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Background and purpose: Major changes occur in an individuals life after his acceptance in the university which cloud be considered as every important period of his life. This new condition is stressful and can affect the newly admitted student’s mental health. Ïn this article we analyze the mental health status of newly admitted students to Mazandaran university of medical sciences in the academic year 1999-2000.
Materials and Methods: Ïn this descriptive study all the newly admitted students in 1999-2000 Âcademic year at Mazandaran university of medical sciences were evaluated. These students were requested to fill a demographic Questionair and SÇL-ao-R.
Results: The findings indicated that newly admitted students were suspected to suffer from paranoid ideation (55.4%) depression (44.3%) inter personal sensitivity (40.7%) obession (40.7%) and anxiety (36%). The results also showed significant differences between mental health scores in variables such as sex, marital status, educational majors, economic self dependency and interest in their educational majors in at least one or more dimensions of check list. 51.8% of students (56.5% of female and 41.5% of males) were suspected to suffer from a kind of mental disorder.
Çonclusion: Ïncreased mental health problems and suspected rate of mental disorders among university students in this study as compare to previous studied requires, the officials and authorities responsible in this field, to pay more attention to the problems of mental health among the students and it necessitates the activation of students consuling centers, comprehensive devices, regular adequate consuling and psychiatric services, regular and continous mental health training can improve and promote the status of mental health among the students especially among the freshmen.

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Background and purpose: Ëducational anxiety leads to disorder in educational performance, damaging intelligence and learning capacity, lessening abstract thinking and talent. By causing economical crisis, leads to educational anxiety and bad effects on individuals, families and society. Different medicinal and non-medicinal treatment methods are proposed to cure anxiety. Ône of the non-medicinal treatments is assertive therapy. Because of contradictory results from the previous studies on assertive therapy, this study was designed and performed.
Materials and methods: Ïn a field study with control group, considering the given list of anxious students from Qaemshar township counseling committee of educational organization using questionnair consisting questions about the educational anxiety. 60 anxious students studying at Qaemshar township schools, after homogenization were selected randomly and divided in two case and control groups. Çase group was under assertive therapy for 90 minutes per week, while control group did not receive any treatment. Six weeks after study, their educational anxiety was evaluated.
Results : Ïndependent t-test result indicated that the educational anxiety in case and control group had significant difference at the beginning and 6 weeks after the Study (t=8.35, p=0.000) it also showed that the decrease of anxiety in case and control groups had significant difference 6 weeks after assertive therapy.
Çonclusion: Ëducational anxiety has damaging effects on educational, social and occupational performance of the students. This study indicated that 70% of the case and control groups suffered severe anxiety at the beginning of study, therefore, application of assertive therapy is proposed to be used as a non-medicinal treatment procedure for decreasing the students’ anxiety.

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Background and purpose: Ône of the prevalent psychological disorders mainly occuring at the end of adulescence and beginning of younghood is eating disorder. Their prevalence has been estimated to be about 4%. These disorders have different important complications such as, malnutrition and growth disorders. Studies have indicated that abnormal eating attitudes are predisposing of these disorders. Several epidemiologic studies show wide variation in prevalence of these abnormal attitudes and their influencing factors. Since determining of frequency distribution and the influencing factors have very important role in performing preventive plan, this study was necessary.
Materials and methods : Ïn this study, 1200 high school students have been studied regarding abnormal eating attitude, depression, anxiety and some other predisposing variables like Âge, sex, parents, education and profession, family size, place of residence, and body mass index(BMÏ). These students were selected by stratified random sampling method and evaluated by eating attitude test(ËÂT-26), spilberger anxiety test and beck depression test
Results: Âbnormal eating attitudes were found in 10.5% of the cases under study. Ïn a logistic regression model, depression status and BMÏ showed significant relation with abnormal eating attitudes. Severe and moderate depression were prevalent in persons with abnormal eating attitudes than in normal(42.4%. vs27.4%.).Ïn obese and too obese cases, abnormal eating attitudes were more prevalent than in normal people(31.8% & 16.7% vs. 511.1%.).
Çonclusion: Prevalence of eating attitude disorders in this study is almost similar to the results of studies done in the other countries. Those with these abnormal attitudes, are more at the risk of developing psychological disorders, like depression, which can be serious in case of ignorance.

