Manijeh Firoozi

Background: Alexithymia, defined as difficulty in identifying and expressing feelings, is a common psychological problem among patients undergoing cancer treatment. White blood cell (WBC) counts may also decrease during treatment, creating additional clinical challenges. Objectives: This study evaluated whether Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) could reduce alexithymic symptoms and modify WBC counts in women with a confirmed diagnosis of breast cancer. Methods: This randomized controlled trial included pretest, posttest, and 1-month follow-up assessments, as well as a control group. Participants were randomly assigned to either an ACT group or a control group that continued standard medical care without additional psychological support. The study population comprised women with breast cancer who were referred to Baqaei Super-Specialty Hospital and a specialized cancer treatment center in Ahvaz during the 2025 - 2026 calendar year. The sample size was determined to be 42 participants using G*Power software. Study instruments included an alexithymia questionnaire and a complete blood count test. The psychotherapeutic intervention was ACT. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and inferential methods, particularly mixed analysis of variance, in SPSS version 25. Before conducting repeated-measures analysis of variance, key statistical assumptions were evaluated. The Shapiro-Wilk test was used to assess normality, and Mauchly's test was used to evaluate the sphericity assumption. Results: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy effectively reduced alexithymia levels, and this reduction was maintained over time. However, the observed changes in WBC counts did not achieve statistical significance. Conclusions: These findings suggest that ACT may reduce alexithymia in female patients with cancer by addressing disease-related emotional difficulties. Understanding this effect may help improve care and support programs for individuals undergoing cancer treatment.

Objective(s): Fear of cancer recurrence (FCR) remains a significant challenge for cancer survivors, persisting even after treatment and partial recovery. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of Paradox Therapy (PTC) in reducing FCR and its trajectory over time in female cancer patients. Methods: This clinical trial employed an experimental pre-test, ...

Numerous studies have demonstrated that variations in streets’ topological characteristics impact the degree to which people perceive the structure of urban environments. Accordingly, this systematic review aimed to evaluate how the topological parameters affect human spatial cognition, and also analyze the study methods used in studies. The PRISMA reporting guidelines were used in this regard. We systematically searched the Web of Science and Scopus until April 19, 2024. Two researchers independently screened the title, abstract, and full text for the eligibility criteria. A total of 39 articles met our eligibility criteria. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to assess the quality of the included articles. The studies have followed four objectives: wayfinding, pedestrian volume, route choice, and spatial representation. Quantitative descriptive, quantitative non-randomized, and observational methodologies were mostly employed. The evaluations mostly used space syntax theory, and accordingly, Depthmap, DepthmapX, and GIS-based toolboxes were used to analyze the topological parameters. Base and blank maps, street photos, and questionnaires have been used in many studies as experiment tools, while virtual reality tools have been less considered. The control variables have been rarely applied in the evaluations. The results indicated that integrated streets and streets with high choice values enhance human spatial cognition. Dense and intelligible street networks and streets with high-directional connectivity also enhance human spatial cognition; however, very few studies evaluated these parameters’ influence. The results of evaluating the impact of the other parameters were very heterogeneous. The heterogeneity was mainly related to differences in the study designs, trip purpose, objectives, and spatial scales. Seldom studies have compared how different topological parameters influence spatial cognition. In conclusion, further research, especially experimental quantitative randomized controlled trials, is warranted to discover the impact of street network topology on human spatial cognition.

Objective: This study aimed to examine the mediating role of body image flexibility in the relationship between perfectionism and self-compassion with selfie-editing behavior on Instagram among university students. Methods and Materials: Using a cross-sectional and correlational research design, a sample of 300 university students (aged 18–29) from the University of Tehran was selected through convenience sampling. Participants completed the Tehran Multidimensional Perfectionism Scale (TMPS), the Self-Compassion Scale–Long Form (SCS-LF), the Body Image–Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (BI-AAQ), and a researcher-developed Selfie-Editing Questionnaire (SEQ). Data were analyzed using SPSS-25 and AMOS-24 through structural equation modeling (SEM) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). Findings: Results indicated that perfectionism and self-compassion did not have direct effects on selfie-editing behavior. However, both exhibited significant indirect effects via body image flexibility. Specifically, perfectionism showed a positive and significant indirect relationship with selfie-editing through lower body image flexibility, while self-compassion demonstrated a negative and significant indirect effect through higher body image flexibility. The model explained 42% of the variance in both body image flexibility and selfie-editing behavior. Age showed a significant negative association with both body image flexibility and editing behavior. Gender was not a significant predictor and was excluded from the final model. Conclusion: The findings underscore the critical role of body image flexibility as a psychological mechanism linking perfectionism and self-compassion to selfie-editing behavior. These results suggest that fostering body image flexibility may reduce compulsive editing tendencies, especially in younger individuals navigating social media environments.

Background: After cancer diagnosis, death anxiety continuously challenges the patient’s life. Individuals diagnosed with cancer are forced to think of and confront the end of their lives. Accordingly, this study determines the effect of paradox therapy on the death anxiety of female patients with cancer. Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study ...

Dear Editor,Self-harm (non‐suicidal self‐injury) is a major global health issue,1 especially among adolescents2 and psychiatric patients.3 The association of self-harm and the risk of suicide is extensively documented.1 Interest in self‐harm by both clinicians and researchers is now well-established4. This growing interest has been accompanied by the development of several psychometric instruments to examine the prevalence, frequency, and psychological functions of self-harm.5,6 One such scale is the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory (OSI-3.1).6,7 The OSI 3.1 is a 26‐item self‐report questionnaire aimed at measuring the occurrence, frequency (eight items), types (eighteen items), and functions (seven items) of self‐harm.Recent research has examined the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the OSI-3.1)8 among a sample of 310 hospitalised patients who had been referred to Nekoei-Hedayati Hospital, Qom City, Iran, with non-suicidal self-injury. The results showed that the Persian version of the OSI 3.1 had satisfactory reliability (Cronbach’s alpha 0.71) and validity (Content Validity Index [CVI] 0.75; Content Validity Ratio [CVR] 0.79) in this sample. Moreover, it was also found that 52% of the sample reported at least one addictive characteristic. These findings are of importance to a better understanding of research and practice of self-harm in at least three potentially significant ways.