bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Metacognition, emotional dysregulation, psychosocial functioning and subjective well-being after 6 months of CBT treatment in pharmacologically stabilized schizophrenic patients
Authors: Raffone F. , Orrico A. , D’Orsi M. , Ferro S. , Russo M. , Martiadis V. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionPsychoses represent serious psychiatric disorders in which an individual perceptions, thoughts, mood and behavior are significantly altered. Each person who develops a psychosis lives a unique set of symptoms and experiences that may widely vary depending on life circumstances. Although cognitive behavioral psychotherapy (CBT) for psychosis is recommended by main international guidelines, its effectiveness in real-world is still a subject of controversy.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to evaluate, in an Italian outpatient clinical setting, eventual improvements induced by a 6 months intensive CBT specific programme focused on metacognition and emotional regulation and its consequences on psychosocial functioning and subjective well-being in pharmacologically stabilized psychotic patients.MethodsEight patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders (DSM-V), clinically and pharmacologically stabilized, were included in a 6-month program of weekly CBT sessions with focus on metacognition, emotional dysregulation, social functioning and subjective well-being. Patients were assessed with the Metacognitions Questionnaire-30, Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, Heinrichs Quality of Life Scale, The Psychological General Well-Being Index, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale at baseline and at 3 and 6 months, to verify any improvement on these specific domains and, possibly, on general psychopathology.ResultsIn this study CBT showed to be effective on all domains evaluated, most notably for younger patients with a short history of disease (<5 years). Metacognitive capacity was the dimension with most evident improvements, followed by the ability to modulate emotions and the consequent improvement in psychosocial functioning and perceived subjective well-being. During the 6 months follow-up none of the enrolled patients experienced symptoms exacerbation or psychotic relapses.ConclusionsIn conclusion, the 6-month CBT treatment showed to be effective for stabilized psychotic patients, improving metacognitive functions, emotional regulation, psychosocial functioning, and subjective well-being. In addition, insight, adherence and the therapeutic alliance improved. The absence of psychotic relapses is not attributable with certainty to the effect of CBT since, for this purpose, longer duration studies on larger case series and with RCT methods are required. However, it is plausible that the improvement obtained in disease awareness and adherence may be a facilitating factor in relapse reduction.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Brain activation in patients suffering from gambling disorder: an fMRI study using the cue reactivity approach for slot-machine gambling
Authors: Rosenleitner J. , Fuchs-Leitner I. , Kleiser R. , Yazdi K. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionThe relevance of behavioral addictions (like gambling or internet gaming disorder) is growing constantly - not only in clinical practice, but also as a topic in addiction research. Furthermore, behavioral addictions were found to share similar neurobiological mechanisms with substance-use disorders like alcohol or drug addiction. Cue reactivity is a well-established concept to study an important concept in addiction: craving, which denotes the strong desire to consume the addictive substance. For instance, images of alcoholic beverages can induce a strong desire to drink alcohol in patients with alcohol addiction, reflected in brain activation in parts of the reward system and regions specifically involved in craving.ObjectivesIn order to extend existing findings to the field of slot machine gambling, we focused on patients suffering from gambling disorder (GD) and who mainly played slot-machines. We investigated neural activation as a response to addiction-related cues (in comparison to neutral cues) using a cue reactivity paradigm.MethodsTo that end, participants with a diagnosis of GD (N = 10) and a group of healthy controls (N = 20) viewed pictures of gambling-related cues (slot machines) as well as neutral cues (ticket vending machines), while brain activation was recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Direct comparisons of patients suffering from GD with healthy controls were analyzed for the two different image types (gambling-related vs. neutral) separately.ResultsWe found stronger activation in the insular cortex for patients with GD only during presentation of the slot-machine images, but not for the neutral cues. Furthermore, for the slot-machine condition also stronger activation in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and the supplementary motor area (SMA) was documented for the clinical population but not for the healthy controls.ConclusionsIn line with previous findings, the visual presentation of gambling cues led to stronger brain activations in parts of the reward system (dACC) and in the insula, which plays a crucial role in addictive disorders, especially in craving. Our results further add to the notion that brain areas involved in substance-use disorders might also play an important role in behavioral addictions. Specifically, our findings extend existing results to the research field of slot-machine gambling in the context of craving.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Distinct childhood neurodevelopmental trajectories following very preterm birth
