Journal of

---

Organizational downsizing brings about the change of work-related demands for the remaining employees following the modification. This change can lead to the psychological tension and psychosomatic complaints among the staff. However, goal engagement control strategies can decrease these negative outcomes. The aim of this research was to investigate the effect of control strategies and work-related demands on the psychosomatic complaints and psychological tension. Participants of the study included 624 personnel of an industrial company who were selected randomly and then responded to the research instruments namely work-related demands, control strategies, psychosomatic complaints and psychological tension scales. Findings indicated that the relation between the work-related demands and the psychosomatic complaints and that the relation between the work-related demands and the psychological tension were negative and these relations were higher in the group with more lack of goal engagement. Also, the interaction effect was significant. So the use of goal engagement control strategies in stressful situation can decrease the negative effects of work-related demands and can buffer against the psychosomatic complaints and psychological tension.

---

The aim of this study is investigating the simple relationship of subjective well-being, personality and work-family conflict, and examining the mediation role of subjective well-being in relationship of these two variables through structural equation modeling. The statistical populations were workers of an Isfahanian industrial company which 217 workers were selected randomly among them. Instruments were work-family conflict questionnaire, vitality scale, life orientation test and NEO-FFI.  Results showed that relation of work-family conflict, agreeableness, conscientiousness, optimism and vitality are significant. Structural equation model also was significant and the mediation role of optimism and vitality in relation of agreeableness and conscientiousness with work-family conflict was confirmed. In fact these personality characteristics increase the level of optimism and vitality, and finally improve the psychological supply through influencing individuals' coping strategies and resource accessing. It can lead to better managing of work and family responsibilities and decreasing the conflict between these two areas.

---

        This study aimed to design a predictive model to identification of protective and risk factors in college student at the risk of mental disorders. This research was designed according to the correlation analysis, and the sample society (560 students) was selected from 4564 students of ShahidBeheshti University using Stratified Random Sampling Method. The collected data was based on the General Health Factors Goldberg, Social Support Bakhshipoor, Piravi and Abediian, Coping Strategies Endler and Parker, the Suicide Risk Scale of Northwest Behavioral Health Research Center, and Mentor Research Institute Scale. The data was then analyzed using logistic regression.The results showed that religious beliefs, social support, and problem-focused coping strategies effectively decrease and emotion-focused coping strategies and record of mental disorders effectively increase the risk of mental disorder. The benefit of having a more-developed religious belief can decrease the odds the risk of mental disorder to than 0/34 sized (-0/66), social support to than 0/64 sized (-0/36) and problem-focused coping strategies to than 0/77 sized (-0/23), While having a record of mental disorder and emotion-focused coping strategies can respectively increase the odds the risk of mental disorder to 4.35 and 1.95. By designing a predictive model, we can reinforce the protective factors and control the risk factors in order to use them for primary preventive models.        

---

Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) is one of the third wave behavioral therapies in treating of chronic pain. The purpose of present research was to study the effectiveness of ACT on the rate of pain and pain catastrophizing in females with chronic low back pain. This was a semi-xperimental research, and a pre-test, post-test design with control group was applied. Participants included 40 women with chronic low back pain that selected by convenience sampling method from three clinical centers and randomly assigned into control and experimental groups. All participants completed the Multidimensional pain inventory-screening and pain catastrophizing scale. Thenthe experimental group received ACT for 8 one-hour sessions. Results of covariance analysis indicated that there is a considerable improvement in pain catastrophizing and its subscale and pain and its subscale (except pain intensity) in experimental group in posttest stage. According to the results, ACT can decrease the pain and experienced psychological distresses in women with chronic low back pain and represents new horizons in clinical interventions and can be used as an appropriate intervention

