International Journal of Education and Cognitive Sciences

Purpose: The present study aimed to develop a comprehensive conceptual framework for nature-based art therapy grounded in neurological mechanisms to enhance emotional, sensory, cognitive, and social functioning in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Methods and Materials: This study was designed as a theoretical–applied research using a descriptive–analytical approach. Data were collected through a systematic review of Persian and international scientific literature in the domains of art therapy, autism spectrum disorder, nature-based interventions, and neuroscience. Relevant sources were identified using databases including SID, MagIran, Google Scholar, ScienceDirect, and Scopus. Inclusion criteria consisted of direct relevance to the study topic, scientific credibility, peer-reviewed status, and conceptual or empirical contribution. After screening and selection, the data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. Key themes were extracted and categorized into three primary domains: art therapy processes, nature as an enriched therapeutic environment, and neurological mechanisms underlying intervention effects. Finally, conceptual inference was employed to integrate these domains into a coherent framework.

Findings: The analysis revealed that nature-based art therapy operates through a dynamic interaction between expressive artistic processes, enriched natural environments, and neurobiological mechanisms. The findings suggest that engagement in structured art activities within natural settings facilitates sensory–motor integration, emotional regulation, and attention restoration, which are mediated by processes such as neuroplasticity, modulation of limbic activity, and enhancement of executive functioning. The integration of these components is inferred to produce synergistic effects, leading to improvements in adaptive behavior, cognitive flexibility, emotional stability, and social interaction in children with autism spectrum disorder.

Conclusion: By emphasizing the interplay between experiential, environmental, and neurological factors, the model highlights the potential of nature-based art therapy as a holistic and developmentally responsive strategy for enhancing functional outcomes in affected children.

Purpose: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the Persian short form of the Self-Criticism/Self-Reassurance Scale among university students.

Methods and Materials: The present study was a descriptive psychometric validation study. The statistical population consisted of university students in Tehran during the 2025–2026 academic year. A total of 573 students were selected using convenience sampling. The research instruments included the Short Form of the Self-Criticism/Self-Reassurance Scale (FSCRS-SF), the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-21 (DASS-21), the Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS-SF), and the Self-Critical Rumination Scale (SCRS). Content validity, confirmatory factor analysis, convergent and divergent validity, and internal consistency reliability were examined.

Findings: The content validity results indicated that three items were removed due to low content validity ratio, and the final 11-item version was retained for subsequent analyses. Confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor structure consisting of self-criticism and self-reassurance, and the model fit indices indicated acceptable to favorable fit. Correlational analyses showed that self-criticism had positive and significant associations with depression, anxiety, stress, and self-critical rumination, while it had negative and significant associations with self-compassion and self-reassurance. In contrast, self-reassurance was negatively and significantly associated with negative emotional symptoms and self-critical rumination, and positively and significantly associated with self-compassion. Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega coefficients for the self-criticism and self-reassurance subscales indicated satisfactory internal consistency.

Conclusion: The findings support the validity and reliability of the Persian 11-item short form of the Self-Criticism/Self-Reassurance Scale among university students. This instrument can be used as a brief, valid, and practical measure in preliminary psychological research and screening contexts.

Purpose: The present study aimed to develop a self-care educational–psychological package based on the lived experiences of young people with sensory and motor impairments and to examine its effectiveness on job satisfaction, self-compassion, and spiritual vitality.

Methods and Materials: This study employed an exploratory mixed-methods design conducted in two qualitative and quantitative phases. In the qualitative phase, a phenomenological approach was used to explore the lived experiences of 11 young people with sensory and motor impairments residing in Yazd, Iran. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and data were collected using in-depth semi-structured interviews. Qualitative data were analyzed using Colaizzi’s thematic analysis method, resulting in the extraction of 189 initial codes and several organizing and overarching themes. Based on the identified themes, a self-care educational–psychological package consisting of ten 90-minute sessions was developed. In the quantitative phase, the effectiveness of the package was evaluated using a pretest–posttest experimental design with a control group. Thirty participants were selected through stratified random sampling and randomly assigned to experimental and control groups (n = 15 per group). Data were collected using the Minnesota Job Satisfaction Questionnaire, Neff’s Self-Compassion Scale, and the Chirean and Afroz Spiritual Vitality Questionnaire. Data were analyzed using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) in SPSS version 26.

