Demetris Hadjicharalambous | Frederick University (original) (raw)

Papers by Demetris Hadjicharalambous

Global Academic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2024

The present study aims to examine whether Cypriot professional social workers are satisfied with ... more The present study aims to examine whether Cypriot professional social workers are satisfied with their job and whether they have been affected by their work and/or have suffered from burnout symptoms.
Participants were 134 professional social workers, who consist about 25% of all professional social workers who reside and work in Cyprus. Participants completed a) the Maslach Burnout Inventory-MBI (Maslach and Jaskson, 1986), which examines the existence of burnout symptoms and b) the Job Satisfaction survey (Spector, 1985), which examines the degree to which employees are satisfied with various aspects of their work. Findings: Research findings indicate that 34.3% of the participants were emotionally exhausted from their work, 85.8% showed a lack of personal achievements, 52.6% had a high depersonalization from their work, 76.1% experienced burnout symptoms from their work and 38.1% of the participants were satisfied with their work. Based on the research findings, social workers’ sociodemographic characteristics are
significant factors in experienced burnout symptoms and job satisfaction.
Particularly, women social workers are more prone and more experienced of burnout symptoms. Married participants, younger age participants, and social workers with higher monthly income feel more satisfaction from their work, less depersonalization, and less experienced burnout. Applications: Professional social work bodies should seriously consider strategies and methods for addressing and minimising burnout factors in the workplace, which have serious impact in the quality of the provided services.

Medical Research Archives

Medical research archives, 2023

COVID-19 was a global pandemic and a mental health emergency posing long-lasting negative consequ... more COVID-19 was a global pandemic and a mental health emergency posing long-lasting negative consequences on people's well-being. Understanding coping responses that lead to quicker and more positive adaptation patterns after temporary adversity can help people return quickly to well-being. Our research aims to explore the role of self-compassion in predicting more adaptive responses, lowering anxiety levels and fear of COVID-19 contagion, and improving psychological resilience during the pandemic challenges. Relevant research findings confirm self-compassion and psychological resilience's positive contribution to the individual's problem-solving skills. Our research is quantitative with the use of two standardized questionnaires, namely, Neff's "Self-compassion scale" 18 and Smith's "Concise Resilience Scale" 28 (in Greek). Participants were 164 Greek and Cypriot subjects aged 18-65, and we collected data online by sharing the questionnaire's link on social media. Data analysis through the SPSS 25.0 showed high levels of resilience and self-compassion, moderate anxiety, and high levels of fear of COVID-19 contagion. Moreover, we detected statistically significant positive correlations between self-compassion and psychological resilience, and significant negative correlations between anxiety, fear of contagion, resilience, adjustment, and self-compassion, indicating that high levels of selfcompassion can predict high levels of resilience and be protective factors against anxiety and fear of COVID-19 contagion toward more adaptive responses.

British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies

Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices an... more Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices and how such practices may affect their family relations, their children’s social competencies, school achievements, and self–esteem. We examined a sample of 357 Greek-speaking parents (77.3% mothers and 22.7% fathers). We applied Young's (1998) Internet Addiction Questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and Kontopoulou's (2008) questionnaire to assess children's school performance and social competencies, their self-esteem, and family relationships. Our findings indicated that almost half of the participants are moderately addicted to the internet. Parental pathological internet use affects parental style and consequently impacts family relations and children's behavior. Gaining knowledge from the research data helps design and implement intervention programs to prevent and raise public awareness through psychoeducational information programs towards preve...

British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies: Health and Medical Sciences, 2022

Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices an... more Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices and how such practices may affect their family relations, their children's social competencies, school achievements, and self-esteem. We examined a sample of 357 Greek-speaking parents (77.3% mothers and 22.7% fathers). We applied Young's (1998) Internet Addiction Questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and Kontopoulou's (2008) questionnaire to assess children's school performance and social competencies, their self-esteem, and family relationships. Our findings indicated that almost half of the participants are moderately addicted to the internet. Parental pathological internet use affects parental style and consequently impacts family relations and children's behavior. Gaining knowledge from the research data helps design and implement intervention programs to prevent and raise public awareness through psychoeducational information programs towards preventing internet addiction.

