Work is the key component for most people in regard to financial, social and wellbeing matters. Employment is an important factor underpinning mental health disorders. However, unemployment remains an unsolved issue worldwide. Numerous studies have focused on employment outcomes in people with severe mental illness (SMI) but, only a few have explored their perspective on employment. Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the meaning of work among clients with SMI in Iran.A qualitative research approach was used to conduct this research. Ten participants who were consumers of mental health services took part in this study. Data were analyzed by inductive content analysis approach.Four themes emerged from data including: acquiring identity, work as a drive, passing the time and financial independence.Meaning of work in studied people with SMI was probably similar to the general population. The different finding in this study refers to the dominancy of family relationships and spiritual believes which could cover some problems and in turn affect the meaning of work. Highlighting these meanings could direct mental health professionals to better planning for their clients have better understanding of their clients' work future and in turn provide more precise plan for them.
Context: Individuals with mental illness may exhibit aggression due to psychological instability. The Token Economy is a behavioral approach that aims to achieve desired changes by using tokens as reinforcements. Objectives: This study investigates the effectiveness of token reinforcement in reducing aggressive behavior in mentally ill patients and identifies the factors that enhance the effectiveness of the Token Economy program. Evidence Acquisition: A search for studies was conducted in the databases of PubMed, Google Scholar, ProQuest, Scopus, and Web of Science using several keywords, including "Contingency Management," "Token Reinforcement," "Token Economy," "behavioral disorder," "mental disorder," "aggression," "violence," "disruptive behavior," and "challenging behavior." The search focused on articles published from 2003 to 2023 that included the implementation of token reinforcement in various settings for managing aggression. Results: A total of 12 studies met the inclusion criteria. After reviewing these studies, several factors were identified as responsible for the program's effectiveness. The Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies and the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (2011) were used to evaluate the studies. Of the 12 studies, two were rated as strong quality, one as moderate, and nine as weak quality. Additionally, three studies were classified as level 2, one as level 3, and eight as level 4, indicating significant methodological limitations. Conclusions: Generally, 9 studies supported the effectiveness of the Token Economy in managing aggression in adults and adolescents with mental illness. This approach can be useful in the modern rehabilitation and education of individuals with aggressive behavior. We recommend further studies with higher methodological quality to examine the generalizability and transferability of the results.
Background and Aim: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder and characterized by impairments in a wide range of cognitive domains. Allen Cognitive Level Screen has been used extensively by occupational therapists as a quick screening tool to derive a view of cognitive function in people with psychiatric disabilities. Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a computerized neuropsychological assessment battery which is commonly used to assess an executive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two measures of executive function used by different disciplines (Allen cognitive level test and CANTAB) when assessing persons with schizophrenia. * ،
Background and Aim: Materials and Methods : This investigation was a randomized controlled trial. 20 autistic boys with no other differential diagnosis, the age of 6-12 and IQ of 50-70 were selected from autism schools in Tehran and randomly assigned in two groups of intervention and control. Then they were participated in musical activities for 24 sessions. Participation of these children was evaluated with children’s assessment of participation and enjoyment and preference for activities of children. The data was analyzed with the independent T-TEST using SPSS 17. Results: The findings show that the mean score of participation and preference at formal and informal activities of autistic children, before and after musical activities were not significant except for preference of informal activities. Conclusion: Participation of autistic children at formal and informal activities before and after musical activities sessions was not significant except for preference of informal activities. Key Words: Autistic disorder, participation, formal activities, informal activities Autism is a developmental disorder that is characterized by delays in communication skills, social interaction, participation, accountability and behavioral symptoms such as repetitive and stereotyped behavior. The most common purposes of occupational therapy in these children is improving verbal and non verbal communication and social skills which lead to increase their participation and they will be more independent in their daily life. One of the most effective interactions in autism is music therapy. The objective of the present study is to investigate the effectiveness of musical activities on participation and preference of autism children.
Background and Aim: Schizophrenia is a severe psychiatric disorder and characterized by impairments in a wide range of cognitive domains. Allen Cognitive Level Screen has been used extensively by occupational therapists as a quick screening tool to derive a view of cognitive function in people with psychiatric disabilities . Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) is a computerized neuropsychological assessment battery which is commonly used to assess an executive functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between two measures of executive function used by different disciplines (Allen cognitive level test and CANTAB) when assessing persons with schizophrenia. Materials and Methods : In this cross-sectional study, the relation between Allen cognitive level test`s outcome and subtests of CANTAB (SWM, SSP & IED( were investigated in 30 patients with chronic schizophrenia (Mean age= 39 , man=80%,woman=20%). Allen cognitive level test was used to measure cognitive level and Spatial Span (SSP) to measure working memory capacity, Spatial Working Memory (SWM) to evaluate working memory and its strategy of usage and Intra/Extra dimensional Set Shift (IED) to assess attentional set shifting. All the data was analyzed by SPSS-16. Results: No Significant correlation was found between cognition levels of Allen test and SWM subtest (r S = -0/046; P=0/811), SSP (r S =0/009; P= -0/024) and IED (r S = -0/074; P=0/699). Conclusion: The findings of this study suggest that although patients with schizophrenia might have problems in cognitive component, they may show less problem in performing goal directed activities. In addition, the approaches of evaluation based on which the tests have been planned should be considered for investigating the correlation between two tests. It seems that the results of a top-down approach may be different from those of a bottom-up approach. Key word: Schizophrenia, Allen cognitive level test, CANTAB, executive functions
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