درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral play therapy and resilience-based play therapy on anxiety, executive functioning behaviors, and emotional expression in children aged 6 to 8 years undergoing dental treatment. Methods: The current research was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test design, including a control group and a two-month follow-up period. All children aged 6 to 8 visiting specialty dental clinics in Isfahan during the first six months of 2021 constituted the research population. Forty-five children were selected using purposive sampling based on inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned to three equal groups of fifteen. Data collection was carried out using the Revised Children's Anxiety Scale - Short Form (Ahlen et al., 2018), the Emotion Expression Questionnaire - Child Form (Penza-Clyve & Zeman, 2002), and the Executive Functioning Questionnaire (Gioia et al., 2000). Cognitive-behavioral play therapy sessions were conducted based on the protocol by Hall, Kaduson, and Schaefer (2002), and resilience-based play therapy sessions followed the protocol by Nikneshan et al. (2019), each lasting for eight weekly sessions of 60 minutes. However, the control group did not receive these interventions. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics and mixed ANOVA with SPSS software, version 26. Findings: Results indicated that the mean scores of executive functioning behaviors and their dimensions significantly improved in the experimental groups at post-test compared to the control group, and these improvements remained stable at follow-up (p < 0.05). Moreover, therapeutic interventions (both cognitive-behavioral and resilience-based play therapy) significantly improved scores on anxiety and emotional expressiveness compared to the control group. Additionally, post hoc Bonferroni tests showed that cognitive-behavioral play therapy was more effective than resilience-based play therapy in reducing anxiety scores and increasing skills in emotional expression and executive functioning in children undergoing dental treatment (p < 0.05). Conclusion: These findings further clarify the role of play therapy in children undergoing dental treatment and highlight the necessity of using therapeutic approaches derived from the cognitive-behavioral model to modulate symptoms in these children.

Objective: The primary goal of this study was to present a forgiveness model based on childhood maltreatment and attachment styles, with the mediating role of early maladaptive schemas in betrayal victims. Methods: This descriptive correlational study involved betrayal victims who had sought counseling in Tehran in 2022, with a sample of 653 individuals selected through convenience sampling. The instruments used included Bernstein et al.'s (2003) Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, Hazan and Shaver's (1987) Attachment Style Questionnaire, Young's (1999) Early Maladaptive Schema Questionnaire, and the Forgiveness Questionnaire by Ray et al. (2001). Data were analyzed using SPSS version 25 and AMOS version 24. Findings: The results indicated a negative relationship between childhood maltreatment, insecure attachment styles, and early maladaptive schemas with forgiveness, while secure attachment showed a positive relationship with forgiveness. Furthermore, the results suggested that early maladaptive schemas mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment, attachment styles, and forgiveness in betrayal victims. Conclusion: Overall, the results indicated that the evaluated structural model was well-fitted, and the findings could assist therapists and counselors in better understanding the forgiveness process in betrayal victims.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy on self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth in women with breast cancer. Methods: This quasi-experimental study (pre-test - post-test with control group) involved 30 women with breast cancer in Sari (2021) who were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two groups of 15 participants each, an experimental group and a control group. The measurement instruments used were the General Self-Efficacy Scale by Schwarzer and Jerusalem (1979) and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996), completed by the participants. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group attended 10 sessions of 60-minute emotion-focused therapy over a period of ten weeks. However, no therapy sessions were conducted for the control group. Ultimately, data analysis was performed using the covariance analysis method. Findings: The analysis revealed that after the intervention, there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in both variables of self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth (p ≤ .05). Significant differences were observed in the components of self-efficacy (general self-preparedness and social self-efficacy) and three components of posttraumatic growth (relating to others, personal strength, and appreciation of life) between the women in the experimental and control groups (p ≤ .05); however, no significant differences were observed in the components of new possibilities and spiritual change. Conclusion: The use of emotion-focused therapy is an appropriate intervention to enhance self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth in women with breast cancer, which can be beneficial for improving psychological well-being and better coping with the disease and treatment.

