Iranian Journal of Health Psychology

Aims: We investigated gender differences among adolescents in quality of sleep, psychophysiological problems, dream frequency, emotional states, and personality traits and also if the effect of quality of sleep on psychophysiological problems, dream frequency, emotional states, and personality traits was moderated by gender. Method: High school pupils (n1 = 155, n2 = 142, and n3 = 325) responded to the Uppsala Sleep Inventory, the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, Beck’s Depression Inventory, the Type A-Personality Scale, and the Temperament and Character Inventory. Gender differences were investigated using Multivariate Analyses of Variance and moderation using multi-group Structural Equation Modeling. Results: Girls scored higher in major sleep problems, difficulties falling asleep, night awakenings, psychophysiological problems, dream frequency, negative affect, depression, stress, and Type A-personality. Boys scored higher in novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and persistence. Girls’ quality of sleep was related to their psychophysiological problems, dream frequency, positive affect, negative affect, stress, novelty seeking, reward dependence, persistence, and self-directedness. Boys’ quality of sleep was related to their psychophysiological problems, negative affect, stress, Type A-personality, novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and self-directedness. Conclusion: Girls showed the unhealthiest sleep-psychophysiological-emotional-personality profile. For both genders, good quality of sleep or “beauty sleep” might result in less psychophysiological problems, less negative affect, less stress, less novelty seeking, and less self-directedness. However, for boys, “sleeping beauty” comprises less Type A-behaviour, ss harm avoidance, and more reward dependence; while for girls “sleeping beauty” comprises less frequency of vivid dreams, more positive affect, less reward dependence, and more persistent behaviour.

Researchers have shown that obesity in children can cause many body and mind problems. Watching some TV advertisement and programs that indirectly encourage children eating can cause children overeating and obesity. Despite the importance, little research has been done in this subject. This study is trying to evaluate the effect of TV productions on eating behavior in obese children.  <span class="s21"><span class="bumpedFont20">Method: <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20"> This research was the experimental study with pretest-posttest with control group in statistical population of 40 high school students that selected through simple random sampling. All subjects completed DEBQ-C scale before and after the test. This questionnaire was designed by Van  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">Strien <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20"> (2007) for the study of eating behavior in children with 7 to 12 years old.  <span class="s21"><span class="bumpedFont20">Results: <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20"> Data analysis and significance analysis of covariance in p <span class="s23"><span class="bumpedFont20">  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">and this effect was more on the girls than boys.  <span class="s21"><span class="bumpedFont20">Conclusion: <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20"> Since watching TV advertisement and some TV programs has a positive relationship with eating behavior, it is recommended that TV and education authorities plan to teach appropriate training to parents and children to create a proper act of eating behavior.

In this survey, the intervention of cognitive behavioral stress management (CBSM) on psychological and immune indices and pain in patients with Rheumatoid Arthritis is studied.  <span class="s26"><span class="bumpedFont15">Method <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15">: Statistical population of the study consisted of patients who referred to the rheumatology clinics in the northern parts of Tehran.  44 participants aged 25–60 using purposive sampling in accordance with inclusion and exclusion criteria selected and in two groups of 22 individuals were examined. Psychological, immune and pain evaluation tests of depression, anxiety and stress scale, blood sample, and McGill pain inventory were conducted in two stages of pretest and posttest using multiple covariance analysis.  <span class="s26"><span class="bumpedFont15">Results <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15">: The results showed a significant effect of the stress management intervention on depression  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">(F <span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont20">1 <span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont20">,37 <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">= <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">4/318, P= 0/046, η <span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont20">2  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">=0/104) <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15"> among patients with RA. The use of this intervention was effective in reducing the immune parameter (CRP)  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">(F <span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont20">1 <span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont20">,38 <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">= 17/593, P= 0/001, η <span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont20">2  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">=0/316) <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15"> and their pain  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">(F <span class="s13"><span class="bumpedFont20">1,39 <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">= 4/885, P= 0/033, η <span class="s5"><span class="bumpedFont20">2  <span class="s4"><span class="bumpedFont20">=0/111) <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15">.  <span class="s26"><span class="bumpedFont15">Conclusion <span class="s17"><span class="bumpedFont15">: According to the results, employing this method for RA patients is very helpful and it can be suggested for improving their psychological and physical conditions.