Authors: Solerdelcoll Arimany M. , Nosarti C. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionVery preterm birth (VPT; <32 weeks’ gestation) constitutes itself an environmental risk factor for a wide range of severe mental disorders. Particularly, 25% of VPT screen positively for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and often present with co-occurring developmental difficulties, making it challenging to identify those likely to develop ASD traits. Therefore, neurodevelopmental trajectories associated with ASD outcomes need to be identified.ObjectivesHere, we investigated infant-to-childhood ASD traits trajectories, and their association with neurodevelopmental comorbidities, in a sample of VPT children screening positively and negatively on the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (M-CHAT).MethodsVPT individuals from the Evaluation of Preterm Imaging study (ePrime) underwent behavioural assessments at 2 (M-CHAT and Bayley Scales of Infant Development; N=451) and 4-7 years (Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2); N=251). To furtherly assess the presence of comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders at children aged 4-7 years, further assessments of cognitive (WPPSI), ADHD (ADHD-RS-IV scale), and emotional and behavioural problems (SDQ and ECBQ) were conducted.ResultsFindings of the ePRIME 4–7-year follow-up substudy will be presented. VPT children will be grouped using M-CHAT scores, as they reportedly show distinct neurodevelopmental characteristics. Preliminary results showed that ASD traits in infancy are associated with increased neurodevelopmental impairment.ConclusionsVPT infants may be an undescribed “at risk of ASD” or ASD cluster, with clinical features and comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders that differentiate them from other “at-risk” populations. Our findings support the need for routine ASD and ADHD assessments in VPT infants at preschool but also at school ages; and highlight the importance of interpreting ASD screenings in combination with other developmental measures when assessing VPT children. Our results could guide clinicians and researchers to offer personalised interventions aimed at supporting children’s development based on their distinct phenotypic presentations. Further research is needed to develop more accurate screening tools.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
A Moderating Role of Social Intelligence and Creativity During Primary Career Exploration in Late Adolescence
Authors: Chesnokova O. B. , Churbanova S. M. , Markish O. V. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionCareer self-exploration activities can be defined as orienting oneself in one’s own vocational interests, skills, job, and organizational characteristics and as an important career pre-decision stage (Stumpf et al., 1983). Effective career exploratory behaviors are associated with less anxiety regarding uncertainty and difficulties during first career decision-making (Storme, Celik, 2017; Xu et al., 2014). In Study 1, we showed that productive career self-exploration in adolescence is associated with a high level of tolerance for uncertainty (TU) (Chesnokova, Churbanova et al., 2022).ObjectivesThe aim of Study 2 was to compare the social intelligence (SI) and creativity (Cr) of students with high and low level career adapt-abilities applied to present and prospective future career decisions.MethodsParticipants were 67 students (15-17 years old). SI was assessed by O’Sullivan & Guilford’s Tests (1966), Cr was measured by CAP consisted of Test of Divergent Thinking and Test of Divergent Feeling (Williams, 1980). Career adapt-abilities were estimated by CAAS (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012; Pryazhnikov, 2016).ResultsTwo contrast clusters based on SI and Cr mediated by TU level were analysed. One cluster included students with high pragmatic motivation concerning career path choice. There were students with high TU, high SI and cognitive Cr and low level of Divergent Feeling who focusing on nearest obstacles like entrance exams and distant professional future (professional revenues, social status and on task-oriented content). They are open to new career experiences and flexible in career choice (at r .56, p .001), but they lack social intelligence’s diplomatic techniques and cognitively complicated interpersonal situational awareness. They mostly rely on academic aptitude and self-efficacy. The second cluster of students was made up of those with low TU, average to low SI, and high levels of divergent feelings. They exhibited less pragmatist motivation and active career exploratory behaviors regarding both immediate and long-term professional paths, professional values, the human aspects of potential careers, the social structure of professional society, and the need to use emotional intelligence when interacting with clients and working in teams. They rely on social support from professional representatives and teachers during their career decision making.ConclusionsIn sum, SI and Divergent feelings may be significant mediators in the development of career adaptability and realistic self-perceived confidence in task-oriented content as well as interpersonal specificity of professional social environments. To reduce stress and anxiety of prospective students, the development of self-efficacy and motivation should be given priority over just academic readiness for exams and narrow professional skills.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Impact of stigma on people with pre-existing mental disorders during COVID 19 pandemic in Georgia
Authors: Matiashvili G. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionFrom the beginning of the pandemic in Georgia, Covid clinics and Covid hotels were not ready to receive and manage people confirmed Covid 19 with pre-existing mental disorders, because of stigma. As a result of this, the Ministry of Health created special Covid-Psychiatric clinics.ObjectivesStudy the impact of stigma on people with pre-existing mental disorders during Covid 19 pandemic. Also clinical, and dynamic characteristics of Covid 19 infection in people with severe mental illness.MethodsA retrospective statistical analysis of medical records of all hospitalized patients (total 301) at the specialized Rustavi Covid –Psychiatric clinic from November 23, 2020, to March 15, 2022, according to the following parameters: age, gender, mental disorder diagnosis, comorbid chronic illness, vaccination rates, degree of covid infections ongoing, and outcome.Results57% of patients were men. Average age-44 years. 67% were asymptomatic or mild with covid symptoms, 25% with moderate severity and 8% were referred to the intensive care unit. 56% of referred patients were hospitalized already in serious conditions. 46% of patients had schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Among referred patients, 60% were women, and 25% had comorbid diabetes mellitus. 