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Background: It is essential to understand and support hepatitis B patients to minimize their challenges and limitations and provide them with appropriate treatment. Therefore, it is essential to incorporate training and consulting programs to prepare for and identify various aspects of the disease. Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of mindfulness-integrated cognitive-behavioral group therapy (MiCBT) in the motivational structure of hepatitis B patients in Tehran, Iran. Methods: This quasi-experimental study utilized a pretest-posttest design with a control group. The study sample consisted of 28 hepatitis B patients selected from all patients visiting specialist clinics in Tehran in 2020. Following the interviews and completion of the Personal Concerns Inventory, 14 patients were selected per group using simple random sampling and were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. A posttest was conducted after 12 sessions of MiCBT (one 90-min group session weekly for three months). Data were analyzed using the multivariate analysis of covariance in SPSS software. Results: The results revealed a significant increase in adaptive motivational structure (P < 0.001) and a significant decrease in maladaptive motivational structure (P = 0.012) in hepatitis B patients following the therapeutic intervention. Conclusions: The study indicated the MiCBT effectiveness in increasing adaptive motivational structure and decreasing maladaptive motivational structure in hepatitis B patients. As a therapeutic approach, MiCBT can make the motivational structure of hepatitis B patients more adaptive.

Objective: This study aimed to compare the effectiveness of Aceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and schema therapy on forgiveness and fear of intimacy in conflicting couples. Methods: This quasi-experimental study was conducted using a pre-test, post-test design with a control group. The participants were selected from the conflicting couples who were referred to counseling and psychological service centers in districts 1 and 5 of Tehran in 2019. Of the couples who scored high on the Fear-of-Intimacy Scale and obtained a low score on the Interpersonal Forgiveness Inventory, 30 couples (60 people) were selected using convenience sampling and randomly assigned to the schema therapy group (10 couples), the ACT group (10 couples), and the control group (10 couples). Then, the participants in each of the intervention groups attended eight 90-minute therapy sessions based on ACT and Schema therapy techniques. After the interventions, the participants in the three groups completed the questionnaires again and were followed up after three months. Results: The results showed that both ACT and schema therapy had a significant effect on fear of intimacy and forgiveness. Upon controlling the pre-test score, significant differences were found between the two ACT and schema therapy groups in terms of reconnection and revenge control (P<0.01), but the two groups were not significantly different in terms of resentment control, realistic perceptions, and fear of intimacy and schema couple therapy was more effective than ACT in controlling conflicting couples’ revenge and improving reconnection and this greater effectiveness was still retained in the follow-up phase. Conclusion: ACT and schema-based couple therapies can be used by psychologists and counselors as effective approaches to increase forgiveness and reduce fear of intimacy in couples. However, schema couple therapy is more effective than ACT in controlling negative emotions and treating them in couples.

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Background: Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is the first and the most important leading cause of mortality in Iran. Psychological factors play a key role in the onset and exacerbation of this disease. Objective The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) on perceived stress and coping skills of patients following AMI. Materials and Methods: This is a clinical trial with pre-test/ post-test/follow-up design conducted in 2018 on 30 patients with diagnosed AMI after discharge from Noor Heart Clinic in Rasht, Iran. The patients were randomly divided into intervention (5 females and 10 males) and control (8 females and 7 males) groups. Assessment tools included the Perceived Stress Scale and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire that were completed before and after intervention and during a 3-month follow-up period. The intervention group received DBT at 8 sessions of 90 minutes per week for 2 months. Data were analyzed using independent t-test, repeated measures ANOVA, and Bonferroni Post Hoc test. Results: The DBT had significant effects on the perceived stress (F=6.21, P<0.05), problem-focused coping strategy (F=5.00, P<0.05) and emotion-focused coping strategy (F=15.20, P<0.001). Conclusion: Dialectical behavior therapy can reduce the perceived stress and improve the coping skills of patients following AMI