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Cihanoğlu M, Vatansever M, Erden G. School-based psychosocial and educational interventions for children and adolescents after the 1999 Marmara earthquakes in Turkey: A review on lessons learned. Eval Program Plann 2024; 103:102403. [PMID: 38237313 DOI: 10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2024.102403] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Revised: 04/30/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024]
Abstract
The massive earthquakes experienced in August and November 1999 affected thousands of people in the Marmara region, the most densely populated and industrialized part of Turkey. The humanitarian and economic cost was so enormous, and these earthquakes have changed the Turkish disaster management system and the Turkish people's approach to disasters. Marmara earthquakes are also considered as a milestone in the provision of psychosocial services for disaster victims. This paper aims to review the psychosocial interventions targeting children, adolescents, and their families after the 1999 earthquakes in Turkey. The progression from initial responses to more organized psychosocial interventions is outlined. Conducting the interventions at schools has ensured that thousands of children, teachers, and parents are reached in the most efficient and effective way possible. The significance of the school context in designing psychosocial interventions is highlighted and implications of the lessons learned for traumatic experiences of children and parents are also explored. It is evaluated that these inferences obtained from the Marmara earthquake in Turkey can be used in disasters around the world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mine Cihanoğlu
- Department of Psychology, Atılım University, Ankara, Turkey
| | - Merve Vatansever
- Department of Psychology, Kırıkkale University, Kırıkkale, Turkey
| | - Gülsen Erden
- Department of Psychology, Beykoz University, Istanbul, Turkey.
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Kuipers Y, Thomson G, Škodová Z, Bozic I, Lísa Sigurðardóttir V, Goberna-Tricas J, Zurera A, Neves DM, Barata C, Klier C. A multidisciplinary evaluation, exploration, and advancement of the concept of a traumatic birth experience. Women Birth 2024; 37:51-62. [PMID: 37658018 DOI: 10.1016/j.wombi.2023.08.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2023] [Revised: 07/17/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Understanding a woman's traumatic birth experience benefits from an approach that considers perspectives from various fields of healthcare and social sciences. AIM To evaluate and explore the multidisciplinary perspectives surrounding a traumatic birth experience to form a theory and to capture its structure. METHODS A multidisciplinary advanced principle-based concept analysis was conducted, including the following systematic steps: literature review, assessment of concept maturity, principle-based evaluation, concept exploration and advancement, and formulating a multidisciplinary concept theory. We drew on knowledge from midwifery, psychology, childbirth education, bioethics, obstetric & gender violence, sociology, perinatal psychiatry, and anthropology. RESULTS Our evaluation included 60 records which were considered as 'mature'. Maturity was determined by the reported concept definition, attributes, antecedents, outcomes, and boundaries. The four broad principles of the philosophy of science epistemology, pragmatics, linguistics, and logic illustrated that women live in a political, and cultural world that includes social, perceptual, and practical features. The conceptual components antecedents, attributes, outcomes, and boundaries demonstrated that a traumatic birth experience is not an isolated event, but its existence is enabled by social structures that perpetuate the diminished and disempowered position of women in medical and institutionalised healthcare regulation and management. CONCLUSION The traumatic childbirth experience is a distinctive experience that can only occur within a socioecological system of micro-, meso-, and macro-level aspects that accepts and allows its existence and therefore its sustainability - with the traumatic experience of the birthing woman as the central construct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Kuipers
- School of Health & Social Care, Edinburgh Napier University, 9 Sighthill Court, Edinburgh EH11 4BN, Scotland, UK; Artesis Plantijn University of Applied Sciences, Noorderplaats 2, 2000 Antwerp, Belgium.
| | - Gill Thomson
- School of Community Health & Midwifery, University of Central Lancashire, Preston, Lancashire PR1 2HE, United Kingdom.
| | - Zuzana Škodová
- Institute of Midwifery, Jessenius Faculty of Medicine in Martin, Comenius University Malá Hora 5, 036 01 Martin, Slovak republic.
| | - Ina Bozic
- Ina Bozic, Hospital KH Wels/Griesskirchen in Wels, Grieskirchner Str. 42, 4600 Wels, Austria.
| | - Valgerður Lísa Sigurðardóttir
- University of Iceland, Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Eiríksgata 34, 101 Reykjavík,Iceland; National University Hospital, Women's Clinic Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavík, Iceland.
