Association Between Striae and Pelvic Organ Prolapse in Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

INTRODUCTION AND HYPOTHESIS: The high prevalence of pelvic organ prolapse (POP) and related complications shows the necessity of early identification of risk factors. It is considered that striae and POP share a similar physiopathology. However, the link between the two is still inconclusive and requires further investigation. We conducted this study to evaluate the association between striae and POP. METHODS: Databases such as PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar were searched to find relevant literature from inception up to May 2023. Full-text articles published in English or other languages and observational studies were included. The statistical analysis was performed using STATA 14.2. The random effects model was performed and heterogeneity was ≥ 50%. Statistical tools such as the Chi-squared test and the I2 index were used to calculate the level of heterogeneity among studies. Additionally, we utilized Funnel plots and Egger tests to assess the presence of publication bias. RESULTS: Seven studies were selected for meta-analysis, yielding a total of 605 patients and 660 control subjects, to assess the link between striae and POP. The overall pooled odds ratio (OR) was 2.08 (95% confidence interval 1.04-4.19, I2 = 80.40%). Our analysis revealed a strong relationship between POP and striae (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: This study recommends that stretch marks may be used as a helpful indicator of the risk for POP. Evaluation of striae as a risk factor and screening tool for detecting women at risk for the development of POP should be addressed in future well-designed studies. However, there is a need for high-quality studies in this field owing to the low quality of evidence.

Evaluation of carcinogenic risk of heavy metals due to consumption of rice in Southwestern Iran.

Pollution by heavy metals is a serious global problem due to its toxicity, abiotic characteristics, abundant sources, and cumulative behavior. On the other hand, considering the importance of rice consumption as an important part of nutrition in Lordegan and Ahvaz cities, this study was conducted to evaluate the carcinogenic risk of heavy metals lead, cadmium, zinc, nickel and in local Champa rice cultivated in these two cities. 16 Champa rice samples were collected from the fields of Lordegan and Ahvaz cities. The elements were read in three replicates by Varian 710-ES atomic emission device. The results showed that the concentration of cadmium and nickel in the cultivated rice in the two studied cities was within the range of the national standard of Iran and the Codex standard. Carcinogenic risk values for lead, cadmium and nickel in Champa Lordegan and Ahvaz rice were within the safe range. Also, the non-carcinogenic risk for these heavy metals in the two studied areas was less than 1 and was in the safe range. Rice pollution in Champa in Ahvaz can be due to the industrial nature of this city, and in Lordegan, it is due to pollution through pesticides, chemical fertilizers, and transportation. Long-term consumption of contaminated rice may endanger the health of residents of these areas. It is recommended to carry out regular and up-to-date monitoring strategies in these two cities to prevent the entry of these toxic heavy metals into the human food chain. Also, more studies are needed to evaluate the complete scenario and make definitive decisions.

Factors Influencing Weight Management in Pregnant Women with Overweight or Obesity: A Meta-Synthesis of Qualitative Studies.

BACKGROUND: Overweight and obesity have multiple negative consequences for the health of both the mother and the child. Interventions to prevent excessive weight gain during pregnancy have had varying success, and the proportion of pregnant women who exceed national guidelines for weight gain continues to increase. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of factors on weight management among pregnant women with overweight or obesity. METHODS: This meta-synthesis of qualitative studies involved searching databases PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, Scopus, and Web of Science. The databases were searched on October 4, 2022, and the search was updated on April 21, 2023. The screening of titles, abstracts, and full texts was conducted utilizing Covidence software. The quality assessment of the articles was performed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist. The Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research statement was used to enhance transparency in reporting. A meta-aggregation approach was used to guide the data extraction and synthesis. RESULTS: A total of 46 studies with appropriate Critical Appraisal Skills Programme scores were included for qualitative synthesis. Findings were extracted and integrated into 4 themes: psychological factors (personally driven negative emotions and society-driven negative emotions), social factors (societal attitudes and beliefs and social support resources), factors related to education and counseling (information provision and communication), and factors associated with effective care (provided care components and the method of providing effective care). CONCLUSIONS: To improve weight management during pregnancy, health care providers should provide tailored and individualized recommendations that take into consideration the factors influencing these women.

Investigating the relationship between organizational health and burnout and job stress among midwives working in hospitals in 2020.

