The Impact of an Optimism Training Intervention on Biological Measures Associated With Cardiovascular Health: Data From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

OBJECTIVE: Positive psychological constructs, such as optimism, are associated with cardiovascular health, and changes in biological measures associated with heart health have been proposed as potential mediators of these relationships. In this analysis of data from a randomized controlled trial, we examined the impact of an optimism training intervention on biological measures associated with cardiac health in patients with coronary artery disease. METHODS: We analyzed data from an 8-week, randomized, controlled trial of a group-based optimism training intervention in 61 patients with coronary artery disease. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), interleukin 6, irisin, and fibrinogen were measured at baseline, 8 weeks, and 16 weeks. Mixed-effects regression analyses were performed to examine the effects of the intervention on changes in biological measures at 8 and 16 weeks. RESULTS: At 8 weeks, the intervention led to significantly greater reductions in hs-CRP (B = -0.851 [standard error {SE} = 0.273, p = .002) and fibrinogen (B = -0.148 [SE = 0.062], p = .016), and a greater increase in irisin (B = 0.252 [SE = 0.114], p = .027) compared with the control condition. These changes persisted at 16 weeks (hs-CRP: B = -1.078 [SE = 0.276], p < .001; fibrinogen: B = -0.270 [SE = 0.062], p < .001; irisin: B = 0.525 [SE = 0.116], p < .001), and interleukin 6 additionally was impacted at this time point (B = -0.214 [SE = 0.064], p = .001). Exploratory mediation analyses failed to identify significant psychological or health behavior mediators of these relationships. CONCLUSIONS: A group-based optimism training intervention resulted in significant, robust, and sustained changes in biological measures associated with cardiac health. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings in a larger sample and identify potential mediating variables. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Iran Registry of Clinical Trials No. 2016070328769 N1.

Evaluation of the separate and combined effects of anodal tDCS over the M1 and F3 regions on pain relief in patients with type-2 diabetes suffering from neuropathic pain.

BACKGROUND: Neuropathic pain (NP) is a common complication of chronic diabetes that negatively affects the routine functioning and sleep of patients. The present study aimed to investigate the separate and combined effects of anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) over the primary motor cortex (M1) and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (F3) regions on pain relief in patients with type-2 diabetes suffering from NP. METHODS: The statistical population of this double-blind randomized clinical trial consisted of all the members of the Bonab Diabetes Association in 2022 aged 45 to 65 years who were diagnosed with NP by a specialist. A total of 48 patients who met the inclusion criteria were selected as the sample through purposive sampling. The participants were then randomly assigned into 4 groups, each attending 12 sessions of a special intervention (three times a week). The Short Form-McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 (SF-MPQ-2) was used for data collection. Data were statistically analyzed using SPANOVA, analysis of covariance, and the Bonferroni test. RESULTS: The results showed that tDCS had the potential to induce pain relief in patients with type-2 diabetes suffering from NP (F = 11.48, P < 0.001). The mean perceived pain intensity in the posttest was lower in the M1 stimulation group than in the F3 stimulation group. Nevertheless, there was no significant difference between the two groups in terms of perceived pain intensity in the one-month and two-month follow-up stages. CONCLUSIONS: The tDCS approach (over both M1 and F3) showed promising effects for pain management in patients with type-2 diabetes suffering from NP and may be an effective add-on treatment. However, more trials with larger sample sizes are necessary to define clinically relevant effects.

Investigation of Neuropsychological Dysfunction Among Recovered Nurses: The COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: This investigation aimed to compare the neuropsychological dysfunctions of coronavirus (COVID-19)-recovered nurses to those of healthy nurses. METHODOLOGY: The present research method was descriptive and causal-comparative, in which the statistical population consisted of nurses with a history of COVID disease and working in the COVID department of public hospitals in Isfahan city. The available method selected 30 nurses with a history of illness and compared them with 30 other nurses from the same hospitals. We collected data using the "go/no go" test, the Wisconsin card sorting test (WCST), and direct and inverted word reading tests. We also analyzed the collected data using multivariate analysis of variance. RESULTS: The results showed a significant difference between nurses with a history of COVID disease and normal nurses in memory performance, the total error of the Wisconsin card sorting test, and the error of committing and inappropriately inhibiting the go/no go task (P < 0.01). However, there is no significant difference between the two groups in the number of classes, the error of perseveration in the Wisconsin test, or the reaction time of the go/no task (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Therefore, the present study's results indicate that nurses recovering from COVID-19 perform worse than normal nurses in memory functions, cognitive flexibility, and response inhibition within one to three months of recovery.

