Student psychological helpline - challenges and (non)professional practice at the University of Szczecin

The article presents the current situation of problems faced by high school students in interpersonal relationships. The research sample includes 790 students in grades 10, 11 and 12 at 6 high schools in Hanoi. Research results show that the majority of high school students rate themselves as having few problems (difficulties) in interpersonal relationships. The most common interpersonal problems students face are related to lack of social skills, teamwork, and adapting to new (changing) social environments. Students also rarely have interpersonal problems with teachers. The survey results also found a number of factors that significantly affect the expression level of interpersonal problems of students. This result contributes to providing useful information in early recognition of problems in interpersonal relationships, and as a reliable database when developing educational solutions to improve students’ problem solving capacity in the interpersonal interactions.

Crack cocaine users frequently report difficulties regarding having healthy and rewarding relationships. Factors other than the use of crack cocaine itself may be at play when it comes to being able to develop healthier connections with partners, adult relatives and close friends. To verify which factors, including demographics, substance abuse related factors and psychiatric comorbidities could be markers for a higher severity of problems in interpersonal relationships of crack cocaine users seeking for treatment. This was a cross-sectional study, conducted between April 2011 and November 2012. Participants were 407 crack cocaine users seeking treatment in specialized public facilities of six Brazilian capitals. The relationship of severity of problems in the family/social area and the prevalence of psychiatric disorders, exposure to stressful events, substance use related factors and practice of illicit activities were explored through multivariate analyses. Number of days using crack cocaine in the last 30days, age of first time using alcohol and feeling its effects, a diagnosis of alcohol abuse, posttraumatic stress disorder, antisocial personality disorder and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder were significantly associated with a higher severity of problems in interpersonal relationships with partners, adult relatives and friends. Problems in interpersonal relationships are strongly related to specific psychiatric comorbidities and the frequency of crack cocaine use. Factors identified by this study can make the paths to recovery more challenging. These results support psychosocial interventions that focus in the improvement of interpersonal relationships of crack cocaine users.

Somatic diseases are the cause of physical and psychological distress, which necessitates the study of factors affecting on adaptation patients to the disease and its treatment.Materials and methods. At medical center “Asklepiy”during 2016-2018 years, observed 134 patients with dermatologicaldisorderswith chronic itching, divided on groups according the level intensity of symptom. A package of psychodiagnostics techniques was used to assess the psychological status of the subjects.Results. Targets of psychological help in psycho-emotional sphere in patients with chronic itching include anxious-depressive symptoms, somatization, hypochondria, decreased mental productivity, insomnia, high levels of aggressiveness, hostility, alexithimia, in behavior patterns – ineffective coping and psychological defense mechanisms, in the psychosocial sphere – problems in interpersonal relations and perception of social support.
 Conclusions. Patients with dermatological pathology with chronic itching require implementing psychological help based on a comprehensive differentiated approach.

Background: Guidance and counseling services in all higher education institutions cannot be overstated due to increasingly complexities of modern life that have placed heavy demands and responsibilities on students. This study tried to assess how Counseling Service Center of higher education institutions (HEI) can better serve students to be successful academically, socially and psychologically. Methods: Explorative qualitative research was conducted in higher education institutions students. Accordingly, 12 club representatives and secretaries were selected from four campuses purposively. Totally 48 participants for focus group discussion(FGD) were conducted with each two club representatives such as academic, gender, welfare, peace, students council and discipline clubs. The collected data were analyzed qualitatively on thematic basis. Results: The most commonly observed problems in the campus were: academic (study skill, time management and career counseling need), psychological (stress, anxiety, depression drug addiction, sexual related problems, suicide, and loneliness (homesickness)) and interpersonal relationship (lack of conflict management skill, violence handling, discrimination, assertiveness, communication) problems. Conclusion: Students academic, psychological and interpersonal relationship problems can bring about academic failure among higher education institutions students. The respondents suggested that academic and psychological problems needs more attention to intervene for students’ academic success

