Relationship satisfaction and self-esteem in patients with breast cancer and healthy women: the role of expected and actual personal projects support from the partner.

BACKGROUND: For breast cancer patients, the partner's support for personal projects can serve as a means of adaptation. We aimed to investigate the associations between the intimate partner's personal project support and women's well-being. METHODS: A sample of 274 Hungarian women (breast cancer patients n = 137, control n = 137) took part in the study. Expected and actually received autonomy-, directive- and emotional project support was assessed by the procedure of Personal Project Assessment. Well-being was measured by the Relationship Assessment Scale and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. For investigating the associations between project support and well-being in a multivariate way, structural equation modelling was used. RESULTS: Except for autonomy support, participants expected more support than they received. A path model indicated multiple associations between types of project support and relationship satisfaction and self-esteem. The partner's emotional project support was predictive of women's relationship satisfaction and self-esteem, while directive support was predictive of self-esteem only. The associations showed similar patterns in the subgroups of patients with breast cancer and control. CONCLUSIONS: Our results highlight the importance of involving women's subjective perspectives regarding the partner's project support while also have implications for praxis. Teaching women how to communicate their needs to their partner effectively (whether it is the need for autonomy or directive guidance) can help close the gap between expected and received support, which may in turn enhance relationship satisfaction and self-esteem.

The prevalence and mental health correlates of exposure to offensive behaviours at work in Hungary: results of a national representative survey.

BACKGROUND: Within the last decades, a substantial number of reports have established bullying behaviours as a severe risk to the health and safety of workers. However, in Hungary, the severity of this issue remains largely unknown. Therefore, the current study aimed to 1) determine the prevalence of offensive workplace behaviours in the Hungarian working population and 2) examine the relationship between exposure to these offensive behaviours and certain mental health indicators. METHODS: The cross-sectional analyses of the present study are based on a sample of 13,104 active workers being representative of the Hungarian working population according to gender, age, educational level, and 18 occupational sectors. The mid-length version of the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire II (COPSOQ II) was used to measure workplace offensive behaviours (bullying, sexual harassment, threats of violence, and physical violence) in the 12 months preceding the survey. Examined mental health correlates included depressive symptomatology (Beck Depression Inventory), functional somatic symptoms (PHQ-15), perceived stress (Perceived Stress Scale), and general well-being (WHO Well-being Index). RESULTS: Almost half (48.7%) of the sample reported exposure to some form of offensive behaviour; 37.6% of participants reported occasional-, while 11.1% reported weekly or daily exposure. More women than men were exposed to offensive workplace behaviours, and those targeted the most were individuals aged 18-29 and in companies employing 20-49 employees. Top managers reported the lowest amount of bullying, while unskilled labourers reported the most frequent exposure. A moderately strong relationship was discovered between exposure to workplace offensive behaviours and all indicators of mental health. CONCLUSION: Workplace bullying was revealed to be a significant public health concern according to this large, representative data set from Hungary. Strategies to reduce the occurrence and impact of these behaviours on employee health should be a priority for occupational health and safety interventions.

Effectiveness of a complex psychosocial intervention to reduce metabolic syndrome in psychiatric outpatients with severe/persistent mental illness.

The prevalence of metabolic syndrome among individuals with severe mental illness is considerably higher than in the general population, contributing to the 15-20-year shorter life expectancy of this client population. The aim of this pilot study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, complex psychosocial program to reduce metabolic syndrome. Members of both the intervention (n = 78) and control (n = 31) group were psychiatric outpatients with severe/persistent mental illness struggling with one or more symptoms of metabolic syndrome. Beyond the default elements of similar programs such as diet and exercise, the intervention covered medication use, sleep hygiene, stress management, as well as addressing spiritual needs, mindfulness, addictions, and self-care. Assessment of metabolic indicators were completed at baseline, at the end of the 11-week intervention, and 6 months post-intervention. The trajectory of change over time was significantly more favorable in the treatment than in the control group in terms of waist circumference (p = 0.013, η2 = 0.093) and a positive trend emerged in relation to blood glucose level (p = 0.082, η2 = 0.057). However, no statistically reliable difference was observed between the intervention and the control group regarding the other outcome variables (body mass index, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, serum triglyceride level, serum HDL cholesterol level, overall metabolic syndrome severity). These findings suggest that to produce more robust benefits, psychosocial interventions targeting the metabolic health of individuals with complex mental health needs should be either longer in duration if resources permit or narrower in focus (diet and exercise mainly) if resources are scarce. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s12144-021-02269-3.

