George Macarie - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by George Macarie
Journal of Adolescence, Jan 22, 2015
Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged a... more Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (M age ¼ 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries
European Psychiatry, 2013
Introduction: Full findings from the European Commission funded EU-NET-ADB study (Safer Internet ... more Introduction: Full findings from the European Commission funded EU-NET-ADB study (Safer Internet Programme) will be presented. Objectives: Empirical findings that elucidate the development of an internet addictive behaviour are still incomplete. This is also related to risk as well as protective factors of internet use. Here a process oriented approach to identify underlying conditions of an internet addictive behaviour was chosen. Aims: The aim of the study is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of underlying processes which lead to situation were internet addictive behaviour can evolve. Methods: In total 124 in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescents with an age of 14-17 year. Adolescents from seven different European countries
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Aug 1, 2014
A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N = 13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8-0.7) of 14-17... more A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N = 13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8-0.7) of 14-17-year-old adolescents was conducted in seven European countries
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017
Medical school students often experience emotional difficulties when handling the challenges of t... more Medical school students often experience emotional difficulties when handling the challenges of their formation, occasionally leading to burnout. In this study, we measured the prevalence of burnout and its relationships with perceived stress, perceived social support, and alexithymia in medical students from the largest academic medical community in Romania. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomized sample of 299 preclinical medical students at the University of Medicine in Bucharest. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires. In addition to the assessment of burnout prevalence, stepwise backward regression was used to establish which variables had the highest correlation to burnout components. Further, t-tests were run to assess gender-related differences. Overall, burnout prevalence was 15.05%. Perceived stress was found to be the strongest predictor of emotional exhaustion and lack of accomplishment, while the strongest predictors of depersonalizati...
INTED2019 Proceedings, 2019
Chronic suffering plays an important role in the current concerns of health professionals. The re... more Chronic suffering plays an important role in the current concerns of health professionals. The recent narrative medicine trend indicates the relevance of a new rapport between providers of services and the persons and the families involved. We investigate a possible analogy between models of relationship, as described by fictional texts analyzed by Umberto Eco in his “Six Walks in the Fictional Woods”, and stories developed by the narrative therapist and the person whose story is in the center. The analogy applies to the relationship therapistperson in narrative therapy and the relationship author - reader in a fictional text. We indicate a metaphoric presentation of this relationship, as it is depicted in the science fiction novel “Roadside Picnic” by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatski. The resulting thematic categories are: speed and completeness of the unfolding story, examples of metaphors in the story: the guide and the means of transportation, the audience of the story, the ...
This chapter considers the problematic of ethics in clinical research in the countries that are n... more This chapter considers the problematic of ethics in clinical research in the countries that are new in terms of implementation or building an adequate structure. The chapter intends to assess the extent to which the clinical trials performed in four former communist East-European countries considered the ethical norms into their research procedures. A framework of existing literature on ethics in clinical research, along with the regional context, is discussed in the next section. The methods section includes the instruments, sources, and procedures for data collection. The data analysis procedures and structure are further explained and grounded relative to the study main purpose. The next section includes the facts and figures on the presence of ethical requirements in clinical trials in the specific political and cultural background in a number of former European communist countries. Finally, a number of suggestions and recommendation are also discussed.
INTED2017 Proceedings, 2017
Revista Romana De Bioetica, Apr 30, 2015
The present study aims at highlighting the effects of introducing a supportive therapy interventi... more The present study aims at highlighting the effects of introducing a supportive therapy intervention to develop self-esteem. Thus, we analyzed a group of 142 patients with recurrent depression who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned into two study groups in equal numbers, following two different therapeutic interventions, namely: group A of 71 patients undergoing a 4-month social therapy program with a group session per week and a monthly social meeting consisting of techniques to strengthen the ego, positive reinforcement and selfvalorization, and group B, which followed the support group psychotherapy. Patients in both groups followed the specific psychiatric treatment. We used the Rosenberg self-esteem scales, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and SAS-SR for social adaptation. We found that the therapeutic intervention based on the development of self-esteem would have better results with respect to both self-esteem and social functioning dimensions than the intervention without this component. Regarding the level of depression, the intervention based on self-esteem development did not produce a statistically significant difference in comparison with the other group. Selfesteem score represents the predictor of the level of social functioning. Furthermore, the age of patients also has a predictive value on the response to therapy. In conclusion, self-esteem is a parameter of mental health that is worth considering when thinking about the social functioning of the patient, in relation to the level of depression and leading to the personal feeling of dignity.