The present study examines how Covid-19 and the imposed social/physical protection measures and r... more The present study examines how Covid-19 and the imposed social/physical protection measures and restrictions are related to parents' personal and social challenges in the Cyprus population. Furthermore, the study examines how these difficulties affect the psychosocial and behavioral well-being of parents and their offspring. Our sample included 296 parents of minors from six to seventeen years. Parents completed the Covid Impact Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Data analysis revealed that the Covid-19 perceived parental difficulties negatively impacted their personal and emotional well-being and affected children's emotions and conduct. When the Covid-19 perceived challenges affect parental well-being, then parents' communication with their children may become ineffective thus, increasing the possibility for children to develop emotional issues. Our findings reinforce the need to develop prevention programs to enhance children's and parents' psycho-emotional status.

Ι.Α.Κ.Ε. 8ο ΔΙΕΘΝΕΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ, 2022

Η εργασία ως μέσο βιοπορισμού, ψυχικής ικανοποίησης και ολοκλήρωσης κατέχει κεντρική θέση στη ζωή... more Η εργασία ως μέσο βιοπορισμού, ψυχικής ικανοποίησης και ολοκλήρωσης κατέχει κεντρική θέση στη ζωή του ανθρώπου. Μέσα από αυτή εξασφαλίζει τα απαραίτητα για την επιβίωσή του υλικά αγαθά και μαζί με αυτά αξιοπρεπείς συνθήκες διαβίωσης, όπως και ικανοποιεί τις πνευματικές του ανησυχίες, αναπτύσσει κοινωνική δράση και εκπληρώνει τις υποχρεώσεις και τους στόχους του ως άτομο και μέλος της κοινωνίας.
Εξαιτίας των συνθηκών που επικράτησαν τα τελευταία δύο χρόνια της πανδημίας, έχουν επέλθει ριζικές αλλαγές στο χώρο της εργασίας, όπως η αιφνίδια διακοπή της εργασίας και η αναγκαστική υπαγωγή σε πρόγραμμα στήριξης εργαζομένων μέσω επιδόματος, η αναγκαστική αλλαγή του τρόπου εργασίας (π.χ. εξ αποστάσεως) ή ακόμα και του τόπου εργασίας.
Η παρούσα εργασία επικεντρώνεται στις αλλαγές που προέκυψαν στον τρόπο εργασίας των επαγγελματιών κοινωνικών λειτουργών κατά τη διάρκεια της πανδημίας, όπως και στη διερεύνηση του βαθμού κατά τον οποίο αυτές οι αλλαγές απειλούν τις παρεχόμενες υπηρεσίες προς τις ευάλωτες ομάδες του πληθυσμού.

Cyprus is a nation of great history, old and new, that makes up a controversial and often stressf... more Cyprus is a nation of great history, old and new, that makes up a controversial and often stressful environment in which social work is practiced. The intent of this paper is to highlight the Cypriot context and discuss how the Global Agenda is integrated in it. Drawing on the key objectives of the Global Agenda promoting social and economic equalities; promoting the dignity and worth of peoples; promoting community and environmental sustainability; and, strengthening recognition of the importance of human relationshipsthe paper explores the challenges and barriers that social work in the nation faces in an attempt to promote the wellbeing and growth of communities, families and individuals. With consideration to the many and rich initiatives toward increasing social solidarity, collaboration and community engagement, the paper makes suggestions to overcome the challenges that prevent social work from fully committing to the agenda.

