Efficacy of group logotherapy on decreasing anxiety in women with breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most incident cancer and the fifth cause of death due to malignancies among Iranian women. A strong breast cancer patients' sense of meaning and purpose in life appears to decrease anxiety in their life. The present study has investigated the effectiveness of group Logotherapy on the reduction of anxiety in women with breast cancer. The research was quasi-experimental with pre-test, post-test and control group. For this purpose, 30 patients with breast cancer were randomly divided into two experimental group and control group. Then, all patients completed the Beck Anxiety Inventory [BAI]. The experimental group received Logotherapy-based group counseling for eight sessions; however, the control group did not receive any specific training. In the end, both groups were tested again. After collecting the questionnaires, data was analyzed by the statistic software SPSS version 18 and using analysis of covariance. The research results showed that group Logotherapy was effective in reducing anxiety in women with breast cancer [p<0.005]. In other words, this intervention could reduce anxiety in the experimental group. The results suggest that in line with current medical treatment, psychosocial interventions can be used to reduce anxiety in the breast cancer patients

[Effect of gratitude strategies on positive affectivity, happiness and optimism]

The aim of this study was to find out if gratitude can increase positive affectivity, happiness and optimism in Iranians with low positive affectivity. In this quasi-experimental study, 636 students of three Iranian Universities [Shahed, Vliasr, and University of Sience and Culture] were chosen using pretest-posttest method. Then 96 low positive affect subjects were chosen. Finally, 62 subjects completed satisfaction form and were assigned randomly into seven groups [Gratitude and Neutral Strategies based on the Emmons, Seligman and Verbal-Action patterns, and a Control group], and received separate instructions in specific envelopes. The data required were collected Positive And Negative Affect Scale [PANAS], Oxford Happiness Questionnaire [OHQ], and Life Orientation Test [LOT]. Then the data of 50 participants were analyzed with Kruskal-Wallis and Mann-Whitney U statistical methods. The results showed significant increase in positive affects by Seligman and V-A strategies [p=0.20], and increase in happiness by Emmons, Seligman and V-A strategies [p=0.04]. The results confirmed the effect of the above three training strategies on the expansion of positive affectivity and happiness

effectiveness of emotion regulation training and cognitive therapy on the emotional and addictional problems of substance abusers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of emotional regulation training group therapy, based on Dialectical Behavioral Therapy [DBT] and Cognitive Therapy, on improving emotional regulation and distress tolerance skills and relapse prevention in addicts. In a quasiexperimental study, 39 patients with the diagnosis of opioid dependence based on DSM-IV criteria were randomly assigned in to two experimental and one control groups. The experimental groups took 10 ninety-minute sessions of group therapy. The subjects were evaluated using the Opiate Treatment Index [OPI], General Health Questionnaire-28 [GHQ-28], and Distress Tolerance and Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scales prior to the start of treatment, and at the sixteenth session. The control group did not take group therapy and was merely treated with naltrexone. Data were analyzed using repeated measures ANOVA and x[2] test. Scheffe test showed that both emotion regulation training and cognitive therapy were more effective than naltrexone increasing distress tolerance, emotion regulation enhancement, and decreasing the amount of drug abuse, health improvement, social functioning, somatic symptoms, anxiety, social dysfunction and depression enhancement[P<0.05]. In addition, emotion regulation training was more effective than cognitive therapy, increasing distress tolerance and emotional regulation enhancement [p<0.05]. It seems that DBT skill training increase the effectiveness of pharmacotherapy and is more effective than cognitive therapy