Mental Health and Lifestyle Journal

The objective of this study was to explore and identify the indicators of self-harming behaviors through a phenomenological examination of the lived experiences of adolescent girls with a history of non-suicidal self-injury. This research employed a qualitative phenomenological design, focusing on thirty female students in lower secondary schools in District 12 of Tehran during the 2023–2024 academic year. Participants were selected using purposive sampling, with data collection continuing until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were gathered through semi-structured, in-depth interviews lasting between 20 and 45 minutes and recorded with participants’ consent. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using interpretive phenomenological analysis. The coding process involved open, axial, and selective stages, allowing for the identification of overarching, organizing, and basic themes. To ensure validity and reliability, the interview framework was reviewed by experts, and reproducibility of codes was assessed using test–retest methods and intraclass correlation coefficients. The analysis revealed four overarching themes: experiences and feelings related to self-harm, triggering and underlying factors, the role and function of self-harm in daily life, and attitudes toward the future and change. Adolescents described self-harm as simultaneously painful and relieving, serving as a temporary coping mechanism and a form of non-verbal communication. Psychological factors such as anxiety, depression, and self-criticism, alongside social triggers like family conflict and peer rejection, emerged as key drivers. Self-harm functioned as both an emotional regulation strategy and an indirect request for help. Ambivalence toward change was evident, with adolescents expressing both hope for recovery and fear of entrapment in repetitive cycles. The findings highlight the multifaceted nature of non-suicidal self-injury among adolescent girls, emphasizing its emotional, social, and identity-related dimensions. Understanding these phenomenological indicators provides valuable insight for designing culturally sensitive interventions that address both individual vulnerabilities and systemic risk factors.

This study aimed to model the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) based on feelings of inferiority, anxiety, and social rejection with the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. The present research was applied in nature and correlational in terms of method. The statistical population of this study consisted of adolescents (male and female), aged 14 to 18 years, who attended drop-in harm reduction centers and overnight shelters in Tehran (Tehranpars, Shush-Herandi neighborhoods) during the first half of 2023, totaling 2,400 individuals. For sample selection, purposive sampling was employed among adolescents aged 14 to 18 years who visited these harm reduction centers and shelters, had a social work case file in these centers, and provided informed consent to participate in the study. Based on Krejcie and Morgan’s table and considering the population size, 331 participants were selected as the sample. The required data were collected using the Short Dark Triad Questionnaire by Jonason and Webster (2010), the Feelings of Inferiority Questionnaire by Yao et al. (1997), the Social Isolation Questionnaire by Chelipi and Amirkhafi (2004), the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale (1987), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale by Barratt et al. (2004). To examine the research hypotheses, structural equation modeling was conducted using AMOS software. The results showed that feelings of inferiority play a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of impulse control in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. It was also found that social anxiety plays a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home. Other findings indicated that social rejection plays a role in predicting the Dark Triad of personality (Machiavellianism, psychopathy, and narcissism) through the mediating role of attachment styles in adolescents with the experience of running away from home.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effectiveness of parent-based behavioral intervention on industrial snack requests and parent–child conflict in obese and overweight children. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest–posttest and follow-up design using a control group. The statistical population included all mothers of obese and overweight children aged 4 to 6 years in Tehran and their children. The sample consisted of 38 mother–child dyads selected from the statistical population through purposive sampling and assigned to experimental and control groups. For the experimental group, the parent-based behavioral intervention was implemented in eight one-hour sessions, while the control group remained on the waiting list. The research instruments included the Children’s Industrial Snack Request Frequency Checklist and the Parent–Child Relationship Questionnaire (Pianta, 1994). The results indicated that parent-based behavioral intervention had a significant effect on simple industrial snack requests, insistent or conflict-related industrial snack requests, and parent–child conflict in the posttest and follow-up stages. The findings of this study provide useful information regarding parent-based behavioral intervention, and psychologists and psychiatrists may employ this approach to improve nutritional problems and parent–child conflict.

The present study was conducted with the aim of designing and fitting a structural model to explain children’s behavioral problems based on mothers’ adverse childhood experiences, taking into account the mediating role of mothers’ parenting styles. Considering the intergenerational approach in explaining children’s behavioral disorders, this study examined the direct and indirect effects of mothers’ adverse childhood experiences on their children’s behavioral problems. The statistical population consisted of all mothers living in Isfahan with children aged 6 to 12 years. Sampling was carried out through convenience sampling, and after eliminating outliers, the final sample included 323 participants. To collect data, three validated and Persian-adapted instruments were used: the International Questionnaire of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE-IQ), the Baumrind Parenting Styles Questionnaire, and the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Data were analyzed using structural equation modeling with SPSS-24 and AMOS-24 software. The results showed that mothers’ adverse childhood experiences positively and significantly predicted children’s behavioral problems. These experiences had a significant relationship with mothers’ authoritarian parenting style, while their relationships with authoritative and permissive parenting styles were not significant. The authoritarian style also had a positive and significant effect on the occurrence of children’s behavioral problems. Analysis of indirect pathways indicated that the authoritarian style played a significant mediating role in the relationship between mothers’ adverse experiences and children’s internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. In contrast, authoritative and permissive parenting styles did not show significant effects either in direct or indirect pathways. The findings emphasize the role of the authoritarian parenting style as a psychological mechanism for the intergenerational transmission of harm and highlight the necessity of designing preventive and targeted interventions aimed at repairing parents’ traumatic experiences and promoting supportive parenting practices.

