New social identities in Ukrainian 'refugees': A social cure or social curse?

Experiencing traumatic events often drives profound post-traumatic stress (PTS), but trauma also has the potential to engender positive consequences, such as post-traumatic growth (PTG). Traumatic experiences may also lead to gaining new identities which can have both protective (i.e., social cure) or damaging (i.e., social curse) effects on health and well-being. This study aims to examine the role of new social identities and related social identity resources acquired after war-related experiences (i.e., identification with a new host society and identification as a refugee) in contributing to different trauma trajectories. The sample included 468 participants who left Ukraine due to the war that commenced on February 24th, 2022, and became residents of Ireland or Poland. The findings indicate that identification with the host society was associated with lower PTS and greater PTG. Whereas identification with refugees was related to higher PTS, but it was not directly associated with PTG. Further, the psychological resources derived from these new identities mediated the relationship between identification strength and PTG. This study offers practical insights for interventions targeting refugees in their new countries of residence.

Religious engagement and antibody response to the COVID-19 vaccine.

This research examined religious engagement and subsequent antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccine. Using publicly available data from the Understanding Society survey, we employed a longitudinal design. Between January 2016 and May 2018, respondents completed measures of religious belonging, frequency of attending religious services (i.e., extrinsic religiosity), and the difference religion made to their lives (i.e., intrinsic religiosity). A COVID-19 survey wave was collected in March 2021 and measured antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccine via blood draw. A final sample of 746 adults [462 (61.9%) females, Mage = 61.94, SD = 19.07] was achieved. Mediation analyses (PROCESS, Model 4; Hayes, Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach, The Guildford Press, 2022; Introduction to mediation, moderation, and conditional process analysis: A regression-based approach; The Guildford Press) revealed one pathway through which religion and antibody responses to the COVID-19 vaccine are associated, namely via extrinsic factors-attendance at religious services. In contrast, intrinsic religious factors which is the difference religion can make to one's life, was not a significant mediator. Overall, this analysis provides evidence that behavioural enactment of religion matters to the effectiveness of vaccination and the management of public health crises. It also highlights the value of social resources associated with engagement in valued social groups-and in particular religious social groups-for public health.

Factors Associated With Suicide Ideation in Lithuania and Poland Amid the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on many risk and protective factors associated with suicide. Aims: The aim of this study was to identify pandemic-related factors associated with suicidal ideation in the two European countries, Lithuania and Poland, amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: The sample comprised 2,459 participants in both countries; 57.2% of the respondents were female. The Mage of the participants was 43.45 years (SD = 15.91). Pandemic-related stressors and adjustment problems were measured to assess associations with suicidal ideation. Results: High levels of adjustment problems, loneliness, and burden due to staying at home more during the COVID-19 pandemic were significantly associated with suicide ideation in both Lithuania and Poland. Limitations: This was a cross-sectional online study with different recruitment approaches in the two countries. Conclusion: Adjustment problems, loneliness, and stressors related to staying at home more could be important targets for suicide prevention amid the pandemic.

Group identification attenuates the effect of historical trauma on mental health: A study of Iraqi Kurds.

Kurds have a long history of victimization and struggle for even the most basic rights. This is reflected in a widely shared belief, according to which they have "no friends but the mountains." Such difficult history may have ongoing negative impact on mental health of present-day Kurds. This article investigates the relations between cognitive availability of historical trauma, historical trauma symptoms, and negative mental health outcomes in a sample of young Kurds who live in the Region of Kurdistan in Iraq. We also examined the potential protective role of strong identification as members of a national minority (Iraqi Kurds) and as members of an ethnic group (Kurdish people in general). The results showed that tragic group history is significantly related to negative mental health outcomes among young Iraqi Kurds. However, strong identification with other Iraqi Kurds (but not with Kurds in general) had an attenuating effect on the link between historical trauma and present-day negative mental health outcomes. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

[Facial emotion recognition in patients with recurrent depressive disorder and patients with schizophrenia]. / Zdolnosc rozpoznawania emocji u chorych z zaburzeniami depresyjnymi i u chorych na schizofreni.

UNLABELLED: The ability to recognize emotion on the basis of facial expressions is an important component of emotional intelligence. Correct identification of facial mimics is a crucial element of nonverbal communication and it facilitates the processes of social cognition. The impairment of identification of facial emotion can contribute to i.a. deterioration in social functioning. Numerous empirical studies have proven that facial emotion recognition is disordered in schizophrenia and depression. The aim of the study was to compare the ability to recognize facial emotions between patients with schizophrenia, patients with recurrent depressive disorder and healthy controls. Moreover, the relation between scale of the impairment and severity of clinical symptoms was examined. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Participants of the study were divided into three groups: patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (n = 36), patients diagnosed with recurrent depressive disorder (n = 36) and healthy controls (n = 36). Facial emotion recognition was assessed in each group by using Emotional Intelligence Scale (SIE-T). Furthermore, the correlation between the performance in SIE-T and severity of clinical symptoms, assessed with Hamilton Depression Dating Scale and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was tested. RESULTS: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia were significantly impaired in SIE-T when compared with patients with depression and healthy controls. No statistically significant differences were observed between two latter groups. However, a correlation between performance and severity of depressive symptoms, as well as a trend towards a correlation between severity of positive symptoms and performance in SIE-T were observed. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with schizophrenia displayed the most severe deficits in facial emotion recognition of all three groups, and their impairment was independent from severity of symptoms. However, in depression deficits are related to severity of depression symptoms. The impairment of facial emotion recognition can significantly affect patients' social functioning.