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Background & Aim: Infertile women experience greater stress in their life and have lower quality of life compared to fertile women. The present study aimed to evaluate the effect of mindfulness-based cognitive psychotherapy (MBCT) on quality of life in infertile women.
Methods & Materials: In a randomized clinical trial (IRCT2017021132321N2) with the Solomon four-group design, 60 infertile women referred to Fatemeh Zahra Infertility Research Center in Babol in 2015, were randomly assigned into four groups (15 in the group of experiment with pretest, 15 in the group of experiment without pretest, 15 in the group of control with pretest, 15 in the group of control without pretest). A total of thirty participants in the experimental group received MBCT in eight group sessions (120 minutes, once a week). The control group received no intervention. Thirty participants at the beginning and sixty participants at the end of study completed the Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQOL-26). Data were analyzed by the SPSS software version 20 using univariate ANCOVA.
Results: The mindfulness-based cognitive psychotherapy improved the quality of life in both experimental groups. The mean scores for all the four domains of quality of life including, physical health, psychological health, social relationships, and environment significantly increased in both experimental groups compared to control groups (P<0.05).
Conclusion: The use of MBCT as a reliable method for promoting the quality of life of infertile women is recommended in infertility clinics.
 

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Background & Aim: Pregnancy is one of the enjoyable and evolutionary aspects of women’s life, which is often associated with many stresses and concerns. Counseling is one of the most appropriate interventions to reduce concerns and increase the decision-making power of pregnant women. This study aimed to determine the effect of solution-focused group counseling on pregnant women’s worries.
Methods & Materials: A randomized clinical trial was conducted on 108 pregnant women with gestational age of 6 to 19 weeks and a score of worry ≥55, from May to September 2017 in health centers of Sabzevar University of Medical. The intervention group received a solution-focused counseling and the control group received routine prenatal care. Concerns of pregnant women were evaluated before, after, and two months after the intervention using the Farsi version of Cambridge Worry Scale. The data were analyzed using t-test, chi-square, and repeated measure analysis of variance through the SPSS software version 22. A P value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean score of worry before the study was 58.9±5.9 for the intervention group and 58.8±4.37 for the control group, and no significant difference was observed. After the intervention, these values for the intervention group and the control group were 34.6±13.3 and 57.7±8.78, respectively. Two months after the study, these values were 31.1±10.1 and 54.6±10.9, respectively. The analysis of variance with repeated measurements showed that pregnant women’s concerns about childbirth, fetal health, maternal health, and family relationships were significantly reduced after the intervention and two months later (P<0.001). Women’s worries about socioeconomic issues were not significantly reduced after the intervention and two months later in comparison with the control group (P=0.563).
Conclusion: The solution-focused counseling is an effective way to reduce pregnant women’s concerns about maternal and fetal health, family relationships and childbirth. It can be used in conjunction with pregnancy care.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20180123038485N1
 

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Background & Aim: Violence against women is associated with adverse outcomes. Resilience can be associated with reducing the amount of harm experienced by abused women. The solution-focused approach has been considered as an intervention to promote resilience. This study aimed to determine the effect of short-term solution-focused group counseling on the resilience of women experiencing spousal abuse.
Methods & Materials: In this randomized clinical trial, 60 women experiencing spousal abuse were selected through multistage sampling from health centers affiliated with Arak University of Medical Sciences in Arak, Iran in 2024 and were divided into intervention and control groups using the block randomization method (30 people in each group). For the intervention group, six group counseling sessions with a solution-focused approach were conducted. The control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Personal and Health Characteristics Questionnaire, the Revised Conflict Tactics Scale, and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale before the intervention. The Resilience Scale was then completed again by both groups at the end of the intervention, four weeks, and 12 weeks after the end of the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 25 with descriptive and inferential statistics. P<0.05 was considered statistically significant.
Results: The mean and standard deviation of the resilience score for the intervention group increased from 34.64±8.91 before the intervention to 63.03±6.30, 71.78±4.78, and 75.25±10.52 in the post-test and first and second follow-up periods. For the control group, these values were 33.66±8.65, 35.30±7.31, 38.83±6.39, and 40.50±5.99, respectively. Based on the results of two-way repeated measures ANOVA, there was a statistically significant difference in the mean resilience score between the two groups and across the four time points examined (P<0.001).
Conclusion: The implementation of short-term solution-focused group counseling can improve the resilience of women experiencing spousal abuse. Therefore, this intervention can be used in mental health promotion programs for women who have experienced spousal abuse.
Clinical trial registry: IRCT20240704062329N1