The Effectiveness of Family Constellation Therapy in Reducing Psychopathological Symptoms in a Naturalistic Setting.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT03233958) was to provide further evidence on the effectiveness and safety of family/systemic constellation therapy, a widely used but rarely investigated form of brief group psychotherapy. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Altogether, 102 individuals from the general population were followed up 1- and 6 months after their participation in the 2-day intervention. Indicators of general and problem-area-specific psychopathology, interpersonal quality of life, meaning in life, and general wellbeing were assessed. Both statistical and clinical significance were considered, and active surveillance of potential iatrogenic effects was also conducted. RESULTS: The data showed significant improvement post-intervention in the case of the vast majority of the 17 outcome variables. At 1-month follow-up, the magnitude of improvements was typically in the moderate range. The patterns were very similar at the 6-month follow-up, suggesting that most intervention benefits were sustained in the middle term. Sensitivity analyses showed no therapist effects across the three intervention providers. Analyses into clinical significance showed that the most reliable improvements occurred in relation to interpersonal quality of life and non-diagnosis-specific psychopathology, with approximately half of the participants showing reliable improvement. Iatrogenic effects were comparable - both in terms of frequency and severity - to those reported for other forms of psychotherapy. CONCLUSIONS: Findings of the present study point toward the safety and effectiveness of family constellation therapy in reducing a variety of psychopathological symptoms (e.g., depression and anxiety) and increasing general well-being. This effectiveness is especially remarkable when considering the brevity and cost-effectiveness of the intervention.

ADHD symptomatology of children with congenital heart disease 10 years after cardiac surgery: the role of age at operation.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the present study was to investigate the differences in ADHD symptomatology between healthy controls and children who underwent cardiac surgery at different ages. METHODS: Altogether, 133 children (54 patients with congenital heart disease undergoing first cardiac surgery under 3 years of age, 26 operated at the age of 3 or later, and 53 healthy controls) were examined. Patients completed the Youth Self Report (YSR), while their parents completed the Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL) and the ADHD Rating Scale-IV. RESULTS: Children receiving surgery for the first time under the age of 3 years were more likely diagnosed with cyanotic type malformation and have undergone to a greater number of operations. However, ADHD symptoms of those treated surgically at or above 3 years of age were more severe than that of the control group or those who were treated surgically at a younger age. The control group and those treated surgically below the age of three did not differ across any of the ADHD symptom severity indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The age at the time of cardiac surgery might be associated with later ADHD symptom severity - with lower age at operation associated with better outcomes. Further, adequately powered studies are needed to confirm these exploratory findings and investigate the moderators of this relationship.

Nutritional supplementation in the treatment of violent and aggressive behavior: A systematic review.

Aggression in correctional and psychiatric settings is relatively common and has a negative effect on physical and mental health both among inmates/clients and staff, as well as organizational-level functioning. The aim of the present study was to critically review the evidence on the effectiveness of nutritional supplements in reducing aggression and violence to contribute to a better understanding of options available for managing aggressive behaviors in adults. The EMBASE, MEDLINE, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, and PubMed databases were searched for effectiveness studies published in English anytime up until March 2020. Study quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. Altogether, 14 studies met inclusion criteria; 2 investigated micronutrients, 10 examined macronutrients, while further 2 examined a combination of micro and macronutrients. Out of the 14 studies, 5 reported a beneficial effect of nutritional supplementation (omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins/minerals, S-adenosyl-l-methionine, or tryptophan). Five studies did not report a significant beneficial effect of nutritional supplementation (omega-3 fatty acids, folic acid, tryptophan, broad range supplement containing vitamins and fatty acids, and fatty acids in augmentation with valproic acid), while four studies reported mixed effects (on l-tryptophan, broad-range micronutrient formula, folic acid, and omega-3 fatty acids). The results overall indicated that research in this area is in its infancy: very few studies examined the same composition of nutritional supplementation and when they did so the results were contradictory. The methodological shortcoming of existing studies and directions for future research are discussed to facilitate high-quality research in this evolving area of nutritional psychiatry.