44% of patients transferred to the intensive care unit died. Most of the hospitalized patients with pre-existing mental disorders were in remission, and only 7% were referred to other psychiatric clinics for continuing their inpatient treatment.ConclusionsThe study showed that only due to the lack of readiness of the relevant structures, individuals with Covid 19 infection were hospitalized in psychiatric clinics because of their past mental history. Vaccination rates were extremely low than in the general population. The aforementioned indicates a high degree of stigma in the country that makes obstacles for people with mental disorders from receiving adequate and timely medical care. Comorbidities played a big role in degree of COVID infections ongoing, especially diabetes. Statistics also showed that the majority of hospitalized patients did not require inpatient treatment and covid infection did not aggravate the course of most severe mental disorders.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Burnout due to COVID-19 pandemic in frontline healthcare workers from low- and middle-income countries: A systematic review
Authors: Mammadzada G. , Manucheri-Lalen A. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionThe coronavirus pandemic was declared one of the deadliest pandemics in the world’s history, surpassing even the 1918 flu pandemic in some countries. The speed with which the virus spread around the world did not leave the slightest chance to prepare even for protected health systems of developed countries, let alone countries with fragile health systems, experiencing a large number of problems at work even at regular times. Although burnout is included in the ICD-11 classification only as a syndrome caused by occupational stress and not a disease, unrecognized and unaddressed, it has the capacity to transform into a wide range of mental disorders, including depressive and anxiety disorders. This poses a threat to healthcare workers and patients, so it is very important to understand the scale of the problem and the factors that can play protective and triggering roles.ObjectivesOur objective was to evaluate point-prevalence of burnout syndrome among healthcare workers from LMIC during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsWe conducted a systematic search in Ovid MEDLINE, Embase and PsycInfo, as well as a manual search in PubMed, Google Scholar and Grey Literature to select studies describing burnout prevalence in healthcare workers from low-and middle-income countries during the pandemic. We used a wide range of subject headings as well as main keywords, such as “mental health”, “burnout”, “coronavirus”, “health personnel”, “depression”, “anxiety”, “developing countries” and their synonyms study design search had no limitations and included cohort, case-control, cross-sectional and randomized controlled studies. All identified studies were screened and a final sample of relevant studies was used for data extraction and quality appraisal.ResultsData was extracted from 15 studies and included 21,007 individuals from eight countries. The proportion of female healthcare workers in our sample was 69% and the overall mean age of participants was 34.3 (2.3). Burnout prevalence varied from 3.62% to 90.1%. Gender, age, workload-related factors and institutional support were mentioned among the most important aspects influencing the burnout level. Clinical heterogeneity was a major drawback of our study as cut-off points for overall burnout and burnout sub-scales were inconsistent even among studies using the same inventory.ConclusionsIt is of critical importance to adopt a wide range of burnout preventive measures for healthcare workers, in particular, easy access to mental health support services, proper organization of human force and more comprehensive educational training in emergency situations. Furthermore, it is suggested, that researchers use a more precise and evidence-based approach to the use of measurement tools in order to increase the reliability of their work and recommendations.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Sleep disturbances in the Croatian adult population amidst the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Miskulin I. , Fotez I. , Miskulin M. , Kristic M. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionIt has been shown that various traumatic events, such as social isolation connected with the COVID-19 pandemic, can produce psychological distress and anxiety symptoms which negatively impact sleep quality.ObjectivesThis study aimed to investigate the influence of the COVID-19 preventive measures, especially social isolation, on sleep quality of the Croatian adult population during the COVID-19 pandemic.MethodsThis cross-sectional questionnaire study was conducted from February to June 2021 period. A validated, anonymous questionnaire that contained questions regarding demographic data, as well as Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) was self-administered to a convenient sample of Croatian adults from central and northwestern Croatia.ResultsThe study sample included 939 subjects with, median age of 42 years (interquartile range 35-48), 35.4% males, and 64.6% females. According to the PSQI there were 22.6% of subjects who presented sleep disturbances. Sleep disturbances were more frequent among females (p<0.001), inhabitants of the Croatian capital Zagreb (p=0.001), subjects who were not infected with COVID-19 virus (p=0.042), subjects who had fear of coronavirus infection in the workplace (p<0.001), subjects who had fear of coronavirus infection during daily life activities (p<0.001), subjects who had fear of coronavirus infection during daily physical activities (p<0.001) and subjects who worked with limited social contact (p=0.005).ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic has a significant negative influence on the sleep quality of the Croatian general population. Development of appropriate supportive programs that enhance mental health and sleep quality during pandemics is needed to address mental health problems in Croatia during the ongoing pandemic.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Prevalence and factors associated with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder among Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Findings from a survey applied on a Portuguese General Hospital
Authors: Paulino Ferreira L. , Ribeiro N. , Duarte M. 
