Publications by authors named "Ajdukovic D"

The COVID-19 pandemic caused multiple stressors that may lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder. We longitudinally examined relationships between risk and protective factors, pandemic-related stressors and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as whether these relationships differed by the time of assessment. The European Society for Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) ADJUST Study included = 15,169 participants aged 18 years and above.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The present study aimed to investigate the trajectories of adjustment disorder (AD) symptoms and well-being over 20 months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austria and Croatia. Further objectives of this study were to examine whether sociodemographic characteristics and the symptoms of anxiety and depression could predict these trajectories. As part of the pan-European ESTSS ADJUST study, = 1144 individuals were recruited using convenience sampling and assessed four times between June 2020 and January 2022 through an online survey.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The four-item Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4) is a widely used screening measure for depression and anxiety.

Objectives: This study aimed to test factor structure and measurement invariance in an adult sample of the general population across seven European countries.

Method: A total sample of 9230 adults, 71.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Contextual factors are essential for understanding long-term adjustment to the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the present study investigated changes in mental health outcomes and subjective pandemic-related experiences over time and across countries. The main objective was to explore how psychological responses vary in relation to individual and environmental factors.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

 =  4,607 trauma-exposed adult participants were recruited from the general population during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.The prevalence for probable posttraumatic stress disorder was 17.7%.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The complex system of stressors related to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected the global population, provoking a broad range of psychological reactions. Although numerous studies have investigated the mental health impact of COVID-19, qualitative research and cross-country comparisons are still rare.

Objective: This qualitative study aimed to explore self-perceived challenges and opportunities related to COVID-19 across six European countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Most interventions for mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) have been developed in contexts and with populations that differ significantly from the realities of migration. There is an urgent need for MHPSS in transit; however, transit-specific aspects of MHPSS provision are often neglected due to the inherent challenges transit poses to traditional conceptualizations of practice. The Delphi method, which consisted of three iterative rounds of surveys, was applied with the goal of identifying challenges to and adaptations of MHPSS in the transit context.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic exposes individuals to multiple stressors, such as quarantine, physical distancing, job loss, risk of infection, and loss of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors potentially lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder.

Objective: This cross-sectional exploratory study examined relationships between risk and protective factors, stressors, and symptoms of adjustment disorder during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: Disasters negatively impact mental health and well-being. Studying how people adapt and recover after adversity is crucial for disaster preparedness and response. : This study examined how differentially affected communities harness their resources to adapt to the aftermath of a flood.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

School-related gender-based violence (SRGBV) is highly prevalent worldwide which calls for a range of early prevention and innovative solutions. The presence of GBV in the school context is well-documented and it highlights the importance of building competencies of teachers and other school professionals for recognizing and intervening in SRGBV cases. This paper analyses the current and future teachers' training needs, and their level of preparedness for detecting and intervening in cases of GBV in the school context, with the objective of developing a targeted training program.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

