درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of Imago therapy on cognitive flexibility and post-traumatic growth in women affected by extramarital affairs. Methods: The research community included all women affected by extramarital affairs in the city of Isfahan (including the Nik Ovin Psychological Clinic and the Hazrat Abolfazl Charity Institute) in the spring of 2024. Accordingly, a group of women affected by extramarital affairs was randomly divided into two groups: an experimental group (15 individuals) and a control group (15 individuals). The experimental group received Imago therapy sessions, while the control group received no treatment. The data were analyzed using repeated measures tests with SPSS software version 23. Findings: The findings indicated that Imago therapy was effective in enhancing psychological flexibility and its subscales, as well as post-traumatic growth and its subscales, in women affected by extramarital affairs (P < 0.05). Conclusion: The obtained results showed that Imago therapy could be utilized as an effective approach for improving women affected by extramarital affairs, playing a significant role in enhancing their quality of life.

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on affective control in pregnant women. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 45 pregnant women from Ilam, Iran, who were randomly assigned to one of three groups: MBSR, ACT, or control. Participants in the experimental groups underwent 8 weekly group sessions of either MBSR or ACT, while the control group received no intervention. Affective control was measured using the Affective Control Scale, which includes subscales for anger, anxiety, depression, and positive affect. Pre-test and post-test assessments were administered to all groups, and data were analyzed using ANCOVA to compare the effects of the interventions across groups. Findings: The results indicated significant improvements in affective control for both MBSR and ACT groups compared to the control group. The ANCOVA showed significant effects for both MBSR and ACT in reducing anxiety, improving positive affect, and regulating anger, with no significant difference between the two experimental groups. The control group showed no significant changes in any of the emotional regulation variables. Both experimental groups demonstrated a large effect size for affective control (η² = 0.53), with smaller but significant effects on anxiety and positive affect (η² = 0.19 and η² = 0.17, respectively). Conclusion: Both MBSR and ACT were effective in improving affective control and emotional regulation in pregnant women, with similar outcomes for both interventions. These findings suggest that both therapies could be useful tools for managing stress and enhancing emotional well-being during pregnancy.

Objective: The present study aimed to explore the socio-cultural challenges of family therapy. This applied research utilized a qualitative phenomenological approach. Methods: The study population consisted of specialists in various fields of couples and family therapy in Tehran province during the years 2022-2023, who met the inclusion criteria for the study. The inclusion criteria were psychologists or counselors with a Master's or Doctoral degree who had at least five years of experience in one of the family-related fields and were willing to collaborate in the research. A purposive, snowball sampling method was used, continuing until data saturation was reached, with a final selection of 15 specialists. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach. Findings: The findings revealed 24 initial concepts, 5 sub-themes, and 2 main themes as the socio-cultural challenges and factors that perpetuate these challenges. Ineffective application of existing family therapy theories in response to societal changes, social harms affecting family systems over time, and socio-cultural-economic damages were among the sub-themes of challenges. Differences in opinions regarding the strengthening of theory-building and the approach to localizing interventions without relying on existing theories were identified as factors that sustain these challenges. Conclusion: This study offers a new perspective on the impact of societal context on the effective or ineffective implementation of interventions based on non-native theories, providing an alternative approach to examining the issues of cultural insularity in interventions, beyond considerations of religion and written documents in research.

Objective: The present study aimed to determine the role of psychological flexibility, acceptance, and commitment in marital adjustment among couples. Method: This study was applied and descriptive-correlational in nature. The population included couples (both women and men) from Amol County, who were studied using a convenience sampling method involving 126 couples. Data were collected using the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory by Dennis and Vander Wal (2010), the second version of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire by Bond et al. (2007), and the Spanier Dyadic Adjustment Scale (1976). For the analysis of data in the inferential statistics section, simultaneous multiple regression was conducted using SPSS version 21. Findings: The findings indicate that psychological flexibility, acceptance, and commitment can explain 16.9% of the variance in marital adjustment. The t-tests for significance in regression for the coefficient of psychological flexibility (β = 0.191) and acceptance and commitment (β = 0.285) were significant. Acceptance and commitment have a greater unique contribution in predicting marital adjustment among couples (α = 0.05). Conclusion: According to the results, the most significant influences on marital adjustment are acceptance and commitment, followed by psychological flexibility. It is recommended that the findings of this research be utilized to enhance marital adjustment among both women and men.

