Publications by authors named "Hermann Szymczak"

Subjective Social Status (SSS) reflects one's perceived rank within a given social structure and has been shown to be a unique correlate of physical and mental health. However, no research has been conducted to address populations of (recovering) critically ill patients. To shed light on the relationship between SSS and health in critically ill patients, we focus on survivors of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

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Aim: To analyze the association of individual pre-ICU risk factors (obesity, physical and mental comorbidity, smoking status) on the long-term recovery process in survivors of the acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS; outcomes: health related quality of life, health care utilization; measured at 12, 24, and 36 months after ICU discharge).

Findings: Results show a possible causal link between pre-ICU risk factors and subsequent recovery of survivors of ARDS, especially with regard to mental health related quality of life.

Purpose: Identifying relevant pre-existing risk factors, such as mental health problems, will enable the identification of at-risk patients, thus aiding in the improvement of long-term healthcare for survivors of critical illness.

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Purpose: Describe the long-term development of outcomes for survivors of the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Material And Methods: A cohort study with N = 877 ARDS survivors was conducted. Health related quality of life (HRQoL, Physical and Mental Component Scale: PCS, MCS of the SF-12), return to work (RtW), panic disorder, depressive symptoms (PHQD), and post-traumatic-stress-disorder (PTSD, PTSS-14) were assessed at 3, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after discharge from ICU.

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Infectious diseases pose a serious threat to humans. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how accurately people perceive these risks. However, accuracy can be operationalized differently depending on the standard of comparison.

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: While behavioral recommendations regarding physical activity commonly focus on reaching demanding goals by proposing "thresholds," little attention has been paid to the question of how much of a behavioral change is needed to make people feel that they have changed. The present research investigated this relation between actual and felt behavior change. : Using data from two longitudinal community samples, Study 1 and Study 2 comprised 614 (63% women) and 398 participants (61% women) with a mean age of 40.

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An important concept that has been rather neglected in research on social media is the concept of trust. Although there is a considerable amount of research on online trust in general, little has been done in the area of social media. As a situation of risk is necessary for trust, the perceived trustworthiness of Facebook in crisis situations was examined in this study.

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