Background: Research has demonstrated that therapeutic interventions based on the self-efficacy theory produce positive outcomes for people who exhibit addictive behaviors, such as alcohol and drug use. Several questionnaires based on self-efficacy theory have been developed to evaluate the extent to which intervention programs can modify behavior. The present study describes the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the Drug Abstinence Self-Efficacy Scale (DASES). Design and methods: The forward–backward approach was employed to translate the DASES from English into Farsi. A cross-sectional study was conducted, and the psychometric properties of the Farsi version of the DASES were measured. Using a cluster sampling method, 400 male people who use drugs aged 20 years or older were selected from 10 addiction treatment clinics in Mazandaran, Iran. The internal consistency and test–retest methods were used to measure the reliability of the DASES. Face and content validity were measured, and the construct validity of the DASES was assessed through both exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS. Results: The results of the EFA indicated a four-factor solution for the DASES that accounted for 64.72% of the observed variance. The results obtained from the CFA demonstrated that the data fitted the model: the relative chi square (× 2/df) equaled 1.99 (p < 0.001), and the root mean square error of approximation equaled 0.071 (90% CI = 0.059–0.082). All the comparative indices of the model were equal to or greater than 0.90 (0.91, 0.93, 0.94, 0.93, and 0.90, respectively). The Cronbach’s alpha ranged from 0.90 to 0.93, proving a satisfactory reliability. Additionally, the intraclass correlation coefficient ranged from 0.75 to 0.98, which is an acceptable result. Conclusions: This study’s results show that the Iranian version of the DASES has good psychometric properties and is appropriate for assessing substance use behaviors among Iranian addicted persons.

Opioid use is a severe problem in Iran. Despite methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) programs being one of the most important treatment strategies for reducing individual and public harms associated with opioid use, a large proportion of Iranian patients refuse to participate in such treatment programs. The present study aims to explore the beliefs and attitudes toward MMT programs of opioid-dependent patients who were participating or had participated in methadone therapy. In-depth interviews were conducted with 23 opioid users between 27 and 58 years of age from Kurdistan provinces. Overall, six themes were discovered to be key barriers relating to methadone treatment, including financial barriers related to methadone treatment, lack of awareness about methadone treatment, negative attitudes regarding using methadone, worries about methadone’s side effects, social stigma ascribed to methadone therapy, and systemic barriers to methadone treatment. Our study revealed that the cost of treatment is a major obstacle to attending and continuing at MMT programs and that addicts and their families are not always accurately informed about the duration of MMT programs and the side effects of methadone treatment.

Self-efficacy is one of the factors involved in successful self-care of diabetic patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate general self-efficacy and

Breast cancer preventive behaviors have an extreme effect on women’s health. Despite the benefits of preventive behaviors regarding breast cancer, they have not been implemented as routine care for healthy women. To assess this health issue, a reliable and valid scale is needed. The aim of the present study is to develop and examine the psychometric properties of a new scale, called the ASSISTS, in order to identify factors that affect women’s breast cancer prevention behaviors. A multi-phase instrument development method was performed to develop the questionnaire from February 2012 to September 2014. The item pool was generated based on secondary analyses of previous qualitative data. Then, content and face validity were applied to provide a pre-final version of the scale. The scale validation was conducted with a sample of women recruited from health centers affiliated with Tehran University of Medical Sciences. The construct validity (both exploratory and confirmatory), convergent validity, discriminate validity, internal consistency reliability and test-retest analysis of the questionnaire were tested. Fifty-eight items were initially extracted from the secondary analysis of previous qualitative data. After content validity, this was reduced to 49 items. The exploratory factor analysis revealed seven factors (Attitude, supportive systems, self-efficacy, information seeking, stress management, stimulant and self-care) containing 33 items that jointly accounted for 60.62 % of the observed variance. The confirmatory factor analysis showed a model with appropriate fitness for the data. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the subscales ranged from 0.68 to 0.85, and the Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (ICC) ranged from 0.71 to 0.98; which is well above the acceptable thresholds. The findings showed that the designed questionnaire was a valid and reliable instrument for assessing factors affecting women’s breast cancer prevention behaviors that can be used both in practice and in future studies.

Female genital mutilation (FGM) is still a common practice in many countries in Africa and the Middle East. Understanding the determinants of FGM can lead to more active interventions to prevent this harmful practice. The goal of this study is to explore factors associated with FGM behavior among Iranian mothers and their daughters. Based on Ajzen’s theory of planned behavior, we examined the predictive value of attitudes, subjective norms, perceived behavioral control and several socio-demographic variables in relation to mothers’ intentions to mutilate their daughters. A paper-and-pencil survey was conducted among 300 mothers (mean age = 33.20, SD = 9.09) who had at least one daughter and who lived in Ravansar, a county in Kermanshah Province in Iran. Structural equation modeling was used to investigate the relationships among the study variables. Our results indicate that attitude is the strongest predictor of mothers’ intentions to allow their daughters to undergo FGM, followed by subjective norms. Compared to younger mothers, older mothers have more positive attitudes toward FGM, perceive themselves as having more control over their behavior and demonstrate a greater intention to allow their daughter to undergo FGM. Furthermore, we found that less educated mothers and mothers living in rural areas had more positive attitudes toward FGM and feel more social pressure to allow FGM. The model accounts for 93 percent of the variance in the mothers’ intentions to allow their daughters to undergo FGM. Intervention programs that want to decrease FGM might focus primarily on converting mothers’ neutral or positive feelings toward FGM into negative attitudes and on alleviating the perceived social pressure to mutilate one’s daughter. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations about how to curtail mothers’ intentions to allow their daughters to undergo FGM.