| | - Josefina Goberna-Tricas
- Department of Public Health, Mental Health and Maternal and Child Health Nursing, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Barcelona, Bellvitge Health Sciences Campus, c/ Feixa Llarga s/n, L'Hospitalet de Llobregat, 08907 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Alba Zurera
- University of Barcelona, Faculty of Law, Avinguda Diagonal, 684, 08028 Barcelona, Spain.
| | - Dulce Morgado Neves
- ISCTE - Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Centro de Investigação e Estudos de Sociologia, Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Catarina Barata
- Instituto de Ciências Sociais, Universidade de Lisboa, Av. Professor Aníbal de Bettencourt 9, 1600-189 Lisboa, Portugal.
| | - Claudia Klier
- Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Division of Pediatric Pulmonology, Allergology and Endocrinology, Comprehensive Center for Pediatrics, Medical University of Vienna, Waehringer Guertel 18-20, 1090 Vienna, Austria.
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Li C, Otgaar H, Muris P, Zhang Y, Wang J. Inducing emotionally negative nonbelieved memories using negative pictures. Mem Cognit 2024; 52:41-56. [PMID: 37432570 DOI: 10.3758/s13421-023-01441-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 06/19/2023] [Indexed: 07/12/2023]
Abstract
Memories that can be recalled but are no longer believed are termed nonbelieved memories. The current studies examined the creation of emotionally negative nonbelieved memories after viewing negatively valenced pictures. In both experiments, participants took part in two sessions. In Session 1, after being presented with a set of neutral and negative pictures, participants had to rate their emotional state. One week later, in Session 2, participants had to complete a recognition task to identify pictures that had appeared during the previous session. During this task, participants' memories for some pictures were challenged by telling them that their answers were incorrect in order to evoke nonbelieved memories. The experimental procedure was successful in creating nonbelieved memories in the participants. Specifically, in Experiment 1 (N = 35), we induced nonbelieved true memories for both negative and neutral pictures. We found a significant decrease in both belief and recollection after the challenge, with the change in belief being twice as large as the change in recollection. In Experiment 2 (N = 43), we successfully induced both nonbelieved true and false memories for negative pictures. Again, the reduction of belief was significantly greater than that of recollection. In general, participants evinced better memory for negative pictures, but following challenges people were just as likely to accept false social feedback and change their memories regarding other types of pictures. In both experiments, our challenges did not lead to notable changes in emotional state. In general, our findings show that emotionally negative nonbelieved memories can be successfully evoked in an experimental setting.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chunlin Li
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium.
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
| | - Henry Otgaar
- Faculty of Law and Criminology, Catholic University of Leuven, 3000, Leuven, Belgium
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Peter Muris
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
- Department of Psychology, Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch, South Africa
| | - Yikang Zhang
- Faculty of Psychology and Neuroscience, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands
| | - Jianqin Wang
- Department of Psychology, Fudan University, Shanghai, China
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Gephine S, Fry S, Margoline E, Gicquello A, Chenivesse C, Grosbois JM. Home-based pulmonary rehabilitation for adults with severe asthma exposed to psychosocial chronic stressors. Respir Med 2023; 217:107349. [PMID: 37423480 DOI: 10.1016/j.rmed.2023.107349] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2023] [Revised: 05/26/2023] [Accepted: 07/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effects of a home-based pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programme on hyperventilation symptoms, anxiety and depressive symptoms, general fatigue, health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and exercise capacity in adults with severe asthma who have been exposed to psychosocial chronic stressors. METHODS Data on 111 non-selected consecutive adults with severe asthma who enrolled in an 8-week home-based PR programme (weekly supervised 90-min session) was retrospectively analysed. Chronic stressors included physical, sexual and psychological violence and/or a traumatic experience related to an intensive care unit stay. Hyperventilation symptoms (Nijmegen questionnaire), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Fatigue Assessment Scale, COPD Assessment Test, Six-Minute Stepper Test and Timed-Up and Go test were assessed at baseline and after PR. RESULTS At baseline, participants who have been exposed to chronic stressors (n = 48, 43.2%) were younger, more often female, more often treated for anxiety and depressive disorders, and had a higher score for anxiety symptoms, hyperventilation symptoms and a poorer HRQoL, compared to those who had not been exposed to chronic stressors (p < 0.05). All the study assessments were statistically improved after PR for both groups (p < 0.001). Anxiety and depressive symptoms, fatigue and health-related quality of life questionnaires were also clinically improved based on the minimal clinically important difference. CONCLUSION A large proportion of adults with severe asthma, mainly women, have been exposed to chronic stressors at the time of starting a PR programme, resulting in higher anxiety symptoms and hyperventilation symptoms. However, it did not prevent these individuals from benefiting from PR.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Gephine
- FormAction Santé, F-59840, Pérenchies, France; Univ. Lille, Univ. Artois, Univ. Littoral Côte D'opale, ULR 7369-Urepsss- Lille, France.