Objective: This study aims to analyze and compare the representation of social harms threatening the family institution in Iranian cinema during the 1990s and 2000s. The primary objective is to explore the evolution of these representations across two decades, reflecting broader social and cultural changes in Iranian society. Methods: The research utilizes a quantitative content analysis method to systematically examine a sample of 40 Iranian films—20 from the 1990s and 20 from the 2000s. These films were selected to represent a broad cross-section of Iranian cinema. Data were collected using a structured coding sheet, focusing on the depiction of various social harms, including norm violation, lawbreaking, migration, unemployment, divorce, infidelity, delinquency, and more. The analysis was conducted using SPSS software to identify trends and shifts in the portrayal of these issues over time. Findings: The findings indicate a significant shift in the representation of social harms in Iranian cinema from the 1990s to the 2000s. In the 1990s, the most prominently depicted social harms were norm violation, lawbreaking, migration, and unemployment. By the 2000s, the focus shifted to divorce, infidelity, and delinquency, reflecting changing social dynamics and concerns in Iranian society. The study also found that while certain issues, such as violence and prostitution, remained relevant across both decades, their representation in cinema evolved, reflecting broader societal changes. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Iranian cinema serves as a crucial medium for reflecting and critiquing social issues, with the portrayal of social harms evolving in response to changing societal concerns. The findings highlight the dynamic relationship between cinema and society in Iran, with films playing a vital role in both mirroring and influencing public discourse on social issues.

Objective: Marital infidelity is one of the most significant threats to the stability of marital relationships and a leading cause of divorce across various cultures. This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on self-compassion and experiential avoidance in women who have experienced marital infidelity. Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design, involving experimental and control groups and a three-month follow-up. All women who had experienced marital infidelity and attended psychotherapy and counseling clinics in Tehran during the year 2021-2022 constituted the statistical population of this study, from which 30 were selected via convenience sampling based on the inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two equal groups of 15. Data were collected using the Self-Compassion Scale (Neff, 2003) and the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire - Second Version (Bond et al., 2007). Participants in the experimental group received 8 sessions of intervention. Data analysis was conducted using descriptive statistics and one-way analysis of variance with SPSS version 26. Findings: The mean self-compassion score and its dimensions in the experimental group significantly improved post-intervention compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Cognitive-behavioral therapy was beneficial in reducing experiential avoidance in the experimental group, unlike the control group (p < 0.05). The effects of this therapeutic program on dependent variables continued during the three-month follow-up period (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral exercises can be used as an effective intervention method to improve the cognitive-emotional status of women who have experienced marital infidelity.