ABSTRACTThe Japanese government has made efforts towards the advancement of women into society; thereby, the proportion of female managers has been increasing. Recent reports have shown that managers tend to be in poor health condition. However, little research has been conducted to examine the psychological health of female managers. Therefore, the aim of our study was to reveal the difference of psychological distress by occupational position in female workers with focus on occupational stress.A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 2017 via an anonymous, self-administered questionnaire distributed to workers in Tsukuba City, Japan. Student unpaired t test was used to compare occupational stress and psychological distress by occupational position. Binomial logistic regressions were used to analyze factors that affect psychological distress separately in managers and non-managers.A total of 1543 women (168 managers, 1375 non-managers) were analyzed. Managers showed higher occupational stress but lower psychological distress than non-managers. Problems in interpersonal relationships was positively associated with psychological distress, whereas occupation as a researcher/academic was negatively associated with psychological distress in managers. Mental workload and problems in interpersonal relationships were positively associated with psychological distress, whereas reward from work and support were negatively associated with psychological distress in non-managers. Managers and non-managers both showed an association between psychological distress and problems of interpersonal relationships. Non-managers might have higher psychological distress due to lower reward from work. It is important to increase reward from work and to develop female workers’ interpersonal skills in order to reduce the psychological distress of female workers.

Children of alcoholic parents can develop problems in interpersonal relationships as a response to impaired parental functions. Sometimes these can be alleviated through short term supportive educative counseling. However, if the relationship style has become so impaired as to be dysfunctional, the child may need more intensive treatment. If treatment is needed, it should include the educative counseling and other ingredients common to all therapeutic intervention with children of alcoholics. In addition, the child's own behavior needs to be closely examined and interpretations need to be made to correct the faulty relationship style. Treatment with children of alcoholic parents presents a number of issues for the therapist that are not as likely to arise with children from non-alcoholic homes. These issues include the parent's role in treatment and how the drinking affects the child. By understanding how the child's problems in interpersonal relationships can be a response to impaired parental f...

Background: The decade between the ages of 14 and 25 is a particularly vulnerable period for the development of mental health problems, especially of common mental disorders. Mental health and psychosocial prevention and support services for young people in the Republic of Georgia have been extremely limited, leaving a wide treatment and care gap. Club Synergy was designed as an innovative, pragmatic solution that is responsive to the needs of young people and incorporates all necessary levels of care required (prevention, early identification & intervention, and treatment) into a single, trauma-informed service that uses a transdiagnostic approach. This paper presents preliminary findings from the pilot phase of establishing and running the service. Aim To examine the characteristics of young people presenting to Club Synergy and the effectiveness of contact with the service. Methods: Quantitative evaluation of a consecutive series of young people seen by Club Synergy between November 2019 and July 2020. Demographic information was analysed using descriptive statistics. Pre–post outcomes for anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Hundred and seventy-four young people were included. The majority (68.9%) self-referred, with referral from The Ministry of Justice due to conflict with law (23%) accounting for most of the other young people seen. Emotional disturbance (73.6%), anxiety (60.3%), problems in interpersonal relationships (57.5%) and low mood (49.4%) were the commonest presenting symptoms. Seventy-three per cent reported 4 or more adverse childhood experiences. After engaging in transdiagnostic modules, median baseline scores for depression and anxiety reduced by 40% and 45%, respectively, and self-rated health improved by 14%. Conclusions: Preliminary analysis indicates that Club Synergy’s trauma-informed model of care, based on a transdiagnostic approach, has the potential to provide an effective service to young people in Georgia at risk of developing and with mental health problems. HIGHLIGHTS This pragmatic study of a newly established mental health service for young people in Georgia suggests that a trauma-informed approach, using transdiagnostic modules, has the potential to effectively prevent and treat common mental health presentations.

The research focused on how the application of the project method in the educational process contributes to a deeper understanding of theoretical knowledge and the development of practical skills among students of technical specialities. In this study, an analysis of the effectiveness of design technologies in teaching the construction and maintenance of cars was carried out, which allowed assessing their impact on the development of theoretical and practical skills of students. It was found that the use of project technologies in teaching significantly improves the quality of students’ assimilation of theoretical knowledge and contributes to the development of practical skills. It was found that students who completed tasks in the form of projects better understood the principles of operation of automotive systems and were able to apply their knowledge in real situations. Practical work in the project format contributed to the development of critical thinking and the ability to make informed decisions, as participants were forced to analyse problems and find optimal ways to solve them. It was also found that the project method increased students' motivation to learn and encouraged them to independently search for information, collaborate in a team, and use modern diagnostic tools. Work in groups contributed to the development of communication and time management skills, which are important in professional activities. In general, the results of the study indicate a significant increase in the effectiveness of the educational process through the integration of the project method, which contributes not only to a deeper assimilation of theoretical knowledge, but also to the development of practical skills that directly affect the professional readiness of students of technical specialities. The results of this study can be used in educational institutions that train car maintenance specialists to improve training programmes and teaching methods