| | | | | | - Alice Gicquello
- Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul, Service de Pneumologie, F-59000, Lille, France
| | - Cécile Chenivesse
- Univ. Lille, CHU Lille, Inserm, CNRS, Institut Pasteur de Lille, U1019, UMR 9017, Center for Infection and Immunity of Lille (CIIL), CRISALIS, F-CRIN Inserm Network, Lille, France
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Lee DW, Lee HS, Kim SG, Kim KJ, Jung SJ. The rocky road to freedom: number of countries transited during defection and risk of metabolic syndrome among North Korean Refugees in South Korea. Public Health 2023; 221:208-215. [PMID: 37490839 DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.06.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2022] [Revised: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 06/15/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES North Korean Refugees (NKRs) undergo defection, and this has been shown to impact their current health status in South Korea. However, little is understood about how the defection process is related to metabolic syndrome (MetS). This study regarded the defection process to be a quasi-measurement of traumatic experience and investigated whether defection was a risk factor for MetS among NKRs living in South Korea. STUDY DESIGN This cross-sectional study obtained data from the Korea University Anam Hospital in Seoul. NKRs (N = 847) voluntarily completed questionnaires and underwent at least one medical examination between October 2008 and July 2021. METHODS Multivariable logistic regression models were used to evaluate whether the number of countries transited by NKRs was associated with MetS by controlling for covariates. RESULTS The prevalence of MetS among male and female NKRs in South Korea was 12.3% and 13.3%, respectively. The highest prevalence of MetS (33.4%) was among NKRs who had transited two countries. The number of months in transit countries (mean: 49.9 ± 51.7) and period of residence in South Korea (mean: 40.9 ± 40.9 months) were also considered. NKRs who transited three countries had a higher probability of MetS (odds ratio [OR] 2.660, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.161-6.097) than those who travelled directly to South Korea. NKRs who transited three countries and had only resided in South Korea for a short period had a higher probability of MetS (OR 3.424, 95% CI 1.149-10.208) than those who have lived in South Korea for a longer period. CONCLUSIONS Considering the social vulnerability of NKRs and consequential health problems, there is an urgent need for appropriate support from the government and society.
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Affiliation(s)
- D W Lee
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea; Institute of Health Services Research, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea
| | - H S Lee
- Research Investment for Global Health Technology Fund Foundation, Seoul, 03145, Republic of Korea
| | - S G Kim
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea; Department of Healthcare and Medicine for Unified Korea, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 02842, Republic of Korea
| | - K J Kim
- Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Department of Internal Medicine, Korea University College of Medicine, Seoul, 02841, Republic of Korea.
| | - S J Jung
- Department of Preventive Medicine, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea; Department of Public Health, Graduate School, Yonsei University, Seoul, 03722, Republic of Korea; Center for Global Health, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA, 02114, USA; Harvard Center for Population and Developmental Studies, Cambridge, MA, 02138, USA.