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Background and purpose: Çonsidering the highRegarding to excessive prevalence of examination anxiety among students, its effect on learning and their mean sxcores and also because of stressful nature of studying in nursing we conducted this investigation to determine the effect of relaxation on anxiety level among nursing students.
Materials and methods: This is an experimental study on sixth nursing students in two groups (twenty one female and seven male) and control group (n= 32). The were randomly divided and matchedwith regarding of sex, gender, marital status and using of dormitory. Data collecting instrument was a demographic sheet and S7Â7- x Shpilberger questionnaire. The level of anxiety was determined before and after relaxation exercises education by Shpilberger questionnaire. Relaxation exercises training (muscular progressive relaxation) were educated at one two-hours session practically and then an education handbook was given to students. They were asked to performing the exercises until the final examinations twice a day for half an hour.
Results: Study results showed that anxiety level among 82.1% of case was mild and 53.1% of control group showed moderate level of anxiety. Manwhitney test showed a significant difference between two groups in anxiety level (P<0.000). 89.3% of case group and 40.6% of control group had mild and moderate manifestations of anxiety respectively. ManÜwhitney test showed a significant difference between two groups in evident anxiety (P<0.000). 75% of students from case group showed latent anxiety at mild and moderate level respectively ManÜWhitney test showed statistically significant difference (p<0.05) between two groups in latent anxiety. -Sing statistics revealed significant difference inside the case group before, and after training (p<0.000) however, it did not reveal any significant difference inside control group before and after training.
Çonclusion: This study showed the effect of relaxation exercise training in decreasing anxiety level. Ït is suggested to accomplish investigations to determine effects of relaxation training on examination anxiety level in other stressful field of studies in medical Sciences.

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Background and purpose: Âdolecsence is the most important developmental period that can be predisposing for many behavioral disorders, offendery, substance abuse and mental disorders. Çonsidering the increase of these situations in adolecsents and youth population in Ïran, it is important for fact finding and suitable plan for controlling these disorders. Therefore, in this research, attempts were made to evaluated the status of high school students’ mental health in Sari city in 2002-2003.
Materials and methods: Ït was a descriptive-analytical research on 1536 high school students in Sari using two questioners SÇL-90-R and demographic. Data were analyzed using SPSS software.
Results: 10.5 percent of the students are suspicious of mental disorder and 9 most common psycopathological subscales in this population were in order of paranoid, interpersonal sensivity, aggression, depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsive, psycotism, somatic complain and Fobia, respectively. There are significant correlation between mental health and variables of sex, age group and mother education (P<0/05).
Çonclusion: Çonsidering the rate of suspicious cases of mental disorder in students, government attention to mental health is neccessary. Promoting mental health and psychiatry conseling services, comprehersive planning in offering conseling services, mental health education and including chapters about mental health in school literature are recommended to overcome the problem.

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Background and purpose : Social phobia is the third current disorder in psychiatry, that causes functional deficiency in patients and leads to high economic losses in families and society. Social phobia can be managed by different durg and non-durg treatment, one of them probably is cognitive therapy. The purpose of this study is to determine the effect of congnitive therapy on the social phobia of the students in the highschool boys of Kashan province in 1999.
Materials and methods : This is a clinical trial in which the effects of cognitive therapy were assesed by determining and comparing the social phobia between the cases of cognitive therapy and control groups at their entering the study and after six weeks. The sample of this study consists of 44 boys suffering from society-escaping or avoidant disorder. from 11 state highschools in kashan. They scored higher than other students measured by social phobia scale of mattick and Çlarke.
Results : The finding of the study showed that social phobia in the cognitive therapy group was significantly different when entering the study and after six weeks. (P=0.0000), while in the control group there was no difference in the social phobia in either points. Furthermore, a significant difference in the social phobia between the cognitive therapy group and control group was noted (P=0.0000).
Çonclusion : Çonsidering the positive effect of cognitive therapy on social phobia, cognitive therapy is recommended in treatment of the social phobia. We also suggest a study determining the effect of cognitive therapy on the social phobia at short and long term follow up.

