Apie savižudybes rašančių žurnalistų požiūris į specialistų rekomendacijas bei jų laikytis palankūs ir nepalankūs veiksniai

Lithuania has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, but the issue hasn’t been properly addressed at the state level. Scientists have demonstrated that the inappropriate media portrayal of suicide can lead to imitative suicidal behavior. Specialists who understood the impact that the media reporting on suicide may cause have set up and started distributing recommendations for reporting on suicide. Recent findings show that the Lithuanian media has not yet developed the practice of responsible reporting on suicide, but there are signs that the situation is slowly improving (Eimontas, 2013). Studies from around the world show that there are several factors that contribute to the way reporters use and appreciate the guideliness for reporting on suicide. The purpose of the present study was to explore the attitudes towards suicide of the Lithuanian journalists who have written most about suicide during the years 2010 and 2011 and to identify both favourable and unfavourable factors for compliance with the guidelines.Methods. After analyzing 721 articles about suicide written in 2010–2011, we identified 50 journalists who covered the topic of suicide most often. The total of 12 reporters had been interviewed. Six of them were selected from those who have written the majority of articles about suicide (which did not conform to the guideliness) during the years 2010 and 2011. Six others were selected from the ones that have reported on suicide many times during the period, but their articles did conform to the guidelines. A thematic analysis was used to examine the data gathered during the interviews.Results. In this study, four out of 12 (33 percent) journalists who have written most often about suicide in 2010–2011 were not aware of the recommendations for reporting on suicide. The thematic analysis of the interviews with journalists has allowed to distinguish at least five factors that help to explain what factors influence whether journalists would use the guidelines when reporting on suicide. These factors are: personal characteristics of a journalist, journalists’ experience with suicide, knowledge about suicide, attitudes towards suicide, as well as guidelines and external influences (such as the editor, or the policy of the editorial office).Mokslininkai jau seniai yra įrodę, kad netinkamas savižudybės vaizdavimas žiniasklaidoje gali paskatinti imitacinį savižudišką elgesį. Suprasdami, kokį poveikį gali sukelti žiniasklaidos pateikiama informacija apie savižudybes, mokslininkai jau seniai parengė ir pradėjo platinti rekomendacijas rašantiems apie savižudybes. Šio tyrimo tikslas buvo atskleisti daugiausia apie savižudybes rašančių žurnalistų požiūrį į specialistų rekomendacijas rašantiems apie savižudybes ir veiksnius, kurie lemia, kaip straipsniuose bus pateikta savižudybė. Iš 12 tyrime dalyvavusių daugiausia 2010 ir 2011 metais savižudybės tema rašiusių žurnalistų 4 (33 proc.) nežinojo, kad yra tokios rekomendacijos rašantiems apie savižudybes. Interviu su žurnalistais teminė analizė leido išskirti bent 5 veiksnius, kurie galbūt lemia, ar rašant savižudybių tema vadovaujamasi specialistų rekomendacijomis: tai rekomendacijų žinomumas, požiūris į jas, asmeninės žurnalisto savybės, sąlytis su savižudybe ir išorinis poveikis

Vyresnio amžiaus asmenų psichologinės gerovės sąsajos su šeimos diskriminacijos patirtimi ir gyvenimo aplinkybėmis vaikystėje

The life course perspective raised many discussions about continuity, types of threads linking different developmental stages, and ways to identify these links. The aim of this study was to evaluate the significance of childhood family circumstances and family repression / discrimination experiences in predicting psychological well-being in later life. The Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) wave 7 data was used; 1985 respondents aged 50+ (M = 66.23, SD = 10.52) living in Lithuania (63.8 % – female) provided retrospective information on their early life circumstances, including home environment, relationships with family / friends, family persecution. Psychological well-being was assessed with a 12-item Control, Autonomy, Self-Realization, and Pleasure (CASP) scale. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that the inclusion of family persecution and other childhood factors increases the prognostic value of the model by 8 percent. Relationships with mother and friends, self-rated health, perceived abilities, number of books at home, and physical harm by others significantly predicted psychological well-being among older adults, even after controlling pivotal sociodemographic variables. These results suggest that creating a caring, safe, and cognitively stimulating childhood environment can promote better development in early stages and contribute to greater psychological well-being in later life.Žmogaus gyvenimo kelias kėlė ir toliau kelia diskusijas: ar jis tolydus, ar šuoliškas, kokios nenutrūkstamos gijos sieja skirtingus amžiaus tarpsnius, kokiais būdais tas sąsajas nustatyti. Šio tyrimo tikslas – įvertinti gyvenimo aplinkybių vaikystėje, šeimos politinių represijų ir diskriminacijos patirčių reikšmingumą prognozuojant psichologinę gerovę vyresniame amžiuje. Tyrimui panaudoti Europos sveikatos, senėjimo ir išėjimo į pensiją (SHARE) tyrimo 7-os bangos duomenys. Į tyrimą buvo įtraukti 1 985 Lietuvoje gyvenantys 50 metų ir vyresni respondentai (63,8 % – moterys). Psichologinė gerovė buvo įvertinta 12-os teiginių Kontrolės, autonomijos, savirealizacijos ir malonumo (CASP) skalės versija. Remiantis retrospektyvia savistata, surinkti duomenys apie vaikystės ir paauglystės gyvenimo aplinkybes, apimantys namų aplinką ir sąlygas, santykius šeimoje ir artimoje aplinkoje, šeimos persekiojimo ir diskriminacijos patirtį. Hierarchinė regresinė analizė atskleidė, kad šeimos represijų, persekiojimo ir vaikystės gyvenimo aplinkybių veiksnių įtraukimas padidina modelio prognostinę vertę 8 %. Santykiai su motina ir draugais, savo sveikatos ir gebėjimų vertinimas, knygų skaičius namuose ir kitų asmenų fizinis smurtas reikšmingai prognozuoja psichologinę gerovę vyresniame amžiuje, net kai kontroliuojami pagrindiniai sociodemografiniai kintamieji. Šio tyrimo rezultatai leidžia teigti, kad rūpestingos, saugios, stimuliuojančios ir kognityvinę raidą puoselėjančios socialinės aplinkos kūrimas vaikystėje gali prisidėti prie didesnės psichologinės gerovės net ir vyresniame amžiuje

