically by physician or master nurse so that secondary prevention of ADR is implied by early evaluation and identifying high risk individuals, educating patients and his family and alter of drug kind or decrease of drug dose.

Introduction: The purpose of the present research was to compare seasonal affective symptoms (depression) between men and women working in govermental offices at Eghlid (cold region), Lamerd (tropical) and Arsanjan (mild), three cities of Fars Province, south of Iran.Methods and Materials: In this research 360 participants (60 men and 60 women from each city) were randomly selected between the year 2004 and 2005. The selected employees were examined in each season with respect to the seasonal affective symptoms (depression) using Beck Depression Inventory.Results: The results obtained by repeated major analysis of variance revealed that (1): Male and female employees are different with regard to their seasonal affective symptoms (depression) (2). The amount of the employee, s seasonal affective symptoms in different seasons of a year differs (3). Employees of Eghlid, Lamerd, and Arsanjan each showed differences within themselves in each season with regard to seasonal affective symptoms (depression) (4). Employees of Eghlid, Lamerd, and Arsanjan are different with one another with respect to seasonal affective symptoms (depression). And, (5) Data showed no differences between employees with different levels of education or different age groups with respect to seasonal affective symptoms (depression) in each season of the year.

Introduction: The purpose of this study was investigating the relationship between satisfaction with life and social support with mental health among freshman students of Tehran University.Methods and Materials: Subjects were all statistical universe, 3261 students (1248 male and 2012 female) completed the following relevant scale: demographic questionnaire, general mental health questionnaire, satisfaction with life and social support scale administered to assess satisfaction with life, social support and mental health.Results: The results showed that satisfaction with life and social support was significantly predicted mental health and also marriage significantly correlated with higher mental health, more satisfaction with life and more social support feeling.Conclusions: Generally, based on some variables such as indicators of satisfaction with life, social support and many demographic features, we can identify vulnerable and at-risk students.