Iranian Journal of Health Psychology

The purpose of the present study was to examine the relationship between psychological factors , Erectile Dysfunctional ( E D ) and quality of life ( Q O L) before and after Coronary Artery Bypass Graft ( C A B G ) and Percutaneous Transluminal Coronary Angioplasty ( P T C A ) procedures , in an Iranian sample of cardiovascular patients . To do so, one hundred ninety patients scheduled for CA BG and PTCA operations were selected and administered relevant questionnaires a day before the surgery . Subsequently , the same patients filled out the same questionnaires two months following the procedure . Data analysis showed an increase in Qol while revealing a decline in men’s sexual functioning after the PT CA procedure although no change was observed in women . Also , an improvement in psychological status of all patients was observed following both revascularization procedures .

The studies since the second half of the 20th century have revealed the effect of stress on the heart and vessels with mediating neurological indicators and techniques of dysfunctional coping techniques. They also have shown that stress management and the improvement of coping techniques improve the indicators. The present study examined the appraisal of the effect of coping-therapy on cortisol, Interleukin 6 (IL-6) and Interleukin 1β (IL-1β) in comparison with the control group. The study was a quasi-experimental research with pre-test and post-test design conducted on 44 patients (randomly assigned into two experimental and control groups) suffering from coronary heart disease who were hospitalized in Shahid Rajaei Heart Hospital in Tehran in 2011. The experimental group was treated with coping-therapy, and the immunological indicators of both groups were measured using ELISA at the beginning, the fourth, the eighth, (immediately after the end of treatment), the tenth, and the fourteenth weeks. The collected data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA by SPSS version 17. The gender and education of the sample was controlled statistically. The results revealed that coping-therapy could significantly decrease cortisol, IL-6, IL-1β from the eighth to the end of the fourteenth week (follow-up). Considering the cognitive limitations of the present study, one can conclude that coping-therapy may decrease the negative effects of stress on immunological indicators through improving dysfunctional techniques to effective ones, and in this way, reveal the positive effects on health.

The present study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy on emotional distress and stress coping strategies in patients with Multiple Sclerosis. The design of study was semi-experimental with pre and post-test, with a control group. The participants were 30 patients with Multiple Sclerosis living in Tehran who were randomly assigned in the experimental and control groups. The data was gathered by Stress Coping Strategies Questionnaire, and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale. The experimental group participated in 12 sessions of cognitive therapy, while the control group received no help. Results of Multivariate Covariance Analysis confirmed the effectiveness of cognitive therapy on improvement of anxiety, depression, and stress coping strategies in patients suffering MS (P

Background: The affectivity system is a complex dynamic system, thus, it needs to be seen as a whole-system unit that is best studied by analyzing four profiles: self-destructive (low positive affect, high negative affect), low affective (low positive affect, low negative affect), high affective (high positive affect, high negative affect), and self-fulfilling (high positive affect, low negative affect). Our purpose was to examine individual differences in psychological well-being and self-regulatory strategies (assessment/locomotion). Additionally, we investigated if the effect of psychological well-being on self-regulatory strategies was moderated by the individual’s type of profile. Method: Participants (N = 567) answered the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, Ryff’s Scales of Psychological Well-being, and the Regulatory Mode Questionnaire. We conducted a Multivariate Analysis of Variance using age as covariate and Structural Equation Modeling in a multi-group for moderation analysis. Result: Individuals with a self-fulfilling profile scored highest in all psychological well-being constructs and locomotion and lowest in assessment. Nevertheless, matched comparisons showed that increases in certain psychological resources might lead to profile changes. Moreover, while some psychological well-being constructs (e.g., self-acceptance) had an effect of self-regulatory mode independently of the individual’s profile, other constructs’ (e.g., personal growth) effect on self-regulation was moderated by the person’s unique type of profile. Conclusions: Although only theoretical, these results give an idea of how leaps/changes might be extreme (i.e., from one profile at the extreme of the model to the other extreme), while other might be serial (i.e., from one profile to another depending on matching affective dimensions).

Objective: Due to unpleasant consequences of depression in patients suffering from cardiac diseases, such as increase in mortality rate during the first year, especially after undergoing a surgery; this study addresses structural relationships between cognitive and behavioral variables including illness perception and coping strategies in predicting depression after undergoing Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG) and Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI). Besides, one of the cognitive models for assessing psychological adaptation with chronic medical diseases was outlined for the first time. Method: The sample comprised 245 coronary patients confronted with the diagnosis for the first time, who had undergone PCI and CABG interventions. They were chosen and interviewed through convenience sampling following one month of initiating treatment process. For this purpose, Beck Depression Inventory for Primary Care (BDI-PC), Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS-21) and the short format of Disease Perception Questionnaire were administered. Data was analyzed using structural equations modeling (LISREL software). Results: findings indicated that applying emotion-focused coping strategies determined 40% of depression variance in these patients, whereas problem-focused strategies determined 4.5% of it and avoidant coping strategy didn’t have a significant role in depression. On the other hand, illness perception as a cognitive variable, could directly determine 26% of depression and 4.5% of it through emotion-focused strategies and 0.25% by means of problem-focused strategies. Also illness perception, could meaningfully determine 50% of emotion-focused coping variance, 7% of problem-focused variance and 8% of avoidance variance. Conclusion: Overall results of this study supported Leventhal’s theoretical model of self-regulation and verified the role of cognitive variables (illness perception) and behavioral ones (coping strategy) in emerging depression. Therefore it is recommended that much attention be drawn to the process of developing patient’s illness perception through personal or group trainings and if necessary, offering effective cognitive and behavioral treatments by practitioners.

Objective: The purpose of this study is to create a conceptual empirical model and develop a causal model that is able to explain overall performance of MS patients’ families and provide a scientific and empirical basis to Iranian culture to identify the psychological indexes of hardiness, hope, and resiliency, as well as the mediator role of moral foundations and spiritual experiences involved in family overall performances among patients’ spouses. For this purpose, using non-random sampling method, 220 subjects were selected out of all patients with MS and their spouses in two cities of Tehran and Karaj in 2014-2015. They completed the questionnaires of Family Assessment Device, Hardiness Scale (Kobasa, 1990), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Snyder Hope Scale, Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale, and Moral Foundations Questionnaire (Hythe & Graham, 2007) personally and non- personally. In order to analyze the data, common methods of descriptive statistics, structural equations, path analysis, and multiple regression were used and the data were analyzed using the software packages of SPSS and LISREL. The results showed that hope was determined as the variable that predicts family overall performance with a good effect coefficient. The other important finding about the model was that the path from the mediator variable of spiritual experiences towards family overall performance was not direct, that is spiritual experience was effective on moral foundations and moral foundations in turn was the most effective path to family overall performance.

Objective: The goal of the present research is to determine the degree of the efficiency of group approach of ACT on the life quality of elderly people suffering from ARMD. Method: The research is a semi experimental study with the pre, post-test and experimental and control groups. The research population was the aging men and women suffering from ARMD selected from Karaj Nour-e-Didegan Ophtalmology Clinic. The sample of the research was 28 people were chosen through random sampling method and divided into two experimental and control groups. The program of approaching based upon therapy through ACT in the collective form within 8 sessions of 120 minutes. Results: The results were analyzed by studying the ANOVA with repeated measure and LSD and the result showed a significant meaning of the efficiency of ACT on sub scales of the life quality, physical sanity and psycho sanity. But no significant meaning was achieved to affirm the efficiency of ACT upon the environmental sanity. These effects did not persist on the process of follow- up. Conclusion: With regard to the research findings, one can employ ACT to improve life quality of the aged people who suffer from ARMD.