Globally, high-risk illnesses including Hepatitis B, Hepatitis C, and human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) are major health problems causing considerable impact on health systems. Knowledge and awareness are very important factors for controlling these illnesses in society. Regarding the transmission routes of these viruses, young people are at the highest risk of infection. Therefore, our objectives were to determine the college students’ awareness of hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV), and HIV/AIDS with regard to basic information, transmission, and prevention. A total of 810 students from 7 universities, from September to March 2017, were included in the study. All participants were categorized into three groups (medical, biology, and other fields). The subjects were evaluated by a standardized questionnaire and results analyzed in SPSS software using the χ2 test. In total, 43% of respondents were male and the majority of them were 20 to 25 years old. Our results showed the suitable level of awareness about HBV and remarkable about HIV. In contrast, insufficient level of awareness was indicated about HCV. Given the low levels of awareness or knowledge about HCV, it can be suggested that educational programs for this important disease are necessary especially for university students. On the other hand, high awareness of participants about HBV and HIV/AIDS might be the results of the proper functioning of educational programs for students in Iran.

Background Evidence suggests that attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may accentuate varying psychological symptoms in parents. Since mothers are the most likely individuals interacting with ADHD children, it is highly probable that they will be influenced the most. Objectives This pilot study aimed to determine the effect of compassion‐focused group therapy on psychological symptoms of mothers of ADHD children. Methods A pre‐test–post‐test control‐grouped, quasi‐experimental study was carried out on a sample of 20 mothers of children with ADHD who were referred to the Health Centers of Isfahan City in Spring 2017. Prior to the intervention, the mothers’ psychological symptoms were recorded in both groups using the DASS‐21 questionnaire. Then, the mothers (n = 10) in the treatment group underwent 8 weekly sessions of 90‐min, compassion‐focused therapy. Both groups were post‐tested 1 week after the intervention. Finally, the collected data were analysed in SPSS‐23. Results The results of the study showed that, after the intervention, the mothers’ psychological symptoms in the treatment group significantly decreased (pre‐test: 36.10 ± 7.96 vs. post‐test: 33.40 ± 4.28, p value < 0.05), while no significant change was observed in the control group. Depression and anxiety levels showed a significant decrease in the treatment group as compared to the control group (p value < 0.05), while participants’ stress levels remained the same in both groups (p value > 0.05). Conclusion The findings revealed that compassion‐focused therapy resulted in an increase in self‐compassion and inner calmness levels, and a decrease in the use of avoidance coping strategy on the one hand, and the need to regulate emotions and ruminations on the other hand, among the mothers of ADHD children, which subsequently led to a decrease in psychological symptoms.

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