Katarzyna Schier

Parentifizierung in der Kindheit und psychische Störungen im Erwachsenenalter

BACKGROUND Emotional parentification is considered harmful to a childs development. METHOD A total of about 975 patients were examined at a Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and in the practices of general practitioners with regard to childhood adversities. RESULTS Emotional parentification is a risk factor for 2 symptom groups: the patients with depression and the patients with somatoform pain. While the occurrence of depression is mainly predicted by maternal emotional parentification, paternal influences are also relevant in regard to the development of somatoform pain. CONCLUSION Emotional parentification is an important risk factor for the occurrence of psychological and somatoform complaints in adulthood. This is especially apparent in combination with further risk factors, such as low reported values for love, sexual abuse, or being raised without a father.

Back Pain in Poland and Germany: A Survey of Prevalence and Association with Demographic Characters

Background. Back pain is the most common form of pain and leads to high costs in all medical care systems. Objective. The present study examines the prevalence of back pain and its associations with some basic demographics. Methods. Two samples from Poland and Germany (about n = 500 each) were examined via Internet regarding back pain, gender, age, and body mass index (BMI). Results. Back pain is more common in women than in men (risk ratio about 1.7), and a high BMI constitutes an additional risk factor. Age was not related to back pain prevalence. Conclusion. Congruent results in two countries based on the same measure of back pain lead to the assumption that much of the variety found in estimates of back pain are due to inconsistent assessment. For future research, a definition of common criteria on how to assess back pain would be an asset.

Temperament traits, social support, and trauma symptoms among HIV/AIDS and chronic pain patients

The main goal of our study was to investigate and compare the relationship between temperament traits postulated by the Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT) and social support dimensions with the level of trauma symptoms, as appear in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in an HIV/AIDS patient sample [HIV+ (n=182) and AIDS (n=128)] and in patients suffering from chronic pain (rheumatoid arthritis; n=150). The level of trauma symptoms was assessed with the PTSD Factorial Version Inventory (PTSD-F), temperament was measured with the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour–Temperament Inventory (FCB-TI), and social support was tested with the Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS). Significant predictors of trauma symptoms among participants were temperament traits (emotional reactivity, perseveration, and sensory sensitivity), and social support dimensions (perceived support, need for support, support seeking, and actually received support). We also noticed significant differences between the levels of trauma symptoms, temperament, and social support between HIV/AIDS and chronic pain patients. The importance of trauma symptoms, as well as temperament traits and social support, should be taken into account in planning the forms of psychological support that should accompany pharmacotherapy for HIV/AIDS and chronic pain patients.

Childhood Neglect: Exploring a Short Questionnaire in Poland and Germany

Background: Estimates about childhood abuse and neglect in various countries of the world indicate that cases of neglect outnumber cases of abuse by far. However, childhood neglect itself constitutes a neglected domain in psychological and medical research; far more articles have been published about abuse. Sampling and Methods: A ten-item questionnaire assessing childhood neglect was administered to two surveys in Poland (n = 508) and Germany (n = 500) via the internet. Results: Internal consistency was high in both countries, i.e. Cronbachs α was 0.82 in Poland and 0.88 in Germany. No distinction could be made between physical and emotional neglect. Values for neglect were similar for Polish and German men, but German women reported more neglect than Polish women. Conclusions: The Neglect Questionnaire is suitable for research in both Poland and Germany.

Sex differences in trauma symptoms, body image and intensity of pain in a Polish sample of patients suffering from chronic pain.

Abstract The main goal of the current study was to investigate sex differences in the relationship between the level of trauma symptoms appearing in posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and intensity of pain in a sample of 300 Polish patients suffering from chronic pain, specifically rheumatoid arthritis and lower back pain. We also focused on participants’ body image with body esteem as a mediator. To assess the intensity of pain among participants, we used the Numerical Rating Scale. The level of trauma symptoms was assessed with the PTSD Factorial Version Inventory. To measure body image among participants, we used the Body Esteem Scale. The results of our study suggest that trauma symptoms and body image dimensions were significant predictors of pain intensity among men suffering from chronic pain. Moreover, trauma symptoms and age were significant predictors of pain intensity among women suffering from chronic pain. Finally, we demonstrated that sex differentiates the reaction to chronic pain.

Pain intensity, temperament traits and social support as determinants of trauma symptoms in patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis and low‐back pain

The main goal of our study was to investigate the relationship between age, duration of pain, pain intensity, temperament traits as postulated by the Regulative Theory of Temperament (RTT), social support dimensions and the level of trauma symptoms, as appear in post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of 300 patients suffering from chronic pain in two groups comprised of 150 patients with a clinical diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and 150 patients with a clinical diagnosis of low‐back pain (LBP). They were analyzed together as a one group of 300 patients with chronic pain.

