The COVID-19 outbreak has raised questions about how vulnerable groups experience the pandemic. Research that focuses on the view of individuals with pre-existing mental health conditions is still limited, and so are cross-country comparative surveys. We gathered our sample of qualitative data during the first lockdown after governmental measures against the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came into force in Austria, Czechia, Germany, and Slovakia. A total of n = 1690 psychotherapists from four middle European countries answered the question of how the COVID-19 pandemic was addressed in sessions by their patients during the early stage of unprecedented public health conditions. We employed a descriptive qualitative methodology to determine themes following levels of the social-ecological model (SEM) regarding how the COVID-19 pandemic affected patients. At the public policy level, stressful environmental conditions concerned the governmental mitigation efforts. At the level of community/society, reported key themes were employment, restricted access to educational and health facilities, socioeconomic consequences, and the pandemic itself. Key themes at the interpersonal level regarded forced proximity, the possibility of infection of loved ones, childcare, and homeschooling. Key themes at the individual level were the possibility of contracting COVID-19, having to stay at home/isolation, and a changing environment. Within the SEM framework, adaptive and maladaptive responses to these stressors were reported, with more similarities than differences between the countries. A quantification of word stems showed that the maladaptive reactions predominated.
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * epidemiologie MeSH
- kontrola infekčních nemocí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- psychoterapeuti MeSH
- SARS-CoV-2 MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) suffer from a wide range of non-motor symptoms, including cognitive deficits and impairment of emotional processing. The present study aimed to explore in PD patients compared to healthy adults the relationship between cognitive performance and emotional creativity (EC), defined as a set of cognitive abilities and personality traits related to originality and appropriateness of emotional experience. PD patients (n = 22) and healthy controls (n = 40) underwent a complex neuropsychological assessment and were administrated with the self-reported Emotional Creativity Inventory (ECI) questionnaire. To explore the relationship between cognitive tests and the ECI, a regression analysis was conducted. PD patients and healthy controls differed significantly in the EC component Preparedness as well as in the neuropsychological test battery scores. PD patients showed lower scores in cognitive tests and a lower score in Preparedness compared to healthy adults. The output of the regression analysis showed that the extent to which the neuropsychological tests relate to the ECI components is low.
- MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- kognice MeSH
- kognitivní dysfunkce * diagnóza MeSH
- kognitivní poruchy * diagnóza etiologie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy MeSH
- Parkinsonova nemoc * komplikace diagnóza MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic elicited huge stress responses in most world populations, and at this time psychotherapy is an important protective service against this stress. However, a somewhat neglected question is: How stressful was the COVID-19 outbreak for psychotherapists themselves? The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether dispositional resilience predicted the perceived stress reported by psychotherapists during the COVID-19 outbreak. A total of 338 psychotherapists organized within the national psychotherapy associations of three European countries (Czech Republic, Germany, and Slovakia) were included in this online study (mean age 46.7, 77.8% female, 22.2% male). The participants were administered the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). For the data analysis, nonparametric ANOVA and two-level (mixed-effect) linear regression models were used. Dispositional resilience significantly predicted the perceived stress reported by psychotherapists during the COVID-19 outbreak. Higher dispositional resilience significantly reduced the level of perceived stress among psychotherapists (adjusted β = -0.47, p < .001). Those with moderate resilience (between mean ± SD values) had a lower perceived stress score than those with low resilience (
- MeSH
- COVID-19 * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- psychická odolnost * MeSH
- psychický stres epidemiologie MeSH
- psychoterapeuti MeSH
- psychoterapie MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Psychotherapists around the world are facing an unprecedented situation with the outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19). To combat the rapid spread of the virus, direct contact with others has to be avoided when possible. Therefore, remote psychotherapy provides a valuable option to continue mental health care during the COVID-19 pandemic. The present study investigated the fear of psychotherapists to become infected with COVID-19 during psychotherapy in personal contact and assessed how the provision of psychotherapy changed due to the COVID-19 situation and whether there were differences with regard to country and gender. Psychotherapists from three European countries: Czech Republic (CZ, n = 112), Germany (DE, n = 130) and Slovakia (SK, n = 96), with on average 77.8% female participants, completed an online survey. Participants rated the fear of COVID-19 infection during face-to-face psychotherapy and reported the number of patients treated on average per week (in personal contact, via telephone, via internet) during the COVID-19 situation as well as (retrospectively) in the months before. Fear of COVID-19 infection was highest in SK and lowest in DE (p < 0.001) and was higher in female compared to male psychotherapists (p = 0.021). In all countries, the number of patients treated on average per week in personal contact decreased (p < 0.001) and remote psychotherapies increased (p < 0.001), with more patients being treated via internet than via telephone during the COVID-19 situation (p < 0.001). Furthermore, female psychotherapists treated less patients in personal contact (p = 0.036), while they treated more patients via telephone than their male colleagues (p = 0.015). Overall, the total number of patients treated did not differ during COVID-19 from the months before (p = 0.133) and psychotherapy in personal contact remained the most common treatment modality. Results imply that the supply of mental health care could be maintained during COVID-19 and that changes in the provision of psychotherapy vary among countries and gender.
