Study of factors of Marriage motivation among single people with and without visual Impairment

Talking about needs, it means to consider the reasons of human behavior. Because such behavior starts with one or several needs which will cause to develop different societies according to the degree of civilization, and also social-cultural factors treat differently with blinds, so these different circumstances can create different needs and motivation for them. On this basis, in order to measure marriage motivation, a, questionnaire made by researcher using Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which contains 45 questions. The participants consisted of 76 blind [In Isfahan, by using stratified sampling method] and 76 normal. The two groups in respect to age, sex, education level employment and income level were matched. Statistical analysis of results showed that a significant difference exists in respect and self-sufficient factors of marriage motivation between two groups [P<0.05]. With respect to the results, it seems that blind people contrary to relatively deprivation that they face, willing to act upon their own internal values. Therefore any problem in their marriage motivation can be due to their interactions with others

Efficacy of different methods in decreasing the students' tendency towards smoking

Smoking is the first cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the world. This study aimed to compare different methods in reducing the students' tendency towards smoking. This semi-experimental study comprised all 7th grade students studying in middle schools throughout Iran in the year 2005-2006. Students were divided into 4 groups three study groups [social skills training, increasing knowledge and poster presentation] and 1 control group. Sampling method used was multi-phase cluster. The country was geographically divided into 5 districts [north, south, east, west and central] and the provinces were selected randomly. A questionnaire was used to collect the data. These questionnaires were designed to evaluate the attitude and knowledge of students with regard to smoking and complications. A total of 2911 students with the mean age of 13 years were studied out of which 7.4% were smokers. There were significant differences between the study groups and the control group regarding the attitude and knowledge about the hazards of smoking and abuse of illicit substances. In other words, among the study groups, social skills training, building knowledge and poster presentation had the best results, respectively. In evaluating the preventive methods, social skills training group had the most negative attitude and the highest level of knowledge concerning the disadvantages and hazards of smoking and use of illegal substances. The greatest decrease in smoking was also observed in this group. Social skills training can be an effective preventive measure to control smoking by emphasizing self-respect, problem-solving skills and self restraint

Assessment of the amount of knowledge and attitude of Tehran high school students regarding tuberculosis

Tuberculosis [TB] is a chronic infectious disease which is still a global health hazard. With the emergence of new more effective drugs, tuberculosis was expected to be completely eradicated; but, global reports show results to the contrary. It seems that, in addition to drug regimens, individual health and social factors, should be taken into consideration. This is not achievable except by increasing the knowledge and creating a positive attitude towards this disease. The aim of this study was to evaluate the level of knowledge and attitude of high school students regarding TB in twenty-two areas of Tehran. A stratified, random sampling was performed in which 22 educational districts of Tehran were divided into five geographical areas [North, South, East, West and Central]. Two educational districts were chosen from each geographical area out of which four high schools [2 boys and 2 girls high schools] were selected. In each high school, 40 to 45 9[th], 10[th] and 11[th]-grade students were selected as the study group. A total of 5000 students were enrolled in this study and data were collected by face- to face interview and questionnaire. This study showed that the knowledge level of students regarding TB was low and they also, had a negative attitude towards tuberculosis [especially boys]. There was a positive relationship between the attitude and knowledge of students towards TB. The knowledge level decreased as the educational level increased. Considering the direct correlation of attitude and knowledge and also the important role of attitude in preventive behaviours, increasing the knowledge of adolescents about tuberculosis seems to be essential. This aim can be achieved by establishing national tuberculosis control committee and scheduling programs for general education of all students of the country in this regard

[Frequency of patterns of obsessive - compulsive symptoms]

Since the obsessive compulsive symptoms have cultural themes, understanding their frequency and variety in our society can help with more diagnosing it more precisely and setting clearer therapeutic goals. In a cross-sectional research, 61 patients with obsessive - compulsive disorder [23 males, 38 females] were selected by convenience sampling, and diversity and severity of their symptoms were measured using Yale - Brown scale. Subjects were clients at Tohid psychiatry and counseling center, and a private office, and the diagnoses were made by a psychiatrist [based on DSM-IV-IR]. This study showed that the obsessive thought mostly included contamination and aggregation, and contamination was significantly different in men and women. Compulsions were mostly checking and washing, with marked difference between the genders. There was a significant association between level of education and of contamination and somatic obsessions. Single and married patients were different only in contamination and counting significantly. Patients with obsessive - compulsive disorder have distinction symptomatologic and demographic features, but can be explained cultural varieties. This has major diagnostic and clinical implications in obsessive - compulsive disorder