Psychometric evaluation and community norms of the PHQ-9, based on a representative German sample.

Background: The Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) is a popular tool for assessing depressive symptoms in both general and clinical populations. The present study used a large representative sample of the German adult population to confirm desired psychometric functioning and to provide updated population norms.

Methods: The following psychometric properties were assessed: (i) Item characteristics (item means, standard deviations and inter-item correlations), (ii) Construct validity (correlations of the PHQ-9 sum-score with scores obtained from instruments assessing depression, anxiety and somatization (GAD-7, BSI-18), (iii) Internal consistency (coefficient omega), (iv) Factorial validity (via confirmatory factor analysis of the assumed one factorial model) as well as (v) Measurement invariance (via multi-group confirmatory factor analyses across gender, age, income and education).

Acute Effects of Slow-Paced Breathing on Measures of HRV in Hospitalized Patients With Bilateral COVID-19 Pneumonia: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Objective: Slow-paced breathing (SPB) with prolonged exhalation is assumed to stimulate vagal reflexes, which is represented by increased heart rate variability (HRV) values. However, most trials were conducted in healthy participants. We sought to evaluate the feasibility of SPB in hospitalized patients with confirmed bilateral COVID-19 pneumonia with major respiratory impairment and to investigate if SPB shows acute increasing effects on HRV measures in these severely ill patients with distinctly reduced vagal tone.

Training emotional competencies at the workplace: a systematic review and metaanalysis.

Recent systematic reviews have shown that emotional competencies can be improved through training. In the workplace, such training has become increasingly popular over the last decade. These programs aim to enhance emotional intelligence, empathy or emotion regulation.

Personality functioning and mental distress in leaders of small- and medium sized enterprises.

Objective: For leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) grappling with diverse tasks and stressors, personality functioning can play a key role on stress perception and building and managing professional relationships. We investigated the relationship between SME leaders' personality functioning on the dimensions of self-perception and self-regulation on perceived stress reactivity (PSR), and symptoms of anxiety and depression.

Methods: A cross-sectional sub analysis of a multi-centre RCT project was performed.

The interplay of personality pathology and treatment outcome in psychosomatic psychotherapy: A longitudinal analysis using latent change score modelling.

Introduction: While ample data demonstrate the effectiveness of inpatient psychosomatic treatment, clinical observation and empirical evidence demonstrate that not all patients benefit equally from established therapeutic methods. Especially patients with a comorbid personality disorder often show reduced therapeutic success compared to other patient groups. Due to the heterogeneous and categorical personality assessment, previous studies indicated no uniform direction of this influence.

Leaders' mental health and leader-member exchange: Exploring relations on different levels of analysis.

Introduction: Research on leader-member exchange (LMX) has shown that the relation between leaders and followers may be considered from different angles. Leaders may form individual relationships with followers (LMX quality), may agree with their followers on these relationships (LMX agreement), and may form different relationships within their work group (LMX variability). We posit that leaders' mental health may function as an antecedent for these different forms of LMX.

[Rationale, models, and impact of workplace-based psychotherapeutic services].

Mental illnesses and behavioral disorders are very common among the working population, affecting up to a third of employees each year, and are associated with great suffering, the risk of chronicity, and the loss of employment. Economically, mental illnesses cause high costs. In order to mitigate these consequences and increase the chances of recovery, rapid diagnosis, early and appropriate treatment where necessary, and-over and above the usual psychotherapy approach-attention to the work-related causes are of crucial importance.

Utilization of Mental Health Provision, Epistemic Stance and Comorbid Psychopathology of Individuals with Complex Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders (CPTSD)-Results from a Representative German Observational Study.

: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder (CPTSD) is a severely debilitating recently added symptom cluster in the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). So far, only limited information on mental health treatment-uptake and -satisfaction of individuals with CPTSD is available. The aim of this study is to investigate these aspects in a representative sample of the German general population.

Unconscious Activation of Negative Emotional Memories Increases Pain Unpleasantness.

Objective: The influence of unconscious emotional processes on pain remains poorly understood. The present study tested whether cues to forgotten unpleasant images might amplify pain (i.e.

Addressing psychosocial needs in patients with Long-COVID (PsyLoCo-Study): study protocol of a pilot-study of a specialized modular intervention.

Introduction: After an acute infection with the corona virus 10-20% of those affected suffer from ongoing or new symptoms. A causal therapy for the phenomenon known as Long/Post-COVID is still lacking and specific therapies addressing psychosocial needs of these patients are imperatively needed. The aim of the PsyLoCo-study is developing and piloting a psychotherapeutic manual, which addresses Long/Post-COVID-related psychosocial needs and supports in coping with persistent bodily symptoms as well as depressive or anxiety symptoms.

Improving Well-Being and Fostering Health-Oriented Leadership among Leaders in Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs): A Systematic Review.

