The effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on posttraumatic cognitions and psychological inflexibility among students with trauma exposure

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder has a negative impact on the individual, family, and community due to disturbance in social functioning, increased stress, and life-threatening health status. Therefore, effective and useful therapeutic interventions in this area are very important. This study aimed at examining the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on the posttraumatic cognitions of students with trauma exposure. Methods: In this quasi- experimental study, population included all students of Islamic Azad University in Roudehen, Tehran, Iran, during the academic year of 2018-2019. After administering trauma questionnaire, the second version of acceptance and action questionnaire (AAQ-II), and posttraumatic cognitions inventory (PTCI) to 500 people, 113 people who experienced trauma and had high scores in PTCI and low scores in AAQ-II were identified. Of whom 40 people were selected randomly. After the clinical interview, the subjects were randomly placed in the experimental group (who received ACT, n = 20) and placebo group (n = 20). Both groups were pre- and posttested using the PTCI and AAQ-II. Then, the obtained data were analyzed using covariance analysis. Results: The results showed that there was a significant difference in posttraumatic cognitions (negative cognitions about self, negative cognitions about the world, and self-blame) between the two groups. In addition, the results of posttest related to ACT had a significant impact on psychological inflexibility. In other words, ACT reduced posttraumatic cognitions and increased psychological flexibility of these students. Conclusion: The findings of the present study reveal that despite posttraumatic cognitions of students with trauma exposure, ACT increases value-based behaviors through increasing psychological flexibility and decreasing experiential avoidance

Decomposing socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adult population: results from the PERSIAN cohort study

Background Socioeconomic inequality in mental health in Iran is poorly understood. This study aimed to assess socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health among Iranian adults. Methods The study used the baseline data of PERSIAN cohort study including 131,813 participants from 17 geographically distinct areas of Iran. The Erreygers Concentration index (E) was used to quantify the socioeconomic inequalities in poor mental health. Moreover, we decomposed the E to identify factors contributing to the observed socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health in Iran. Results The estimated E for poor mental health was - 0.012 (95% CI: - 0.0144, - 0.0089), indicating slightly higher concentration of mental health problem among socioeconomically disadvantaged adults in Iran. Socioeconomic inequality in poor mental health was mainly explained by gender (19.93%) and age (12.70%). Region, SES itself, and physical activity were other important factors that contributed to the concentration of poor mental health among adults with low socioeconomic status. Conclusion There exists nearly equitable distribution in poor mental health among Iranian adults, but with important variations by gender, SES, and geography. These results suggested that interventional programs in Iran should focus on should focus more on socioeconomically disadvantaged people as a whole, with particular attention to the needs of women and those living in more socially disadvantaged regions. Keywords:Mental health; Socioeconomic inequality; Concentration index; Decompositio

Prevalence and Correlates of Psychiatric Disorders in a National Survey of Iranian Children and Adolescents

Objective: Considering the impact of rapid sociocultural, political, and economical changes on societies and families, population-based surveys of mental disorders in different communities are needed to describe the magnitude of mental health problems and their disabling effects at the individual, familial, and societal levels. Method: A population-based cross sectional survey (IRCAP project) of 30 532 children and adolescents between 6 and 18 years was conducted in all provinces of Iran using a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected by 250 clinical psychologists trained to use the validated Persian version of the semi-structured diagnostic interview Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia-PL (K-SADS-PL). Results: In this national epidemiological survey, 6209 out of 30 532 (22.31%) were diagnosed with at least one psychiatric disorder. The anxiety disorders (14.13%) and behavioral disorders (8.3%) had the highest prevalence, while eating disorders (0.13%) and psychotic symptoms (0.26%) had the lowest. The prevalence of psychiatric disorders was significantly lower in girls (OR = 0.85; 95% CI: 0.80-0.90), in those living in the rural area (OR = 0.80; 95% CI: 0.73-0.87), in those aged 15-18 years (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.86-0.99), as well as that was significantly higher in those who had a parent suffering from mental disorders (OR = 1.96; 95% CI: 1.63-2.36 for mother and OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66 for father) or physical illness (OR = 1.26; 95% CI: 1.17-1.35 for mother and OR = 1.19; 95% CI: 1.10-1.28 for father). Conclusion: About one fifth of Iranian children and adolescents suffer from at least one psychiatric disorder. Therefore, we should give a greater priority to promoting mental health and public health, provide more accessible services and trainings, and reduce barriers to accessing existing services