BACKGROUND: Despite the prominent role of midwives in improving the health of women and families, limited studies have been conducted in the occupational and organizational field and their role on the performance of this group. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between organizational health, burnout, and job stress among midwives working in hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a cross-sectional descriptive-analytical study, which was conducted with available sampling method on 159 midwives working in hospitals affiliated to Shahrekord University of Medical Sciences in 2020. Data collection tools were: Demographic Questionnaire, Modified Hoy and Feldman Organizational Health Questionnaire, Job Stress Questionnaire, Maslach Questionnaire to measure job burnout. Finally, the obtained data were analyzed with descriptive and analytical statistical tests (Pearson). RESULTS: The findings of the study showed that 70.4% of the participants had moderate to severe job stress and 70.4% of the participants had moderate level of organizational health and 79.9% suffered from job burnout. The results of structural equations showed that organizational health has an inverse and significant relationship with job stress (P < 0.001, ß = -0.45) and job burnout (P = 0.002, ß = -0.33). CONCLUSION: Organizational health has an inverse and significant relationship with job stress and job burnout. The findings of this study can be useful in planning and organizational policies for midwifery professionals. It also conveys the importance of extensive studies and planning to reduce stress and burnout and then improve organizational health. As a result, it can improve the performance and productivity, and as a result, improve the health of midwives and patients under their care and, consequently, the health of the society.

Relationship Between Arsenic in Biological Media and Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Arsenic (As) is an environmental pollutant with carcinogenic effects and breast cancer (BC) is a prevalent malignant tumor in women. The goal of this meta-analysis was to establish a connection between biological sample As levels and the risk of developing BC. Pub Med, Web of Science, Scopus, and Elsevier were used to systematically screen the literature published between 1990 and 2023. The Newcastle-Ottawa scale was also used in assessing the quality of publications. A random-effects model was used to assess the pertinent data that was gleaned from these articles. Using the I2 index the heterogeneity of studies was performed. Egger's test and funnel plots were used to look at publication bias. We identified 16 epidemiologic studies that included 2713 women with BC and 5347 healthy individuals. The results showed that the difference between the case group and the control group was 0.72 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.30 to 1.14]. According to subgroup analysis, the value for blood was 0.18 [95% CI 0.01 to 0.35], whereas the value for hair was 3.08 [95% CI 0.19 to 5.97]. The present meta-analysis suggested that As levels were significantly higher in BC patients than in controls. This systematic review and meta-analysis provide evidence supporting a positive relationship between arsenic levels in biological media and BC risk. These findings highlight the importance of further research to investigate the mechanisms of this association and explore potential preventive strategies to reduce the adverse effects of arsenic exposure on BC.

The concentration of phthalates in drinking water in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PAE and PC polymers, such as BPA, are utilized to make water bottles. Due to the lack of polymer-chemical interaction, PAE can enter drinking bottles during production, wrapping, and keeping. Phthalates can transfer from the bottle to the water depending on keeping conditions (temperature, time, sunlight intensity), pH, and bottle capacity. Since there haven't been previous studies published on the subject, the aim of this meta-analysis and systematic review research is to determine the level of phthalates in drinking water consumed in Iranian cities. Web of Science, Science of Direct, Scopus, and PubMed, databases have been used in this study. Eight studies were selected from 556 initial publications after screening for duplication and irrelevant information. Articles from January 1, 2000, to February 10, 2024, were found in the mentioned databases. Among the types of phthalates, the concentration of DEHP was reported higher than the others Because its concentration has been reported in seven out of eight studies. The highest concentration of DEHP was reported by Mehraie(2.22 µg/l), Zare Jeddi (0.8 µg/l), Yousefi (0.77 µg/l), Abtahi (0.76 µg/l), Zare Jeddi (0.42 µg/l), Abdolahnejad(0.15 µg/l), and Pourzamani (0.08 µg/l). The highest concentration of DEP, DBP, BBP, and PA was reported by Abtahi (0.77 µg/l) and Esteki (2.25 µg/l), Mehraie(0.93 µg/l), and Pourzamani (0.83 µg/l). The results of this study showed that the most important phthalates measured in drinking water include DEP, DEHP, DBP, BBP, and PA. According to the results of the present studies, the most important factor in the increase of phthalates is the storage conditions of drinking water (temperature, sunlight, and the type of pipe or bottle).

Iranian adaptation of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ): Validity, reliability, discriminant ability, and sex invariance.