Leaders of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are often confronted with specific burdens, which frequently result in increased levels of stress. Leadership behaviour, in turn, has a significant impact on employees' health and performance. Using the Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (PICO) method, we conducted a systematic literature search covering publications from 2002 to 2023 using PubMed, PsycInfo and Business Source Premier on stress-reducing and well-being-improving interventions for SME leaders.

[Working in a team and mental health].

Humans have always naturally lived in groups, which has a significant impact on the well-being and mental stability of the individual. Various physiological processes are coregulated via the closeness of other persons. About one third of our adulthood is spent at work where social relationships often play an important role, because we are typically working with other individuals in groups or a team.

What helps hospital staff in times of crisis: qualitative results of a survey on psychosocial resources and stressors in German hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, hospital workers faced a tremendous workload. The pandemic led to different and additional strain that negatively affected the well-being of employees. This study aims to explore psychosocial resources and strategies that were used by hospital staff.

Effect of the addition of a mental health specialist for evaluation of undiagnosed patients in centres for rare diseases (ZSE-DUO): a prospective, controlled trial with a two-phase cohort design.

Background: People with complex symptomatology but unclear diagnosis presenting to a centre for rare diseases (CRD) may present with mental (co-)morbidity. We hypothesised that combining an expert in somatic medicine with a mental health specialist working in tandem will improve the diagnostic outcome.

Methods: Patients aged 12 years and older who presented to one of the 11 participating German CRDs with an unknown diagnosis were recruited into this prospective cohort trial with a two-phase cohort design.

Smartphone and Instagram use, body dissatisfaction, and eating disorders: investigating the associations using self-report and tracked data.

Background: Previous research has linked smartphone and Instagram use to higher body dissatisfaction (BD) as well as eating disorder (ED) symptomatology. However, these studies have typically been limited to using self-report measures for technology use which, as shown by scientific literature, might not be reliable. In the present work, we combine self-reported assessments as well as tracked smartphone and Instagram use.

The multicenter effectiveness study of inpatient and day hospital treatment in departments of psychosomatic medicine and psychotherapy in Germany.

Background: Reliable outcome data of psychosomatic inpatient and day hospital treatment with a focus on psychotherapy are important to strengthen ecological validity by assessing the reality of mental health care in the field. This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of inpatient and day hospital treatment in German university departments of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy in a prospective, naturalistic, multicenter design including structured assessments.

Methods: Structured interviews were used to diagnose mental disorders according to ICD-10 and DSM-IV at baseline.

The prevalence of effort-reward imbalance and its associations with working conditions, psychosocial resources and burden among health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Results of the egePan-Voice study.

Objective: The association between a measure of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and profession as well as gender in a sample of health care workers (HCW) during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany using the egePan-Voice study. In addition, we examined, which factors are associated with an effort-reward imbalance ratio (ERI ratio) >1.

Methods: In a large sample of HCW (N = 6174) we assessed occupational stress with the short version of the effort-reward imbalance (ERI) questionnaire, working conditions, COVID-19-related problems and psychosocial resources (ENRICHD Social Support Inventory, ESSI; Sense of Coherence Scale, SOC-3 and optimism, SOP2).

The transformation of masculinity orientations and work-related attitudes in men treated for depression (TRANSMODE): study protocol for a mixed-methods observational study.

Background: Masculinity norms play a crucial role in men's help-seeking behaviors, service-use, and coping strategies for depression. While previous studies provided evidence for the association between gender role orientations, work related attitudes, stigmatization of men with depression and depressive symptoms, it remains unclear to what extent gender role orientations change over time and whether psychiatric and psychotherapeutic treatment have an impact on these transformations. Additionally, the role of partners in supporting depressed men and the impact of dyadic coping on these processes have not been explored.

COVID-19 vaccination exacerbates ex vivo IL-6 release from isolated PBMCs.

Ex vivo culturing of isolated PBMCs from individuals vaccinated with the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine BNT162b1 revealed a pronounced T cell response in the presence of the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) spike protein. The latter was 10-fold more pronounced than the ex vivo response of PBMCs from the same individuals to other common pathogen T cell epitope pools, suggesting COVID-19 vaccination to induce RBD-specific T cell responses and not to facilitate T cell (re)activity in general. In the current study we investigated whether COVID-19 vaccination long-lastingly affects plasma interleukin (IL)-6 concentrations, complete blood counts, ex vivo IL-6 and IL-10 secretion of PBMCs cultured under basal conditions or in the presence of concanavalin (Con) A and lipopolysaccharide (LPS), salivary cortisol and α-amylase, mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) as well as mental and physical health status.

Neutrophil-derived catecholamines mediate negative stress effects on bone.

Mental traumatization is associated with long-bone growth retardation, osteoporosis and increased fracture risk. We revealed earlier that mental trauma disturbs cartilage-to-bone transition during bone growth and repair in mice. Trauma increased tyrosine hydroxylase-expressing neutrophils in bone marrow and fracture callus.