JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE
Year:2019 | Volume:18 | Issue:77 |Papers Count:18

Background: Physical and mental changes in the elderly may lead to decrease their hope and happiness in life. Research has shown the effectiveness of logo therapy, but the question of the present study is whether logo therapy-based educational package can help improve these symptoms in the retired elderly teachers? Aims: The purpose of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of the logo therapy-based educational package on the hope and happiness of retired teachers. Method: The method of this study was a quasi-experimental design with pre-test and post-test with control group. The statistical sample of this study included 30 retired elderly teachers of Kerman, who were selected by convenience sampling method and were randomly assigned to two experimental (15 subjects) and control groups (15 people). Experimental group participants received 12 sessions, twice a week, of logo therapy training based on positive psychology books (Seligman et al., 2000), cognitive-behavioral techniques (Stallard, 2005; Translated by Alizadeh et al., 2010), and logo therapy (Frankl) (Translated by Milani, 2016). To collect data, Miller & Powers (1988) Hope Inventory and the Oxford Happiness Measurement Scale (1989) were used. The data were analyzed by covariance. Results: The findings showed that the logo therapy-based educational package was effective on the hope and happiness of retired teachers (P<0/001). Conclusions: Therefore, it can be said that holding educational courses based on the logo therapy can help improve hope and happiness of the elderly teachers.

Background: Research has shown that moral intelligence skill training has effective impacts on emotional, educational, and social adjustment, but could these trainings be also effective on bully students? Aims: The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of moral intelligence skills training on adjustment (emotional, educational, social) in bully students. Method: The research method was a quasi-experimental design with control group. The statistical population of the study included all high school students of the city of Ardabil in the academic year 2018-2019. 40 students were selected by using cluster random sampling and were randomly assigned to the experimental (20 individuals) and control groups (20 individuals). The experimental group received 11 sessions of Borba (2005) moral intelligence skills training. To collecte data, Sinha and Sing (1993) Adjustment Questionnaire and Olweus (1998) Bully/victim Questionnaire-revised were used. Data were analyzed by multivariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that bully students in the experimental group had significantly more adjustment (emotional, educational, social) than the students in the control group in the post-test (p<0/01). Conclusions: Therefore, moral intelligence skills training can be used to increase adjustment of bully (emotional, educational, social) students.

Background: Given the increasing number of elderly people in the world and in Iran, and the need to pay attention to their health (physical and mental), it is important to be aware of the status of health indices and factors among these people. The main issue was to investigate the status of mental health indices in Iranian elderly people in order to provide a scientific and practical approach to improve quality of life. Aims: The aim of this research was to assess the status of mental health indices in Iranian elderly people. Method: This study was descriptive and was conducted using field study. 150 elderly people were selected in the city of Shiraz by multi-stage cluster sampling and were assessed by the elderly mental health indices questionnaire. The data were analyzed by one way analysis of variance. Results: The results showed that for the elderly people, family, religious, psychological, physical, social and economic dimensions were the most important dimensions with mean score (out of 5) of 4. 27, 4. 05, 3. 84, 3. 56, 38. 3 and 24. 2, respectively. Also, the most important indices of mental health were "having a proper parenting pattern", "mutual understanding with the spouse", "loving relationship with the spouse", "training the children effectively", and "believing in God". Comparison of the status of indices showed that the elderly men had better status in family (t = 2. 25, p= 0. 002), social (t= 3. 18, p= 0. 002), and psychological dimensions (t=2. 28, p = 0. 002) than the elderly women. Women also had better status in religious (t=-2. 35, p= 0. 002), economic (t= 2. 14, p = 0. 002) and physical (t=-2. 45-p= 0. 002) dimensions. Conclusions: The results showed that parental relationships, effective marital relationship, successful parenting and religious affairs are the most important factors affecting the quality of life of the elderly people.

Background: The influential and important role of emotions in students' academic life has drawn the attention of educational psychologists to emotions. So, can emotion regulation training affect students' negative emotions and psychological well-being? Aims: The aim of the present research was to study the effectiveness of achievement emotions regulation training on negative emotions and psychological well-being of students. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest and follow-up design with control group. The statistical population included all female middle school students in the city of Tehran during the academic year 2016-2017. Random cluster sampling was used. Participants completed the Achievement Emotion Test (Pekrun, Goetz & Perry, 2005) and the Psychological Well-being Scale (Ryff, 2002). Then, 50 students with high negative emotions were selected (n=356) and were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. The researcher-made training package (1986) was administered to the experimental group for 6 weeks (2 sessions per week, 60-90 minutes each session) and the control group received no training. Data were analyzed using univariate analysis of covariance. Results: The results indicated that achievement emotions regulation training significantly decreased negative emotions and also significantly increased psychological well-being among the experimental group in post-test (p=0/001). These results continued during the follow-up period too. Conclusions: Achievement emotions regulation training was effective on reducing negative emotions and promoting psychological well-being in female students.