The aim of this study was to design and develop a model for reducing divorce through resilience training and logotherapy for couples. The present study was applied in purpose and conducted using a correlational method with structural equation modeling. The statistical sample consisted of 150 couples who had referred to counseling centers in Bandar Abbas due to marital conflicts. The second group included couples who had filed complaints against their spouses in court for various reasons and participated in Anderson’s (2007) logotherapy workshop and Henderson et al.’s (1997) resilience training. In this study, data collection instruments included the Couples’ Intellectual Understanding and Harmony Questionnaire by Javan (2014), the researcher-developed Divorce Inclination Scale, the Connor and Davidson Resilience Questionnaire (2003), and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire by Steger et al. (2006). Data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed in the first phase through simple correlation coefficients among variables and structural equation modeling to test model fit and path analysis using maximum likelihood estimation. In addition, to test indirect effects in the proposed model, the bootstrap method was applied. In the second study, univariate covariance analysis (ANCOVA) and multivariate covariance analysis (MANCOVA) were used. The results of direct relationships among the research variables in the proposed model indicated that all path coefficients between variables were statistically significant. Evaluation of the proposed model showed that the Root Mean Square Error of Approximation (RMSEA) index was 0.06, indicating a good model fit with the data. Overall, 64% of the variance in divorce reduction inclination was predicted by the model’s variables. Results from MANOVA revealed that the observed Wilks’ Lambda was 5.93, which was statistically significant at p ≤ 0.001. Furthermore, post-hoc test results demonstrated a significant difference between the mean scores of the two experimental groups compared with the control group for the above-mentioned variables, while no significant difference was found between the two experimental groups. The findings revealed that marital conflicts often arise due to poor emotional regulation and hasty, extreme reactions to family problems. Resilient individuals have greater awareness and recognition of their emotions and feelings compared to others. Moreover, focusing on meaning in life provides a deeper and more accurate understanding of issues.

The present study aimed to compare the effectiveness of positive thinking training and emotional self-regulation on parenting stress and distress tolerance in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder. This research employed a quasi-experimental design with a pretest–posttest structure, including a control group and a two-month follow-up. The statistical population consisted of mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder in Isfahan during 2024–2025, from which 52 mothers were purposively selected and then randomly assigned to two experimental groups and one control group. The research instruments included the Parenting Stress Index (PSI; Abidin, 1995) and the Distress Tolerance Scale (DTS; Simons & Gaher, 2005). Both experimental groups received eight 90-minute sessions of positive thinking training and emotional self-regulation. Data were analyzed using repeated measures analysis of variance and Bonferroni post hoc tests. The results indicated that both positive thinking and emotional self-regulation training had a significant effect on parenting stress and distress tolerance (p < .001). The effectiveness of both interventions was maintained at the two-month follow-up. Furthermore, emotional self-regulation training was more effective than positive thinking training in reducing parenting stress and increasing distress tolerance (p < .001). The findings suggest that emotional self-regulation training should be prioritized over positive thinking training by therapists to improve parenting stress and distress tolerance in mothers of children with autism spectrum disorder.

The present study was conducted with the aim of examining the effect of communication skills training on the adjustment and self-concept of physically disabled individuals under the supervision of the Najafabad Welfare Organization. The research method was quasi-experimental with a pretest-posttest control group design. The statistical population included all physically disabled individuals affiliated with the Najafabad Welfare Organization, from which 36 participants were selected through convenience sampling and assigned to the experimental group (18 individuals) and the control group (18 individuals). The experimental group received eight training sessions, each lasting 60–90 minutes, on communication skills, while the control group remained on a waiting list. The instruments used in this study included the Self-Concept Questionnaire (Rogers, 1957) and the Adjustment Inventory (Bell, 1961). Data obtained from the questionnaires were analyzed using both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics (independent t-test). The findings indicated that communication skills training had a significant effect on the adjustment of physically disabled individuals (p < .05). Furthermore, the results showed that communication skills training significantly improved the self-concept of physically disabled individuals (p < .05). Therefore, these findings can serve as a basis for designing educational programs and psychological interventions aimed at improving adjustment and self-concept among individuals with physical disabilities.

Risky behaviors during adolescence are considered one of the serious challenges in the field of mental and social health, which can lead to broad negative consequences for both the individual and society. The present study aimed to develop a model of the tendency toward risky behaviors based on cognitive emotion regulation, with the mediating role of self-control in adolescents. This study, which was descriptive-correlational in nature and based on structural equation modeling, included 312 students (158 girls and 154 boys), aged 13 to 16 years, from Jahrom city during the 2023–2024 academic year, who were selected through a multistage cluster sampling method. Participants completed the Risk-Taking Scale by Zadeh-Mohammadi et al. (2011), the Tangney Self-Control Scale (2004), and the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire by Garnefski et al. (2006). The results of structural equation modeling showed that the proposed model had a good fit. Both self-control and adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies had a significant and negative direct effect on risky behaviors, while maladaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies had a significant and positive direct effect on risky behaviors. Moreover, through the mediating role of self-control, adaptive cognitive emotion regulation strategies had a significant indirect negative effect on risky behaviors, and maladaptive strategies had a significant indirect positive effect on risky behaviors. The findings of this study demonstrated that cognitive emotion regulation plays an important role in predicting the tendency toward risky behaviors in adolescents, and this effect is partially mediated by self-control. Accordingly, it can be concluded that strengthening emotion regulation and self-control skills may serve as effective strategies in reducing risky behaviors among adolescents.