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Background and purpose: Head lice infestation caused by Pediculus capitis and its treatment is a worldwide and historical concern.
Materials and methods: This study has been done with cooperation with the health’s deputy of medical sciences university in different cities of Hamadan province in 2000-2001. Screening was done in 120 girl’s elementary schools during which 7291 students were examined for head lice infestation. About 13.5% (975) of the girls were detected with head lice. The infested girls were divided into three treatment groups with three kinds of shampooes containing pediculicide and one control group with ordinary shampoo (placebo). In a randomized evaluator, blind clinical trial to compare pediculicidal and ovicidal effects of shampooes against head lice, the participants assigned to groups to use the shampooes based on manufacture’s instructions and followed up three weeks after treatment. Statistical analyses were done by X2 test and line logarithmic procedure.
Results: The results show that cure rates (no live adult and nymph of lice were seen on physical re-examination of scalp(, at the end of the first week were 29,36, 34 and 15 percent for d-phenothrin 0.2%, lindane 1% , permethrin1% and placebo respectively. These cure rates for treatment shampooes showed significant differences when compared to placebo (0.001

0.05). but at the end of the third week, the cure rates for the three mentioned shampooes were 88, 88 and 87 percent and also there is no statisticall differences in their efficacy. It should be noted that the results of ordinary shampoo is just for the first week after usage. Line logarithmic analysis of results shows that efficacy of different pediculicide shampoo (p value=0.58) in different times (p value=0.25) have no difference. but the cure rate of cases varied three weeks after treatment. (p value<0.0001). This shows the residual effect of pediculicides on new hatched nymphs.

Conclusion: According to the results obtained, economical viewpoint, and popular acceptance, lindane %1 shampoo is advocated as the first choice for treatment of head lice infestion if its usage is done under manufacture’s instruction and with caution combine with physical removal of nits with fine-toothed comb. Finally, educative campaign of parents and school personnel is reinforced.

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Background and Objectives: History, clinical findings, procedures undertaken, and patients response to treatment are written in clinical records, hence their contents are indicators of physicians’ evaluation. If clinical records are provided precisely, clear and systematized, they indicate the clinical thinking of the staff and facilitate patients diagnosis process. These records have an important role in coordinating professional staff involved in patient care. Since the physicians and medical students are involved more in medical records documentation than the other hospital staff, thus, a study on their knowledge, attitude and practice towards the principles of medical records documentation is undertaken.
Materials and Methods: This is a descriptive study, which is done about the rate of knowledge, attitude and practice of 207 Medical students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in university hospitals. Descriptive and inferential statistical analytic methods were used for the collected data. For comparison of the hospitals, regarding observing designed principals in the completion of medical files, according to the filled questionnaires the minimum and maximum score designated as 1-5 which is very poor to excellent. Then the mean score was calculated and considered for the comparison of hospitals. For the determination of the relationship between knowledge, attitude, and practice, β Kendall’s Tau Test was used.
Results: The majority of the participants had low knowledge (77.8%) about medical records documentation. Most of them did not have good attitude (54.1) about completion of medical records and significance and value of medical records documentation in treatment, education, and research.
Conclusion: Results indicate that incompletion of medical records at the university affiliated hospitals are due to lack of awareness of the students towards the method of medical records documentation. In addition, not considering the completion of records in evaluation of the students can affect their practice.

