درخت حوزه‌های تخصصی

Objective: The study aimed to investigate the predictive roles of self-compassion and marital self-regulation on marital adjustment among married women attending counseling centers in Tehran in 2023. It sought to enrich the understanding of how these psychological constructs contribute to marital satisfaction and stability. Methods and Materials: A cross-sectional design was employed with a sample of 350 married women selected through available sampling from various counseling centers in Tehran. Measures included the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS) to assess marital adjustment, the Self-Compassion Scale developed by Neff (2003) for evaluating self-compassion levels, and a 16-item scale by Wilson et al. (2005) for measuring marital self-regulation. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS 27, with linear regression analyses performed to explore the relationships between the constructs. Findings: The findings revealed that both self-compassion and marital self-regulation significantly predicted marital adjustment among the participants. Specifically, higher levels of self-compassion and marital self-regulation were associated with better marital adjustment. The regression model explained 37% of the variance in marital adjustment scores, highlighting the substantial impact of these factors on marital satisfaction. Conclusion: This study underscores the critical importance of self-compassion and marital self-regulation in fostering marital adjustment. The findings suggest that interventions aimed at enhancing these psychological resources could contribute significantly to improving marital satisfaction and relationship stability among couples, particularly those seeking counseling services.

Objective: The present study aimed to model the psychological distress of mothers with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on family cohesion and adaptation, with the mediation of perceived social support. Methods and Materials: This research, in terms of its goal, is applied, and in terms of data collection, is quantitative and correlational, employing structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all mothers with children diagnosed with ASD in Tehran in 2020, from which 354 participants were selected using a convenience sampling method. To collect data, the following questionnaires were used: Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (Kessler et al., 2002), Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (Olson & Gorall, 2003), and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (Zimet et al., 1988). Results: The results of structural equation modeling indicated that the indirect pathways from family cohesion (β = -0.13, p < 0.01) and family adaptability (β = -0.12, p < 0.01) to the psychological distress of mothers of children with ASD, through perceived social support, were negative and significant. Conclusion: Perceived social support mediates the relationship between family cohesion and family adaptability with the psychological distress of mothers of children with ASD.

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 investigate the effectiveness of an integrated intervention combining mentalization and the training package for building a secure bond on attachment styles in spouses with insecure attachment styles. Method: This quasi-experimental study employed a pretest-posttest design with a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of couples who had sought services from counseling and psychology centers in northern Tehran under the supervision of the Iranian Organization of Psychology and Counseling in 2022 and who were in the first five years of their marital life. Based on the inclusion criteria, 24 couples with insecure attachment styles were identified and randomly assigned to either the experimental or control group. The intervention was implemented over 12 sessions, with weekly two-hour training sessions for the experimental group. Data were collected using the Attachment Styles Questionnaire (Bartholomew & Horowitz, 1991). The data were analyzed using mixed ANOVA with one within-subject factor (time) and one between-subject factor (experimental and control groups), Bonferroni post hoc test, and SPSS software version 25. Findings: The findings of this study indicated that the integrated intervention of mentalization and the training package for building a secure bond had a significant and positive effect on the attachment styles of couples (p < .01), and the effects were sustained after a two-month follow-up. Conclusion: Based on the obtained results, couples' therapists can use the integrated intervention of mentalization and building a secure bond to optimize attachment styles in couples with insecure attachment styles who are in the early years of their marital life.

Marital infidelity is a deeply damaging interpersonal event that triggers cognitive, emotional, and behavioral responses in the affected spouse. This study aimed to examine the reactions and cognitive-behavioral-emotional coping mechanisms of women facing marital infidelity. The research methodology employed was applied both in its objective and qualitatively in its execution. The study sample comprised 18 women residing in Herat City, Afghanistan, who had experienced spousal infidelity and sought counseling in the year 2021. They were purposively selected and interviewed using a semi-structured approach. The interviews were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2021) thematic analysis method which resulted in the identification of three main themes chaos (initial reactions), involvement (secondary reactions), and revival, 11 subthemes (behavioral, psychological-emotional, mental, and psychosomatic response, changing circumstances, involvement in activities, companionship, adaptation, seeking therapy, self-care, and coerced continuation of the relationship) and 114 primary codes. The research findings indicated that the cognitive-behavioral-emotional process of Afghan women facing marital infidelity unfolds in three stages: chaos (initial reactions), involvement (secondary reactions), and revival. Furthermore, it was observed that affected women exhibit varied behaviors at each stage and undergo different emotions and thoughts. Factors such as the manner of infidelity disclosure, quality of marital relationship, religious beliefs, social and familial support, societal perspectives, limitations in choice, lifestyle, and the presence of children play significant roles in shaping their cognitive-behavioral-emotional responses. The practical implications of this research findings can be beneficial for counselors working with Afghan couples dealing with marital infidelity. Keywords: Behavioral-emotional reactions, Marital infidelity, Women, Afghanistan    