Studying the shelf life of butter containing fucoidan, by evaluating sensory and chemical properties.

Fucoidan powder was added in amounts of 0.05, 0.1,0.3, and 0.5% to sour cream butter and sensory and chemical properties were tested on their shelf life for 60 days during storage. Peroxide levels initially increased until day 40 of storage and then decreased. Butter samples from the control group had the highest amount of peroxide on day 40 (15.25 ± 1.41 meq/kg butter), while samples treated with fucoidan 0.5% had the lowest amount of peroxide (6.35 ± 0.53 meq/kg butter). The acidity of butter treatments increased during storage (p < .05). Butter samples from the control group had the highest acidity at 60 days of storage (0.40 ± 0.033 mg KOH / g butter), while samples treated with 0.5% fucoidan had the lowest acidity (0.17 ± 0.013 mg KOH / g butter). The treated butter samples showed the highest stability. Fucoidan, as an antioxidant, reduces the taste, odor, and discoloration of butter added with fucoidan during storage because it completely removes odorless tasteless powder, and the free radical chain is involved in oxidation and improves product properties. The results showed that there are no significant changes in the acceptance rate of butter treated with fucoidan during 60 days of storage in the refrigerator (p > .05). The sensory scores of the treated butter showed that the sensory properties during the storage period were similar to the control samples, but on day 40 of storage, they decreased. In general, a concentration of 0.5% fucoidan delays the oxidative process and increases shelf life and is selected as a superior treatment in terms of sensory evaluation, and is introduced as a functional food.

Effects of mindful breath awareness and muscle relaxation and transcranial electrical stimulation techniques on improving blood pressure status in patients with type 2 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to determine the effects of mindful breath awareness & muscle relaxation (MBMR) and transcranial electrical stimulation (tCES) techniques on improving the systolic and diastolic blood pressure status in patients with type 2 diabetes. METHODS: The research method was randomized controlled trial (RCT) using split-plot ANOVA (SPANOVA). Thirty patients were selected through purposive sampling from Bonab County Diabetes Association (Iran) and were randomly divided into three 10-member groups, namely MBMR, tCES, and MBMR+tCES groups. Participants received their group interventions in 10 individual sessions. All patients were evaluated for systolic and diastolic blood pressure at two stages, before and immediately after each session. SPANOVA and Bonferroni pairwise comparison tests were used for data analysis. RESULTS: The results indicated that the MBMR and tCES techniques, alone and in combination, had significant and equal effects on reducing diastolic blood pressure, but the MBMR treatment was more effective in the systolic blood pressure than the tCES. CONCLUSIONS: The MBMR and tCES techniques were effective and safe in treating hypertension in patients with type 2 diabetes.

The effectiveness of cognitive rehabilitation in improving visual and auditory attention in ischemic stroke patients.

The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of a cognitive rehabilitation program in improving the visual and auditory attention performance in stroke patients. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pre-intervention, post-intervention and follow-up design and control group. Twenty ischemic stroke patients with attention disorder were randomly classified into experimental and control groups. Cognitive evaluation of patients, including pre-intervention, immediately and 6 weeks after the intervention, was performed by the IVA + Plus (Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test). The experimental group received a cognitive rehabilitation program as 1-h sessions per week for 8 weeks, but the control group received no intervention. The results indicated significant effects of a cognitive rehabilitation program on the auditory (p = 0.002) and visual (p = 0.009) attention as well as the 6-week follow-up after the intervention, and it improved visual and auditory attention in stroke patients in the experimental group. The effectiveness of a cognitive rehabilitation program improved attention performance in stroke patients and had a positive effect on visual and auditory attention performance in ischemic stroke patients.

