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Background: The aim of this study was to compare noise sensitivity (NS) in schizophrenic individuals with/without hallucinations and healthy individuals. Procedure: A retrospective (causal-comparative) study was conducted in three groups: (i) A group of individuals with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations (14 participants), (ii) a group of schizophrenic individuals without auditory hallucinations (14 participants) selected by purposive sampling and (iii) a control group (19 participants) selected by convenience sampling. Schutte's Noise Sensitivity Questionnaire was used to measure NS. Analysis of Variance and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to compare the three groups. All the analyses were done using SPSS-20. Results: ANOVA results indicated that the groups were significantly different in terms of NS (p<0.001) and that NS was higher in groups whose participants were schizophrenic (119.64 and 102.36, respectively, in groups with or without auditory hallucinations) compared to that in the group with healthy individuals (94.79). Conclusions: On the basis of this study, it became evident that patients with schizophrenia are more sensitive to noise than healthy individuals. The results also indicated that schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations are more sensitive to noise than those without auditory hallucinations.

Background Insufficient sleep is a common public health issue among students, and it is necessary to investigate this phenomenon and its consequences. Therefore, the present study aimed to examine the psychological consequences (i.e., somatization, depression, anxiety, and hostility) of insufficient sleep in medical students. Methods The sample in this cross-sectional study consisted of 448 college students (with a mean age of 23.47 years; 56.7% female) from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences at Iran. Symptom Checklist-90-Revised Form (SCL-90-R) and several self-report questionnaires (physical activity, bedtime, sleep duration, and daily nap) were used to collect data, and the results were analyzed using ANOVA and ANCOVA. Results The results showed statistically significant differences in the mean scores of anxiety (F = 10.84, η 2  = 0.070), depression (F = 7.52, η 2  = 0.050), somatization (F = 13.07, η 2  = 0.082), and hostility (F = 5.28, η 2  = 0.035) among groups based on sleep duration. These differences remained significant even after controlling for the effects of physical activity, bedtime and daytime napping (all p  < 0.01). Conclusion According to the results, insufficient sleep and short sleep duration are significantly associated with elevated anxiety, depression, somatization, and hostility. A key limitation is the reliance on a single self-report item for assessing sleep duration, which is subject to recall bias. Future longitudinal studies with objective sleep measures be conducted to explore the causal links between sleep duration and mental health.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic medical condition that attracts particular attention because of the high risks associated with it. MS patients suffer from medical problems, depression, anxiety, and reduced hopefulness. These issues can increase the severity of the disease and treatment resistance and reduce patients' individual and social efficacy. Mindfulness-integrated cognitive behavior therapy (MICBT) is a new approach that is being applied in chronic diseases and can be used in combination with existing treatments. Therefore, the present study investigated the efficacy of MICBT in terms of anxiety, depression, and hope in MS patients. A sample of 20 patients with MS was randomly selected at Shafa Hospital in Kerman City, Iran. Patients were then assigned to one of two groups of 10 people using a random number table. The experimental group received MICBT. The control group also received the same therapy after study completion. The assessment tools used in this study included the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and Miller Hope Scale (MHS). Measurements were conducted at three stages: pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. For data analysis, means and standard deviations were calculated and one-way analysis of covariance was conducted using SPSS 24. Compared with controls, MICBT was effective for reducing depression (P < 0.001, F = 72.55), anxiety (P < 0.001, F = 100.75). Additionally, MICBT was effective in improving hope (P < 0.001, F = 45.36). Changes were maintained in the follow-up phase. The MICBT affects depression, anxiety and hope of MS patients. Therefore, mental health professionals can benefit from the results obtained in the present study to reduce depression and anxiety and increase hope in this group of patients. Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials, IRCT201601030258N4.

Introduction Depression is one of the most important psychiatric disorders, and the rate of recurrence is high. The heavy cost burden of depression is probably due to treatment-resistant depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Method The present study was a quasi-experimental study conducted with twenty-four patients with treatment-resistant depression. Participants were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups, an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received MBCT and antidepressants, while the control group received antidepressants only. The Hamilton and Beck Depression Inventory, Self-Compassion Scale, Thought Rumination Scale, and Mindfulness Scale were administered. The treatment program was conducted in eight sessions; with a follow-up period of one month subsequent to treatment termination. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance for repeated measures and Bonferroni's post-hoc test). Results The results showed that MBCT significantly reduced depression and ruminative thinking in the experimental group and also improved mediators such as mindfulness and self-compassion. Patients maintained gains over the one month follow-up period (p < 0.01). Conclusion The present study provides additional evidence for the effectiveness of MBCT for TRD.

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.