Published: August 2023

IntroductionPosttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) consists of an intense, prolonged, and occasionally delayed reaction to a deeply stressful event. PTSD is associated with risk of suicide and chronic psychological impairment. The continued exposure to stress suffered by Healthcare Workers (HCWs) during the COVID-19 pandemic can be considered a mass traumatic event and contribute to higher rates of PTSD in this population.ObjectivesTo study the rates of PTSD in a sample group of healthcare professionals working in a Portuguese general hospital and its relationship with a number of individual variables considered to be relevant by the existing literature on the subject.MethodsWe devised a survey to assess the prevalence of PTSD among HCWs in a general hospital and its relationship with sex, social support, profession, work experience in healthcare, time spent caring for COVID-19 patients and place in which the COVID-19-related activities were carried out. PTSD symptoms were assessed using the PCL-5, Portuguese version.ResultsA total of 226 HCWs were included in the study. Provisional diagnosis of PTSD was made based on the PCL-5 responses, considering DSM-5 criteria and the cutoff score of 33.79 out of 226 (35.0%) HCWs had a provisional diagnosis of PTSD, and a significant association was found between PTSD and time spent working with COVID-19 patients and between PTSD and place of work, namely the COVID-19 Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit.ConclusionsOur results are in line with previous studies, highlighting the importance of a serious, wide, and honest discussion about mental health promotion among HCWs. The COVID-19 pandemic has been an undeniable source of stress for HCWs around the globe, and the consequences of this stress are beginning to manifest themselves. It is urgent that this reflection takes place, as it is of paramount importance that what we all have lived in the past years serves as a lesson, and not as a warning of a crisis doomed to repeat itself.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared
Coping strategies of Health Care Workers during third wave of Covid
Authors: Theodoratou M. , Kanellopoulou P. , Nikitidis N. , Farmakopoulou I. 
Published: August 2023

Introduction: BackgroundDuring the pandemic, health professionals had the unprecedented experience of dealing with a newdisease with high contagiousness and mortality. The workload, but also the fear of disease management, caused significant levels of stress. Each employee managed stress in his own way. This study detects the level of stress experienced by health workers during the pandemic and the coping strategies they selected accordingly.ObjectivesThe aim of this study was to investigate the coping strategies used by health professionals during the pandemic of coronavirus.MethodsThe sample comprised 180 health professionals that were working in a public hospital. The data collection tool was an anonymous questionnaire consisting of socio-demographic questions, the Toulouse Scale for coping , and a sub questionnaire to explore health professionals’ views on the pandemic.ResultsWomen (73.9%), young individuals (50.6% are up to 35 years old) and TEI graduates (53.9%) predominate in the sample. The sample consisted mainly of nurses (68.3%) and the great majority were contract workers (67%).The most frequently used dimensions were “Active focus” (Average 3.91/5.00), “Acceptance” (3.86), “Cognitive Control and Planning” (3.61) and “Social Information Support” (3.60).Also, health workers used more often the strategies of “Social support” (3.45), “Control” (3.33) and “Focus” (3.23), while they use the “Withdrawal” strategy less often (2.25). Finally, respondents used “Positive strategies” more often (3.54) than negative ones.ConclusionsThe health professionals in the present study preferred to ask for information and use cognitive and informative strategies more often and, to a lesser extent, they were overwhelmed by their emotions. The strategies of social support, control and focus were used more often, while the strategy of withdrawal was selected less often. Furthermore, positive strategies were used to a greater extent.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared