Experiences and concerns of pregnant refugee women from Nigeria seeking for asylum in Germany - A qualitative analysis.

Problem: Insights into and data of the experiences of pregnant women seeking asylum in Germany are largely lacking.

Background: Due to multiple stress factors, pregnant refugees are considered a vulnerable group. Gender-specific causes of flight, traumatic experiences during flight, and numerous stressors in the respective host country have a decisive impact on the health of women and affect pregnancy and childbirth.

Implementing a stabilizing intervention for traumatized refugees in temporary accommodations in South-West Germany - a randomized controlled pilot trial.

Unlabelled: The prevalence of trauma-related disorders, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), as well as depressive or anxiety disorders, are significantly increased in refugees compared to the general population. This is due to the high risk of burdening and potentially traumatic experiences before, during and after their flight. However, the treatment options for these mental illnesses are significantly limited due to the legal uncertainties surrounding the asylum procedure as well as language and cultural barriers.

Predictors for improvement in personality functioning during outpatient psychotherapy: A machine learning approach within a psychodynamic psychotherapy sample.

Background: Since its introduction in the diagnostic manuals DSM-5 and ICD-11, the construct of personality functioning has gained increasing attention. However, it remains unclear which factors might predict improvement in personality functioning.

Methods: We examined a sample of 648 completed psychodynamic psychotherapies conducted by 172 therapists at the Heidelberg Institute for Psychotherapy.

[Planetary health and mental health].

Climate change is the greatest global health threat of the twenty-first century. Greenhouse gas emissions and the resulting rise in average temperatures are directly linked to heatwaves, droughts, water and food shortages, extreme weather events, rising sea levels and migration movements as well as the loss of biodiversity and the alteration and degradation of ecosystems as we know them. Current estimates suggest that societies need to show much greater efforts to ensure that the global average temperature does not rise by more than 1.

Dynamics of following and leading: association of movement synchrony and depression severity.

Objective: Depression negatively affects interpersonal functioning and influences nonverbal behavior. Interpersonal theories of depression suggest that depressed individuals engage in behaviors that initially provoke others' support and reassurance, but eventually lead to rejection that may also be expressed nonverbally.

Methods: This study investigated movement synchrony as a nonverbal indicator of support and rejection and its association with depression severity in a sample of depressed and healthy individuals.

Secondary traumatization in refugee care-EMDR intervention for interpreters (STEIN): a study protocol for a quasi-randomized controlled trial.

Background: By the end of 2022, more than 100 million people worldwide fled their homes. Before, during and after their flight, refugees have high risk of experiencing traumatic events. Accordingly, around every third refugee is affected by posttraumatic stress disorder.

The Role of Negative Age Stereotypes and Sociodemographic Factors in the Intention to Leave Among German University Hospital Nursing Staff.

Staff shortages are a global problem in the nursing profession. Negative beliefs about older workers may have detrimental effects on the development and performance capacity of an aging workforce. To date, little is known about the impact of age stereotypes and potential factors on nurses' intent to leave (ITL).

Two sides of the same coin? What neural processing of emotion and rewards can tell us about complex post-traumatic stress disorder and borderline personality disorder.

Background: Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and complex posttraumatic stress disorder (cPTSD) share clinical similarities, complicating diagnosis and treatment. Research on the neurobiology of BPD and monotraumatic PTSD has shown that a prefrontal-limbic imbalance in emotional and reward processing is a hallmark of both disorders, but studies examining this network in cPTSD are lacking. Therefore, this study aimed to directly compare neural processing of emotion and reward during decision making in cPTSD and BPD.

The curious physician: exploring the role of curiosity in professionalism, patient care, and well-being.

Introduction: Curiosity is a fundamental human trait that drives learning and exploration. However, research on curiosity has received little attention in the medical field, despite its potential to enhance knowledge acquisition, work performance, and psychosocial well-being. This study aimed to address part of this gap by investigating physicians' perspectives on their personal experiences with curiosity and its role in their professional practice and medical training.

The psychological impact of torture and state repression in Türkiye between 2015 and 2018: Reports from Turkish refugees seeking asylum in Germany.

Torture seeks to undermine not only the physical and emotional well-being of an individual, but to damage the coherence of entire communities. Thus, torture and state repression are used to weaken entire subpopulations. After the failed coup d'état in Türkiye in 2016 and during the subsequently following state of emergency that lasted until 2018, allegations of torture and other degrading treatment in Türkiye spread widely.

Responding to human trafficking among refugees: prevalence and test accuracy of a modified version of the adult human trafficking screening tool.

Background: Human trafficking is a human rights violation and urgent public health challenge. It involves the exploitation of a person by means of force, intimidation or deceit and causes severe health risks. Though it occurs all over the world, its true extent is still unknown.

Examining childhood experiences and personality functioning as potential predictors for the speed of recovery during psychotherapy of patients with anxiety disorders.