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The purpose of this study was to assess the frequency of spouse abuse among students in the Ïslamic Âzad Üniversity of Tonekabon. Âll married students in different departments completed the spouse Âbuse Questionnaire (n=327). The results showed that 306 students (255 female and 51 male) reported having experienced of some types of abuses. 299 (91%) of the cases reported emotional abuse, 180 (55%) physical abuse and 138 (42%) of the students reported sexual abuse. The results showed that 16.6% of male reported emotional and physical abuse, 16.8% sexual and emotional abuse and 19.5% physical and sexual abuse. Âlso, 253 (83.4%) of female reported physical and emotional abuse, 251 (83.2%) physical and emotional and 173 (80.5%) sexual and physical abuse. The results also showed that males commited more spouse abuse than females (P<0.05). in addition, there was a relation between addiction and spouse abuse (P<0.001) and spouse abuse was more frequent among young couples (P<0.01). Ït was found that spouse abuse was more frequent in early years of marrieage (P<0.05) and decreased with higher education. There was no significant relationship betweeb spouse abuse and the number of children, illness, income, and employment status.

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Background and purpose: Sleepiness is a major public health problem. Several reasons such as shift work, long time studying, etc, are the cause of sleepiness in medical students, which affect their academic performance .The aim of this study was to assess the level of daytime sleepiness in medical students.
Materials and methods : Â descriptive study designed to evaluate the daytime sleepiness of 100 medical students (25 from each group of basic science, physiopathology, stager and intern) by using Ëpworth sleepiness scale (ËSS) questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS 10, and analytic tests.
Results : From 100 participants, 48% male, 81% single and 58% living in their own house, with mean age of 23.3 ± 3.3 and 8% were drug addicts. Ït revealed that, 53% of the students had enough sleep (score up to 6), 23% had moderate daytime sleepiness (scores 7,8) and 24% had daytime somnolence (scores 9 and over 9), 53 % were sleeping less than 8 hours at night. There was no statistically significant correlation between the level of sleepiness and age, sex, marital status, education and accomodation condition. However significant relationship was observed between sleepiness and substance abuse (p<0/05).
Çonclusion : Âlmost half of the students suffered daytime somnolence. Therefore further investigations with more cases in order to find the other possible factors are recommended.

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Background and purpose: Vaccination is the most effeetive method of prophylaxy in high risk group of hepatitis B. Some individuals faile to respond to triple doses of vaccine which is potentially dangerous. Therefore, immunogenecity of triple doses recombinant hepatitis B vaccine was evaluated in a high risk group (medical sciences students).
Materials and Methods: 193 healthy medical sciences students immunized with triple doses of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine (0,1,6 months). 1-2 months after the last dose, serum anti HBS antibody was determined by ELISA method. According to the antibody titer of the vaccinees (IU/L) they were classified into none responder, low, intermediate and high responder. The none responders were recommended for re-vaccination.
Results: Three students (1.6%) were detected as non responder. (<10 Iu/L anti HBS antibody), 23 (11/4%) as low responder, 141 (73%) as intermediate responder and 26 (13.5%) as high responder.
Conclusion: The prevolence of non responders to triple doses of recombinant hepatitis B vaccine in medical sciences students was very low.

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Background and purpose: Although there are many studies on the relationship between mental health and exercise, it is not clear how exercise improves the mental health of students regularly engaged in non professinal athletic activities. The aim of this study was to evaluate and compare the level of mental health in athletic and nonathletic students of Mazandaran Medical University using Scl-90-R questionnaire (Symptom check list-90-Revised).
Materials and Methods : A historical cohort study was designed and all athletic students at Mazandaran Medical University (with at least 2 years physical activity) and nonathletic students matched for age, sex, marital status, educational course, semester, job and dwelling completed the Scl-90-R questionnaire and other demographic questions. The data were analyzed using SPSS release 10 and statistical analytic tests.
Results : Seventy athletic (34.3% female) and 70 nonathletic students (control) were enrolled in the study. The mean score for each dimension according to the Scl-90-R questionnaire in athletic group was less than the control, but the difference was only statistically significant for depression (p=0.047) and paranoid thinking (p=0.012). In comparison of general scales [Global Severity Index, PST Positive Symptom Test PST and Positive Symptom Distress Index PSDI], the level of mental health of athletic group was better than nonathletic group (p=0.00).
Conclusion: Physical activities have a positive effect on mental health, especially in students who are engaged in regular physical activity.

