Papers by Olivera Vukovic
Psychosomatic Medicine, Sep 1, 2012
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Engrami, 2008
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Psychiatria Danubina, Jul 8, 2019
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Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
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Background: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was followed by the widespread proliferation of... more Background: The outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic was followed by the widespread proliferation of conspiracy beliefs (CBs) regarding the origin and harmfulness of the virus and a high level of hesitancy and resistance to vaccination. We aimed to test a series of hypotheses on the correlates of CBs and vaccination. Methods: The sample (N=1203), was based on a multistage probabilistic household sampling designed to represent the general population of Serbia. We investigated correlates of CBs and vaccination, including socio-demographic factors, personality (HEXACO + Disintegration trait), somatic health, stressful experiences during pandemics (i.e. Covid-19 related and other threatening events), and psychological distress. The subjects were randomly split into two approximately equal subgroups, enabling cross-validation of the findings. Based on the significant regression predictors found in the exploratory, the SEM model was tested in the confirmatory subsample. Results: The SEM mode...
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Srpski medicinski casopis Lekarske komore, 2021
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Aim. The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with an increase in mental disorders and mental dist... more Aim. The Covid-19 pandemic may be associated with an increase in mental disorders and mental distress. However, there are no representative studies testing the impact of stressors directly related to Covid-19. We aimed to determine whether Covid-19 related stressors were associated with mental disorders and mental distress in the second year of the pandemic.Method. This cross-sectional observational epidemiological survey was conducted from June to October 2021. We interviewed a representative sample of the adult population in Serbia (18-65 years) in the second year of the pandemic, at a time when large parts of the population had been affected by the pandemic in different ways. Multistage probabilistic household sampling of the adult population in 60 municipalities was used. Mental disorders were assessed by in-person interviews using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview and depression and anxiety symptoms were self-rated on the PHQ-9 and GAD-7. Covid-19 related stress...
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Supplemental Material, sj-doc-1-her-10.1177_19375867211007941 for Development of Evidence-Based R... more Supplemental Material, sj-doc-1-her-10.1177_19375867211007941 for Development of Evidence-Based Rehabilitation Practice in Botanical Garden for People With Mental Health Disorders by Maja Vujcic Trkulja, Jelena Tomicevic-Dubljevic, Dusica Lecic Tosevski, Olivera Vukovic and Oliver Toskovic in HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal
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Objective: The authors present a review of results from studies regarding mental health of medica... more Objective: The authors present a review of results from studies regarding mental health of medical students in Serbia. Methods: Serbian citation index (SCI), MEDLINE, PsycINFO and Cochrane databases were searched, as well as conference proceedings, book chapters and reference lists. Results: The results of numerous studies conducted in Serbia show a higher overall psychological distress among medical students as well as that female students are more vulnerable to stress. The most common are stress-related problems, depression, self-harm and substance abuse. Although there is a high prevalence of depression among medical students in Serbia most of them do not seek help (70-80%). Conclusion: A better understanding of the characteristics of medical students who are prone to experiencing psychological distress is essential for developing mental health support programmes which could decrease the level of reported distress among this vulnerable group.
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Psychiatria Danubina, 2020
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Psihijatrija danas, 2020
No modern studies of the natural course of depression have been done since the nineteen fourties ... more No modern studies of the natural course of depression have been done since the nineteen fourties of the last century. A large number of depressive episodes spontaneously remit. Because of this, some psychiatrists call for more use of a therapeutic approach called watchful waiting, especially for milder forms of depression. At the Institute of mental health in Belgrade, from November 2019 until November 2021, a study in watchful waiting will be done. In this paper the methodology of the planned study is described.
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HERD: Health Environments Research & Design Journal, 2021
Aim: This article aims to make clearer, with supporting evidence, the clinical benefits of the na... more Aim: This article aims to make clearer, with supporting evidence, the clinical benefits of the nature-based rehabilitation program (NBRP) and the restorative values of visiting botanical garden for people with stress-related mental disorders. Background: Throughout the years, nature-based therapy has been acknowledged as a valuable rehabilitation practice that integrates specially designed natural environments and nature-related activities for people with mental health conditions. Subject and Methods: The comparative analyses of parallel conducted the NBRP at botanical garden and occupational therapy realised at the Day Hospital of the Institute of Mental Health in Belgrade included 27 participants divided into two groups. The data collection employed a mixed method combining a Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Scale and on-site observations. Results: The positive findings on the psychological recovery of the participants seem to be related to NBRP. The restorative potential of the g...
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BMJ Open, 2021
IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a prolonged impact on mental health (MH); how... more IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic is likely to have a prolonged impact on mental health (MH); however, the long-term MH effects of the COVID-19 pandemic remain unknown. The Serbian national survey—CoV2Soul.RS—was launched to document the MH status of the Serbian population following the COVID-19 pandemic and to contribute to an international evidence base about MH prevalence rates during different phases of the pandemic.Methods and analysisThis cross-sectional study was designed to collect a nationally representative sample (N=1200; age 18–65 years; estimated start/end—June/November 2021) using multistage probabilistic household sampling. Trained staff will conduct in-person diagnostic interviews. A battery of self-report instruments will be administered to assess the quality of life (QoL), general distress and associated protective and harmful psychological and societal factors. Analyses will be conducted to delineate the prevalence rates of MH disorders, how MH conditions and QoL ...