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Bodin E, Peretti V, Rouillay J, Tran PL, Boukerrou M. [Posttraumatic stress disorder and emergency cesarean delivery: Incidence and risk factors]. Gynecol Obstet Fertil Senol 2022; 50:240-260. [PMID: 35017128 DOI: 10.1016/j.gofs.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2021] [Revised: 12/18/2021] [Accepted: 12/22/2021] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is declared in 3 to 6 % of postpartum women (PP) and up to 18.5 % in cases of complications of pregnancy or childbirth. The objective of this study is to assess the prevalence of PTSD after a red code cesarean section and to identify the risk factors among the prenatal vulnerability factors, the birth alert factors and the maintenance factors in PP. METHOD A phone or computerized questionnaire including an Questionnaire de stress immédiat and the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 was offered to patients who had a red code cesarean section between 05/12/2015 and 02/28/2021 at the University South Hospital of Reunion Island. RESULTS Among the 555 cesarean sections selected, 329 parturients responded. The prevalence of PTSD was 20.1 % and was stable over time. The 2 risk factors found were the negative experience of childbirth and the proven traumatic experience. Prenatal vunerability factors were not found to be statistically significant. Almost 3 in 4 women had not been informed of the risk of cesarean section and more than 1 in 2 women did not have an explanation in PP. CONCLUSION Red code cesarean sections cause PTSD in 1 in 5 women. This lasting disorder can last up to 6 years after childbirth. This indicates the seriousness of this disorder and the need to prevent it. The risk of developing it is 4 times greater in the event of a traumatic experience proven in the Questionnaire de stress immédiat. Offering this questionnaire in the maternity could be an important element of secondary prevention. The role of health personnel remains essential.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Bodin
- Service de PMA, CHRU de Tours, 2, boulevard Tonnellé, 37044 Tours cedex 9, France.
| | - V Peretti
- Service de gynécologie obstétrique, CHU Sud Réunion, avenue François-Mitterrand, 97410 Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
| | - J Rouillay
- UMPP Ouest, EPSMR Saint-Paul, 11, rue de l'Hôpital, 97460 Saint-Paul, Réunion.
| | - P L Tran
- Service de gynécologie obstétrique, CHU Sud Réunion, avenue François-Mitterrand, 97410 Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
| | - M Boukerrou
- Service de gynécologie obstétrique, CHU Sud Réunion, avenue François-Mitterrand, 97410 Saint-Pierre, Réunion.
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Tseng HH, Chiu CD, Chen KC, Lee IH, Chen PS, Yang YK. Absence of negative associations of insular and medial frontal gray matter volume with dissociative symptoms in schizophrenia. J Psychiatr Res 2021; 138:485-491. [PMID: 33965737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.04.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2020] [Revised: 04/01/2021] [Accepted: 04/12/2021] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Dissociative symptoms have been constantly found in schizophrenia (SCZ). Traumatic experience seems to relate to dissociative symptoms and brain volume alterations in SCZ. The current study aimed to clarify the inter-relations of dissociative symptoms, traumatic experience, and brain volume in SCZ. METHODS We employed voxel-based morphometry to compare the distributions of gray matter volumes (GMV) in 37 SCZ patients and 26 healthy volunteers (HV). All participants underwent T1-weighted images on a 1.5 T MRI system. Traumatic experience was examined by the Brief Betrayal Trauma Survey. Pathological and non-pathological dissociation were measured by the Dissociative Symptoms Scale and the Dissociative Experiences Scale, respectively. RESULTS A GMV reduction was found in SCZ patients in the right thalamus. Importantly, a significant group by pathological dissociation interaction was observed in the medial frontal cortex (MFC), bilateral anterior insular area, and precuneus. A negative correlation between MFC/insular GMV and pathological dissociation was observed in HV; higher non-pathological dissociation and smaller volume in MFC/insula were associated with pathological dissociation. In contrast, higher traumatic experience, higher non-pathological dissociation, and larger volume in MFC/insula were associated with pathological dissociation in SCZ. CONCLUSION The negative association between MFC/insula GMV and pathological dissociation in HV was not observed in SCZ patients. The absent negative association in SCZ suggests a unique neural underpinning in SCZ with dissociative pathology, in which medial frontal and temporal regions play crucial roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Huai-Hsuan Tseng
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Chui-De Chiu
- Department of Psychology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Kao Chin Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - I Hui Lee
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
| | - Po See Chen
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, Dou-Liou Branch, Yunlin, Taiwan
| | - Yen Kuang Yang
- Department of Psychiatry, National Cheng Kung University Hospital, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Institute of Behavioral Medicine, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan; Department of Psychiatry, Tainan Hospital, Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tainan, Taiwan.