Postmodern Openings, 2013
Our study addresses the relationship between life experiences, interpretations and the presumed s... more Our study addresses the relationship between life experiences, interpretations and the presumed somatic effects in terminal diseases, especially in cancer. The causes and the evolution of cancer were subject in the beginning to experiments and presuppositions, and only later the knowledge began to rely on experimental data and countless case studies. Beside the imperative need to find a treatment, there are numerous questions regarding diagnosis, early intervention or our capacity to do something to prevent the onset of this illness. These questions also include aspects as vulnerabilities, risks and psychological factors. One of the schools of thought that emerged was the psychosomatic medicine, who focused on the relationship between body impact of life experiences and attitudes. Considering this perspective, we searched for individual and social features, and the individual attitudes or beliefs that can be related with the onset or evolution of cancer in a number of cases. Our subjects were 7 patients, diagnosed with cancer, treated in the Palliative Care Unit in Municipal Hospital Pa?cani, Romania. They agreed to participate to the evaluation and to discuss openly their life experiences’ histories. Using a case-study design with qualitative and quantitative measures, our analysis suggest a relationship between characteristics of the lived experiences, personal responses (reaction) and the localization and the type of cancer involved.
Digital pathways: Growing into regular users and content creators The developmental progression o... more Digital pathways: Growing into regular users and content creators The developmental progression of Internet use was described as personal online journeys of exploration (digital pathways) starting in childhood with the use of simpler applications. By early adolescence, Internet use escalated and involved higher competence and engagement. Propelled forward by the discovery of social media, adolescents’ Internet use progressed in an explosive manner and adolescents described growing into regular users and content creators.
Revista medico-chirurgicală̆ a Societă̆ţ̜ii de Medici ş̧i Naturaliş̧ti din Iaş̧i
Computers continue to play a vital role in today's generation. The need for information about... more Computers continue to play a vital role in today's generation. The need for information about the effects of computers on their users also increases. The purpose of this study is to investigate how children and adolescents use a computer and to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of computer use on children's mental and physical health. The studied group of samples comprised 69 subjects, aged between 13 and 18 years, who answered to a questionnaire. The parents of the children also answered another questionnaire with the same subject. Data have been statistically processed using the program SPSS. The results were obtained about computer use and the pathological use was identified. Some children spend much time on computers, 4% more than five hours/day. 41% of the parents believe that the usage of the computer is favorable to the children's mental and physical health and development, 49% of parents believe that the computer may be harmful. 1.4% of the children had ...
ABSTRACT Excessive use and addictive behaviour have been reported in individuals globally and res... more ABSTRACT Excessive use and addictive behaviour have been reported in individuals globally and research has focused on that phenomenon these last few years. Is it true addiction? Where does it lead? How does it begin? How can it be limited? Are there “addictive” activities? These are questions that the European Network for Addictive Behaviour (EU NET ADB) survey aims to answer and so cast light on the controversial and important for public health, area of internet use in the adolescent years. It is so evident that we are facing a dynamic phenomenon that will be changing rapidly from year to year, and the present findings can only represent one specific time point. However, we feel that it will be a significant contribution to the current literature. Safer internet plus This project is funded under the Safer Internet plus programme 1 , a multiannual Community Programme on promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies.
The purpose of this study is to investigate how the computer is used by children and adolescents.... more The purpose of this study is to investigate how the computer is used by children and adolescents. The second goal is to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of computers use on children's mental and physical health. The studied group of samples comprised 439 subjects aged between 11 to 18 years old, who answered a questionnaire. Data has been processed
Journal of adolescence, Jan 21, 2015
Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged a... more Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (Mage = 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Netherlands and Iceland) and qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory. Considerable variability emerged in the way adolescents satisfied their personal needs online and offline, in the experienced impact from high online engagement and functional value ascribed to the internet, and in the self-regulatory processes underlying use. Variability in these discriminating processes was linked to adaptive or maladap...
Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 2014
A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N=13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8±0.7) of 14-17-y... more A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N=13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8±0.7) of 14-17-year-old adolescents was conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, and Iceland). The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Internet addictive behavior (IAB) and related psychosocial characteristics among adolescents in the participating countries. In the study, we distinguish two problematic groups: adolescents with IAB, characterized by a loss of control over their Internet use, and adolescents "at risk for IAB," showing fewer or weaker symptoms of IAB. The two groups combined form a group of adolescents with dysfunctional Internet behavior (DIB). About 1% of adolescents exhibited IAB and an additional 12.7% were at risk for IAB; thus, in total, 13.9% displayed DIB. The prevalence of DIB was significantly higher among boys than among girls (15.2% vs. 12.7%, p<0.001) and varied widely between countries, fr...
