The Role of Social Safeness and Self-compassion in Mental Health Problems: A Model Based on Gilbert Theory of Emotion Regulation Systems

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the role of social safeness and self-compassion, as two essential components of Gilbert’s theory, in mental health. In this regard and based on theoretical foundations, the mediation model of the relationship between social safeness and mental health problems was examined through self-compassion as a mediator. Methods: A total of 344 students from the University of Bojnord, Bojnord City, Iran, in the 2019-2020 academic year were recruited using the cluster sampling method. They were responded to the social safeness and pleasure scale, self-compassion scale (short form), and depression, anxiety, and stress scale. The obtained data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Results: The mediation model showed a good fit (χ2⁄df: 1.77; RMSEA: 0.043; CFI: 0.99; GFI: 0.98; AGFI: 0.96; NFI: 0.98; TLI: 0.98). Beta coefficients indicate significant direct effect of social safeness on self-compassion (Beta=0.57; P≤0.001), significant direct effect of self-compassion on mental health problems (Beta=-0.75; P≤0.001), as well as a significant indirect effect of social safeness on mental health problems (Beta=-0.42; P≤0.001). Conclusion: Social safeness affects mental health problems (depression, anxiety, and stress) through self-compassion as a mediator. A high sense of social safeness protects against depression, anxiety, and stress through increasing self-compassion. However, low social safeness increases vulnerability to depression, anxiety, and stress by reducing self-compassion.

Psychometric Properties of the Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ-18) in A Nonclinical Iranian Sample: A Transdiagnostic Measure

Objective: Binge eating is a transdiagnostic construct and one of the main components of eating and emotional disorders. Meta-cognitive beliefs about eating play an important role in the maintenance of binge eating. The Eating Beliefs Questionnaire (EBQ-18) is a self-report questionnaire, which measures negative, positive, and permissive beliefs about binge eating. This cross-sectional study aims to assess the psychometric properties of the EBQ-18 in a community sample. Methods: A total of 501 participants (413=females, 88=males) were selected through multi-stage cluster sampling and were administered the EBQ-18, the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire (DEBQ), the Body Image Concern Inventory (BICI), the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQ-II), and the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale (UIS). Construct validity, internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity of the EBQ-18 were determined using Exploratory Factor Analysis, Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Results: The EBQ-18 possesses a three-factor structure and a high internal consistency (α=.91). The EBQ-18 showed convergent validity with the BES and the DEBQ, divergent validity with the BICI, AAQ-II, and The UIS. Conclusion: The goodness-of-fit indices were acceptable and the data showed adequate fit to the three-factor model. In conclusion, findings provide initial support for the validity and reliability of the EBQ-18.

A Study of the Processes and Contextual Factors of Marital Infidelity

Objective: An increase in post-marital relationships has had adverse consequences. One of the consequences is family dissolution and the breakdown of social units (families). The present study aimed to study the processes and contextual factors of marital infidelity. Methods: This qualitative study was conducted using the grounded theory method. The research population included couples who experienced marital infidelity. A total of 32 participants were selected using the purposive sampling method in 2019. We conducted semi-structured interviews with the participants to collect the study data, and the interviews continued until the data saturation. The collected data were systematically analyzed in three stages of open, axial, and selective coding. Results: Analysis of the data collected revealed 51 codes extracted through open coding. Then, the extracted codes were merged into 10 categories via axial coding. These categories included four themes: the formation of the context of marital infidelity, predictions of marital infidelity, engaging in marital infidelity, and the consequences of marital infidelity. Conclusion: Given that marital infidelity is a complex and multifaceted phenomenon, the insights from this study can be used to develop models to identify and prevent predictors of marital infidelity.

The Effect of the Parent-Child Relationship Enrichment Training Package With An Emphasis on the Internet Use: A Mixed Methods Approach

