Background and Aim: Mood Bipolar Disorders(BD) are associated with unstabilities in patients' interpersonal interactions which in the long term may result in impairments in their social adjustment. Problem solving skills training, both in individual and group settings have been found effective on improving social adjustment. However, few studies have evaluated the efficacy of such approaches in social adjustment of patients with BD. This study was carried to assess the efficacy of problem solving skills training in the group setting on improvement of social adjustment in patients suffering BD. Method & Materials: Participants were 45 female patients with BD, aged 25-30 year old who were randomly selected among patients referred to rehabilitation centers of Isfahan in 2006. Participants were randomly assigned to two intervention and one control groups. In the first intervention group only patients received the education but in the second one along with patients, family members separately received the training too. No training was performed for control group. BD diagnosis was confirmed according to two psychiatrists' and the author's diagnostic interviews. In all three groups patients remained on their medications during the study. Wineland Social Adjustment Test were administered to the three groups before the intervention and then interventions groups received problem solving skills training by Hawthorn method in ten sessions. Wineland Social Adjustment test were again administered to patients of the 3 groups after the last intervention session and also later as a follow up post-test. Data were analyzed through SPSS-software using ANCOVA tests. Findings: After intervention, social adjustment mean scores were significantly higher in both intervention groups than in the control group (P Conclusion: Group problem solving skills training can improve social adjustment in patients with BD. This intervention can be considered as a part of these patients' treatment protocol in the long term.
Aim and Background: Parenting is one of the hardest tasks of parents and a determining factor in children’s psychological health. One of the factors influencing parenting is divorce. The objective of the present study was to examine parents’ experience of parenting after divorce. Methods and Materials: This qualitative study was conducted using descriptive phenomenology method. The statistical population in this study included men and women who had experienced parenting after divorce. The participants were 13 men and women who were chosen from among the clients of consultation centers using purposive sampling with maximum variation. They were invited for in-depth and exploratory interviews. Data were analyzed using seven-stage Colaizzi method. Findings: The analysis of these experiences led to the identification of the 10 major themes of parents’ relationship, parent’s individual needs, parent’s support network after divorce, parent’s attitude, emotions, and challenges, parent’s responsibility and supervision, parent-child maturity, and parent-child psychological damage in the parenting process. Conclusions: Parents describe parenting after divorce as a challenging task. The nature of the parents’ relationship, and their individual needs and support sources after divorce can influence their attitude and emotions towards parenting. Psychological damage, growth, and maturity are among the parents’ experiences during the parenting process after divorce.