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Kazlauskiene J, Bulotiene G. Prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder among Lithuanian breast cancer patients and its risk factors. J Psychosom Res 2020; 131:109939. [PMID: 32018216 DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2020.109939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2019] [Revised: 01/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/23/2022]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is more common among oncology patients than in the general population. The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of PTSD symptoms among Lithuanian patients with breast cancer and to analyse its clinical, psychosocial and demographic risk factors. METHODS Women with T1-T3/N0-N3/M0 stages of breast cancer took part in this study. There were two phases of the study: the first, before breast surgery (N = 421) and the second, a year after (N = 188). Women were given the following questionnaires: an Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R); Beck's Depression Inventory, second edition (BDI-II); and the Vrana-Lauterbach Traumatic Event Scale, Civilian version (TEQC). RESULTS The prevalence of PTSD symptoms significantly decreased over the year. Before surgery, women who were employed, had experienced emotionally traumatic events during their lifespan and were dissatisfied with delivery of the information about the disease had more PTSD symptoms. One year later, those who had undergone breast-saving surgery, were living in a partnership, had a higher education, were unemployed and had experienced severe traumatic events during the previous year had more PTSD symptoms. The IES-R questionnaire's estimates correlated with BDI-II estimates. CONCLUSIONS Health care professionals, who work with cancer patients, are recommended to pay closer attention to the stress patients' experience, especially in those more vulnerable women who have several of the aforementioned risk factors. Targeted training for doctors, during which they could learn how to report the diagnosis to oncology patients would be of great benefit.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jurgita Kazlauskiene
- Vilniaus Kolegija/University of Applied Sciences, Saltoniskiu str. 58, LT-08105 Vilnius, Lithuania.
| | - Giedre Bulotiene
- National Cancer Institute, Santariskiu str. 1, LT-08660 Vilnius, Lithuania; Vilnius University, Universiteto str. 3, LT-01513 Vilnius, Lithuania
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Abstract
Recent studies in African contexts have revealed a strong association between spirit possession and severe trauma, with inclusion into a possession cult serving at times a therapeutic function. Research on spirit possession in the Dominican Republic has so far not included quantitative studies of trauma and dissociation. This study evaluated demographic variables, somatoform dissociative symptoms, and potentially traumatizing events in the Dominican Republic with a group of Vodou practitioners that either do or do not experience spirit possession. Inter-group comparisons revealed that in contrast to non-possessed participants (n = 38), those experiencing spirit possession (n = 47) reported greater somatoform dissociation, more problems with sleep, and previous exposure to mortal danger such as assaults, accidents, or diseases. The two groups did not differ significantly in other types of trauma. The best predictor variable for group classification was somatoform dissociation, although those items could also reflect the experience of followers during a possession episode. A factor analysis across variables resulted in three factors: having to take responsibility early on in life and taking on a professional spiritual role; traumatic events and pain; and distress/dissociation. In comparison with the non-possessed individuals, the possessed ones did not seem to overall have a remarkably more severe story of trauma and seemed to derive economic gains from possession practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yvonne Schaffler
- Department of General Practice, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Kinderspitalgasse 15, 1090, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Etzel Cardeña
- CERCAP, Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Sophie Reijman
- CERCAP, Department of Psychology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
| | - Daniela Haluza
- Institute of Environmental Health, Center for Public Health, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE This study was conducted at Hanawon-a government sponsored educational facility for the settlement of North Korean refugees during their initial phase in South Korea-in 2004 to explore their mental health status and traumatic experiences in North Korea and during their escape period. METHODS A survey was conducted in November 2004 with 62 North Korean refugees at Hanawon, and the Trauma Checklist was used to measure their traumatic experiences. To measure their psychological-mental health status, the Personality Assessment Inventory was administered. RESULTS In comparison with the traumatic experiences of the North Korean refugees found in the study conducted in 2001 at Hanawon using the same methods, the current study showed a relatively lower frequency of traumatic experiences among the participants. The Personality Assessment Inventory results revealed that the study participants scored higher than average South Koreans in all clinical scales. Particularly, their mania (62.51) and schizophrenia (61.75) scores were above 60, a clinically meaningful score. In the gender comparison, the males exhibited meaningfully higher levels of alcohol problem, non-support, and warmth scale scores. CONCLUSION Compared to the 2001 study, the overall traumatic experiences among North Korean refugees participated in this study. But continous support is necessary for their successful adaptation to South Korean Society have declined. The North Korean refugees at Hanawon experienced difficulties maintaining their mental health and the men in particular requested more intensive care and support for this purpose.
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Affiliation(s)
- Woo-Teak Jeon
- Department of Psychiatry, Department of Medical Education, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea
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