Depression and fatigue are common symptoms of multiple sclerosis (MS) and are the primary determinants of impaired quality of life in this demyelinating neurological disease. Untreated depression is associated with suicidal ideation, impaired cognitive function and poor adherence to immunomodulatory treatment. For these reasons, systematic screening and management of depressive symptoms and fatigue is recommended for all patients with MS. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of neurofeedback in treating depression and fatigue in persons with MS. We conducted a randomized trial with 24 MS patients with primary fatigue and depression. Participants were randomized into two groups: neurofeedback training group (16 sessions of NFB) or treatment as usual. Participants were evaluated at 3 time points (baseline, end of the treatment, and 2-month follow-up) using the Fatigue Severity Scale and Depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale as outcome measures. A repeated measures analysis of variance was used to examine differences between the groups. NFB significantly reduced symptoms of depression and fatigue in patients with MS patients, compared to treatment as usual (p < .05), and these effects were maintained the 2-month follow-up (p < .05).

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Background Anxiety is one of the common psychological problems among infertile women, which affects their quality of life. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of self-compassion intervention based on religious perspective on the anxiety and quality of life of infertile women. Methods A qusai-experimental design with experimental and control groups was used. 24 women who lived in Maybod city, Iran, and were referred to Yazd reproductive sciences institute selected by available sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups. The participants of experimental group received 8 sessions self-compassion focused intervention based on religious instructions and control group was put on the waiting list. Data were collected using Quality of Life Questionnaire in Infertile Couples Questionnaire (QOLICQ) and Beck anxiety inventory (BDI) in pretest and posttest phase and then analyzed using multivariate analysis covariance (MANCOVA). Results The results showed as compared to control group at the post-test phase, the quality of life (p< .001) and anxiety (p< .001) of infertile women increased and decreased, respectively, in the experimental group. Conclusion Infertility medical centers can use self-compassion intervention based on a religious approach as a complementary psychological intervention, alongside with medical interventions, to improve the quality of life and reduce anxiety in infertile women.

The frequency and impact of pain and depression have been long underestimated in Multiple Sclerosis (MS) patients. Therefore, systematic screening and management of pain and depression are recommended for these patients. The current study evaluated the effectiveness of Mindfulness-Based Therapy (MBT) in reducing pain and depression in patients with MS. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study with a pre-test, post-test and a control group design. We conducted a randomized trial on 24 MS patients with primary pain and depression. Moreover, they were members of the MS Society at Shahid Sadooghi Hospital in Yazd City, Iran, in 2017. The study participants were randomly divided into the test (n=12) and control (n=12) groups. The study participants were evaluated at 3-time points (baseline, end of the treatment, follow-up) using the McGill Pain Questionnaire and Depression subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) as outcome measures. Results: The repeated measures Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) results revealed that MBT significantly reduced pain and depression in MS patients compared to the controls (P<0. 05). The effect of outcome measures was maintained at 2-months follow-up (P<0.05). The effect size on pain and depression were 0.41 and 0.43, respectively. Conclusion: MBT has been effective on pain and depression reduction among MS patients.

Background: Nurses in work situations face with various moral issues and they can be such a challenge regarding interaction with patients; moral sensitivity of a nurse can help him/her to overcome these challenges. Regarding, the consideration of variables associated with moral sensitivity can be a real facilitator in overcoming such challenges. This study aimed to investigate the relationship among mindfulness, empathy, and moral sensitivity in a sample of nurses. Methods: In the present study, a cross-sectional design utilizing Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was conducted. The nurses in a private hospital in Yazd, Iran, were invited to participate in the study (n=162). In order to gather the data, the Freiburg’s mindfulness inventory, moral sensitivity questionnaire, and revised Jefferson’s empathy scale were used. The hypothesized model was analyzed by SEM.Results: The results show that Mindfulness and empathy had a significant direct effect on moral sensitivity. However, mindfulness had an indirect effect on nurses’ moral sensitivity via empathy improvement (p<.01).Conclusion: Regarding the results, it can be concluded that via mindfulness improvement in nurses, it is possible to raise their moral sensitivity; considering the empathy role as a mediator, it is recommended mindfulness improvement is coincided with empathy.