Journal of Modern Psychology

 Objective: Reports showed that a cognitive-behavioral therapy effectively helps patients overcome a wide variety of maladaptive behaviors such as anxiety. The aim of the present study was to further examine this issue by exploring the effects of a cognitive-behavioral therapy on academic anxiety of children with learning disorders.Methods: The quasi-experimental research design was pretest-posttest with a control group. The statistical population included 32 children (9-13 years) with academic anxiety (mild, moderate and severe) who were selected by convenience sampling method and randomly (using a coin-throwing method) assigned to two experimental and control groups. The standard School Anxiety Scale questionnaire was used to measure academic anxiety. The behavioral-cognitive therapy program was implemented for 12 sessions, 3 sessions of 45 minutes each week for the experimental group. After the intervention, all participants participated in posttest. Paired sample t test, independent t test, and analysis of covariance were used to analyze data.Results: The average of academic anxiety before the intervention in the experimental and control groups was 23.94±2.18 and 22.87±3.64, respectively, and the independent t-test did not show a significant difference (P=0.39). The average of the groups shows that the academic anxiety scores of the experimental group have decreased compared to the pre-test scores (t=16.58, P<0.001). Finally, the results of ANCOVA showed that a cognitive-behavioral therapy has led to a reduction in academic anxiety (P<0.001).Conclusion: Reconstructing children’s thoughts and beliefs helps them to identify their wrong thoughts about the exam and gradually replace them with correct beliefs and thoughts. Therefore, teachers and practitioners can use cognitive-behavioral therapy to help children with learning disorders to have less anxiety without feeling hurt from the negative evaluation of others. 

 Objective: Internet addiction has become a global problem due to its high incidence, rapid growth rate, and serious adverse consequences. The aim of the present study was to investigate the prevalence of Internet addiction among students of psychology, accounting, and management at Islamic Azad University, Bandar Anzali Branch.Methods: This study was a descriptive study. The statistical population of the study included all students of psychology, accounting, and management at Bandar Anzali International Azad University in the academic year 1402-1403. Of these, 150 were selected using convenience sampling. Then, the Internet Addiction Questionnaire (IAT; Yang, 2005) was administered to them, and the data were analyzed using SPSS software.Results: The obtained frequency and percentage showed that 64 (43.2%) of the subjects were regular users without dependence or addiction to the Internet. 75 (46.8%) of the subjects were exposed to Internet addiction (had Internet dependence) and 11 (6%) of the subjects had Internet addiction.Conclusion: There was a small amount of Internet addiction among students, but a high percentage of students had Internet dependence, which justifies the need to pay attention to teaching students about the optimal use of cyberspace.

  Objective: The purpose of this study was to ascertain how middle school students at Fakhri Zadeh School in Ardabil Province's academic year of 2023–2024 related their self-esteem, academic achievement, and test anxiety. Methods: The descriptive-correlational research approach was used for the objective of the study. All middle school students at Fakhrizadeh School were included in the statistical population, and 60 students from the same school were chosen for the study using convenience sampling. The Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Test Anxiety Scale (TAS) were the instruments utilized in this study. The SPSS program version 23 was employed for the tests, which included linear regression and the Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: The current study's findings indicated no significant correlation between academic success and either test anxiety (p=0.47) or self-esteem (p=0.88). Test anxiety and self-esteem, however, were significantly and negatively correlated (p<0.001). Furthermore, test anxiety was significantly predicted by self-esteem (p<0.001). Conclusion: The findings of this study show that self-esteem plays a part in predicting test anxiety, and since students' self-esteem may be raised by offering them courses, it is feasible to establish the conditions necessary to lessen test anxiety.

 Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare personality traits, Perceived Social Support, and interpersonal relationships between two groups of prisoners: those who successfully reintegrated into society and those who re-offended.Methods: This research employed a causal-comparative method. The statistical population consisted of all individuals with a prison record in the central prison of Tehran city within the last 10 years (from 2014 to 2024). The sample size was 159 individuals (88 recidivists and 71 successfully reintegrated individuals), selected through purposive sampling in two groups: recidivists and successfully reintegrated individuals. Participants were assessed using NEO-Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Barton Communication Test Revised. The data were then entered into SPSS-22 statistical software for analysis and analyzed using analysis of variance and independent t-tests.Results: The findings revealed that among personality traits, significant differences between the two groups were observed only in the two dimensions of extraversion (P < 0.001) and conscientiousness (P < 0.001), as well as in the total score of Perceived Social Support (P < 0.003) and interpersonal relationships (P < 0.003). The comparison of means indicated that the meaning of these dimensions was higher in the successfully reintegrated group.Conclusion: Based on the findings, it can be concluded that psychological variables such as extraversion and conscientiousness personality traits, as well as Perceived Social Support and appropriate interpersonal relationships, play a crucial role in successful reintegration into society and prevent re-offending.

 Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of music therapy on behavioral problems in children with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder.Methods: The research method of this study was quasi-experimental using a pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The statistical population of the study included high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder in special schools and counseling centers of Bandar Anzali city during the academic year 2023-2024. A total of 30 individuals were selected using purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: experimental (15 individuals) and control (15 individuals). The Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) was used for both groups. The experimental group received ten 45-minute sessions of music therapy intervention, while the control group received no intervention. After the completion of the therapy sessions, the questionnaire was administered again to both groups. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) statistical method with SPSS-27 software at a significance level of p < 0.05.Results: The results showed that music therapy is effective in improving behavioral problems of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Therefore, it can be concluded that music therapy can be used to improve behavioral problems of high-functioning children with autism spectrum disorder in schools or rehabilitation centers.

 Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of the mindfulness-based self-compassion program on distress tolerance, emotional expression, and psychological resilience in individuals with social anxiety disorder.Methods: This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test and post-test design. Thirty individuals with social anxiety disorder were selected through purposive sampling in counseling centers and cyberspace, and they were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. At the beginning and end of the study, the two groups answered the questionnaires, including Social Phobia Inventory (SPI), Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS), Emotional Expressiveness Scale (EES), and Cognitive Flexibility Inventory (CFI). The experimental group underwent a mindful self-compassion intervention for eight weekly sessions, one session lasting 150 minutes, while the control group did not receive any treatment. Univariate analyses of covariance were employed to analyze the data using SPSS software version 27.Results: The results of ANCOVA analyses showed that there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the post-test of distress tolerance, emotional expression, and psychological flexibility (p < 0.05). The results of the Bonferroni test showed that the experimental group had higher scores in the post-test of distress tolerance, emotional expression, and psychological flexibility than the control group (p < 0.05).Conclusion: Findings indicate that the mindful self-compassion program is effective in enhancing distress tolerance, emotional expression, and psychological flexibility for individuals with social anxiety disorder.