مهدی قاسمی مطلق

Purpose: The aim of the current study was to investigate the effectiveness of schema therapy and mindfulness based cognitive therapy on the rate of using negative automatic thoughts in women with major depression in Mashhad. Participants were 36 depressed women clients, randomly selected and randomly designated to 3 groups (two experimental group and control group). Materials and method: This study was a quasi-experimental with a pre-test, post-test and 2 months follow-up design. Negative automatic thoughts questionnaire used to gather data about subjects negative automatic thoughts. Descriptive statistics and differential statistics (repeated analysis of variance) were employed to test the research hypothesis. Findings: Results showed that schema therapy and mindfulness based cognitive therapy were effective in decreasing negative automatic thoughts in women with depressive disorder. Discussion: schema therapy and mindfulness based cognitive therapy can significantly help depressed people to control their negative automatic thought.

Objective: This study aims to compare the effectiveness of Intensive Short-Term Dynamic Psychotherapy (ISTDP) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) enriched with compassion in altering dysfunctional communication beliefs among women seeking divorce. Methods: Statistical population of this study consisted of all women seeking divorce in District 4 of Tehran city in the year 2021, who were selected from counseling centers supervised by the Organization of Psychology and Welfare through convenience sampling. Next, Eidelson and Epstein’s (1982) Communication Beliefs Questionnaires were distributed for completion, and 45 individuals who scored high on these scales were selected as the sample and randomly placed into two experimental groups and one control group (each group consisting of 15 individuals). For data analysis, descriptive statistical methods (frequency indices, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (multivariate repeated measures analysis of variance) using SPSS-24 were employed. Findings: Results indicated no significant difference between the ISTDP and ACT enriched with compassion in altering dysfunctional communication beliefs. Both groups showed improvement compared to the control group, but no significant difference was noted between the two in terms of effectiveness. Conclusion: Both ISTDP and ACT enriched with compassion are effective in reducing dysfunctional communication beliefs among women seeking divorce, with no significant difference in effectiveness between the two. This suggests that both therapeutic approaches can be beneficial in this context. Future research should consider broader and more diverse samples, longer follow-up periods, and comparisons to active control groups to further understand the sustained impact and efficacy of these therapies.

Objective: The aim of this study was to compare the effectiveness of mindfulness-based therapy and transactional analysis on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder. Methods: In this study, 20 women with bipolar disorder who referred to the Gyrus Specialty Neurology and Psychiatry Clinic in Tehran from April to August 2022 were selected through purposive sampling and randomly assigned to three groups: mindfulness-based therapy, transactional analysis therapy, and a control group. All participants completed the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI) by Rosen et al. (2000) and the Sexual Satisfaction Scale by Larson et al. (1998) before and after the intervention. The mindfulness-based therapy group underwent eight 90-to-120-minute sessions held twice a week, while the transactional analysis group received treatment in nine 60-to-120-minute sessions held twice a week. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and repeated measures analysis. Findings: The results indicated that both mindfulness-based therapy and transactional analysis therapy had an effect on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder. Moreover, a comparison of the effectiveness of the two therapeutic approaches across all dimensions showed that mindfulness-based therapy had a greater impact on sexual function and sexual satisfaction in female patients with bipolar disorder compared to transactional analysis. Conclusion: Therefore, the use of mindfulness-based therapy is recommended in psychology clinics.

Objective: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Bowen intergenerational family therapy on reducing marital conflicts and enhancing interpersonal forgiveness. Methodology: This research employed a quasi-experimental design with pre-test, post-test, and follow-up phases, incorporating a control group. The statistical population consisted of families who visited the counseling and psychology center in District 1 of Karaj in 2023. Eight families were selected through convenience and voluntary sampling and were randomly assigned to experimental and control groups, each comprising four families. Data were collected using the Differentiation of Self Inventory, the Forgiveness Questionnaire, and the Marital Conflict Questionnaire. The intervention, based on Bowen intergenerational therapy, was conducted over eight weekly group sessions, each lasting 90 minutes. Data analysis involved univariate and multivariate covariance analyses using SPSS software. Findings: The findings revealed that Bowen intergenerational therapy significantly impacted both marital conflicts and interpersonal forgiveness. Specifically, the experimental group showed a marked decrease in marital conflict scores from 154.1 (SD = 11.3) in the pre-test to 139.4 (SD = 10.9) in the post-test, which remained stable at 139.2 (SD = 10.3) in the follow-up phase. Similarly, interpersonal forgiveness scores increased from 78.4 (SD = 5.7) in the pre-test to 114.2 (SD = 9.9) in the post-test and remained at 111.1 (SD = 8.9) during the follow-up phase. These changes were statistically significant compared to the control group, which showed no significant changes. Conclusion: The study concludes that Bowen intergenerational family therapy is effective in reducing marital conflicts and enhancing interpersonal forgiveness. The findings align with previous research, underscoring the therapy's potential to address relational issues and improve emotional regulation within families.