Clinical Psychology Studies

Abstract Diabetes refers to complex chronic metabolic conditions that are
characterized by elevated levelsof blood glucose if untreated.
Diabetes is one of the biggest health problems faced with many people
living in Yazd. The disease rate in Yazd is twice as high as the
country’s average rate. Patient's self-care behaviors have a major role
in diabetes management. Such self-care activities can be exceedingly
demanding and often require fundamental lifestyle changes. The
purpose of this study was to examine the impact of cognitive factors in
controlling and treating type 2 diabetes. The statistical society of the
study included 4990 diabetic patients who referred to Yazd Diabetes
Research Center. A sample of 256 patients was selected using
Cochran’s formula and simple random sampling. Subjects then had
structured interviews. Data were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, ttest, Pearson’s correlation coefficient and stepwise regression.
Significant correlations were found between self-efficacy, outcome
expectancies, duration of the disease and adherence to self-care.
Adherence to self-care activities was greater among older, moreeducated and upper-income patients. Also, a total of 27% of variance
in self-care behavior can be explained by duration of diabetes and selfefficacy.

Abstract The aim of this study was to examine effectiveness of
Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) on depression and
rumination symptoms in individuals with a major depression records.
The study employed a single-case design with multiple baselines.
MBCT was given to 4 patients with major depressive disorder over
eight 1-hour sessions, and a follow-up was carried out one month
later. Instruments used were the depression questionnaire, Beck
depression inventory and the rumination response scale. Results
showed that depression and rumination symptoms in the patients were
reduced by 78 and 48 percent, respectively. The results were clinically
significant for three patients. The study suggests that MBCT given in
the form of individualized sessions can be an effective treatment for
patients with major depressive disorder.

Abstract Aviophobia is a common debilitating fear of flying with millions
of people being impacted by it around the world. The present study
aimed to examine effectiveness of virtual reality exposure therapy in
alleviating fear of flying in patients with aviophobia. The study
followed an empirical method with pretest, posttest and a control
group. The statistical society consisted of 40 individuals with
aviophobia who had been referred to Tehran Aerospace Research
Institute by counseling centers and by Tehran Mehrabad Airport.
Twenty patients were selected using random sampling and divided
into an experimental (9 females and 1 male) and a control (10
females) group. The experimental group received ten individual 20-minute sessions of virtual reality exposure therapy over five weeks.
The Aviophobia questionnaire was administered both before and after
the intervention in both the experimental and the control groups. The
data were analyzed using Covariance analysis and two-way ANOVA.
Results indicated that the virtual reality therapeutic method had a
significant effect in alleviating fear of flying. Results of the follow-up
examination showed that the effect still lasted in two months. The
study suggests that a virtual reality exposure therapy can have
significant, reliable and sustaining effects on alleviating fear of flying

Abstract The study aimed to make a comparison between effectiveness of
cognitive-behavioral therapy and mindfulness-based therapy in
improving quality of life of patients with irritable bowel syndrome
(IBS). The study followed a quasi-experimental design with three
groups a pre-test and a final test. Group sizes were decided
considering the fact that the study was a pilot project and that some
subjects might discontinue their participation. Thus, 36 patients (20
males and 16 females) with IBS (diagnosed using Rome III process)
were chosen using convenient sampling and then randomly divided
into two study and one control groups (each with 12 patients). The
IBS-QOL34 questionnaire was administered in the three groups as the
pre-test. The questionnaire was administered as the post-test in the
three groups two months later. All results were analyzed using
statistical methods. After results of the control group and influence of
the pretest were omitted, ANCOVA showed that there was a
significant difference between effects of the two therapy methods (p
<0/05). The LSD post-hoc test also showed a significant difference
between effectiveness of the mindfulness-based therapy compared to
that of the cognitive-behavioral therapy (p <0/05). It can be suggested
based on the basis of the results that the new method of psychotherapy
in treating patients with IBS should be considered, because the old
therapy is not always effective or even promising.
and it can thus be used as a new treatment method for individuals with
aviophobia.

Abstract Mental disability of children is a source of stress which threatens
mental health of the family and affects different aspects of the family
life. Various methods have been developed for helping affected
families, among which psychological interventions have a special
place. The present study aimed to offer a meta-analysis of
effectiveness of psychological interventions in mental health of
families who have children with mental disabilities. The method used
was meta-analysis. Twenty five papers were reviewed and 11selected
for the analysis, the total number of subjects in which was 712. Based
on the results, the effect size was 0.25, which indicates a below
average rate according to Cohen’s table. It can therefore be suggested
that psychological interventions have a positive effect on mental
health of families who have children with mental disabilities, and that
the interventions can be used as a method for improving mental health
of such families. The interventions, however, need to be supplemented
by other support interventions.

Abstract The aim of the present study was to analyze emotional and
familial situations of injured victims of the chemical air attack on city
of Sardasht. The study employed a qualitative (interpretive) design
and the statistical population included all injured victims of Sardasht
chemical air attack. The sample consisted of 15 men and 15 women,
chosen through convenient sampling. Semi-structured interviews were
used for examining the sample population’s emotional and familial
situation. Data were analyzed using categorizing and coding. Results
suggested that the following complaints were common among the
majority of the population: inability in communicating with others,
inability in expressing emotions, changes in mood, humiliation,
irritability, horrible nightmares, emotional dependence, lack of close
relationships among family members, family fights, dissatisfaction
with spouse, dissatisfaction with one’s parental role, and failed
relationships with one’s children. The study suggests that the chemical
air attack has widely incurred numerous emotional and familial problems on the injured victims, who are in urgent need of supportive 
interventions offered by people and the government.

Abstract The study aimed to examine effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral
therapy in combination with stress reduction based on mindfulness in
reducing anxiety and automatic thoughts and improving general health
of a patient with generalized anxiety disorder. The study used a singlesubject A-B design to determine the mixed effects of the interventions
on the subject. The subject completed Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI),
Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS), Automatic Thoughts
Questionnaire (ATQ) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ) in
both phase A (baseline) and phase B (last treatment session). The
patient’s BAI score decreased from 45 in stage A to 30 in the fifth
session, 16 in the tenth session and 10 in the final phase. Results from
HARS, ATQ and GHQ also indicated significant decreases in the
patient’s scores. The study suggests that a mixed intervention
consisting of a cognitive-behavioral therapy combined with
mindfulness-based stress reduction can have positive effects on
treating generalized anxiety disorder.