The humoral immune response more than one year after SARS-CoV-2 infection: low detection rate of anti-nucleocapsid antibodies via Euroimmun ELISA.

PURPOSE: Antibody assays against SARS-CoV-2 are used in sero-epidemiological studies to estimate the proportion of a population with past infection. IgG antibodies against the spike protein (S-IgG) allow no distinction between infection and vaccination. We evaluated the role of anti-nucleocapsid-IgG (N-IgG) to identify individuals with infection more than one year past infection. METHODS: S- and N-IgG were determined using the Euroimmun enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in two groups: a randomly selected sample from the population of Stuttgart, Germany, and individuals with PCR-proven SARS-CoV-2 infection. Participants were five years or older. Demographics and comorbidities were registered from participants above 17 years. RESULTS: Between June 15, 2021 and July 14, 2021, 454 individuals from the random sample participated, as well as 217 individuals with past SARS-CoV-2 infection. Mean time from positive PCR test result to antibody testing was 458.7 days (standard deviation 14.6 days) in the past infection group. In unvaccinated individuals, the seroconversion rate for S-IgG was 25.5% in the random sample and 75% in the past infection group (P = < 0.001). In vaccinated individuals, the mean signal ratios for S-IgG were higher in individuals with prior infection (6.9 vs 11.2; P = < 0.001). N-IgG were only detectable in 17.1% of participants with past infection. Predictors for detectable N-IgG were older age, male sex, fever, wheezing and in-hospital treatment for COVID-19 and cardiovascular comorbidities. CONCLUSION: N-IgG is not a reliable marker for SARS-CoV-2 infection after more than one year. In future, other diagnostic tests are needed to identify individuals with past natural infection.

Eating disorder related research using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk): Friend or foe?: Commentary on Burnette et al. (2021).

Burnette et al. reported a study that they sought to undertake to validate common eating disorder questionnaires in sexual and gender minorities. The researchers took advantage of the online recruitment platform Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Contrary to their expectations, the study proved not feasible due to invalid answering. Thus, Burnette et al. raise concerns against the trustworthiness of crowd-sourced data that may be undermined by financial interests and other kinds of motivations. Our commentary highlights the potential of the COVID-19 pandemic to inflate especially those intentions, which are monetary. Against the background of the COVID-19 pandemic, a further problem seems to be that the anonymity of online crowd sourcing platforms might tempt participants to provide inconsistent answers, possibly reflecting tendencies of reactance. The reported pattern of paradoxical responses in Burnette et al.'s work does not reflect malingering; rather we believe that the study might have served some participants as an outlet for negative emotions. We discuss mechanisms of quality control and highlight the lack of interpersonal interaction associated with online data collections.

Age stereotypes towards younger and older colleagues in registered nurses and supervisors in a university hospital: A generic qualitative study.

AIM: This study aimed to identify and compare age stereotypes of registered nurses and supervisors in clinical inpatient settings. DESIGN: Generic qualitative study using half-standardized interviews. METHOD: Nineteen face-to-face interviews and five focus groups (N = 50) were conducted with nurses of varying levels at a hospital of maximum medical care in Germany between August and November 2018 and were subjected to structured qualitative content analysis. RESULTS: Reflecting the ageing process and cooperation in mixed-age teams, nursing staff and supervisors defined similar age stereotypes towards older and younger nurses reminiscent of common generational labels 'Baby Boomers' and Generations X. Their evaluation created an inconsistent and contradictory pattern differing to the respective work context and goals. Age stereotypes were described as both potentially beneficial and detrimental for the individual and the cooperation in the team. If a successfully implemented diversity management focuses age stereotypes, negative assumptions can be reduced and cooperation in mixed-age teams can be considered beneficial. CONCLUSION: Diversity management as measures against age stereotypes and for mutual acceptance and understanding should include staff from various hierarchical levels of the inpatient setting.

[Art therapy : Current developments in research and training]. / Kunsttherapie : Aktuelle Entwicklungen in Forschung und Ausbildung.

Art therapy is the intentional therapeutic use of the fine arts. Like music, dance, poetry and theater therapy, it is assigned to artistic therapy. This article provides an overview of general and recent developments as well as the state of the art in teaching in the discipline art therapy. Furthermore, two art therapeutic forms of intervention, the body outline image method (KUM) and Photo-Art-Therapy, are introduced. The aim is to further standardize the education and further training landscapes of art therapy, not least in order to further increase patient safety. This includes, for example, conveying systematically checked interventional measures and manuals that the students learn both theoretically and in the form of self-awareness. For about 10 years now, more and more high-impact quality research studies have been carried out Further evaluation studies in this field are desirable.

