Gender and cross-cultural differences in somatic reactions to stress

Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je provjeriti postoje li specifični rodni i kulturalni obrasci u tjelesnim reakcijama na stres. S obzirom da istraživanja potvrđuju postojanje rodnih razlika u stresnim reakcijama te da postoje međukulturalne razlike u odnosu prema tijelu, očekivali smo da će se rodne razlike pojaviti u obje kulture, ali i da će se pripadnici različitih kultura međusobno razlikovati u stresnim reakcijama. U istraživanju je sudjelovalo 204 muškarca i žena te 264 mladića i djevojaka (adolescenata) iz indonezijskog mjesta Bojonegoro i 157 mladića i djevojaka (adolescenata) iz Hrvatske. U svrhu međukulturalne usporedbe, rezultati dobiveni na odraslim Hrvatima preuzeti su iz neobjavljenog diplomskog rada Line Višić (2014). Tjelesne reakcije na stres mjerili smo jednostavnim crtežom ljudskog tijela, odnosno siluetom gdje su sudionici označili dijelove tijela u kojima osjećaju stresne reakcije. Rezultati su potvrdili očekivanja. Rodne razlike u položaju i čestini javljanja stresnih reakcija pokazale su se u uzorku odraslih i adolescenata u obje kulture. Daljnje međukulturalne usporedbe pokazale su da Hrvati stres osjećaju u više dijelova tijela od Indonežana dok Indonežani stres konzistentno češće osjećaju u glavi. Također, dobili smo i razlike u položaju i čestini javljanja tih reakcija.The aim of this study was to see whether there are gender-specific and cultural patterns in the physical reactions to stress. As researches confirm the existence of gender differences in stress reactions and cross-cultural differences in relation to the body, we expected that gender differences appear in both cultures, but also that the members of different cultures differ from each other in stress reactions. The study included 204 men and women and 264 young men and women (adolescents) from the Indonesian region Bojonegoro and 157 young men and women (adolescents) from Croatia. For the purpose of cross-cultural comparisons, the results obtained in adult Croatians were taken from an unpublished work from Višić Lina (2014). We measured physical reactions to stress with silhouette (simple drawings of the human body) where participants had to mark the parts of the body where they feel stress reactions. The results confirmed the expectations. Gender differences in the position and frequency of occurrence of stress reactions proved to be in the sample of adults and adolescents in both cultures. Further cross-cultural comparisons showed that Croats feel stress in more body parts while the Indonesians feel stress consistently more in the head. Also, we found differences in position and frequency of occurrence of stress reactions among cultures

CHANGES IN THE LONG-TERM PSYCHODYNAMIC GROUP PSYCHOTHERAPY IN FAMILY MEMBERS OF PERSONS WITH PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS

Background: The experience gained in working with psychotic persons as well as the findings from the literature have pointed to the need for systematic inclusion of the families of affected individuals, facilitating the creation of partnership within treatment, and to the need for a better understanding of family dynamics that reflects on the psychological conditions of the patients. Aim: The aim of this paper is to explore the changes in self-esteem and loneliness of group members during the therapeutic process and whether the use of more mature defence mechanisms is the answer to the treatment of group psychotherapy. Subjects and methods: We followed three groups of 30 members (18 women and 12 men). At the beginning of inclusion in group psychodynamic psychotherapy and after 18 months of psychotherapy, members completed the following questionnaires: Rosenberg Self-esteem Scale, short version of UCLA Loneliness Scale (ULS-7) and Lifestyle Questionnaire (LSI). Results: The research results show a statistically significant increase in self-esteem, a significant reduction in loneliness, and significantly reduced use of defence mechanisms after 18 months of group psychotherapy. Conclusion: Research findings confirmed positive changes in family members who gradually feel better and safer, with less anxiety and fear, all positively reflecting on the family atmosphere, the ability to accept and understand the sick member, as well as his better quality of recovery