- MeSH
- Betacoronavirus MeSH
- Coronavirus MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- koronavirové infekce psychologie MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- pandemie MeSH
- průzkumy a dotazníky MeSH
- psychoterapie metody statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- strach MeSH
- telemedicína statistika a číselné údaje MeSH
- virová pneumonie psychologie MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
- Německo MeSH
- Slovenská republika MeSH
Neuropsychiatrické příznaky (NP) ve starším věku (deprese, apatie, poruchy vnímání, poruchy myšlení aj.) mohou být varovným signálem pro rozvoj závažných neurodegenerativních onemocnění. Kromě NP se u neurodegenerativních onemocnění objevují rovněž změny v kreativitě. Nejčastějšími onemocněními asociovanými s rozvojem NP ve starším věku jsou Alzheimerova nemoc, Frontotemporální lobární degenerace, Nemoc s Lewyho tělísky a Parkinsonova nemoc. NP i kreativita jsou významnými nekognitivními aspekty chování, které se mění důsledkem neurodegenerace ve stejné míře, jako dochází k poruchám kognice. V průběhu rozvoje neurodegenerativních onemocnění jsou NP přítomny v preklinické fázi i ve fázích s jasnými klinickými příznaky (mírná kognitivní porucha či demence). V klinické praxi je však jejich přítomnost často přehlížena, nebo jsou pacienti s NP primárně považováni za pacienty s psychiatrickými poruchami, což může negativně ovlivnit jejich léčbu. V současnosti se vědecký výzkum stále více věnuje analýze nekognitivních aspektů provázejících neurodegenerativní onemocnění, výsledkem je nově definovaný koncept mírné poruchy chování (Mild Behavioral Impairment, MBI). V předkládaném článku představujeme přehled nejčastějších poruch NP a změn v kreativitě u nejběžnějších neurodegenerativních onemocnění v dospělosti.
Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NS), such as depression, apathy, hallucinations, etc., as well as changes in creativity in older age, are telltale marks in the development of such neurodegenerative diseases as Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease. Both NS and creativity are important non-cognitive aspects of behavior that changes as a result of neurodegeneration, similar to the development of cognitive deficit. NS can occur in the preclinical stages of neurodegeneration, as well as in the clinical stages (mild cognitive impairment or dementia). However, in clinical routine, their presence is underestimated, or patients with neurodegeneration are often considered to have psychiatric disorders, which may negatively affect their treatment. Scientific research is increasingly devoted to the analysis of the non-cognitive aspects of neurodegenerative diseases, resulting in the newly defined concept of Mild Behavioral Impairment (MBI). In this paper, a review of the most common NS and changes in creativity as a result of neurodegeneration with a special focus on Alzheimer's disease, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, Lewy body disease, and Parkinson's disease is presented.
The aim of this study was to determine the neurocognitive and neuropsychiatric effects of continuous positive airway pressure treatment on patients with obstructive sleep apnea. This cross-sectional, prospective, observational study included 126 patients with sleep apnea. The following tests were performed: the Montreal Cognitive Assessment for the evaluation of cognitive impairment, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, together with the Epworth Sleepiness Scale for the evaluation of neuropsychiatric symptoms and a person's general level of daytime sleepiness. The first measurement did not show neurocognitive impairment or a higher level of depressive and anxiety symptoms in 126 patients with obstructive sleep apnea in comparison to normative standards. After the 3-month treatment indicated for 43 patients with obstructive sleep apnea, we did not find any significant improvement in cognitive performance (p = .213). However, patients with sleep apnea with continuous positive airway pressure treatment did show significantly less daytime sleepiness, anxiety and depressive symptoms (all p < .001). In conclusion, short-term (3 months) treatment of patients with obstructive sleep apnea can substantially alleviate their daytime sleepiness, as well as depressive and anxiety symptoms.
- MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neurokognitivní poruchy etiologie patologie MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy normy MeSH
- obstrukční spánková apnoe patofyziologie MeSH
- prospektivní studie MeSH
- průřezové studie MeSH
- trvalý přetlak v dýchacích cestách metody MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
Emo youth subculture bases its subcultural identification mostly on symbols of death, dying, suicide, and other kinds of morbid content. The main goal of the present study was to explore attitudes toward suicidal behavior and self-injury in emo adolescents. Semistructured in-depth qualitative interviews were conducted with 14 emo adherents, accompanied by the analysis of emo Web discussion forums. Participants reported attitudes including high acceptance for suicidal behavior and self-injury. The identification with the emo youth subculture is considered to be a factor strengthening vulnerability towards risky behaviors.
- MeSH
- chování mladistvých psychologie MeSH
- chování sebezraňující psychologie MeSH
- kvalitativní výzkum MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- postoj ke smrti * MeSH
- postoj MeSH
- sebevražda psychologie MeSH
- sebevražedné myšlenky * MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- mladiství MeSH
- mladý dospělý MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- Geografické názvy
- Česká republika MeSH
Parkinson's disease (PD) is often accompanied by significant changes in emotionality, such as apathy, anhedonia, anxiety and depression. The present review summarizes the empirical evidence, including amygdala changes and psychological changes in emotionality in people suffering from PD. Seventeen empirical full-text articles including research on both amygdala and emotionality in PD were reviewed. The changes in amygdala volumes as well as changes in binding potentials, functional connectivity, regional homogeneity and regional cerebral blood flow were found to have various impacts on emotionality in people with PD. The integration of the results showed that some effects of amygdala changes on emotionality were lateralized. Some of the reviewed studies indicated that the volume loss in the left amygdala was found to be related to increased anxiety, whereas bilateral volume loss in amygdala was linked to increased depressivity. The reviewed results also support a hypothesis of bradylimbic affective disturbance in patients with PD. The disturbed activation of amygdala accompanying the evaluation of negative facial expressions implies that the evaluation of the content of affective stimuli in terms of their affective meanings is disturbed in PD patients. Impaired evaluation of affective attributes given by amygdala-based translational deficits is likely to be related to problems in translating the results of cognitive appraisal into somatomotor, arousal and other changes. This mechanism is suggested to be responsible for apathy as well as for other changes in emotionality accompanying PD.
- MeSH
- amygdala patologie MeSH
- apatie MeSH
- depresivní poruchy MeSH
- emoce * MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- neuropsychologické testy * MeSH
- Parkinsonova nemoc patologie psychologie MeSH
- úzkost MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
- přehledy MeSH
People construe reality by using words as basic units of meaningful categorization. The present theory-driven study applied the method of a free association task to explore how people express the concepts of the world and the self in words. The respondents were asked to recall any five words relating with the word world. Afterward they were asked to recall any five words relating with the word self. The method of free association provided the respondents with absolute freedom to choose any words they wanted. Such free recall task is suggested as being a relatively direct approach to the respondents' self- and world-related conceptual categories, without enormous rational processing. The results provide us, first, with associative ranges for constructs of the world and the self, where some associative dimensions are defined by semantic polarities in the meanings of peripheral categories (e.g., Nature vs. Culture). Second, our analysis showed that some groups of verbal categories that were associated with the words world and self are central, while others are peripheral with respect to the central position. Third, the analysis of category networks revealed that some categories play the role of a transmitter, mediating the pathway between other categories in the network.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
The widely accepted two-dimensional circumplex model of emotions posits that most instances of human emotional experience can be understood within the two general dimensions of valence and activation. Currently, this model is facing some criticism, because complex emotions in particular are hard to define within only these two general dimensions. The present theory-driven study introduces an innovative analytical approach working in a way other than the conventional, two-dimensional paradigm. The main goal was to map and project semantic emotion space in terms of mutual positions of various emotion prototypical categories. Participants (N = 187; 54.5% females) judged 16 discrete emotions in terms of valence, intensity, controllability and utility. The results revealed that these four dimensional input measures were uncorrelated. This implies that valence, intensity, controllability and utility represented clearly different qualities of discrete emotions in the judgments of the participants. Based on this data, we constructed a 3D hypercube-projection and compared it with various two-dimensional projections. This contrasting enabled us to detect several sources of bias when working with the traditional, two-dimensional analytical approach. Contrasting two-dimensional and three-dimensional projections revealed that the 2D models provided biased insights about how emotions are conceptually related to one another along multiple dimensions. The results of the present study point out the reductionist nature of the two-dimensional paradigm in the psychological theory of emotions and challenge the widely accepted circumplex model.
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
