مطالب

This study aimed to explore the emotional and cognitive effects of long-term antipsychotic medication use. By understanding these impacts, the study seeks to provide a comprehensive view of the lived experiences of individuals who have been on antipsychotic medications for extended periods, highlighting both the benefits and the potential challenges. A qualitative research design was employed using a phenomenological approach to capture in-depth personal experiences. A purposive sampling method recruited 26 participants who had been on antipsychotic medications for at least five years. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews, which were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using thematic analysis to identify common themes and patterns in the participants' experiences. The study achieved theoretical saturation, ensuring that no new themes emerged from the data. The analysis revealed four main themes: emotional impact, cognitive effects, daily functioning, and social interaction. Participants reported significant emotional blunting, including reduced pleasure and emotional responsiveness, alongside cognitive impairments such as memory deficits and diminished attention span. Challenges in daily functioning, such as difficulties in managing routine activities and occupational tasks, were prominent. Social interactions were also affected, with participants experiencing reduced social engagement, dependency on support networks, and stigma related to medication use. These findings are consistent with previous studies, underscoring the profound impact of long-term antipsychotic use on various aspects of life. Long-term use of antipsychotic medications, while essential for managing severe psychiatric conditions, is associated with significant emotional and cognitive side effects that impact patients' quality of life. Healthcare providers should be aware of these effects and engage in regular assessments and open communication with patients to address and mitigate these challenges. Personalized treatment approaches, psychoeducation, and support groups can enhance patients' well-being and treatment adherence.

After the historic victory of Barack Obama, the first African American president, a movement emerged whose adherents regarded the American dream as no longer realizable and saw the Democratic Party as a threat to the nation's existence. Rapidly garnering support from the Republican Party, particularly the conservative spectrum, this movement adopted a confrontational stance on social services, health care subsidies for the impoverished, and policies toward racial minorities. The Tea Party Movement sustained its efforts to rebuild and maintain conservative republicanism in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 presidential election with the support of the Republican Party, particularly its conservative wing. The early years of the Tea Party witnessed many successful candidates in congressional elections, which contributed to the party's stability and sustained its influence within the American political establishment. This review article investigates the way in which the Tea Party movement influenced conservative republicanism in the United States. It is argued that the Tea Party, which advocated for traditional white American values, has reconstructed conservative republicanism that was on the verge of collapse while attempting to maintain its existence despite all of its ups and downs. Furthermore, this movement contributed to the rise of Trumpism in America and was an essential factor in Donald Trump's triumph in the 2016 presidential election and his 2020 campaign.

Considering the effects of public urban spaces on social interaction and participation, this study aimed to provide guidelines for designing public urban spaces to enhance social interaction and trust in urban spaces. In this research, a quantitative-qualitative research method is applied. Furthermore, the Delphi method was utilized for data collection to construct a content table and questionnaires. Randomized cluster sampling was implemented. The data underwent evaluation using SPSS, employing R factor analysis to generate an analytical model in Amos. The research findings suggest that physical attributes of the space, encompassing sociability, spatial diversity, flexibility, physical comfort, social trust and interaction, pedestrian accessibility, ease of navigation, and psychological comfort, significantly influence alterations in social interaction and trust within public urban spaces. The results demonstrate that social, physical, design, and psychological environmental characteristics in urban spaces establish the requisite conditions for enhancing socialization and pedestrian access, thereby fostering trust and social participation

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the effectiveness of emotion-focused therapy on self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth in women with breast cancer. Methods: This quasi-experimental study (pre-test - post-test with control group) involved 30 women with breast cancer in Sari (2021) who were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned into two groups of 15 participants each, an experimental group and a control group. The measurement instruments used were the General Self-Efficacy Scale by Schwarzer and Jerusalem (1979) and the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory by Tedeschi and Calhoun (1996), completed by the participants. Subsequently, participants in the experimental group attended 10 sessions of 60-minute emotion-focused therapy over a period of ten weeks. However, no therapy sessions were conducted for the control group. Ultimately, data analysis was performed using the covariance analysis method. Findings: The analysis revealed that after the intervention, there was a significant difference between the control and experimental groups in both variables of self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth (p ≤ .05). Significant differences were observed in the components of self-efficacy (general self-preparedness and social self-efficacy) and three components of posttraumatic growth (relating to others, personal strength, and appreciation of life) between the women in the experimental and control groups (p ≤ .05); however, no significant differences were observed in the components of new possibilities and spiritual change. Conclusion: The use of emotion-focused therapy is an appropriate intervention to enhance self-efficacy and posttraumatic growth in women with breast cancer, which can be beneficial for improving psychological well-being and better coping with the disease and treatment.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to test the structural model of relationships between personality pathology dimensions and cyberbullying mediated by contingent self-worth in adolescent girls. Methods: This study was tested using the structural equation modeling method. The statistical population of this research included all adolescent female students in District 2 of Tehran during the 2020-2021 academic year. According to the data obtained from the Tehran Department of Education, their total number was 145,398. Based on Michel’s criteria (1993) and using multi-stage cluster sampling, 300 participants were selected as the sample. They responded to the Contingent Self-Worth Questionnaire by Crocker et al. (2003), the Cyberbullying Questionnaire by Antoniadou et al. (2016), and the short form of the Personality Inventory for DSM-5 (PID-5-BF). SPSS.22 and AMOS.22 software were used for data analysis. Findings: The findings from testing the structural model showed that the direct effect of abnormal personality on contingent self-worth was (-0.33), on cyberbullying (0.26), and the direct effect of contingent self-worth on cyberbullying was (-0.40). Contingent self-worth mediated the relationship between abnormal personality and cyberbullying, with the indirect effect of this relationship being (0.13) (P<0.01). Overall, the results indicated that the tested model had a good fit with the conceptual model (RMSEA=0.06; GFI=0.91). Conclusion: It can be concluded that contingent self-worth mediates the relationship between dimensions of abnormal personality and cyberbullying.

Objective: The aim of the study was to compare the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and existential therapy on symptoms of demoralization and life attitudes in women heads of households in welfare in the city of Rasht. Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test, and follow-up design with two experimental groups and one control group. The statistical population included all women heads of households in the welfare organization of Rasht city (2159 individuals) in 2021. The sample size included 60 individuals who were randomly assigned to two experimental groups (20 individuals in the existential therapy group and 20 individuals in the cognitive-behavioral therapy group) and one control group (20 individuals). Then, each of the two experimental groups received 8 sessions of 90-minute group therapy. The cognitive-behavioral therapy was based on the cognitive-behavioral therapy protocol by Antony et al. (2013), and the existential therapy was based on the existential therapy protocol by Irvin Yalom (2016). The data collection tools included the Symptoms of Demoralization Questionnaire by Kissane et al. (2004) and the Life Attitudes Questionnaire by Battista (1973). Data analysis was performed using repeated measures ANOVA. Findings: Based on the effect size values, the effectiveness of both cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy on the demoralization symptoms variable was 43%, and on the life attitudes variable, it was 62%. This effectiveness was significant and persistent (according to the follow-up test results), and both therapies had a lasting impact on the dependent variables. In the variables of demoralization symptoms (F=29.34, p=0.001) and life attitudes (F=62.36, p=0.001). Conclusion: The results showed that there was a significant difference between the three stages of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up in the variables of demoralization symptoms and life attitudes of women heads of households in the two experimental groups (cognitive-behavioral therapy and existential therapy), indicating the significant impact of both therapeutic methods on the research's dependent variables.