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
The present paper intends to highlight some aspects of computer and Internet use among adolescent... more The present paper intends to highlight some aspects of computer and Internet use among adolescents (accessibility, time spent, online activities and interests) related to demographic and individual characteristics in an adolescent sample in Iasi County (Romania). The 289 school students in the 10 th grade (15-16 year old) answered to a 52-item self-reported questionnaire. Data analysis shows easy access, widespread usage (85.1% of participants have a computer at home, 60% in their own room, and 94.8% have used the Internet) and relationship including a number of factors as parents' status, living area, school grades, first usage, and online activities.
EUROCON 2005 - The International Conference on "Computer as a Tool", 2005
The purpose of this study is to investigate issues related to computer use by school students fro... more The purpose of this study is to investigate issues related to computer use by school students from 11 to 18 years old including interference with social life and academic performance. The studied group comprised 205 school students aged between 11 and 18 years, who answered to a questionnaire. Data have been processed statistically with the program SPSS. The school children
Journal of Adolescence, Jan 22, 2015
Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged a... more Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (M age ¼ 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries
European Psychiatry, 2013
Introduction: Full findings from the European Commission funded EU-NET-ADB study (Safer Internet ... more Introduction: Full findings from the European Commission funded EU-NET-ADB study (Safer Internet Programme) will be presented. Objectives: Empirical findings that elucidate the development of an internet addictive behaviour are still incomplete. This is also related to risk as well as protective factors of internet use. Here a process oriented approach to identify underlying conditions of an internet addictive behaviour was chosen. Aims: The aim of the study is to enhance the knowledge and understanding of underlying processes which lead to situation were internet addictive behaviour can evolve. Methods: In total 124 in-depth interviews were conducted with adolescents with an age of 14-17 year. Adolescents from seven different European countries
Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking, Aug 1, 2014
A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N = 13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8-0.7) of 14-17... more A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N = 13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8-0.7) of 14-17-year-old adolescents was conducted in seven European countries
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2017
Medical school students often experience emotional difficulties when handling the challenges of t... more Medical school students often experience emotional difficulties when handling the challenges of their formation, occasionally leading to burnout. In this study, we measured the prevalence of burnout and its relationships with perceived stress, perceived social support, and alexithymia in medical students from the largest academic medical community in Romania. A cross-sectional survey was administered to a randomized sample of 299 preclinical medical students at the University of Medicine in Bucharest. Participants completed four standardized questionnaires. In addition to the assessment of burnout prevalence, stepwise backward regression was used to establish which variables had the highest correlation to burnout components. Further, t-tests were run to assess gender-related differences. Overall, burnout prevalence was 15.05%. Perceived stress was found to be the strongest predictor of emotional exhaustion and lack of accomplishment, while the strongest predictors of depersonalizati...
INTED2019 Proceedings, 2019
Chronic suffering plays an important role in the current concerns of health professionals. The re... more Chronic suffering plays an important role in the current concerns of health professionals. The recent narrative medicine trend indicates the relevance of a new rapport between providers of services and the persons and the families involved. We investigate a possible analogy between models of relationship, as described by fictional texts analyzed by Umberto Eco in his “Six Walks in the Fictional Woods”, and stories developed by the narrative therapist and the person whose story is in the center. The analogy applies to the relationship therapistperson in narrative therapy and the relationship author - reader in a fictional text. We indicate a metaphoric presentation of this relationship, as it is depicted in the science fiction novel “Roadside Picnic” by brothers Arkady and Boris Strugatski. The resulting thematic categories are: speed and completeness of the unfolding story, examples of metaphors in the story: the guide and the means of transportation, the audience of the story, the ...
This chapter considers the problematic of ethics in clinical research in the countries that are n... more This chapter considers the problematic of ethics in clinical research in the countries that are new in terms of implementation or building an adequate structure. The chapter intends to assess the extent to which the clinical trials performed in four former communist East-European countries considered the ethical norms into their research procedures. A framework of existing literature on ethics in clinical research, along with the regional context, is discussed in the next section. The methods section includes the instruments, sources, and procedures for data collection. The data analysis procedures and structure are further explained and grounded relative to the study main purpose. The next section includes the facts and figures on the presence of ethical requirements in clinical trials in the specific political and cultural background in a number of former European communist countries. Finally, a number of suggestions and recommendation are also discussed.