---

The aim of this study was to investigate the structural relationship of family environment, socioeconomic status and cognitive affect regulation strategies with externalizing and internalizing syndromes in adolescents. To explore the mentioned relations, a sample of 1647 (840 girls, 807 boys) high school students was selected by multi-stage sampling method. All participants were asked to complete the Family Environment Scale (FES), Inventory of Cognitive Affect Regulation Strategies (ICARUS) and Youth Self-Report form of Achenbach's ASEBA school-age forms. There were correlations between most of variables of family environment, cognitive affect regulation strategies and internalizing and externalizing syndromes. For evaluating adequacy and Goodness of fitness of the model, RMR, RMSEA, CFI, AGFI, GFI, X2, X2/df, indices were computed. Findings supported the goodness of fitness of suggested model in this study. Results of this study Show that cognitive affect regulation strategies, family environment and socioeconomic status can predict internalizing and externalizing syndromes in adolescents. For the Psychotherapy in adolescents with affective-Behavioral disorders paying attention to evaluation of adolescent's Cognitive affect regulation strategies, family environment and socioeconomic status is suggested.

---

The aim of this research was to study the effectiveness of training Kohlberg’s dilemmas procedures, real life dilemmas, and positive emotion induction on emotion expectancies in female adolescences. The statistical population includes all grade female students in Yasuj high school during 2013-2014. This was a pre-test, post- test and follow up queasy-experimental study with control group. The study sample consisted of 120 female students who were selected via multi – step cluster sampling method and, randomly, assigned to Four groups. The experimental groups were separately, taught Kohlberg’s dilemmas, real life dilemmas during 8 sessions of 70 minutes. One of the group was induced by positive emotion method. The control group was left untreated.
The participants confronted with a set of emotion expectancies scenarios (Malti and Killer, 2011) as the pre-test, post- test and follow up. The datas were analyzed by repeated measure method and by ANCOVA tests. The findings showed that Kohlberg’s dilemmas, real life dilemmas, and positive emotion induction methods were effective on emotion expectancies (p<0/001). The follow up L.S.D test showed that: although all intervention methods were effective on emotion expectances in post- test and follow up phases, real life dilemmas can improve the emotion expectancies more than other three methods in post- test and follow up phases. The next highest effectiveness rates (the highest mean differences compared with those of control group) belong to training Kohlberg’s dilemmas, and positive emotion induction, respectively.

---

Resource congruent model of stress emphasized on the role of cultural schemas and also heterogeneity of coping styles. The aime of this study was to investigate factor structure of coping schema inventory (CSI) which was created based on resourch congruent model. We selected 1۰۴۶ Iranian student who speak in Persian, Kurdish, Lurish and gilaki languages by multistage cluster method. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory factor analysis have been used for assessing psychometric properties. Finding showd that a six factor solution was the best fitted by the pattern in data. These six factor model explained 38% variance of coping schemas inventory. Coping schemas which was identified by factor analysis were religious, situational, passive emotional, acceptance, social support and active emotional. Internal consistency (cronbaches alpha) were calculated 0/65-0/84 for subscales of CSI.It seemed in Iranian culrure coping schemas including situational, religious, passive emotions, social support, acceptance and active emotion was more available and also more usable than other coping schema including self-restructuring, meaning, and tensition reduction. This pattern of results was consisted with predictions of resource congruent model of coping with stress. 

---

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of computer games with different stimulating on arousal levels in 8 to 12 years old boys using SCL index and SAM test and the method of the study is quasi-experimental design. The population consisted of all boys 8 to 12 years old at region 4 Education in Tabriz (2011-2012). The sample included 15 boys whom were selected through random sampling method. The arousal levels of participants measured via Skin Conductance Level (SCL), as a physiologic index, in 6 steps including: first baseline, first intervention (Playing the computer game with low stimulating), second baseline, third baseline, second intervention (Playing the computer game with high stimulating) and fourth baseline. In order to analyze the data, repeated measure ANOVA was used.The results showed that the levels of SCL in participants remarkably increased during the interventions phases compared with baselines phases. According to the findings of the study, computer game with high stimulating rate is more effective in raising arousal level in participants than low stimulating game.

