Effectiveness of Self-Help Mindfulness on Depression, Anxiety and Stress

Introduction: Growing evidence shows that mindfulness based on self-help interventions have advantages for physical and psychological health in different populations. The mindfulness based emotional balance is a new program and efficacy of which has not been investigated in self-help format.  Methods: This study was a randomized control trial (RCT) with wait-list control. After screening and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria eighty students of Kermanshah University of medical sciences were assigned randomly to the mindfulness-based emotional balance self-help or the wait list control group. Anxiety, depression, stress, and mindfulness were measured prior to the intervention after the intervention, and two-month after end of intervention as follow-up. DASS-21 and MAAS were used.  Results: Significant decrease in anxiety, depression, and stress in addition to a significant increase in mindfulness in the experimental group in the posttest. However, there were no significant changes in any of the aforesaid measures in the wait list control group. The resultant benefits were persistent in the two-month follow-up. Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, this type of treatment can be used as an efficient and cost-effective method to improve psychological problems such as stress, depression and anxiety.  Declaration of Interest: Non

The Efficacy of Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) in Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD): symptom reduction and improving of emotion regulation and mindfulness skills

Background: According to Emotion Dysregulation Model (EMD), Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) symptoms may be maintained by emotional hyperarousal, experience of intense emotion, poorer understanding of emotions, negative attitudes about emotions, and maladaptive emotion regulation and management. based on the EMD, Emotion Regulation Therapy (ERT) is a mechanism-targeted intervention that cultivating emotion regulation skills. Materials and Methods: Four men with generalized anxiety disorder were selected from Counseling Center of University of Tehran and Talieh Mehr clinic. Anxiety and Related Disorders Interview Schedule for DSM-IV (ADIS-IV) were used to diagnosis GAD and other disorders. Subjects were selected using purposeful sampling, multiple baseline experimental single case study was used as the method of the present study. The treatment program was carried out for 14 weekly sessions (14-session version), with a follow-up period of 2 months subsequent to treatment termination. Subjects completed the Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), The Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) in the baseline, during treatment, post-treatment and follow-up period. Results: The patients demonstrated distinct improvements in symptom severity (i.e., worry, anxiety and GAD cretria in GAD-7), and in model-related outcomes including, mindful attending/acceptance, and cognitive reappraisal. Patients maintained gains across the two month follow-up period. In addition to, ERT was very well tolerated by patients and all of patients completed sessions. Conclusion: Results of present study provide additional evidence for the efficacy of the ERT in the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), and additional support for the role of emotion dysregulation in the onset, maintenance, and treatment GAD

European Woman from the Viewpoint of Two Iranian Logbook-Writers

Abstract: Iranian logbooks left from Qajar era emphasis on the social and cultural differences between Europe and Iran and the reports on some modern characteristics of the European society such as liberty, law, order, instrumental modernity, women liberty, and women attendance in public have played a major role in introducing the European society to Iran. This research project attempts to study and compare Talebi and Garmroudi, two Iranian logbook writers, viewpoints about European women and discuss the consequences for Iranian society. The findings focus on this point that liberty of European women and their attendance in public were the most astonishing features of European life to both logbook writers and one difference between Europe and Iran

The Efficacy of Emotion Regulation Skills in Patients with Irritable Bowel Syndrome: Reduction of Psychopathological Symptoms, Emotion Regulation Problems and Improvement in Quality of Life: a case series

Background and Purpose: Emotion regulation therapy (ERT) is one of the third wave of cognitive behavioral therapies which address patients’ problem by improving four emotion regulation skills (i.e. mindfulness, allowing or acceptance, distance, and reappraisal). ERT could be applied for disorders with strong emotional element. Therefore, this study aims to determine the efficacy of emotion regulation skills on reduction of psychopathological symptoms, difficulty of emotion regulation and improvement of quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Method: In an experimental single-case design of baseline type, 5 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) were included in the therapy process after they satisfied necessary condition. The patients had 9 sessions therapy (i.e. 90 minutes). In order to evaluate efficacy of the therapy, the measures of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome Quality Of Life (IBS-QOL34) were used. To analyze the collected data, certain diagrams, reliable change index, improvement percentage, and corrected size effect (i.e. Hedges' g) were used. Findings: The emotion regulation therapy reduced the psychopathological symptoms, difficulty of emotion regulation and increase of quality of life in patients with IBS. Total percentages of improvement of anxiety, depression, difficulty of emotion regulation and quality of life were 32.25, 34.68, 40.21 and 58.44 percent respectively. Conclusion: The ERT reduced psychopathological symptoms and difficulty of emotion regulation and improved quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome significantly. Consequently, therapists seem to be able to use the skills of this treatment to reduce the psychological problems of these patients