INTRODUCTION: Epistemic trust, or trust in transmitted knowledge, has been proposed as a critical factor in psychopathology and psychotherapy. This study aimed at evaluating the psychometric properties of the Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity Questionnaire (ETMCQ) in Iran. METHOD: Data were collected from 906 participants. Along with the ETMCQ, measures of mentalizing, mindfulness, perspective-taking, attachment, emotion dysregulation, and borderline personality disorder were administered. Confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling (ESEM) were used to determine factorial structure. RESULTS: The ESEM model showed an acceptable fit and outperformed the confirmatory model. A 14-item version of the ETMCQ was retained after examining item performance. Our findings also established criterion-related validity for mistrust and credulity, an acceptable internal consistency for credulity, discriminant power for mistrust and credulity in detecting positive screens for borderline personality disorder, and measurement invariance across sexes. CONCLUSION: This study provides evidence for the cross-cultural applicability of the ETMCQ. Nonetheless, the validity of the trust and internal consistency of the mistrust subscale require particular attention in future research.

Using the health beliefs model to implement mobile puberty health education in Iranian adolescent boys: a randomized controlled trial.

Introduction: Given boys' low health knowledge and their unhealthy behavior during puberty, which can cause many physical, mental, and psychological problems, it is important to prevent these complications. This study was therefore aimed to determine the efficacy of a mobile health educational intervention based on the Health Beliefs Model (HBM) on Iranian adolescent boys. Materials and methods: This randomized controlled trial involved junior high school boys (n = 148) in Iran studying during the 2020-2021 school year. Educational content concerning healthy behaviors during puberty (e.g., the importance of bathing) was developed based on HBM and sent to the intervention group via mobile phone. HBM addresses multiple factors (e.g., perceived disease risk) that explain health behaviors. The intervention was delivered in five sessions over four weeks using real-time Internet communication and texting. The control group did not receive any intervention. One school was randomly selected from each of the four districts of the study site. The schools were then randomized into intervention and control groups. The boys were then randomly selected from each school to participate in the study. Data collected at baseline and 2-month follow-up assessments included demographic information, health knowledge (e.g., physical changes during puberty), health behaviors (e.g., bathing), and HBM constructs (e.g., self-efficacy to perform healthy behaviors). Data analysis was done using the chi-square, independent and paired t-tests, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA). Results: The two groups did not differ in terms of demographic characteristics. Before the intervention, the two groups were slightly different in terms of knowledge, health behavior, and HBM constructs. Following the intervention, the scores of the intervention group improved significantly (p < 0.05). After adjusting for pre-intervention knowledge, HBM, and health behavior scores, the intervention group remained superior to the control group in terms of improvement of knowledge, HBM constructs, and healthy behaviors (p < 0.05). Effect sizes ranged from medium to large (0.25-0.86). Conclusion: Mobile phone education based on the HBM is efficacious in encouraging healthy behavior in boys during puberty. Organizations interested in encouraging healthy behaviors in boys should consider the use of such a program.

Relations among Memories of Parental Acceptance-Rejection, Psychological (Mal)Adjustment, Forgiveness, and Vengeance among Iranian Adults.

The study investigated relations among adults' memories of parental acceptance-rejection in childhood and adults' current dispositions toward forgiveness and vengeance, as mediated by psychological (mal)adjustment. Data were collected from 258 adults (female = 183, Age range = 17-47 years; Mage = 39; SD = 11.4). Measures used were the short forms of the maternal and paternal Adult Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaires (PARQ), the short form of the Adult Personality Assessment Questionnaire (PAQ), the Heartland Forgiveness Scale (HFS), the Vengeance Scale (VS-10), and a Personal Information Form (PIF). Results showed that maternal and paternal rejection was positively associated with psychological maladjustment and negatively correlated with forgiveness for both men and women. Moreover, psychological maladjustment showed a negative relation with forgiveness and a positive relation with vengeance. Findings revealed that parental (maternal and paternal) rejection was not significantly associated with vengeance for men. However, maternal (not paternal) rejection was significantly associated with a vengeance for women. Path analysis revealed a significant indirect effect of maternal and paternal rejection on forgiveness and vengeance through psychological maladjustment. Results found no significant gender differences in the path analyses. Findings are discussed considering the Iranian culture and religious beliefs. Implications of the results and future research directions are discussed.