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Microscopy and Microanalysis, 2021
Methods based on the evaluation of textural patterns in microscopy, such as the “gray-level co-oc... more Methods based on the evaluation of textural patterns in microscopy, such as the “gray-level co-occurrence matrix” (GLCM) analysis are modern and innovative computer and mathematical algorithms that can be used to quantify subtle structural changes in cells and their organelles. Potential application of GLCM method in the fields of psychophysiology and psychiatry to this date has not been systematically investigated. The main objective of our study was to test the existence and strength of the association between chromatin structural organization of peripheral blood neutrophils and levels of self-perceived mental stress. The research was done on a sample of 100 healthy student athletes, and the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21) were used for the estimation of psychological distress. Chromatin textural homogeneity and uniformity were negatively correlated (p < 0.01) with mental distress and had relatively good discriminatory power in differentiating participants with...
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Medicine, 2021
Abstract Prompted by the need to measure the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 on main areas... more Abstract Prompted by the need to measure the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 on main areas of quality of life related to mental health (MH), the COV-19—impact on quality of life (COV19-QoL) scale has been developed recently. We measured how patients seeking face-to-face MH care perceived the coronavirus disease 2019 impact on QoL and how socio-demographic factors, stress, and personality contributed to QoL in this diagnostically diverse population. Patients aged 18 to 65 years (n = 251) who came for the first time to the outpatient units during the 6-week index-period (May 21–July 1, 2020) were included. The cross-sectional assessment involved sociodemographic variables, working diagnosis, personality traits (7-dimension model, including HEXACO and DELTA), stress (list of threatening experiences and proximity to virus), and COV19-QoL. The perceived impact of the pandemic on QoL was above the theoretical mean of a 5-point scale (COV19-Qol = 3.1 ± 1.2). No association between total COV19-QoL score, sociodemographic parameters, and working diagnoses was found in the present sample. After testing whether positional (threatening experiences), or dispositional (personality) factors were predominant in the perceived impact of COV-19 on QoL, significant predictors of the outcome were personality traits Disintegration (B = 0.52; P < .01) and Emotionality (B = 0.18; P < .05). It seems that pervasiveness and uncertainty of the pandemic threat triggers—especially in those high on Disintegration trait—a chain of mental events with the decrease of QoL as a final result. Present findings could be used to establish a profile of MH help seeking population in relation to this biological disaster, and to further explore QoL and personality in different contexts.
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Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 2020
Aims To examine the factors that are associated with changes in depression in people with type 2 ... more Aims To examine the factors that are associated with changes in depression in people with type 2 diabetes living in 12 different countries. Methods People with type 2 diabetes treated in out-patient settings aged 18–65 years underwent a psychiatric assessment to diagnose major depressive disorder (MDD) at baseline and follow-up. At both time points, participants completed the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the WHO five-item Well-being scale (WHO-5) and the Problem Areas in Diabetes (PAID) scale which measures diabetes-related distress. A composite stress score (CSS) (the occurrence of stressful life events and their reported degree of ‘upset’) between baseline and follow-up was calculated. Demographic data and medical record information were collected. Separate regression analyses were conducted with MDD and PHQ-9 scores as the dependent variables. Results In total, there were 7.4% (120) incident cases of MDD with 81.5% (1317) continuing to remain free of a diagnosis of MDD. ...
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Psihijatrija danas, 2017
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General Psychiatry, 2019
BackgroundAnxiety disorder, one of the highly disabling, prevalent and common mental disorders, i... more BackgroundAnxiety disorder, one of the highly disabling, prevalent and common mental disorders, is known to be more prevalent in persons with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) than the general population, and the comorbid presence of anxiety disorders is known to have an impact on the diabetes outcome and the quality of life. However, the information on the type of anxiety disorder and its prevalence in persons with T2DM is limited.AimsTo assess the prevalence and correlates of anxiety disorder in people with type 2 diabetes in different countries.MethodsPeople aged 18–65 years with diabetes and treated in outpatient settings were recruited in 15 countries and underwent a psychiatric interview with the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. Demographic and medical record data were collected.ResultsA total of 3170 people with type 2 diabetes (56.2% women; with mean (SD) duration of diabetes 10.01 (7.0) years) participated. The overall prevalence of anxiety disorders in type 2 d...
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Psychiatria Danubina, 2019
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European Psychiatry, 2017
IntroductionTreatment with pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN-α) in patients with chronic hepati... more IntroductionTreatment with pegylated interferon alpha (PEG-IFN-α) in patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) is associated with depressive symptomatology more frequently than other inflammatory diseases treated with PEG-IFN-α.ObjectivesTo prospectively evaluate the onset, course and resolution of depressive symptomatology in CHC patients treated with PEG-IFN-α.MethodsHamilton depression rating scale (HAMD) was used to asses depressive symptoms in 103 subjects with CHC prior to initiation of PEG-IFN-α (mean dose 152.6 ± 25.6 mcg; duration of therapy 48 weeks) and at the follow-up visits (4th, 12th, 24th, 48th and 72th week). Control group consisted of 103 CHC subjects, without PEG-IFN-α.ResultsOur results showed a significant increase in HAMD scores as early as in the 4th week of PEG-IFN-a therapy compared to HAMD scores prior to initiation of PEG-IFN-α (38.8% vs. 24.3%). The peak of depressive symptomatology was evidenced in the 12th week (mean HAMD 9.34 ± 6.93), when almost 50% of ...
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Papers by Olivera Vukovic