Introduction. Today, cognitive therapy is one of the main methods of the cognitive-behavioral approach in psychotherapy, which is one of the leading areas of psychotherapy in the world. Cognitive psychotherapy effectively fights patients’ emotional and personal problems based on the assumption that the causes of a person’s psychological problems lie in thinking errors. Students and young people in general are one of those age groups that, due to a number of objective and subjective reasons experiences special internal conflicts and difficulties. The purpose of the article is to identify the negative experiences of students and the use of cognitive psychotherapy techniques when working with them. Materials and Methods. The solution of research problems was provided by a set of complementary theoretical (analysis of scientific, methodological literature on the studied problem, comparative analysis, comparison, generalization) and empirical (testing, forming an experiment, calculation of rank correlation coefficient) methods. Results. The following problems were identified that are sources of negative experiences among students: problems associated with professional identification; problems associated with disappointment in the chosen specialty; problems in interpersonal relationships associated with avoiding intimacy; problems in interpersonal relationships associated with a strong sense of jealousy; a number of specific problems associated with specific irrational ideas or cognitive distortions. The developed training of rational thinking and recommendations for improving the processes of psychotherapy, psycho correction and psychological counseling, which can be used by the psychological services of universities, are presented. Discussion and Conclusions. The expected effect of the implementation of psycho-therapeutic work based on cognitive therapy techniques is to reduce the level of anxiety, negative feelings of students, increase their self-esteem, which creates a favorable psychological basis for educational activities. The provisions and conclusions create the prerequisites for further studying the potential of cognitive psychotherapy in the practical aspects of normalizing the psychological health of various social and age groups.

It has been often stated (e.g., 1 that we human beings live “in two worlds”: a world of biology and physical causes, to which our brain also belongs, and a world of meanings, symbols, discursive contexts and interpersonal relationships. Each of these worlds has its own processes and laws, which can be studied separately and have indeed been studied separately for several centuries. On the one hand, there is the domain of neurosciences, in which the brain has frequently been studied as a “biological machine”, isolated from social influences. On the other, there is the domain of social sciences, in which the world of human relationships has usually been explored ignoring brain processes, as if they were totally irrelevant 2. Psychiatry, and in general the issue of mental disorders, has been put in the middle by this dualism. Neurobiological and psychosocial views of mental disorders have confronted each other for many decades, not only in the scientific and lay literature, but also in the perception of people with those disorders, who often conceptualize their problems in either essentially biological or essentially psychosocial terms 3. The specificity of psychiatric expertise and the need for a specific psychopathological language and discourse have been often put in question, and psychiatry has recurrently been warned either to become a “clinical neuroscience”, replacing descriptive psychopathology by neurobiological and behavioral measures, because mental disorders are indeed “brain diseases” (e.g., 4), or to adopt a psychosocial paradigm, conceptualizing mental disorders in terms of understandable responses to adverse environmental situations or problematic interpersonal relationships (e.g., 5. That the above two worlds do exist, that they can be studied separately, and that they cannot be reduced to each other, or fully explained each through the concepts that are specific to the other, there seems to be no doubt. But that they are independent from each other appears today implausible. The existence of the world of meanings, symbols and interpersonal relationships in which we human beings are immersed is only made possible by the complexity of our brains. The brain processes involved in the implementation of several aspects of social behavior (for instance, the generation and reception of facial and non-facial social signals; the perception and understanding of others' mental states; the self-regulation of emotions in social contexts; the development and maintenance of social bonds) are now being elucidated (e.g., 6-9. Furthermore, it is now clear that, not only brain damage or dysfunction can affect social behavior, but early social experiences can affect the development, structure and functioning of the brain, thereby conditioning the individual's subsequent response to social events (e.g., 10. Most mental disorders are likely to emerge from a dynamic interplay between the above “two worlds”, so that, not only neither neural dysfunctions nor problematic interpersonal relationships can fully “explain” those disorders, but even identifying what is “primary” and what is “secondary” may often be a useless and misleading exercise. This is why the interdisciplinary area of social neuroscience is of such a great importance and interest for psychiatry, arguably being the “basic science” which most closely fits the integrative nature of psychiatry as a clinical discipline. And this is how what has been for centuries a reciprocal disdain and sometimes a polemic confrontation between neurosciences and social sciences as applied to psychiatry may become now a fruitful interaction, generating new models and research instruments, as well as new intermediate phenotypes, and possibly contributing to overcome the current stagnation in the development of new psychiatric interventions. We human beings are “embodied subjects”, i.e. our existing as objects (or bodies, including brains) in a physical world and as subjects in an interpersonal world are inextricably interlinked 11. As a consequence, mental disorders require an interdisciplinary research frame (exemplified by social neuroscience) and an integrative clinical expertise (provided by psychiatry). The fact that we are “embodied subjects” is of course relevant not only to psychiatry, but to the whole of medicine. Physical diseases, even if unequivocally located in the body, may often have an interpersonal component in their determination, manifestations and course. This component may need to be recognized in clinical assessment, taken into account in management (as well as in interpreting treatment response), and explored through research informed by social neuroscience (e.g., study of reappraisal of aversive emotional events in people with cardiovascular disease). In this light, psychiatry may cease to represent an “exception” in the realm of medicine, and even become a “model” on which to reflect and from which to learn.

