Farhad Ghadiri Sourman Abadi; karim abdolmohamadi; Asgar Alimohamadi
Abstract
The study was aimed to compare social isolation and psychological well-being in students with specific learning disabilities and normal. The current research was descriptive and the causal-comparative type of research. The statistical population of the present study included all students with learning ...
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The study was aimed to compare social isolation and psychological well-being in students with specific learning disabilities and normal. The current research was descriptive and the causal-comparative type of research. The statistical population of the present study included all students with learning disabilities and normal students of Urmia city in the academic year of 2022-2023. A sample of 34 people (17 students with Specific learning disabilities and 17 normal students) were selected for each group using targeted sampling. The group of students with learning disabilities was diagnosed by the teacher and by a specialist in psychology and education of children with special needs. Social Isolation Assessment Questionnaire of Asher et al., (1984) and Sterling's Children's Well-Being Questionnaire were used to collect data. Analysis of covariance test was used to analyze the data. The results of the research showed that there is a significant difference between the social isolation and mental well-being of students with specific learning disabilities and normal students (P<0.05). Therefore, it can be said that students with specific learning disabilities need to receive effective interventions to improve social isolation and well-being.
karim abdolmohamadi; farhad ghadiri
Abstract
Abstract
Depression is a mood disorder that results in persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. The purpose of this study was to compare the executive functions and sluggish cognitive tempo of individuals with depressive disorder to those who are normal. The present study utilized a descriptive ...
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Abstract
Depression is a mood disorder that results in persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest. The purpose of this study was to compare the executive functions and sluggish cognitive tempo of individuals with depressive disorder to those who are normal. The present study utilized a descriptive causal-comparative method. The statistical population consisted of clients with depression disorder who visited Health Centers in Tabriz city. A total of 100 participants were selected to take part in the research. The executive skills questionnaire (Strait et al., 2019), Sluggish Cognitive Tempo questionnaire (Beker et al., 2017), and the depression screening questionnaire (PHQ-9) were used to collect data. The results of the multivariate analysis of variance indicated that individuals with depression exhibited weaker performance in all components of executive functions (planning, time management, emotion regulation, organization, and behavior regulation) compared to the healthy group (p < 0.001). Additionally, the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo component was significantly higher in depressed individuals than in normal individuals (p < 0.001). Therefore, based on the findings of this study, it can be concluded that individuals with depression experience serious deficiencies in executive functions and encounter more problems in the Sluggish Cognitive Tempo component than the healthy group.
Extended Abstract
Introduction
Major depressive disorder is a widespread psychological disorder that affects public health worldwide (Vancappel et al, 2021). Studies have shown that depression is related to deficits in executive functions (Hawkey, 2017; Wagner et al, 2012), wich means people with major depressive disorder show more deficits in executive functions (LeMoult & Gotlib, 2019). Executive functions are a set of skills that enable individuals to plan and meet goals, self-regulate, and stay focused in face of distractions (Abdolmohammadi et al, 2019). Slow cognitive tempo is a relatively new clinical construct that refers to symptoms such as lethargy, daydreaming, sleepiness, mental confusion, and slow thinking and behavior (Becker, 2021; Bernad et al, 2016). However, research on Slow Cognitive Tempo (SCT) as a separate disorder from Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (AD/HD) has not been well-established for people with depressive disorder. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to compare levels of executive functions and Slow Cognitive Tempo between two groups: those with depressive disorder and those without.
Literature Review
Researches have reported that individuals with depression who have more deficits in their executive functions tend to experience more resistance in the treatment process (López-Sola et al, 2020), leading to more challenging treatment outcomes. While some studies have showed a link between executive functions and depression, others have produced conflicting results. For example, Nakano et al (2008) and Pardo et al (2006) both found no significant difference between the executive functions of depressed and non-depressed individuals. Despite this ambiguity, research has shown a strong connection between major depressive disorder and slow cognitive rhythm disorder (Bernad et al, 2016), leading to the hypothesis that cognitive tempo disorder may be a distinct clinical construct worth investigating, particularly in the context of depression. However, Burns et al (2013) suggested through their research that cognitive tempo disorder and major depressive disorder are two unrelated disorders that should be treated separately. Overall, while there is evidence supporting the relationship between executive functions and depression, more consistent and robust research is needed to understand the extent of this connection.
Methodology
The present study adopted a descriptive causal-comparative method. A total of 100 participants with depression disorder who were clients of the health centers in Tabriz city were selected. The Executive Skills Questionnaire, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo Questionnaire, and Depression Screening Questionnaire (PHQ-9), were used to collect data.
Results
The results obtained from univariate analysis of variance show two groups with depressive disorder and healthy in terms of sub-components of functions, with depressive disorder and healthy in terms of sub-components of implementation functions (planning, time management, emotion regulation, organization and regulation of behavior) as well as slow cognitive tempo are significantly different from each other. Supplementary investigations show that the healthy group has fewer executive function defects than the group with depressive disorder, and the problem of slow cognitive tempo is more common in the depressed group than in the healthy group.
Conclution
The study suggests that individuals with depressive disorder scored lower than healthy controls all most components of executive functions. Additionally, the results indicated that individuals with depressive disorder experienced a higher level of slow cognitive tempo compared to healthy controls.
Keywords: Depression, Executive Functions, Sluggish Cognitive Tempo.
Acknowledgments
We extend our heartfelt gratitude to all individuals who participated in this study, as well as the health care providers and staff of the health centers of Tabriz who lent us their invaluable aid and support in conducting this research.
Farhad Ghadiri Sourman Abadi; khoshdavi ebrahimzade; Roya Zare; Mehrnoush Javaezi Shishavan,
Abstract
The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the psychometric properties of the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder (parent form). The method of the current research was a correlational description. The statistical population of the present study was all children with ...
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The present study was conducted with the aim of evaluating the psychometric properties of the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder (parent form). The method of the current research was a correlational description. The statistical population of the present study was all children with autism spectrum disorder in Tehran city who were referred to autism education and rehabilitation centers in 2022. 315 children (193 boys and 122 girls) were selected using available sampling method. After translating and obtaining the opinions of experts and subjects, the face validity of the scale was confirmed. AMOS and SPSS software were used for statistical analysis. The results of confirmatory factor analysis showed that in the sample of Iranian children with autism spectrum disorder, the four-factor structure of the scale including performance anxiety, anxiety arousal, separation anxiety and uncertainty had a good fit with the data. The results related to the correlation between this scale and the Spence anxiety scale experimentally supported the convergent validity of the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder. The internal consistency coefficients of the whole scale and subscales of functional anxiety, anxiety arousal, separation anxiety and uncertainty were obtained as 0.79, 0.78, 0.81, 0.76 and 0.82, respectively. Overall, the results of the present study showed that the anxiety scale of children with autism spectrum disorder is a valid and reliable tool for measuring anxiety in Iranian children with autism spectrum disorder. This tool can be used to measure anxiety in Research and treatment sections.