Findings: The qualitative findings identified two overarching themes, namely occupational challenges and failures and occupational strategies among individuals with physical and motor limitations, which formed the foundation of the intervention package. Quantitative findings indicated significant differences between the experimental and control groups following the intervention. ANCOVA results showed that the self-care package significantly improved job satisfaction (F = 18.72, p < .001, η² = .51), self-compassion (F = 15.34, p < .001, η² = .45), and spiritual vitality (F = 22.41, p < .001, η² = .55). The obtained effect sizes demonstrated substantial practical significance, indicating that the intervention accounted for a considerable proportion of variance in all three outcome variables.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that a self-care educational–psychological package developed from the lived experiences of young people with sensory and motor impairments can effectively enhance job satisfaction, self-compassion, and spiritual vitality. Integrating self-care skills, self-compassion training, occupational empowerment strategies, and spirituality-based activities appears to provide a comprehensive framework for promoting psychological well-being and occupational adjustment among individuals with disabilities. The intervention may therefore serve as a valuable resource for rehabilitation centers, counseling services, and programs designed to support the psychological and occupational development of young people with sensory and motor impairments.

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine the structural relationship model between insecure attachment styles and suicidal ideation among university students, with the mediating roles of mentalization deficits and emotion regulation deficits.

Methods and Materials: In terms of purpose, this study was applied research, and in terms of methodology, it employed a descriptive-correlational design based on structural equation modeling. The statistical population consisted of all students of the University of Tabriz during the 2024–2025 academic year. From this population, 378 participants were selected using cluster random sampling. Data were collected using the Attachment Styles Questionnaire (Hazan & Shaver, 1987), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (Gross & John, 2003), the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation (Beck, 1991), and the Mentalization Questionnaire (Dimitrijević et al., 2017). Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlation coefficient and structural equation modeling through SPSS-18 and AMOS-22 software.

Findings: The results indicated that insecure attachment styles, emotion regulation deficits, and mentalization deficits were significant positive predictors of suicidal ideation (p < .05). Furthermore, the structural model demonstrated a satisfactory fit, and the study variables collectively explained 69% of the variance in suicidal ideation. Emotion regulation deficits and mentalization deficits also played significant mediating roles in the relationship between insecure attachment styles and suicidal ideation (p < .05).

Conclusion: The findings suggest that insecure attachment styles increase students’ vulnerability to suicidal thoughts by weakening mentalization capacities and disrupting emotion regulation mechanisms.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the role of test anxiety and working memory in predicting mathematics performance among female high school students.

Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational research design. The statistical population consisted of female students enrolled in the second cycle of secondary education in Kermanshah, Iran. A total of 300 students were selected through a multistage cluster sampling method. Data were collected using the Test Anxiety Inventory developed by Spielberger (1980), the Wechsler Working Memory assessment, and a researcher-developed Mathematics Performance Test comprising 15 items derived from the mathematics curriculum of the tenth and eleventh grades. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficients, and simultaneous multiple regression analysis in SPSS version 27.

Findings: The results revealed a significant negative relationship between test anxiety and working memory (r = −0.551, p < .001). Test anxiety was also negatively and significantly associated with mathematics performance (r = −0.535, p < .001), whereas working memory demonstrated a significant positive relationship with mathematics performance (r = 0.489, p < .001). Simultaneous multiple regression analysis indicated that test anxiety and working memory jointly predicted mathematics performance significantly. The multiple correlation coefficient was R = 0.780, and the coefficient of determination was R² = 0.609, indicating that the two predictors explained 60.9% of the variance in mathematics performance. The regression model was statistically significant (p < .001). Standardized regression coefficients showed that test anxiety (β = −0.544, p < .001) negatively predicted mathematics performance, while working memory (β = 0.365, p < .001) positively predicted mathematics performance. Furthermore, test anxiety contributed more strongly to the prediction of mathematics performance than working memory.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that mathematics performance is influenced not only by cognitive abilities such as working memory but also by emotional factors, particularly test anxiety. Reducing test anxiety and strengthening working memory may therefore serve as important targets for educational and counseling interventions aimed at enhancing students’ academic achievement in mathematics.

Purpose: The present study aimed to compare attentional bias, interpretation bias, metacognitive beliefs, and self-compassion between patients diagnosed with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) and normal individuals.

Methods and Materials: This study employed a causal-comparative research design. The statistical population consisted of patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder attending psychiatric clinics and counseling centers in Tehran and normal individuals from the general population. A total of 160 participants were selected, including 80 patients diagnosed with GAD and 80 healthy individuals. Participants completed the Dot-Probe Task for attentional bias assessment, the Ambiguous Scenarios Test for interpretation bias, the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30), and the Self-Compassion Scale (SCS). Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA) in SPSS version 27.