[Information about Eating Disorders - the perspective of relatives]. / Informationsbedarf bei Essstörungen ­ die Angehörigenperspektive.

Objectives: This qualitative study aimed to assess the need for information in eating disorders from the perspective of relatives. Further, it examined the question how publicly available information about eating disorders may contribute to psychoeducation. Methods: Thirteen relatives of patients with anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa were interviewed based on a semistructured interview guide. The interview transcripts were interpreted by using a structuring qualitative content analysis. Results: Relatives showed a high need for information throughout the entire course of illness. More information about the disorder itself and its potential treatment were requested. The needs were addressed to public services and to family doctors as well as paediatricians. Conclusions: Relatives as well as family doctors and paediatricians play an important role in the detection and support of the treatment of eating disorders. In view of the high rate of cases diagnosed late or not at all, psychoeducational offers require further expansion.

Factors influencing utilization and perception of health care: a qualitative study among traumatized Yazidi refugees in Germany.

BACKGROUND: Ensuring adequate utilization of healthcare services for displaced populations is critical, yet there are well-documented treatment gaps. Yazidi women captured by the Islamic State (IS) were subjected to extreme trauma and violence. This study aims to understand perceptions of healthcare providers and utilization of these services among women who experienced extreme trauma. METHODS: This is a qualitative study with voluntary participation offered to approximately 400 women resettled through the Special Quota Program. An empirical approach was used to collect data and a grounded theory approach was used for content analysis. Participants ranked their interactions with providers on a Likert scale. Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms were assessed using the impact of event scale-revised questionnaire. RESULTS: A total of 116 Yazidi women participated in this study. The women experienced an average of 6.8 months of captivity by IS and 93% met criteria for probable PTSD. Eighty-three percent of the women interacted with a physician; 80% found this interaction helpful. Sixty-nine percent interacted with psychologists; 61% found this interaction helpful. Six themes emerged: "reminders of trauma" and "hopelessness" in relation to the traumatic experience; "immediate relief" and "healing through pharmaceutical treatment" in relation to provider interventions, and "support" and "cultural differences" in relation to interactions with providers. CONCLUSIONS: There exist major barriers to care for Yazidi women who experienced extreme trauma, particularly in regards to psychiatric care. Perceptions of healthcare providers and perceived effectiveness of therapy are critical factors that must be taken into consideration to improve healthcare utilization and outcomes.

The effectiveness of health-oriented leadership interventions for the improvement of mental health of employees in the health care sector: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: An increasing prevalence of work-related stress and employees' mental health impairments in the health care sector calls for preventive actions. A significant factor in the workplace that is thought to influence employees' mental health is leadership behavior. Hence, effective leadership interventions to foster employees' (leaders' and staff members') mental health might be an important measure to address this pressing issue. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review according to the PRISMA statement (Liberati et al. 2009) and systematically searched the following databases: PubMed (PMC), Web of Science, PsycINFO (EBSCOhost), EconLit (EBSCOhost), and Business Source Premier (EBSCOhost). In addition, we performed a hand search of the reference lists of relevant articles. We included studies investigating leadership interventions in the health care sector that aimed to maintain/foster employees' mental health. RESULTS: The systematic search produced 11,221 initial search hits in relevant databases. After the screening process and additional literature search, seven studies were deemed eligible according to the inclusion criteria. All studies showed at least a moderate global validity and four of the included studies showed statistically significant improvements of mental health as a result of the leadership interventions. CONCLUSIONS: Based on the findings, leadership interventions with reflective and interactive parts in group settings at several seminar days seem to be the most promising strategy to address mental health in health care employees. As the available evidence is limited, efforts to design and scientifically evaluate such interventions should be extended.

Psychosocial emergency care in times of COVID-19: the Essen University Hospital concept for corona-infected patients, their relatives, and medical staff.

Due to the SARS CoV-2-virus (COVID-19), anxiety, distress, and insecurity occur more frequently. In particular, infected individuals, their relatives, and medical staff face an increased risk of high psychological distress as a result of the ongoing pandemic. Thus, structured psychosocial emergency concepts are needed. The University hospital of Essen has taken up this challenge by creating the PEC concept to reduce psychosocial long-term consequences for infected patients, relatives, and medical staff at the university hospital. The concept includes professional medical as well as psychological support to convey constructive coping strategies and the provision of adequate tools such as the low-threshold online training program (CoPE It), which is accessible via the webpage www.cope-corona.de .

