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Aim This paper intends to compare quality of life (QoL) and mental health among pregnant women with and without previous pregnancy loss. Methods An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted on 409 women between the 16th and 30th weeks of gestation in health centers in Ahvaz, Iran, including 145 women with prior pregnancy loss (group 1) and 264 women without such history (group 2). Data were collected using the QoL Short Form-36 questionnaire, the Mental Health Questionnaire 25 and a questionnaire for assessing sociodemographic variables. Data were analyzed using spss version 22. Results were analyzed using the χ2-test, the Student's t-test and logistic regression. P < 0.05 was defined as statistically significant. Results There was a significant difference between the two groups in respect to QoL and mental health. Women with previous pregnancy loss had lower scores in total and in all subscales of the QoL Short Form-36 ( P < 0.001) and higher scores in total and in six out of the nine subscales of the Mental Health Questionnaire 25 compared to women without these histories. Conclusion Women with history of spontaneous abortion and stillbirth seem to have poorer QoL and mental health during their subsequent pregnancy than those without such experience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Owing to the considerable mortality caused by Covid‐19, different countries have made some decisions for dealing with this virus, one of which was quarantine. It was shown that a range of behavioral and emotional changes may exacerbate in children while staying more at home, and parents may then experience these positive or negative behavioral changes. The present study was conducted to examine the experiences of families with children with psychiatric disorders in a psychiatric outpatient clinic in Iran. Method: The phenomenological method, which is a qualitative approach, was used in this study. The population was the parents of children with psychiatric disorders referred to the pediatric psychiatric clinic of Imam Hossein Hospital. Sampling was purposeful, which continued until data saturation. Finally, the number of included participants reached 14. As well, the Colaizzi method was used for data analysis. Results: The results of this study included 12 secondary codes and 10 tertiary codes, which were divided into three main thematic groups as follows: effective factors for improving behavior, effective factors for worsening behavior, and affective factors on creating a new behavior during quarantine. Conclusion: In conclusion, quarantine, social restrictions, closure of schools, and online classes can affect the mental health status of children and adolescents in different ways, especially in children with a history of psychiatric disorders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: A widespread outbreak of COVID‐19 is followed by adverse effects on the mental health of the general population. Therefore, this study is an audit to investigate the activities of various organizations during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Mazandaran Province, Iran. Methods: The aim of the study was to collect the data, the relevant officials in various organizations and units were contacted to collect the statistics of actions taken in psychology and psychiatry wards. Moreover, databases such as Google Scholar and Iranian resources were searched. Results: According to the results, different healthcare systems worked in parallel during the peak of the COVID‐19 pandemic. For example, Mazandaran University of Medical Science [MAZUMS] Health Vice‐Chancellor performed the following activities during this crisis: establishing a virtual crisis management working group, holding a provincial educational committee to train the crisis management teams, organizing virtual psychological intervention teams in the healthcare systems, and so forth. In addition, the mental health activities by Mazandaran Welfare Organization during the COVID‐19 outbreak included providing hostelry free psychological counseling, quarantine boarding and rehabilitation centers, and providing harm prevention protocols of COVID‐19, especially for marginalized regions. In the third level of medical centers, including hospitals, consultation‐liaison psychiatry or psychiatrists and clinical psychologists, therapeutic interventions for comorbid psychiatric disorders with COVID‐19 disease, and online workshops for mental health were conducted to reduce burnout of medical staff and nurses. Conclusion: This study can provide a good guideline for different service providers by using the experiences of other centers to achieve better results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Mental health in Black Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities is a rising public health concern in the UK, with key challenges around accessing mental health services. Our understanding of mental health issues in the growing Nepali and Iranian communities in the UK is very limited. Therefore, this study aims to explore the major factors affecting access to, and engagement with NHS mental health services. This study used a qualitative approach comprising in‐depth interviews with seven Nepali, eight Iranians and six community mental health workers in the south of England. The data were analysed using a thematic approach. Six themes were identified: (1) stigma and fear; (2) gender; (3) language; (4) tradition and culture; (5) family involvement; and (6) lack of cultural awareness in health workers, all appearing to be major issues. This study contributes to a shared understanding of mental illness within two given cultural contexts to promote early interventions in UK mental health services. Developing cross‐cultural perspectives in health care should be a priority in practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with ostomy are faced with several physical, psychological, and social challenges and need to be prepared to overcome these challenges. Studies have shown that training plays an important role in helping patients to adapt with ostomy, live with it, and improve their psychological well‐being and quality of life (QOL). Therefore, the present study aimed to determine the effect of structured ostomy care training on QOL and anxiety of the patients with permanent ostomy. In this randomised clinical trial study, 60 eligible participants were recruited from the only ostomy clinic in Kerman, Iran. They were selected using a purposive sampling method and randomly assigned to either a control group that received routine ostomy care or an intervention group that attended oral and practical training and a question and answer session by a trained ostomy nurse and received an ostomy information booklet besides their routine