احمد برجعلی

Objective: Both of the defense mechanisms of ego and depression, affects the intensity of the pain in the patient with chronic pain. The present study investigates the mediating role of depression in the relationship between immature ego defenses and perceived pain intensity in patients with chronic pain. Method: Research was conducted on 503 patients with chronic pain who were referred to pain centers in Tehran. Participants were asked to answer Numerical Rating Scale (NRS) for perceived pain intensity, Defense Styles Questionnaire (DSQ-40), and Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS). Results: The results indicated that depression plays a mediating role in the relationship between immature ego defenses and perceived pain intensity in patients with chronic pain. Conclusion: the relationship between immature ego defenses and the perceived pain intensity is not a simple linear one, but is mediated by depression. So, depression has an important role in Transforming of defense mechanisms to the pain.

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a self-awareness education package based on the logo-therapy approach in order to improve the self-control of adolescent girls. Methodology: The method of this study was a combined method. The statistical population of the study was all theologians and professors in the field of the domain of logo-therapy. Sample size was determined by referring to the saturation rule of 15 people who were selected purposefully. In order to achieve the goal of research, the establishment of the general headings of the package, the conversion of general headings to more precise titles, establishment of the purpose for each heading, the compilation of the content necessary to achieve the purposes, qualitative and quantitative review of the package to the opinion of the experts, were done. Findings: The results of the content validity analysis of the package, according to the experts, showed that CVR = 0.73 and CVI = 0.83, both of them were in the optimum level and the content validity of the package was confirmed. Also, Cronbach's Alpha coefficient for determining the internal consistency of experts in the component of self-communication was 0.73, in the component of communication with the others was 0.77 and for the component of communication with the universe was 0.79. Conclusion: According to the findings of the study, it is suggested that psychotherapists use the self-awareness training package (based on the logo-therapy approach) in order to correct attitudes to strengthen self-control in adolescent girls.

Methods This research was administered in three stages. First, a psycho-cognitive remediation treatment manual was developed based on the most reliable existing treatments: Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Remediation Therapy (CRT). In the second stage, the content validity of the manual was evaluated by 8 experts. Finally, the effectiveness of the developed treatment was evaluated by the quasi-experimental method with an active control group, pretest-posttest follow-up design. 28 adults aged 24-45 years who had been diagnosed with MDD were purposefully selected and assigned to one of the two experimental or control groups. The experimental group participated in 12 two-hour weekly sessions and the control group played video games at home. The Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II) and the THINC-it tools as neuropsychological tests were used for gathering data. Only 25 patients remained in the study at week 12. To statistically analyze the data, One-way analysis of covariance was used (SPSS 26). Results Data analysis showed that depression and anhedonia were significantly lower at the post-test compared to the pre-test, according to the BDI-II and SHAPS scores. All objective and subjective cognitive functions were significantly improved. Follow-up scores remained significantly constant in the tests that had improved in the post-test which indicates the stability of therapeutic effects in the three-month follow-up. Conclusion This is the first study to evaluate two validated combined therapies in adults with MDD, as far as the authors are aware. It was evaluated based on feasibility, acceptability, and effectiveness. It is suggested that clinicians use these combined treatments in the field of clinical practice. Although this treatment manual had a good effect, some of its limitations must be addressed in future research.