Systematic Reviews

Caregiver Burden among Primary Caregivers of Community-Dwelling Older Adults: A Systematic Review

Kiana Ramezani; Marzieh Pashmdarfard; Mehdi Rezaee; Zeinab Bagheri; Mino Kalantari

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 120-131

Abstract

Background: Caregivers are individuals responsible for assisting older, sick, or disabled persons. The majority of care services are provided by family members acting as primary caregivers. ... Read More Background: Caregivers are individuals responsible for assisting older, sick, or disabled persons. The majority of care services are provided by family members acting as primary caregivers. Providing care for older people entails considerable financial, physical, and psychosocial strain, which can reduce both the quality of life of caregivers and the quality of care provided. With the growing proportion of individuals aged 60 and above, along with advancements in medical and technological fields that extend life expectancy, concerns regarding elder care are increasing.Methods: This systematic review examined the effects of interventions on caregiver burden among primary caregivers of community-dwelling older adults and identified key factors influencing caregiving challenges. A total of 354 peer-reviewed articles published between 2000 and 2023 were extracted from databases including Embase, PubMed, and Scopus. The agreement rate between the first and third authors during the article selection process was 93%. Article quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) Scale. Abstracts and full texts were reviewed by the second and fourth authors, with an inter-rater agreement of 89%.Results: Thirteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the final review. All were of medium to high methodological quality, each scoring five or above on the PEDro scale. The studies focused on interventions targeting older adults (n=4), caregivers (n=5), or both (n=4). Interventions aimed directly at caregivers were identified as the most effective in reducing caregiver burden. Findings were synthesized based on reported outcomes related to caregiver burden, stress, and depression.Conclusion: The review concludes that direct interventions for caregivers are the most effective strategy for reducing caregiver burden. Designing and evaluating individualized intervention programs may further enhance their effectiveness and inform future caregiving support strategies.

Original Articles

Assessment of Knee Angular Deformities: Correlation between Photogrammetric, Clinical, and Radiographic Methods

Nasim Rashedi; Bina Eftekharsadat; Neda Dolatkhah; Jafar Soleymanpour; Yaghoub Salekzamani; Soraya Babaie

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 71-80

Abstract

Background: Photogrammetry is a safe and non-invasive technique for evaluating posture in clinical settings. Body Vision is a novel system that employs photogrammetric principles to ... Read More Background: Photogrammetry is a safe and non-invasive technique for evaluating posture in clinical settings. Body Vision is a novel system that employs photogrammetric principles to assess postural parameters. This study aimed to determine the relationship between clinical, photogrammetric, and radiological techniques in detecting knee angular deformities. Methods: This cross-sectional study was performed on 53 volunteers of both genders, encompassing a total of 106 lower limbs with complaints of knee pain or knee deformity. Sampling was conducted in a non-random and accessible manner based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. All participants had previously obtained full-length radiographs of their lower limbs. The clinical evaluation included measurements of the anatomical axis, Q angle, and intermalleolar and intercondylar distances. These parameters were also assessed using the Body Vision photogrammetric system while the patient was in a standing position. Data from all three methods were compared using the measured angles and distances. Results: The evaluations indicated a strong correlation between the photogrammetric and radiological methods regarding the anatomical axis of the lower limb (r = 0.939, p < 0.001). A high correlation was also observed between the clinical and photogrammetric methods for the intermalleolar distance (r = 0.948, p < 0.001) and intercondylar distance (r = 0.927, p < 0.001). For the Q angle, a high but relatively lower correlation was found between the clinical and photogrammetric methods (r = 0.834, p < 0.001). However, a moderate correlation was detected between the clinical measurement of the anatomical axis and both the photogrammetric (r = 0.70) and radiological (r = 0.62) methods. Conclusion: This study demonstrated a strong correlation between the photogrammetric technique and the gold standard radiological method, indicating that photogrammetry can serve as a viable alternative for evaluating knee angular deviations.

