Validity and Reliability of Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 in Iranian Non-Clinical Children and Adolescents.

The present study aimed to explore the validity and reliability of the Persian version of the Youth Anxiety Measure for DSM-5 (YAM-5). Two groups of non-clinical children and adolescents were recruited. The first group (n = 520) was recruited via 4 schools of Tehran, Iran, and only completed the YAM-5. The second group (n = 557) was recruited via 4 schools of Tabriz, Iran. In addition to the YAM-5, they completed another anxiety scale and a depression scale. The exploratory factor analysis of data of the first group revealed a five factor model similar to the original model of the scale. The confimatory factor analysis showed that the five factor model fit with the data of second group. Also, the convergent validity was supported. The current findings, thus, provide support for validity and reliability of Persian version of the YAM-5 in a nonclinical sample of children and adolescents in Iran.

The effect of midwifery led counseling based on Gamble's approach on childbirth fear and self-efficacy in nulligravida women.

BACKGROUND: Studies show that childbirth fear is a common problem among Iranian women. Therefore, most Iranian women prefer caesarean section for giving birth. This study investigated the effectiveness of a psychoeducational intervention by midwives (birth emotions - looking to improve expectant fear (BELIEF)) on decreasing childbirth fear and self-efficacy among first-time pregnant women who were afraid of giving birth. METHODS: A number of 80 pregnant women participated in the study. They had received a score of ≥66 on the Wijma delivery expectancy/experience questionnaire. They were randomly assigned into two groups: intervention (n = 40) and control groups (n = 40). The intervention group received two face-to-face counseling sessions based on the BELEF protocol in the 24th and 34th weeks of pregnancy. Between these two sessions, it also received eight telephone-counseling sessions once a week. The control group only received the prenatal routine care. The outcome measures were childbirth fear, childbirth self-efficacy, and childbirth preference. RESULTS: The intervention group showed significantly more reduction in childbirth fear and more increase in childbirth self-efficacy compared to the control group. In addition, more women in the intervention group reported that they preferred to give normal vaginal birth than women in the control group. CONCLUSION: The BELIEF protocol could be an effective approach in reducing childbirth fear and increasing childbirth self-efficacy among first-time pregnant women who are afraid of giving birth. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: IRCT20101219005417N3, Date of Registration: 19-12-2018.

Psychometric properties of Persian version of Cognitive Behavioural Avoidance Scale: results from student, general population and clinical samples in Iran.

BACKGROUND: There is no published evidence about the psychometric properties of the Cognitive Behavioral Avoidance Scale (CBAS) in Eastern cultures. AIMS: The current research evaluated the psychometric properties of a Persian version of the CBAS. METHOD: The research consisted of two studies. In Study 1, a university student sample (n = 702) completed the CBAS, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Thought Control Questionnaire and the Anxious Thoughts Inventory. In Study 2, a general population sample (n = 384) and a clinical sample (n = 152) completed the CBAS, the Young Compensation Inventory and the Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis of the data from Study 1 suggested a four-factor solution for CBAS. The CBAS had acceptable internal consistency and test-re-test reliability, and showed significant correlations with depression symptoms and anxious thoughts. Confirmatory factor analysis of the data from Study 2 indicated good fit between the four-factor model and data. The CBAS had a significant relationship with depression, anxiety and stress symptoms, but no associations with schema compensatory behaviour strategy. Finally, the CBAS and its subscales successfully distinguished a clinical sample from a general population sample. CONCLUSIONS: The findings provide preliminary evidence for reliability and validity of the CBAS among Iranian student, general population and clinical samples.

Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation on Opium Craving, Depression, and Anxiety: A Preliminary Study.

OBJECTIVES: Transcranial direct current stimulation can be effective in reducing the craving for food, alcohol, and methamphetamine. Because its effects have not been tested on patients with opium use disorder, we investigated its efficacy when it is combined with a standard methadone maintenance therapy protocol. METHODS: We carried out a pretest-posttest control group method to evaluate the effect of transcranial direct current stimulation at the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (right anodal/left cathodal) on opium craving, depression, and anxiety symptoms. We considered opium craving as a primary outcome as well as depression and anxiety symptoms as secondary outcomes. Sixty participants with opium use disorder were randomly assigned into 3 groups (n = 20 for each group): (1) an active transcranial direct current stimulation with methadone maintenance treatment (active tDCS group), (2) sham transcranial direct current stimulation with methadone maintenance treatment (sham tDCS group), and (3) only methadone maintenance treatment (methadone maintenance treatment group). All participants completed the Desire for Drug Questionnaire, Obsessive-Compulsive Drug Use Scale, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Beck Anxiety Inventory a week before and a week after the treatment. The outcomes were assessed by independent assessors who were blind to the treatment conditions. RESULTS: The active tDCS group had a significant reduction in opium craving, depression, and anxiety symptoms compared with the other 2 groups. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide a preliminary support for using the transcranial direct current stimulation along with methadone maintenance therapy in the treatment of patients with opium use disorder.

