Psychometric properties of Persian version of five facets of mindfulness questionnaire.

Background: Many tools have been designed to measure mindfulness. Five Facets of Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ) is one of the most widely used tools. This study was done to investigate psychometric properties FFMQ in Iranian students. Materials and Methods: FFMQ was translated into Persian and administered in 571 students of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences and Tehran University of Medical Science. Samples were selected using convenience sampling method. A battery including Difficulty in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), Spielberger's Trait Anxiety Questionnaire, and Affect Control Scales was used in studies for examining divergent, convergent, and discriminant validity. Data were analyzed using Cronbach's alpha, test-retest reliability, and confirmatory factor analysis. Results: Results of this study supported the five-factor structure of FFMQ (root mean square error of approximation = 0.06, Comparative Fit Index = 0.81 Goodness of Fit Index = 0.91, and Normed Fit Index = 0.87). There was a significantly negative correlation between the FFMQ with DERS, Trait Anxiety, Affect Control, suppression sub-scale of ERQ, and there was a positive correlation with reappraisal subscale of ERQ. The Cronbach's alpha for the FFMQ was. 78. Conclusion: FFMQ have good psychometric properties in Iranian student sample, and it can be used in studies on student populations.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire

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.

Psychometric properties of the Persian version of the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire.

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.

Effects of vitamin D supplementation on core symptoms, serum serotonin, and interleukin-6 in children with autism spectrum disorders: A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVES: Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) have lower serum vitamin D and higher serotonin and interleukin (IL)-6 levels compared with healthy children. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of vitamin D on core symptoms and serum levels of serotonin and IL-6 in these children. METHODS: This parallel randomized double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted with 43 children with ASD (7 girls and 36 boys; 8.91 ± 2.87 y of age). Children were randomly allocated to receive either vitamin D drop (300 IU/kg up to a maximum of 6000 IU daily) or placebo for 15 wk. Serum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin (OH)D, IL-6, and serotonin were measured at baseline and at the end of the trial. Also, the severity of autism and the social and individual maturity of the children were measured by the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS), the Autism Treatment Assessment Checklist (ATEC), and Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C) questionnaires before and after intervention. Randomization and allocation to groups were done using computer-generated numbers. RESULTS: More than 86% of patients had vitamin D deficiency at the beginning of the study. Serum levels of 25(OH)D increased significantly in the vitamin D group (P = 0.001). The clinical symptoms of autism measured by CARS and ATEC scales were alleviated significantly (P = 0.021 and P = 0.020, respectively); however, the serum levels of serotonin and IL-6 and the scale of ABC-C remained without a significant change. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that vitamin D supplementation may improve ASD symptoms; however, more studies with longer duration are indispensable to confirm our results.

The Effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on Pain Acceptance and Pain Perception in Patients with Painful Diabetic Neuropathy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

INTRODUCTION: Neuropathic pain is a complex phenomenon in patients with diabetes. These patients have many problems, such as psychological problems, high-level pain perception, and pain acceptance. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy on pain acceptance and pain perception in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. METHODS: This study was performed according to the clinical trial method. The sample size was 50 participants. In this study, participants were divided into interventional and control groups. According to the diagnosis of neurologists, all participants received conventional medications to manage neuropathic pain. The intervention group received acceptance and commitment therapy for eight sessions. The results in the three phases of pre-test, post-test, and follow-up were evaluated. After completing the study, to comply with ethical standards, the control group received psycho-education. The tools used were the McGill Pain Questionnaire (MPQ) and the Chronic Pain Acceptance Questionnaire (CPAQ). Statistical analysis includes mean, standard deviation, and repeated-measures (ANOVA) conducted by SPSS software version 22. RESULTS: The results demonstrated that in the post-test and follow-up phases, acceptance and commitment therapy could improve pain acceptance and reduce pain perception in the intervention group compared to the control group (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: The results indicated that acceptance and commitment therapy could be used as a psychological intervention besides pharmacotherapy to improve pain acceptance and reduce pain perception in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. CLINICAL TRAIL REGISTRATION: This study was registered at the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20180205038630N4).