Objective: In the current world, one of the parent-adolescent communication challenges is overusing the Internet and digital devices. The present study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the parent-child relationship enrichment training package with an emphasis on Internet use in parents and their adolescent daughters. Methods: This study was conducted using the exploratory sequential mixed methods design. The research population consisted of parents and their female adolescent children studying in the junior secondary school in District 11 of Tehran City, Iran, in 2020. In the qualitative phase of the study, 15 parents were selected using the purposive sampling method, and then semi-structured interviews were held with them. The data collected from the interviews were analyzed using Strauss and Corbin’s (2014) grounded-theory approach to extract related categories and subcategories. Afterward, the parent-child relationship enrichment training package was developed with an emphasis on Internet use. The participants in the intervention group received the training for twelve 1.5 hour sessions. The collected data were analyzed using the multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS v. 21. Results: The validation results showed that the parent-child relationship enrichment training package was effective in promoting media literacy (F=310.972; P<0.05), improving the mother-child relationship (F=57.76; P<0.05), improving the father-child relationship (F=1503.863; P<0.05), and reducing the problematic use of the Internet in female adolescents (F=402.084; P<0.05). Conclusion: The parent-child enrichment education intervention with emphasis on Internet use was designed to fit the context and lifestyle of female adolescents studying in District 11 of Tehran. It can help parents reduce adolescent-parent conflicts and improve the quality of adolescent-parent interaction.

The Relationship Between Psychiatric Problems and Eating Disorder Symptoms in Candidates for Bariatric Surgery

Objective: Obesity and overweight are global problems. They increase patient’s morbidity and mortality and may cause severe medical conditions affecting physical, mental, and or social health. Bariatric surgery is a durable solution for treating morbid obesity. This study aimed to determine the associations between psychiatric problems and eating disorder symptoms in candidates for bariatric surgery. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 140 participants were selected from the patients who had already been referred to the obesity clinic in Firoozgar Hospital in Tehran, Iran, for bariatric surgery from April to June 2017. To collect study data, we used the eating disorder questionnaire for assessing eating disorders and the symptom checklist questionnaire for evaluating psychiatric problems. Results: The results of the Chi-squared test showed a significant association (P<0.05) between eating disorder symptoms and psychiatric problems (phobia, anxiety, depression, obsessive-compulsive, psychoticism, hostility, paranoid ideation, and somatization). However, there was no significant correlation (P>0.05) between eating disorder symptoms and interpersonal sensitivity. Conclusion: This study showed that eating disorders were significantly correlated with psychiatric problems.

Psychometric Properties of COVID-19 Dot-probe Task in Iranian Adults

Objective: After the COVID-19 outbreak, corona anxiety has become prevalent all over the world. To understand and treat this type of anxiety, researchers have examined its relationship with attentional bias, a phenomenon closely associated with other types of anxiety. The dot-probe task is a common instrument used for the evaluation of attentional bias. However, the psychometric properties of this instrument, when used for the assessment of attentional bias towards corona-related stimuli, are unknown. This study aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the COVID-19 dot-probe task to see whether its application in COVID-19 studies is justified. Methods: A total of 362 Iranian adults completed the COVID-19 dot-probe task and Corona Anxiety Disease Scale (CADS), 146 of whom repeated this procedure after two weeks to provide test-retest data. Split-half reliability, the Cronbach α, intraclass correlation coefficient of test-retest scores, and associations between COVID-19 dot-probe task and CADS were calculated using SPSS v. 26. Results: The study results indicated that the standard version of the COVID-19 dot-probe task lacks internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and criterion validity, whereas the response-based version of the instrument promotes all of these psychometric properties to an acceptable level. Conclusion: COVID-19 dot-probe task is a psychometrically sound instrument for evaluating corona-related attentional bias and investigating its role in the mechanism of corona anxiety, only if the response-based method of computation is used for calculating the measures of attentional bias.

Psychometric Properties of the Persian Version of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale in A Non-clinical Population

Objective: Measuring, diagnosing, and determining the severity of the symptoms of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is essential for studying mental health issues. This study aimed to determine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) in a non-clinical population. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 252 residents of Tehran (Iran) were selected by cluster sampling method from different districts. They were asked to complete DOCS, Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS), and Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised (OCI-R). SPSS v. 21 and LISREL statistical software were used for data analysis. Cronbach's alpha, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis, Spearman correlation were also used. Results: The Internal consistency of DOCS was 0.916 based on the Cronbach α value. The correlations of DOCS with Y-BOCS and OCI-R were 0.57 and 0.55, respectively. Exploratory factor analysis showed four factors. Confirmatory factor analysis also showed that this four-factor and higher-order factor models had a good fit for the data. Conclusion: The present study indicated acceptable validity and reliability of DOCS in non-clinical populations in Iran. Therefore, this scale be used to screen people with OCD symptoms in non-clinical centers of mental health assessment.