Psychometric properties of the Eating Attitude Test-26 for female Iranian students.

OBJECTIVE: The main purpose of the present study was to assess the factor structure, the convergent and divergent validity, and the reliability of the Eating Attitude Test (EAT-26) in a sample of female Iranian students. METHOD: After a rigorous translation and back-translation of the EAT-26, 561 female students from the Tonekabon branch of the Islamic Azad University completed the EAT-26, the Binge Eating Scale (BES), the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI). Six weeks later, 74 of these students participated in a test-retest procedure. RESULTS: The exploratory factor analysis resulted in a five-factor solution that accounted for 50% of the total variance. The factors included "drive for thinness", "restrained eating", "perceived social pressure to eat", "oral control", and "bulimia". These factors demonstrated satisfactory concurrent validity, acceptable to high internal consistency (0.76-0.92), and low test-retest reliability (0.26-0.64). The factors effectively identified the students who were currently on a diet, and those who had never participated in a weight reduction program. CONCLUSION: The results provide mixed support for the reliability and validity of the EAT-26 for a non-clinical Iranian population. However, its discriminant validity makes it a useful measure for screening purposes and identifying women at risk for developing disordered eating or eating disorders. Future research should replicate this study in both non-clinical and clinical settings in Iran.

Comparing LORETA Z Score Neurofeedback and Cognitive Rehabilitation Regarding Their Effectiveness in Reducing Craving in Opioid Addicts.

Introduction: Previous studies have shown that conventional neurofeedback and cognitive modification treatments have numerous psychological benefits for patients with substance use disorders. However, the effectiveness of LORETA (Low-Resolution Brain Electromagnetic Tomography) Z Score Neurofeedback (LZNFB) and cognitive rehabilitation therapy in reducing opioid craving has not been investigated. Thus, the present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation therapy with Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) in reducing craving in patients with opioid use disorder. Methods: Thirty patients with opioid use disorder undergoing MMT were randomly assigned into three groups: LZNFB with MMT, cognitive rehabilitation with MMT (as experimental groups), and MMT alone control group. The LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation groups received 20 and 15 sessions of treatment, respectively. The three groups were assessed using several questionnaires and dot-probe task at pretest, posttest, and one-month follow-up. Results: The results showed that both experimental groups accomplished a significantly greater reduction in opioid craving than MMT alone group at posttest and follow-up (P<0.05). The LZNFB plus MMT group showed a greater decrease in opioid craving than the cognitive rehabilitation plus MMT group. In addition, the cognitive rehabilitation plus MMT group experienced greater improvement in attentional bias towards craving cues than the LZNFB with MMT group at posttest and follow-up. Finally, the LZNFB plus MMT group and cognitive rehabilitation plus MMT group got higher scores on the recovery assessment scale than MMT alone group at posttest and follow-up. According to study results, LZNFB training is more effective than cognitive rehabilitation in decreasing cravings and improving the quality of life in addiction to opioids. Conclusion: The current study's findings provided preliminary support for the effectiveness of LZNFB and cognitive rehabilitation in reducing opioid craving, improving attentional bias towards craving cues, and the quality of life among Iranian opioid use patients. Highlights: LZNFB training showed higher decrease in opioid craving than the Cognitive rehabilitation in opioid addicts.Cognitive rehabilitation group experienced greater improvement on attentional bias towards craving cues than LZNFB.LZNFB and Cognitive rehabilitation with MMT group got higher scores on the recovery assessment scale than MMT alone group.LZNFB training is more effective than Cognitive Rehabilitation in decreasing of craving in addiction. opioids. Plain Language Summary: Addiction is a chronic relapsing disease that makes many problems for human society. Routine medical treatments are not completely effective and they have relapse. New forms of non-medical treatments such as neurofeedback and cognitive rehabilitation are effective and safe without impressive side effects . This article shows the efficacy of above mentioned interventions for decrease craving and control of this problem.