Ecological risk assessment of heavy metals in urban dust in Iran: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Heavy metals in street dust are one of the most important sources of pollutants in urban areas. This urban dust can be caused by industrial activities, traffic, erosion of buildings, and fossil fuels. The aim of this systematic review is to evaluate the ecological risk of heavy metals in the dust of Iran's provinces. Methods: This study was conducted in February 2023 in order to investigate the environmental risks associated with heavy metals associated with dust particles in Iran. The present study was conducted based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Finally, 9 studies were extracted from the search databases. Results: The ecological risk of heavy metals in the present study was as follows: Cd (258.26؛ CI: 83.53, 433) >Pb (52.58؛ CI: 37.15, 68.02) >Cu (24.44؛ CI: 16.74, 32.14)>Ni (14.75؛ CI: 12.68, 16.82)>As (13.53؛ CI: 10.20, 16.85)>Zn (6.32؛ CI: 3.76, 8.87)>V (3.18؛ CI: 2.65, 3.72)>Cr (2.73؛ CI: 2.19, 3.27)>Co (1.94؛ CI: 1.13, 2.74). The mean ranking of the studied Pb ecological risk is as follows: Shiraz.> Tehran > Ahvaz > Ilam > Abadan > Dezful. Conclusion: The ecological risk potential of Cd in Tehran was also much higher than the standard. Therefore, Tehran was the most polluted city studied in terms of the ecological risk potential of Cd (1611.41؛ CI: 1605.98, 1616.84) and Pb (86.54؛ CI: 71.46, 101.62). The average concentration as well as the ecological risk of Cr, Co, and V metals were lower than the standard. Therefore, controlling the sources of heavy metal emissions (especially lead and cadmium) is highly recommended.

Improving self-management and diabetes indicators in adolescents with type 1 diabetes through self-care education.

Introduction: The frequency of type 1 diabetes (T1D) as one of the most prevalent endocrine disease in adolescents is increasing globally. This type of diabetes is a progressive degeneration ß cells of the islets of Langerhans, which decreases insulin production and causes permanent dependence on insulin injection. It is essential to control diabetes in adolescents and increase awareness about the effective factors (self-care) on the health of adolescents with diabetes. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of self-care training intervention on self-management subscales and some diabetes indicators (glycosylated hemoglobin level and fasting blood sugar) in adolescents with T1D. Materials and Methods: This study was conducted on 50 adolescents with T1D, who were referred to the Diabetes Clinic of Golestan Hospital, aged 12 to 18 and selected for this semi-experimental intervention and case-control study by the census. Six one-hour self-help sessions were held for adolescents and their parents. The data collection tools were the Adolescent Self-Care Questionnaire and the Diabetes Index Form for T1D (SMOD-A), used before and three months after the intervention. Chi-square, t-pair tests, and SPSS software version 23 were utilized for statistical data analysis. Results: There was no significant difference between the case and control group regarding gender, age, race, course of the disease, education level, and family history of diabetes (P = 0.771, 0.551, 0.074, and 0.111, respectively). Three months after the intervention, a significant increase was observed in all subscales of self-management and total self-management (P < 001), and a significant decrease was seen in fasting blood sugar (P = 0.001) and glycosylated hemoglobin changes (P = 0.001). Conclusion: Based on the results, training adolescents through a T1D self-care program effectively improved their overall and subscale self-management and reduced fasting glucose and HbA1c levels.

The relationship of pre-pregnancy body mass index with maternal anthropometric indices, weight retention and the baby's weight and nutrition in the first 6 months post-partum.

PURPOSE: Pre-pregnancy body fat mass is one of the important indicators of the mother's and the infant's health. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to investigate relationship of pre-pregnancy body mass index (PPBMI) with maternal anthropometric indices and weight retention as well as the baby's weight and nutrition in the first 6 months post-partum. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a prospective cohort study including 397 mothers giving birth to healthy babies and referring to health centers in Ahvaz (southwest of Iran) in 2022. The following data were extracted from the participants' electronic record: body mass index (BMI) before or at the beginning of pregnancy, gestational weight gain, and weight at the time of delivery. In addition to demographic information, the following data were also evaluated: maternal anthropometric indices including weight, hip and waist circumference, and conicity index during the first 10 days post-partum, along with the weight and nutrition pattern of the baby 2, 4 and 6 months post-partum. RESULTS: The mean age of the mothers was 29.96±5.7 years. The frequency of mothers according to BMI classification (i.e., underweight, normal, overweight, and obese) was 4.3%, 38.5%, 37%, and 20.3%, respectively. In this study, PPBMI had a significant relationship with decreasive changes of weight, waist and hip circumferen and conicity index after child birth, 2, 4 and 6 months post-partum (P<0.05) but the mean reduction of these anthropoemetric indices at 6th month postpartum were not related to PPBMI (P>0.05). However, this relationship was not significant when it came to the weight of the baby (P > .05). The lowest reduction in weight, waist and hip circumference and conicity index belonged to overweight mothers but the highest frequency of mothers with excesive gestational weight gain, the lowest frequency of breastfeeding until 6 months and also the lowest values of postpartum weight retention were observed in obese mothers (P<0.05). CONCLUSION: According to the findings of this study, the decrease in anthropometric indices up to 6 months after delivery in overweight mothers is less than other BMI groups, but the consequences related to weight and nutrition in infants of obese mothers need special attention. Also, the results re-emphasize the importance of focusing on provision of educational and counseling services to mothers in order to improve their nutrition and weight, especially before pregnancy.