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of Emotion-Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) on marital commitment, love schemas, and emotional schemas in couples with extramarital affairs. Methods: This research employed a semi-experimental single-case design with a multiple baseline method. The statistical population of this study included all couples with experience of extramarital affairs who referred to family courts and the prevention unit of the welfare organization in Dezful city in the year 2022. A total of 4 couples (8 individuals) were selected through purposeful sampling. The EFCT process was conducted in three baseline stages, across 8 sessions of 90 minutes each, with a two-month follow-up. Participants responded to the Marital Commitment Questionnaire by Adams and Jones (1997), the Love Schema Questionnaire by Yarahmadi-Vaseli et al. (2020), and the Leahy Emotional Schema Scale (LES) (2002). Data were analyzed using visual inspection, reliable change index, and percentage improvement formula. Findings: The results indicated that EFCT led to an increase in marital commitment in couples with extramarital affairs (P<0.05), and the effects persisted until the follow-up stage. Additionally, the results showed that EFCT resulted in an increase in adaptive emotional schemas and a decrease in maladaptive emotional schemas in these couples (P<0.05). EFCT had a significant impact on secure love schema, unstable love schema, clingy love schema, avoidant love schema, and unserious love schema (P<0.05), with effects lasting until the follow-up stage. Furthermore, the results indicated that EFCT did not have a significant impact on reducing unserious love schema and uninterested love schema (P>0.05). Conclusion: Therefore, EFCT can be utilized as a sustainable intervention to enhance marital commitment, love schemas, and emotional schemas in healthcare and therapeutic centers for couples with extramarital affairs.

Objective: The present study aimed to model the structural equations of marital adjustment with early maladaptive schemas considering the mediating role of marriage styles in men. Methods: The research method was descriptive-correlational. The statistical population included married men from the general population in districts 2, 7, and 11 of Tehran in the first quarter of 2022. A total of 300 men were selected as the research sample using purposive sampling. Data were collected using the Marital Adjustment Questionnaire (Busby et al., 1995), Young Schema Questionnaire (Young, 1994), and a researcher-made Marriage Styles Questionnaire. Data analysis was conducted using Pearson's correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling with SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software. Findings: The results indicated a good fit for the model linking marital adjustment with early maladaptive schemas and marriage styles. The final model fit indices showed a negative and significant relationship between early maladaptive schemas and marital adjustment. Additionally, marriage styles mediated the relationship between early maladaptive schemas and marital adjustment. Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that since marriage is one of the significant life decisions, focusing on early maladaptive schemas and pre-marital education can enhance marital adjustment, improve marriage styles, and sustain relationships, thereby increasing the marital quality of life.

Objective: The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of a combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy on the sense of coherence and marital interactions in women with marital burnout. Methods: The present study was a quasi-experimental design with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. The statistical population included all women aged 25 to 50 years with marital burnout who responded to the call posted in cultural centers in the city of Isfahan in the spring of 2022 and were contacted and received a moderate score based on the marital burnout questionnaire. A total of 45 individuals from the mentioned population were selected purposefully and randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group (15 individuals each). The experimental groups underwent nine 60-minute sessions of the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Dialectical Behavior Therapy, while the control group received no treatment during this period. Data were collected using Antonovsky's Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (1993) and Gottman's Marital Interactions Questionnaire (1999) and analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test, with SPSS version 23. Findings: The results showed that both interventions significantly affected the sense of coherence and marital interactions in women with marital burnout (p < 0.05). However, in terms of the effectiveness of the two therapeutic methods, the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy was more effective (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results indicated that the combined package of Resilient Dialectical Behavior Therapy could be utilized to enhance the sense of coherence and marital interactions.

Objective: The present research aimed to study the lived experience of mothers on the verge of separation and to explore the phenomenon of separation and divorce from their perspective. Method: It was a qualitative study with a phenomenological method among mothers on the verge of separation in Isfahan city. Semi-structured interviews were used for data collection in this research. Participants included 15 mothers on the verge of separation in Isfahan city in the year 2021, using purposive sampling, and the operations of data collection and analysis were conducted simultaneously. Findings: According to the analysis and the extracted main and sub-categories, the story of mothers on the verge of separation can be narrated within 5 overarching themes. The results of this research, from among 180 thematic sentences from the statements of mothers on the verge of separation about their experiences, eventually classified 5 overarching themes and 15 organizing themes that form the network of themes. The overarching and organizing themes in this research include communication problems (relationships with children, relationships with spouses), parenting (children's financial problems, defective parenting style, child management), emotional and behavioral (emotional and behavioral problems of parents, emotional and behavioral problems of children), psychological, social, and economic support (family, lack of counseling, economic) and exacerbating factors (extramarital affairs, addiction, previous divorce experience, mental disorders, sexual dysfunction). Conclusions: The results showed that mothers on the verge of separation experience emotions that can affect their well-being and mental health. The findings highlight the necessity for psychologists and social workers to deeply understand the lived experiences of these individuals and to offer therapeutic interventions based on the themes emerged from the current study, focusing on improving their emotional state.

