Religiosity and Health Outcomes: Review of Literature

Research into a connection between religiosity and health was neglected in scientific circles until recently. However, the interest in interactions between religiosity and mental and physical health has started to grow lately. A large proportion of published empirical data suggest that religious commitment shows positive associations with better mental and physical health outcomes. There are relatively few studies showing no effect or negative effect of religiosity on health outcomes. Despite somewhat inconclusive empirical evidence, because of the difficulties encountered in studying the topic, this area is worth of further investigation. The article reviews the literature on epidemiological and clinical studies regarding the relationship between religiosity and mental and physical health. The mentioned issues are discussed and directions for future research are proposed

SCHYZOTIPY: FROM PERSONALITY ORGANIZATION TO TRANSITION TO SCHIZOPHRENIA

The traditional medical model of schizophrenia assumes a categorical view of the syndrome. On the contrary, the dimensional approach to schizophrenia infers that schizophrenia is not a discrete illness entity, but that psychotic symptoms differ in quantitative ways from normal experiences and behaviours. Schizotypy comprise a set of inherited traits reflected in personality organization, which presents as qualitatively similar to schizophrenia. Schizotipy is in line with continuum hypothesis of schizophrenia where different combinations of genes and environmental risk factors result in a range of different phenotypic expressions lying on a continuum from normal through to clinical psychosis. We discuss evidences for the continuity of psychotic symptoms to normal experiences and theoretical and future research implications of such a continuum

PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL MODEL OF PERSONALITY AND PSYCHOPHARMACOTHERAPY OUTCOMES IN TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION AND SCHIZOPHRENIA

In distinguishing why some patients respond and other do not respond to treatments arraised the clinically very important body of research considering weather patients’ personality characteristics might predict outcomes of pharmacotherapeutic treatment. Personality can be a predictor of a psychiatric disorder either owing to their common genetic background or because it enhances exposure of the subject to environmental risk factors. The results of the studies using psychobiological model are reviewed. The studies show that personality temperament dimension Harm Avoidance and character dimension Self-directedness predict outcomes of the pharmacological treatment of depression, but the result for other psychiatric disorders are sparse. The studies are not straightforward in recommendations for treatment choice dependent of personality dimensions

DUHOVNOST I PSIHIJATRIJA

Duhovnost je vrlo važna u životima mnogih ljudi, te je stoga od interesa i za psihijatriju kao kliničku i istraživačku disciplinu. Sve je više istraživanja povezanosti duhovnosti/religioznosti i psihičkog i tjelesnog zdravlja. Uz poznavanje indikacija i kontrainikacija uključenje duhovnosti u kliničku praksu je indicirano. Također je potrebno uključiti duhovnost u edukaciju različitih profila sturčnjaka uključenih u skrb o psihijatrijskim pacijentima

Depression, anxiety and stress among medical students during COVID-19 pandemic

Cilj: U vrijeme pandemije COVID-19 promjene u uvjetima studiranja mogu utjecati na mentalno zdravlje studenata medicine. Istraživanje ima za cilj ispitati pojavnost depresije, anksioznosti i stresa, njihovu povezanost sa sociodemografskim i akademskim karakteristikama te postojanje razlika između studenata pretkliničkih i kliničkih godina studija. Metode: Ovo presječno istraživanje provedeno je online uporabom metode snježne grude. Uključeno je 206 studenata svih godina Medicinskog fakulteta Sveučilišta u Zagrebu, od čega je 51% pripadalo skupini pretkliničkih, a 49% skupini kliničkih godina studija. Rezultati: Istraživanje je ukazalo na prisutnost depresije u 25,7% studenata medicine, 26,7% je imalo značajne anksiozne smetnje, a 15% značajne simptome stresa. Simptomi anksioznosti i stresa bili su više izraženi u studentica. Korelacijska analiza ukazala je na obrnutu povezanost depresije, anksioznosti i stresa s prosječnim uspjehom, depresije s godinom studija, a vrijeme provedeno u učenju obrnuto je koreliralo s anksioznošću. U logističkoj regresiji su prosjek ocjena i partnerski status (biti u vezi) bili značajni prediktori depresije, prosjek ocjena, spol i konzumacija psihoaktivnih tvari značajni prediktori anksioznosti, dok su spol i konzumacija psihoaktivnih tvari bili značajni prediktori stresa. Preboljenje COVID-19 kao i cijepljenje protiv ove bolesti nije bilo povezano s depresijom, anksioznošću i stresom. Cijepljenje je bilo češće što su studenti stariji, odnosno češće u skupini kliničkih godina studija. Zaključak: U doba pandemije lošije mentalno zdravlje studenata medicine povezano je sa ženskim spolom, lošijim akademskim uspjehom, partnerskim statusom i konzumacijom psihoaktivnih tvari. Preboljenje COVID-19 kao i cijepljenje protiv COVID-19 nije bilo povezano s mentalnim zdravljem.Aim: At the time of COVID-19 pandemic the terms of studying medicine have considerably changed, which could lead to worse mental health of medical students. The study aims to assess the presence of depression, anxiety and stress, categorised to preclinical and clinical groups of students, and their association with sociodemographic and academic characteristics. Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted on-line using snowball method. Two hundred and six students at the Medical School, University of Zagreb were included, of whom 51% were in the group of preclinical and 49% in the group of clinical years. Results: The study showed the presence of depression in 25.7% of medical students, 26.7% had significant symptoms of anxiety, and 15% of stress. Anxiety and stress were significantly higher in female students. Correlation analysis showed a negative association between depression, anxiety, stress and average grades, between depression and the year of the study, and the time spent in learning correlated negatively with anxiety. In logistic regression average grades and partner status (being in a relationship) were the main predictors of depression. Average grades, gender, and consumption of psychoactive substances were significant predictors of anxiety. Gender and psychoactive substances consumption were significant predictors of stress. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with depression, anxiety and stress. Vaccination was associated with older age and was significantly more common in the clinical years group. Conclusion: In time of the pandemic worse mental health of medical students was associated with female gender,lower academic grades, partner status, and consumption of psychoactive substances. Overcoming COVID-19 and vaccination against it were not associated with mental health