The Effectiveness of Family Constellation Therapy in Improving Mental Health: A Systematic Review.

Family/systemic constellation therapy is a short-term group intervention aiming to help clients better understand and then change their conflictive experiences within a social system (e.g., family). The aim of the present systematic review was to synthetize the empirical evidence on the tolerability and effectiveness of this intervention in improving mental health. The PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Psyndex, PsycEXTRA, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar, and an intervention-specific organization's databases were searched for quantitative, prospective studies published in English, German, Spanish, French, Dutch or Hungarian up until April 2020. Out of 4,197 identified records, 67 were assessed for eligibility, with 12 studies fulfilling inclusion criteria (10 independent samples; altogether 568 participants). Outcome variables were diverse ranging from positive self-image through psychopathology to perceived quality of family relationships. Out of the 12 studies, nine showed statistically significant improvement postintervention. The studies showing no significant treatment benefit were of lower methodological quality. The random-effect meta-analysis-conducted on five studies in relation to general psychopathology-indicated a moderate effect (Hedges' g of 0.531, CI: 0.387-0.676). Authors of seven studies also investigated potential iatrogenic effects and four studies reported minor or moderate negative effects in a small proportion (5-8%) of participants that potentially could have been linked to the intervention. The data accumulated to date point into the direction that family constellation therapy is an effective intervention with significant mental health benefits in the general population; however, the quantity and overall quality of the evidence is low.

La terapia de constelación sistémica/familiar es una intervención grupal a corto plazo orientada a ayudar a los pacientes a comprender mejor y a cambiar sus experiencias conflictivas dentro de un sistema social (p. ej.: la familia). El objetivo del presente análisis sistemático fue sintetizar las pruebas empíricas sobre la tolerabilidad y la eficacia de esta intervención en la mejora de la salud mental. Se buscó en PsycINFO, Embase, MEDLINE, ISI Web of Science, Psyndex, PsycEXTRA, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, The Cochrane Library, Google Scholar y en bases de datos de una organización dedicada a las intervenciones para obtener estudios cuantitativos y prospectivos publicados en inglés, alemán, español, francés, holandés o húngaro hasta abril de 2020. Se identificaron 4197 documentos y se evaluó la elegibilidad de 67. Finalmente se determinó que 12 cumplían con los criterios de inclusión (10 muestras independientes; en total, 568 participantes). Los criterios de valoración fueron diversos y abarcaron desde una autoimagen positiva hasta la psicopatología y la calidad percibida de las relaciones familiares. De los 12 estudios, 9 demostraron mejoras estadísticamente significativas después de la intervención. Los estudios que no demostraron ningún beneficio significativo del tratamiento fueron de menor calidad metodológica. El metaanálisis de efectos aleatorios -realizado en 5 estudios en relación con la psicopatología general- indicaron un efecto moderado (g de Hedges de 0.531, CI: 0.387-0.676). Los autores de 7 estudios también investigaron los posibles efectos iatrogénicos, y en 4 estudios se informaron efectos negativos moderados o leves en una pequeña proporción (5-8%) de participantes que podrían haber estado ligados a la intervención. Los datos acumulados hasta la fecha señalan que la terapia de constelación familiar es una intervención eficaz con beneficios considerables para la salud mental en la población en general; sin embargo, la cantidad y la calidad general de las pruebas es baja.

Depressive symptomatology and personality traits in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic peripheral arterial disease.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to examine the relationship of depressive symptomatology and personality traits with peripheral arterial disease (PAD). METHODS: The sample of this cross-sectional study comprised of 300 individuals (Mage = 65.3 ± 8.7 years, 61.0% female) recruited from the offices of 33 general practitioners. Based on at-rest ankle-brachial index (ABI) values and claudication symptoms, four subsamples were formed: clear PAD-positive, clear PAD-negative, ABI-negative but symptomatic, and a non-compressible-artery group. The concurrent role of depression (assessed by a shortened version of the Beck Depression Inventory) and personality traits (measured by the Big Five Inventory) in predicting PAD status was examined using multinomial logistic regression - controlled for sex, age, hypertonia, diabetes, smoking, hazardous drinking, and body mass index. RESULTS: Depressive symptomatology was significant in predicting peripheral arterial disease status even after controlling for both traditional risk factors and personality traits. Among the Big Five personality traits, neuroticism showed a significant, positive relationship with PAD - independently of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with PAD - even those with asymptomatic forms of the disease - are at higher risk for suffering from depression compared to individuals without PAD, independently of neuroticism, other Big Five personality dimensions or traditional risk factors for cardiovascular diseases.

The Categorical Stability of Gambling Motives Among Community-Recruited Gamblers: A Longitudinal Assessment.

Over the past decade, several motivational models have been proposed to explain the role of motives in gambling disorder. In the model captured by the four-factor Gambling Motives Questionnaire Financial (GMQ-F), gamblers are described as being primarily motivated to gamble for 'coping', 'enhancement', 'social', and 'financial' reasons. Although this model has received significant empirical support; to date, research assessing the role of motives in gambling disorder has been primarily cross-sectional in nature. Thus, the extent to which gambling motives remain stable over time has yet to be explored. In the current study, the stability versus fluidity of self-assessed gambling motives was investigated using the Quinte Longitudinal Study, a longitudinal dataset of gambling behaviour collected over 5 years. Gambling motives of 2795 gamblers were examined over all five annual assessments. The total proportion of gamblers who stayed in the same primary motive category across each of the 5 consecutive assessments was 22%, indicating substantial fluidity in category membership. Substantial movement between categories was seen for each GMQ-F group, as well as an additional group of non-classified motives. Logistic regression analyses suggest that greater resistance to gambling fallacies significantly predicted stability between the baseline assessment and a follow-up 1 year later, but gambling severity did not. Potential limitations in the study design and opportunities for future research are discussed.

The protective role of religiosity against problem gambling: findings from a five-year prospective study.

BACKGROUND: Little research has examined the potential protective influence of religiosity against problem gambling; a common addictive behavior, and one with a host of associated negative health and social outcomes. The aims of this study were to examine (1) the potential longitudinal association between religiosity and problem gambling among adults and (2) the potential moderating role of gender on this association. METHODS: Data were from five waves of the Quinte Longitudinal Study (QLS), between 2006 and 2010. Participants were Canadian adults from Belleville, Ontario, Canada (n = 4121). A multiple group (based on gender) latent growth curve analysis was conducted to examine the overall trajectory of problem gambling severity. Two models were tested; the first examined the influence of past-year religious service attendance, and the second examined an overall measure of personal religiosity on the trajectory of problem gambling. The Problem and Pathological Gambling Measure (PPGM) was used as a continuous measure. The Rohrbaugh-Jessor Religiosity Scale (RJRS) was used to assess past-year frequency of religious service attendance and personal religiosity. Religious affiliation (Protestant, Catholic, Atheist/Agnostic, Other, Prefer not to say) was also included in the models. RESULTS: At baseline, higher frequency of past-year religious service attendance (males: ß= -0.54, females: ß= -0.68, p < 0.001 for both) and greater overall personal religiosity (males: ß= -0.17, females: ß= -0.13, p < 0.001 for both) were associated with lower PPGM scores. The moderating effect of gender indicated that the influence of past-year religious service attendance was greater among females (χ2diff(44) = 336.8, p < 0.001); however, the effect of overall religiosity was greater among males (χ2diff(36) = 213.4, p < 0.001). Findings were mixed with respect to religious affiliation. No measures of religiosity or religious affiliation were associated with the overall decline in problem gambling severity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that religiosity may act as a static protective factor against problem gambling severity but may play a less significant role in predicting change in problem gambling severity over time.

Relationship between interpersonal trauma exposure and addictive behaviors: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to systematically summarize knowledge on the association between exposure to interpersonal trauma and addictive behaviors. Extant reviews on this association focused on a restricted range of substance-related addictions, and/or used a narrative instead of a systematic approach. METHODS: Systematic searches of 8 databases yielded 29,841 studies, of which 3054 studies were included and subsequently classified in relation to study design (scoping review). A subset of observational studies (N = 181) prospectively investigating the relationship between exposure to interpersonal traumata and subsequent behavioral or substance-related addiction problems were characterized. Heterogeneity in study methodologies and types of addictive behaviors and traumatic experiences assessed precluded meta-analysis. Instead, the proportions of associations tested in this literature that revealed positive, negative, or null relationships between trauma exposure and subsequent addictive behaviors were recorded, along with other methodological features. RESULTS: Of 3054 included studies, 70.7% (n = 2160) used a cross-sectional design. In the 181 prospective observational studies (407,041 participants, 98.8% recruited from developed countries), 35.1% of the tested associations between trauma exposure and later addictive behaviors was positive, 1.3% was negative, and 63.6% was non-significant. These results were primarily obtained among non-treatment seeking samples (80.7% of studies; n = 146), using single and multi-item measures of addictive behaviors of unknown psychometric quality (46.4% of studies). Positive associations were more frequently observed in studies examining childhood versus adult traumatization (39.7% vs. 29.7%). CONCLUSIONS: Longitudinal research in this area emphasizes alcohol abuse, and almost no research has examined behavioral addictions. Results provide some support for a positive association between exposure to interpersonal trauma and subsequent addictive behaviors but this relationship was not consistently reported. Longitudinal studies typically assessed trauma exposure retrospectively, often after addictive behavior onset, thus precluding robust inferences about whether traumatization affects initial onset of addictive behaviors.

Quantifying Multiple Work-Related Psychosocial Risk Factors: Proposal for a Composite Indicator Based on the COPSOQ II.

PURPOSE: To determine national reference values for the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ II) across occupational sectors and develop a composite score to estimate the cumulative effect of multiple work-related stressors, in order to facilitate the implementation of occupational health directives on psychosocial risk assessment. METHOD: Cross-sectional data was collected via an online questionnaire. The sample included 13,104 individuals and was representative of the general Hungarian adult working population in terms of gender, age, education, and occupation. Mean scores were calculated for 18 scales on work environment and for 5 outcome scales of the COPSOQ II across 18 occupational sectors. We analyzed the association between a composite psychosocial risk score (CPRS), reflecting severity of exposure to multiple risk factors, and high stress, burnout, sleep troubles, and poor self-rated health. RESULTS: We found occupation-related differences in the mean scores on all COPSOQ II scales. Scores on the "Stress" scale ranged from 47.9 to 56.2, with the highest mean score in accommodation and food services sector. Variability was greatest with respect to emotional demands (range 40.3-67.6) and smallest with respect to role clarity (range 70.3-75.7). The prevalence of negative health outcomes increased with the CPRS. Five risk categories were formed, for which the odds ratio of negative outcomes ranged from 1.6 to 56.5. CONCLUSION: The sector-specific psychosocial risk profiles covering 18 work environmental factors can be used as a reference in organizational surveys and international comparisons. The CPRS proved to be a powerful predictor of self-reported negative health outcomes.

Validation of the Hungarian version of Carlson's Work-Family Conflict Scale.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Work-family conflict has been associated with adverse individual (e.g., cardiovascular diseases, anxiety disorders), organizational (e.g., absenteeism, lower productivity), and societal outcomes (e.g., increased use of healthcare services). However, lack of standardized measurement has hindered the comparison of data across various cultures. The purpose of this study was to develop the Hungarian version of Carlson et al.'s multidimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale and establish its reliability and validity. METHODS: In a sample of 557 employees (145 men and 412 women), we conducted confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the factor structure and factorial invariance of the instrument across sex and data collection points and evaluated the tool's validity by assessing relationships between its dimensions and scales measuring general, marital, and job-related stress, depressive symptomatology, vital exhaustion, functional somatic symptoms, and social support. RESULTS: Our results showed that a six-factor model, similarly to that of the original instrument, fit the data best. Internal consistency of the six dimensions and the whole instrument was adequate. Convergent and divergent validity of the instrument and discriminant validity of the dimensions were also supported by our data. CONCLUSION: This study provides empirical support for the validity and reliability of the Hungarian version of the multidimensional Work-Family Conflict Scale. Deployment of this measure may allow for the generation of data that can be compared to those obtained in different cultural settings with the same instrument and hence advance our understanding of cross-cultural aspects of work-family conflict.

Natural course of behavioral addictions: a 5-year longitudinal study.

BACKGROUND: Resolving the theoretical controversy on the labeling of an increasing number of excessive behaviors as behavioral addictions may also be facilitated by more empirical data on these behavioral problems. For instance, an essential issue to the classification of psychiatric disorders is information on their natural course. However, longitudinal research on the chronic vs. episodic nature of behavioral addictions is scarce. The aim of the present study, therefore, was to provide data on prevalence, substance use comorbidity, and five-year trajectories of six excessive behaviors-namely exercising, sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, video gaming, and eating. METHODS: Analyses were based on the data of the Quinte Longitudinal Study, where a cohort of 4,121 adults from Ontario, Canada was followed for 5 years (2006 to 2011). The response rate was 21.3%, while retention rate was 93.9%. To assess the occurrence of each problem behavior, a single self-diagnostic question asked people whether their over-involvement in the behavior had caused significant problems for them in the past 12 months. To assess the severity of each problem behavior reported, the Behavioral Addiction Measure was administered. A mixed design ANOVA was used to investigate symptom trajectories over time for each problem behavior and whether these symptom trajectories varied as a function of sex. RESULTS: The large majority of people reported having problematic over-involvement for just one of these behaviors and just in a single time period. A main effect of time was found for each problem behavior, indicating a moderately strong decrease in symptom severity across time. The time x sex interaction was insignificant in each model indicating that the decreasing trend is similar for males and females. The data also showed that help seeking was very low in the case of excessive sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, and video gaming but substantially more prevalent in the case of excessive eating and exercising. CONCLUSIONS: The present results indicate that self-identified excessive exercising, sexual behavior, shopping, online chatting, video gaming, and/or eating tend to be fairly transient for most people. This aspect of the results is inconsistent with conceptualizations of addictions as progressive in nature, unless treated.

[Anxiety, depression, health-related control beliefs, and their association with health behavior in patients with ischemic heart disease]. / Szorongás, depresszió, egészségkontrollhit és az egészség-magatartással való kapcsolatuk ischaemiás szívbetegek körében.

INTRODUCTION: Psychological and lifestyle factors affect the development and outcome of heart disease considerably. AIM: The aims of the authors were to examine health control, level of anxiety and depression and to analyse their relationship with health behaviour in patients with ischemic heart disease. METHOD: The present cross-sectional study involved 116 patients who took part in residential cardiac rehabilitation (56.9% men, mean age: 57.65±8.22 years). RESULTS: 30.9% of the patients reported elevated anxiety and 21.9% increased depressive symptomatology. Social-external control belief was the strongest among respondents. Further, anxiety and depression were negatively associated with healthy diet and the frequency of exercise. Patients with stronger social-external control beliefs were more likely to seek medical attention if they suspected a disease. CONCLUSIONS: It is important to assess psychological risk factors linked to cardiovascular diseases in cardiac rehabilitation departments and to initiate psychological interventions if indicated.

[The relationship of work-related psychosocial risk factors with depressive symptoms among Hungarian workers: preliminary results of the Hungarian Work Stress Survey]. / Munkahelyi pszichoszociális kockázati tényezok kapcsolata a depressziós tünetegyüttessel a magyar munkavállalók körében. Az Országos Munkahelyi Stresszfelmérés elozetes eredményei.

INTRODUCTION: Research has shown that psychosocial stress acts as a risk factor for mental disorders. AIM: The present study aims at processing the preliminary results of the Hungarian Survey of Work Stress, concerning the relationship between depressive symptoms and work stress. METHODS: Cross-sectional survey among Hungarian workers was carried out (n = 1058, 27.5% man, 72.5% woman, age 37.2 years, SD = 11 years). Psychosocial factors were measured using the COPSOQ II questionnaire, while BDI-9 was used for the assessment of depressive symptoms. Statistical analysis was carried out applying Spearman's correlation and logistic regression. RESULTS: A quarter of the workers reported moderate or severe symptoms of depression (BDI≥19). The study confirmed the association between depressive symptoms and work-family conflict (OR = 2.21, CI: 1.82-2.68), possibilities for development (OR = 0.76, CI: 0.59-0.97) meaning of work (OR = 0.69, CI: 0.59-0.89) and commitment (OR = 0.60, CI: 0.47-0.78). CONCLUSION: The results point toward the need of such organizational measures that allow for the reduction of psychosocial stress.

[Psychosocial status of Hungarian cancer patients. A descriptive study]. / Magyar daganatos betegek pszichoszociális állapota.