Background: The life of household-headed females often face many problems in many social and psychological aspects. Studies have shown some psychological issues regarding the empowerment of household-headed females. Investigating demographic and psychological factors and empowering such women is a research gap. Aims: The present study aimed to investigate the demographic and psychological factors affecting career success of householdheaded females covered by the Welfare Organization and to present an empowerment model for these women. Method: The method of this study was quantitative and survey. The statistical population of this study consisted of household-headed females covered by the Welfare Organization in Tehran and Alborz provinces during 2015-2018. 266 participants were selected through multi-stage random sampling. Research instruments were the demographic questionnaire, the McCree & Costa NEO Personality Questionnaire (1985), Abedi Creativity (1984), Cattell Intelligence (1994), Reza Khani Coping Strategies (2009), and researcher-made questionnaire on parenting role. Chi-square, t-test, analysis of variance, and logistic regression were used for data analysis. Results: The results showed that creativity (0/427), parenting role (0/313), education (0/287), conscientiousness (-0/340), and emotionfocused strategy (-0/014) explained career success of household-headed females (p≤ 0/001). The findings of the present study also led to a mathematical model of empowering household-headed females. Conclusions: Creativity, parenting role, education, conscientiousness, and emotion-focused strategy can be used to promote appropriate empowerment of household-headed females covered by the Welfare Organization.

Background: Previous studies have determined that academic self-efficacy is influenced by a variety of variables including self-concept and academic values, but the important point in these studies is that the process of influencing has not been shown, especially through the mediating variabl. Aims: The aim of the present study was to predict academic self-efficacy based on self-concept and academic values, and also to determine the mediating role of achievement goals in this regard. Method: The research method was descriptive and of structural equation modeling type. The statistical population of the study was all university students of Islamic Azad University, Central Tehran Branch, in the academic year 2017-2018. The sample size was 401 university students who were selected by random clustering method. The research instruments were Owen & Froman Self-efficiency Questionnaire (1988), Li Yu and Wang Self-concept Scale (2005), Pintrich and colleagues Educational Values Questionnaire (2011), and Miguel et al. Achievement Goals Questionnaire (1988). Path analysis method was used to analyze the data. Results: Results showed that the model had a good fit (GFI=0/94). The direct and indirect effects of academic value on students’ academic self-efficacy were also confirmed (p=0/01). Achievement goals directly affected academic self-efficiency (p=0/03). Conclusions: On one hand, achievement goals are influenced by self-concept and academic values, and on the other hand, they can have a positive effect on academic selfefficacy.

Background: Psychological well-being has been widely defined as the feeling of happiness and lack of stress in life, and numerous studies have been conducted regarding predictive models of psychological well-being based on resilience, but the mediating role of perceived stress on this process has not been examined. Aims: The present study aimed to determine the fit of predictive model of psychological well-being based on resilience considering the mediating role of perceived stress in university students. Method: The research method was descriptive-correlational and of structural equation modeling type. The statistical population was all undergraduate students who were studying at Tehran universities during the academic year 2017-2018. A total of 382 university students were selected using multistage random sampling. The research instruments included the Conor-Davidson Resilience Questionnaire (2003), Reif's Psychological Well-being Questionnaire (1989), and Cohen's Perceived Stress Questionnaire (1983). For data analysis, structural equation modeling was used. Results: The results showed that the fit indices of the research model were acceptable. Conclusions: The resilience variable had both direct and indirect effects on psychological well-being (through perceived stress) (p<0/05).

Background: Depressed patients show deficiencies in dissociative experiences and components of executive functions such as attention and planning, information processing speed, selective attention and consciousness, avoidance and inhibition. Accordingly, the research question is whether emotion regulation and experiential avoidance explain the effect of pathogenic personality traits on dissociative experiences? Aims: The aim of this study was to determine the mediating roles of emotion regulation and experiential avoidance in the relationship between pathological personality traits and dissociative experiences in depressed people. Method: This study was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population consisted of all depressed people with a history of suicide referring to psychological and psychiatric clinics of the city of Kerman in 2018. 378 subjects were selected by purposive sampling. The research instruments consisted of Kruger et al. (2012) Pathological Personality Traits Questionnaire based on DSM5, Gratz & Roemer (2004) Emotion Regulation Difficulties Scale, Gá mez & et. al (2011) Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire, Bernstein & Putnam (1986) Dissociative Experiences Scale, Beck (1979) Suicidal Thoughts Scale, and Beck (1996) Depression Questionnaire-second edition. Results: The results showed that direct and indirect effects of the pathological personality traits on dissociative experiences were significant (p<0/01, p<0/05). Conclusions: Pathogenic personality traits, emotion regulation, and empirical avoidance are important in describing dissociative experiences. Also, emotion regulation and empirical avoidance, as mediating variables, explain the relationship between personality traits and dissociative experiences.