COMORBID DEPRESSION AND SUICIDE IDEATION IN PATIENTS WITH COMBAT-RELATED PTSD: THE ROLE OF TEMPERAMENT, CHARACTER, AND TRAIT IMPULSIVITY

Background: War veterans with PTSD have a high chance of developing major depressive disorder (MDD) at some point, while they can also exhibit increased suicidal tendencies. The primary goal of this research was to investigate whether personality dimensions, including temperament, character, and trait impulsivity, were associated with comorbid MDD, as well as with suicidal ideation in psychiatric patients suffering from combat-related PTSD. Subjects and methods: The sample consisted of 148 Croatian male war veterans (mean age 49.53 years) treated for PTSD at the National Center for Psychotrauma, Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Center Zagreb. Fifty-one (34%) of them met ICD- 10 diagnostic criteria for current or lifetime MDD, while 97 (66%) were diagnosed with PTSD alone. All the participants were assessed with the M.I.N.I. diagnostic interview and they completed the following battery of self-report instruments: the Beck Depression Inventory-Second Edition (BDI-II), the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised (SBQ-R), the Temperament and Character Inventory-Revised (TCI-R), and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11). Results: Comparisons between the two clinical groups showed that PTSD+MDD patients were more suicidal and differed with regard to temperament dimensions Harm Avoidance, Reward Dependence and Persistence, character dimension Self-Directedness, and trait impulsivity. In three multivariate regression analyses, it was revealed that character dimension Cooperativeness as well as trait impulsivity were unique predictors of suicidal ideation, while controlling for the influence of sociodemographics, length of treatment and comorbid depression. Conclusions: Combat-related PTSD patients with comorbid depression exhibit increased suicide thoughts and different personality profiles in comparison with those suffering from PTSD alone. Character dimension Cooperativeness and trait impulsivity seem to be uniquely predictive of suicide ideation in this population. Elucidation of individual psychological factors that increase the risk of MDD and suicidal tendencies in war veterans with PTSD may facilitate more effective prevention and treatment methods

Religiosity and Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients

Our aim was to assess relations between the quality of life and religiosity in breast cancer patients. The participants were 115 consecutively admitted female in-patients with breast cancer in the radiotherapy unit in the course of six months. The measures used were Santa Clara Strength of Religious Faith Questionnaire (SCSORF), World Health Organisation Well-Being Index Five (WHO-WBI 5) and International Breast Cancer Study Group Quality of Life (IBCSG-QL) Questionnaire. The participants responded on three statements relating to religious coping with cancer. Moderate religiosity was associated with perception of worse physical health. The statement »the illness decreased my faith« was associated with worse quality of life (QOL) domains: less well-being, more pain, poor physical health, more effort to cope, worse fatigue and less general satisfaction. The statement »the faith helps me in illness« was associated with higher social support

PERSONALITY AND SCHIZOPHRENIA: PSYCHOBIOLOGICAL MODEL AND ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH COMORBIDITY

Personality interacts with psychosocial variables, psychopathology and coping strategies of patients with schizophrenia. Psychobiological model of personality is important for schizophrenia as temperament dimensions, except dimension Persistence, have been associated with different neurotransmitter systems. Comorbidity of psychiatric and somatic disorders and syndromes is generally associated with dimensions high Harm avoidance and low Self-directedness. Variations in other dimensions may also be important. High Harm Avoidance may represent state vulnerability marker for various psychiatric disorders and is associated with appearance of comorbidity in schizophrenia. High Self-directedness may be protective factor for development of various psychiatric as well somatic comorbidity states

DOES PERSONALITY PLAY A RELEVANT ROLE IN THE PLACEBO EFFECT?

Subjective factors influencing placebo response have been a focus of numerous theoretical conceptualizations and empirical research. One such factor, individual\u27s personality, has been linked to different clinical conditions, their expressions and treatment outcomes. Thus, there is little surprise many researchers have tried to identify placebo-prone personality over the years. Because of certain methodological and conceptual issues of the earlier studies, these efforts have not been very fruitful. However, recent scientific endeavours, facilitated by improved experimental designs and neuroimaging technology, have \u27reignited the old fires\u27. It is now suggested that studies exploring the placebo-related personality traits, such as optimism/pessimism, neuroticism, and novelty seeking, need to take into account situational variables (e.g., positive or negative expectations, patient-clinician relationship) and relevant underlying neurobiological mechanisms (e.g., endogenous opioid and dopaminergic systems). Even though many questions still remain to be answered, such as the identification of different situational variables interacting with personality traits, exploration and better understanding of placebo-related personality would facilitate the use of placebo in clinical practice and improve the methodology of clinical trials