Social Science Research Network, Feb 28, 2021

The present study examines whether parenting stress relates to parenting practices that mothers a... more The present study examines whether parenting stress relates to parenting practices that mothers and fathers adopt, taking into consideration the parental sociodemographic characteristics and the number of children in the household. 245 Greek Cypriot parents (75% mothers and 25% fathers) took part in this survey. The average age of the parents was 38 + 7 years old. We applied the following two instruments: The Parents Αs Social Context Questionnaire (PASCQ), developed initially by Skinner et al., (1986) to assess the six parental dimensions of Warmth, Rejection, Structure, Chaos, Autonomy support, and Coercion, and the Parenting Stress Index (short form) (PSI-SF) to measure stress-levels associated with parenting of children younger than 12 (Abidin, 1995). Findings: Research findings indicated that parenting stress affects and predicts negatively the parenting practices that parents adopt. Furthermore, parenting practices were associated with children's socialization, wellbeing, nutrition, and psychological development. Positive parenting practices may be a protective factor for children and improve children's development and self-confidence. On the contrary, negative parenting practices and parental stress predicted a significant adverse effect on children's development and functioning and were linked to children's behavioral, social and emotional problems. Based on the research findings, parents' sociodemographic characteristics were significant factors in experienced parental stress and parenting practices. Particularly, the fathers' results indicated a more dysfunctional relationship with their children than those of the mothers. Participants with lower monthly income, unemployed participants, parents who resided in rural areas, and families with more than one child experienced more parental stress and applied more harsh and authoritarian parenting practices towards their children. Applications: The state should seriously consider strategies and methods for addressing parenting stress, which severely impacts the parents' and children's quality of life. To improve children's wellbeing, parental interventions may consider strengthening family functioning and reducing parental stress among mothers and fathers.

Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences, 2020

Journal of Psychology Research

International Journal of Social Sciences Perspectives

Social Education Research

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused feelings of desperation, fear, terror, anxiety while it has also... more The Covid-19 pandemic has caused feelings of desperation, fear, terror, anxiety while it has also brought radical changes in the quality of life and psychological health of people worldwide. The lockdown and social isolation measures due to the pandemic seem to have affected the working mothers' resilience, health, and quality of life. The purpose of this study is to examine how working mothers reacted during the Covid-19 pandemic and how the state-imposed quarantine affected their quality of life, their health, and their resilience. We designed and carried out a web-based survey in Cyprus with 208 participants, all working mothers. We administered two questionnaires, namely the World Health Organization Quality Of Life (WHOQOL)-BREF (WHO, 1998), which examines the quality of life, and the Self-evaluation Resilience Questionnaire (Resilience-Project EU, 2019), which assesses working mothers' resilience. The participants answered the questionnaires on the Internet platform En...

SSRN Electronic Journal

The present research examined the relationship between parenting practices and children's cha... more The present research examined the relationship between parenting practices and children's characteristics. Specifically, the study focused on the children's characteristics, such as age, gender, birth order, and family structure, which influence parenting practices and have an impact on children's family relations, school performance, social competence, and children's self-esteem. The sample consisted of 336 Greek-speaking parents who had children age six up to twelve years old. Most of the participating parents were mothers (77%), with an average age of 35,7 +5,18. A large majority of the participants (75%) were a part of two parents-family, and 25% were a one parent-family. Parents answered four self-report questionnaires: Α Personal Information Form (PIF) was used to collect information about family and children's characteristics, the Parental Acceptance-Rejection Questionnaire (PARQ-mother and father version), the Parental Authority Styles (PAQ) Questionnaire and the Children's Family Relations, School Performance, Social Competence, and Self-Esteem Questionnaire. Research results showed that children's characteristics (gender, age, and birth order) are significantly related to parents' parenting styles. Furthermore, the family structure (one or two parents - family) was statistically significant in parenting practices. As a result, parenting practices affected children's family relations, social competence, school performance, and self-esteem. Article visualizations:

Sexes, 2021

Migration in the Mediterranean region has increased greatly during the last years. Reports and st... more Migration in the Mediterranean region has increased greatly during the last years. Reports and studies reveal that violence and injuries among refugees and migrants is a common occurrence in the WHO Europe Region. Available literature indicates that sexual violence incidents take place: (a) during the migratory journey to the host country, (b) while in detention centers, (c) once migrants have reached their destination, and (d) during the period in which a woman is subject of trafficking. This manuscript explores how sexual violence against refugee/immigrant women is presented in the international literature; a narrative review of the literature was conducted on the phenomenon of migration in the Mediterranean area, and specifically on sexual violence of migrant women. In order to face the challenges faced by migrant women victims of sexual violence, the following policies are suggested by international literature: (a) offer emergency medical and health care to sexual violence survi...