Shame-coping clusters: comparisons regarding attachment insecurities, mentalizing deficits, and personality pathology, controlling for general emotion dysregulation.

BACKGROUND: General Emotion Dysregulation (GED) is increasingly implicated as an underlying factor in personality pathology; however, the regulation of specific emotions, such as shame, has been relatively overlooked in the literature. We aimed to identify distinct clusters of shame-coping/regulation and compare them regarding attachment insecurities, mentalizing deficits, and personality pathology, controlling for GED. METHODS: A convenience sample of 600 participants (351 females and 249 males) from the general population with ages ranging from 18 to 65 (M = 33.78, SD = 12.80) completed a battery of self-report instruments, measuring shame-coping styles, GED, attachment insecurities, mentalizing deficits, criteria A and B of the alternative model for personality disorders, and borderline personality traits. A two-stage clustering method was employed, with shame-coping styles as the clustering variables. The identified clusters were then compared for their effects on dependent variables using multivariate and univariate analyses. These comparisons were also performed after controlling for GED. RESULTS: Multiple determination methods suggested a two-cluster solution: maladaptive and adaptive shame-coping. Attack-self, withdrawal, and attack-other styles were the main discriminators. Compared with the adaptive cluster, the maladaptive cluster was characterized by higher use of maladaptive and lower use of adaptive shame-coping styles. Multivariate analyses demonstrated significant differences for all the between-cluster comparisons, with and without GED as the covariate (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: The current study provides evidence for the presence of homogenous clusters of shame-coping in community-based adults. Between-cluster contrasts after controlling for GED suggest that addressing shame-coping could have incremental utility over and above GED.

Effect of Tele-Medicine on Health Anxiety and Pregnancy-Related Anxiety in Pregnant Women during the COVID-19 Epidemic in Iran.

Background: The global spread of the new coronavirus has increased the necessity of innovations to increase the quality of health care. This study was intended to examine the impact of tele-medicine on health anxiety and pregnancy-related anxiety in pregnant women during the COVID-19 epidemic in Iran. Materials and Methods: This quasi-experimental study was performed between March and May 2020. Sampling was done using multi-stage random sampling method. A total of 104 pregnant women were in two groups (intervention: n = 52, control: n = 52). Data were collected using a demographic and obstetric information questionnaire, the Health Anxiety Questionnaire, and Van den Bergh's Pregnancy-Related Anxiety Questionnaire. The intervention group received counseling services for 2 months by researchers through telephone conversations, text messages, and applications such as WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram. In addition to routine pregnancy care, they could contact the researchers by phone and receive the necessary advice in case of any questions, ambiguities, or problems. The control group included pregnant women who received only routine pregnancy care. Results: After the intervention, health anxiety scores of pregnant women in the control group were significantly higher than those of the experimental group (t98 = 13.54, p < 0.001). Also, the mean (SD) scores of pregnancy-related anxiety in the control group were significantly higher compared with the intervention group (t98 = 3.80, p < 0.001). Conclusions: Using tele-medicine, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic can reduce unnecessary referrals of pregnant women to medical centers and their risk of developing the disease, on the one hand, and by reducing women's anxiety, however, it can improve psychological consequences.