Illness perception and health care use in individuals with irritable bowel syndrome: results from an online survey.

BACKGROUND: Individual illness perception is known to influence a range of outcome variables. However, little is known regarding illness perception in irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and its relation to the use of the health care system. This study hypothesised a relationship between illness perception and inappropriate health care use (under-, over- and misuse). METHODS: An internet-based, cross-sectional study in participants affected by IBS symptoms was carried out (April - October 2019) using open questions as well as validated standardized instruments, e.g. the illness perception questionnaire revised (IPQ-R) and its subscales. Sub-group comparisons were done non-parametrically and effect sizes were reported. Potential predictors of (1) conventional health care utilisation and (2) utilisation of treatment approaches with lacking or weak evidence regarding effectiveness in IBS were examined with logistic regression analyses and reported as odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval. RESULTS: Data from 513 individuals were available. More than one-third (35.7%) of participants were classified as high utilisers (> 5 doctor visits during the last year). Several indicators of inappropriate health care use were detected, such as a low proportion of state-of-the-art gynaecological evaluation of symptoms (35.0% of women) and a high proportion of individuals taking ineffective and not recommended non-steroidal antirheumatic drugs for IBS (29.4%). A majority (57.7%) used treatment approaches with lacking or weak evidence regarding the effectiveness in IBS (e.g. homeopathy). Being a high utiliser as defined above was predicted by the perceived daily life consequences of IBS (IPQ-R subscale "consequences", OR = 1.189 [1.100-1.284], p ≤ 0.001) and age (OR = 0.980 [0.962-0.998], p = 0.027). The use of treatment approaches with lacking or weak evidence was forecasted by the perceived daily life consequences (OR = 1.155 [1.091-1.223], p ≤ 0.001) and gender (reference category male: OR = 0.537 [0.327-0.881], p = 0.014), however effect sizes were small. CONCLUSIONS: Daily life consequences, perceived cure and personal control as aspects of individual disease perception seem to be related to individuals' health care use. These aspects should be a standard part of the medical interview and actively explored. To face inappropriate health care use patients and professionals need to be trained. Interdisciplinary collaborative care may contribute to enhanced quality of medical supply in IBS.

Eating behaviour and symptom trajectories in patients with a history of binge eating disorder during COVID-19 pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: A history of an eating disorder (ED) might constitute a risk for symptom deterioration and relapse during COVID-19 pandemic. This longitudinal study investigates ED symptom trajectories until the first COVID-19 lockdown in Spring 2020 in patients with a history of binge eating disorder (BED). METHOD: Participants of the randomised-controlled BED treatment trial IMPULS participated in a re-assessment directly after the first COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. We used expert-rated clinical interviews and self-report to investigate binge eating (BE) frequency, ED and general psychopathology, distress, emotion regulation and sense of coherence. Symptom trajectories were analysed for baseline when entering the trial, end of trial participation and the time point directly after lockdown. BE frequency was assessed on a recall basis for 4 weeks directly before lockdown and 4 weeks during lockdown. RESULTS: BE frequency, general ED pathology and depressive symptoms markedly increased after as compared to before the COVID-19 outbreak. Individuals scoring high on reappraisal as emotion regulation strategy and sense of coherence scored lower on general ED pathology. CONCLUSION: Individuals with a history of an ED are at risk for symptom deterioration and relapse during the pandemic. Intervention and service dissemination strategies are needed to support vulnerable groups throughout the pandemic.

[Change in psychological burden during the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany: fears, individual behavior, and the relevance of information and trust in governmental institutions]. / Veränderung der psychischen Belastung in der COVID-19-Pandemie in Deutschland: Ängste, individuelles Verhalten und die Relevanz von Information sowie Vertrauen in Behörden.