Positive psychotherapy is one of the new approaches in psychology which is innovated for treating psychological disorders and enhancing positive emotions. The aim of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of the group positive psychotherapy on elevation of life satisfaction and quality of life in infertile women. In a randomized trial study, Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) and clinical interview were used in a pre-test post-test control group design. After analyzing the result of the questionnaire, 36 infertile women who showed signs of mild to moderate depression were randomly placed into two following groups: control (n=18) and intervention (n=18). Before the treatment, the members of both groups answered BDI-II, Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS) and 12 item Short Form Health Survey (SF-12). The intervention group received six sessions of group positive psychotherapy, but the treatment of the control group began six weeks after the intervention group. The results showed that the life satisfaction scores of the intervention group were significantly elevated from 22.66 in pre-test to 26.13 in post-test (P<0.001), while this improvement was not significant in the control group (P=0.405). The difference between life satisfaction scores of the intervention and the control groups was also significant (F=8.92, P=0.006). However, no significant change in the quality of life level of the intervention and control groups was observed (P=0.136). Thus it can be deduced from the findings that this treatment method could be introduced as solution to increase the life satisfaction in infertile women, but not as a treatment for elevating their quality of life (Registration Number: IRCT2013042810063N3).

Abstract Introduction Gross’s Emotion Regulation Questionnaire is one of the most widely-used and valid questionnaires for assessing emotion regulation strategies. The validity and reliability of the Persian version have not been determined and data on its psychometric properties are not available to Iranian mental health researchers. The purpose of this study was to determine the psychometric properties of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire in Iranian students. Methodology In this cross-sectional study, 348 students (170 males and 178 females) were selected from Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Science and Tehran University of Medical Science. The following statistical procedures were conducted: correlation coefficients, factor analysis, Cronbach’s alpha, and independent t tests. Results The results showed that men use suppression more than women (T = -2.62, p = 0.009). Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.76 for the cognitive reappraisal sub-scale and 0.72 for the suppression sub-scale (excluding question 9). Six questions related to the cognitive reappraisal factor explained 30.97% of emotion regulation variance, and 3 questions related to the suppression factor explained 22.59% of emotion regulation variance. Overall, these factors explained 53.5% of emotion regulation variance. There were significant correlations between suppression and difficulties in emotion regulation, trait anxiety, and affective control. Furthermore, there was a significant correlation between cognitive reappraisal and the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire. Conclusion The results indicate that the Persian version of the ERQ is a reliable and valid instrument that can be helpful for development of further important studies of emotional regulation.

Infertility is a common disorder, exposing couples to complication such as the loss of mental health and the increase of marital conflicts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of behavioral couple therapy on the enhancement of mental health and reduction of marital conflicts. In this clinical trial, 24 couples were selected using convenience sampling and were divided randomly into control (12 couples) and experimental (12 couples) groups. Mental Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Kansas Marital Conflict Scale (KMCS) were used to collect data. These questionnaires were filled and pretest, posttest and followup were done in two months. Data were analyzed by Repeated Measures Analysis of Variance, chi-square, independent sample T test, and Bonferroni tests using SPSS-16 software. The significant level of the test was 0.05. The results of the data analysis between experimental and control groups of females in the marital conflict variable showed that the effect of time (p=0.002) and time and group interactional effect (p=0.001) were significant. Moreover, in both experimental and control groups of males, time effect was significant (p=0.01), but time and group interactional effect was not significant (p=0.14). Also, the results of the data analysis between experimental and control groups of females in the mental health and time effect was significant (p=0.001) and time and group interactional effect was significant as well (p=0.001). But in both experimental and control groups of males, time effect (p=0.71) and time and group interactional effect were not significant (p=0.60). Behavioral couple therapy can be used in the treatment of infertile couples, especially in women.

Introduction: Nowadays, infertility has turned to a social distress and it is accompanied by numerous psychological and social problems. This phenomenon is known as an agonizing and disappointing stressor for couples, especially for women. Infertility stress can affect personal, social and marital relationships, may cause mental instability and lead to divorce. Likewise, studies have shown IVF may be accompanied by numerous and severe psychological disor-ders. Considering psychosocial and cultural importance of fertility, especially in women, and the high birth rate in Iran, a closer look at this phenomenon with an emphasis on its psycho-social aspects is of importance. Therefore this descriptive study was undertaken to determine mental well-being, marital satisfaction and stress coping in infertile women.Materials & Methods: 150 infertile women attending the forth Shahid of Mehrab Hospital in Kermanshah were randomly selected during 2003. The data were gathered by the researchers, based on CRI-Coping Responses, Index of Marital Satisfaction (IMS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28). For the statistical evaluation of the findings, chi-squared and t-test were calculated. P-values smaller than 0.05 were considered significant. Results: The results showed that 44% of the subjects had psychological disorders based on GHQ. Based on the findings from this questionnaire, the cases were divided into two healthy and unhealthy groups. Anxiety rates among the unhealthy group and the functional disorders in the healthy ones revealed to be significantly high (p<0.01). 34% of the infertile women, most of whom had been identified to have psychological disorders by GHQ, had excitement based reactions and 93% of the ones on the healthy group had problem-based confrontational responses. The findings also revealed that infertility had not had any unpleasant effects on the marital satisfaction of the healthy cases, whereas 35% of the unhealthy ones showed the opposite.Conclusion: Regarding the results of this study, infertility may have numerous psychological impacts on the infertile and act as a predisposing factor for psychological disorders and matri-monial problems. Therefore, a team of psychiatrists accompanying infertility treatment experts is effective in the treatment process and prevention of psychiatric problems in these patients.