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Objectives: Stroke survivors develop their own strategies to combat disabilities, developing strategies to maintain or reestablish a sense of continuity after the disruptive life event that stroke represents, using strategies to foster hope during the process of adjusting to life after stroke and drawing on spiritual practices. The aim of this study is to identify the used and recommended strategies of life after stroke among Iranian people.

Methods: A grounded theory approach was recruited using semi-structured interviews with 10 stroke survivors, 12 family caregivers and 6 formal care givers.

Results: Five main concepts emerged describing as the used and recommended strategies of the participants including, improving functional performance, re-learning life skills and educational support, accessing to rehabilitative services, socio-economical support and well-suited coping strategies.

Discussion: Participants valued better knowledge and skills regarding the adaptive strategies for stroke survivors and their family care givers are essential in accomplishing with activities of daily living and doing social roles for improving life after stroke. Also developing the socio- economic supports is crucial for assuring a more supportive approach to achieve rehabilitation services and design better educational program for them.

Objectives: This study intends to evaluate Marital Adjustment of the addicts in Isfahan NA groups and their couples.

Methods: In this cross-sectional analytic-descriptive study, two centers were randomly selected among all of the NA groups in Isfahan in 2012. In the next stage, 40 addicts (both male and female) who were randomly selected from each center as well as their couples were asked to participate in the present study. Thus, 124 participants who were 62 couples took part in this study. The research data were collected through the questionnaire based on demographics information of the participants and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (Spanir, 1976). Finally, SPSS software 16 was employed to analyze the data.

Results: The findings of this study indicate that 82% of addicts and their couples are unadjustable and only 18% of them are adjustable. The participants’ education is from elementary to high school. The mean of their age is 31.3 years, the mean of the couples’ marriage duration is 9.65 years, the mean of their age gap is 4.35 years, the mean of their addiction duration is 9.65 years and the mean of their number of children is 1.2. In addition, most of the addicts in this study (52.97%) use a combination of drugs and the others use only an especial substance as a dominant drug.

Discussion: The results show that Marital Adjustment in addicts and their couples faces major problems and based on the prevalence of addiction requires more attention and it is essential to design and implement interventions in order to enhance Marital Adjustment of the addicts and their couples considering the critical age of 30 to 40 years old. Besides, it is necessary to recognize ways of interventions in educated addicts' family and also to design interventions for uneducated NA groups with high school educational level or lower than that.

Objectives: Stroke is a neurological syndrome with sudden onset or gradual destruction of brain vessels, which may take 24 hours or more. Complications of stroke effect in the variation aspects of the individual. According to De Spulveda and Chang’s Studies, disability reduced the effective adjustment. This study aimed to overview the adjustment of stroke patients based on the main concepts of rehabilitation nursing Mauk model.

Methods: In a quasi-experimental one group pre-posttest design study, data was collected in the neurology clinic of Imam Khomeini hospital and stroke patient rehabilitation centers in Tehran (Tabassom). Data collection included demographic and adjustment questionnaires of stroke patients. The intervention included seven sessions as Mauk model, each session with one hour training, for seven patients. Data analysis performed with SPSS software with paired t-test and was compared with previous results.

Results: There were significant differences between the mean scores of patients with stroke adjustment questionnaire in the pre-test-post-test. But in the adjustment sub-scales, except for relationship with wife and Personal adjustment, in other areas, there is no statistically significant difference between the pre and posttest.

Discussion: The results indicated that training has been affected on some aspects of adjustment of stroke patients in order to, as improving functions, complications and its limitations. Nurses can help then with implementing of plans such as patients education in this regard.

Objectives:  Stroke is a major event in one's life, and patients will inevitably require the use of coping strategies in order to try to reestablish acceptable life equilibrium. Due to the extensive role that nurses can be active members in the patient's rehabilitation plan, the Mauk model is a model that focuses on stroke patients. For each stage of this model,  Mauk has developed appropriate rehabilitation nursing interventions. This study aimed to analyze the effect of implementation of the Mauk nursing rehabilitation model (Agonizing phase, Fantasy phase, Realizing phase) on the coping strategies of stroke patients.

Methods: This study is a quasi-experimental one-group pre-test-post-test study. The interventions are identified and coping strategies for patients based  on the Mauk model have been trained. Convenience sampling has been done in Imam Khomeini hospital and Tabassom rehabilitation center in 1392. Data collection instruments included a demographic questionnaire and a coping strategies questionnaire for stroke patients. The educational program was implemented in sessions of 45 minutes. The patients’ coping strategies, before and after training, were  assessed. Data was statistically analyzed using
descriptive and inferential tests in SPSS software 16.

Results: The mean score for coping strategies before intervention was 111.42±11.71, and after intervention was 102.14±12.45 (P<0.05). The physical, mental and social dimensions in the coping strategies showed significant differences before and after intervention.

Discussion: Using the rehabilitation program interventions for effectively dealing with stress, changing and unpredictable behavior patterns in chronic patients is an important component of the treatment protocol, and helps deliver an increase in coping strategies for stroke patients.

Objectives: Low back pain is one of the main health problems which affect many people worldwide. The daily course of life is highly disrupted due to the chronic back pain problem. This study aims to explore the occupational performance of individuals with chronic low back pain.
Methods: Fifteen people with chronic low back pain were included in this study using purposeful sampling. The participants were interviewed, and a qualitative content analysis was employed to analyze the data.
Results: The three main resulted themes were: 1) Occupational disturbance because of low back pain; 2) Difficulty in moving around and remaining in any given position; and 3) Permanent mind struggle owing to back pain. People with chronic low back pain experience difficulty in all areas of daily occupation including self-care, work, and leisure, plus having trouble with being physically active and being persistent in certain positions. Furthermore, mind struggle with back pain which implies preoccupation with back pain in addition to fear of movement are other findings of present study.
Discussion: Chronic low back pain greatly influences the daily occupations of individuals. Mind struggle with back pain, which implies preoccupation with back pain, in addition to the fear of movement are significant findings of the present study. Occupational therapists can play an important role in re-engagement of people with chronic low back pain in their daily occupations.

Objectives: Following the rise in the elderly population worldwide and the increase in chronic diseases among this demographic with their consequent need for care, the subject of elderly care is becoming increasingly important. Considering the traditional standing of the elderly in Iranian society and the importance of in-community care for them, it seems of crucial importance to study the obstacles hindering the care for community-dwelling elderly for a better understanding of the status. This can also facilitate the conditions for the care-givers and care-receivers on the part of policy makers and managers.
Methods: In this study, using purposive sampling, 19 semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with informal care-givers and were then transcribed verbatim. The content analysis of the transcribed interviews was carried out by determining conceptual units, precise coding, and constant comparative method. Then, the sub-categories and main categories were gradually formed.
Results: Data analysis was carried out in constant mode simultaneous with the data collection. From the whole set of interviews, 311 preliminary codes were extracted. The codes were obtained throughout the process of analysis in three main categories of personal, family, and social factors. All categories had their own subcategories that were integrated into certain categories based on their own specific characteristics. The subcategories included the characteristics of the caregiver and the elderly, the lack of knowledge and awareness about caregiving, the lack of support and cooperation on the part of the family members, financial problems, unsuitable homes, the lack of government support, and obstacles hindering the presence of the elderly in the society.
Discussion: The inhibitors affect a proper caregiving and based on their own nature, cause discomfort to the caregiver and care receiver. Many of these cases are deemed as rectifiable hindrances that can lead us to optimal care for community-dwelling elderly if the cases are taken into consideration and proper strategies are designed and implemented in small and large scale planning.