A New Self-Reported Assessment Measure for COVID-19 Anxiety Scale (CDAS) in Iran: A Web-Based Study.

BACKGROUND: Given the epidemic of Corona disease and its associated anxiety, it is necessary to develop a tool to measure anxiety. This study was conducted to instruct Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) to measure the level of anxiety, during the prevalence of the COVID-19 in Iran. METHODS: The present study was considered as applied research in terms of purpose and descriptive-correlational research in terms of methodological. 318 individuals (aged from 18 to 60 years old) completed the Corona Disease Anxiety Scale (CDAS) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) online. RESULTS: Corona Disease Anxiety Scale had a good internal consistency (α=0.91) and good convergent validity, correlating with the GHQ-28 (r=0.49, P>0.01). Exploratory analysis revealed psychological and physical factors. These 2 factor account for 51% of the total variance and 9 items were loaded on every factor. CONCLUSION: This scale is reliable and valid scale for measuring Corona anxiety in non-clinical Iranian population.

Is psychotherapy a reliable alternative to pharmacotherapy to promote the mental health of infertile women? A randomized clinical trial.

OBJECTIVE: Women with fertility problems experience a higher prevalence of negative emotions than women without fertility problems. The goal of this study was to compare the effects of psychological intervention with psychotropic medication on the mental health improvement of depressed infertile women. STUDY DESIGN: In a randomized controlled clinical trial, 89 depressed infertile women that they were recruited and divided into three groups in three groups: cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), antidepressant therapy, and a control group. Twenty-nine participants in the CBT method received 10 sessions on relaxation training, restructuring, and eliminating negative automatic thoughts and dysfunctional attitudes to infertility. Thirty participants in the pharmacotherapic group took 20mg fluoxetine daily for 90 days. Thirty control subjects did not receive any intervention. All participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) at the beginning and end of the study. Paired t-test, ANOVA, chi(2), and McNemar tests were used to analyze the data. RESULTS: Fluoxetine significantly reduced the mean of three subscale scores of the GHQ anxiety (7.3+/-4.1 vs. 5.1+/-3.2), social function (7+/-2.8 vs. 4.3+/-2), and depression (7.8+/-5.2 vs. 4.4+/-2.2) but could not significantly change the mean score of psychosomatic signs. The CBT method effectively reduced the mean of all four GHQ subscales: anxiety (8+/-4 vs. 3.2+/-2), social function (7.2+/-2.6 vs. 4.7+/-2.5), depression (7.7+/-4.2 vs. 3.6+/-2.7), and psychosomatic signs (7.5+/-3.2 vs. 5.5+/-3.2). Also, both methods significantly reduced the total GHQ scores. Successful treatment of depression in three groups was fluoxetine group 50%, CBT 79.3%, and control 10%. The mean Beck scores among the groups at the beginning and end of study were, respectively: fluoxetine 23.2+/-8.6 versus 14.3+/-8.5 (p<0.001), CBT 20+/-7.9 versus 7.7+/-4.8 (p<0.001), and control 19.8+/-8.5 versus 19.7+/-8.4 (p=0.9). Although both fluoxetine and CBT significantly decreased the mean BDI scores more than the control group, the decrease in the CBT group was significantly greater than the fluoxetine group. CONCLUSION: Psychotherapy, such as group CBT, was superior to or at least as effective as pharmacotherapy to promote the well being of depressed infertile women.

Treatment of premenstrual syndrome: Appraising the effectiveness of cognitive behavioral therapy in addition to calcium supplement plus vitamin D.