Childhood Adversities and Adult Headache in Poland and Germany.

Objective Various childhood adversities have been found to be associated with chronic pain in adulthood. However, associations were moderate in most studies, i.e. odds ratios (OR) were between one and two. Method An internet survey was performed in 508 Polish and 500 German subjects. A total of 19 childhood adversities were selected and their associations with headaches explored. Age, gender and country were included as potential confounders, as well as their two-way interaction with the risk factors. Results Two strong risk factors were identified. (1) A combined score for physical and emotional neglect showed an odds ratio (OR) of 2.78 (p < .002) to the frequency of headache in adulthood as a main effect. (2) Father having had chronic pain showed an OR of 4.36 (p < .001) with headache in adulthood for women, but not for men (OR = 0.86, p < .556). The majority of the examined childhood adversities were not associated with adult headache, neither when tested individually nor as a sum score. Conclusion This study confirms results from previous ones that childhood adversities may play a role in the development of adult headache, but it is a rather minor one. Contrary to other studies, neglect turned out to be one of the strongest predictors.

Kindheitsbelastungen und Symptome der Sozialen Phobie und Agoraphobie im Erwachsenenalter

The role of childhood stress in symptoms of social phobia and agoraphobia in adulthood Objectives: Anxiety disorders are among themost prevalent mental disorders inmodern times. Childhood stress constitutes a risk factor for their occurrence in adulthood. METHODS In a sample of 1000 Polish and German probands recruited via the internet, we studied the associations of nine childhood stress factors (physical abuse, periodic harsh physical punishment, threat of physical violence, sexual abuse, neglect, long-term absence of a parent, violence between parents, arguments between parents and financial hardship) with later agoraphobic and sociophobic symptoms. RESULTS Especially neglect showed a strong association to both forms of phobic symptoms. Threat of physical violence aswell as periodic harsh physical punishment and threat of physical violence also showed an association to both forms of phobic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS The study revealed plausible associations for both forms of anxiety and various childhood adversities, though the amounts of explained variances were generally small.

The Body as an Object—a Sociocultural Perspective. the Study of Young Adults’ Narratives

The authors analyse the problem of the objectification of the body, searching for the cultural sources of this phenomenon, and try to outline the consequences of body objectification. When objectified, the body is treated in an instrumental, task-oriented manner, which implies that its value stems from its usefulness in achieving goals. The paper focuses on the ways in which young adults describe their bodies. In the study, responses to the question What does the body mean to you? were collected from 136 young adults. The obtained narratives were examined with the qualitative method of narrative analysis. The results indicate that the objectifying approach to body perception is clearly dominant in the participants’ responses in the following categories: a tool, a connector, a showcase, a machine and an object. The authors discuss some possible ways to change the dominant social metaphors concerning the body.

Psychological birth – the separation-individuation process among female Adult Children of Alcoholics

Abstract Introduction The research aims to answer the following question: What are the dynamics of the separation-individuation process (according to Margaret Mahlers theory) in women who are Adult Children of Alcoholics (ACoA) in comparison to women who did not experience a parents alcoholism in their childhood. The authors state that children of alcohol-dependent parents may experience relational traumas and this may inhibit the separation-individuation process. The study also seeks to answer whether there are relations between the severity of the difficulties in the area of separation-individuation and parentification (role reversal) in the past and in the present parentification of ACoA women. Method Research was conducted on 110 women (55 from an experimental group and 55 from a control group). The following tools were used to measure the variables: Children of Alcoholics Screening Test (CAST) by Jones and Pilat and the PATHSEP questionnaire by Lapsley for estimating the dynamics of the separation-individuation process. A questionnaire FRS-A (Filial Responsibility Scale for Adults) by Jurkovic and Thirkield to study levels of parentification was also used. Results The results of the study have shown that distortions in the separation-individuation process occur more often in women with the ACoA syndrome compared to women who did not grow up in alcoholic families. In the ACoA group the sense of injustice associated with parentification in the past was a mediator of the relation between difficulties in the separation-individuation process and current sense of injustice. Discussion and conclusions The analysis of the results of this study serves as a valuable guide for work with women who experienced a parents alcoholism in their childhood. It seems relevant that educational and therapeutic work with these women should include the component of regaining their intrapsychic and interpersonal individuality.