This study examines the psychological impact of Covid-19 lockdown measures on Cypriots’ mental he... more This study examines the psychological impact of Covid-19 lockdown measures on Cypriots’ mental health and quality of life in Cyprus. The survey has been carried out in Cyprus with 464 participants. The sample includes 358 women (77%) and 106 men (23%). They were all given the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Life Satisfaction Inventory (LSI) and they were asked to answer the questionnaires on the Internet platform known as enklikanketa, from April 09 to April 20, 2020. This study identifies a major mental health burden on the general population during epidemic Covid-19. The results show that 17.1% of the general population experienced keener Social Dysfunction, 8.7% presented Severe Depression, 27.7% had Insomnia / Anxiety, 17.7% had Somatic Symptoms, 15.6% had mental health problems and 37.4% had a low quality of life. Evidence-based findings showed also that participants who have been working regularly and those who stayed home have been more affected and presented more notice...

SSRN Electronic Journal

The present study investigated the emotions, the daily life of the parents of children with physi... more The present study investigated the emotions, the daily life of the parents of children with physical disabilities, the effects that exist in the relationship of the couple as well as the importance of social support from professionals and from the wider family and friendly environment. The results of the research indicated that the need to provide social support to the families of children with disabilities is vital and is strongly highlighted by the qualitative research conducted in 36 families of children with physical disabilities. The need for social support of families with children with disabilities is more intense in the initial phase, when the child with disabilities is born, but also throughout of family life as well as in the particularity of upbringing, education, socialization of their child. Adequate family social support has positive effects on both family members (father, mother, siblings) and the child with a disability. Also, social support improves the ability of parents with children with special needs, develops their social skills and is related to the better functioning and well-being of the family. Aggravating factors that affect the emotions and daily life of the parents are the socioeconomic life of the parents, the long-term care of the child and the quality of the marital relationship.

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies

Governments worldwide have implemented strict physical and social distancing measures to prevent ... more Governments worldwide have implemented strict physical and social distancing measures to prevent contamination from the COVID-19 pandemic and flatten the epidemic curve. Recent findings show that university students have experienced increased anxiety and moderate-to-severe stress because of confinement measures (quarantine) (Husky et al., 2020; Islam et al., 2020). In Cyprus, universities switched to distance learning in mid-March 2020. The present research examined the social and academic challenges that university students are experiencing during the lockdown measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 virus. We focused on assessing the students' stress levels while they were trying to adjust to distance learning and while, at the same time, balancing their jobs with their studies. We considered whether they lived with or separated from their family and friends during that time. Our study is a quantitative study with a sample of 80 students from Cyprus and Greece who attend...

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

The onset of the infectious disease Covid19 originating in Wuhan, China, took over the world in D... more The onset of the infectious disease Covid19 originating in Wuhan, China, took over the world in December 2019 and was declared a pandemic in January 2020. Empirical evidence resulting from relevant research illustrated that the effects of the pandemic itself but also of the strict measures to contain the spread of the virus on the mental health and well-being of affected populations were just as unanticipated as the pandemic itself. Data led to the identification of six idioms of distress: (1) Demoralization and pessimism towards the future, (2) anguish and stress, (3) self-depreciation, (4) social withdrawal and isolation, (5) somatization, (6) withdrawal into oneself. Our research explores the psychological impact of the Covid19 pandemic on college students and their quality of life. The study took place in Cyprus with 356 young participants, whereas 256 were female (72%) and 100 were male (28%). They all completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 and the Life Satisfaction Inv...