Interpersonal relationship in workplace becomes more and more important. It is almost impossible to finish all tasks and miossions assigned by the organization alone. Even in daily works, one has to spend a lot of time on communicating, negotiating, and cooperating with others to achieve the goals of the department or the organization. Therefore, enterprises should pay more attention on interpersonal relationship. Through understanding the factors that could affect interpersonal relationship, enterprises can reduce the opportunity to recruit employees may have poor interpersonal relationship in the future. Moreover, through controling these factors, enterprises can also reduce employees’ interpersonal relationship problems which are caused by these factors. Therefore, this research attempts to analyze the relationships between organizational cynicism, locus of control, and interpersonal relationsip, while achievement motivation as the moderator of these relationships. We use random sampling as the methodology. A total of 524 questioinnaires are issued, 194 effective and 26 ineffective questiuonnaires are collected with effective responding rate of 37.02%. We analyze the datas through t-test, ANOVA, Pearson’s product-moment correlation, and multiple regression. Empirical findings are as follows: 1. Significant difference exsists in organizational cynicism for employees with different domogrphic variables, such as education, industry, and department. 2. Significant difference exsists in locus of control for employees with different domogrphic variables, such as education, industry, and working years. 3. There is a significant negative correlation between organizational cynicism and interpersonal relationship. And organizational cynicism has significant impact to interpersonal relationship. 4. There is a significant positive correlation between locus of control and interpersonal relationship. And locus of control has significant impact to interpersonal relationship. 5. The moderating effect of achievement motivation is partial supported.

Problem: Medical student participation in research enhances appreciation of the scientific literature and the conduct of investigation, and may lead to an interest in academic medicine. Independent medical student research offers frequently overlooked opportunities to develop and assess professional practice abilities, including project design and implementation, interprofessional team communication, and time management. These skills, useful to physicians, are often challenging for medical students to master as they transition into clinical careers. To address this challenge, we designed and embedded interventional modalities into a highly mentored and longitudinal scholarly concentration component of the curriculum. Intervention: The Embark scholarly concentration program incorporates traditional research training with the development of professional practice skills essential for transitioning to clinical practice. The program includes individualized and just-in-time components enabling student access to information and feedback specific to their projects and development of professional practice skills. Context: The Embark program is a required longitudinal component of the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine undergraduate medical curriculum. The Embark program consists of courses that inform and facilitate a required longitudinal independent research project. Outcome: A retrospective evaluation of the Embark program’s success with development of professional practice skills through the lens of both faculty and student perceptions included analysis of project records and course evaluation feedback. Evaluation of individual student development of transitional skill ability is possible through both quantitative and qualitative analysis of data collected from student project records. More than 80% of course evaluation commentary on strengths of the program addressed activities related to professional practice skills. To systematize the evaluation of these data sources, we have piloted a framework, iSAIL, designed to assess student development in these skills during the planning and conduct of a research project. Lessons learned: By developing professional practice skills in the context of a scholarly concentration program, medical students can build a foundation for future engagement in research while they develop skills to overcome challenges that they are likely to encounter in their clinical careers. Modalities designed to evaluate individualized student development of professional practice skills through research participation define program successes and may lead to the identification of additional resources needed by students. By offering medical students opportunities to develop professional practice skills within the protected environment of an independent research project, this scholarly concentration program provides a valuable opportunity to influence the early development of skills necessary throughout their clinical careers.

