The association of exposure to air pollution and depression in women; a cross-sectional study of a middle-income country.

Air pollution exposure has been related with mental disorders, especially depression; however, the available evidence on these associations in Low and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) is scarce. Therefore, we aimed to assess the relationship between particulate matter (PM) exposure and indicators of traffic with depressive symptoms in women of Sabzevar, Iran. This cross-sectional study was based on 741 women aged 15-45 years (adults) in 2019. The annual average of PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 at home was estimated using land use regression (LUR) models. Street map of Sabzevar was used to calculate the indicators of traffic, i.e., the proximity to major roads and total street length buffers with 100, 300 and 500 m radii around the participants' homes. We used the Center for Epidemiological Studies- Depression (CESD-20) Scale in the general population to measure depression scores. Quasi-Poisson models and logistic regression were used to examine the association and odds ratios of exposure to air pollution and depression scores adjusted for relevant covariates. Exposure to PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 and total street length in 100 m buffer were significantly associated with higher depression scores. In fully adjusted model, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in PM10, PM2.5 and PM1 concentration as well as total street length in 100 m buffer was associated with 1.25 (95% CI:1.03, 1.52, P-value = 0.02), 1.16 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.26, P-value< 0.01), 1.16 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.29, P-Value = 0.01) and 1.15 (95% CI: 1.06, 1.25, P-value< 0.01) odds of clinical depression, respectively. For street length in 300 and 500 m buffers and proximity to major roads, no statistically significant increased risk of clinical depression were observed. Overall, our findings recommended that air pollution exposure has increased the risk of clinical depression in women.

COVID-19 pandemic and the prevalence of domestic violence against Iranian married women.

AIM: Domestic violence is an important public health and human rights problem. In most countries of the world, including Iran, the COVID-19 pandemic made quarantine necessary to reduce the disease transmission rate. Therefore, due to the spread of the COVID-19 disease and the emergence of mandatory quarantine conditions, the present study was conducted to determine the prevalence of domestic violence against women during the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, which was done in 2020, 240 married women were investigated. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, data collection was performed through virtual networks using standard questionnaires. Data were analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics (relative frequencies, mean, and standard deviation) were used to determine the extent of violence. Independent t-test and Chi-square were used to analyze the data of the relation between the types of violence with independent variables. Also, the data were analyzed using the logistic regression model. RESULTS: In this study, 240 married women with a mean age of 36.27 were studied. The highest frequency was related to social violence (56.3%), and the lowest was related to financial and verbal violence (11.7%). In addition, a significant relationship was observed between sexual violence and age (p-value < 0.05). A significant relationship was also observed between social violence and education [(OR = 1.99)] Jobs [(OR = 2.4, CI = 95%, 1.30-4.4), quarantine duration [(OR = 1.94, CI = 95%, 0.98-3.7)] and underlying diseases [OR = 1.90]. CONCLUSION: The high prevalence of domestic violence against women during quarantine indicates the poor health of women in society. Therefore, the roots of violence against women and methods to reduce this problem should be sought. Therefore, identification of subjects at risk and raising women's knowledge may be useful for the prevention of domestic violence and its physical and psychological complications.

Evaluation of the prevalence of illness anxiety disorder following the COVID-19 pandemic in Iran and its related factors: a cross-sectional study.

Background and Aims: COVID-19 pandemic has generated a rise in psychological distress, such as illness anxiety disorder, apart from its negative physical effects. This study intends to the evaluation of illness anxiety disorder rate following the prevalence of COVID-19 in Iran and its associated factors. Methods: In this study, 634 people were studied. The data collection method was performed via the virtual networks using a questionnaire, with the sampling method being convenient and nonprobable with the method of snowball. Evans illness anxiety disorder questionnaire was utilized in this investigation. The logistic regression model and the χ 2 were used to evaluate the data. Results: The prevalence of illness anxiety disorder was 12.1%. The chance to have an illness anxiety disorder in the people whose relatives had a history of COVID-19 was 5.32 times, and in those who had a relative with a history of COVID-19 had higher (odds ratio = 1.27). But, this connection in people who worked or studied in nonmedical fields, is several times more than those who are busy in the medical fields. In individuals of 30 years and older, the chance of patients in single people compared to married people was 5.20 times higher, but under the age of 30 years, the chance of illness anxiety disorder in single people was 0.91. Conclusion: COVID-19 pandemic, also to the physical effects, may have psychological implications for people. Therefore, reducing the individual and social activities in terms of this disease, along with measures related to physical problems, diagnosis, timely treatment and proper psychological consequences, including illness anxiety disorder can be very fruitful.

Comparing the Effect of Risperidone, Virtual Reality and Risperidone on Social Skills, and Behavioral Problems in Children with Autism: A Follow-up Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Improving behavioral and social problems in children with autism requires extensive training programs even with parents at home. The main goal of this study is to design a virtual reality (VR) intervention based on the TEACCH method in combination with risperidone to evaluate its effectiveness on social and behavioral problems. METHODS: Forty-three children with autism (6-12 years old) randomly were divided into three groups: risperidone (n = 15), risperidone + VR (n = 15), and control (n = 13). The interventions lasted for 3 months (90 sessions) and post-test assessments were done immediately after intervention. Follow up tests were done 3 months after that. RESULTS: Risperidone + VR group showed significant differences in social skills (MD = 36.59; 95% CI: 30.74 to 38.42, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.51 in post-test; MD = 19.63; 95% CI: 17.27 to 21.63, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 0.86 in follow up); and behavioral symptoms (MD = -36.12 ; 95% CI: -39.72 to -36.91, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.99 in post-test; MD = -28.82 ; 95% CI: -29.43 to -25.32, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.58 in follow up) compared to the control group. However, the risperidone group showed significant differences in social skills (MD = 2.03; 95% CI: 0.82 to 3.67, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 0.12) and behavioral symptoms (MD = -36.66; 95% CI: -38.96 to -34.27, P < 0.001, ŋ2 = 1.96) only in post-test. Thus, the experimental groups did not have any significant difference in post-test. CONCLUSION: Combined interventions such as VR can enhance the effectiveness of risperidone response and boost children's preparedness to practice and learn social interaction.

