Although it is known that facing cancer may be accompanied by a range of chronic and acute stress reactions, it can also contribute to positive psychological changes and influence one's life ...perception. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to investigate relationship between posttraumatic growth (PTG), meaning in life and life satisfaction to determine whether the presence of meaning or the search for meaning mediated the relationship between PTG and life satisfaction. The study was conducted with 149 cancer survivors who were at least one-month post-completion of all medical cancer therapy. The results indicate positive associations between PTG, the presence of meaning in life, the search for meaning and life satisfaction. Moreover, the relationship between PTG and life satisfaction could be explained by the mediating effect of the presence of meaning in life. Thus, it is important for clinicians to systematically facilitate PTG, meaning in life and life satisfaction as protective factors to one's daily functioning.
The patient's information about the disease and doctor-patient communication are both constructs whose importance is emphasized in the theory, but much less frequently researched and used in the ...practice.
This study aimed to determine whether certain facets of health-related quality of life of hemato-oncology patients in Croatia could be predicted based on patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication.
60 women and 54 men with diagnoses of both leukemia and lymphoma have participated in filling out questionnaires. The survey consisted of a sociodemographic questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30
, EORTC QLQ-INFO25 and the Doctor-Patient Communication Questionnaire.
Patients' sociodemographic data, the disease's determinants, the patients' information about their disease and the quality of doctor-patient communication predicted 26.8 % variance of global health status (
= 2.756,
\< .01), 35.7% variance of physical functioning (
= 4.196,
\< .01), 23.3% variance of role functioning (
= 2.291,
\< .05), 29.9% variance of emotional functioning (
= 3.215,
\< .01) and 27.9% of social functioning (
= 2.881,
\< .01). Predictors that significantly contributed to the change in variance of health-related quality of life were age, duration of diagnosis, the existence of comorbidity, frequency of hospitalization, talking with the psychologist after getting the diagnosis and information.
The study offers valuable insights into an under-researched patient population and a better understanding of their health-related quality of life. The results indicate the importance of information that can be implemented in everyday clinical practice, and pave the way for further research on doctor-patient communication.
The novelty of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is that it is occurring in a globalized society enhanced by digital capabilities. Our aim was to analyze the psychological and ...emotional states of participants in different pandemic-related contexts, with a focus on their digital and physical distancing behaviors. The online survey was applied during the ascending phase of the pandemic in March 2020 in two neighboring EU countries: Italy and Croatia. The study subjects involved four groups, two directly affected by epidemiological measures and two serving as controls-(1) participants from Italy who were in lockdown (Italy group), (2) participants from Croatia who were not in lockdown but who were in direct contact with an infected person and underwent epidemiological measures (CRO-contact group), (3) participants from Croatia who were in an analogous situation but not near the same infected person (CRO-no contact group), and (4) participants from Croatia who were not aware of any infected person (CRO-unrelated group). The survey consisted of validated scales of psychological and emotional states, and custom-made questionnaires on the digital (online) and physical (off-line) behavior of the participants. The Italy group in lockdown had higher self-perceived scores for depression, stress, post-traumatic intrusion, and avoidance, as well as the highest digital activity and physical distancing than the not-in-lockdown Croatian groups. The insight into the extent of online activities and off-line isolation allowed for the introduction of Digital Activity and Physical Distancing Scores. Self-perceived post-traumatic avoidance was higher in both the Italy and CRO-contact groups than the control CRO-no contact and CRO-unrelated groups, and higher avoidance correlated with higher Digital Activity and Physical Distancing Scores. Being in direct contact with the infected person, the CRO-contact group had no other alterations than unexpectedly lower post-traumatic hyperarousal when compared with the Italy group. The Italy group in lockdown demonstrated higher self-perceived psychological toll together with higher digital activity and physical distancing than Croatian groups not in lockdown, even when compared with the affected CRO-contact group. The study outcomes suggest that the general emergency measures influenced citizens in lockdown more than exposure to the virus through direct contact with an infected person.
Backgrounds: Hypertension is a leading cardiovascular risk factor whose prevalence in global population doubled in the last 30 years. In addition to lifestyle and genetic factors, it can be caused or ...exacerbated by certain psychological factors. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between resilience, coping strategies, emotional regulation and control and associated aspects of health status in people diagnosed with hypertension. Methods and Measures: The study was conducted on 203 participants during their visit in the private clinic. Participants were mostly males (56.7%), and the mean age was 66 years (SD = 10.04). A structured protocol consisted of sociodemographic data, Brief Resilience Scale, Emotional Regulation and Control Questionnaire and Defense Style Questionnaire. Results: Our findings showed that female participants, participants with other health problems in addition to hypertension, participants with heart attack history and those who do not engage in physical activity and rarely consume alcohol have less stress resistance. Men and frequent alcohol consumers are less prone to neurotic defense mechanism. Emotional regulation and neurotic defense mechanisms appear to be negative predictors of stress resilience, while mature defense style is strong, positive predictor. Conclusion: Indication of significant relationship between certain aspects of health status and resistance to stress, defense mechanisms and emotional regulation was found. The study outcomes suggest an important role of defense mechanisms and emotional regulation in stress resilience which can contribute to improved stress resistance and health outcomes in people with hypertension.