Patirto nedarbo sąsajos su vyresnio amžiaus asmenų subjektyvia gerove Baltijos šalyse

In this paper, using data obtained from the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), previously experienced unemployment links to the subjective well-being of older adults in the Baltic States are analyzed. One of the global challenges faced by a considerable number of countries is the aging of society. Subjective well-being of older adults and its factors are becoming one of the fundamental issues of the research as older adults are becoming a bigger part of society, and it becomes critical to understand what makes their lives wholesome. According to the life course perspective, human development is a lifelong process, and various events, personal life experiences may shape people and their lives. Therefore, it can be assumed that such a significant event as previously experienced unemployment may be related to the subjective well-being at older ages. Thus, this study aims to analyze the links between previously experienced unemployment and the subjective well-being of life of older adults in the Baltic States. Data obtained from the 7th wave of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) was used for the analysis (Bergmann et al., 2019; Börsch-Supan, 2020). Two thousand eight hundred five responses of Estonians, 941 of Lithuanians, and 809 of Latvians over the age of 50 were analyzed. The subjective well-being, previously experienced unemployment, socio-demographic, personality, and health factors were analyzed. Research results show that many factors predict the subjective well-being of older adults in the three Baltic States: sociodemographic data can explain around 11% of the variance of the subjective well-being. Income additionally explains 2%, factors related to a person’s health adds 11% to the explanation, personality traits – also 11%, previously experienced unemployment – less than 1%. In the model containing all the factors, the most important predictor was personality trait neuroticism, and the model explained 35% of the variance of the subjective well-being. The subjective well-being was not linked only to gender and living with a partner. By analyzing the links between previously experienced unemployment and subjective well-being, we found that these links are relatively weak, although they remain even when controlling a range of factors of subjective well-being.Straipsnyje, remiantis Europos sveikatos, senėjimo ir išėjimo į pensiją (SHARE) tyrimo duomenimis, analizuojamos anksčiau patirto nedarbo sąsajos su vyresnio amžiaus Baltijos šalių gyventojų subjektyvia gerove. Analizuoti 2 805 Estijos, 941 Lietuvos ir 809 Latvijos gyventojų, vyresnių nei 50 metų, atsakymai. Buvo nagrinėjama subjektyvi gerovė, anksčiau patirtas nedarbas, socialiniai ir demografiniai, asmenybiniai ir sveikatos veiksniai. Atlikus regresinę analizę, svarbiausiu prediktoriumi buvo neurotiškumas, nedarbo patirtis taip pat buvo reikšmingas prediktorius, modelis bendrai paaiškino 35 proc. subjektyvios gerovės dispersijos. Galima daryti išvadą, kad patirtas nedarbo epizodas gali palikti ilgalaikius neigiamus padarinius asmens subjektyviai gerovei, net ir kontroliuojant daugelį subjektyvios gerovės veiksnių

Vyresnio amžiaus Lietuvos gyventojų gerovė: rekomendacijos politikos formuotojams