BACKGROUND: The potential impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health was evident early on. The extent of the effects, especially cumulative over the long period of the pandemic, has not yet been fully investigated for Germany. OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study was to determine psychological burden as well as COVID-19-related experience and behavior patterns and to show how they changed during the different phases of the pandemic in Germany. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Germany-wide online-based cross-sectional study (03/10-07/27/2020) included 22,961 people (convenience sample). Generalized anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-2), and psychological distress (DT) were collected, as well as COVID-19-related experiences and behavior patterns: COVID-19-related fear, trust in governmental actions, subjective level of information, adherent safety behavior, and personal risk assessment for infection/severe course of illness. The pandemic was retrospectively divided into five phases (initial, crisis, lockdown, reorientation, and new normality). RESULTS: Compared to pre-COVID-19 reference values, GAD­7, PHQ­2, and DT levels were significantly elevated and persistent throughout the different phases of the pandemic. COVID-19-related fear, information level, trust, safety behavior, and the risk assessment for infection/severe course of illness showed, after initial strong increase, a strong decrease to partly below the initial value. Exceptions were constant risk assessments of having a severe course of illness or dying of it. CONCLUSIONS: The increased levels of psychological burden, which have persisted throughout all phases of the pandemic, illustrate the need for sustainable support services. Declining values over the duration of the pandemic in terms of trust in governmental actions and the feeling of being well informed underline the need for more targeted education.

An e-mental health intervention to support burdened people in times of the COVID-19 pandemic: CoPE It.

The outbreak of the novel SARS CoV-2-virus (COVID-19) is pushing national and international healthcare systems to their limits. The aspect of mental health issues, which has been neglected (so far) in times of social isolation and governmental restrictions, now demands innovative and situation-based approaches to support psychological burdened people. The developed e-mental health intervention 'CoPE It' offers manualized, evidence-based psychotherapeutic/psychological support to overcome psychological distress in times of COVID-19. E-mental health approaches offer great possibilities to support burdened people during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic effectively.

Psychological burden of healthcare professionals in Germany during the acute phase of the COVID-19 pandemic: differences and similarities in the international context.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare professionals (HPs) are the key figures to keep up the healthcare system during the COVID-19 pandemic and thus are one of the most vulnerable groups in this. To this point, the extent of this psychological burden, especially in Europe and Germany, remains unclear. This is the first study investigating German HPs after the COVID-19 outbreak. METHODS: We performed an online-based cross-sectional study after the COVID-19 outbreak in Germany (10-31 March 2020). In total, 2224 HPs (physicians n = 492, nursing staff n = 1511, paramedics n = 221) and 10 639 non-healthcare professionals (nHPs) were assessed including generalized anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7), depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-2), current health status (EQ-5D-3L), COVID-19-related fear, subjective level of information regarding COVID-19. RESULTS: HPs showed less generalized anxiety, depression and COVID-19-related fear and higher health status and subjective level of information regarding COVID-19 than the nHPs. Within the HP groups, nursing staff were the most psychologically burdened. Subjective levels of information regarding COVID-19 correlated negatively with generalized anxiety levels across all groups. Among HPs, nursing staff showed the highest and paramedics the lowest generalized anxiety levels. CONCLUSIONS: In the context of COVID-19, German HPs seem to be less psychological burdened than nHPs, and also less burdened compared with existing international data.

The Kids Obesity Prevention Program: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial to Evaluate a Serious Game for the Prevention and Treatment of Childhood Obesity.

BACKGROUND: Health games provide opportunities for the treatment and prevention of childhood obesity. We developed a motion-controlled serious game for children that addresses 3 core topics of nutrition, physical activity, and stress coping. It is the first serious game that extensively targets the dietary energy density principle (DED-P) in relation to nutrition. The game is intended to provide an additional educational component for the prevention and treatment of obesity in children. OBJECTIVE: The Kids Obesity Prevention study aimed to evaluate the newly developed game and to evaluate how well children are able to understand and apply the DED-P. METHODS: This cluster randomized controlled trial collected data from 82 primary school children aged 9 to 12 years and their parents at baseline (T0), at 2 weeks after study commencement (T1), and at the 4-week follow-up (T2). The dropout rate was 3.6%. The intervention group (IG) played the game within 2 weeks (2 sessions with different game modules). One part of the game involves selection of food with the lower energy density when presented with a pair of foods. This allows assessment of whether the children have understood the DED-P and whether they can apply it to unknown foods under time pressure. The control group (CG) received a brochure about the food pyramid concept and physical activity. The primary outcome was the gain in knowledge (nutrition and stress coping) and measured with a pretested questionnaire. The secondary outcomes were the maintenance of knowledge, application of the DED-P, feelings during game play, game acceptance, and behavioral measures (physical activity, media consumption, and dietary intake). RESULTS: The knowledge score ranging from 0 to 100 increased from T0 (IG: 53 [SD 10], CG: 50 [SD 11]) to T1 (IG: 69 [SD 11], CG: 52 [SD 12]) in IG versus CG (P<.001). At T2, the knowledge score of IG remained at the same level as that of T1. Game data showed that after DED-P education, the classification under time pressure of unknown versus known food pairs according to their DED category was similar (hit rate around 70%). Overall, 95% of the children liked the game very much or much. No group changes were observed at the behavioral level. CONCLUSIONS: The Kids Obesity Prevention program sustainably increased knowledge in the areas of nutrition and stress coping, and children were able to apply the DED-P. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02551978; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02551978.