Premenstrual syndrome (PMS) consists of repetitious physical and psychological symptoms. The symptoms occur during the luteal phase of the menstrual period and cease when the menstrual period starts. This study included pre-test and post-test experiments between a control group and a test group. The statistical population involved 40 females, chosen based on multistage cluster sampling. The participants were then divided into four groups to undergo treatment with calcium supplement plus vitamin D together with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and were screened with the Premenstrual Syndrome Screening Test (PSST). The pre-test and post-test scores in the PSST, the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28), and Bell's Adjustment Inventory (BAI) were used as assessment tools (p < .05). According to the parameters of PMS symptoms, when evaluating the pre-test and post-test scores, the overall score of each individual in the experimental group was improved and a significant effect for the combination of calcium supplement plus vitamin D together with CBT was observed in comparison to the post-test control group. A comparison of multivariate analysis of covariance (MANCOVA) results collected from the pre-test and post-test scores revealed that the method of treatment was beneficial for PMS, adjustment, and general health.

Effects of Single-Session Group Mantra-meditation on Salivary Immunoglobulin A and Affective State: A Psychoneuroimmunology Viewpoint.

OBJECTIVES: Based on existing psychoneuroimmunological insights, the present study aimed at investigating possible effects of a single-session group mantra-meditation on salivary immunoglobulin A (s-IgA) and affective states. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A controlled pretest-posttest study enrolled 30 healthy women (mean age 44 ± 3 years) through a multi-stage random sampling method from yoga clubs in Shiraz (Feb-Dec, 2016). Subjects were randomly assigned to experimental (n = 15) and control (n = 15) groups. Participants in both the groups attended a structured introductory lecture about mantra-meditation after which those in the experimental group meditated for 20min. Saliva samples were collected after the intervention, and the participants' affective states were examined by a qualified clinical psychologist blinded to the intervention using the positive and negative affect schedule questionnaire at sequential time-points, i.e., baseline, post-meditation, and one hour later. Similar assessments were done for the control group subjects. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test saliva samples for the IgA titer. The s-IgA and the positive and negative affect schedule (PANAS) test results were statistically evaluated using an analysis of variance. RESULT: The mean s-IgA titer in the experimental group at 'post-meditation' and '1-hour later' time-points were found to be statistically different from those of the control group (P < .05). In addition, results indicated a significant change in affect among experimental group subjects as compared to controls (P < .05). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that "group mantra-meditation" training even for a single session may positively influence some immunological components and improve affective states. As a simple and low-cost psychoneurobehavioral intervention, this method may offer mental-health benefits at nursing homes as well as group-therapies.

A randomized trial of an optimism training intervention in patients with heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: Optimism is prospectively and independently associated with superior cardiac outcomes, but there has been minimal study of optimism-specific interventions in persons with cardiovascular illness. We aimed to examine the feasibility and impact of an optimism-promoting program among patients with heart disease in a randomized controlled trial. METHODS: Participants (N=61) were outpatients, age 35-60, with coronary artery disease who were randomized to an 8-week in-person group-based optimism training intervention or an attention-matched educational control condition. Feasibility was assessed via rates of session attendance and exercise completion, and acceptability was assessed via weekly participant ratings of exercise ease, utility, and likelihood of continuation. The impact of the intervention was assessed via between-group differences in change from baseline optimism (Life Orientation Test-Revised [LOT-R]) and other psychological self-report outcomes at 8weeks (primary time point) and 16weeks, using random effects regression models. RESULTS: Participants completed a mean of 6.8 (SD 1.2) sessions and 13.9 (SD 2.4) exercises, with mean ratings all >3.5/5 on measures of acceptability. The intervention was associated with greater improvement in optimism at 8weeks (ß=5.13; 95% confidence interval [CI]=3.55, 6.70; p<0.001) and 16weeks; the intervention was also associated with greater improvements in life satisfaction, hope, and anxiety at both time points, though not with positive or negative affect. CONCLUSIONS: A group-based optimism training program was feasible, acceptable, and associated with improvements in optimism and other psychological measures in cardiac patients. Future larger studies should examine effects on major clinical outcomes.