Psoriasis Associated Hub Genes Revealed by Weighted Gene Co-Expression Network Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: Psoriasis, an immune-mediated disorder, is a multifactorial disease with unidentified cause(s). This study aimed to discover possible biomarkers of this papulosquamous skin disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The gene chip GSE55201, resulted from an experimental study, including 44 Psoriasis patients and 30 healthy controls was downloaded from GEO and weighted gene co-expression network analysis was utilized to identify hub genes. Key modules were determined using the module eigenvalues. We used biological functions (BFs), cellular components, and molecular functions in the Gene Ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes enrichment analysis in the gene metabolic pathway were used for enrichment analysis. RESULTS: Adjacency matrix was built by using power adjacency function and the power to turn the correlation to adjacency matrix was four with a topology fit index of 0.92. Using the weighted gene co-expression network analysis, 11 modules were identified. The green-yellow module eigenvalues were significantly associated with Psoriasis (Pearson correlation=0.53, P<0.001). Candidate hub genes were determined by their higher connectivity and relationship with module eigenvalue. The genes including SIGLEC8, IL5RA, CCR3, RNASE2, CPA3, GATA2, c-KIT, and PRSS33 were recorded as the hub genes. CONCLUSION: We can conclude that SIGLEC8, IL5RA, CCR3, RNASE2, CPA3, GATA2, c-KIT, and PRSS33 have an important role in the immune response regulation and they could be considered as a potential diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target for Psoriasis.

Investigating the effect of Swedish massage with chamomile oil on labor pain and anxiety of primiparous women: A clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Labor pain and fear of childbirth increase anxiety and stress in pregnant women. Therefore, the present study was conducted with the aim of determining the effect of Swedish massage with chamomile oil on pain and anxiety in a clinical trial. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The present study is a clinical trial on 159 women who were referred to 22 Bahman Hospital in Masjid Sulaiman City in 2021. The samples were randomly divided into three groups (Swedish massage with and without chamomile oil and control group). Pain intensity was assessed using the McGill Pain Scale and anxiety was assessed using the Vandenberg Anxiety Questionnaire. The data were analyzed with SPSS-20 software at a significance level of 0.05. Descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (Chi-square, Fisher's exact, analysis of variance, and paired t) were used for data analysis. RESULTS: There were no significant statistical differences between the three groups in terms of obstetric and demographic information (P > 0.05). There was no significant relationship between the studied groups before the intervention in terms of labor pain intensity (P = 0.9) and anxiety (P-value = 0.426). After the intervention, the intensity of labor pain and mother's anxiety was significantly lower in the two intervention groups compared to the control group, and it was lower in the Swedish massage group with chamomile oil than the other two groups (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: In the present study, Swedish massage with and without chamomile oil led to a decrease in pain intensity and anxiety. As a result, this method can be used as an effective method to reduce the intensity of pain and anxiety of pregnant mothers.

The effect of non-verbal music on anxiety in hospitalized children.

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the positive effect of non-pharmacological methods such as listening to music in reducing the level of anxiety of hospitalized patients has been reported. This study aimed to determine the effect of non-verbal music on anxiety in hospitalized children. METHODS: In this study, 52 hospitalized children aged 6 to 12 years were randomly divided into Test and control groups. Research data collection tools included the Spielberger questionnaire to assess the level of anxiety in children. Statistical analysis of data was performed using Chi-square and t-tests by SPSS 23 software. RESULTS: Daily listening to non-verbal music for 20 minutes after the second and third days significantly reduced the anxiety score and the number of breaths per minute of hospitalized children (P ≤ 0.01). The trend of changes in anxiety score was measured for three consecutive days and vital signs except body temperature decreased significantly in the test group (P ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSION: According to the results of this study, listening to non-verbal music by hospitalized children can be used as an effective practical method to reduce the level of anxiety and subsequently reduce vital signs.

Mentalization Scale (MentS): Validity and reliability of the Iranian version in a sample of nonclinical adults.

INTRODUCTION: Mentalizing incapacity is increasingly identified as a common factor in psychopathology. The Mentalization Scale (MentS) is a cost-effective measure built upon the dimensional model of mentalizing. We aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Iranian version of MentS. METHODS: Two samples of community-based adults (N1  = 450, N2  = 445) completed different batteries of self-report measures. In addition to MentS, participants completed measures of reflective functioning and attachment insecurities in the first sample and a measure of emotion dysregulation in the second sample. RESULTS: Due to the conflicting results of confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses, an item-parceling approach was applied, which replicated the original three-factor structure of MentS, yielding Self-Related Mentalization, Other-Related Mentalization, and Motivation to Mentalize. The reliability and convergent validity of MentS were supported in both samples. CONCLUSION: Our findings provided preliminary evidence for using the Iranian version of MentS in nonclinical populations as a reliable and valid measure.