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Fear is an undesirable feeling which most of the time results in physiological changes and can affect on the cardiovascular function of the patient. This research is a cross-sectional descriptive study that describes the congruency opinions between 91 patients /nurses about the reasons for patients’ fear related to coronary angiography in two affiliated hospitals of Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The tools which were used included: questionnaire for study and recognition of patient and nurses demographic characteristics, a check list containing thirty probable reasons for patients’ fear which were filled out by patients and nurses, and a scale for analysis of the reasons for fear which were filled out by patients, descriptive statistics indicators, sign test, and t-test were applied in order to analyze the data, by SPSS software. The results showed that patients’ and nurses’ ideas about the reasons for fear before angiography are similar in two cases and only in one case after the operation. Among the thirty probable reasons which were mentioned for patients’ fear, seventeen cases caused less fear after angiography and two cases caused more fear after that. In the comparison between the intensity of fear caused by other reasons no insignificant result was observed. The comparison of intensity of fear showed that the intensity of patients’ fear after angiography is less than before (p= 0.005). According to these cases it may be concluded that because of the different reasons for patients’ fear concerning angiography, nurses need to pay more attention to patients’ fear. It is also suggested that an assessment tool be used in order to assess issues relating to patients, level of care and training related to coronary angiography.

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  Background & Aim: The HIV infection is a serious health problem with major effects on various aspects of life. It is essential to understand the lived experiences of patients living with HIV/AIDS. The present study was conducted to investigate affected patients' lived experiences .

  Methods & Materials: This qualitative study was carried out using an interpretative, phenomenological approach. Nineteen patients with HIV/AIDS were selected using purposive sampling method. Field notes, in-depth and semi-structured interviews were used to collect data. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and were analyzed using the hermeneutic approach developed by Diekelmann (1989) . 

  Results: From 19 participants, 57.9% were males. Mean age was 39 years 42.1% were single 47.4% had CD4 counts less than 200 cells/mm3. The main emerged themes were as follows: 1) death way 2) halo of worries 3) hope to cure. Based on the final step of the Diekelmann approach, "being in state of hope and fear" was emerged as a constitutive pattern in patients living with HIV/AIDS .

  Conclusion: Patients with HIV/AIDS experienced fears, doubts, worries, hopes and many emotional challenges in different aspects of their lives. Caregivers should understand and comprehend the emotional states of the patients. Health care providers should design effective interventions to help individuals to cope with HIV/AIDS .

  

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Background & Aim: Maternal request for caesarean section due to fear of normal vaginal delivery (NVD) is one of the main reasons for the high rate of caesarean section. This study aimed to compare the fear of NVD and type of delivery between two groups of pregnant women attended childbirth preparation classes (CPC) and women received routine prenatal care (RPC).

Methods & Materials: In this prospective cohort study, 202 Primigravid women attended healthcare centers for prenatal care services in the East of Guilan were selected using convenient sampling in 2013-2014. Fear of NVD was assessed using a childbirth attitude questionnaire at two stages (before attending CPC or receiving RPC, then at the third trimester of pregnancy). Both groups were followed up to the delivery time. Data were analyzed using inferential and descriptive statistics (Chi square, paired t-test, ANOVA, t-test) through SPSS v.16. P<0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: There was no significant difference (P=0.23) in the mean score of fear of NVD between two groups before attending CPC (35.59±8.78) and receiving RPC (37.08±9.08). The comparison of the mean score of fear of NVD between two groups at the third trimester of pregnancy showed a significant reduction (P<0.001) in the first group (32.30±8.31) than in the second group (37.29±9.55). A significant difference was also observed between two groups in the rate of NVD (P=0.002).

Conclusion: Results confirm the importance of CPC in decreasing fear of NVD and increasing the rate of NVD in primigravid women attended these classes. Therefore, women’s attendance at CPC is recommended to be encouraged.

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Background & Aim: Falling is a serious problem in the elderly population, with many physical, psychological, social and economic consequences. The fear of falling has been considered an activity limiting condition, which can lead to a reduction in the quality of life of the elderly people. The study aimed to determine effect of fall care behaviors training on fear of falling among the elderly people referred to health centers.
Methods & Materials: This double-blind randomized clinical trial was carried out on 110 elderly people referred to health centers in Ardabil in 2017. Participants were selected by the multi-stage random sampling and divided into intervention and control groups by random allocation. The data collection tools were consisted of demographic questionnaire, Mini-Mental State Examination: MMSE, Abbreviated Mental Test Score: AMTS and Fall efficacy scale international: FES-I. Data were analyzed using statistical tests on the SPSS software version 22.
Results: The mean and standard deviation of fear of falling in the intervention and control groups before the intervention were 33.91±12.03 and 31.22±14.76, respectively (P=0.29). Three months after the intervention, the mean and standard deviation of fear of falling were 22.32±4.45 and 30.85±15.03 (P<0.001). Also, ANCOVA was used for controlling pre-test scores and level of education compared to the post-test scores in the two groups (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The results showed that education on fall care behaviors reduces the fear of falling in the elderly people. Therefore, this education is suggested to be considered in the self-care program for elderly people.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20180205038618N1
 

