Effectiveness of Compensatory Rehabilitation on Neuropsychological Functions of Preschool Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Symptoms

Background: Executive functions are impaired in children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder. One method to improve these functions is Compensatory rehabilitation. This study aims to assess the effectiveness of compensatory rehabilitation training on neuropsychological functions in preschool children with attention deficit- hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms. Methods: This is an experimental study by pretest, posttest and follow-up design with control group. Thirty two (32) children with attention deficithyperactivity disorder symptoms were selected using convenience sampling and randomly divided into control and intervention groups. The neurological tests included missing scan, day and night stroop, continuous performance test and trial making test. In the intervention program, parents were taught how to use effective strategies and skills to manage cognitive deficits in children, based on Tameshk package. Data was analyzed by repeated measure analysis of variance (ANOVA). Results: From the results of data analysis, compensatory rehabilitation had a significant effect on working memory (P<0.00), inhibition (P<0.00, errors; P<0.00, time) and shifting attention (P<0.01 errors in section A; P<0.00, time section A) in children. Conclusion: Compensatory rehabilitation utilizes skills and instructions to improve cognitive functions in children. The current research showed that training by compensation approach could improve neuropsychological functions in children with ADHD

Attitude of Faculty Members of Tehran Universities towards the Cultural Activities of the Faculty Members Based on the New Regulations for the Faculty Members' Promotion

The main objective of the present research the exploration Tehran University's faculty views about new regulations promotion and add a material change in activities of cultural - educational - social. The method of this research is mixed method, that quantitative phase of the type of survey. The sample in qualitative phase include 34 individuals and quantitative phase include 250 of faculty members from six Universities of Tehran, Shahid Beheshti, Kharazmi, Tarbiat Modares, Alameh-Tabatabai, and Sharif that in qualitative phase by using convenient sampling and in quantitative phase by using purposive sampling Were selected. To do research on the qualitative phase of semi-structured interviews and 8 open-ended questions and in quantitative phase questionnaire consisting of 35 questions and 3 sections: 1. Views and opinions 2. Operational issues, and 3. Suggestions have been used. In general we can say that faculty members to the necessity of its faculty and universities cultural issues they believe, However, these activities should be done by whom and in what manner, how should be evaluated together and with Cultural Affairs in Higher Education planners have differences in opinion. In the opinion of faculty members, the perspective of cultural and educational activities, as well as faculty teaching and research and opinion latent within the many cultural activities in education and training is indivisible

Study of psychometric properties and factorial structure of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale(BCIS) in a nonclinical iranian sample

Background: Cognitive insight is a complex and multidimentional concept. The clinical measurements of insight have focused primarily on patients’ unawareness of their having a mental disorder and of their need for treatment. Modern approaches have focused on some of the cognitive processes involved in patients’re-evaluation of their anomalous experiences and of their specific misinterpretations. The aim of this study was the examination of factor structure of the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS) in a nonclinical iranian sample. Materials and Methods: For this purpose, 476 university students, completed the Beck Cognitive Insight Scale (BCIS). The data were analyzed by LISREL and SPSS softwares. Results: The results showed that 2 main factors: Self-reflectiveness and Self-certainty which had been revealed primarily by Beck and his colleagues (2004) have been obtained as independent subscales in this research too. Conclusion: The results provided tentative support for the factor structure of the BCIS, and suggest that the BCIS is a valid measure to use in a non-clinical population

Investigating the effects of cognitive interventions on reducing pain intensity and modifying heart rate and oxygen saturation level