Findings: The results of the multivariate analysis revealed a significant overall difference between patients with GAD and normal individuals on the combined dependent variables, Wilks’ Λ = .381, F(4,155) = 63.52, p < .001, partial η² = .619. Follow-up univariate analyses demonstrated that patients with GAD reported significantly higher levels of attentional bias, F(1,158) = 145.73, p < .001, partial η² = .480; interpretation bias, F(1,158) = 174.82, p < .001, partial η² = .525; and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, F(1,158) = 160.95, p < .001, partial η² = .505, compared with normal individuals. In contrast, normal individuals exhibited significantly higher levels of self-compassion than patients with GAD, F(1,158) = 228.37, p < .001, partial η² = .591. Among the investigated variables, self-compassion showed the largest effect size, indicating the strongest differentiation between the two groups.

Conclusion: The findings suggest that Generalized Anxiety Disorder is associated with elevated cognitive and metacognitive vulnerabilities, including attentional and interpretation biases and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs, as well as reduced self-compassion.

Purpose: The present study aimed to investigate the role of emotional intelligence in academic motivation regulation and academic performance among secondary school students, with particular emphasis on the mediating role of metacognitive strategies.

Methods and Materials: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design using structural equation modeling (SEM). The statistical population consisted of secondary school students in Tehran during the 2024–2025 academic year, from whom 300 participants were selected through multistage cluster sampling. Data were collected using the Schutte Emotional Intelligence Scale, the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory developed by Schraw and Dennison, and an academic motivation regulation scale based on Wolters’ framework. Academic performance was measured using students’ semester grade point averages in core subjects. The validity of the instruments was examined through expert review and confirmatory factor analysis, while reliability was assessed using Cronbach’s alpha and composite reliability coefficients. Data were analyzed using SPSS Version 26 and AMOS Version 24. Pearson correlation analysis, confirmatory factor analysis, structural equation modeling, and bootstrap procedures with 5,000 resamples were employed to test direct and indirect relationships among the study variables.

Findings: The results revealed significant positive relationships among emotional intelligence, metacognitive strategies, academic motivation regulation, and academic performance. Emotional intelligence exerted a direct positive effect on metacognitive strategies (β = .48, p < .001) and academic motivation regulation (β = .28, p < .001). Metacognitive strategies positively predicted academic performance (β = .35, p < .001), while academic motivation regulation significantly influenced academic performance (β = .44, p < .001). The structural model demonstrated satisfactory fit indices (χ²/df = 2.14, CFI = .96, TLI = .95, RMSEA = .048, SRMR = .042). Bootstrap analyses further indicated that emotional intelligence had significant indirect effects on academic performance through metacognitive strategies (β = .17, p < .001) and academic motivation regulation (β = .12, p = .005), confirming the mediating roles of these variables.

Conclusion: The findings demonstrate that emotional intelligence contributes significantly to students’ academic performance both directly and indirectly through enhanced metacognitive strategy use and more effective academic motivation regulation. These results highlight the interconnected roles of emotional, cognitive, and motivational processes in academic achievement and suggest that educational programs designed to strengthen emotional intelligence and metacognitive competencies may improve students’ motivation, self-regulated learning, and overall academic success.

Purpose: The present study aimed to determine the effectiveness of short-term object relations therapy in reducing the severity of cognitive fatigue among patients with Multiple Sclerosis (MS).

Methods and Materials: This study employed an applied, quantitative design using a randomized quasi-experimental pretest–posttest structure with a control group and a three-month follow-up phase. The statistical population included patients diagnosed with MS who were referred to healthcare centers in Isfahan during 2025–2026. A total of 36 participants were selected through convenience sampling and randomly assigned to an experimental group (n = 18) and a control group (n = 18). The experimental group received short-term object relations group therapy based on a structured 14-session protocol delivered over seven weeks, while the control group received no intervention. Data were collected using the Fatigue Severity Scale at three time points: pretest, posttest, and follow-up. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS version 29, including descriptive statistics, Kolmogorov–Smirnov and Levene’s tests for assumptions, and repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) and covariance (ANCOVA) where necessary.

Findings: The results of repeated measures ANOVA indicated a significant main effect of group (F = 34.55, p < 0.001, η² = 0.504), a significant main effect of time (F = 41.69, p < 0.001, η² = 0.551), and a significant interaction effect between time and group (F = 73.93, p < 0.001, η² = 0.685) on cognitive fatigue severity. Bonferroni post hoc comparisons revealed significant reductions in cognitive fatigue from pretest to posttest (p < 0.001) and from pretest to follow-up (p < 0.001), as well as a smaller but significant difference between posttest and follow-up (p = 0.037) in the experimental group.

Conclusion: Short-term object relations therapy is an effective intervention for reducing cognitive fatigue in patients with MS, producing significant and sustained improvements that highlight the importance of addressing emotional and relational processes in the management of fatigue-related symptoms.