https://jpcp.uswr.ac.ir/article-1-747-en.html

Objective: Stuttering is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting 5% of children. Developmental stuttering disrupts the smooth flow of speech, resulting in characteristic speech disfluencies. Anxiety is one of the most widely observed and extensively studied psychological concomitants of stuttering. Recently, it has been shown that noninvasive brain stimulation may be useful in enhancing the results of fluency interventions in people who stutter. The present study aimed to examine whether the severity of stuttering and anxiety was affected by transcranial direct current stimulation in children who stutter. Methods: This study is a clinical trial study in which the statistical community includes school-aged children in Tehran who were referred to psychological clinics for treatment. Twenty-two children with stuttering were randomly assigned in two groups. Eleven children in the experimental group would receive real transcranial direct current stimulation, and 11 children in the control group were exposed to sham stimulation. The experimental group received 20 min of 2-mA anodal stimulation in 15 sessions in three weeks. The severity of stuttering and anxiety was assessed before and after the last session and then 1 and 6 weeks after the intervention. Results: The severity of stuttering and anxiety in both groups were similar before the intervention (P>0.05). A significant decrease in the severity of stuttering and anxiety at the end of the intervention and 1 and 6 weeks after the intervention occurred in the experimental group (P<0.05), while the control group did not show any significant change. Conclusion: The results indicated that stuttering severity and anxiety were ameliorated by transcranial direct current stimulation immediately after the intervention and at 1 and 6 weeks follow-up.

Comparing the Effects of Emotion-focused Couple Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Marital Conflict and Emotion Regulation

Objective: Marital conflict can be described as the state of tension or stress between couples. Accordingly, couples who are unable to regulate their negative emotions experience fragile relationships. This study aimed to compare the effects of Emotion-Focused Couple Therapy (EFCT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) on Cognitive Emotion Regulation (CER) strategies and marital conflict. Methods: The study sample included 28 married women who were randomly assigned to the EFCT and ACT groups. The questionnaire battery included the Questionnaire of Marital Conflicts, the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, and the Second Edition of the Structured Clinical Interview for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) (SCID-II). Results: The result of the Independent Samples t-test indicated no difference in pretest scores of the study participants. However, significant differences were determined between the study groups in the posttest phase (P<0.001). Additionally, the Paired Samples t-test results revealed significant differences between pretest and posttest scores between the EFCT (P<0.001) and ACT (P<0.028 for marital conflict, P<0.001 for adaptive CER strategies, & P<0.031 for non-adaptive CER strategies) groups. Moreover, EFCT was clinically more effective than ACT. Accordingly, the effect size of EFCT and ACT for marital conflict was measured as 2.33 and 0.83; respecting adaptive and non-adaptive CER strategies, these values were computed as 2.89 and 2.02 as well as 2.89 and 0.88, respectively. Conclusion: Overall, EFCT and ACTT were effective in improving marital conflict and CER strategies. Besides, EFCT was clinically more effective than ACT in this regard.

Emotional Dysregulation Symptoms Based on Sensitivity to Punishment and Reward and Intensity Mediated by Emotion Regulation

Objective: The emotion dysregulation model by Mennin and Fresco considers the high comorbidity of generalized anxiety disorder and major depressive disorder and pays special attention to their comorbidity. Additionally, due to the high comorbidity of social anxiety disorder as well as anxiety and mood disorders, this disorder was considered along with the last two disorders. This study aimed to assess a Conceptual Model of Emotional Dysregulation Symptoms Based on Sensitivity to Punishment and Reward and Intensity of Positive and Negative Emotions Mediated by Emotion Regulation Strategies in Students. Methods: In total, 189 students affiliated with the Sharif University were selected by random sampling method. Then, the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item (GAD-7), the Social Interaction Anxiety Scale (SIAS), the Affect Intensity Measure (AIM), the Sensitivity to Punishment/Sensitivity to Reward Questionnaire (SPSRQ), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the Attention Control Scale (ATTC), the Experiences Questionnaire (EQ), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the Responses to Positive Affect questionnaire (RPA) were distributed among them to collect the necessary data. The obtained data were analyzed by LISREL using structural equation modeling. Results: Pearson correlation coefficient data indicated a significant relationship between motivation components, positive and negative emotion regulation strategies, and the symptoms of emotion dysregulation. The results showed that the conceptual model of the research fitted with the collected data; accordingly, the positive and negative strategies of emotion regulation mediated the relationship between motivation and the symptoms of emotion dysregulation. Conclusion: The present research results supported the main hypothesis of the study. Thus, positive and negative emotion regulation strategies mediated the relationship between sensitivity to punishment and reward and the intensity of positive and negative emotion with the symptoms of emotion dysregulation.