Background: The aim of the present study was to predict cognitive failures in the elderly based on personality dimensions and lifestyle and examine the mediating role of negative emotions as a model. Materials and Methods: This research is of correlation type and its statistical population included all the elderly in Tehran. In the present study, 150 elderly persons participated by convenience sampling method. Research instruments were cognitive failures, Eysenck Personality Inventory, lifestyle scale and Negative emotions. In order to analyze the data, the path analysis and stepwise regression analysis were used. Results: The results showed that personality dimensions and lifestyle can significantly and negatively predict emotions and cognitive failures and finally with respect to the proposed model, it was found that lifestyle and personality dimensions could significantly predict cognitive failures through the mediation negative emotions. Conclusions: The result obtained from this study can be used to identify the groups vulnerable to cognitive failures and make necessary recommendations to the experts to understand the causes and etiology, consultation and prevention of cognitive failures.

Background: This study aimed to compare quality of working life and memory self-efficacy beliefs in people with different circadian rhythms and physical activity levels. Materials and methods: The study took a causal-comparative method. Subjects consisted of 149 fixed and rotating shift employees, working in health enters and hospitals that were participated based on inclusion criteria. The subjects completed demographic, international physical activity, quality of working life and memory self-efficacy questionnaires. All data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Bonferroni post hoc test. Result:The results show that the quality of working life and memory self-efficacy are different in fixed and rotating shift employees at three levels of high, medium and low physical activity. Employees with fixed shift and high and medium physical activity level have higher quality of working life and memory self-efficacy than other employees. Moreover, quality of work life of fixed shift employees with medium and low physical activity is better than quality of working life of rotating shift employees with medium and low physical activity, and quality of working life of rotating shift employees with high physical activity levels were significantly better than quality of working life of rotating shift employees with medium and low levels of physical activity (PConclusion: Choosing active lifestyle is recommended to fixed and rotating hospital employees in order to avoid reduction of quality of working life and memory self-efficacy.

Background: Gratitude is a general state of thankfulness and appreciation. The majority of empirical studies indicate that there is an association between gratitude and a sense of overall well being..Currently, mental health is especially important in some occupations with harsh work conditions which require strong personal and mental capacities. Psychological well-being and happiness is especially important in personnel working in the healthcare sector. This study aimed to assess whether gratitude training affects psychological well-being and happiness in hospital personnel. Method: In this semi-experimental study with pre-test and post-test, 72 personnel working in 5 hospitals affiliated to Shiraz University of Medical Sciences, Shiraz, Iran, participated. The participants were randomly divided into intervention and control groups using block randomization. Then, the participants in the intervention group were given 10 group sessions of 90 minutes gratitude training. Ryff’s Scale of Psychological Well Being, Subjective Happiness Scale, Gratitude Questionnaire-6, and a Gratitude training package were used for data collection. Results: The results show that there is no significant difference in the mean scores of psychological well-being, domains of psychological well-being, and happiness between the two groups at baseline, and gratitude training significantly affected all domains of psychological well-being (except for autonomy) and happiness. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Gratitude training is effective in enhancing psychological well-being and Happiness.

Background: The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based stress reduction training on negative emotions with gastrointestinal disorders. Method: A quasi-experimental study was designed with pretest-posttest using a control group. The study sample consisted of 30 male patients (referred to internal experts and admitted to Abbasi Hospital of Miandoab in 2016) with gastrointestinal disorders (Irritable Bowel Syndrome, peptic ulcer, and duodenal ulcer) based on diagnostic criteria (ROME-III) who were selected by purposive sampling method. The patients were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups. After performing the pretest using Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS), the experimental group received mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention during the eight sessions of one and a half hour, while the control group received no psychological intervention; and after the end of the sessions, the posttest was performed for both groups using the same tools. The collected data were analyzed through covariance analysis (ANCOV) by using SPSS-18 software. Results: The mean scores of negative emotions rates of experimental group significantly decreased after receiving the mindfulness-based stress reduction intervention (P