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Background & Aim: Tokophobia was introduced as a psychiatric disorder for the first time in 2000. The purpose of this study is to answer four questions: What is tokophobia and how does it occur? What is the global prevalence of tokophobia? What are the symptoms of tokophobia? and what are the strategies for the control and treatment of tokophobia?
Methods & Materials: This systematic review was conducted by searching articles in English and Persian published between January 2000 and January 2018 on international databases; PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, Science Direct, and domestic databases; Magiran and SID, along with a manual search in resources.
Results: After reviewing 151 articles, finally 16 were included in the study. The results indicate that tokophobia is a severe and pathological fear of childbirth. In the categorization of psychiatric disorders, it is classified as a specific phobia based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4^th edition (DSM-IV). The etiology of tokophobia is multifactorial, and its prevalence in pregnant women was reported around 14 percent among 18 countries. The signs and symptoms of the disorder are insomnia, crying, restlessness, depression, anxiety and severe worry about childbirth. Psychological strategies, cognitive behavior therapy and medication have been proposed to reduce the fear of childbirth in women in different studies.
Conclusion: As a guide, these results can assist the healthcare team members to recognize and screen at-risk women as well as to perform nursing interventions and psychotherapy in the prenatal and delivery stages.
 

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Background & Aim: Fear of childbirth is one of the reasons for choosing cesarean section. Given the consequences of repeated cesarean section, interventions that control the fear of childbirth are important in mother's decision for the mode of birth. The aim of the study is to assess the effect of individual counseling based on the Fogg model on the motivation and the fear of natural childbirth in women with previous cesarean section.
Methods & Materials: In this clinical trial, 62 pregnant women with a previous cesarean section, referred to Mashhad Comprehensive Health Centers in 2020, were randomly assigned into intervention or control groups. In the intervention group, individual counseling based on the Fogg model was provided in two face-to-face 45-60 minute sessions biweekly and one non-face-to-face session on the Telegram channel at 28-30 weeks of pregnancy. Data was collected by a demographic form, the motivation questionnaire, and the Wijma expectation/ experience questionnaire at the beginning and two weeks after the intervention. Data analysis was performed using statistical tests by the SPSS software version 25 at a significance level of 0.05.
Results: The mean difference of the fear of childbirth score before and after the intervention was 15.84±20.07 for the intervention group and 6.06±23.28 for the control group. Counseling with the fog approach has significantly changed the fear of childbirth score in the intervention group compared to the control group (P<0.001), but the changes in motivation were not statistically significant.
Conclusion: Counseling with the Fogg approach reduced the fear of childbirth score. It is recommended to use this counseling method to reduce the fear of childbirth, and to use strategies to increase the motivation for natural childbirth after cesarean section.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20200105046014N1

 

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Background & Aim: Eating disorders manifest numerous psychological and social consequences for both individuals and society. The present study was conducted to investigate the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in alleviating COVID-19-related anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and depression among women diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa.
Methods & Materials: This study employed a quasi-experimental pre-test-post-test design with a control group. The research population consisted of women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa in Tehran in 2022. Thirty participants were selected through convenience sampling from psychological clinics in the 6th and 8th districts of Tehran, and were randomly assigned to either the intervention group (n=15) or the control group (n=15). Questionnaires assessing eating attitudes, COVID-19-related anxiety, fear of negative evaluation, and depression were administered to both groups. The intervention group received a total of eight 90-minute sessions of cognitive-behavioral therapy, while the control group did not receive any intervention. The collected data were subsequently analyzed using multivariate analysis of covariance through the SPSS software version 24.
Results: The results of the study showed that cognitive-behavioral therapy led to a significant reduction in mental anxiety related to COVID-19 (P<0.001, F=36.41), physical anxiety related to COVID-19 (P<0.001, F=39.15), fear of negative evaluation (P<0.001, F=41.92), and depression (P<0.001, F=47.48) in women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (P<0.001).
Conclusion: Cognitive-behavioral therapy demonstrated efficacy in alleviating psychological disorders among women diagnosed with anorexia nervosa. Given the potentially severe impairment of mental health experienced by numerous individuals with anorexia nervosa, it is imperative to implement measures for identifying and providing psychological interventions to vulnerable groups.

 

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Background & Aim: Post-treatment follow-up care for breast cancer is crucial in reducing mortality rates, minimizing treatment costs, and enhancing patients' quality of life. This study aims to identify the psychosocial factors affecting post-treatment follow-up care in breast cancer patients.
Methods & Materials: This descriptive-analytical study involved 180 breast cancer patients from Babol and other cities of western Mazandaran province. Participants were selected using a simple random sampling method between 2021 and 2022. Data were collected through personal information questionnaires, the Zigmond Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Psychological Distress Thermometer, the Fear of Cancer Recurrence Scale, and a post-treatment breast cancer follow-up care checklist. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS version 18, employing descriptive and inferential statistical methods.
Results: The average age of the participants was 51.49 years (SD=12.01). The mean and standard deviation scores for depression, anxiety, and psychological distress were 6.16±2.71, 10.70±4.13, and 5.98±2.54, respectively. The results showed that individuals with higher levels of anxiety, depression, psychological distress, and fear of recurrence are less likely to engage in follow-up care (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The results suggest that health policymakers should address the psychological challenges faced by breast cancer patients. Specifically, providing insurance coverage for the screening and treatment of mental health problems may improve mental well-being, encourage self-care behaviors, and promote overall health.