Background: Women living with HIV (WLWH) experience various psychosocial challenges, which negatively affect their quality of life (QOL). The current study examines the outcomes of women living with HIV (WLWH), who receive cognitive behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for improving quality of life in Tehran, Iran. Methods: The design of the study is a randomized clinical trial (RCT). Sixty women living with HIV were randomly assigned into a control and an intervention groups, 30 participants for each group. A 10-session cognitive behavioral group therapy was provided only to the intervention group. The control group participated in 3 sessions without special training. To assess the effectiveness of the intervention, quality of life was measured using Multidimensional Quality of Life Questionnaire for HIV/AIDS (MQoL-HIV) before and one month after intervention delivery. Pre-test and post-tests were compared using t-test analysis. Results: After 10 weeks training, the Mean±SD QOL score significantly increased in the intervention group. Based on covariance analysis, the intervention group had significantly higher QOL score than the control group after the intervention P<0.05. Conclusion: Due to the low quality of life among WLWH, CBGT can be helpful in providing psychological rehabilitation to improve the quality of life of this group.
Objective: Pelvic inflammatory disease is a common infection that can reduce family functioning by causing long-term complications such as chronic pelvic pain and infertility. This study Aimed to compare family functions in Infertile women with and without the pelvic inflammatory disease. Method: The research method was causal-comparative and the participants included 48 infertile women with pelvic inflammatory disease and 57 infertile women without The pelvic inflammatory disease, who were referred to Al-Zahra Hospital in Rasht in 2021. Based on the patients' records and the diagnosis of the gynecologist, infertile women with pelvic inflammatory disease (tubular factor) and infertile women without pelvic inflammatory disease (due to other causes) were selected purposefully. A demographic checklist and McMaster Family Functioning Questionnaire were used to collect data. Research data were analyzed using one-way and multivariate variance analysis. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of emotional fusion in infertile women with pelvic inflammatory disease and infertile women without pelvic inflammatory disease (P <0.05). In addition, there was a significant difference in the two levels of high and low education in emotional control and response and interaction between group and education components (P <0.05). Conclusion: According to the results of this study and the importance of the emotional integration component in women with infertility without pelvic inflammatory disease, this component can be used as a strength in these women for more effective communication in married life and to reduce the negative effects of infertility and education should be further examined as a possible influential variable.
Introduction: Painful diabetic neuropathy is a major complication of chronic diabetes with a significant negative impact on the quality of sleep and quality of life in diabetic patients. This study was conducted to determine the single and combined effect of primary motor cortex (M1) and left Dorso lateral prefrontal cortex (L- DLPFC/ F3) anodic transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) in improving sleep quality and quality of life in type 2 diabetes patients with neuropathic pain. Method: The current study was a four-group double-blind randomized clinical trial. The statistical population consisted of all patients with type 2 diabetes aged 45 to 65 years, who were members of the Bonab Diabetes Association in 2022 and identified as having neuropathic pain by specialists. The research sample was 48 people selected through the purposeful sampling method and randomly assigned into three experimental groups and one sham control group. Patients in four groups received their respective interventions for 12 sessions, three times a week. The data collection was done using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and the 36-Item Short Form quality of life questionnaire (SF-36). Results: According to the findings, only the stimulation of M1 and F3 areas was effective in improving the sleep quality of diabetic patients. In terms of increasing quality of life, the effect of combined treatment (stimulation of both M1 and F3 areas) was significantly higher than the F3 area stimulation and sham stimulation groups. Also, the observed effect remained stable until the 3-month follow-up stage. Conclusion: According to the results of this research, neuropsychological rehabilitation through electrical stimulation of the M1 and F3 areas of the brain was supported to improve the sleep quality and the quality of life of diabetic neuropathy patients.
Objectives: Adherence to treatment and cancer coping self-efficacy are key components in the management of cancer disease. This study aimed at examining the structural pattern of personality traits of cancer patients on treatment adherence and cancer coping self-efficacy mediated by social support. Method: The method of the present study was descriptive and the research design was correlational based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all female patients with breast cancer who were referred to Shahid Rahimi Hospital for follow-up treatment, among whom 300 were selected using the convenience sampling method. Then, they completed the research questionnaires, including five personality traits, Self-efficacy appropriate medicine use scale, Cancer Behavior Scale, and Social Support Therapeutic Outcomes questionnaire. The research data were analyzed using AMOS statistical software. Results: The results showed that there was a significant relationship between personality traits, adherence to treatment, cancer self-efficacy, and social support. The results of structural equation modeling showed a good fit of the model with the experimental data and the general hypothesis of the research was confirmed. Personality traits have a significant positive effect on adherence to cancer treatment and self-efficacy. Also, personality traits mediated by social support showed a negative and significant relationship with adherence to treatment and cancer self-efficacy. Conclusion: This study showed the effective role of social support in the outcome of social and individual measures to increase adherence to treatment and cancer self-efficacy in patients with breast cancer.
Objective: The present study determined the fit of hope model based on spiritual health, body image, family support, and health locus of control mediated by social comparison in patients with postoperative breast cancer. Method: The sample of the study included 400 women selected using the purposive sampling method from patients with breast cancer who after surgery referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Tehran in the spring and summer of 2021. Data collection tools included Gibbons and Buunk's Social Comparison Orientation Scale (1993), Khodapnahi et al.'s Social Support Questionnaire (2009), Schneider Hope Scale (1991), Paloutzian and Ellison's Spiritual Well-Being Scale (1982), Cash, Winstead, and Janda's Body Image Questionnaire (1985), and Wallston et al.'s multidimensional Health Locus of control scales (1978). Results: The hope model based on spiritual health, body image, family support, and health locus of control mediated by social comparison in postoperative breast cancer patients had a good fit. Also, spiritual health (r = 0.48), body image (r = 0.46), family support (r = 0.37), and health locus of control (r = 0.23) had a direct correlation and indirect effect on the variable of hope mediated by social comparisons. Conclusion: In order to increase the hope as the inner force needed to fight breast cancer, we can improve the quality of spiritual health, positive body image, family support, source of health control, and social comparison.
Aim: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between stress, mindfulness, and binge eating in obese people with mediating role of experiential avoidance. Method: The current research was of quantitative type with correlational method. The statistical population included all overweight and obese people in the city of Karaj in 2019, and 414 people were selected as research samples through convenience sampling method. Data were collected by calculating participants' body mass index, Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (Bond et al,2011), Harry's stress questionnaire (2005), five-factor mindfulness questionnaire (Baer et al,2004), and binge eating scale (Gormally et al,1982). Collected data were analyzed using structural equation modeling in Amos software. Results: Stress and mindfulness are known variables in clinical interventions for people with binge eating problems but choosing the strategic and practical variable of experimental avoidance as a mediator between these categories and overeating confirmed these variables' theoretical and practical value. This research highlighted the role of experiential avoidance as a powerful and effective variable in the outcome of individual and social measures in the management and planning to correct overeating behavior in obese people.