The role of temperament and character dimensions in predicting state-trait anxiety in high school students

Studies advocate the role of temperament factors in development and persistence of anxiety. The aim of this study was to determine the role of temperament and character dimensions in predicting the state-trait anxiety in high school students. In this study, the statistical population consisted of all high school students (N=3416). One hundred and eighty students were selected randomly from this population by using multistage cluster sampling. They were asked to complete state-trait anxiety inventory, and cloninger's temperament and character inventory in the class in presence of the researcher. The findings of correlation analysis showed that anxiety was positively correlated with novelty seeking, harm avoidance, and reward dependence, while it was negatively correlated with persistence, cooperativeness, and self-directedness. The results of regression analysis indicated that 60% of variance of anxiety was explained by temperament and character dimensions. Based on the results of this study, temperament and character dimensions can provide a kind of predisposition for anxiety and can be used to identify anxiety symptoms in early stages

The Relationship between Behavioral Activation/ Inhibition Systems (BAS/BIS) and Bullying/ Victimization Behaviors among Male Adolescents

Objective:This research was conducted to investigate the relationship between behavioral activation-inhibition systems and bullyingvictimization behaviors among adolescents.Method:This was a correlational and cross-sectional study. Two hundred and thirty school boys were selected randomly by multistage cluster sampling method, and participated in this research. This sample responded to a demographic questionnaire, the Revised Olweus Bully/ Victim questionnaire and the child version of behavioral inhibition/activation systems Scale in their classrooms and in the presence of the researcher. The collected data were analyzed by Pearson’s correlation and multiple regressions. Result:The results showed that bullying and victimization were correlated with both behavioral activation and behavioral inhibition systems (p<0.01). The results also showed that 18% of the variance in victimization and 31 % of the variance in bullying were explained by behavioral inhibition and behavioral activation systems respectively .Conclusion:The results of this study implied that BAS and BIS may play a role in the manifestation of bullying in adolescents

Comparison of Alexithymia among Patients with Tonic-Clonic Epilepsy, Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy and Healthy Individuals

Background & objectives: Epilepsy is a chronic neurological disorder that disrupts normal brain activity due to abnormal electrical discharge of brain cells. Mood swings, depression and anxiety are the common complications in epilepsy. The aim of the present study was to compare alexithymia in patients with Tonic-clonic epilepsy, Juvenile Myoclonic Epilepsy (JME), and healthy individuals. Methods: In this casual-comparative study, sampling was performed by convenience sampling method. The study population consisted of all epileptic patients and the study sample included 134 participants (N= 74 Patients and N= 60 healthy people) individuals aged 18-35 years. Among the patients, 14 were excluded due to lack of selection criteria and 60 samples (N= 29 with myoclonic and N= 31 with Tonic-clonic epilepsy) remained. Data regarding alexithymia was gathered by Toronto Alexithymia Scale, and analyzed by ANOVA, Scheff&eacute; post - hoc test and t-test were performed for independent groups. Results: Findings showed that the mean of Alexithymia in those with JME, &nbsp;tonic-clonic epilepsy and normal individuals were 64.44, 61.41, and 54.24, respectively. The difference between the two groups with myoclonic and tonic-clonic epilepsy was not statistically significant. However, there was a significant difference found between those with tonic-clonic epilepsy and normal individuals (T= 6.82; p<0.01). In addition, patients with &nbsp;JME &nbsp;and tonic-clonic epilepsy had more difficulty in identifying and describing emotions, and external thought direction compared to normal ones, while no such a difference was observed between the two groups with epilepsy. Conclusion: Epilepsy is accompanied by reduced processing of emotional information such as alexithymia. Individuals with tonic-clonic and juvenile myoclonic epilepsy are less qualified for recognizing and describing emotional information, and their intellectual orientation is mostly external. Also, since the location of discharge in both types is widespread and similar, no significant difference in alexithymia was observed between the patients with tonic-clonic and myoclonic epileps