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Background and purpose: Presence of behavior-emotional disorder BED at childhood is a very important problem and predisposing factor for mental disorder in adulthood. The aim of the present study was to determine the prevalence of BED and its associated factors in the primary school students in Sari, Iran.
Materials and Methods: Totally, 926 urban and rural students were selected randomly by cluster sampling method. Tools of data collection were: Demographic feature questionnaire divided in two parts of Rater behavior- emotional disorder for parents (31 questions) and teachers (30 questions). Data were analyzed by descriptive tests, X2, t-test using SPSS software.
Results: Findings of this study indicate the general prevalence of BED in the children based on the parent's report (15.8%) and of teacher's 24.9%. The highest rate of BED prevalence based on the parents and teachers reports were the lack of attention deficit disorder 93.3% and absent minding 11.1% respectively. The lowest rate of disorders were antisocial behavior 1.5% and 0.4% respectively based on the parents and teachers reports. Our data showed that the relation between the total prevalence of BED based on the questionnaire of parents with the variables of sex, score of the students, the child number in family, somatic complaints (headache, asthma, stomach pain or nausea, eating problems, sleeping disorders, urine incontinency, stool incontinency) cooperation of parents in keeping the child and school leaving was significant at the level of 5%. Also, based on the teachers reports, the total prevalence of BED at the level of 5% in the students under study was significantly different considering the factors such as educational status, scores average, separation of parents and mistreatment with the child. In addition, there was no significant relationship between the total prevalence of BED in the students based on the reports given by the teachers and parents on the basis of being urban or rural.
Conclusion: Knowing the prevalence of BED is very important for the individual's health in the future and because proper and scientific identification of the children's behavior problems is the first step in the control and treatment of this problem, more research is recommended in this field.

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Background and purpose: Evaluation is one of the most important bases of promoting the quality of education. It is very important to know the attendings’ and students’ viewpoints as evaluated and evaluator groups. So in this study the viewpoint of the attendings and students of School of Medicine of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences (MUMS) about the students evaluation of the attendings, were studied.
Materials and Methods: In this descriptive-cross sectional study, all faculty members (FM) and students of the school of Medicine were included in the study by census sampling. Data collection was done using a questionnaire including demographic questions and educational variables, the FM and students viewpoint about manner of evaluation (time, the way of distributing the forms and the explanation), the student's features in evaluation (awareness, truthfulness and puposes) and the instrument of evaluation (questionnaires and items).
Results: 345 individuals (95 FM and 250 students) took part in this study. The manner of evaluation (time, distribution and explanations) to most of FMs' and students’ opinion was appropriate. About student's awareness and truthfulness in filling in the questionnaires a considerable percentage of FMs (20-40%) had a negative opinion and over half of them had a negative attitude about the whole process of evaluation. About the items of theoretical, practical and clinical questionnaires, while the students laid stress on aspect such as: being a teacher and concepts transferring, on attendings opinion these aspects were less important.
Conclusion: To most FMs and students opinion, the manner of evaluation is appropriate but a considerable negative attitude exists among attendings about students’ awareness and truthfulness in filling in the questionnaire. The priorities of evaluation are different in these two groups’ point if view.

