Petr Okrajek

Somatoform dissociation and symptoms of traumatic stress in adolescents

Dissociation is traditionally attributed to trauma and other psychological stressors although there is evidence that in many cases dissociative symptoms could be attributable to initial brain insult, injury or other organic brain disease. With respect to these findings there is a question to which extent symptoms of somatoform dissociation are related to symptoms of traumatic stress or whether these symptoms may be predominantly attributed to various somatic factors. With this aim we have assessed the relationship between somatoform dissociation and symptoms of traumatic stress in a group of 75 healthy adolescents. Main result of this study indicates statistically significant relationship between somatoform dissociative symptoms and psychosocial stressors measured by symptoms of traumatic stress. Results of this study also show that the symptoms of somatoform dissociation may occur continuously in population and that only in high level of their experience they cause psychopathological states. In this context, result of this study suggests that also mild levels of stress influence somatic feelings that may lead to symptoms that may occur also as a consequence of various somatic factors.

Unemployed, employed & care-giving mothers: Quality of partner & family relations

A retrospective ELSPAC study (N = 2756) compared three groups of mothers of three-year-old children: 1) employed, 2) voluntarily unemployed, and 3) involuntarily unemployed, about the quality of their partnership and family relationships. The results show that the involuntarily unemployed mothers have the lowest quality of family life. In these families there is more conflict, disagreement and hostile communication towards the woman and child. Employed mothers also experience some family problems. Overall, those most satisfied with their family lives are the voluntarily unemployed mothers. There is more positive communication between partners, including sharing and intimacy in this group. The results were interpreted as stemming from the distress caused by involuntary unemployment, the double burden of the female role and gender role models in the family.

Persistence of conduct disorders and their relation to early initiation of smoking and alcohol drinking in a prospective ELSPAC Study

The important risk factors of early initiation of smoking and alcohol drinking are: prosmoking family and peers, conduct disorders and delinquency, poor academic performance. The data obtained by physicians, teachers and children were collected at the age of 11 years. Children were divided into group A (without symptoms), Group B (with one or more symptoms). For statistic analysis, the programme EPI INFO was used.During the period between 7 and 11 years, new children with problematic behaviour (178=3.9%) were diagnosed in Group A, while substantial decreasing of children previously included in Group B was seen (by 59.1%). Together 7.05% of 11 years old children visited specialists (psychologists) due to their conduct disorders: 6.8% from Group A and 12.3% from Group B. Children more often than their teachers reported the frequent occurrence of conduct disorder. About 20% of children smoked, and more than 40% had tasted alcohol. However, the differences between Groups A and B were not significant. Our prospective study has demonstrated the possibility of misinterpretation of behavioural outputs. Children with previous behavioural problems had not a higher risk for early smoking and alcohol use.