Introduction:In the present study, we investigated the efficacy of cognitive interventions in reducing reported pain intensity as well as modifying heart rate or oxygen saturation level in children with cancer during lumbar puncture or intrathecal injection. Moreover, we studied the relationship between the reported pain intensity and changes in heart rate and oxygen saturation level resulting from lumbar puncture or intrathecal injection.Material and Methods:This is a clinical trial using a pretest-posttest design with control group. 41 child-parent pairs were selected and randomly assigned to two groups. The children were visited twice; on first visit, both groups received routine care. On second visit, the experiment group received cognitive interventions and the second group received routine care. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, Oucher’s self-report pain intensity scale, and pulse oximeter. We used analysis of covariance and Pearson’s correlation to analyze the data.Results:Our findings indicate that the interventions efficiently reduce reported pain intensity, lower heart rate and increase blood oxygen saturation level during lumbar puncture or intrathecal injection. We also found a significant positive correlation between reported pain intensity and changes in heart rate, and a significant negative relationship between reported pain intensity and changes in oxygen saturation level. Conclusion:Cognitive interventions are efficient for reducing reported pain intensity, lowering heart rate and increasing oxygen saturation level during lumbar puncture or intrathecal injection. We recommend cognitive interventions to be used during this painful procedure to manage pain and minimize physiologic changes resulting from lumbar puncture

Modeling the Antecedents and Consequences of Achievement Goals Orientations in Students: A Mediator Analysis

This study examined the causal relationships model of antecedents and consequences of achievement goal orientations among university students. On a sample consisting of 300 students (150 males 150 female), the Academic Self-Efficacy Questionnaire (ASEQ), the Perceived Parent Goal Emphases (PPGE), the Achievement Goal Questionnaire-Revised (AGQ-R), the Stress Appraisal Measure-Revised (SAM-R) and the Achievement Emotions Questionnaire-Short Form (AEQ-SF) were administrated. Results showed that there is a positive significant correlation between academic self-efficacy and perceived parent mastery goal emphasis with students' mastery goal orientation and a positive significant correlation between self-efficacy and perceived parent performance goal emphasis with students' performance goal orientation. Results also showed that there is a positive significant correlation between mastery goal orientation with adaptive appraisal and a negative significant correlation with non-adaptive appraisals and there is a positive correlation between performance goal orientation with non-adaptive appraisal and a negative correlation with adaptive appraisal.  Also, results indicated that there is a positive correlation between adaptive appraisal with positive emotions and a negative relationship with negative emotions and there is a positive correlation between non-adaptive appraisal with negative emotions and a negative correlation with positive emotions. On the one hand, these finding show that the self-efficacy beliefs and perceived parents' goal emphases have important role in prediction of students' goal orientations. On the other hand, these findings emphasis on the role of students' goal orientations in prediction of cognitive appraisals and achievement emotions for them

The Effectiveness of Social Skills Training on Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms in Adolescents: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Introduction: One of the most important problems in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a deficiency in social skills that appear at an early age and impair or limit daily functioning. The aim of this study was to evaluate social skills training on ASD symptoms in adolescents. Materials and Methods: The research method was quasi-experimental with pretest-posttest. The statistical population consisted of 60 adolescents with high-functioning ASD in Tehran, Iran. Through purposive sampling, 12 subjects were selected and participated in 10 sessions lasting 90 minutes (two sessions per week). The participants were evaluated using the Gilliam Autism Rating Scale (GARS). Results: Social skills training did not have a significant effect on reducing stereotypical behavior (P = 0.11), communication problems (P = 0.26), social interactions (P = 0.08), and symptoms of developmental disorders (P = 0.77). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that social skills training alone has little impact on ASD symptoms in adolescents. Therefore, training that covers other troubled fields in these teenagers is recommended to alleviate the symptoms of this disorder

Effectiveness of the Attributional Retraining Program on Cognitive Emotion Regulation Strategies and Academic Resilience among University Students

