Abstract

Objectives: The objective of this study was to identify and determine coping styles, locus of control, and irrational beliefs in prostitutes in comparison with normal women.

Method: In this cross-sectional study, 60 subjects (30 prostitutes and 30 normal women) participated by filling out Rotter's Locus of Control Scale, Moos and Biling's Coping Style Questionnaire, and Johnn's Irrational Beliefs Questionnaire. Prostitutes were selected based on convenient sampling and normal women were selected from vocational school students. Both groups were matched by age and edu- cational level. Collected data were analyzed using t-test and c² test.

Results: The results showed no significant correlation between locus of control and delinquency. Coping styles focused on problem solving and rational beliefs were similar in both groups. However, prostitutes relied on emotional coping style in stressful situations more frequently than non-delinquent women did (p<0.05).

Conclusion: Prostitutes rely on emotional manipulations and emotional coping style more than non-delinquent women when encountering life difficulties.  They feel more helplessness and show higher levels of worry with anxiety in response to changes.

Objectives: The main objective of this research was to assess the roles of demographic and mental health variables as predictive variables of abuse among in-dividuals referred to police stations and family courts. Method:  450 individuals were selected through stratified convenience sampling from 49 police stations and the family court in the city of Tehran.  The subjects were administered a demographics questionnaire, Spouse abuse questionnaire, and the Symptom Checklist -90- Revised (SCL-90-R). The data were analyzed through multivariate regression analysis and regression variance analysis. Results: The results revealed that the variables like pregnancy, low age and education, high number of children, addiction, spouse unemployment, and psychiatric problems could be considered as predictive variables for experience of various types of abuse (physical, sexual, and emotional), (P<0.01). In addition, pregnancy, low age and education, wife's unemployment, and high number of children, are predictive variables for severe spouse abuse.  Conclusion: Identifying effective factors leading to spouse abuse can be helpful to develop purposeful programs for reducing and preventing spouse abuse.

Letter to the Editor

Letter to the Editor

  Objectives : The current study aimed to design and assess an inventory for the level of knowledge of and attitudes toward domestic violence against women. Method: This study was conducted in two stages. Initially we drafted an inventory based on experts opinion, then validated it based on comments from ten experts. We then piloted the inventory in a sample of 30 married women in Tehran, using Cronbach’s alpha to measure reliability. In the second stage of the study, the inventory was used in a sample of 615 married women from 22 districts in Tehran (15 samples in each cluster from 42 neighborhoods in the 22 districts in Tehran), and finally factor analysis was conducted to examine the statistical determinants in the inventory. Results: The mean (±SE) age and marriage duration in the sample were 42.6(±0.9) and 22(±0.8) years, respectively. 42.3 percent were educated at diploma level and 22.4% had higher levels of education. 82.4 percent were unemployed/housewives and 96.1% were in their first marriage. With respect to ‘knowledge’, five factors relating to violence were determined the overall mean score for ‘correct’ knowledge obtained by the study participants was 51%. Specifically, participants had the greatest knowledge about the consequences and preventability of violence, and the least amount firstly about its epidemiology and secondly about its consequences on offspring (in particular on female offspring). Reliability levels for the ‘knowledge’ and the ‘attitude’ sections of the inventory were 0.769 and 0.64, respectively. Conclusions: The developed inventory showed acceptable validity and reliability in Iranian women. Research on different aspects of knowledge about domestic violence, especially consequences on daughters, is required for appropriate interventions.

Objectives The purpose of this research was to determine the effect of the special individual, group and cooperative exercises on the cognitive function of children.  
Methods Forty boy students aged 9–12 years were chosen from elementary schools of Mashhad. The diagnosis of development coordination disorder,  was done using Development Coordination Disorder Questionnaire (DCDQ), Movement Assessment Buttery for Children -2 Test, clinical interview and confirmation of a psychiatrist. Participants were randomly divided into four groups (control, individual, group, and cooperative which include two groups in below). They trained with one trainer for 24 sessions, and each session lasted for about 60 minutes. Before and after the exercises, the test groups were evaluated by MABC2 and Goodenough dummy test.
Results Data analyses were done using multivariate covariance. The results showed that special individual, group and cooperative exercises had a significant effect on development coordination disorder (P<0.05) and cognitive performance of development coordination disorder children (P<0.05).   
Conclusion In conclusion, special individual, group and cooperative exercises can help to improve the development coordination disorder and cognitive performance in development coordination disorder children.