Many countries of the world consider the well-being of citizens to be one of their most important goals. Nowadays there is a growing concern about the well-being of older people. Considering the aging population, there is a call for social policies aimed at strengthening the well-being of older people. Therefore, recommendations were prepared for policymakers on possible ways to strengthen the well-being of the older age Lithuanian population. The recommendations are based on data from the 7th wave of the Survey of Health, Aging, and Retirement in Europe (SHARE). There were 2014 persons aged 50 and older interviewed in Lithuania in the 7th wave of the SHARE survey. Data on various aspects of well-being, health, work and economic situation, childhood circumstances, experiences of discrimination were analyzed. Based on different aspects of well-being it was found, that respondents can be grouped into high, low, and medium well-being clusters, moreover the analysis showed that the Lithuanian population has relatively low well-being compared to other countries. Recommendations were formulated covering possible measures for chronic diseases, co-morbid mental health disorders, work, economic situation, childhood environment, and personal life history. The recommendations are addressed to health, social and employment, education, and science policymakers.Daugelis pasaulio šalių vienu svarbiausių savo tikslų laiko piliečių gerovę, jos svarba įtvirtina ir Lietuvos teisės aktuose. Žmonių grupė, kurios gerovės supratimas darosi vis aktualesnis – vyresnio amžiaus žmonės. Daugeliui šalių susiduriant su populiacijos senėjimu, Lietuva išsiskiria tuo, kad čia senėjimas vyksta ypač sparčiai. Tokie visuomenės pokyčiai skatina taikyti į vyresnio amžiaus asmenų grupės gerovės stiprinimą nukreiptas socialinės politikos priemones. Dėl to buvo parengtos rekomendacijos politikos formuotojams apie tai, kaip galima palaikyti ir stiprinti vyresnio amžiaus Lietuvos gyventojų gerovę. Rekomendacijos paremtos Europos sveikatos, senėjimo ir išėjimo į pensiją (SHARE) tyrimo 7-tos bangos duomenimis. Šios bangos vykdymo metu Lietuvoje apklausta 2024 asmenų, dalyvavo atsitiktinai atrinkti 50 m. ir vyresni žmonės ir jų partneriai. Buvo analizuoti duomenys apie įvairius gerovės aspektus, sveikatą, darbinę ir ekonominę situaciją, darbinę istoriją, vaikystės gyvenimo aplinkybes, persekiojimų patyrimą. Nustatyta, kad, remiantis skirtingais gerovės aspektais, tyrimo dalyvius galima sugrupuoti į aukštos, žemos ir vidutinės gerovės klasterius, taip pat rasta, kad Lietuvos gyventojai, lyginant su kitomis tyrime dalyvavusiomis šalimis, pasižymi santykinai žema gerove. Atlikus duomenų analizę, buvo suformuluotos rekomendacijos, apimančios galimas priemones lėtinių ligų, gretutinių psichikos sveikatos sutrikimų, darbo, ekonominės situacijos, vaikystės aplinkos  ir asmens gyvenimo istorijos srityse. Rekomendacijos skirtos sveikatos, socialinės ir darbo bei švietimo ir mokslo politikos formuotojams

A Brief Measure of the International Classification of Diseases-11 Adjustment Disorder: Investigation of Psychometric Properties in an Adult Help-Seeking Sample

Adjustment disorder is one of the most prevalent mental disorders. However, there are almost no measures available for its assessment. We aimed to analyze the psychometric properties of a brief version of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD)-11 adjustment disorder scale (Adjustment Disorder New Module-8; ADNM-8) in a help-seeking sample. Data from 1,174 participants with an average age of 35 years who registered for the internet-based self-help adjustment disorder intervention were analyzed. Psychometric properties of the brief 8-item self-report (ADNM-8) scale measuring the 2 core adjustment disorder symptoms of preoccupation and failure to adapt were tested. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was applied for the analysis of construct validity. CFA supported the 2-factor structure of ADNM-8. Further research is needed for validation of ADNM-8 in cross-cultural studies

Internet‑delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus compared to Internet‑delivered mindfulness for tinnitus : a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

AVAILABILITY OF DATA AND MATERIALS : After the publication of trial results, a de-identified dataset will be available from the PI upon a reasonable request.BACKGROUND : Tinnitus affects around 15% of the population and can be a debilitating condition for a sizeable part of them. However, effective evidence-based treatments are scarce. One recommended treatment for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy which has been found to be effective when delivered online. However, more treatments including mindfulness-based interventions have been studied recently in an attempt to facilitate the availability of effective treatments. There are promising findings showing great effects in reducing tinnitus-induced distress and some evidence about the efficacy of such intervention delivered online. However, there is a lack of evidence on how these two treatments compare against one another. Therefore, the aim of this study will be to compare Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus against an Internet-delivered mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction intervention in a three-armed randomized controlled trial with a waiting list control condition. METHODS : This study will be a randomized controlled trial seeking to recruit Lithuanian-speaking individuals suffering from chronic tinnitus. The self-report measure Tinnitus Handicap Inventory will be used. Self-referred participants will be randomized into one of three study arms: Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, Internet-delivered mindfulness- based tinnitus stress reduction intervention, or a waiting-list control group. Post-treatment measures will be taken at the end of the 8-week-long intervention (or waiting). Long-term efficacy will be measured 3 and 12 months post-treatment. DISCUSSION : Internet-delivered interventions offer a range of benefits for delivering evidence-based treatments. This is the first randomized controlled trial to directly compare Internet-delivered CBT and MBTSR for tinnitus in a noninferiority trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION : ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05705323. Registered on January 30, 2023.The Research Council of Lithuania (LMTLT).https://trialsjournal.biomedcentral.comam2023Speech-Language Pathology and AudiologySDG-03:Good heatlh and well-bein

Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus compared to Internet-delivered mindfulness for tinnitus: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial

Background: Tinnitus affects around 15% of the population and can be a debilitating condition for a sizeable part of them. However, effective evidence-based treatments are scarce. One recommended treatment for tinnitus is cognitive behavioral therapy which has been found to be effective when delivered online. However, more treatments including mindfulness-based interventions have been studied recently in an attempt to facilitate the availability of effective treatments. There are promising findings showing great effects in reducing tinnitus-induced distress and some evidence about the efficacy of such intervention delivered online. However, there is a lack of evidence on how these two treatments compare against one another. Therefore, the aim of this study will be to compare Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for tinnitus against an Internet-delivered mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction intervention in a three-armed randomized controlled trial with a waiting list control condition. Methods: This study will be a randomized controlled trial seeking to recruit Lithuanian-speaking individuals suffering from chronic tinnitus. The self-report measure Tinnitus Handicap Inventory will be used. Self-referred participants will be randomized into one of three study arms: Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy, Internet-delivered mindfulness-based tinnitus stress reduction intervention, or a waiting-list control group. Post-treatment measures will be taken at the end of the 8-week-long intervention (or waiting). Long-term efficacy will be measured 3 and 12 months post-treatment. Discussion: Internet-delivered interventions offer a range of benefits for delivering evidence-based treatments. This is the first randomized controlled trial to directly compare Internet-delivered CBT and MBTSR for tinnitus in a non-inferiority trial

Online consultations in mental healthcare: Modelling determinants of use and experience based on an international survey study at the onset of the pandemic

Introduction: While online consultations have shown promise to be a means for the effective delivery of high -quality mental healthcare and the first implementations of these digital therapeutic contacts go back nearly two decades, uptake has remained limited over the years. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic dramatically altered this relative standstill and created a unique turning point, with a massive amount of both professionals and clients having first hands-on experiences with technology in mental healthcare.Objective: The current study aimed to document the uptake of online consultations and explore if specific characteristics of mental health professionals across and beyond Europe could predict this.Methods: An international survey was designed to assess mental health professionals' (initial) experiences with online consultations at the onset of the pandemic: their willingness to make use of them and their prior and current experiences, alongside several personal characteristics. Logistic mixed-effects models were used to identify predictors of the use of online consultations, personal experience with this modality, and the sense of telepresence.Results: A total of 9115 healthcare professionals from 73 countries participated of which about two-thirds used online consultations during the initial COVID-19 outbreak. The current study identifies multiple determinants relating to the use and experience of online consultations, including the professionals' age, experience with the technology before the outbreak, the professional context, and training.Conclusions: Despite strong evidence supporting the relevance of training in digital mental health, this is clearly still lacking. Nevertheless, the COVID-19 pandemic presented a first, and potentially transformative, experience with online consultations for many healthcare professionals. The insights from this study can help supportprofessionals and, importantly, (mental) healthcare organisations to create optimal circumstances for selective and high-quality continued use of online consultations

Internetu prieinama adaptacijos sutrikimo intervencija: modulinės savipagalbos programos veiksmingumas

The possibilities of using information technologies to meet the growing need for psychological services have been investigated intensively. Studies show that internet-based psychological interventions can be effective for various mental disorders and psychological problems. One of the most commonly diagnosed disorders in the world is adjustment disorder which can occur after a significant stressful life event. The purpose of this dissertation was to investigate the effectiveness of an internet-based modular self-help intervention for adjustment disorder, as well as to compare how adding therapist support on demand affects the program's effectiveness. Two randomized controlled trials were carried out. The first study included 284 participants, while the second study included 1077 participants. Comparison of the intervention group to the control group showed the effectiveness of the intervention. Symptoms of adjustment disorder reduced and psychological well-being increased significantly after using the intervention for one month and the effect sizes were large. The results of the second trial revealed that additional therapist support on demand did not contribute to the effects of the intervention, but was related to better adherence from the participants as they returned for assessments more often compared to the self-help alone group. Also, the data showed that the brief assessment measure ADNM-8 for adjustment disorder had good psychometric properties in a help seeking sample of Lithuanian speaking adults and was suitable for screening purposes