Applied Research in Consulting

Abstract The aim of the present study was to study the effectiveness of the acceptance and commitment intervention with a positive approach to disease acceptance and coping self-efficacy in patients with MS. The current study was a semi-experimental pre-test-post-test with a control group. The current research was semi-experimental and in the form of a pre-test-post-test research design with a control group. The statistical population of this research includes all patients with MS in Mashhad who visited the neurology clinic of Eastern Iran in 1402. The sample size included 30 patients with MS who were selected by purposeful sampling, then randomly divided into 2 groups of 15 people, experimental and control. A disease acceptance questionnaire and coping self-efficacy questionnaire were used as research tools. Based on the analysis of covariance in SPSS software, it was found that the intervention of acceptance and commitment with a positive approach to disease acceptance and coping self-efficacy in patients with MS is effective (P<0.05).

Abstract The purpose of the present study was the mediating role of resilience in the relationship between mindfulness, marital commitment and empathy with marital burnout of couples referring to the dispute resolution council of Yasouj city. The statistical population in this research was the couples who referred to the dispute resolution council of Yasouj city, and after coordination with them, 200 of these couples who had family disputes were selected as a sample using the available sampling method. The present study is a correlational study. The tools used in this research are Pines Marital Discomfort Questionnaire (1996), Adam and Jones Marital Commitment Questionnaire (1997), Jolliffe and Farrington Empathy Questionnaire (2006) and Brown and Ryan Mindfulness Questionnaire (2003) as well as Connor and Davidson Resilience Questionnaire. (2003) were. Structural equation findings showed that mindfulness, marital commitment, and empathy have a positive effect on couples' resilience. Mindfulness, marital commitment and empathy have a positive effect on couples' marital heartbreak. Resilience has a positive effect on couples' marital distress. In addition, resilience mediates the relationship between mindfulness, marital commitment, and empathy on couples' marital heartbreak. Considering that the family center causes the development of people's personality, and the level of marital heartbreak of couples is the main factor in their tendency to go to the dispute resolution council, therefore, family education is necessary to reduce the level of heartbreak of couples.

Abstract The objective of this study was to explore the process of symptom improvement in patients with depression undergoing Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP). The research employed a single-case experimental design with multiple baselines and follow-up assessments. The participants were conscripted soldiers diagnosed with major depressive disorder from a military unit in Isfahan, during spring 2024. Three participants were selected through purposive sampling and individually received the ISTDP protocol based on Davanloo’s (1995) method in 8 weekly 90-minute sessions. Assessment using the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was conducted across 12 time points: 4 baselines (1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks before the initial session), 4 interventions (post sessions 2, 4, 6, and 8), and 4 follow-up stages (1, 2, 3, and 4 weeks post-treatment). Data analysis involved visual charting, percentage improvement, and Reliable Change Index (RCI) measures. Results indicated a downward trend in BDI-II scores beginning at intervention, with improvement sustained through one-month follow-up, supporting ISTDP as a viable treatment option for depression.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate the relationship between marital satisfaction, marital quality, and positive psychological states, with a focus on the mediating role of love styles. This research adopts a quantitative methodology and has practical applications, employing an equation model type correlation method. The statistical population of this study comprises all educators in Marivan city from 2001 to 2022, from which 350 participants were selected using simple random sampling and Cochran's sample size formula. Data were collected using the Marital Satisfaction Questionnaire (ENRICH) by Olson (1989), the Positive Psychological States Questionnaire (PPS) by Rajaei et al. (2012), the Revised Marital Quality Questionnaire (RDAS) by Busby et al. (1995), and the Sternberg Love Style Questionnaire (STLS) by Sternberg (1986).This study utilized AMOS-24 software to analyze data and test hypotheses based on a correlation matrix and path model. The findings of this research indicate that the quality of marriage has a strong predictive power for changes in love styles, with a correlation coefficient of 0.79. Furthermore, positive psychological states are also positively correlated with changes in love styles (r = 0.09, p < 0.04), although this effect is weaker than the relationship between marriage quality and love styles. Importantly, love styles have a significant positive and meaningful mediating role between marital quality and marital satisfaction, with a mediation rate of 0.55%.On the one hand, love styles with a rate of 0.08 are unlikely to play a meaningful mediating role between psychological structures and marital satisfaction in couples

Abstract The present study was conducted with the aim of investigating the lived experience in the transition to parenthood. This research tried to take a deep look at the phenomenon of becoming a parent as one of the most important periods in the family life cycle. For this purpose, with qualitative approach and phenomenological method and using targeted sampling, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 new parents (16 mothers and 12 fathers) with children aged 3 months to 2 years who lived in Shiraz city in 1402. Then, the data obtained from the interview was analyzed using the Interpretive Phenomenology analysis (IPA) method. The analysis of participants' experiences led to the identification of 48 primary semantic codes, 5 subcategories and 2 main categories of "individual experiences and couple relationship experiences". The results showed that upon entering the parenthood period, people experienced changes in their individual lifestyles and experienced many positive and negative feelings and emotions within themselves. By discussing the nature of the phenomenon of parents' lived experience in the transition to parenthood, this study provides a deeper insight into the experiences of parents entering the role of parents to experts and family and marriage counselors.

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness training in improving problem-solving ability and integrating visual-auditory function and reducing symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity in hyperactive children.This research was a semi-experimental method with a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The statistical population included all hyperactive children aged 8 to 12 in Shiraz city in 1403, and the researcher identified 40 hyperactive students from among all primary school children with a targeted method and with the Conners Teacher's Form of Attention Deficit Test and iva test. Randomly placed 20 people in the experimental group and 20 people in the control group. The measuring tools of the research included the hungry donkey test, the iva test, and the questionnaire of symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder. The obtained data were subjected to statistical analysis at two descriptive and inferential levels. And the hypotheses were tested at the inferential level by covariance test. The results showed that mindfulness training has a significant effect on improving and increasing the ability to solve problems and improving and increasing the integration of visual-auditory function in hyperactive children. Also, mindfulness training has a significant effect on improving and reducing attention deficit symptoms in hyperactive children.Mindfulness can play a big role in improving cognitive functions such as problem solving ability, visual and auditory memory. Also, by using mindfulness training, the problem of attention deficit hyperactive children can be improved.

Abstract The aim of this research was to evaluate the effectiveness of attachment-based group training of mothers in reducing stress in mothers of preschool children.The study design was quasi-experimental pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with a control group. 260 mothers of 4 to 6 years old children were selected by random sampling from nursery schools of Tehran’s first and second districts, completed the Abidin’s Parenting Stress Index questionnaire (1990). Based on obtained scores on this scale and considering other including and excluding criteria, 31 mothers were finally selected as research sample and were assigned in experimental and control groups. Ghanbari’s Attachment-based Mothers’ Training Package (2013) was given to the experimental group during 8 weekly group sessions at nursery schools. After training sessions, and 2 months later, The Parenting Stress Index scale was completed by both groups and for analysis data used multivariate analysis of variance method. The results indicated that Attachment-based Mothers’ Training Package reduced the stress level of mothers in the experimental group, and the results of follow-up showed that these changes were stable over 2 months.