Original Articles

The Prevalence of Academic Procrastination among Students of the School of Rehabilitation Sciences at Shiraz University of Medical Sciences

Sara Abolahrari-Shirazi; Farzaneh Moslemi Haghighi; Farahnaz Emami

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 81-88

Abstract

Background: Academic procrastination is an irrational tendency to delay starting or completing academic tasks. It is reportedly associated with negative emotions, psychological distress, ... Read More Background: Academic procrastination is an irrational tendency to delay starting or completing academic tasks. It is reportedly associated with negative emotions, psychological distress, a sense of failure, guilt, lower levels of self-regulated learning and self-efficacy, and unsatisfactory academic performance. Academic procrastination is a common phenomenon among university students. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the prevalence of academic procrastination among students at the School of Rehabilitation Sciences, Shiraz University of Medical Sciences.Methods: All university students (a total of 368), including 230 (62.5%) females and 138 (37.5%) males, voluntarily participated in this cross-sectional descriptive study. The participants were undergraduate and postgraduate students from different academic levels across five departments. The mean age of students was 21.66 ± 2.27 years. To ascertain the prevalence of procrastination, we used the Solomon and Rothblum Academic Procrastination Questionnaire. This questionnaire consists of 27 items designed to measure three areas: preparing for exams, preparing assignments, and preparing the final paper. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, one-way ANOVA, and independent t-tests were applied. A p-value less than 0.05 was regarded as statistically significant.Results: A total of 297 students completed all items on the procrastination questionnaire. Among the participants, 44.2% reported being moderate procrastinators, and 54.5% reported severe procrastination behaviors. Specifically, 40.9% of males reported moderate procrastination, while 57.3% reported severe procrastination. Among females, 46% reported moderate procrastination, and 52.9% exhibited severe procrastinator behaviors. Furthermore, 42.5% of undergraduate students reported a tendency toward moderate procrastination, while 56% exhibited severe procrastination behaviors. Among postgraduates, 58.1% reported moderate procrastination, and 41.9% reported severe procrastination behaviors. In addition, academic procrastination was prevalent across all components of the questionnaire, with undergraduate students exhibiting significantly higher procrastination levels in preparing assignments (P < 0.05).Conclusion: Academic procrastination behaviors were equally prevalent across all educational levels, disciplines, and sexes. Students exhibited tendencies towards procrastination across all components of academic procrastination. These findings may help institutions develop more effective intervention strategies to mitigate the impact of academic procrastination and improve academic achievement.

Original Articles

Impact of Group Reality Therapy Glaser on Self-Esteem and Depression of Betrayed Women: An Experimental Study with Control Group

Shiva Moradi; Hossein Komeili Sani; Bahman Dashtbozorgi; Saeed Ghanbari

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 89-97

Abstract

Background: Marital infidelity is one of the most challenging issues in married life, often leading to adverse psychological outcomes such as depression and diminished self-esteem. ... Read More

Original Articles

Validation of the Persian Version of the Life Balance Inventory in the Iranian Population

Naser Havaei; Babak Kashefimehr; Ahmad Mohammadi; Mina Ahmadi Kahjoogh

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 98-104

Abstract

Background: Life balance is defined as having a satisfying pattern of activities or occupations that is sustainable and meaningful to a person within their current context and life ... Read More

Original Articles

Comparing the Effectiveness of Modified Iranian and Rigid Minerva Braces in Cervical and Thoracic Spine Movements

Alireza Khalili; Hossein Asiyaeimehr; Mohammad Taghi Karimi; Amirhossein Zare

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 105-112

Abstract

Background: To facilitate the fusion of the injury site for non-operative treatment or postoperative care, various braces are available to immobilize an unstable cervical spine. Among ... Read More

Original Articles

Effect of 8 Weeks of Modified Dynamic Neuromuscular Stabilization Exercises on Core Region Function and Shoulder Pain in Patients with Incomplete Paraplegic Spinal Cord Injury

Eskandar Moghanloo; Gholamali Ghasemi; Morteza Sadeghi; Navidreza Ghasemi Kahrizsangi

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 113-119

Abstract

Background: Spinal cord injury (SCI) often results in reduced core region function and shoulder pain among wheelchair users. This study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of modified ... Read More

Original Articles

Evaluating the Predictive Power of Cognitive Assessment Tools for Cortical Hypometabolism in Alzheimer’s Disease

Mohammad Sadeghi; Salime Jafari; Hadi Aligholi; Zahra Shayan; Alireza Keshavarz Bahaqiqat; Alzheimer’s Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI)

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 132-142

Abstract

Background: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline. One of the leading theories explaining AD ... Read More

Original Articles

Evaluating Dynamic Stability, Spatiotemporal, and Kinematic Gait Parameters in Day- and Night-Shift Nurses