Objective: The purpose of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational program based on the threats and opportunities of remote work for dual-career couples during the COVID-19 pandemic on work-family conflict and its dimensions. Method: This was a quantitative, applied research employing a quasi-experimental design, utilizing a pre-test/post-test with a control group. The sample consisted of dual-career couples from Kerman city who sought counseling for various reasons. Collaboration was negotiated with a private counseling center, and agreements were made. Couples scoring above the cutoff on the prepared questionnaires were purposively selected, resulting in 20 couples who were then randomly assigned to either the experimental group (10 couples) or the control group (10 couples). The experimental group underwent the educational program while the control group received no training. The data collection instrument was the work-family conflict questionnaire by Carlson et al. (2000). Data in the quantitative section were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance with the help of SPSS software. Findings: Given that the computed F-value for the effect of groups on work-family conflict and its dimensions was statistically significant at the 5% level (p < .05), it can be concluded that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups after the intervention, and the intervention significantly impacted work-family conflict and its dimensions. The Benferroni post-hoc test indicated that the effects of the educational program based on opportunities and threats of remote work on work-family conflict and its dimensions showed suitable stability during the follow-up phase. Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that the educational package derived from the lived experiences of dual-career couples during the quarantine period of the COVID-19 outbreak was effective on the dimensions of work-family conflict among couples, and this effect was also stable in the follow-up phase.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based psychotherapy on functional flexibility and health hardiness in patients with coronavirus anxiety during the epidemic. Methods: This research utilized a quasi-experimental method with a pre-test, post-test design, including a control group and a three-month follow-up period. The statistical population comprised individuals with coronavirus anxiety who contacted counseling centers in Isfahan for telephone consultations during the summer of 2021. From this population, 33 individuals were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Participants in the experimental group received mindfulness-based psychotherapy (8 sessions) based on Kabat-Zinn's protocol (2003) over two months. The questionnaires used in this study included the Functional Flexibility Questionnaire (Dennis & Vander Wal, 2010), the Health Hardiness Questionnaire (Gibbhardt, VanderDerf, & Powell, 2001), and the Coronavirus Anxiety Questionnaire (Alipour et al., 2019). Data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA with SPSS23 statistical software. Findings: The results indicated that mindfulness-based psychotherapy significantly impacted functional flexibility (P<0.0001; Eta=0.62; F=52.32) and health hardiness (P<0.0001; Eta=0.65; F=55.09) in patients with coronavirus anxiety. Conclusion: Based on the findings of the present study, mindfulness-based psychotherapy, utilizing techniques such as mindful attitude, mindful activities, addressing problematic emotions, and breathing exercises, can be effectively used to improve functional flexibility and health hardiness in patients with coronavirus anxiety.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of sexual cognitive behavioral therapy on sexual awareness, psychological functioning, and self-control in married women. Method: The research method was a quasi-experimental pre-test and post-test design with a control group. The study population included all married female students at the Islamic Azad University, Garmsar Branch, in 2023. Based on the population, 30 participants (15 in the experimental group and 15 in the control group) were purposively selected and randomly assigned. Data were collected using the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS) and the Sexual Awareness Questionnaire by Snell and colleagues (1991), along with Dr. Mehrnaz Aliakbari's sexual cognitive behavioral therapy protocol. Findings: The results indicated that sexual cognitive behavioral therapy significantly and positively affected sexual awareness, psychological functioning, and self-control in married women. Conclusions: Therefore, sexual cognitive behavioral therapy can be used to improve psychological functioning and self-control in women.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and existential therapy on symptoms of demoralization and life attitudes in women heads of households in welfare in the city of Rasht. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population included all women heads of households in the welfare organization of Rasht city (2159 individuals) in 2021. The sample size included 60 individuals who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (20 individuals in the existential therapy group and 20 individuals in the cognitive-behavioral therapy group) and one control group (20 individuals). Then, each of the two experimental groups received 8 sessions of 90-minute group therapy. The cognitive-behavioral therapy was based on the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol by Antony et al. (2013), and the existential therapy was based on the existential therapy protocol by Irvin Yalom (2016). The data collection tools included the Symptoms of Demoralization Questionnaire by Kissane et al. (2004) and the Life Attitudes Questionnaire by Battista (1973). Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: Based on the effect size values, the effectiveness of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy on the demoralization symptoms variable was 43%, and on the life attitudes variable, it was 62%. This effectiveness was significant and persistent (according to the follow-up test results), and both therapies had a lasting impact on the dependent variables. In the variables of demoralization symptoms (F=29.34, p=0.001) and life attitudes (F=62.36, p=0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up in the variables of demoralization symptoms and life attitudes of women heads of households in the two experimental groups (cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy), indicating the significant impact of both therapeutic methods on the research's dependent variables.