A Comparative Study of Mindfulness Efficiency Based on Islamic-Spiritual Schemes and Group Cognitive Behavioral Therapy on Reduction of Anxiety and Depression in Pregnant Women.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression during the pregnancy period are among the factors affecting the pregnancy undesirable outcomes and delivery. One way of controlling anxiety and depression is mindfulness and cognitive behavioral therapy. The purpose of this study was to compare the efficiency of mindfulness based on the Islamic-spiritual schemas and group cognitive behavioral therapy on reduction of anxiety and depression in pregnant women. METHODS: The research design was semi-experimental in the form of pretest-posttest using a control group. Among the pregnant women in the 16th to 32nd weeks of pregnancy who referred to the health center, 30 pregnant women with high anxiety level and 30 pregnant women with high depression participated in the research. Randomly 15 participants with high depression and 15 participants with high anxiety were considered in the intervention group under the treatment of mindfulness based on Islamic-spiritual schemes. In addition, 15 participants with high scores regarding depression and 15 with high scores in anxiety were considered in the other group. .The control group consisted of 15 pregnant women with high anxiety and depression. Beck anxiety-depression questionnaire was used in two steps of pre-test and post-test. Data were analyzed using SPSS, version 20, and P≤0.05 was considered as significant. RESULTS: The results of multivariate analysis of variance test and tracking Tokey test showed that there was a significant difference between the mean scores of anxiety and depression in the two groups of mindfulness based on spiritual- Islamic scheme (P<0.001) and the group of cognitive behavioral therapy with each other (P<0.001) and with the control group(P<0.001). The mean of anxiety and depression scores decreased in the intervention group, but it increased in the control group. CONCLUSION: Both therapy methods were effective in reduction of anxiety and depression of pregnant women, but the effect of mindfulness based on spiritual- Islamic schemes was more.

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and Its Effects on Psychoimmunological Factors of Chemically Pulmonary Injured Veterans.

Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR) is a treatment program for relieving stress and coping with chronic illnesses. In recent three decades, studies have shown that MBSR has a positive effect on physical and psychological dimensions of chronic illnesses. Chemically pulmonary injured veterans have chronic pulmonary and psychological problems due to mustard gas exposure and complications of Iran-Iraq war. These stresses have negative effects on their general health and immune system. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study conducted on psychoneuroimmunology and MBSR in these patients. Forty male pulmonary injured veterans were randomly divided in two groups with 20 participants (MBSR and wait-list control). Then MBSR group received 8 weekly sessions of intervention. We tested mental health based on general health questionnaire (GHQ)-28 questionnaire, health-related quality of life (based on St. George respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ) ) and immunity in MBSR groups; before and after intervention "mixed factorial analyses of variance" test was used for analyzing data fpr each dependent variable and appropriate t-tests were done in The necessary condition. Results showed that mental health and health- related quality of life, in MBSR group compared to wait-list control improved [F (1,38)=26.46, p<0.001; F (1,38)=49.52, p<0.001 respectively] significantly.  Moreover, a significant increase was reported in the lymphocyte proliferation with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) [F (1,38)=16.24, p<0.001], and peripheral blood IL-17 [F (1,38)=56.71, p<0.001] However, lymphocyte (CD4+, CD8+, and NK-cell) percentages were not affected significantly [F (1,38)=2.21, p=0.14] ,[F (1,38)=0.90, p=0.78] and [F (1,38)=1.79, p=0.18], respectively. This study suggests that MBSR may be a new treatment approach for improving immunity and overall health in chemically pulmonary injured veterans.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) Effects on Psychoimmunological Factors of Chemically Pulmonary Injured Veterans.

Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) as a new therapeutic technique in energy psychology has positive effects on psychological and physiological symptoms, and quality of life. In this research we studied the effect of this treatment on immunological factors. This study tested whether 8-week group sessions of EFT (compared to a wait-list control group) with emphasis on patient's respiratory, psychological and immunological problems in chemically pulmonary injured veterans (N=28) can affect on immunological and psychological factors. Mixed effect linear models indicated that EFT improved mental health (F=79.24, p=0) and health-related quality of life (F=13.89, p=0.001), decreased somatic symptoms (F=5.81, p=0.02), anxiety/insomnia (F=24.03, p<0.001), social dysfunction (F=21.59, p<0.001), frequency and severity of respiratory symptoms (F=20.38, p<0.001), and increased lymphocyte proliferation with nonspecific mitogens Concanavalin A (Con A) (F=14.32, p=0.001) and Phytohemagglutinin (PHA) (F=12.35, p=0.002), and peripheral blood IL-17 (F=9.11, p=0.006). This study provides an initial indication that EFT may be a new therapeutic approach for improving psychological and immunological factors.