INTRODUCTION: Psychosocial status of cancer patients is still understudied in Hungary. AIM: The aim of the authors was to obtain current information on the mental and social status of this patient group. METHOD: Altogether, 1070 cancer patients with a wide range of cancer types were included in the study (30.0% male; age: 55.9 ± 11.0 years). RESULTS: A large part of the patients had serious financial difficulties and 41.3% of them were struggling with at least one more comorbid chronic disease. Further, 52.2% of the patients reported at least moderate anxiety or depression, while the occurrence of suicidal thoughts was almost three times higher among them than in the Hungarian normal population (13.0% vs. 4.6%). Level of perceived social support was also lower than the population standards and 61.6% of the patients reported willingness to benefit from professional psychological support. Quality of social life of the patients deteriorated with time after cancer diagnosis. A positive phenomenon, however, was that the primary coping style reported was active problem solving. CONCLUSIONS: The authors conclude that it is necessary to screen cancer patients for psychosocial difficulties and to establish conditions for their adequate mental and social care in Hungary.

[Professions and fear of death--are they correlated?]. / Összefüggésbe hozható-e a halálfélelem a foglalkozással?

INTRODUCTION: There are relatively few data on the relationship between professions and fear of death. AIM: The aim of the authors was to examine the association between profession and fear of death. METHOD: Physicians, medical students and other healthcare workers, priests, psychologists and non-healthcare workers (N = 1062) were asked about their attitude to death by means of the Multidimensional Fear of Death Scale. RESULTS: Significant differences were found in the total and some factor scores among the study groups. Priests showed the lowest fear of death values. Scores on the Fear of the Dead Factor was the highest in psychologists and non-healthcare workers who had no contact with the dead and dying. CONCLUSIONS: Fear of death seems rather to be present in professions dealing less directly with the dead and dying.

The efficacy of pandemic-adjusted family/systemic constellation therapy in improving psychopathological symptoms: A randomized controlled trial.

The aim of this pre-registered (NCT05051462), randomized controlled trial was to investigate the efficacy and safety of a pandemic-adjusted version of family/systemic constellation therapy in the general population. Altogether, 80 individuals were randomized (85% retained; 67.6% women, Mage = 41.9 ± 9.2 years) and followed up 1- and 6 months after participation in the single-day intervention. Numerous indicators of psychopathology and addiction as well as wellbeing were assessed. Members of the intervention group improved significantly in terms of the a priori primary outcome (overall psychopathology: d1-month = 0.41, p1-month = 0.003; d6-month = 0.31, p6-month = 0.028) as well as numerous secondary outcomes (obsession-compulsion, interpersonal sensitivity, anxiety, hostility, phobic anxiety, and paranoid ideation). However, the magnitude of improvements was small and mostly disappeared by 6-months. Further, no significant treatment benefit emerged considering time x group interactions regarding any of the outcomes (although statistical power was low). Due to the significant, pandemic-related deviations from the protocol of the intervention, these results may not be generalizable to systemic constellation interventions in general; instead - considering the previous, more favorable data regarding efficacy/effectiveness and tolerability - they rather call attention to the importance of process-related factors regarding this intervention specifically as well as the potential disadvantages of pandemic-related treatment modifications of in-person (non-virtual) group interventions in general.

Gender differences in the predictors of quality of life in patients with cancer: A cross sectional study.

PURPOSE: The aim of the present study was to explore potential differences in the sociodemographic (with a special focus on gender differences) and psychological predictors of quality of life in individuals diagnosed with cancer. METHODS: A cross-sectional, observational study was carried out involving individuals struggling with different forms of cancer (N = 430). Linear regression was used to investigate the concurrent predictive role of the independent variables, stratified by gender, for each of the five cancer-specific quality of life domains and overall quality of life. RESULTS: Sociodemographic characteristics had only a negligible to small role in predicting quality of life in both men and women. In contrast, the psychological variables explained a significantly larger portion of the variance in both genders. There were no statistically significant gender differences regarding the raw quality of life domain scores; however, their predictors were markedly different in the two groups. CONCLUSION: The results of the present study indicate that it is imperative to take gender differences into consideration when planning psychosocial interventions also focusing on strengths, resources, and coping strategies. Considering the consistently emerging importance of family support in patients' quality of life, offering psychological interventions to caregivers/family members seems warranted to empower them to provide support to patients throughout the illness trajectory.