Objective: In the professional lives of women, factors such as stress, long working hours, multiple roles, and work-family conflict can affect their sexual function. Therefore, this study aimed to predict sexual function based on sexual self-awareness and perfectionism in employed women. Methods: The present study was applied and descriptive-correlational. The study population consisted of employed women in Isfahan County, who were sampled using a convenience sampling method with 210 participants being examined. For data collection, Rosen, Myers, and Hatty's (2000) Female Sexual Function Questionnaire, Snell, Fisher, and Miller's (1991) Sexual Awareness Questionnaire, and Hill's (2004) Perfectionism Questionnaire were used. For data analysis in the inferential statistics part, simultaneous multiple regression was conducted using SPSS version 21. Findings: The findings indicate that sexual self-awareness and perfectionism can explain 15.2% of the variance in sexual function. The t-test for significance in the regression for the coefficient of sexual self-awareness (β = 0.292) and perfectionism (β = -0.271) is significant at the level below 0.01. Sexual self-awareness has a greater unique contribution in predicting the sexual function of employed women (α = 0.05). Conclusion: Ultimately, enhancing sexual self-awareness and controlling perfectionism can help maintain and improve the sexual function of employed women. According to the results obtained, sexual self-awareness, followed by perfectionism, predicts the sexual function of these women in their relationships.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties of the Parenting Competence Scale. Methods: This research was a descriptive survey. The statistical population included all male and female students in the first grade of high school in District 11 of Tehran during the 2022-2023 academic year. Participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. In this study, to examine the psychometric properties of the Parenting Competence Scale, confirmatory factor analysis was used for construct validity, correlation coefficients for convergent validity, and internal consistency coefficients for reliability. For this purpose, 350 adolescents aged 13 to 15 responded to the Parenting Competence Scale, the Strength-based Parenting Scale (Jach et al., 2018), and the Engagement, Perseverance, Optimism, Connectedness, and Happiness Instrument for Adolescent Well-being (Kern et al., 2016). Findings: The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the Parenting Competence Scale, with a structure comprising four factors—parental warmth, parental demand, social value of patience, and social value of respect for privacy—had good construct validity. Additionally, the results related to the correlation between the dimensions of parenting competence with strength-based parenting and adolescent well-being supported the convergent validity of the Persian version of the Parenting Competence Scale. Furthermore, the internal consistency coefficients of the subscales of privacy, patience, parental warmth, and parental demand were 0.86, 0.79, 0.80, and 0.78, respectively, defending the reliability of the Persian version of the aforementioned scale. Conclusion: Overall, the results of this study, while defending the conceptual positions derived from a positive and non-deficit approach to the field of parenting studies on which the conceptual foundation of the idea of parenting competence is based, also provided substantial evidence in support of the technical characteristics of the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Parenting Competence Scale.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to explain the structural model of quality of life based on early maladaptive schemas and the mediating role of self-care in women with type 2 diabetes. Methods: This research is classified as descriptive-correlational using structural equation modeling. The statistical population included all women with type 2 diabetes in Tehran who visited healthcare centers during 2021. The sample comprised 350 women with type 2 diabetes in Tehran in 2021, selected through convenience sampling based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data were collected using the World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief Questionnaire, the Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form, and the Diabetes Self-Care Activities Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling and Pearson correlation statistical methods with SPSS.22 and AMOS.22 software. Findings: The results showed the fit indices were PCFI=0.655, PNFI=0.661, CMIN/DF=2.90, RMSEA=0.089, IFI=0.917, CFI=0.914, and GFI=0.903, indicating a good fit of the proposed model with the data. The highest coefficient (-0.47) was attributed to the pathway from the domain of impaired autonomy and performance to quality of life. Conclusion: The coefficient of determination for the quality of marital relationship variable in the proposed structural model was 0.889, indicating that exogenous variables could predict 89% of the variations in quality of life, which is a strong prediction.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the mediating role of resilience and self-compassion in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological distress with marital adjustment among individuals attending counseling centers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This research was conducted using a descriptive-correlational methodology through the structural equation modeling approach. The population included all individuals with marital discord attending private counseling centers in Isfahan during the winter of 2021, who were experiencing the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 150 people were selected through convenience sampling and responded to the research instruments. Research Instruments: The instruments included the Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2003), the Spanier Marital Adjustment Scale (Spanier, 1976), the Self-Compassion Scale by Neff et al. (2011), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (Connor & Davidson, 2003), and the Perceived COVID-19 Stress Scale by Campo-Arias et al. (2020). Data were analyzed using PLS software and structural equation modeling. Findings: The results indicated that the effect of stress on resilience was significant (t=7.61), stress on self-compassion (t=3.91), resilience on adjustment (t=9.34), compassion on marital adjustment (t=2.09), psychological distress on resilience (t=5.4), and psychological distress on self-compassion (t=2.56) were significant (p≤0.05), and resilience and self-compassion played mediating roles between the variables. Conclusion: According to the findings of this study, reducing perceived stress and psychological distress impacts increasing resilience and self-compassion, and with the enhancement of self-compassion and resilience, marital adjustment improves.