---

The aim of this study was to compare effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation and mental imagery-based relaxation on psychophysiological responses of competitive anxiety (cortisol levels) and self-confidence in elite athletes. For this purpose, 36 of elite Wushu athletes selected and randomly divided into two experimental groups and one control group. In the pre-test (first competition) competitive anxiety and self-confidence as well as salivary cortisol were measured in all three groups. In experimental groups, relaxation techniques was trained for 4 weeks. Data with univariate analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were analyzed. The results showed that progressive muscle relaxation was more effective than mental imagery-based relaxation in decreasing saliva cortisol and somatic anxiety. Also, mental imagery-based relaxation was more effective on the cognitive anxiety rather than progressive muscle relaxation. In addition, self-confidence was increased after mental imagery-based relaxation. In general, it could be concluded that different types of relaxation training was an effective strategy to reduce psychophysiological responses of competitive anxiety and improve self-confidence.

---

Culture influence psychological phenomena in different ways. In this article, we introduce a framework for studying relationship between culture and psychological phenomena and we presented findings from some cross-cultural studies in this framework. It seems the definition and classification of personality traits, the experience of stress and mental health moderated by culture. The associations between positive and negative affects and mental health was different among Iranian and Swedish culture. In Iranian culture, both kind of affects was associated with mental health, whereas in Swedish culture, only positive affect was associated with mental health. Iranian students more used primary process against stress, whereas Swedish students more used secondary process. In addition, academic stress among Iranian students was less than Swedish students. It could conclude that there were some similarities and differences between Iranian and Swedish culture in personality traits, experience of anxiety, and coping with stress. Therefore, any policy making in global level and designing behavioral change strategies in national level should be influenced by these cultural similarities and differences

---

---

---

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive therapy based on mindfulness combined with memory specificity training (MeST) and comparing it with mindfulness therapy and memory specificity training (MeST) on anxiety in hemodialysis patients. The research method is semi-experimental with pretest-posttest design with control group. The statistical population of the present study was hemodialysis patients referring to hemodialysis centers of Tehran and Alborz hospitals in 2017. A total of 48 people were selected through purposeful sampling. Beck Anxiety measurement questionnaire.The interventive methods were included mindfulness protocol, memory specificity training (MeST), and mindfulness protocol were used to collect data. The data were analyzed using multivariate covariance.The results show that there is a significant difference between the anxiety of the groups of mindfulness therapy combined with memory specificity training (MeST), mindfulness, memory specificity training (MeST) and control group in the post-test phase of hemodialysis patients. The results also showed that in the follow up phase, there was a difference between the groups in favor of the integrated intervention group, But in the mindfulness group, the anxiety returned to a low level. In explaining the findings, it can be stated that the conscientious mind with the teaching of memory specificity is the relationship between the past and the solution of the incomplete problems of the past in the first step and in the second step, is entering into the present and improving the acceptance and awareness. Since the type of treatment used in this research has a clear structure and home-based homework, it increases the ability of follow-up referrals and has significantly influenced the relevant techniques in changing the mental state of individuals.
 

---

---

Psychological research in Iran had a unidimensional development and the research programs was influenced by naïve realism and blind positivism. More Recent epistemological tradition like social constructionism and discursive methodologies were ignored in psychological theories and research. The aims of this study were (1) Describing methodological issues in discursive research methods; (2) applying discursive research methods in health psychology. Discourse as a concept is derived from an ontological criticism toward the definition of science based on the objective reality and empiricism. Relying only on the objectivism and empiricism for studying human phenomena is inconsistent with some of the human mind features like intentionality and desire for cognitive consistency. Discursive approaches in health psychology is appropriate for investigating phenomena like noncompliance, representation of illness in patients’ mind and factors affecting in holding responsibility in health-related behaviors. Furthermore, discursive methods could reveal how social discourse and social power could determine the definition of health and responsivity for health related issues. Some of the main analytic methods in discursive methodologies are conversation analysis, identification the discursive performance, finding discursive strategies, and discovering interpretative repertoires. Discursive methodologies could investigate health from the ways of applying language in social context and produce knowledge related to ways people position themselves toward health discourses. So, applying discursive methodologies in health psychology could help health psychologists to find better ways to promote health care and produce novel insights about how clients construct health and illness.        
 