Medical identity; perspectives of students from two countries.

BACKGROUND: The development of professional identity is a fundamental element of medical education. There is evidence that in Germany, students' perceptions of the ideal and real doctor differ, and that of themselves as physicians falls between these constructs. We sought to compare students' perceptions of themselves, the ideal doctor, and the 'real' doctor and investigate differences from first to final year in the relationships between these constructs, as well as differences between Australian and German cohorts. METHOD: Students in the first and final years of their medical program at one Australian and one German university were invited to complete the Osgood and Hofstatter polarity profile, involving the description of their mental image of the ideal and real doctor, and the doctor they hope to become, with adjectives provided. RESULTS: One hundred sixty-seven students completed the survey in Australia (121 year 1, 46 year 5) and 188 in Germany (164 year 1, 24 year 6). The perception of the ideal doctor was consistent across all respondents, but that of the real doctor and self-image differed between country and year. Differences existed between country cohorts in perceptions of 'confidence', 'strength', 'capability' and 'security'. CONCLUSIONS: The pattern previously reported among German students was maintained, but a different pattern emerged among Australian students. Differences between countries could reflect cultural differences or variations in the overt and hidden curricula of medical schools. Some of the constructs within the profiles are amenable to educational interventions to improve students' confidence and sense of capability.

A novel instrument of cognitive and social congruence within peer-assisted learning in medical training: construction of a questionnaire by factor analyses.

BACKGROUND: Peer-assisted learning is effective due to cognitive and social congruence. Cognitive congruence is created by sharing a similar knowledge base between students and student tutors. Social congruence is defined as having similar social roles. A questionnaire of these concepts was newly constructed, and this study explored the factor analysis of the instrument. METHODS: In a cross-sectional method design cognitive and social congruence were operationalised by exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Cognitive and social congruence were assessed by validated questionnaires and through self-developed items that were collected through semi-structured interviews.. The questionnaire consisted of 26 items that were rated on a five-point Likert scale, from 0 = I strongly disagree to 4 = I strongly agree. RESULTS: 676 medical students participated in the study. Exploratory factor analysis for students resulted in a two-factor solution with cognitive and social congruence as confirming factors. New findings showed that the items "non-judgmental learning atmosphere" and "informal communication" were associated to cognitive congruence, "effectiveness" and "comprehensible explanations" belonged to social congruence. Confirmatory factor analysis for student tutors confirmed the resulting two-factor solution. CONCLUSIONS: As one of the largest investigation of cognitive and social congruence, this study investigated the underlying mechanisms of effective PAL using factor analysis. Cognitive congruence was created by sharing the same knowledge. Knowledge transfer might play a relevant role in cognitive congruence. Social congruence focused on the relationship between student tutors and students, which might impact the content level. Practical recommended actions (using the same language) could be implemented.

[Psychological stress caused by epidemics among health care workers and implications for coping with the corona crisis: a literature review]. / Psychische Belastungen durch Epidemien bei Beschäftigten im Gesundheitswesen und Implikationen für die Bewältigung der Corona-Krise: eine Literaturübersicht.

Psychological stress caused by epidemics among health care workers and implications for coping with the corona crisis: a literature review Objectives: COVID-19 has significantly changed the working and living conditions within a short period. Despite the milder course of the disease in comparison to other countries, employees in the German health care system are particularly affected by the massive impact of the disease on their professional and private lives. From a scientific point of view, summarized empirical evidence made during other epidemics and at the beginning of the COVID-19-pandemic is largely missing. Methods: Narrative review article, literature search on PubMed database. Results: A total of 56 studies were included, 35 of them on the SARS epidemic and seven on COVID-19; included studies reported overall increased stress levels, anxiety and PTSD symptoms due to health care work during various epidemics. Direct contact with patients, quarantine experiences and perceived health risks were further stress factors in epidemics. Participation in intervention studies enabled better management of epidemic-related situations. Conclusions: Healthcare workers are exposed to high workloads because of epidemics, which can have a variety of adverse effects. Recommendations are made for dealing with periods of high exposure during the COVID-19-pandemic.

Targeting parental motivation for change in childhood obesity: development and validation of the PURICA-S scale.

