Effectiveness of cognitive-behavior group therapy, psycho-education family, and drug therapy in reducing and preventing recurrence of symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder

Depression constitutes one of the most common mental disorders, and medical and psychological therapies are the major therapeutic options for it. The aim of the present study is to examine the efficacy of group cognitive-behavioral therapy, psycho-educational family and medical therapy in reducing and preventing the recurrence of symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). This is clinical trial on 60 women with major depressive disorder. Our findings indicate significantly difference between depression scores of the two experiment groups and the control group after intervention. On follow-up, however, only the second experiment group (family education) indicated a significant difference from the control group and the other groups were not significantly different

The efficacy of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on resilience among the wives of patients with schizophrenia

Introduction: The wives of patients with schizophrenia experience high levels of stress due to their spouses' disease, which leads to certain problems and decreased adaptability and efficiency in them. Aim: This study investigated the efficacy of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) on resilience in schizophrenia patients. Materials and Methods: In this quasi-experimental study, 40 wives of patients with schizophrenia (20 assigned to experimental group and 20 to control group) whose husbands were kept in rehabilitation centers for mental disorders were enrolled according to convenience sampling. In the experimental group, the therapeutic protocol of MBCT was conducted. Accordingly, the patients were encouraged to process the experiences in a non-judgmental manner as they have been formed, and to change their relationship with and embrace challenging thoughts and feelings. Meanwhile, the control group underwent no intervention. The research instrument was Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale. Data were analysed by ANCOVA in SPSS 16. Results: At post-test, mean resilience score of the experimental group (77.95±4.71) was much higher than that of the control group (71.75±5.81). There was a significant difference in the mean resilience score at post-test between the experimental and control groups (p<0.05). Conclusion: Training MBCT strategies was effective on resilience in the wives of schizophrenia patients. Therefore, this approach can be incorporated into mental health-related interventions for the families of patients with psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia. © 2017, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved

Study of Association of Substance Use Disorders with Family Members' Psychological Disorders

Introduction: Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) represents a serious problem in Iranian community that may lead to psychological disorders in families. Aim: This study was conducted to investigate the association of SUDs with family members' psychological disorders. Materials and Methods: The sample size of the study consisted of 724 people referred to a counseling and psychology clinic in Shahrekord, southwest Iran. For data gathering, random method was adopted. After the relationship was established with the patients during the counseling and their confidence was gained, development of SUDs and related effect on the referred patient's family members were investigated by a predeveloped checklist. The statistical tests used to analyse the data were chi-square, Fisher's-exact test, and odds ratio. Results: The most frequent disorder noted was depression (40.5%) followed by generalized anxiety disorder (21%), minor interpersonal and children's behavioural problems (15%), and hysteria (8%). Depression, hysteria, and minor interpersonal and children's behavioural problems in the women and men were reported 48% vs. 20%, 9% vs. 5%, and 10% vs. 27%, respectively. A significant association was seen between SUDs in the patients' spouses and children as well as in their families, and gender, marital status, and occupation, but not place of residence and education. Conclusion: An association was seen between the psychiatric disorders in the people referring the studied center and SUDs in their families. Addiction in family plays an important role in developing or recurring psychiatric disorders in other family member

The efficacy of three learning methods collaborative, context-based learning and traditional, on learning, attitude and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students: Integrating theory and practice

Introduction: Communication skills training, responsibility, respect, and self-awareness are important indexes of changing learning behaviours in modern approaches. Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of three learning approaches, collaborative, context-based learning (CBL), and traditional, on learning, attitude, and behaviour of undergraduate nursing students. Materials and Methods: This study was a clinical trial with pretest and post-test of control group. The participants were senior nursing students. The samples were randomly assigned to three groups; CBL, collaborative, and traditional. To gather data a standard questionnaire of students’ behaviour and attitude was administered prior to and after the intervention. Also, the rate of learning was investigated by a researcher-developed questionnaire prior to and after the intervention in the three groups. Results: In CBL and collaborative training groups, the mean score of behaviour and attitude increased after the intervention. But no significant association was obtained between the mean scores of behaviour and attitude prior to and after the intervention in the traditional group. However, the mean learning score increased significantly in the CBL, collaborative, and traditional groups after the study in comparison to before the study. Conclusion: Both CBL and collaborative approaches were useful in terms of increased respect, self-awareness, self-evaluation, communication skills and responsibility as well as increased motivation and learning score in comparison to traditional method. © 2016, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved

Comparison of irrational believes in suicide attempted (Self-burning) and normal individuals

