مطالعات روان شناسی بالینی

The present study aimed at investigating the effectiveness of metacognitive therapy on dysfunctional beliefs, inflated sense of responsibility, and intolerance of uncertainty in patients with obsessive compulsive-disorder (OCD). The design used in the present study is semi-experimental, pretest-posttest with control group and a tree-month follow-up stage. The statistical population consisted of all patients with OCD in Mahallat, a city located in Markazi province, Iran in 2018. The participants first screened by using inclusion and exclusion criteria. Then sixteen patients with OCD selected as the sample of the study through available sampling method and assigned randomly into two groups: one experimental group and one control group (eight patients in each group). Each participant in the experimental group received 12 treatment sessions according to Well's metacognitive therapy method for OCD. The participants were measured both before and after interventions as well as three months later in the follow-up phase by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Yale-BOCS; Goodman, 1989), the Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-44; OCCWG, 2005), the Salkovskis Responsibility Attitude Scale (RAS; Salkovskis, 2000) and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS; Feriston, 1994). Data analyzed by multivariate co-variance analysis. The results indicated that metacognitive therapy had a significant effect on reducing dysfunctional beliefs, the inflated sense of responsibility and the variable intolerance of uncertainty (p˂0.050), and its effect remained three months after treatment (p˂0.050). The findings of the study support the effect of metacognitive therapy in improving the dysfunctional beliefs, inflated sense of responsibility and uncertainty of intolerance in patients with OCD.

The default-mode network (DMN) is one of the human brain’s networks activated in resting and self-referential thinking states. The nature of this network and its normal or abnormal changes has been the subject of various studies. The aim of this study was to systematical review and integrating the findings of that studies focused on the relationship of DMN with mental disorders and aging-induced changes in it. Of the more than 100 evidences found, 32 studies in each of two specific subjects (psychopathologicaland aging-related changes of DMN) were selected and scientifically mentioned the most important results of them. Based on the findings, some of the mental disorders including major depression, generalized anxiety disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, schizophrenia, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, and Alzheimer disease are associated with functional or connectional abnormalities in DMN. Aging can cause functional changes in the activation or deactivation of the DMN’s regions or inter/intra-network connectivity of this network. Although most of studies have a pathological perspective on DMN changes; one article pointed out the positive role of DMN changes during aging in terms of emotion regulation.

<span>Cognitive models of depression propose that negative schemas and Early Maladaptive Schema contribute to depressive symptoms<span lang="FA" dir="RTL">.</span> The purpose of this study is to identify the early maladaptive Schema of patients with depression disorder. The method of study is descriptive. Research statistics involves all patients with depression disorder who have come to the counseling centers of Tehran and Hamadan. The method of sample choosing is stratified sampling.  This study was conducted among 120 patients with depression disorder.  Instruments in this study were included Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Short Form of Young Schema Questionnaire (YSQ). The analysis of the results showed high correlation between early maladaptive schema and symptoms of depression disorder (P < 0.05).</span><span>Regression analysis showed that early maladaptive schema of social isolation/alienation, enmeshment/undeveloped self andemotional inhibitionwere independent predictors of depression disorder.  The results of the present study indicate that identifying schema of depression in patients can help them understand the predisposing factors of their problem.</span>

Evidence has suggested that risk for schizophrenia is likely to occur in non-psychotic first-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia. On the other hand, schizotypal personality disorder is genetically related to schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to compare schizotypal traits (i.e., positive schizotypy, negative schizotypy, cognitive disorganization, and impulsive nonconformity) among patients with schizophrenia and their non-psychotic first-degree relatives as well as normal controls. Thirty-four patients with schizophrenia and 50 of their non-psychotic first-degree relatives as well as 34 normal controls were included in this study. The data were collected by the Oxford-Liverpool Inventory of Feelings and Experiences, short version (sO-LIFE). The results showed that the three groups were significantly different from each other regarding mean scores of schizotypal traits. Patients with schizophrenia and their non-psychotic first-degree relatives exceeded normal controls on schizotypal traits. Patients with schizophrenia had higher scores on total schizotypal traits, positive schizotypy, cognitive disorganization, and impulsive nonconformity than their non-psychotic first-degree relatives. The findings revealed that hereditary factors had an important role in the development of schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and it is explainable by the stress-vulnerability model.

Stress is one of the influential factors in people's performance. Job and existing conditions of working environment can cause stress. One of the jobs that due to its nature is causing too much stress is nursing job. Various factors are involved in reducing stress, of which are spiritual skills. This study was conducted to evaluate the effect of training spiritual skills on stress and stressful features of nursing mothers. The study population of this semi-experimental with pre-test and post-test research design with control group, consisted of all female nurses of Milad Hospital (150 people) whom complete the questionnaire. 30 individuals with higher scores in stress were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. Data collection tools include spiritual skill training package and Abidin parental stress index (PSI) with parental realm (54 items). Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance method & Levin univariate ANOVA. The hypothesis that training spiritual skills is effective in reducing nursing mothers' job stress is confirmed (F=24.977; Df=1 and 27; Sig=0.001). The results of the study imply that spiritual skill training was influential in reducing stress and stressful features of nursing mothers

Adequate reduction of marital conflicts in cardiovascular disease patients helps them cope better with their conditions, as well as improve their quality of life. The aim of this empirical study was to investigate the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on marital conflicts in cardiac patients with a history of coronary artery bypass. The method of this research was semi-experimental with pre- and post-test with a control group. Participants were 30 patients, who were selected through convenience sampling. Participants administered the Marital Conflict Questionnaire (Sanai, Alaghband, Falahati, & Hooman, 2009) as pre- and post-test. Finally, 30 individuals who had the highest scores in the marital conflict questionnaire were selected and randomly assigned to two groups of experimental and control (n=<em>15</em>). To analyze the data, the ANCOVA test was used. The findings of this study indicated that there was a statistically significant effect on the experimental group on the following sub-scales: decreased cooperation, dividing financial affairs and marital conflict. It could be concluded that ACT-based training intervention was effective of the above-mentioned subscales and could be used to reduce marital conflicts in patients with patients with a history of coronary artery bypass. This study indicates the importance of education, as well as psychological interventions as an essential part of the recovery process.