Iranian Journal of Psychiatry

Mediating Role of Mindfulness and Self-Regulation in the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Subjective Well-Being Among University Students

Lu Xiong — 2025-06-21

Objective: This study aimed to explore the mediating roles of mindfulness and self-regulation in the correlation between perceived stress and subjective well-being among university students

Method: The research involved 353 undergraduates and utilized the Chinese version of the Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), the Subjective Happiness Scale (SHS), the Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale (MAAS), and the Self-Regulation Survey (SRS). Partial least square structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) through SmartPLS software was used to test the proposed relationships.

Results: The findings indicated significant relationships among perceived stress, subjective well-being, self-regulation, and mindfulness. Specifically, perceived stress positively predicted mindfulness (β = 0.400, t = 6.233, P < 0.001) and self-regulation (β = 0.441, t = 5.547, P < 0.001). Mindfulness significantly mediated the relationship between perceived stress and subjective well-being (β = 0.241, t = 3.559, P < 0.001), while self-regulation did not exhibit a mediating effect. This suggests that, although self-regulation assists students in managing behaviors and emotions, it may not influence the stress-well-being pathway as effectively as mindfulness does.

Conclusion: The results underscore the importance of integrating mindfulness strategies into educational programs to enhance students' mental and emotional well-being. This study provides empirical support for the development of mindfulness-related curricula in universities, suggesting that fostering mindfulness could serve as a pivotal intervention for improving subjective well-being among students facing high levels of perceived stress.

Can Support for Homosexuality Reduce the Prevalence of Mental Health Problems among LGBTQ+ Individuals to Levels Comparable to the General Population? A Second-Order Systematic Review with Thematic Analysis

Reza Payami Golhin — 2025-06-21

Objective: This article addresses whether extensive support for homosexuality—accompanying its increased prevalence—has been able to reduce the prevalence of mental disorders among homosexuals in supportive countries to normal population levels.

Method: This study was conducted in two phases. The first phase employed a secondary systematic review method and examined 68 reviews on the public health and mental health of homosexuals in supportive countries. In the second phase, using the thematic content analysis method, the semantic units extracted from the articles were condensed under sub-themes, which then formed themes at a higher level.

Results: Supporting homosexuality has not reduced mental health issues in this group to levels observed in the general population, even in supportive countries. In addition to minority stress, other stressors (such as infectious diseases, cancer, childlessness, and the pathologic nature of homosexuality) are the main barriers to reducing the prevalence of mental disorders among homosexuals.

Conclusion: Based on these findings, this study suggests revisiting the policy of extreme support for homosexuality and preventing scientific research concerning the correlation between this behavior and criminality and other mental disorders—under the pretext of homophobia.

Psychological Symptoms and Self-Medication Behavior among COVID-19 Recoverees

Sarah Mousavi — 2025-06-15

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in psychological symptoms, even after recovery. However, the measurement of psychiatric disorders requires diagnostic tools, whereas most studies, including this one, use symptom-based screening instruments. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of depressive symptoms and levels of emotional distress (stress and anxiety) among COVID-19 recoverees. It also examined the prevalence and predictors of self-medication behaviors in this population.

Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted among 400 adults who had recovered from COVID-19 and attended academic pharmacies in Isfahan, Iran. Data were collected using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) for depressive symptoms, Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21) for emotional distress, and a researcher-designed questionnaire to assess self-medication practices. Logistic regression was performed to identify predictors of self-medication.

Results: Moderate to severe depressive symptoms (PHQ-9 ≥ 10) were reported in 35.1% of participants. Based on DASS-21 scores, 38.8% had moderate to severe anxiety, and 33.5% had moderate to severe stress. Self-medication was reported by 32.8% of participants, primarily using sedatives, antidepressants, and herbal remedies. Depression was significantly associated with self-medication (OR = 2.18; 95% CI: 1.45–3.29; P < 0.001), while anxiety and stress were not.

Conclusion: This study highlights a high prevalence of psychological symptomatology and self-medication among individuals recovering from COVID-19. Since only depressive symptoms were assessed using a validated psychiatric screening tool (PHQ-9), and no formal diagnostic criteria were applied, the results should not be interpreted as reflecting psychiatric disorder prevalence. The findings underscore the need for improved mental health support and regulation of medication access in post-COVID care settings.

Item Development and Psychometric Evaluation of the Scrambled Sentences Task: A Pilot Study in Persian

Asiyeh A'lam Hakkakan — 2025-06-15

Objective: One significant concern regarding the cross-cultural use of psychological instruments is their adaptation to the language of the target population. The Scrambled Sentences Task (SST) exemplifies this issue. As a well-known paradigm for assessing interpretation bias (IB), the SST has been widely used across different languages; however, it remains unclear whether the SST is a valid and reliable tool to be used in languages other than English. The current study aims to develop SST items for Persian language while controlling for word frequency, word length and morphological complexity— linguistic features critical to meet SST’s unique demands. We also seek to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian version of the SST (P-SST).

Method: The verbal stimuli for the P-SST were developed by drawing on a pool of sentences from prior research as a guide. These sentences were adapted specifically to fulfill the task's unique demands, ensuring the appropriateness of the P-SST for detecting IB. Since the SST primarily measures depressogenic tendencies, the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) was also employed as part of the assessment. The measures were administered to a sample of 222 female students, selected due to evidence suggesting higher susceptibility to depression among women. The reliability and validity of the P-SST were then calculated, along with an analysis of responses to identify areas for enhancing performance on this task.

Results: Our results provided evidence of the convergent validity of the P-SST, as it was significantly correlated with the BDI-II (rs = 0.43, 95% CI [0.29–0.57], N = 161), as well as evidence of its divergent validity (rs = 0.35, 95% CI [0.22–0.49], N = 161). Moreover, internal consistency analysis revealed a Cronbach’s alpha value of α = 0.81 and a split-half correlation value of r = 0.9.

Conclusion: Findings from this research established the psychometric properties of the P-SST as a quick and easily administered assessment tool to be used in the context of depression in Persian. The paper concludes with both linguistic and methodological recommendations to guide future development of SST items in any language.

Homosexuality: A Mental Problem that Shouldn't Be Called Sexual Deviance

Abdulaziz Daftari — 2025-06-15

Homosexuality is a sexual orientation that is the subject of much debate and has various supporters and opponents, and for this reason, there are different approaches to it. Some view homosexuality from a moral perspective, while others view it from the perspective of individual freedom and choice. Some governments fully support it and have implemented strong protective laws for homosexuality, while some countries are completely against it. In addition, there is also a variety of scientific evidence surrounding homosexuality: from evidence indicating a different biology of homosexuals to evidence that refutes the biological and neurological correlates of homosexuality. Experts in the fields of humanities such as philosophy and religious sciences have also raised different debates in this regard. Therefore, in this editorial, our goal was to provide a brief description of homosexuality from the perspectives of biology and neuroscience, psychology and psychiatry, philosophy, and various religions.