Emotional/Behavioral problems in children with acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a case-control study.

INTRODUCTION: Despite achievements in treating acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in children, its burden on the psychosocial status of patients is not well defined yet. This study aims to determine the impact of childhood ALL on emotional and behavioral pattern of the patients compared to healthy peers as assessed by the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). METHODS: We studied 100 children with ALL (aged 6-12 years) and 100 healthy sex/age peers as control group. All ALL cases were treated by chemotherapy alone. After being informed by a psychologist, parents in both groups were asked to complete the CBCL form. Final results were then compared between the two study groups. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the groups regarding the general characteristics. Failure in school performance, restricted group activity and less social relations were significantly higher in the ALL cases. Total competence was also significantly disturbed for the ALL cases. Social problems, attention problems, aggressive behavior, externalization, attention deficit/hyperactivity, conduct and oppositional defiant problems were significantly more prevalent in healthy children. Somatic problems were significantly higher in the ALL cases. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that except for somatic problems, behavioral problems among the ALL cases are significantly less frequent than the healthy peers, which may stem from better care and support from the families. Our unique findings emphasize the need for more research on the psychosocial status of children with cancer in future.

Lipid profile improvement after four group psychological interventions in combination to nutritional and physical activity instructing among overweight and obese individuals.

BACKGROUND: Research background approved weight loss would result in improvement of lipid profile. Nowadays, weight management is attained by modifying psychological mediators, as well as dieting and making individuals do more physical activity. Hence, This research was performed to compare effectiveness of different psychological interventions on lipid profile improvement among individuals with overweight and obesity. METHODS: Using quasi-experimental design, 68 participants with mean age 26 years and 9 months (ranged from 20 to 43) were randomly assigned into 4 groups (including LEARN, CBT, CT, and MCT), and eventually 61 participants completed the treatment protocols. BMI was calculated by Omron digital body composition instrument, and blood lipids and glucose concentrations were measured prior to and after all interventions. RESULTS: Data analysis by using t-test for dependent groups analysis revealed lipid profile, FBS, and BMI were significantly modified after applying 4 interventions comparing baseline and post treatment mean differences(P<0.05). Furthermore, repeated measure design analysis showed there were significant mean differences (P<0.05) in HDL cholesterol, TG levels and FBS levels among 4 groups. Scheffe test revealed more detailed significant differences among four groups in HDL cholesterol, and FBS concentration varieties (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Adding psychological interventions to dietary plans and regular physical activities in overweight management would consider as a valuable step in optimizing physiological outcomes and that's because of correcting mind-body interactional pathways among obese and overweight individuals.

Effect of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction on Quality of Life (SF-36) and Spirometry Parameters, in Chemically Pulmonary Injured Veterans.

BACKGROUND: Studies have shown that Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) has positive effect on physical and psychological dimensions of chronic illnesses. In this study for the first time we examine the effect of this new technique on quality of life and pulmonary function in chemically pulmonary injured veterans who have chronic pulmonary problem, psychological problems and low quality of life. METHODS: Forty male pulmonary injured veterans were randomly replaced in two groups with 20 participants (MBSR and control Wait List (WL)). Then MBSR group received 8-weekly sessions intervention. We evaluate quality of life (used SF-36 questionnaire) and Spirometry parameters two times; before and after intervention in two group. We used "mixed factorial analyses of variance" test for analyzing data in each dependent variables. Then if we have significant interactional effect, we used -paired- sample t-test" for comparing before and after intervention data of each group, and "Independent-Sample t-test" for comparing after intervention data of two groups. RESULTS: The MBSR compare to WL group improved SF-36 total score, (F (1, 38) =12.09, P=0.001), "Role limitations due to physical problems"(F(1,38)= 6.92, P=0.01), "Role limitations due to emotional problems"(F(1,38)= 7.75, P=0.008), "Social functioning"(F(1,38)= 9.89, P=0.003), "Mental health"(F(1,38)= 15.93, P=0), "Vitality"(F(1,38)= 40.03, P≤0.001), and "Pain"(F(1,38)= 27.60, P≤0.001). MBSR had no significant effect on "FEV1" (F (1, 38) = 0.03, P=0.85),"FVC" (F (1, 38) = 0.16, P=0.69) and "FEV1/FVC" (F (1, 38) = 2.21, P=0.14). CONCLUSION: MBSR can improve individual's quality of life but not lung function in chemically pulmonary injured veterans.