care. Outcome variables were anxiety and QOL in general and its physical, mental, social, and spiritual dimensions in detail. By using the anxiety subscale of Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and City of Hope‐quality of life [COH‐QOL], data were collected before and 2 months after intervention in both groups. Data were analysed by SPSS version 19 using χ², analysis of variance (ANOVA), independent t, and paired t test and multiple regression analysis. The results showed that the intervention group had significantly lower mean scores in anxiety (P =.001) and a higher mean score in overall QOL (P =.009) compared with the control group. The most significant increase was observed for psychological, social, and physical aspects, and the least was in the spiritual aspect, all of which improved after intervention. After controlling the effects of confounding variables such as age, ostomy period, and number of children, the structured training programme still had a positive effect on QOL. Structured ostomy care training, including face‐to‐face education and personal practice of using ostomy equipment, along with written material provided by the ostomy nurse specialist, may lead to an increase in the overall QOL and a decrease in the perceived anxiety level in patients. This type of training is not routinely delivered to ostomy patients in our health care setting, so it is feasible to prepare surgical wards and to educate nurses to work with their patients before and after ostomy creation. Furthermore, to ease patients' religious concerns, we recommend counselling, and the support of religious leaders in the Muslim community may play a key role to adaptation regarding religious matters after ostomy surgeries and alleviate patients' concerns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine whether the harmful effects of abandonment schema on marital quality can be attributed to low trait emotional intelligence in a sample of Iranian couples. Background: Research has demonstrated that maladaptive schemas are related to various indicators of marital quality; however, little is known about the mechanisms underlying these relationships. In this study, we use maladaptive schema theory to propose that the harmful effects of abandonment schema on marital quality can be attributed to low trait emotional intelligence. Method: Data were collected from a sample of 123 married couples from Iran. Participants completed a series of questionnaires designed to measure maladaptive schemas, trait emotional intelligence, and marital quality. Structural equation modeling was used to assess the hypothesized indirect effect. Results: Results indicate that abandonment schema is negatively associated with several indicators of marital quality via the mediating effects of trait emotional intelligence. Conclusion: We conclude that trait emotional intelligence can account for the negative relationships between abandonment schema and spousal ratings of marital satisfaction, communication satisfaction, and conflict resolution satisfaction in a sample of Iranian couples. Implications: Couple therapists should consider emotion‐focused techniques when treating couples where one or both partners present with abandonment schema. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Problem: Mobile phone (MP) overuse is extensively rising among high school students in developing countries. Our aim in this study is to investigate the association between MP overuse and mental health, in the presence of other determinant factors, among high school students in Iran. Methods: We recruited a clustered random sample of 1,034 high school students in Saqqez County, Iran, to complete a self‐administered questionnaire with three sections: a sociodemographic questionnaire, Mobile Phone Addiction Index, and General Health Questionnaire. Findings: A majority of the students (n = 654, 63.2%) were found to be with poor mental health. Applying multiple logistic regression, gender (odds ratio [OR] = 1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.15–1.97), education degree (OR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.30–1.67), frequency of daily messages (OR = 1.18; 95% CI = 1.07–1.31), being awakened at night for MP use (OR = 1.83; 95% CI = 1.54–2.18), and MP overuse (OR = 3.21; 95% CI = 1.20–8.58) were found in significant associations with poor mental health. Conclusions: Planning gender‐based health education programs on proper use of MP for students and their parents is suggested to school healthcare providers. The parents should be educated on the proper ways of dealing with their adolescents while using MP at home. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Scand J Caring Sci; 2011; 25; 696-705 Factors of importance for self-reported mental health and depressive symptoms among ages 60-75 in urban Iran and Sweden Background: Depression is a common experience affecting 121 million people around the world. In high income countries, depression is one of the most common psychiatric conditions among the elderly. Studies show that immigrants are particularly at risk for mental ill health. Aim: This study investigates the self-reported mental health among two Iranian groups; one born and residing in Iran and one consisting of Iranian immigrants in Sweden, as well as native Swedes living in Sweden. The study also aims to explore and compare self-reported depressive symptoms among three groups. Methods: This study is based on a cross-sectional design measuring self-reported health with a study specific questionnaire. The programme SPSS V.17.0 was used for all statistical analyses. Findings: 1088 participants were approached (668 Iranians in Iran; 105 immigrated Iranians in Sweden; and 305 Swedes in Sweden). Factors effecting self-reported mental health was self-reported health, smoking, satisfaction with social life and also a sense of connection to ones cultural roots and traditions. Also demographic variables such as group belonging (Swedes vs. Iranians), sex and satisfaction with Income were shown to be important when performing the regression analysis. In the chi-square analysis the Iranian samples reported depressive symptoms to a larger extent than the Swedish group in all aspects of self-reported depressive symptoms. Self-reported depressive symptoms were reported to a greater extend in women compared to men. Our findings indicate that the Iranian populations living in both Tehran and Stockholm report depressive symptoms to an extent that merits concern. The findings indicate that Iranians living in Tehran and Iranians who have immigrated to Sweden require more attention regarding mental health care. Health care providers in both countries should be aware of the current state of mental health among Iranians in both Sweden and Iran. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]