درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Objective: Infertility is not merely a medical condition affecting women but a biopsychosocial health issue that encompasses lower quality of life, psychiatric disorders, and even marital conflicts. The aim of this study was to predict marital intimacy based on infertility stigma and coping strategies in infertile women. Method: This applied research was descriptive-correlational in nature. The population included all infertile women in Tehran in the year 2020. From this group, 250 participants were selected using purposive sampling. The participants were assessed using the Thompson and Walker (1983) Marital Intimacy Scale, Fu’s (2014) Perceived Infertility Stigma Scale, and Folkman and Lazarus’s (1985) Coping Strategies Scale. Data were analyzed using SPSS software, version 23. Findings: Data analysis revealed that infertility stigma and coping strategies significantly predict marital intimacy in infertile women at the 0.01 level (p < .01, F(6, 249) = 45.877). Infertility stigma and coping strategies explained 53.1% of the variance in marital intimacy. The t-tests for significance in regression for self-devaluation (β = -.189, p = .001), social rejection (β = -.143, p = .003), family shame (β = -.279, p = .001), emotion-focused coping style (β = .351, p = .001), and problem-focused coping style (β = .251, p = .001) were significant at the level below .01. Among the sub-scales of infertility stigma, family shame and among the coping strategies, emotion-focused coping style had a more significant unique contribution in predicting marital intimacy. Conclusion: Infertility stigma and coping strategies can be used to predict marital intimacy among infertile women.

Objective: This research aimed to compare the effectiveness of therapist-assisted couple therapy and emotion-focused couple therapy on psychological well-being, negotiation enhancement, and aggression reduction in women victims of spousal violence. Methods: The study was applied, field-based, and quasi-experimental, employing a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The sample consisted of couples attending counseling and psychotherapy centers in Qom during the second half of 2021. Out of these, 45 couples were randomly assigned after entry criteria control into three groups: emotion-focused treatment group (15 couples), therapist-assisted treatment group (15 couples), and a control group (15 couples). The research tools included the Strauss et al. (1979) Conflict Tactics Scales and the Ryff (1989) Psychological Well-Being Scales, which were administered to the female victims in three phases: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The emotion-focused group received Johnson’s (2003) training package over nine sessions, and the therapist-assisted group received Aghayousefi et al.’s (2020) training package over eight sessions. The control group received no intervention. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and SPSS software version 26. Findings: Results showed that both emotion-focused and therapist-assisted couple therapies significantly reduced aggression (F = 90.30, p < .001), increased negotiation (F = 64.47, p < .001), and enhanced psychological well-being (F = 103.81, p < .001) in the female victims of spousal violence, with these effects maintained at follow-up. However, the emotion-focused therapy package was more successful in improving psychological well-being, negotiation, and reducing aggression than the therapist-assisted therapy package. Conclusion: The findings suggest that both emotion-focused and therapist-assisted couple therapies are effective interventions for resolving conflicts and improving psychological well-being.

Objective: The present study aimed to present a structural model of psychological maladjustment based on post-traumatic stress symptoms with the mediating role of ego strength in individuals suffering from chronic pain. Methods: The research method was descriptive, correlational, and structural equation modeling was used. The study population included all patients suffering from chronic pain who had visited specialized pain clinics in Tehran from February 2021 to May 2021. Using the Tabachnick and Fidell (2007) formula, the sample size was determined to be 330, selected through convenience sampling. Research instruments included the Psychological Adjustment Questionnaire (Rohner & Khaleque, 2005), the Mississippi Scale for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (1998), and the Psychological Ego Strength Scale (Markstrom et al., 1997). Data analysis was conducted in two parts: descriptive (central and dispersion indices, skewness, and kurtosis) and inferential (structural equation modeling) using SPSS-V23 and LISREL-V8.8 software. Findings: The results indicated that the model has a good fit. Additionally, the results showed that there is a significant direct and indirect relationship (mediated by ego strength) between post-traumatic stress and psychological maladjustment in individuals with chronic pain. The results suggest that the effect of post-traumatic stress indirectly influences psychological maladjustment positively through ego strength, with a magnitude of 0.81. Conclusion: Therefore, through individual and group therapy sessions, assistance should be provided to patients with chronic pain suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms, enabling them to fairly assess their functioning in life, free the individual from potential guilt at the time of the incident, and the lack of positive individual performance. Thus, by increasing ego strength and reducing avoidance behaviors, a lesser degree of psychological maladjustment can be expected in the individual.