BACKGROUND: The high prevalence of overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence call for effective and sustainable intervention strategies. Parental motivation for change may be a key factor in sustained behavioral improvement towards a healthy weight status of their offspring. In this study, we developed a new short instrument to assess parental motivation for change to facilitate motivation-tailored family interventions that promise improved effectiveness. METHODS: The preexisting gold-standard instrument to assess motivational stages for change was adapted from the self to the parental perspective in a structured multistep Delphi procedure. The new instrument to assess parental motivation for change related to a health problem of their children was psychometrically evaluated in a sample (N = 193) of parents of children or adolescents with overweight or obesity. Confirmatory factor analysis, internal consistency, construct, and criteria validity were analyzed to test the psychometric properties of the new instrument. RESULTS: As a result of the Delphi procedures, all 16 items were successfully transferred to the parental perspective. The hypothesized four-factor structure of the new instrument was approved, and internal consistency and criteria validity were good to very good (albeit with inconsistent findings for the subscale precontemplation). DISCUSSION: In our investigated target group of parents with children with overweight or obesity, the new instrument to assess parental motivation for change proved to be a practicable, valid, and time-efficient short measure. The new instrument will enable more specific motivational stage-directed interventions that promise higher effectiveness of family-based interventions to fight childhood obesity. However, the subscale precontemplation seemed not fully suitable for the population investigated here and needs to be applied very carefully in future studies.

Impact of social support on psychosocial symptoms and quality of life in cancer patients: results of a multilevel model approach from a longitudinal multicenter study.

Background: This prospective multicenter study aimed to investigate the courses of positive support (PS) and detrimental interaction (DI), two different aspects of social support, and the relation between social support and psychosocial distress and/or health-related quality of life (HRQOL) in a large sample of patients with different cancers. Methods: For this observational study, we enrolled adult patients with cancer from 13 comprehensive cancer centers (CCCs) in Germany. We included a total of 1087 patients in our analysis. We assessed the outcomes via standardized self-report questionnaires at three measurement points: at admission for acute care (T1), 6 (T2) and 12 months (T3) thereafter. Our outcome variables included PS and DI, depression and anxiety symptoms, distress, mental quality of life (MQoL) and physical QoL (PQoL). Data were analyzed using three-level hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) and group-based trajectory modeling. Results: During the first year after the cancer diagnosis, both PS and DI decreased in our sample. Baseline depression symptom severity was a significant predictor of PS and DI. Further analyses revealed significant associations between PS, DI and the course of depression and anxiety symptoms, and MQoL. PS buffered the negative effects of DI with regards to these variables. Low DI was associated with better PQoL, whereas PS was not. In general, the impact of social support on psychosocial outcomes was weak to moderate. Conclusions: Our findings provide evidence for the influence of PS and DI on psychosocial symptoms and HRQOL, and emphasize the importance of psycho-oncological interventions that strengthen PS and prevent or reduce DI for patients with cancer and their relatives.

Common mental disorders through the eyes of German employees: attributed relevance of work-related causes and prevention measures assessed by a standardised survey.

PURPOSE: Common mental disorders (CMDs) are becoming increasingly relevant in the working world. Numbers of risk factors have been confirmed by mostly correlative cross-sectional studies. Comprehensive and effective prevention is urgently needed. There is little knowledge about employees' own perceptions on causes of CMDs and prevention measures. Therefore, a survey was conducted in 2016. METHODS: A standardised instrument was developed for an online survey in a commercial access panel, targeted employees in different job types. We assessed two outcomes: perceived relevance of (1) work-related demands to the development of CMDs, and (2) prevention approaches in the workplace and on individual and societal levels. Possible predictive aspects were analysed exploratively by multivariate linear regression analysis. RESULTS: The response rate was 75% (n = 610). Job types were categorised as "blue", "grey" and "white-collar" workers (n = 193, 169, 248). The majority of respondents rated both outcomes consistently as "quite" or "very relevant"; societal prevention strategies were more relevant for non-white-collar workers. Perceived relevance of individual predisposition to develop a CMD was the strongest predictor for both outcomes, indicating the perception that people with higher personal vulnerability might suffer a higher strain from work-related risk factors than others. CONCLUSION: We assume that participants in our survey judged the relevance of work-related causes of CMDs independently of their own workload. The perceived relevance of prevention measures in different areas is consistent with official guidelines. A possible selection bias due to characteristics of access panel collectives and own direct or indirect experiences with CMD should be critically questioned.