Applied Research in Consulting

Abstract This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of mentalization in the relationship between five personality factors and psychopathology in patients with malignant tumors under chronic stress. The study was conducted using a descriptive-correlational method and structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population was all patients with malignant tumors in Urmia who referred to medical centers between October 1403 and July 1404. The sample consisted of 200 people (54% female and 46% male) who were selected by convenience sampling. The research tools included the Five Personality Factors Questionnaire (NEO-FFI), the Mentalization Scale (RFQ), and the Psychopathology Test (DASS-21). The data were analyzed by correlation and structural equation modeling. The results showed that neuroticism had the highest positive correlation with psychopathology (r=0.57), while mentalization showed a strong negative correlation with psychopathology (r=-0.53). The proposed structural model had a good fit (CFI=0.91, RMSEA=0.06) and showed that mentalization has a strong mediating role. Participants with higher levels of mentalization showed more positive behaviors and attitudes and a more effective capacity to cope with the stress of illness. The findings emphasize that the five personality factors, and especially neuroticism, are strong predictors of psychopathology in patients with malignant tumors.

Abstract The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) on post-traumatic damage and growth in war-affected individuals. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population consisted of war-affected individuals in Tehran, from whom 30 participants were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to two groups: experimental and control (15 participants per group). The experimental group participated in eight sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Farahbakhsh (2025/1404) Post-Traumatic Damage and Growth Questionnaire. The gathered data were analyzed using Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA). The results indicated that after controlling for pretest scores, there was a significant difference between the experimental and control groups in the total score of post-traumatic damage and growth, and cognitive-behavioral therapy significantly improved this variable in the experimental group. In other words, the cognitive-behavioral intervention was able to reduce the level of traumatic psychological consequences and facilitate an increase in post-traumatic growth symptoms among war-affected individuals. Based on the research findings, it can be concluded that cognitive-behavioral therapy can be utilized as an effective intervention to mitigate psychological trauma and foster post-traumatic growth in individuals affected by war.