Mohammad Taghi Karimi; Farzaneh Yazdani; Mahbobeh Razavi

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 143-147

Abstract

Background: Despite the importance of investigating the effect of night shifts on the gait kinematics of nurses, the literature lacks sufficient evidence to evaluate this relationship. ... Read More

Case Report

Early Mobilization and Functional Training for Early Recovery after Stevens-Johnson Syndrome: A Case Report

Naveen Kumar I

Volume 12, Issue 4 , December 2025, Pages 66-70

Abstract

Background: Stevens-Johnson syndrome (SJS) and Toxic Epidermal Necrolysis (TEN) are rare but severe dermatological disorders. Their limited prevalence contributes to low awareness among ... Read More

The Interaction of Knee, Hip and L5-S1 Joint Contact Forces and spatiotemporal variables between Sound and Prosthetic Leg in Patients with Unilateral below-knee Amputation during Walking

Volume 4, Issue 2 , June 2017, , Pages 53-59

Abstract

Background: there is little knowledge explaining how forces applied on knee, hip and L5-S1 joint between the sound and prosthetic leg in unilateral Below-Knee Amputation (BKA), so the ... Read More

More realistic dynamical modeling of a humanoid robotic arm to reduce control effort with uncertainty using self-impact joint constrained

Volume 6, Issue 2 , June 2019, , Pages 68-79

Abstract

Background:The main challenge of modeling humanoid robots is establishing a compromise between the simplicity of the model and accuracy of the system. One of the realities of movement ... Read More

The Comparison of Neurodevelopmental- Bobath Approach with Occupational Therapy Home Program on Gross Motor Function of Children with Cerebral Palsy

Volume 1, Issue 1 , March 2014, , Pages 21-24

Abstract

Background & objectives: Traditional Bobath approach (TBA) is one of the several methods using in treatment of children with cerebral palsy (CP) who referred to occupational therapy ... Read More

Comparison of the Effects of Massage and Cryotherapy on the Knee Extensor Muscles Fatigue and Isokinetic Parameters in Soccer Players

Volume 2, Issue 1 , March 2015, , Pages 1-7

Abstract

Background:Fatigue can cause a significant effect on the mechanics of complex motor skills and reduce physical and mental efficiency. One of the common ways to reduce fatigue is passive ... Read More Background:Fatigue can cause a significant effect on the mechanics of complex motor skills and reduce physical and mental efficiency. One of the common ways to reduce fatigue is passive recovering or using massage and cryotherapy after exercise. The present study aimed to compare the effects of massage and cryotherapy on muscles fatigue and isokinetic parameters.Methods:This study was conducted on54 healthy athletes aged 20-30 years who were randomly divided into three groups: cooling (ice therapy), massage, and control (resting). Each of the volunteers was evaluated in two sessions. The first session was to familiarize the participants with isokinetic contraction. The second session started with a brief warm up subsequently, using Biodex Isokinetic System Average Peak Torque (APTQ), Average Power (AP), and Total Work (TW) were measured. Then, the fatigue protocol was applied. Afterwards, interventions were performed for 15 minutes. After the intervention, isokinetic parameters were evaluated again. Also, perceived fatigue and Fatigue Index (FI) were recorded before and after the intervention.Results:APTQ, AP, and TW significantlyincreased in massage and cryotherapy groupsafter the intervention, while perceived fatigue and FI decreased significantly in both conditions (P<0.05). In the control group, however, no significant differences were observed in APTQ, AP, and TW before and after the intervention (P>0.05), but perceived fatigue and FI decreased significantly (P<0.05). Moreover, isokinetic variables (APTQ, AP, and TW) were higher in the massage group compared to cryotherapy and control groups (P<0.05), but such a difference was not observed between the massage and cryotherapy groups (P>0.05).Conclusion: Massage and cryotherapy could increase isokinetic parameters and decrease FI and perceived fatigue. Therefore, massage and cryotherapy have been more effective than rest as a strategy to return to normal state and no significant difference was observed between these two groups.

Effect of Kinesiotaping and Stretching Exercise on Forward Shoulder Angle in Females with Rounded Shoulder Posture

Volume 1, Issue 4 , December 2014, , Pages 78-83

Abstract

Background: Rounded shoulder posture is a common abnormal posture in upper quarter. Kinesiotape is a new intervention that recently used in rehabilitation. There are no studies have ... Read More