Marital Satisfaction amongst Parents of Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Normal Children.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare marital satisfaction between parents of children with attention deficit hyper activity disorder (ADHD) and parents of normal children. METHOD: In this study we have selected 400 parents (200 parents of children with ADHD and 200 parents of normal children), whose children age range was 6-18 years. Data were collected using Enrich marital satisfaction Questionnaire, Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and Conner's Questionnaire (parent and self-report forms). For data analysis, SPSS software17, bivariate Χ(2)- test, and independent t- test were used. RESULTS: The mean of marital satisfaction in parents of normal children was higher than parents of ADHD children. In the bivariate Χ(2)- test, the p value was less than 0.05, and the obtained t was more than the table-t (1.96), so it can be assumed that there is a significant difference between parents of normal children and those with ADHD children in their marital satisfaction. The level of marital satisfaction (strongly agree level) was 2.8% lower among parents of ADHD children compared to parents of normal children. CONCLUSION: Findings indicate that parents with ADHD children have lower level of marital satisfaction than parents with normal children.

Substance abuse disorders in the parents of ADHD children, and parents of normal children.

The objective of the study was to compare the attention-deficit/ hyperactivity, and substance abuse disorders background in the parents of children with attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and the parents of normal children. The available sampling method was used to choose 400 parents of children (200 parents of children with ADHD and 200 parents of normal children), the ages of children were 6-18 years old. The data were collected through the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia (SADS) for parents and the Kiddy Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children-Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL), Connors Adult ADHD Rating Scale (CAARS) and the Wender Utah Rating Scale (WURS) for adult ADHD. The results were analyzed by using SPSS-17 software, based on two-variable Chi-Square and t-tests.and P value in all disorders were equals to P<0.05. The results indicated that substance abuse in parents of children with ADHD is 21% more prevalent, and parents of children with ADHD compared to parents of normal children have 2% ADHD, 9% attention deficit disorder, and 1% hyperactivity disorder more in their background. Therefore, we conclude that there exists a significant difference between the above mentioned disorders in the parents of children with ADHD, and parents of normal children. The high prevalence rate of disorders and background of ADHD in families of individuals with ADHD shows the probability of effect of inheritance in the disorder. Also, it shows that parents of children with ADHD have more substance abuse and history of ADHD in their background.

Emotional Intelligence and Prefrontal Cortex: a Comparative Study Based on Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST).

OBJECTIVE: Emotional intelligence (EI) is a set of competencies that enable us to engage in sophisticated information processing of emotions and emotion-relevant stimuli and to use this information as a guide for thinking and behavior. Prefrontal cortexes (PFC) of brain and related regions have an important role in emotion and emotional regulation. Accordingly, we conducted a study to investigate the relation between EI and performance in Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) (a neuropsychological test, used to evaluate some of the frontal lobe functions). METHODS: In this quasi-experimental study, 250 volunteers from BS and BA students of universities of Tehran were recruited using available sampling method. Bar-on EI, general health questionnaire (GHQ-28) and Raven's Progressive Matrices were completed by the participants. They were categorized into two groups; each group contained 40 students with high and low EI, whose performance in WCST were evaluated thereafter individually. Data was analyzed by MANOVA. RESULTS: Our results showed that the high EI group had a better performance in WCST than the low EI group. CONCLUSION: It can be concluded that people with better EI may have better PFC functions.