Background: Marital conflicts reduce couples’ resilience. But can acceptance and commitment therapy and imagotherapy help improve the resilience of married women referring to consulting centers? Aims: The present study was conducted aiming to compare acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and imagotherapy on the resilience of married women referring to consulting centers in the city of Tehran. Method: The research method of this study was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with control group. The statistical population of the current study included all married women referring to consulting centers in the city of Tehran in 2017. In this study, voluntary non-probability sampling and random assignment were used. After selecting the sample size and assigning them to two experimental groups and one control group, the experimental groups received acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) (Hayes & Ostrosahl, 2010) and imagotherapy (Moreau et al., 2016) interventions during three months as 90-minute sessions weekly. The applied questionnaires in the present study included Barati and Sana'ie (2006) Marital Conflict Scale and the Resilience Scale (Conner and Davidson, 2003). The collected data were analyzed through analysis of covariance. Results: The results showed that acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and imagotherapy were effective on the resilience of married women referring to consulting centers (p<0. 001). Also, there was no significant difference between the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and imagotherapy on the resilience of married women referring to consulting centers. (p>0/05). Conclusions: Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) and imagotherapy had similar effectiveness on the resilience of the women with marital conflicts and these two methods can be used to improve the resilience of these women

Background: Family and couples may have difficulties in various functions and variables, including the basic psychological needs. Research has shown the effectiveness of structural family therapy on various variables, but the basic psychological needs of athlete couples have been neglected. Aims: This study was conducted aiming to determine the effectiveness of structural family therapy on satisfying the basic psychological needs of athlete couples. Method: This research was a quasi-experimental study with pretest-posttest design with experimental group and control group. The statistical population of this study consisted of all athlete couples of the city of Tehran in 2018. From this community, 40 couples were selected by convenience sampling and were randomly assigned to two experimental (20 couples) and control groups. Participants completed the Psychological Needs Satisfaction Scale (Gnieh, 2003). Then, the Minuchin Structural Therapy Family Intervention (2013) was administered to the experimental group but no intervention was performed for the control group. The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance. Results: The results of multivariate analysis of covariance and post hoc tests showed that structural family therapy had significant effects on satisfying the basic psychological needs of athletic couples and its components of self-efficacy, competence and relationship (p<0/001). Conclusions: Structural family therapy can be used to satisfy the basic psychological needs of athlete couples and thus improve the quality of life of couples.

Background: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a serious, debilitating but treatable disease. Ruminations and social anxiety are common psychological problems in patients with obsessivecompulsive disorder. The effectiveness of mindfulness training has been proven in various domains, but has been neglected the rumination and social anxiety in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Aims: This study was conducted aiming to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness training on the rumination in women with obsessive-compulsive disorder. Method: This study was quasi-experimental with pre-test and post-test design with control group. Among women with obsessive-compulsive disorder referring to the clinics of the city of Tehran in the first half of the year 2019, 30 people were selected by convenience sampling and were randomly assignes to experimental and control groups. Participants completed Nolen Hoxma and Morrow (1993) Rumination Scale and Connor et al. (2000) Social Anxiety Scale. Mindfulness training sessions (Kabat-Zinn, 2003) were implemented for experimental group in eight 90-minute sessions, but no intervention was provided for the control group. The data were analyzed by analysis of covariance. Results: Results showed that mindfulness training reduced rumination and social anxiety in the experimental group (p<0/05). Conclusions: Mindfulness training can be used to reduce rumination and social anxiety in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

Background: Many factors are related to students’ academic achievement and many studies have been conducted in this regard, but can the components of positive youth development also be related to students' academic achievement? Aims: The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between positive youth development and students' academic achievement. Method: The present study was descriptive-correlational on high school students in the city of Tehran. To this aim, 400 students (200 girls, 200 boys) were selected by multistage cluster sampling. Measures used in this study were the Arnold et al. (2014) Positive Youth Development Questionnaire and the students' GPA. Results: The results of Pearson’ s correlation analysis showed that there were significant positive associations between the components of competence, confidence, mood, caring, connection, and contribution with academic achievement (p<0. 05). Results of analysis of variance indicated significant differences between the two groups of boys and girls. These differences were significant in the components of competence, confidence, mood, caring, connection, and contribution. The female group significantly scored higher than boys in all components of positive of positive youth development (p<0/01). Conclusion: The positive youth developmental components play an important role in students' academic achievement and can lead to improved academic achievement.