A study on the pattern of drug abuse and demographic characteristics of addicts referred to addiction treatment centers of Kermanshah City, Iran, in 2016

BACKGROUND: The problems of drugs and addiction and the consequences of drug into abuse are considered as a phenomenon that affects different aspects of human life and is one of the main problems of modern age. The main goal of performing this investigation was identifying general demographic factors which affect the process of addiction in order to make available the facility of diagnosis and practice of therapeutic programs. METHODS: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, a number of 500 addicts in Kermanshah, Iran, were selected using sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage frequency, cumulative frequency, and average). RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects in this study was 36.6 + 8.80 years. Most addicts were in the age category of 31 to 40 years old. 62.8% of them began drug use for the first time in the age range of 10 to 20 years. 47% had primary education and 68.4% were unemployed and had no specific source of income. The top cause of drug use was reported as entertainment and enjoyment (47.6%) and the other cause was curiosity (26.4%). The most common cause of drug cessation was being tired of drug use. CONCLUSION: With regard to the fact that most addicts are unemployed with no source of income, thus it seems that the authorities have to assess effective treatments and find ways to create youth employment and also healthy entertainment activities and source of income on which one can rely

A study on the pattern of drug abuse and demographic characteristics of addicts referred to addiction treatment centers of Kermanshah City, Iran, in 2016

BACKGROUND: The problems of drugs and addiction and the consequences of drug into abuse are considered as a phenomenon that affects different aspects of human life and is one of the main problems of modern age. The main goal of performing this investigation was identifying general demographic factors which affect the process of addiction in order to make available the facility of diagnosis and practice of therapeutic programs.METHODS: In this cross-sectional and descriptive study, a number of 500 addicts in Kermanshah, Iran, were selected using sampling method. Data were analyzed using SPSS software and descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage frequency, cumulative frequency, and average).RESULTS: The mean age of the subjects in this study was 36.6 + 8.80 years. Most addicts were in the age category of 31 to 40 years old. 62.8% of them began drug use for the first time in the age range of 10 to 20 years. 47% had primary education and 68.4% were unemployed and had no specific source of income. The top cause of drug use was reported as entertainment and enjoyment (47.6%) and the other cause was curiosity (26.4%). The most common cause of drug cessation was being tired of drug use.CONCLUSION: With regard to the fact that most addicts are unemployed with no source of income, thus it seems that the authorities have to assess effective treatments and find ways to create youth employment and also healthy entertainment activities and source of income on which one can rely

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

Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral theraphy in the treatment of Iranian male drug addicts at a state rehabilitation center

Introduction: The present study aimed at examining the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) group intervention on measures of self-efficacy and level of relapse for abstinence among Iranian male drug addicts. Methods: An experimental research design was adopted in the current study in which the participants consisted of 75 male drug addicts who were consecutively admitted as outpatients at a state rehabilitation center. They were randomly allocated to experimental (N=37) and control (N=38) groups. They completed the Iranian version of Drug Taking Confidence Questionnaire (DTCQ-IV) and took urine test as pre-test and post-test. The CBT group intervention was conducted at 12 sessions, one session per week. It was hypothesized that there were significant differences between the experimental and control groups regarding self-efficacy and level of relapse. Result: The results of ANCOVA showed there were significant differences in pleasant emotion and testing control between the two groups on measures of self-efficacy. The results of McNemar test indicated level of relapse in the experimental group significantly declined from pre-test to post-test. Furthermore, using Chi-square analysis, a significant difference (with a moderate effect size) was found in the levels of relapse. Conclusion: The present study provides strong support for CBT group intervention as an effective treatment for Iranian male drug addicts. Therefore, CBT group intervention can be considered as a practical approach in the treatment of people with SUDs

Impact of psycho-educational group intervention using cognitive behavioral therapy on Iranian male drug addicts in a rehabilitation center

