Female

Background: Not much is known about correlates of HIV-related self-stigma among female sex workers. Using the theory of planned behavior in the Malaysian context, this study investigated the relationships of HIV knowledge, attitudes towards HIV, attitudes towards people living with HIV, perceived social support, self-esteem, and age with HIV-related self-stigma, also how much of the variance in HIV-related self-stigma is explained by the variables. Methods: Self-administered close-ended questionnaires were administered to 134 female sex workers, as a subgroup of HIV-at-risk individuals, selected using a combination of snowball and respondent-driven sampling methods. Results: Self-administered close-ended questionnaires were administered to 134 female sex workers, as a subgroup of HIV-at-risk individuals, selected using a combination of snowball and respondent-driven sampling methods. Results: A majority of the respondents substantially stigmatized themselves, despite good HIV knowledge, high self-esteem, and favorable attitudes towards both HIV and people living with HIV. Attitudes towards HIV was more favorable than attitudes towards people living with HIV. The respondents received higher social supports from a special person, followed by friends, and family members. Age, attitudes towards HIV, and attitudes towards people living with HIV were significantly and negatively correlated with HIV-related self-stigma. Age, attitudes towards HIV, and attitudes towards people living with HIV collectively explained 18% of the variance in HIV-related self-stigma. Conclusion: HIV knowledge, perceived social support and self-esteem did not enter the final model to explain variance in HIV-related self-stigma. This study advances our understanding by clarifying the relative contribution of age, attitudes towards HIV, and people living with HIV in the variance of HIV-related self-stigma among female sex workers at risk of HIV.

The present paper aimed to investigate rational-emotive behavior therapy on self-esteem and self-criticism of females with binge-eating behavior. A quasi-experimental design was utilized in this study, which involved a control group, a pre-test, and a post-test of samples taken from two clinics in Tehran (Armaghane Salamat and Zehne Aram, district 3), of which 24 females were selected through a purposive sampling method throughout October to December 2019. There were 12 participants in each of the experimental and control groups. Afterward, they were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The experimental group (n=12) was treated with rational-emotive behavior therapy, for eight weekly 90-120 minute sessions, while the control group (n=12) did not receive any treatment. All participants were tested using the Rosenberg self-esteem scale (SES)and The Levels of Self-criticism (LOSC) Scale methods. In addition to descriptive statistics, and Normality tests were employed to interpret the results and the SPSS-25 program was used for all the analyses. Considering the results, there was a significant difference between the pretest and post-test results for self-esteem (26.93±3.94) and self-criticism (52.40±5.54) indicating that the experimental group’s post-test scores were higher relative to their pretest scores, while the control group’s scores decreased self-esteem from the pretest (22.53±4. 23) to the posttest (21.34±3. 83) and increased self-criticism from the pretest (61.34±6.71) to the posttest (62.34±6.48). The findings showed that rational-emotive behavior therapy could help females with binge-eating behavior. Therefore, this intervention program is recommended for improving self-esteem and mitigating self-criticism among females with binge-eating behavior.

Background: Pregnancy can be a special but potentially stressful time for women. The routine life of female athletes who become pregnant may be challenged, and professional athletes may be more likely to experience psychological disorders during this time.Aim: The objective of this study was to compare the stress, anxiety, and depression levels in professional and novice pregnant athletes.Materials and Methods: 106 female volleyball players (42 professional and 64 novices) were selected as the research sample, based on their competitive levels and study participation criteria. Data were collected using a personal information form and the DASS-21 questionnaire developed by Lovibond 1995.Results: The results of the MANOVA test showed that pregnant professional athletes had significantly higher levels of stress and depression compared to pregnant novice athletes (P≤0.05). Although professional athletes had higher levels of anxiety than novice female athletes, there was no statistically significant difference between the two groups on this scale (P≤ 0.05).Conclusion: It seems that female athletes at high competitive levels experience increased psychological challenges because of the added responsibilities of motherhood, in addition to their sports commitments. It is recommended to prioritize physical and psychological interventions and strategies to enhance the mental well-being of these individuals.