هدف این پژوهش بررسی رابطه بین باورهای غیر منطقی و اقدام به خودکشی (به روش خودسوزی) است. روش مطالعه مقطعی-مقایسه ای و نمونه پژوهش شامل دو گروه می باشد. گروه اول شامل کلیه افراد اقدام کننده به خودسوزی در شهر تهران بود که به دو مرکز بزرگ سوانح سوختگی شهید مطهری و توحید در طی مدت 6 ماه ارجاع و بستری شده بودند. گروه دوم شامل افرادی بود که هیچگونه سابقه بیماری روانی نداشته و به صورت تصادفی انتخاب و به عنوان گروه شاهد با گروه اول مورد مقایسه قرار گرفتند. ابزار پژوهش شامل دو آزمون IBT باورهای غیر منطقی و SCL-90 چک لیست علایم بود که افکار و باورهای غیر منطقی و سلامت روانی نمونه ها را مورد ارزیابی قرار می داد. نتایج بدست آمده نشان داد از کل نمونه گروه اقدام کننده به خودکشی (50 نفر)، تعداد 34 نفر (68) زن و 16 نفر (32) مرد بودند. محدوده سنی زنان 20 تا 29 و مردان 30 تا 39 سال بود. از گروه مذکور 62 متاهل، 28 مجرد و 10 سایر موارد (بیوه، مطلقه و غیره) بودند. 87.5 مردان و 82 زنان که روی هم 70 گروه خودسوز را تشکیل می دادند سابقه اقدام به خودکشی نداشته و تنها 16 چنین سابقه ای را متذکر شدند. همچنین 76 اقدام کنندگان سابقه مراجعه به روان پزشک و روان شناس را طی 4-3 سال گذشته گزارش کردند. تجزیه و تحلیل داده ها با استفاده از آزمون T برای گروه های مستقل نشان داد که بین باورهای غیر منطقی در اقدام کنندگان به خودکشی با افراد بهنجار تفاوت معنی داری وجود دارد. در این رابطه بین دو گروه در باورهای غیر منطقی تایید و حمایت از جانب دیگران، انتظار بیش از حد از خود، تمایل به سرزنش، واکنش به ناکامی،‌ بی مسئولیتی عاطفی، نگرانی بیش از حد توام با اضطراب و درماندگی نسبت به تغییر تفاوت معنی داری بدست آمد اما این تفاوت در باورهای غیر منطقی اجتناب از مشکلات، وابستگی و کمال گرایی در همان سطح آماری معنی دار نبود. نتایج این پژوهش بطور کلی نشان داد که باورهای غیر منطقی اقدام کنندگان به خودکشی نسبت به افراد بهنجار در سطح بالایی وجود دارد که شناخت این باورها در این گروه و روش های درمانی خاص در این مورد می تواند تا حد زیادی در پیشگیری از این معضل موثر باشد

Effects of yoga on physiological indices, anxiety and social functioning in multiple sclerosis patients: A randomized trial

Introduction: Multiple sclerosis (MS) as a chronic disease could affect patients’ various domains of life. Aim: This study was conducted to study the effect of yoga on the physiological indices, anxiety and social functioning of patients with MS in southwest, Iran. Materials and Methods: In this clinical trial study, 60 MS patients were enrolled according to inclusion criteria and randomly assigned to two groups of 30 each. Prior to and after intervention, the patients’ vital signs were measured. For case group yoga exercises were performed three sessions a week for 12 weeks while control group performed no exercise. The data were gathered by questionnaire and analysed by descriptive and analytical statistics in SPSS. Results: Prior to intervention, there was no significant difference in fatigue severity and pain between the two groups but the mean fatigue severity and pain in case group decreased compared to the control group after the intervention. Prior to intervention, there was no significant difference in mean physiological indices between the two groups but the mean physiological indices in case group decreased significantly after the intervention (p<0.05). Conclusion: Yoga is likely to increase self-efficacy of MS patients through enhancing physical activity, increasing the strength of lower limbs and balance, and decreasing fatigue and pain, and finally to promote social functioning and to relieve stress and anxiety in these patients

Comparison of hypnotherapy and standard medical treatment alone on quality of life in patients with irritable bowel syndrome: A randomized control trial

Introduction: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most prevalent gastroenterological disorders. IBS is characterized by abdominal pain, cramping, diarrhea, constipation, bloating and flatulence. Complementary therapy is a group of diverse therapeutic and health care systems and products that are used in treatment of IBS. Hypnotherapy helps to alleviate the symptoms of a broad range of diseases and conditions. It can be used independently or along with other treatments. Aim: This study was conducted to compare therapeutic effect of hypnotherapy plus standard medical treatment and standard medical treatment alone on quality of life in patients with IBS. Materials and Methods: This study is a clinical trial investigating 60 patients who were enrolled according to Rome-III criteria. The sample size was determined per statistical advice, previous studies, and the formula of sample size calculation. The participants were randomly assigned to two groups of hypnotherapy plus standard medical treatment group (n: 30), and standard medical treatment group (30). The study consisted of three steps; prior to treatment, after treatment and six months after the last intervention (follow-up). The instruments of data gathering were a questionnaire of demographic characteristics and standard questionnaire of quality of life for IBS patients (Quality of Life IBS-34). The data were analysed by analysis of co-variance, Levene’s test and descriptive statistics in SPSS-18. Results: There were significant differences between the two groups of study in post-treatment and follow-up stage with regards to quality of life (p<0.05). Conclusion: Psychological intervention, particularly hypnotherapy, alongside standard medical therapy could contribute to improving quality of life, pain and fatigue, and psychological disorder in IBS patients resistant to treatment. Also, therapeutic costs, hospital stay and days lost from work could be decreased and patients’ efficiency could be increased. © 2016, Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. All rights reserved

The effect of stress management based on group cognitive-behavioural therapy on marital satisfaction in infertile women

In the developed world, infertility is on rise and has become a social concern. This is considered as a serious stress in life and exerts a severe psychological impact on the couple. Aim: This study was conducted to study the efficacy of stress management based on group cognitive-behavioural therapy on mental health and marital satisfaction in infertile women. Materials and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pretest-post-test design and control group. The study sample consisted of 40 infertile women enrolled based on convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: experimental and control, of 20 each. Then, the experimental group underwent stress management training for 10 two-hour sessions per cognitive-behavioural therapy. The instruments used in this study were marital satisfaction inventory ENRICH and a checklist of demographic characteristics. Immediately and three months after completion of the intervention, the instruments were administered to the participants. The data was analysed by analysis of covariance in SPSS 18. Results: There was a significant difference in marital satisfaction between the experimental and control groups in both post-test (p=0.001) and follow-up (p=0.001). Conclusion: The stress management based on cognitive-behavioural therapy could contribute to increasing marital satisfaction in infertile women. The effect could remain stable three months after the last interventions (follow-up)

Factors affecting quality of life in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Background: Cancer can produce many different symptoms, some subtle and some not at all subtle. An increasingly important issue in oncology is to evaluate quality of life (QoL) in cancer patients. The cancer-specific QoL is related to all stages of this disease. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the QoL in cancer patients with solid tumors and at the different chemotherapy cycles (CT). Methods: This was a cross-sectional study. A total of 200 cancer patients were included. With some modification, the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer QoL Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30) was used to measure QoL in the patients. The QoL in most subjects (66%) was fairly favorable. Results: A significant relationship between the cancer type, pain intensity, and fatigue was found. However, none of the demographic variables (age, education, marital status, income) were significantly related to QoL. Nevertheless, significant difference was found between the level of QoL in patients with <= 2 CT cycles and/or with 3-5 cycles (p<0.001). Conclusion: Cancer is an important health issue influencing QoL. An appropriate treatment which may provide care to the cancer patients is CT. A CT cycle may improve QoL in patients with solid tumors

Comparing the effectivness of Natived Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (nMBCT) according to Iranian- Islamic culture and Cognitive- Behavioral Therapy (CBT) on blood presure

زمینه و هدف: در سال&zwnj;های اخیر کاربرد شیوه&zwnj;های روان&zwnj;شناختی در جهت کنترل فشار خون گسترش یافته&zwnj;اند؛ لذا این پژوهش با هدف مقایسه تأثیر درمان شناختی مبتنی بر ذهن آگاهی بومی شده (nMBCT) ایرانی- اسلامی و درمان شناختی- رفتاری (CBT) بر میزان فشار خون کارکنان به مرحله ی اجرا درآمد. روش بررسی: در یک طرح پژوهشی نیمه&zwnj; تجربی تعداد 54 نفر از کارکنان شرکت های خدمات رسان آب و فاضلاب، برق و مخابرات استان چهارمحال و بختیاری که فشار خون سیستولیک 140 و بالاتر و دیاستولیک 90 و بالاتر داشتند، به صورت طبقه&zwnj;ای نسبتی تصادفی انتخاب و با گمارش تصادفی در دو گروه آزمایش و یک گروه کنترل (هر گروه 18 نفر) گمارده شدند. سپس گروه آزمایش (1) طی 8 جلسه 120 دقیقه ای (nMBCT) و گروه آزمایش (2) طی 8 جلسه 120 دقیقه&zwnj;ای (CBT) را دریافت کردند. داده&zwnj;ها با روش تحلیل واریانس با اندازه&zwnj;گیری مکرر تحلیل شدند. یافته ها: نتایج نشان داد که در مرحله&zwnj;ی پیش&zwnj;آزمون تفاوت معنی داری بین فشار خون سیستولیک و دیاستولیک گروه&zwnj;های آزمایش و کنترل وجود ندارد؛ اما در مرحله&zwnj;ی پس&zwnj;آزمون و پیگیری، nMBCT و CBT در مقایسه با گروه کنترل به صورت معنی داری در کاهش فشار خون موثر بودند (01/0P&pound;). به علاوه مشخص شد که در مرحله&zwnj;ی پس&zwnj;آزمون میزان تأثیر nMBCT در کاهش فشار خون بالاتر از CBT است، ولی در مرحله&zwnj;ی پیگیری تفاوت معنی داری بین آن&zwnj;ها وجود نداشت (01/0&lt;P). نتیجه گیری: نتیجه گیری شد که شیوه&zwnj;های روان&zwnj;درمانی و به خصوص nMBCT بر کاهش میزان فشار خون کارکنان تأثیر پایدار دارند