This study examined the impact of psycho-educational group intervention using cognitive-behavioral therapy on the level of self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change among the Iranian male drug addicts. The study had an experimental design including an experimental group and a control group. The participants of the study consisted of 75 male drug addicts who were consecutively admitted outpatients in a rehabilitation center. The participants were selected based on inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study and they were randomly assigned into the experimental (n=37) and the control groups (n=38). The groups were compared at pre-test and post-test and the impact of psycho-educational group intervention was also compared after one month follow-up. The participants completed the Iranian version of drug taken confidence questionnaire (DTCQ-IV), the Iranian version of the stages of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale (SOCRATES-IV) as well as urine tests at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. In the pilot study, the original drug taken confidence questionnaire (DTCQ) and the original stages of change readiness and treatment eagerness scale (SOCRATES) were translated and cross culturally modified into the Persian language and back-translated to English. Results from the pilot study showed that the translated instruments have very high content validity and reliability and that they can be used to measure what they are supposed to measure. For this study, the impact of psycho-educational group intervention was defined by increasing scores in self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change in the experimental group as measured by the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up assessments. The psycho-educational group intervention was presented in 12 sessions; one session per week. The main hypotheses in this study were that there are significant differences in self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change between the experimental and the control groups at the post-test scores. The data were coded and entered into the Statistical Package for Social Science SPSS Ver. 18). The data were analyzed using the repeated measures analysis of variance, as well as the paired and independent samples t-tests. The research findings showed that there were significant differences between the experimental and the control groups with regard to the studied variables, including self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change. The results confirmed all the hypotheses of the study. The results of the study showed that the psycho-educational group intervention applied to the participants in the experimental group was effective and led to significant positive changes in the group. Therefore, based on the results of the study, it can be inferred that the cognitive-behavioral therapy group intervention as a psycho-educational intervention increased self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change in the experimental group. In other words, the research findings showed that after the experimental group received the psychoeducational group intervention, their scores in self-efficacy and motivational readiness for change significantly increased at post-test and follow-up. This implies that the CBT group intervention can be considered an effective approach in the treatment of Iranian male drug addicts. Overall, the results of the present study supported the assumption that the cognitive-behavioral therapy group intervention can have positive benefits in reducing relapse among the Iranian male drug addicts

Keeping Things Positive: Affect as a Mediator between Physical Activity and Psychological Functioning

Higher physical activity is generally associated with more favorable psychological functioning. However, the role of positive and negative affect in such associations is unclear. Accordingly, this cross-sectional study explored whether affect mediated the relationship of physical activity with psychological well-being (PWB) and psychological dysfunctioning (PD). Young Iranian adults (N = 200) completed self-rating questionnaires covering physical activity, positive and negative affect, and proxies of PWB and PD. Regression analyses indicated that higher physical activity levels and higher positive and lower negative affect predicted proxies of PWB. The same (albeit in the opposite direction) applied to proxies of PD. Structural equation modeling indicated that positive and negative affect mediated the relationship between physical activity and PWB/PD. Accordingly, change in affect might be an important mechanism behind the association of physical activity and PWB/PD. Future research should further explore this across target populations and cultural contexts. Longitudinal and/or experimental studies are needed to disentangle causality

