Journal of

The aime of this study was to investigate a transdiagnostic model for explaining comorbidity between anxiety and depression based on the overcontrolling, sensivity to reward and sensivity to threat.The participants were 586 students of Islamic Azad University Tabriz Branch, University of Tabriz and Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University in Iran. Data were collected by Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), behavioural inhibtion/Behavioural activation scale (BAS/BIS), Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (IUS), Ambivalence over Emotional Expression Questionnaire (AEQ) and Frost Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (FMPS). Sensitivity to reward with overcontrolling mediation affects anxiety and depression with standard coefficients of -0.29 and -0.36. Also, sensitivity to threat with standardized coefficients of 0.31 and 0.39, respectively, have a significant effect on anxiety and depression by the mediation of overcontrolling. Our findings proposes a suitable framework for explaining comorbidity between depression and anxiety. Low sensitivity to reward and high sensitivity to threat by the mediation role of overcontrolling could predict comorbidity between anxiety and depression. These findings can be useful in understanding the etiology of comorbid emotional disorders, and developing  efficacious therapeutic interventions and prevention of  comorbid emotional disorders.

The purpose of the present study is to investigate the impact of adding death-based intervention to cognitive-behavioral therapy on symptoms of panic and death anxiety among patients with panic disorder. It is also  compared with cognitive-behavioral therapy for panic disorder as usual treatment. The research population comprised  female patients with panic disorder referred to one of the psychiatric and counseling centers to treat in Qom city in 2019. Due to the limitation of the statistical population, the samples were selected through available sampling technique. The clients were interviewed by the researcher in addition to the psychiatrist's diagnosis. The total number of patients had cooperated in the research were 10, 11 and 9 in the first experimental group , second experimental group and control group, respectively. Templar Death Anxiety Scale, Anxiety Sensitivity Questionnaire were used for gathering information. The collected data were analyzed by repeated measures ANOVA.The results showed that the mean score of death anxiety and panic symptoms for both groups of the post-test and follow-up in death awareness-based intervention were significantly lower in comparison with the cognitive-behavioral and the control groups. According to the research findings, it seems that treatment of panic disorder would be more effective by reducing or eliminating death anxiety simultaneously. In addition, it would be reduced the risk of recurrence.

Extramarital relationships are among the major psychological challenges within family systems, potentially undermining mental health and marital satisfaction. The present study aimed to investigate the structural equation modeling of the tendency toward extramarital relationships based on loneliness, with the mediating role of sexual quality of life, among married women attending family counseling centers in Mashhad. The study employed a descriptive–correlational design using structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all married women referred to family counseling centers in Mashhad in 2024, from which a sample of 300 participants was selected through convenience sampling. Data were collected using the UCLA Loneliness Scale (1980), the Tendency toward Extramarital Relationships Questionnaire, and the Sexual Quality of Life Questionnaire (2002). Data analysis was conducted using AMOS and SPSS through structural equation modeling and Pearson correlation tests. Findings revealed that loneliness had a positive and significant relationship with the tendency toward extramarital relationships (p < 0.001). Moreover, sexual quality of life played a significant mediating role in the relationship between loneliness and the tendency toward extramarital relationships, such that higher sexual quality of life reduced the negative effect of loneliness on extramarital tendencies. The model fit indices indicated an acceptable fit of the proposed model. These findings highlight the importance of reducing loneliness and enhancing sexual quality of life as effective strategies to mitigate extramarital tendencies. Accordingly, psychological and counseling interventions focusing on improving marital and sexual relationships are recommended.

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of positive psychotherapy on academic burnout, hope for the future, and resilience in female students with  post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest and control group design, including a two-month follow-up period. The statistical population consisted of all female students aged 13 to 17 years living in Tehran during the 2026-2027 academic year who had experienced exposure to war-related traumatic events. Among them, 40 eligible students were selected through purposive sampling based on the cut-off score of the Child PTSD Symptom Scale (CPSS-5) and randomly assigned to the experimental (n=20) and control (n=20) groups. The experimental group received 8 sessions of 90-minute positive psychotherapy, while the control group remained on a waiting list. Data collection tools included the Bresso Academic Burnout Questionnaire, Snyder's Hope Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, administered at the pretest, posttest, and follow-up stages. Findings from the mixed-design repeated measures ANOVA showed that positive psychotherapy led to a significant reduction in academic burnout and a significant increase in hope for the future and resilience in the experimental group compared to the control group. Furthermore, the follow-up stage confirmed the stability of the intervention effects over time. Based on the results, positive psychotherapy can serve as an efficient school-based intervention to reduce the negative psycho-educational consequences of trauma and enhance resilience and hope in adolescent girls.
 

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of compassion-focused therapy (CFT) on survivor guilt and psychological well-being by explaining the mediating role of self-forgiveness in elderly people exposed to war trauma (Battle of Ramadan). This study was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test-post-test design and a control group. The statistical population included all elderly people living in Kerman city in January 1404 who had experienced war-related trauma. The sample was selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The experimental group received the compassion therapy intervention, while the control group remained on the waiting list. The research instruments included the Survivor Guilt Questionnaire, the Riff Psychological Well-Being Scale, and the Self-Forgiveness Scale. The results of data analysis showed that compassion therapy led to a significant reduction in survivor guilt and an increase in psychological well-being in the elderly. The results of the path analysis also confirmed that self-forgiveness, as a mediating variable, positively affects the relationship between compassion therapy and reducing guilt and improving mental health. Based on the findings of this study, compassion therapy, by strengthening the mechanism of self-forgiveness, is an effective approach to reducing psychological pain caused by war trauma in old age and can be used as a specialized intervention in nursing homes.