The effect of emotional intelligence training on general health promotion among nurse.

INTRODUCTION: The hospitals are a stressful environment for employees, especially nurses. Stress and other health problems may lead to occupational burnout and reduction of nurses' efficiency. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of emotional intelligence training on health promotion of nurses in Sabzevar Hospitals. METHODOLOGY: The current study is a field trial with a random control group. The sample group was 135 nurses of Sabzevar Hospitals. They were then divided randomly into experimental and control groups. First, all of the samples answered the questionnaire of personal information, Bar-On Emotional Intelligence, and General Health Questionnaire. The first group (intervention) was trained by giving the speech, and the second group (control) did not receive any intervention about the subject of the study. The experimental group was then trained for the components of emotional intelligence and answered the questionnaire again. The significance level was considered as P < 0.05. RESULTS: The results showed that the distribution of qualitative variables in the study was similar and also the scores of emotional intelligence and the dependent variables after intervention in the intervention group had a significant and inverse relationship, meaning that the score of emotional intelligence decreased with the score of general health score. This could be significant in comparison to the two groups. Findings showed that emotional intelligence at the beginning of the study in the intervention and control groups were 35.03 ± 32 and 30.89 ± 33, respectively, and after the intervention, it was 29.68 ± 35 and 42.89 ± 34, respectively. Total general health was 19.76 ± 84 and 18.77 ± 77 in the case group before intervention and 14.55 ± 56 in the case group and 17.68 ± 52 in the control group, respectively (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Findings indicated the significant mutual effect of emotional intelligence changes and general health variables. It means as the score of emotional intelligence gets more, health score decreases and the rate of general health increases.

The Effect of Perceptual-Motor Training on Executive Functions in Children with Non-Verbal Learning Disorder.

PURPOSE: Research shows an atypical cognitive process in children with nonverbal learning disorder (NLD) compared to typically developing children, but a wealth of information indicates that physical activity can influence cognitive processes. However, little is known about the effects of perceptual-motor training and its impact on the cognitive process of children with NLD. Thus, the major goals of this study are to compare the executive functions (EFs) in children with NLD with typically developing children and then to investigate the effect of perceptual-motor training on EFs of children with NLD. METHODS: To achieve the first goal, 400 typically developing (IQ >80) and NLD children (7-13 years old) were randomly selected in the city of Mashhad, Iran, during the period 2017-2018. As for the second goal, 50 children with NLD were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. To evaluate executive functions, Delis-Kaplan executive function system test was used at the pretest, posttest, and 3-month follow-up. The experimental group received the Werner and Reini's perceptual-motor training program in sixteen 45-min sessions (three sessions per week), but the control group did not receive any intervention. RESULTS: The results showed that children with NLD were significantly weaker than typically developing children in London Tower Test (t (38) = -4.662, p <0.01), Trail Making Test (t (33.926) = -3.11, p <0.01), Card Sorting Test (t (38) = -3.427, p <0.01), and Stroop Color Test (t (30.035) = -5.876, p <0.01). The Pilates training had an obvious effect on enhancing the performance of participants in the experimental group (p<0.001), but similar results were not observed in the control group. CONCLUSION: Children with NLD have problems in EFs, but perceptual-motor training can be used as an effective intervention for these children.

Psychometric Properties of the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Student (PASS) in a Student Sample of Sabzevar University of Medical Sciences.

BACKGROUND: Procrastination is a common behavior which affects different aspects of life. The procrastination assessment scale-student (PASS) evaluates academic procrastination apropos its frequency and reasons. OBJECTIVES: The aims of the present study were to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the Farsi version of the PASS in a sample of Iranian medical students. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, the PASS was translated into Farsi through the forward-backward method, and its content validity was thereafter assessed by a panel of 10 experts. The Farsi version of the PASS was subsequently distributed among 423 medical students. The internal reliability of the PASS was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted on 18 items and then 28 items of the scale to find new models. The construct validity of the scale was assessed using both EFA and confirmatory factor analysis. The predictive validity of the scale was evaluated by calculating the correlation between the academic procrastination scores and the students' average scores in the previous semester. RESULTS: The corresponding reliability of the first and second parts of the scale was 0.781 and 0.861. An EFA on 18 items of the scale found 4 factors which jointly explained 53.2% of variances: The model was marginally acceptable (root mean square error of approximation [RMSEA] =0.098, standardized root mean square residual [SRMR] =0.076, χ(2) /df =4.8, comparative fit index [CFI] =0.83). An EFA on 28 items of the scale found 4 factors which altogether explained 42.62% of variances: The model was acceptable (RMSEA =0.07, SRMR =0.07, χ(2)/df =2.8, incremental fit index =0.90, CFI =0.90). There was a negative correlation between the procrastination scores and the students' average scores (r = -0.131, P =0.02). CONCLUSIONS: The Farsi version of the PASS is a valid and reliable tool to measure academic procrastination in Iranian undergraduate medical students.