تدوین کدهای اخلاق در آموزش مجازی

Background and Aim: Ethical codes are used as a practical guide to show the ethical behaviors of the owners of each profession in specific situations. Every organizational set has ethical codes appropriate to its professional structure, which is called professional ethics. Higher education is also a professional system, and professors and students must be aware of and adhere to the principles of professional ethics in e-learning. Adherence to the ethics of virtual education ensures the health of the teaching-learning process in the university and increases the commitment of professors to respond to the needs of students. Materials and Methods: This study was a developmental research that was conducted with the aim of extracting and compiling ethical codes in virtual education activities for professors and students by extracting the opinions of professors of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences as a research community in four stages. The first stage in the research committee in medical school education was prepared with the presence of 20 professors of the initial draft of ethical codes, including 75 codes. In the second stage, the subject was categorized in 4 areas and 66 codes in the ethics committee of university education. Then, in the third stage, the proposed codes were sent to the faculties for the comments of all professors and officials in the field of education. Ethical Considerations: The purpose of the study was explained to the participants and individuals participated in the study voluntarily. Next, it was approved by the ethics committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences and received a code of ethics. Findings: After conducting four stages of study and obtaining comprehensive opinions from professors, and officials in the field of education in different faculties and reviewing them in the work of the Department of Ethics in Virtual Education, codes in four general areas and 58 codes including: 25 Ethical codes of professors in virtual education, 11 ethical codes of electronic content production in virtual education, 10 ethical codes of students in virtual education and 12 ethical codes in electronic exam were compiled. Conclusion: The result of this study was to explain the ethical codes in virtual education for professors and students of medical universities.   Cite this article as: Khazaei MR, Izadi B, Almasi A, Sorosh A, Parvizifard AA, Foroghi AA, K Soltani M Boniani, Salari F, Farzaei MH. Devising Ethical Codes in Virtual Education. Faṣlnāmah-i akhlāq-i pizishkī, i.e., Quarterly Journal of Medical Ethics. 2021; 15(46): e31.زمینه و هدف: کدهای اخلاقی به عنوان راهنمای عملی برای نشان‌دادن رفتارهای اخلاقی صاحبان هر حرفه در موقعیت‌های خاص استفاده می‌شود. هر مجموعه سازمانی دارای کدهای اخلاقی متناسب با ساختار حرفه‌ای خود است که اخلاق حرفه‌ای نام دارد. آموزش عالی نیز نظامی حرفه‌ای است و اساتید و دانشجویان باید از اصول اخلاق حرفه‌ای در امر آموزش مجازی آگاهی داشته و به آن پایبند باشند. رعایت اخلاق آموزش مجازی تضمین‌کننده سلامت فرایند یاددهی ـ یادگیری شده و موجب افزایش تعهد پاسخگویی مدرسین نسبت به نیازهای دانشجویان می‌شود. مواد و روش‌‌ها: این مطالعه یک تحقیق کیفی است که با هدف استخراج و تدوین کدهای اخلاقی در فعالیت‌های آموزش مجازی برای مدرسین و دانشجویان با استخراج نظرات اساتید دانشگاه علوم پزشکی کرمانشاه با روش دلفی به عنوان جامعه پژوهش در چهار مرحله انجام گرفت. مرحله نخست در کمیته پژوهش در آموزش دانشکده پزشکی با حضور 20 نفر از مدرسین پیش‌نویس اولیه کدهای اخلاقی شامل 75 کد تهیه گردید؛ در مرحله دوم موضوع در کمیته اخلاق در آموزش دانشگاه طرح و کدها با نظر اعضا که متشکل از مدرسین باتجربه بود، در 4 حیطه و 66 کد دسته‌بندی شد؛ سپس در مرحله سوم کدهای پیشنهادی به دانشکده‌ها جهت اظهار نظر کلیه مدرسین و مسؤولین حوزه آموزشی ارسال گردید. ملاحظات اخلاقی: هدف از پژوهش برای مشارکت‌کنندگان توضیح داده شد و افراد به صورت اختیاری در مطالعه شرکت کردند، سپس در کمیته اخلاق دانشگاه علوم پزشکی کرمانشاه تأیید و کد اخلاق دریافت شد. یافته‌ها: بعد از اجرای چهار مرحله مطالعه و به دست‌آوردن نظرات جامع از اساتید و مسؤولین حوزه آموزشی در دانشکده‌های مختلف و بررسی آن‌ها در کارگروه تخصصی اخلاق در آموزش مجازی دانشگاه، کدها در چهار حیطه کلی و 58 کد، شامل 25 کد اخلاقی اساتید در آموزش مجازی، 11 کد اخلاقی تولید محتوای الکترونیک در آموزش مجازی، 10 کد اخلاقی دانشجویان در آموزش مجازی و 12 کد اخلاقی در آزمون الکترونیک تدوین گردید. نتیجه‌گیری: حاصل این مطالعه تبیین کدهای اخلاقی در آموزش مجازی برای اساتید و دانشجویان دانشگاه‌های علوم پزشکی بود