Loneliness is a distressing experience and has destroying psychological consequences for children. This paper explored the effectiveness of instructing philosophy for children on children’s loneliness after controlling the role of the social-emotional learning. This study adopted a quasi-experimental method. The statistical population included sixth grade primary school male students of Urmia (N=50) chosen by cluster random sampling method and then randomly assigned to the experimental (N=25) and Control (N=25) groups. The experimental group participated in 12 sessions of philosophy for children instruction while the control group did not receive any special instruction. Children loneliness questionnaire by Asher and Wheeler (1985) and the Social-Emotional Learning scale of Coryn et al. (2009) were administrated. The results of this study showed the same patterns as Westerns studies. After controlling the role of covariates variables (the pre-test and social-emotional learning) on loneliness by ANCOVA test, instructing philosophy for children has a significant effect on loneliness. Moreover, after instructing philosophy for children, the experimental group showed lower levels of loneliness than the control group (P<0.001). Although there were two covariate variables, pre-test, and social-emotional learning, instructing philosophy for children had an effect on loneliness, accordingly these findings highlight the importance of philosophy for children in mitigating children’s loneliness. This findings may be helpful for school psychologists in schools.

 Objective: This study investigated the effect of cognitive restructuring in reducing cognitive dimensions of ethnic intolerance among adolescents in Taraba State.Methods: The population of this study was 1,514 secondary school students of SS1 in Wukari Education Zone, Taraba State, Nigeria. The researchers utilized purposive sampling technique in drawing a sample of 20 adolescents which were used as subjects of the study. The instrument used for data collection was the Ethnic Intolerance Questionnaire with a reliability index of 0.83. The data collected were analyzed using paired samples t-test to test hypothesis 1 and independent samples t-test for testing hypothesis 2.Results: The findings revealed that cognitive restructuring was effective in reducing cognitive dimensions of ethnic intolerance. Similarly, the findings revealed that rational emotive behaviour therapy has no significant gender difference in reducing cognitive dimensions of ethnic intolerance.Conclusion: The study concluded that cognitive restructuring is an effective intervention for reducing cognitive dimensions of ethnic intolerance among adolescents.

Objective: The current study aims to examine the effect of cognitive problem-solving skills training on parents' parenting styles and their anger reduction towards their children. Method: The method of this research is quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest single-group design without follow-up. The sample group consisted of 69 mothers of children aged 4 to 7 years, selected through convenience sampling. In these workshops, which were held over 9 two-hour sessions across 9 weeks, parents were made aware of effective and ineffective methods of dealing with children's behaviors, and practiced exercises to improve their response style to challenging behaviors of children. To evaluate the effectiveness of the training program, two questionnaires were used: the Parenting Styles questionnaire (Shokoohi Yekta & Parand, 2007) and the Anger Assessment questionnaire (Shokoohi Yekta & Zamani, 2007). The research data were analyzed with ANOVA and t-test methods using SPSS software. Findings: The results showed that participation in the problem-solving workshop had a positive effect on participants' performance regarding their parenting styles. Such that, this program led to an increase in the problem-solving parenting style and a decrease in parents' use of other ineffective parenting styles such as advising without explanation, and punishment and scolding (P<0.05). However, the analysis of the findings did not show a significant difference in terms of reducing mothers' aggression towards their children (P>0.05). Conclusion: Accordingly, it can be inferred that training in problem-solving skills can be used to improve parenting styles and the quality of interpersonal communications within the family.