The purpose of the study was to determine examine the effectiveness of attributional retraining program on students’ emotion cognitive regulation strategies and academic resilience. In this quasi-experimental research with pretest-posttest nonequivalent-group design and follow up stage, 41 undergraduate students at Shahid Beheshti University in the experimental group and control group, before and after the training, responded to Garnefski, Kraaij & Spinhoven Emotion Cognitive Regulation Questionnaire and Martin & Marsh Academic Resilience Scale. The experimental group received 7 resilience training sessions (2 hours a session). The results of multivariate covariance analysis, in the short term and long term, indicated that attributional retraining program was effective in increasing adaptive cognitive coping strategies (including acceptance, positive reappraisal positive refocusing, refocus on planning, and perspective taking), and also it was effective in decreasing non-adaptive cognitive coping strategies (including on self-blame, rumination, catastrophizing and other-blame). Also, results of univariate covariance analysis showed that attributional retraining program was effective in increasing academic resilience in the shrt term as well as long term. Generally, these findings suggest that attributional retraining program was effective in improving the resilience of identifying and making optimum their personal power (personal feeling, attitudes and beliefs), find and make full use of their external resources (development of safety and feeling of protection), and mastering their interpersonal skills and problem solving ability (such as persistence, humor and communication)

Prediction of Blood Glucose Level through Irrational Health Beliefs and Health Locus of Control in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes in Tehran City

Background and Aim: Diabetes is a chronic disease that physiological, cognitive, behavioral, emotional and social factors play a role in preventing, risk and regulating it. This research aimed to predict blood glucose control by the use of irrational health beliefs and health locus of control in patients with type 2 diabetes. Materials and Methods: The research population consisted of all type 2 diabetic patients referring to the two centers of Alzahra School of Charity Hospital and Diabetes Research Institute of Tehran University of Medical Sciences that 300 patients were chosen as sample by convenience sampling method. Data were gathered by using Multidimensional Health Locus of Control Scale (MHLC) and Irrational Health Belief Scale (IHBS) and analyzed by regression. Ethical Considerations: This study was approved in Research Ethics Committee of biomedical researches in Tehran Universiry with the code IR.ut.Rec.1395.030. Findings: There is a significant correlation between the predictive variables of irrational health beliefs (p <0.05), inner locus of control and others (p <0.05), and chance locus of control (p <0.01). The results also indicate that the health locus of control and Irrational beliefs predict significantly the changes in the amount of glucose (R=19, R2=0.037, F(4. 293)=2.80, p<0.05). Conclusion: Based on the findings of this study, we can say that by identifying the health locus of control and irrational health beliefs, it is possible that blood glucose level can be predicted in patients with type 2 diabetes and reduced the consequences of diabetes in people with it

Developing “Family Integrated Treatment” for Autistic Disorders and Comparing its Efficacy on Decreasing Parenting Stress of Parents of Autistic Children with “Little Bird” Method

Introduction: Autism is one of the most famous neuro-developmental disorders and increases parental stresses. On the other hand, decrease of parental stress has positive effect on child response to treatment. So, the main goal of this study was to develop a family education program for parents of children with autism, which is effective on decreasing their parental stress. Materials and Methods: The first part of the study was a qualitative research of three categories of information resulted from deep interviews with 11 specialists, semi-structured interviews with 30 parents and review of 101 articles. The second part was an experimental research on two intervention, and one control groups, with three examination stages: before, after and one-month fallow-up. To fulfill this goal, 42 parents were selected from the parents of autistic children who received services in Tehran Autism Center, Iran, during the study period, and then, were divided randomly to tree groups. The material used for this section of study was Parental Stress Index (PSI). The results were analyzed using covariate analysis and analysis of variance techniques via SPSS20 software. Results: Our family integrated treatment method for autistic disorders was more efficient on decreasing reinforcing (P = 0.032), mood (P = 0.010), acceptability (P = 0.013), and adaptability (P = 0.004), and total score of child stress (P = 0.004). In addition, it showed significant effect on competence (P = 0.002), depression (P = 0.001), social isolation (P = 0.002), attachment (P < 0.001), role restriction (P =0.001), parental health (P = 0.003), and total score of parental stress (P < 0.001), and also on PSI-total score (P < 0.001), in comparison with 2 other groups. Conclusion: In comparison with previous parental training programs like little bird program which mostly focuses on stress of child domain, family integrated treatment method pays attention to special needs of every single family and its comprehensiveness; and is effective on decreasing parental domain of stress as well