Global Academic Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences, 2024

Medical Research Archives

Medical research archives, 2023

British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies

British Journal of Multidisciplinary and Advanced Studies: Health and Medical Sciences, 2022

Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices an... more Our survey aimed to investigate how online parental behavior affects their parenting practices and how such practices may affect their family relations, their children's social competencies, school achievements, and self-esteem. We examined a sample of 357 Greek-speaking parents (77.3% mothers and 22.7% fathers). We applied Young's (1998) Internet Addiction Questionnaire, the Alabama Parenting Questionnaire (APQ), and Kontopoulou's (2008) questionnaire to assess children's school performance and social competencies, their self-esteem, and family relationships. Our findings indicated that almost half of the participants are moderately addicted to the internet. Parental pathological internet use affects parental style and consequently impacts family relations and children's behavior. Gaining knowledge from the research data helps design and implement intervention programs to prevent and raise public awareness through psychoeducational information programs towards preventing internet addiction.

Ι.Α.Κ.Ε. 8ο ΔΙΕΘΝΕΣ ΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΟΝΙΚΟ ΣΥΝΕΔΡΙΟ, 2022

Social Science Research Network, Feb 28, 2021

Journal of Interdisciplinary Sciences, 2020

Journal of Psychology Research

International Journal of Social Sciences Perspectives

Social Education Research

SSRN Electronic Journal

Sexes, 2021

SSRN Electronic Journal

European Journal of Social Sciences Studies

JOURNAL OF SOCIAL SCIENCE RESEARCH

Σκοπός του προγράμματος ήταν η δημιουργία ομάδων εκπαίδευσης γονέων με σκοπό την ενίσχυση, στήριξ... more Σκοπός του προγράμματος ήταν η δημιουργία ομάδων εκπαίδευσης γονέων με σκοπό την ενίσχυση, στήριξη και ενδυνάμωση του γονεϊκού ρόλου μέσω βιωματικών εργαστηρίων. Μέσα από το ομαδικό πρόγραμμα εκπαίδευσης γονέων δόθηκε έμφαση στην κατάρτιση και απόκτηση δεξιοτήτων, ικανοτήτων σε θέματα επικοινωνίας, στη βελτίωση των γνώσεων των γονέων σχετικά με τις ψυχικές,
κοινωνικές ανάγκες των παιδιών σε κάθε στάδιο ανάπτυξής τους, στη ψυχοκοινωνική στήριξη και ενδυνάμωση της οικογένειας, στη συναισθηματική αποφόρτιση, στο χειρισμό επίλυσης συγκρούσεων,
στην οριοθέτηση παιδιών, στην αλλαγή στάσης και συμπεριφοράς των γονέων προς το παιδί τους και στην αποδοχή χωρίς όρια του παιδιού. Το πρόγραμμα απευθυνόταν σε γονείς οι οποίοι είχαν παιδιά ηλικίας 6-12 ετών.
Παράλληλα, δημιουργήθηκε μια Διαδραστική εφαρμογή (application) με τη μορφή παιχνιδιού σε πλατφόρμα Android για επιμόρφωση των γονέων. Η εφαρμογή έχει ονομασία «Parenting Game», είναι εύχρηστη, διατίθεται δωρεάν στην Ελληνική και Αγγλική γλώσσα προς τους γονείς μέσω του Google Play Store και μπορεί να χρησιμοποιηθεί από έξυπνα κινητά τηλέφωνα και tablets. Η εφαρμογή είναι βασισμένη σε θεωρητικές προσεγγίσεις της Κοινωνικής Εργασίας και της Ψυχολογίας. Μέσω του παιχνιδιού επιτυγχάνεται η επιμόρφωση των γονέων για την αναπτυξιακή και εξελικτική πορεία του παιδιού, η επίδραση του γονεϊκού ρόλου στα παιδιά, θεσμοί κοινωνικοποίησης παιδιού, όρια, πρακτικές συμβουλές, πρόληψη και αντιμετώπιση συμπεριφορών εξάρτησης. Η εφαρμογή προσφέρεται για όλους
τους γονείς οι οποίοι έχουν παιδιά και επιθυμούν να αναβαθμίσουν τις γνώσεις τους για το γονεϊκό τους ρόλο.