Effectiveness of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) on depression and sleep quality in painful diabetic neuropathy: a randomized clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain is a complicated phenomenon in patients with diabetes. These patients have many problems, especially depression and Sleep disturbance. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy on depression and Sleep disturbance in patients with painful diabetic neuropathy. METHODS: The current paper was conducted according to the clinical trial method with 50 participants. Participants were separated into intervention and control groups randomly. Based on the diagnosis of neurologists, all participants received standard medications to regulate neuropathic pain. The intervention group received ACT for eight sessions. The results were evaluated in the pre-test, post-test, and follow-up. The tools used were the Pittsburgh sleep quality index (PSQI) and Beck's depression inventory. Statistical analysis includes descriptive statistics, and repeated-measures (ANOVA) conducted by SPSS (version 26) software. Results: Results showed that in the intervention group, the treatment led to improved depressive symptoms (F = 6.81, P < 0.05). Besides, for sleep quality, treatment in all subscales, except for the Hypnotic medicine subscale, significantly improved the intervention group's situations. It was also observed that the overall quality of sleep in the ACT group showed a more significant improvement (P < 0.05). All the above results remained the same until the end of the follow-up period (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: ACT, as a complementary treatment, can improve the psychiatric symptoms and problems in people with neuropathic pain. Therefore, it is necessary to include psychotherapy services along with medical treatment in outpatient and hospitalization units. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT201802050388630N4. Registered in 02/05/2018.

Factorial Structure and Construct Validity of an Iranian Version of the Fear of Compassion Scale: A Study in Nurses.

BACKGROUNDS: Fear of compassion is one of the psychological variables in the nursing profession that can be a barrier to providing appropriate services to patients. This research was done in order to assess psychometric properties, construct validity, reliability of fear of compassion scales and to introduce suitable measures for experts and researchers in the healthcare-related fields. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, 216 nurses (117 males and 99 females) were chosen with a multistage cluster sampling method between June 2016 and Feb 2017. Lisrel-8 and SSPS-18 were used for data analysis. The construct validity of the fear of compassion scales was assessed using confirmatory factor analysis. To assess the divergent and convergent validity of the fear of compassion scales, the compassion for others, depression, anxiety, stress, burnout, and cognitive emotion regulation questionnaires were used. RESULTS: The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that the single-factor model of fear of compassion scales (for others, from others, and for self) is a better fit to the data. Furthermore, these three scales had a positive and significant correlation with anxiety, depression, stress, burnout, and unhealthy cognitive-emotion regulation strategies, and negative and significant correlation with compassion for others and healthy cognitive-emotion regulation strategies. In addition, the Cronbach's alpha coefficient for fear of expressing compassion to others was 0.85, and 0.95 and 0.96 for fear of responding to compassion from others and fear of self-compassion, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides additional evidence for the psychometric properties of fear of compassion scales in Iranian nurses.

Psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3).

INTRODUCTION: Anxiety sensitivity plays a prominent role in the etiology of anxiety disorders. This construct has attracted widespread interest from experts and researchers. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3) is the most common scale for measuring anxiety sensitivity. OBJECTIVE: To analyze the psychometric properties and factor structure of the ASI-3 in Iranian student samples. METHODS: 220 students (135 women, 85 men) from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences were selected by the convenience sampling method to evaluate the psychometric properties and analyze the factor structure of the ASI-3. The subjects were also asked to complete the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Whiteley Index, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Neuroticism scales. LISREL and SPSS were used to analyze the data. Cronbach's alpha and correlation coefficients were calculated and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. RESULTS: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with physical, cognitive, and social components (comparative fit index = 0.94; normed fit index = 0.91; root mean square error of approximation = 0.09). The ASI-3 had positive and significant correlations with health anxiety (0.59), intolerance of uncertainty (0.29), and neuroticism (0.51). Furthermore, the ASI-3 had a negative and significant correlation with the AAQII (-0.58). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the whole scale and for the physical, cognitive, and social concerns factors were 0.90, 0.74, 0.79, and 0.78, respectively. The invariance of the index was significant compared to the original English version. CONCLUSION: In general, the results support the adequacy of the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the ASI-3. Theoretical and applied implications will be discussed.