: The Covid-19 pandemic is associated with adverse mental health outcomes for people worldwide.: The study aimed to assess mental health during the Covid-19 pandemic and the key risk factors from the human ecology perspective in Croatia's adult population.: An online panel survey with 1,201 adult participants (50.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the people in Europe are exposed to self-isolation, quarantine, job loss, risk of contracting COVID-19, or grief of loved ones. Such a complex array of stressors may lead to symptoms of adjustment disorder or posttraumatic stress disorder. This research protocol describes a study launched by the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS) to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on symptoms of adjustment disorder across European countries.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF
Article Synopsis
  • The letter updates on "The Global Collaboration on Traumatic Stress" (GC-TS) and elaborates on the development of the Global Psychotrauma Screen (GPS), a tool for assessing trauma outcomes.
  • Initial findings suggest the GPS is a useful, reliable, and valid screening instrument, particularly relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic, though broader validation is needed.
  • New themes for GC-TS include addressing forcibly displaced persons, exploring the global prevalence of stress-related disorders, studying socio-emotional development across cultures, and enhancing the accessibility and usability of trauma research data.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Conservation of Resources (COR) theory defines psychological stress as the result of a threat or actual loss of resources, or lack of resource gain. Given that disasters present a significant risk for resource loss, the aim of this study was to examine the dynamic relationship between the change in different levels of resources and the change in psychosocial functioning. A random sample of = 224 community members from a municipality affected by the 2014 Southeast Europe floods were interviewed one and a half and two and a half years post-disaster, using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale 10-item version, the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, the Community Resources Scale - the Social Capital and Community Engagement subscale, the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale-Revised and the Satisfaction with Life Scale.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Links between competitive victimhood and discrimination are well documented. However, the mechanisms how victimhood beliefs remain relevant for decades and how conflict survivors can shape attitudes and behaviours of the post-conflict generations are little understood. Following the Transgenerational Transmission Hypothesis and the Integrated Threat Theory, we propose that the link between parental competitive victimhood and discrimination among their children is mediated through family ethnic socialization and symbolic threat to the in-group.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The European countries have a long history of exposure to large-scale trauma. In the early 1990s the increasing awareness of the consequences of trauma within the mental health community led to the foundation of local societies for psychotraumatology across Europe and the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS), which celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2018. The focus of this article is to describe the current state of care for survivors of trauma in the 15 European countries where ESTSS member societies have been established.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: The ongoing refugee crisis has revealed the need for enhancing primary health care (PHC) professionals' skills and training.

Objectives: The aim was to strengthen PHC professionals in European countries in the provision of high-quality care for refugees and migrants by offering a concise modular training that was based on the needs of the refugees and PHC professionals as shown by prior research in the EUR-HUMAN project.

Methods: We developed, piloted, and evaluated an online capacity building course of 8 stand-alone modules containing information about acute health issues of refugees, legal issues, provider-patient communication and cultural aspects of health and illness, mental health, sexual and reproductive health, child health, chronic diseases, health promotion, and prevention.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

In 2015, local wars, starvation and misery in some Middle Eastern, Asian and African countries forced millions of people to leave their homelands. Many of these people migrated toward Europe, reaching Hungary as well. The refugee crisis created significant challenges for all national healthcare systems across Europe.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Disasters can have an enormous impact on the health and well-being of those affected. Internationally, governments and service providers are often challenged to address complex psychosocial problems. Ideally, the potentially broad range of support activities include a coherent, high-quality mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) programme.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Trauma is a global issue. The great majority of the global burden of disease arising from mental health conditions occurs in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), among populations in political, economic, and/or cultural transition and those struck by forced migration. These mental health problems frequently arise as a result of traumatic events that adversely affect adults, children, and families, including war, mass violence, natural disasters, and accidents.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The current political crisis, conflicts and riots in many Middle Eastern and African countries have led to massive migration waves towards Europe. European countries, receiving these migratory waves as first port of entry (POE) over the past few years, were confronted with several challenges as a result of the sheer volume of newly arriving refugees. This humanitarian refugee crisis represents the biggest displacement crisis of a generation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: In order to provide effective primary care for refugees and to develop interventions tailored to them, we must know their needs. Little is known of the health needs and experiences of recently arrived refugees and other migrants throughout their journey through Europe. We aimed to gain insight into their health needs, barriers in access and wishes regarding primary health care.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Elevated depressive symptoms that do not reach criteria for a clinical diagnosis of depression are highly prevalent in persons with diabetes. This study was aimed at determining the efficacy of psychoeducation and physical exercise compared with enhanced treatment as usual on 1-year changes in depressive symptoms, diabetes distress and self-management, and quality of life and metabolic control in type 2 diabetes patients with subsyndromal depression.

Methods: Adult type 2 diabetes patients who screened positively for depression and expressed a need for professional help with mood-related issues were eligible.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Systematic and efficient education on patient self-management behaviour represents one of the key approaches to diabetes treatment. The aim of this paper was to evaluate the current process and content of nursing assessment of illness self-management behaviour in persons with diabetes treated at a tertiary healthcare facility.

Subjects And Methods: Electronic patient records of N=15,116 persons with type 2 diabetes (51.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF