Iranian Journal of Health Psychology

Objective: Problem gambling is a non-addiction issue that may arise even from recreational engagement with gambling activity. In Nigeria, not much has been written about this menace to the extent that the focus of interest of the government is on the economic gains of gambling activities rather than how to curtail the problems arising therefrom. Therefore, this study was aimed at investigating psychosocial predictors (age, suicidality, and financial strain) contributing either independently or collectively to problem gambling among male undergraduate students in Ogun state, Nigeria. Methods: This study adopted a correlational research design. 201 participants were recruited using a purposive sampling technique. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires that included bio-data information, Problem Gambling Severity Index developed by (Ferris & Whynne, 2001), Suicidal Behaviour Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R) developed by Osman, Bagge, Gutierrez, Konick, Kopper, & Barrios (2001) and Financial Strain Survey developed by (Aldana & Lijenquist, 1998). Results: Multiple Regression Analysis was used to analyze the data, and the results revealed that financial strain contributed more significantly to problem gambling (t (196) = 5.348, P.001), = 36, while all psychosocial variables contributed collectively to problem gambling (F (3, 196) = 9.670, P.01, AdjR2 =.12) among male undergraduate students in Ogun State, Nigeria. Conclusions: The study concluded that psychosocial factors-age, financial strain, and suicidality collectively contributed to problem gambling while only financial strain independently significantly predicted problem gambling among male university students in Ago-Iwoye community of Olabisi Onabanjo University. The study recommended that students receive financial counselling and planning in order to manage their money effectively.

The aim of this study was to determine the effectiveness of family empowerment with socio-emotional learning on psychological trauma and emotional expression in adolescents with parents with substance abuse. The method of the present study was a quasi-experimental with a pre-test-post-test design and a control and follow-up group. 30 of them were purposefully selected and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Research data were collected using the Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale (DASS-21) by Lovibond & Lovibond (1995) and the King & Emmons (EEQ) Emotional Expression Questionnaire (1990) and analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Were analyzed. The results of the present study showed that family empowerment on emotional expression and depression, anxiety and stress of adolescents with dependent parents was effective (P <0.01) and this effectiveness is stable in quarterly follow-up (P <0.01). According to the results of the present study, it can be concluded that family empowerment learning program is one of the effective treatments for psychological trauma and emotional expression of adolescents

Background: This study aimed to design and apply a self-care training package for elementary students’ health. According to the purpose of the study, two hypotheses were posed. The first hypothesis states that the self-care training package is effective for the elementary students’ health improvement and the second hypothesis is that the self-care training package is effective in promoting the health components of elementary students. Method: This research was experimental with pretest-posttest and control group design. The statistical population of the study was all elementary students of public schools in Tehran city in the academic year 2019-2020. In this study, the health questionnaire and a researcher-made self-care questionnaire were used to collect the required data. In compiling the training package, the topics were divided into eight dimensions or topics of self-care including physical, nutritional, psychological, social, sleep, virtual, sexual, and health components. Results: The results of the study showed that the self-care training package was effective in promoting primary students’ health. Conclusion: It also was effective in promoting each health component (physical health and mental health) in primary school students.

Objective: This research investigated the mediating role of self-compassion in the relationship of type D personality with psychological well-being and self-care behaviors in patients suffering from type 2 diabetes. Research Method: The statistical population of this research included all patients with type 2 diabetes in the cities of Rasht and Rezvanshahr in 2020-2021. In this descriptive cross-sectional study, 368 patients were selected through purposive consecutive sampling. The participants completed the questionnaire of the summary of diabetes self-care activities (SDSCA), type D personality scale (DS-14), Ryff's scale of psychological well-being (RSPWB), and self-compassion scale – short form (SCS-SF). The data were processed through structural equation modeling (SEM) in AMOS-24. Bootstrapping was carried out by Preacher and Hayes’ (2008) macro to analyze the mediating relationships. Results: According to the bootstrapping analysis, self-compassion plays a significantly mediating role in the relationship of type D personality with psychological well-being and self-care behaviors (in all cases p<0.0001). The coefficient of determination of the final model demonstrated that all exogenous and medicating variables can predict 89% of the psychological well-being changes and 87% of self-care behaviors. Conclusions: Self-compassion can serve as a buffer and reduce the destructive effects of the type D personality on the psychological well-being and self-care behaviors in diabetic patients. Thus, taking measures to train and strengthen self-compassion is essential in the psychological treatment of diabetic patients.

Objective: Cancer is one of the most essential health issues in the world and Iran which is usually associated with significant clinical and psychological discomfort in the optimal use of coping strategies. Therefore، the purpose of the present study was to analyze a structural model of medication adherence based on health anxiety, positive meta-emotion, and pain self-efficacy mediated by health locus of control in men with cancer. Method: The research was descriptive-correlational using structural equation modelling to test the relationships between the variables. The statistical population was men with gastrointestinal cancer in Golestan province referred to Shafi Hyrkan Cancer Patients Support Center. According to, 227 people were selected through targeted sampling. The research instruments included the Salkowski and Warwick Health Anxiety Inventory, Beer and Moneta Positive Metacognitions and Positive Meta-Emotions Questionnaire, Nicholas Pain Self-Efficacy questionnaire, Morisky, Ang, and Wood's Medication Adherence Questionnaire, and Wallston's Health Control Source Inventory. Data analysis was performed in LISREL software version 8.71. Findings: The results showed that health anxiety, internal health locus of control, and positive meta-emotion had a positive effect (P <0.005) and pain self-efficacy had a negative and significant effect on medication adherence (P <0.001). The source of internal health locus of control mediated the effect of pain self-efficacy and positive meta-emotion mediated the medication adherence positively and significantly (P <0.005). Conclusion: Health anxiety, positive meta-emotion, and pain self-efficacy are correlated with medication adherence and affect medication adherence mediated by health locus of control.

Objective: Capture of attention occurs when a goal-irrelevant salient stimulus appears in the field of attention. The COVID-19 pandemic seems to be salient enough to capture a great proportion of one’s attentional resources. The purpose of this study was to explore how novelty of outbreak news affects attention in everyday life. Methods: 162 participants were recruited using an online invitation and divided into two samples (early and late sections). The variables—salience of news, intrusive thoughts, endogenous attention, and knowledge of COVID-19—were compared between the two measurements using one-way MANOVA. Additionally, a correlational analysis was performed in order to reveal a model of relationships between variables. Results: It was found that despite the increase in infected cases, intrusive thoughts and attentional capture were decreased over time. To describe the relationship between salience of news and attentional capture a conceptual model was presented. Conclusion: In addition to the other physical properties of a stimulus, novelty also contributes to stimulus salience. In everyday life, novel situations can trigger intrusive thoughts and attentional capture. Nonetheless, it cannot be sustained after the novelty has worn off. The proposed model can be useful to understand further similar situations.