BackgroundBurnout among nurses is a global problem that results in increased turnover as well as decreased career satisfaction and poor nursing service. Previous researchers have suggested that anxiety is associated with burnout. However, the relationship between anxiety and burnout requires further investigation to clarify. How interpersonal relationships and coping styles influence this relationship remains to be further explored. Furthermore, the question of how the demographic characteristics of nurses predict burnout remains unanswered.AimsThis study aimed to explore the mechanisms by which anxiety affects burnout, to verify the mediating roles of interpersonal relationship problems and positive coping in the relationship between anxiety and burnout, and to explore the factors that can predict burnout among nurses.MethodsA total of 4,856 nurses were enrolled in this study. The ability of anxiety, positive coping, interpersonal relationship problems, and demographic factors to predict burnout were explored via linear regression models. The relationships among anxiety, positive coping, interpersonal relationship problems, and burnout were also explored by developing a parallel mediation model with the assistance of SPSS PROCESS 3.3 software.ResultsThe following factors can predict burnout among nurses: internal medicine ward (β=0.075 p<0.01), surgery ward (β=0.054 p<0.01), operating room (β=0.022 p=0.037), a number of night shifts worked per month higher than 10 (β=0.046 p<0.01), and possession of a master’s degree or higher level of education (β=0.03 p<0.01). Positive coping (β=0.029, 95% CI: 0.022 to 0.036) and interpersonal relationship problems (β=0.134, 95% CI: 0.118 to 0.151) mediate the relationship between anxiety and burnout.ConclusionThe results of this study reveal that nurses’ department, level of education, and number of night shifts worked per month are effective predictors of burnout. Positive coping and interpersonal relationships problems mediate the relationship between anxiety and burnout.

AimsSmartphone addiction is a new concern due to its progressive global usage. Since this phenomenon occurs in adolescents and young people, especially in students, causing many problems in interpersonal relationships, occupational and educational performances, evaluation of smartphone addiction in this population seems to be necessary. Accordingly, this study aimed to examine the prevalence of smartphone addiction in Tehran university students for determining the risk factors associated with this issue.MethodsThis analytical cross-sectional survey was carried out on university students in Tehran between 2016–2018. A study sample of 382 students from various faculties of Tehran universities was chosen by random multi-stage cluster sampling. The participants simultaneously completed a researcher-made questionnaire on demographic characteristics and risk factors, the Smartphone Addiction Scale (SAS), and Young's Internet Addiction Test (IAT). After checking the smartphone addiction questionnaire, smartphone-addicted individuals were identified, and a comparison with the non-addicted group was performed in terms of risk factors.In this study, the participants were given written consent forms. Questionnaires were anonymous and the information was kept confidential. This study was registered at the Ethics Committee of Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences with a code of 1395,309.ResultsOur findings indicated that the frequency of smartphone addiction was 28.8%. The frequency of smartphone addiction in women (32.5%) was higher than that in men (23%) (p = 0.04). The highest incidence of smartphone addiction occurred in the age range of less than 20 while the lowest was found above the age of 40. (P = 0.001). The prevalence of smartphone addiction in the single population was 34.1% Vs 16.1% in married. (P = 0.000) The most prominent educational field of smartphone addicts was technical and engineering. (P = 0.007). Smartphone addiction was significantly more in internet service and social networking users. (P = 0.025) There was a significant relationship between the history of psychiatric illness and smartphone addiction. (P = 0.035) The most common psychiatric diseases were found to be obsessive-compulsive disorder (41.7%), followed by anxiety disorders. (33.3%)ConclusionSmartphone addiction has a significant frequency among university students in Tehran, associated with access to internet services and social networking. It was more common in women, single adults, and younger ages. There was a significant relationship between the history of psychiatric illness and smartphone addiction. The highest frequency of psychiatric illnesses in the addiction group was obsessive-compulsive disorder and anxiety disorders. No relationship was found between smartphone addiction and history of substance use, as well as smoking and alcohol.

Studies have shown that interpersonal relations at work are important for several health related outcomes. The aim of the present study was to investigate whether low social support, serious conflict, exclusion by superiors or by co-workers at work may be determinants of depression. In a representative Swedish cohort study data were obtained in two waves three years apart. 4,040 women and men who did not change their jobs between the waves were chosen for the study. Exposure and confounders were obtained at Time 1 and outcome, depression according to Bech's MDI at Time 2. Previous depression was controlled for by adjusting for depression at Time 1. Data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression analyses. Odds-ratios adjusted for possible confounders and depression at base-line showed significant effects for all four exposures on depression (adjusted OR, low social support 1.5 CI 95% 1.1-2.0, serious conflict 1.4 CI 95% 1.1-1.9, exclusion by superiors 1.6 CI 95% 1.2-2.1 and exclusion by co-workers 1.7 CI 95% 1.2-2.3). The present results support the conclusion that problematic interpersonal relationships at work can be determinants of depression. These prospective findings may be of relevance for prevention and when rehabilitating depressed patients.