Background: Adverse childhood experiences were previously identified as relevant risk factors for the development of anxiety disorders. Furthermore, anxiety disorders were shown to be associated with impairments of personality functioning. The objective of this study was to investigate adverse and protective childhood experiences as well as personality functioning, as defined by the Operationalized Psychodynamic Diagnosis system, as potential predictors for the speed of recovery during psychotherapy for patients with anxiety disorders.

Autobiographical memory following weight gain in adult patients with Anorexia Nervosa: A longitudinal study.

Background: Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) show overgeneralization of memory (OGM) when generating autobiographical episodes related to food and body shape. These memories are central for the construction of a coherent self-concept, interpersonal relationships, and problem-solving abilities. The current study aims to investigate changes in autobiographical memory following weight gain.

Clinical effectiveness of patient-targeted feedback following depression screening in general practice (GET.FEEDBACK.GP): an investigator-initiated, prospective, multicentre, three-arm, observer-blinded, randomised controlled trial in Germany.

Background: Screening for depression in primary care alone is not sufficient to improve clinical outcomes. However, targeted feedback of the screening results to patients might result in beneficial effects. The GET.

Thrown in at the deep end: a qualitative study with physicians on the purpose and challenges of discharge interviews.

Objectives: Against the backdrop of poor discharge communication in hospitals, this study explores the purpose of discharge interviews from the physicians' perspective and the challenges they are confronted with. Discharge interviews are legally required in Germany as part of the discharge management. Led by the ward physician, the discharge interview should summarize relevant information about the hospital stay, medication, lifestyle interventions and follow-up treatment.

The burden of substance use and (mental) distress among asylum seekers: a cross sectional study.

Background: Asylum seekers are a particularly vulnerable population due to a wide range of external stressors. Traumatic events and difficult social/economic prospects can lead to an elevated susceptibility for substance use disorders. The aim of the present study was to determine whether asylum seekers suffering from mental or physical distress present higher levels of substance use disorder (SUD) in a state reception center in Germany and whether there are identifiable risk or protective factors.

The relationship of climate change awareness and psychopathology in persons with pre-existing mental health diagnoses.

Introduction: Persons with pre-existing mental health diagnoses are known to be more vulnerable to the consequences of climate change, such as extreme weather events and rising temperatures. However, it remains unclear if this holds true for adverse effects of climate change awareness, too.

Methods:  = 89 patients of a psychosomatic outpatient clinic were assessed with well-established mental health questionnaires (PHQ-9 for depressive, GAD-7 for anxious, and PTSS-10 for post-traumatic symptoms) in their original form and in a modified version (PHQ-9-C, GAD-7-C, PTSS-10-C) specifically asking for patients' symptom load regarding climate change awareness, and instruments evaluating personality factors (OPD-SF, SOC, RQ).

An untapped potential: Curiosity in medical school.

Background: There seems to be a common perception among medical educators that curiosity is untapped or even subjugated in medical education. This review aims to summarize research on curiosity across the fields of psychology, neuroscience, and education and report its potential to advance medical education.

Methods: For this narrative review multiple online libraries were searched using variations of the terms and .

Exploring risk factors of drive for muscularity and muscle dysmorphia in male adolescents from a resource-limited setting in Burkina Faso.

In low-income countries, Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) has only been investigated in adult south African amateur-bodybuilders. To date, there is no epidemic study about MD or its cardinal symptom "drive for muscularity" (DFM) and its impact on young men's lives in African low-income settings. We analyzed a population-representative cross-sectional study of 838 adolescent males aged 12-20 in the rural northwestern Burkina Faso.

[Screening for mental distress symptoms among Ukrainian refugees in an initial reception center in Baden-Württemberg].

Objective: Millions of people are fleeing the war in Ukraine. Stressors associated with flight can have a massive impact on mental health. The aim of the present study was to perform a low-threshold screening for mental distress symptoms among Ukrainian refugees in an initial reception center in Baden-Württemberg.

Scoping review of climate change and mental health in Germany - Direct and indirect impacts, vulnerable groups, resilience factors.

Background: Climate change is a major threat to human health and has direct and indirect impacts on the human psyche.

Methods: To assess the state of knowledge on the impact of climate change on mental health in Germany, a scoping review was conducted for the focus topics extreme weather events, temperature increase, intra-psychological processing, sociological aspects, and resilience factors. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria of the searches in the databases Academic Search Complete, CINAHL, PubPsych, PubMed, and PsychInfo.

Direct and indirect effects of adverse and protective childhood experiences on symptom improvement in psychotherapy.

To investigate the effects of adverse and protective childhood experiences on symptom improvement in outpatient psychotherapy. We evaluated  = 648 completed outpatient psychodynamic psychotherapies. First, we estimated the rate of symptom improvement for each patient using a two-stage hierarchical linear model.

Tutors´ and Students' Agreement on Social and Cognitive Congruence in a Sonography Peer-assisted-learning Scenario.

Purpose: Peer-assisted learning has become an integral part within medical education and has been proven to be effective in teaching medical skills. Cognitive and social congruence are important factors that explain the effectiveness of peer-assisted learning. However, although theory suggests this, there is no study to date that demonstrates that students and tutors agree upon the level of cognitive and social congruence.