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Objectives: The aim of the present study was to assess the reliability and validity of the Persian version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y (STAI-Y) among high school students. Methods: A sample of 492 high school students in Kermanshah city, Iran were randomly selected via multistage sampling. They were asked to complete the STAI-Y and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) to determine the correlation coefficients. Data analysis was performed via descriptive statistics, factor analysis, Cronbach's coefficient alpha, and Pearson correlation coefficient. Results: In the Persian version of STAI-Y, the Cronbach's alpha for internal consistency was 0.886 for trait anxiety and 0.846 for state anxiety. The convergent validity between STAI-Y and BAI was 0.612 for trait anxiety and 0.643 for state anxiety (p < 0.001). Conclusion: The reliability, internal consistency, and validity of the Persian version of the STAI-Y is good among high school students in Kermanshah. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Objectives: Almost by default, people with major depression disorder (MDD) also report sexual health issues. This holds even more true when sexual dysfunctions are SSRI-induced. Herbal compounds may have the power to counterbalance such sexual dysfunctions, though research is still scarce. Therefore, we assessed females with diagnosed MDD treated with a standard SSRI (sertraline) and reporting SSRI-induced sexual dysfunctions, and we asked whether compared to placebo, Aphrodite (a blend of ginger, saffron, cinnamon, thistle, and Tribulus terrestris ) may favorably impact on sexual dysfunctions, and on symptoms of depression, anxiety, and sleep disturbances. Materials and Methods: A total of 41 females (mean age: 35.05 years) with diagnosed MDD, treated with sertraline (a standard SSRI) at therapeutic dosages, and reporting SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction, were randomly assigned either to Aphrodite or to the placebo condition. At baseline and four and eight weeks later (study end), participants completed a series of self-rating questionnaires covering symptoms of sexual dysfunction, depression, anxiety, and sleep complaints. Results: Symptoms of sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety decreased over time, but more so in the Aphrodite condition, compared to the placebo condition (significant p -values and large effect sizes). Over time, sleep disturbances decreased irrespective of the study condition. Conclusions: The pattern of results suggests that compared to placebo, Aphrodite appeared to improve symptoms of sexual dysfunction, depression, and anxiety among females with diagnosed MDD and SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. Further and similar studies should investigate the underlying psychophysiological mechanisms.

Background: The aim of this study was to compare noise sensitivity (NS) in schizophrenic individuals with/without hallucinations and healthy individuals., Procedure: A retrospective (causal-comparative) study was conducted in three groups: (i) A group of individuals with schizophrenia and auditory hallucinations (14 participants), (ii) a group of schizophrenic individuals without auditory hallucinations (14 participants) selected by purposive sampling and (iii) a control group (19 participants) selected by convenience sampling. Schutte's Noise Sensitivity Questionnaire was used to measure NS. Analysis of Variance and Kruskal-Wallis tests were applied to compare the three groups. All the analyses were done using SPSS-20., Results: ANOVA results indicated that the groups were significantly different in terms of NS (p<0.001) and that NS was higher in groups whose participants were schizophrenic (119.64 and 102.36, respectively, in groups with or without auditory hallucinations) compared to that in the group with healthy individuals (94.79)., Conclusions: On the basis of this study, it became evident that patients with schizophrenia are more sensitive to noise than healthy individuals. The results also indicated that schizophrenic patients with auditory hallucinations are more sensitive to noise than those without auditory hallucinations., Competing Interests: None

Hospital staff members reported increased stress-related workload when caring for inpatients with COVID-19 ("frontline hospital staff members"). Here, we tested if depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with poor sleep and lower general health, and if social support mediated these associations. Furthermore, we compared current insomnia scores and general health scores with normative data. A total of 321 full-time frontline hospital staff members (mean age: 36.86; 58% females) took part in the study during the COVID-19 pandemic. They completed a series of questionnaires covering demographic and work-related information, symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, social support, self-efficacy, and symptoms of insomnia and general health. Higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress were associated with higher symptoms of insomnia and lower general health. Higher scores of depression, anxiety, and stress directly predicted higher insomnia scores and lower general health scores, while the indirect effect of social support was modest. Compared to normative data, full-time frontline hospital staff members had a 3.14 higher chance to complain about insomnia and a significantly lower general health. Symptoms of insomnia and general health were unrelated to age, job experience, educational level, and gender. Given this background, it appears that the working context had a lower impact on individuals' well-being compared to individual characteristics.

Background: Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is one of the most common gastrointestinal diseases, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is one of the main causes of this disease. The present study was aimed to investigate the prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS., Materials and Methods: The present research is a cross-sectional survey study. The research sample included 120 patients with IBS who referred to Imam Reza Hospital and gastrointestinal clinics in Kermanshah (Iran) in the 3 months of April, May, July in 2019 that were selected using the census sampling method, and demographic information, clinical and medical records were collected. Data analysis was performed using frequency, percentage, and Chi-square., Results: Among the patients who were studied, 58 of them (48.3%) were women and 62 (51.7%) were men, the results showed that the prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS was 14.96 and the symptoms of washing, checking, skepticism and slowness-repetition had the highest prevalence, respectively. These symptoms were more common in women than in men. There was also a significant relation between OCD prevalence in patients with IBS and with female gender, age-range 30-21 years, single, and history of OCD in the patient's immediate family and close relatives ( P < 0.05), but there was no significant relationship between OCD prevalence in patients with IBS and level of education, occupation, income status, and place of residence., Conclusion: Due to the high prevalence of OCD in patients with IBS, the interaction of gastroenterologists and psychiatrists to treat irritable bowel syndrome is very important., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2021 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) is a chronic psychiatric disorder with a modest treatment outcome. In addition, relapses are commonplace. Here, we sought to identify factors that predict relapse latency and frequency. To this end, we retrospectively analyzed data for individuals with SSD. Medical records of 401 individuals with SSD were analyzed (mean age: 25.51 years; 63.6% males) covering a five-year period. Univariate and multivariate Penalized Likelihood Models with Shared Log-Normal Frailty were used to determine the correlation between discharge time and relapse and to identify risk factors. A total of 683 relapses were observed in males, and 422 relapses in females. The Relapse Hazard Ratio (RHR) decreased with age (RHR = 0.99, CI: (0.98-0.998)) and with participants' adherence to pharmacological treatment (HR = 0.71, CI: 0.58-0.86). In contrast, RHR increased with a history of suicide attempts (HR = 1.32, CI: 1.09-1.60), and a gradual compared to a sudden onset of disease (HR = 1.45, CI: 1.02-2.05). Gender was not predictive. Data indicate that preventive and therapeutic interventions may be particularly important for individuals who are younger at disease onset, have a history of suicide attempts, have experienced a gradual onset of disease, and have difficulties adhering to medication.

Introduction: Given the close relationship between life style and mental health and the importance of students as valuable human resources, the present study aimed at determining the relationship between life style and mental health among medical students in Kermanshah., Methods: This is a descriptive-correlational study that was conducted in 2018. The study involved 200 medical students. The sampling method was convenience sampling. Demographic questionnaire, general health questionnaire, and life style questionnaire were used for data collection. The data were analyzed Pearson's correlation test and regression analysis. The significance level was considered 0.05., Results: The mean mental health score of the students was 25.43 ± 13.02 (2 points higher than the cutoff point of this test). The life style of 59.5 students was moderate. The results showed that all life style subscales had a negative significant relationship with the total mental health score and all its subscales ( P < 0.05). Among the life style subscales, the highest relationship and predictive power to mental health were obtained for psychological health, social health, sport and fitness, and environmental health ( R 2 = 0.48, P < 0.001)., Conclusion: According to the results, the life style of most medical students in the final year of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences was moderate. Further, the students had a better life style, and they had higher mental health. Therefore, considering the vital role of medical students in providing and promoting community health, the need for more detailed planning and interventions to improve their life style and mental health is essential., Competing Interests: There are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright: © 2020 Journal of Education and Health Promotion.)

Introduction Depression is one of the most important psychiatric disorders, and the rate of recurrence is high. The heavy cost burden of depression is probably due to treatment-resistant depression. The purpose of this study was to determine the effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). Method The present study was a quasi-experimental study conducted with twenty-four patients with treatment-resistant depression. Participants were selected by purposive sampling and randomly assigned to two groups, an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group received MBCT and antidepressants, while the control group received antidepressants only. The Hamilton and Beck Depression Inventory, Self-Compassion Scale, Thought Rumination Scale, and Mindfulness Scale were administered. The treatment program was conducted in eight sessions; with a follow-up period of one month subsequent to treatment termination. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics (mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (analysis of variance for repeated measures and Bonferroni's post-hoc test). Results The results showed that MBCT significantly reduced depression and ruminative thinking in the experimental group and also improved mediators such as mindfulness and self-compassion. Patients maintained gains over the one month follow-up period (p < 0.01). Conclusion The present study provides additional evidence for the effectiveness of MBCT for TRD.