Psychometric properties of the Iranian version of the Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3) / Propriedades psicométricas da versão iraniana da Anxiety Sensitivity Index-3 (ASI-3)

Abstract Introduction: Anxiety sensitivity plays a prominent role in the etiology of anxiety disorders. This construct has attracted widespread interest from experts and researchers. The Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3) is the most common scale for measuring anxiety sensitivity. Objective: To analyze the psychometric properties and factor structure of the ASI-3 in Iranian student samples. Methods: 220 students (135 women, 85 men) from Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences were selected by the convenience sampling method to evaluate the psychometric properties and analyze the factor structure of the ASI-3. The subjects were also asked to complete the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Whiteley Index, Intolerance of Uncertainty, and Neuroticism scales. LISREL and SPSS were used to analyze the data. Cronbach's alpha and correlation coefficients were calculated and confirmatory factor analysis was conducted. Results: The results of the confirmatory factor analysis revealed a three-factor structure with physical, cognitive, and social components (comparative fit index = 0.94; normed fit index = 0.91; root mean square error of approximation = 0.09). The ASI-3 had positive and significant correlations with health anxiety (0.59), intolerance of uncertainty (0.29), and neuroticism (0.51). Furthermore, the ASI-3 had a negative and significant correlation with the AAQII (-0.58). Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the whole scale and for the physical, cognitive, and social concerns factors were 0.90, 0.74, 0.79, and 0.78, respectively. The invariance of the index was significant compared to the original English version. Conclusion: In general, the results support the adequacy of the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the ASI-3. Theoretical and applied implications will be discussed.

Resumo Introdução: A sensibilidade à ansiedade desempenha um papel proeminente na etiologia dos transtornos de ansiedade. Esse construto tem atraído grande interesse entre especialistas e pesquisadores. O Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI-3; em português, Escala de Sensibilidade à Ansiedade) é a medida mais utilizada para medir sensibilidade à ansiedade. Objetivo: Analisar as propriedades psicométricas e a estrutura fatorial do ASI-3 em estudantes iranianos. Métodos: Para avaliar as propriedades psicométricas e analisar a estrutura fatorial do ASI-3, 220 estudantes (135 mulheres, 85 homens) da Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Irã, foram selecionados via amostragem por conveniência. Eles foram solicitados a completar os seguintes instrumentos: Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), Whiteley Index, Intolerance of Uncertainty e Neuroticism. Os programas LISREL e SPSS foram utilizados para analisar os dados. Alfa de Cronbach e coeficientes de correlação foram calculados, e foi realizada análise fatorial confirmatória. Resultados: Os resultados da análise fatorial confirmatória revelaram uma estrutura de três fatores, incluindo componentes físicos, cognitivos e sociais [comparative fit index (CFI) = 0,94; normed fit index (NFI) = 0,91; root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA) = 0,09]. O ASI-3 demonstrou correlações positivas e significativas com ansiedade em relação à saúde (0,59), intolerância à incerteza (0,29) e neuroticismo (0,51). Além disso, o ASI-3 teve uma correlação negativa e significativa com o AAQII (-0,58). Os coeficientes alfa de Cronbach para toda a escala e para os fatores preocupação física, cognitiva e social foram 0,90, 0,74, 0,79 e 0,78, respectivamente. A invariância do índice foi significativa em relação à versão original. Conclusão: Em geral, os resultados sugerem que as propriedades psicométricas da versão persa do ASI-3 são adequadas. Implicações teóricas e práticas serão discutidas.

Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Prevention of Depression and Anxiety in Iranian Adolescents: Protocol Development and Initial Outcome Data.

Objective: Cognitive-behavioral interventions have been used as effective approaches for the treatment and prevention of depression and anxiety. However, to date, no anxiety and depression prevention guidelines package has been developed for Iranian adolescents. Thus, the purpose of this study was to develop transdiagnostic prevention program of anxiety and depression for Iranian adolescents and to assess the effectiveness of this program in a sample of adolescents. Method : Based on evidence-based literatures on CBT interventions, transdiagnostic prevention program was developed and its content and face validity was assessed and established by three clinical psychologies (Ph.D.) and a psychiatrist (child and adolescent postdoctoral). Then, in a semi-experimental design, 62 students were recruited from a school in Tehran by purposive sampling method and were randomly assigned in to experimental (n = 40) and control (n = 22) groups. They participated in 8 sessions of intervention based on the developed program. Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale (RCADS)- Child Version and Parent Version- were used to gather the data before, after, and 3 months after intervention. Results: Results of ANCOVA, controlling for the effect of pretest score, showed no significant differences (P>0.05) between experimental and control groups in SAD, panic, MDD, separation anxiety, GAD, OCD, total anxiety, and total anxiety-depression for parent and child in pretest and posttest. Conclusion: Transdiagnostic prevention package for anxiety and depression had no significant effect on reducing anxiety and depression of adolescents. Using an inappropriate measure, difficulties with timing of assessment, and lower severity of pre-intervention anxiety and depression due to universal prevention and sample recruited, might have affected the present findings. Discussion would be clearer and more complete by analyzing follow-up results and education performance in the future.