Two-factor higher-order model of perfectionism in Iranian general and clinical samples.

BACKGROUND: Studies in Western cultures have shown that perfectionism is conceptualized by two-factor higher-order model including perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns. However, little is known about the construct of perfectionism in Eastern societies. Thus, we examined the two-factor higher-order model of perfectionism in Iranian general and clinical samples. METHODS: We recruited a general population sample (n = 384) and patients with major depressive disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, social anxiety disorder, and eating disorders (n = 152) from Tehran, Iran from September 2016 to December 2017. They completed the Clinical Perfectionism Questionnaire, Perfectionism Inventory, and Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale-21. RESULTS: The two-factor higher-order model of perfectionism showed adequate fit with data for females from the general population and clinical sample. Data for males were only available from the general population, and the model showed adequate fit with the data first after removing the Rumination scale of the perfectionistic concerns. The perfectionistic strivings dimension showed no or negative association with depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms, but perfectionistic concerns dimension showed positive correlation with these indices in all samples for both males and females. CONCLUSIONS: The results support the two-factor higher-order model of perfectionism in samples of Iranian females from the general population and clinical sample. However, the results were different for males from the general population. In other words, the modified two-factor higher-order model showed acceptable fit with the data for males from the general population only after removing the Rumination scale from perfectionistic concerns. These differences among males and females were discussed.

Risk and protective factors for substance use among Iranian university students: a national study.

BACKGROUND: Substance use is a major mental health concern among university students. It may result in behavioral and academic problems, psychiatric disorders, and infectious diseases. Thus, this study investigated the risk and protective factors of substance use among Iranian university students. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional study. A number of 7330 students were selected from 30 universities in Iran. The participants completed a researcher-designed questionnaire. It measured life time, previous year and previous month's substance use, demographic characteristics, and a body of risk and protective factors including, religious beliefs, self-esteem, stress and psychological pressure, sensation seeking, attention seeking, anger and aggression, depression and anxiety, parents' positive attitude towards substance use, lack of intimacy between family members, plus substance use, smoking cigarettes or hookah, alcohol consumption, and prescribed medications use by their family members, easy access to illegal drugs, peers' positive attitude towards substance use, peers' drug use, perceived prevalence of substance use among students, and negative attitude toward university. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: Participants' anger and aggression, depression and anxiety, participants' positive attitude towards substances, low level of religious beliefs, peers and family member's substance use, and parent's positive attitude towards substance significantly and strongly predicted using cigarette/hookah, alcohol, hard drugs, and prescribed medications. Having a negative attitude toward university significantly predicted using all types of substance (except for prescribed medications). Low self-esteem predicted using cigarette/hookah, and alcohol use. Perceived availability of illegal drugs predicted hard drugs and prescribed medications' consumption. Finally, peers' positive attitude toward drugs anticipated cigarette/hookah use. CONCLUSION: Prevention programs are most needed among Iranian students. They should be comprehensive in nature and focus on students' psychoeducation about substances and their related negative consequences, plus promotion of students' life skills, and integrate family- and peer-based preventive interventions.

The Persian Version of Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire and Clinical Impairment Assessment: Norms and Psychometric Properties for Undergraduate Women.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to provide norms of Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) and Clinical Impairment Assessment (CIA) for undergraduate women in Iran. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Undergraduate women (N = 516) completed the EDE-Q, CIA, and the Binge Eating Scale (BES). RESULTS: Average score, standard deviation, and percentile rank of EDE-Q and its subscale as well as CIA were reported. In addition, the frequency of key eating disordered behaviors was presented. Both EDE-Q and CIA demonstrated strong internal consistency. In addition to the significant correlation between the EDE-Q and CIA (0.59), they both showed a moderate to strong correlation with the BES (r = 0.33 to 0.61). The EDE-Q and CIA successfully differentiated underweight, normal weight, and overweight women. Moreover, women who reported higher level of restraint or regular binge eating episodes obtained higher score on the CIA than women who did not have such behaviors across the same period. CONCLUSION: This study provided preliminary support for the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the EDE-Q and CIA. The obtained norms for the EDE-Q and the CIA are helpful in clinical practice and intercultural studies of eating disorders.