THE IMPACT OF STRESS RELATED DISORDERS ON QUALITY OF LIFE

Background: Some new studies have shown a significant connection between post-traumatic stress disorder and impairment of the quality of life (QoL), whereas, to our knowledge, research on the connection between other disorders of the stress related group and quality of life do not exist. The objective of our study was to assess the connection between stress related disorders and the quality of life. Subjects and methods: We studied the quality of life in 160 subjects who have experienced certain stressogenic life events. Within the first group (80 subjects) a certain stress related disorder was diagnosed after a stressogenic life event. In the second group (80 subjects) none of the stress related disorders was developed after a stressogenic life event. The diagnosis was made based on the ICD-10 criteria; the stress was assessed by the Impact of Events Scale (IES) and QoL by the Manchester Short Assessment Quality of Life Scale (MANSA). Results: Persons in whom some stress related disorders were diagnosed had a lower quality of life compared to persons who experienced stress but did not develop a disorder (p<0.01). Conclusion: Given the long-term stressogenic situation in our country, which is still ongoing, we think that comprehensive measures of prevention, early diagnostics and efficient treatment of stress related disorders are necessary in order to improve the quality of life for the persons with these disorders and their families, but also for society as a whole

BURNOUT SYNDROME AMONG PHYSICIANS – THE ROLE OF PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS AND COPING STRATEGIES

Background: Burnout syndrome (BS) and stress-related disorders are frequent among medical specialists, but it has been suggested that some health workers are more prone to the BS than others. This study assessed the intensity of the BS among 3 groups of physicians: psychiatrists, general practitioners and surgeons and examined correlation both between the intensity of BS and physicians` personality dimensions as well as between the level of BS and stress coping strategies. Subjects and methods: The sample consisted of 160 physicians (70 general practitioners, 50 psychiatrists, 40 surgeons). The assessment was carried out by the Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Temperament and Character Inventory and Manual for the Ways of Coping Questionnaire. Results: Dimension of emotional exhaustion was the most prominent in general practitioners (F=5.546, df1=2, df2=156, p<0.01), while dimension of depersonalization was highest in surgeons (F=15.314, df1=2, df2=156, p<0.01), as well as lack of personal accomplishment (F=16.079, df1=2, df2=156, p<0.01). We found that the Harm Avoidance has lead to development of BS while Self-directedness and Cooperativeness were prominent in physicians with low level of BS. The escape-avoidance was in correlation with high depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment while self-control was prominent in physicians with lower BS. Conclusion: The BS affects personal well-being and professional performance. It is important to identify individuals with a tendency towards its development, in order to undertake preventive measures such as stress management and improvement of the stress coping strategies

Predicting violence in veterans with posttraumatic stress disorder

Background/Aim. Frequent expression of negative affects, hostility and violent behavior in individuals suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) were recognized long ago, and have been retrospectively well documented in war veterans with PTSD who were shown to have an elevated risk for violent behavior when compared to both veterans without PTSD and other psychiatric patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of clinical prediction of violence in combat veterans suffering from PTSD. Methods. The subjects of this study, 104 male combat veterans with PTSD were assessed with the Historical, Clinical and Risk Management 20 (HCR-20), a 20-item clinicianrated instrument for assessing the risks for violence, and their acts of violence during one-year follow-up period were registered based on bimonthly check-up interviews. Results. Our findings showed that the HCR-20, as an actuarial measure, had good internal consistency reliability (α = 0.82), excellent interrater reliability (Interaclass Correlation ICC = 0.85), as well as excellent predictive validity for acts of any violence, non-physical violence or physical violence in the follow-up period (AUC = 0.82-0.86). The HCR-20 also had good interrater reliability (Cohen's kappa = 0.74), and acceptable predictive accuracy for each outcome criterion (AUC = 0.73-0.79). Conclusion. The results of this research confirm that the HCR-20 may also be applied in prediction of violent behavior in the population of patients suffering from PTSD with reliability and validity comparable with the results of previous studies where this instrument was administered to other populations of psychiatric patients

Uvremenjena psihoterapija darovitih - prikaz slučaja

Although the kind of intelligence which is significantly above average is called giftedness, the real meaning behind this term is much wider. High intelligence does not have to be a prerequisite for giftedness, which is clearly displayed in people with average intelligence, extremely gifted at music, arts or sports. Since there is no unique definition for gifted people, there are no clear concepts of their psychological development, nor guidelines for psychological help and psychotherapeutic work. Gifted people have different cognitive and emotional development from other people. Their growing up often takes place under the burden of their giftedness, which leads to their innate giftedness not being recognized, ignored or not properly used. Individual pshychoanalytic psychotherapeutic work can play a significant role in the psychological help provided to the gifted on their road to development and note worthy accomplishments. In this research we will present years of pshycotherapeutic work with a multitalented patient.Iako se inteligencija, značajno veća od proseka, naziva darovitošću, pravo značenje ovog pojma mnogo je šire. Visoka inteligencija ne mora biti preduslov darovitosti, što se jasno pokazuje kod osoba koje imaju prosečnu inteligenciju, a izuzetno su muzičk i, likovno ili sportski darovite. Kako ne postoji jedinstvena definicija darovitih, tako ne postoje ni jasne odrednice njihovog psihološkog razvoja, niti smernice za psihološku podršku i psihoterapijski rad. Darovite osobe imaju drugačiji kognitivni i emotivni razvoj od ostalih. Njihovo odrastanje često se odvija 'pod teretom darovitosti', čime se urođena datost ne prepoznaje, ignoriše ili neadekvatno koristi. Individualni psihoanalitički psihoterapijski rad, može imati značajno mesto u psihološkoj podršci darovitima na njihovom putu razvoja i ostvarenja vrednih pažnje. U radu prikazujemo višegodišnji psihoterapijski rad višestruko darovite pacijentkinje

Depressive symptoms, exposure to aggression and delinquency proneness in adolescence: Impact of two decades of war and political violence on adolescent mental health

Traumatic experiences in Serbia in the last two decades have caused significant psychological consequences in children and adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms, exposure to aggression and delinquency proneness among high school and elementary school students in Belgrade, Serbia. The participants were 899 students (51.8% were female) with no prior treatment for psychological problems, with a mean age of 16.70±1.95. All used instruments were taken from the modified Social and Health Assessment (SAHA). Our findings show that delinquent behavior or exposure to delinquency was significantly related to depressive symptoms. The strongest predictors of depression were variables concerning legal consequences, affiliation with delinquent peers, victimization by community violence and peer victimization. This study confirmed a strong correlation between depression and exposure to violence. Identifying adolescents with depressive symptoms is important for prevention of serious mental health consequences