---

---

With the outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic disease and the social and economic consequences of this pandemic, volunteering and helping activities especially for needy people and the society in crisis developed. The aim of this study was to explore the role of attachment styles, empathy and self-compassion in predicting attitude toward helping during Covid-19 Outbreak in Iranian society. The present study conducted in April and May 2020 in Iran. The study sample (n=348) selected by convenient sampling method. Instruments of this study were the adult attachment scale, self-compassion scale, basic empathy scale, and helping attitude scale. Findings showed that participation of women; employed ones and the 25-35 year old age group were more than men, unemployed ones and other age group. There was significant difference between volunteer and non-volunteer groups in helping attitude, self-judgment, isolation, mindfulness, over-identification and secure attachment style. Correlation coefficients indicated that self-kindness; common humanity, isolation, mindfulness, cognitive empathy and secure attachment had positive significant correlation with helping attitude. In addition, anxious attachment negatively associated with helping attitude. Regression analysis indicated that cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, secure attachment style and mindfulness predicted helping attitude. It can conclude that volunteers for community services during COVID-19 outbreak had positive attitude toward helping and had more secure attachment styles and higher level of self-compassion in comparison to non-volunteers. It seems having strong empathy, secure attachment style and being mindful, are psychological prerequisites for having positive volunteering and helping attitudes.

---

---

Defense mechanisms are a determining factor for the level of psychological pathology, and this is of particular importance in atopic dermatitis patients. The aim of the present study was to determine the effectiveness of intensive short-term dynamic psychotherapy on the defense mechanisms of patients with atopic dermatitis. The present study is a semi-experimental design of single subject type. The statistical population of this study included patients with atopic dermatitis who referred to Razi Hospital in Tehran in 2019, of which 5 people were selected through available sampling. These people underwent 10 individual sessions of intensive short-term psychodynamic therapy. Subjects completed the defense mechanisms questionnaire during the baseline phase, during the intervention, and during follow-up. To analyze the data, visual analysis and calculation of recovery percentage were used. According to the scores of the patients in the charts of changes, all patients showed an acceptable improvement in defense styles. The overall improvement rate of patients in underdeveloped, developed, and neurotic defense styles at the end of the intervention were 37.6%, 49.2%, and 40.4%, respectively, which indicates the effectiveness of short-term intensive dynamic psychotherapy in reducing Underdeveloped and neurotic defensive styles and increased defensive style are developed.

---

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the relationship between gender role conflict and the severity of symptoms of mental disorders and the attitude towards help-seeking in Iranian men. 302 male students of three universities, namely University of Social Welfare and Rehabilitation Sciences, Tehran University and Shahid-Beheshti University, completed a questionnaire including demographic characteristics, the gender role conflict scale (O’Neil et al. 1986), Brief Symptoms Inventory (Derogatis et al., 1983), and the short form of the Attitudes Toward Seeking Professional Psychological Help Scale (Fischer et al., 1995). The results of simultaneous regression analysis showed that psychological distress had the most positive relationship with the factors of "work-family conflict", "restrictive emotionality" and "success, power, competition", respectively, and the attitude towards help-seeking has the most negative relationship with " restrictive emotionality " and "success, power, competition" factors, respectively. Also, the proposed structural model of the present study about the effects of the masculine gender role conflict on psychological distress from two direct and indirect paths (through the negative effect on help-seeking attitude) had a good fit. Thus, it seems that the masculine gender role conflict increases the severity of psychological distress through a negative effect on the help-seeking attitude.