Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms in mothers of children with cancer

Findings demonstrated that parents of children with cancer experience elevated levels of distress, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress symptoms, and subjective symptoms of stress. In this study, we determined effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy [MBCT] on reduction of depression and anxiety symptoms in mothers of children with cancer. Four mothers whose children had cancer were diagnosed to have depression and anxiety symptoms, using Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory II, and Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV. They were selected through purposeful sampling to participate in this experimental single-case study. After the baseline was determined, subjects attended an eight-session program of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. The comparison of baseline and post-test showed that depression and anxiety symptoms decreased through MBCT. Improvement quotient for depression and anxiety of each subject was good. Data showed that MBCT reduced depression and anxiety symptoms in mothers of children with cancer

Evaluating stigma among infertile men and women in Iran

Psycho-social aspects of physical disability may create more problems for the individual than the disability itself. The infertile may suffer from misjudgments or prejudices in different situations by their colleagues and relatives. All factors for this suffering can be evaluated in stigma settings which the infertile confront. In addition to these pathological settings, there are some opportunities which infertile people can enjoy for more adaptations with their social environments. The objective of this study was to become familiarized with different aspects of psycho- social life of the in fertile in the setting of Iranian culture. 268 fertile and infertile subjects were involved in this study from two different regions of Iran. Through a considerable number of interviews with infertile individuals in the pilot study, the styles of social interaction with people and also positive and negative constructs related to their social lives were recognized. Utilizing a suitable instrument [Repertory grid] and factor analysis of scores, disability factors concerning social aspects of infertility were discovered. Moreover, regression analysis and t-test [p<.05] were used for the analysis of the data. The statistical analysis including t-test, factor and regression analyses indicated that social comparison, as one of the sources for self, has an imminent role in the prediction of psychosocial adjustment of infertile individuals. Meanwhile, the infertile women showed more negative views in the elements "comparison with fertile people" and "my view toward infertility" but both fertile and infertile subjects did not show any significant differences in psychosocial adjustments. From the three sources of self-knowledge, social comparison, social feedback and self-observation, social comparison plays the first role and social feedback the second in the construction of stigma among infertile people. The results of this study showed the necessity of a health-oriented approach in the evaluation of psycho-social aspects of physical disability among infertile people and also the necessity of modifying and equalizing the functions of the three sources of self-knowledge through group therapy sessions

Stigma and infertility in Iran - coping skills

About fourty years ago Goffman [1963] in his book pointed at stigmatizing as distressing condition which harm some people in their life. He described stigma as bodily signs designed to expose something unusual and bad about the moral status of signifier. This term is used more to mean disgrace than any bodily feature, it can include the wide range of characteristics which make a person odd or seen deviant. Men or women with infertility face stigma because of unability to have their own children. In this article some factors which involve to make stigmatized situations for infertile persons have been described. Clinical observations shows that cognitive distortions has eminent effect in creating stigmatized situation for infertility. The role of cognitive modification in decreasing stigma for these persons are explained. A single case who suffered from stigmatized situation is described here and some CBT techniques for her treatment have been introduced. Some methods for stopping social pressure on infertile people suggested

Body image in fertile and infertile women

Various studies show that infertility treatment in addition to physical involvement, cause undesirable psychological reactions. One of these cases is disorder and change in mental body image. This research is a case control study with aim of determination of mental image of fertile and infertile women referring to health and infertility treatment centers selected in Tehran city in year of 2000. Observed persons were divided as group of women with fertility problems [test group] and group of fertile women [control group]. In this research, subjects as two groups of fertile and infertile were chosen from 5 Health centers namely: Panzdah Khordad, Hospitals of Shariati, Mirza Koochak Khan, Day and Saram Medical Center according to purposeful sampling. There were 100 persons in each group. Procedure of data gathering was with help of query form questionnaire of mental image of body, which was prepared with general construct procedure. This has been called mental structures list in Iran. Qualified fertile and infertile women were chosen from mentioned centers. A primary conversation was done with them regarding goals and ways of research. After their agreement, questionnaires were given to them. Then, considering score of each question, answers of fertile and infertile women were assessed and results were compared with help of statistical analysis methods. Information showed that studied mental image of fertile and infertile women were different from each other. In various elements of mental image [active body in isolation, real body, body in way which people see it, body in way which husband sees and knows it and body the way which family of husband see and know it], two groups had meaningful statistical differences [P < 0.05]. This means infertile women showed some degrees of mental image disorder. Self or body mental image can cause anxiety and depression. In this regard methods and behavioral techniques can control theses signs up great degrees