ARTICLE INFO

Article Type

Descriptive & Survey Study

Authors

Hasani Tabatabai   L. (1)
Shaker Dioulagh   A. (*)






(*) Psychology Department, Human Sciences Faculty, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia , Iran
(1) Psychology Department, Human Sciences Faculty, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, Urmia , Iran

Correspondence

Address: Human Sciences Faculty, Urmia Branch, Islamic Azad University, 2 Km Road of Salmas, Urmia, Iran
Phone: +98 (44) 32622043
Fax: +98 (44) 32722664
alishaker2000@gmail.com

Article History

Received:  May  29, 2017
Accepted:  October 17, 2017
ePublished:  April 10, 2018

BRIEF TEXT


War is one of the most well-known factors that, in most cases, reduces the health, mortality and long-term physical and mental health and safety of civilians and non-civilians [1], such as veterans of the spinal cord and chemical veterans who lose their health.

... [7-2]. Research has shown that maintaining a positive mental image of God and maintaining close contact with God increases mental health [8]. ... [14-9]. Treatment for injured veterans has many psychological pressures, some of which reduce quality of life and lead to anxiety, stress, or depression. Hopeful people focus more on the problem and are more active in solving it. In addition, people who think hopefully suggest less distraction and more adaptation in the treatment of their illness [15]. Hopefulness is associated with greater well-being. Hope increases -through the successful experiences of life and diminish by the experience of defeat [16]. ... [17-23].

The purpose of this study was to compare the level of God's perception and life expectancy among injured spinal cord, chemical and normal people.

The present study is causal-comparative.

The sample size consisted of 130 people (30 patients with spinal cord injuries, 50 chemical veterans and 50 normal people), which was determined according to Morgan's table. Samples of injured spinal cord or chemical patients were veterans who received certificate for the percentage of spinal cord injury or chemical injuries from the Medical Commission of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs. According to the fact that the amputees of the spinal cord in Urmia were 30, they were selected in full measure. According to the foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs, the number of chemical veterans was 100, and after matching age and sex with injured spinal cord, 50 chemical warfare veterans were randomly selected using lottery method. A total of 50 normal individuals were selected after matching by age and sex with spinal cord injured by cluster sampling among employees of the staff of the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Urmia (about 80 people) who did not have any veterans in their family.

The present study was conducted from June to September 2016 among the injured veterans of spinal cord, chemical veterans and normal people in Urmia.

The research tool was Greeley Perception of God Scale [5] and Miller's Hope Scale (MHS) [24]. The method of implementing the research was as follows: first, by referring to the Foundation of Martyrs and Veterans Affairs in Urmia and submitting the university's introduction to the foundation, the administrative process took place and the permission to conduct the research was taken. Then, a complete list of spinal cord and chemical veterans and information including name and family, contact number, age and gender were received from the Foundation of Veterans and Martyrs. Data was collected by going to the home. Before going to homes, the veterans received a phone call and they were explained the cause of the contact; the research objectives were explained to them. In order to observe ethical considerations, with the permission of the individual, the address of the home (or, if desired, the address of the workplace or the hospital in which they are admitted) was asked and the visit time to complete the questionnaire was determined. Then, by referring to the home or hospital, the level of literacy was asked. If the person was able to read the questions and had no vision problems, the questionnaire was given to the person to answer and if the person could not answer alone, the researcher asked him questions and the veteran was asked to choose the answer. It should be noted that in order to observe ethical considerations at all stages of the study, the personal information of the veterans (including the name, address, etc.) was secretly confined to the researcher. After collecting the data, the normalization of the data distribution was determined by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, variance-covariance matrix equation was measured by m-box test and homogeneity of variables in three groups was determined using Levene test. To analyze the data, multivariate analysis of covariance analysis was used to compare the three groups in each of the components. Multivariate analysis of variance was used for comparison of the three groups in these components, and for pair comparison of the groups in these components, Ben Ferroni follow-up test was performed with SPSS 22 software.

The mean age of subjects was 51.0 ± 7.4 years and all subjects were male. There was a significant difference between the scores of the three groups in both variables of perception of God and life expectancy (F = 3.002, p <0.01). The scores of the three groups in the challenge component (F = 0.6969; P = 0.002), the total score of perception to God (F =6.874; p = 0.002) and in the life expectancy variable (F =5.11; P = 0.008) were significantly different among spinal cord veterans, chemical veterans and normal people. In the bipartite study of the groups there was a significant difference in the total score of God's perception between the two groups of chemical veterans and normal people (p = 0.001), in the challenge component between two groups of chemical veterans with normal people (p = 0.003) and spinal cord veterans with normal people (p=0.011) and there was a significant difference in the life expectancy between two groups of chemical veterans and spinal cord veterans (p = 0.007) (Table 1).

The findings of this study was in line with the results of the study by Tabasomzadeh et al regarding the difference in the perceptions of God between the two groups of chemical veterans and normal people [25]. ... [26]. Based on the results, life expectancy was significantly different between the two groups of spinal cord veterans and chemical veterans. The findings of this study was in line with the findings of Zarab and Sarian regarding the lack of significant difference between the two groups of chemical veterans and normal people in the variable of life expectancy [27] and McColl et al. about the reduction of life expectancy in the spinal cord veterans [28] and was inconsistent with the results of Kaviani et al. Research which showed that self-efficacy and life expectancy were significantly different between the spinal cord veterans and their spouses [29].

The first limitation was gender. In this study, all participants were male, so we were not able to examine sex in variables. This study was carried out on the spinal cord and chemical veterans in Urmia and could be affected by specific cultural and regional characteristics. Therefore, generalization of results to other areas should be done with caution. Another limitation was the research plan which was of causal-comparative type. Since there is limitation in the interpretation of the findings of the causal-comparative method, the researcher does not really know that the findings of the research are the result of a particular cause or of other behavioral patterns.

Based on these constraints and considering the fact that this research was conducted causally-comparatively, the causal relationships are not well defined. Therefore, in order to obtain more accurate results, it is suggested that in later studies, causal relationships between variables of research with an educational approach be determined using experimental and quasi-experimental methods. Also, it is suggested that similar research be done with the larger statistical community and other war veterans in order to be more able to generalize the results. Considering the importance of God's perception, it is also suggested to the authorities that by improving the spirituality and moral development of the individual, help the veterans to have a greater understanding of themselves, in which the participation of their peers is effective. It is, also, suggested that authorities consider the veterans' living conditions in their planning that this important issue increases in terms of promoting spirituality.

The level of perception of God and the life expectancy vary among the spinal cord veterans, chemical veterans and ordinary people.

We thank all the employees of the Foundation of Veterans and Martyrs Affairs in Azerbaijan West Province and the devoted veterans who helped us at all stages of the process with patience.

Non-declared

Ethical permission was taken from all the participants in the study before completing the questionnaire.

The financial source of this research is personal.

TABLES and CHARTS

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