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Background and purpose: Educational evaluation is a structured process for determination of quality and effectivness of an educational program. Of the most common and studied methods used for evaluation of academic staff is evaluation by students, however, "self-assessment" of the academic staff has not been videly used and there are few studies about it. So the purpose of this study was to assess the correlation between the results of the academic staff "self assessment" and assessment by the students.
Materials and Methods: This study was an analysis of correlation. Study population was clinical faculty members of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences, recruited by simple sampling method. Tool of data collection was a questionnaire consisted of demographic and educational variables and questions about evaluation of theoretical and clinical teaching of member of staff. Validiy and reliabiliy of the questionnaire were approaved. Each faculty member was assessed by students and themselves and correlation between them was analysed using SPSS 13.
Results: Totally 35 member of staff participated in self assessment, with a mean age of 43.7±7.46 years, 73% male. 95.6% of the staff and only 80.6% of the students have positive attitude toword assessment of the staff by students (p<0.001). Not only there was a weak correlation between the results of staff "self assessment" and their assessment by students (r= 0.020, r=0/125) but also there was a significant difference between them (p<0.001). Differences between these measures was higher in minor teaching departments.
Conclusion: There was a weak correlation between measures of members of staff "self assessment" and their assessment by students, so educational intervention, for improvement of competency for "self assessment" should be designed and implemented.

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Background and Purpose: Pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) is one of the abnormalities associated with pre-menstrual cycles. Approximately 85% to 97% of women are suffering from psycho-somatic of physiological and behavioral symptoms from PMS, prior to menstruation. The most common PMS symptoms include: flatulence, stress anxiety, breast tenderness, depression, fatigue, unknown irritability, anger, poor concentration, and some degree in extremities edema. There are several therapeutic methods for PMS such as: oral contraceptive pills, GnRH antagonisms, diazole, use of Calcium and vitamin supplements, and dietary modification in which there is a controversy regarding type of diet. We assessed the effect of third- hour starch dietary regimen on pre-menstrual syndrome among high school students.
Materials and Methods: This randomized quasi- experimental study was performed on students in grade 2 and 3 in Private and Governmental high schools in Sari. The sample size was calculated using randomize numbers table (478 participants). A questionnaire composed of two parts was prepared. The first part included demographic characteristics, while the second part consisted of data related to history of menstrual cycle, pervious diseases and use of drugs. The symptoms of PMS were assessed at the beginning of the study and also at the end of the first, second and third month after beginning of the third-hours starch regimen. Data was gathered by self-reporting technique, analyzed by descriptive and comprehensive statistical techniques.
Results: The age range of participants was 14 to 19 years of age (16.89±1.12). The mean of menstrual cycle was 28.87±2.1 days, and the mean of menstrual duration was 6.32±1.8. PMS symptoms score was 12.85±8.01 prior to dietary regimen, and at the end of one, two and three months, following dietary regimen in-take were 11.03±7.59, 12.47±7.79 and 11.13±6.71 respectively. This study indicated that there was significant differences among the groups.
Conclusion: The results of this study revealed that carbohydrate-rich diet in-take can improve PMS symptoms. Therefore, it appears that codified teaching programs via medical health service and instruction to the students, is beneficial about the effects of diet on relieving PMS symptoms, and can reduce the usage of drugs during menstrual cycle.

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Background and purpose: Clinical training is the part of teaching for nurses. 73% of nursing students rated clinical teaching as poor. The unfamiliarity with hospital environment and fear of being evaluated by instructors for their performance has been considered the main stressor on the first day of training. In recent years, much attention has been paid to mentoring programs in nursing, and has been proposed as a method in prevention of anxiety, apprehension and ending employment, improving active learning, self esteem creating a proper condition for learning, and increasing nursing students cooperation. As no research has been performed in Iran, this study was conducted to determine the effect of tension during clinical training with nurses at Nasibeh College of Nursing and Midwifery during 2007-2008.
Materials and methods: In this semi- experimental study, 70 of second term nursing students on their nursing skill training were selected randomly through lottery, matched for age, sex, level of education and were divided in two case and control groups of equal numbers (35 in each group) In the case group, one senior student was designated as a mentor (in regard to nursing management training), while in the control group students were trained with instructor without mentor. For groups, pre and post practice of nursing skills examination was conducted. The data was collected through a questionnaire with two sections comprising of 9 questions about demographic features, and 19 regarding the tension of working environment. The obtained data was analyzed statistically using SPSS 15 soft ware.
Results: In this study, the highest score was from the fear of making mistakes, while the lowest score was from being asked a question by the instructor. Based on the paired t test, only in the case group (with mentor) decline of mean score related to the clinical stressor prior to and after nursing skill training was significant, t=5.64, df=34 and P<0.0005
Conclusion: Based on the results of this study, the mentorship program was effective on reduction of stressors in the subjects under the study. Therefore, it is suggested that the clinical education administrators of the nursing college will implement mentorship programs, which require the inter -organizational cooperation.