The aim of this research was to determine the relationship between subjective well-being (life satisfaction, positive and negative experiences, and prosperity) and various psychosocial factors ...(social support received from family members and partners, purpose in life, resilience and information) in cancer patients and to examine the possibility of predicting components of subjective well-being based on these mentioned factors in cancer patients. A total of 338 adult cancer patients from Croatia participated in the study (41.1% male and 58.9% female). To measure the constructs, the Diener Subjective Well-Being Scale, the Social Support Scale at work and in the family, the Purpose in Life Scale, the Short Resilience Scale, and the EORTC-QLQ information questionnaire were used. Results showed a high level of life satisfaction and prosperity, as well as more frequent positive compared to negative experiences. A medium to high level of social support received from family members and from the partner was determined. High levels of purpose in life and medium levels of resilience and information were found. A high correlation was found among the components of the construct of subjective well-being, and a low to medium correlation among the predictors. Positive associations were found between the criteria of life satisfaction and prosperity with psychosocial factors. Negative associations were established between the positive/negative experience variables and the factors. Furthermore, the purpose in life was determined as an important predictor of all three components of subjective well-being, social support (both sources) as important for predicting life satisfaction, resilience for experiencing positive and negative experiences, and social family support for predicting the prosperity of cancer patients.
Background: As with most mental disorders, a strong perceiving factor in the development of anorexia nervosa is exposure to severe life adversities. The success of adaptation to life situations ...represents the psychological resilience of the individual and is a potentially important factor in the prevention and treatment of mental disorder. Objectives: The aim of the study was to examine the association of psychological resilience and depression with the presence and intensity of anorexia symptoms, and to examine the nature of the relationship between these variables. Methods: The study was conducted on 68 participants (Mage = 24.74; SD = 5.530), where the clinic group of 31 participants (Mage 24.58 years; SD = 5.714) with anorexia nervosa was equivalently matched to the control group (n=37; Mage 24.86; SD = 5.448) in regard to relevant sociodemographic factors. A structured questionnaire of sociodemographic data, treatment data and body mass index, EDI-2, CD-RISC and BDI-II were administered. Results: The study found that people with anorexia have a higher intensity of depression and significantly lower psychological resilience compared to the control group. People who experience a stronger intensity of eating disorder symptoms have lower psychological resilience. In addition, the results indicate that the symptom of eating disorders, ineffectiveness, is the strongest negative predictors of psychological resilience in people with anorexia. Conclusion: Our findings suggest an important role of psychological resilience in the anorexia prevention, and the process of recovering from it. Moreover, they support the need for the integration of psychological resilience to existing treatment plans and prevention activities.
A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, development of PTSD is relatively rare, which is one of the reasons PTSD still remains a controversial ...psychiatric entity. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research on the role of personality traits in the vulnerability, resilience, posttraumatic growth and expressions associated with PTSD. Personality based approach represents a dimensional aspect of the transdisciplinary integrative model of PTSD.
We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Complete from 1980 (the year PTSD was first included in the DSM) and 2012 (the year the literature search was performed). Manual examination of secondary sources such as the reference sections of selected articles and book chapters were also conducted.
Most of the reviewed studies dealing with personality traits as vulnerability and protective factors for PTSD examined the relationship between basic personality dimensions and severity of symptoms of PTSD. These studies have applied three types of methodological designs: cross-sectional, post-trauma and pre-trauma longitudinal studies, with latter being the least common option.
Finding that appears relatively consistent is that PTSD is positively related to negative emotionality, neuroticism, harm avoidance, novelty-seeking and self-transcendence, as well as to trait hostility/anger and trait anxiety. On the other hand, PTSD symptoms are negatively associated with extraversion, conscientiousness, self-directedness, the combination of high positive and low negative emotionality, as well as with hardiness and optimism, while posttraumatic growth shows inverse relation to most of these traits. Furthermore, a number of studies have confirmed the existence of three distinct personality-based subtypes of PTSD: internalizing, externalizing and low pathology PTSD. These findings may help in further uncovering etiological mechanisms and in building new strategies for prevention, identification and reduction of health risks among this trauma population, as well as facilitating potential posttraumatic growth. However, focusing on just a single dimensional perspective will unable us to generate comprehensive knowledge of the etiology, course and treatment of PTSD.
Head and neck cancers are associated with significant morbidity and mortality despite advancements in treatment in recent decades. A multidisciplinary approach to the treatment of these diseases is ...thus of essential importance and is becoming the gold standard. Head and neck tumors also endanger relevant structures of the upper aerodigestive tracts, including bodily functions such as voice, speech, swallowing, and breathing. Damage to these functions can significantly influence quality of life. Thus, our study examined not only the roles of head and neck surgeons, oncologists and radiotherapists, but also the importance of the participation of different scientific professions such as anesthesiologists, psychologists, nutritionists, stomatologists, and speech therapists in the work of a multidisciplinary team (MDT). Their participation results in a significant improvement of patient quality of life. We also present our experiences in the organization and work of the MDT as part of the Center for Head and Neck Tumors of the Zagreb Clinical Hospital Center.
Healthcare professionals working in intensive care units (ICUs) are often involved in end-of-life decision-making. No research has been done so far about these processes taking place in Croatian ...ICUs. The aim of this study was to investigate the perceptions, experiences, and challenges healthcare professionals face when dealing with end-of-life decisions in ICUs in Croatia. A qualitative study was performed using professionally homogenous focus groups of ICU nurses and physicians (45 in total) of diverse professional and clinical backgrounds at three research sites (Zagreb, Rijeka, Split). In total, six institutions at the tertiary level of healthcare were included. The constant comparative analysis method was used in the analysis of the data. Differences were found between the perceptions and experiences of nurses and physicians in relation to end-of-life decisions. Nurses’ perceptions were more focused on the context and features of immediate care, while physicians’ perceptions also included the wider sociocultural context. However, the critical issues these specific professional groups face when dealing with end-of-life decisions seem to overlap. A high variability of practices, both between individual practitioners and between different organizational units, was omnipresent. The lack of adequate legal, professional, and clinical guidelines was commonly expressed as one of the most critical source of difficulties.
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