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Background and purpose: Measurement of height and weight of children and adolescents are important sources of information and the best index for evaluation of their growth and nutritional and health status of society. This study performed to evaluate weight, height and pubertal stage of girls in sari.
Materials and methods: This cross – sectional study was performed on 1320 6-18 years old school girls in elementary guidance and high school of Sari. Their height, weight and pubertal stage were evaluated and recorded by educated personas . Also Body Mass Index was calculated and recorded. Then Z score (SDS) of weight, height and the Body Mass Index studied people was compared by using calculated standard curve and findings in NCHS curve and findings of 1997 in Sari. For analyzing data, descriptive statistics, Mean±SD, Frequency and percent were used.
Results: By using NCHS curve 1256 persons ( 95. 2 % ) from total persons that were studied , had normal height ( 5 – 95 percentile ) and the weight of 1254 persons ( 95 % ) were in 5 - 95 percentile . 2/5 centemers increasing in height and 2.5 Kg increasing in weight were seen in comparison to 1997 study .BMI of persons in all age groups ( expect 17 year old with ± 0.05 SD )were over than 50 percentile and mean age of beginning of menarche was 11.4 ± 1.1 .
Conclusion: Our study in Sari shows the improvement in growth index in comparison to 1997 study which become near to standard curve in developed country.

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Background and purpose: The need to address critical thinking in medical education has been emphasized in response to rapid changes of health care environment. One of the main tasks of a medical institution in addition to develop students’ professional competencies is developing decision-making skills, self-efficiency and decoding problem which affect their ability to practice critical thinking. This study is aimed at assessing critical thinking in is health faculty students of Mazandaran university of Medical Sciences. Materials and methods: The subjects were 168 BSc students and 27 MSc students of health faculty, Mazandaran university of Medical Sciences, for data collection we applied California Critical Thinking Skills Test Form B. Results: The level of critical thinking in this study showed an average of 10.19 which was lower than that in the standardization process (15.89). Therefore, the critical thinking in our statistical population was weak. Other findings showed significant relationship among critical thinking and demographic variables such as degree levels and discipline. Among the dimensions of critical thinking only deduction had significant difference between two degrees where the master's degree had a higher average. Conclusion: Findings showed significant relationship between critical thinking and demographic variables of degree levels and discipline. Furthermore, this study reveals the weakness of critical thinking of undergraduate and postgraduate students in all aspects, hence, it is necessary to teach critical thinking skills at university level.

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Background and purpose: Nowadays, more attention is paid to emotional intelligence as an important factor influencing different aspects of human's life such as education, occupation and social environment. Self-esteem as one of the characteristics of normal person can change the level of emotional intelligence. Due to the important role of self-esteem and emotional intelligence, this research has been conducted with the goal of determining the self-esteem and emotional intelligence level among nursing and midwifery students of Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences in 2010. Materials and methods: In this cross-sectional study, we have implemented MSEIS test and Cooper smith Self-Esteem Inventory for 145 nursing and midwifery students of Mazandaran university of Medical sciences. These samples were selected through Census methods. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and chi-square test using SPSS16. Results: In this study, emotional intelligence of 13.8%, 71.7% and 14.5% of students were high, medium and low, respectively. In addition, 91% of students had high self-esteem. The results showed that emotional intelligence has a significant correlation with self-esteem (P<0.001). Conclusion: As the emotional intelligence of most students was medium it seems that more attention to emotional intelligence is needed to enhance students’ mental health and success. Therefore, developing educational programs in the dimension of emotional intelligence of nursing and midwifery students is essential.