INTED2017 Proceedings, 2017
Revista Romana De Bioetica, Apr 30, 2015
The present study aims at highlighting the effects of introducing a supportive therapy interventi... more The present study aims at highlighting the effects of introducing a supportive therapy intervention to develop self-esteem. Thus, we analyzed a group of 142 patients with recurrent depression who met the inclusion criteria and were randomly assigned into two study groups in equal numbers, following two different therapeutic interventions, namely: group A of 71 patients undergoing a 4-month social therapy program with a group session per week and a monthly social meeting consisting of techniques to strengthen the ego, positive reinforcement and selfvalorization, and group B, which followed the support group psychotherapy. Patients in both groups followed the specific psychiatric treatment. We used the Rosenberg self-esteem scales, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and SAS-SR for social adaptation. We found that the therapeutic intervention based on the development of self-esteem would have better results with respect to both self-esteem and social functioning dimensions than the intervention without this component. Regarding the level of depression, the intervention based on self-esteem development did not produce a statistically significant difference in comparison with the other group. Selfesteem score represents the predictor of the level of social functioning. Furthermore, the age of patients also has a predictive value on the response to therapy. In conclusion, self-esteem is a parameter of mental health that is worth considering when thinking about the social functioning of the patient, in relation to the level of depression and leading to the personal feeling of dignity.
Postmodern Openings, 2013
Our study addresses the relationship between life experiences, interpretations and the presumed s... more Our study addresses the relationship between life experiences, interpretations and the presumed somatic effects in terminal diseases, especially in cancer. The causes and the evolution of cancer were subject in the beginning to experiments and presuppositions, and only later the knowledge began to rely on experimental data and countless case studies. Beside the imperative need to find a treatment, there are numerous questions regarding diagnosis, early intervention or our capacity to do something to prevent the onset of this illness. These questions also include aspects as vulnerabilities, risks and psychological factors. One of the schools of thought that emerged was the psychosomatic medicine, who focused on the relationship between body impact of life experiences and attitudes. Considering this perspective, we searched for individual and social features, and the individual attitudes or beliefs that can be related with the onset or evolution of cancer in a number of cases. Our subjects were 7 patients, diagnosed with cancer, treated in the Palliative Care Unit in Municipal Hospital Pa?cani, Romania. They agreed to participate to the evaluation and to discuss openly their life experiences’ histories. Using a case-study design with qualitative and quantitative measures, our analysis suggest a relationship between characteristics of the lived experiences, personal responses (reaction) and the localization and the type of cancer involved.
Digital pathways: Growing into regular users and content creators The developmental progression o... more Digital pathways: Growing into regular users and content creators The developmental progression of Internet use was described as personal online journeys of exploration (digital pathways) starting in childhood with the use of simpler applications. By early adolescence, Internet use escalated and involved higher competence and engagement. Propelled forward by the discovery of social media, adolescents’ Internet use progressed in an explosive manner and adolescents described growing into regular users and content creators.
Revista medico-chirurgicală̆ a Societă̆ţ̜ii de Medici ş̧i Naturaliş̧ti din Iaş̧i
Computers continue to play a vital role in today's generation. The need for information about... more Computers continue to play a vital role in today's generation. The need for information about the effects of computers on their users also increases. The purpose of this study is to investigate how children and adolescents use a computer and to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of computer use on children's mental and physical health. The studied group of samples comprised 69 subjects, aged between 13 and 18 years, who answered to a questionnaire. The parents of the children also answered another questionnaire with the same subject. Data have been statistically processed using the program SPSS. The results were obtained about computer use and the pathological use was identified. Some children spend much time on computers, 4% more than five hours/day. 41% of the parents believe that the usage of the computer is favorable to the children's mental and physical health and development, 49% of parents believe that the computer may be harmful. 1.4% of the children had ...
ABSTRACT Excessive use and addictive behaviour have been reported in individuals globally and res... more ABSTRACT Excessive use and addictive behaviour have been reported in individuals globally and research has focused on that phenomenon these last few years. Is it true addiction? Where does it lead? How does it begin? How can it be limited? Are there “addictive” activities? These are questions that the European Network for Addictive Behaviour (EU NET ADB) survey aims to answer and so cast light on the controversial and important for public health, area of internet use in the adolescent years. It is so evident that we are facing a dynamic phenomenon that will be changing rapidly from year to year, and the present findings can only represent one specific time point. However, we feel that it will be a significant contribution to the current literature. Safer internet plus This project is funded under the Safer Internet plus programme 1 , a multiannual Community Programme on promoting safer use of the Internet and new online technologies.
The purpose of this study is to investigate how the computer is used by children and adolescents.... more The purpose of this study is to investigate how the computer is used by children and adolescents. The second goal is to explore the beneficial and harmful effects of computers use on children's mental and physical health. The studied group of samples comprised 439 subjects aged between 11 to 18 years old, who answered a questionnaire. Data has been processed
Journal of adolescence, Jan 21, 2015
Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged a... more Today adolescents are highly engaged online. Contrary to common concern, not all highly engaged adolescents develop maladaptive patterns of internet use. The present qualitative study explored the experiences, patterns and impact of use of 124 adolescents (Mage = 16.0) reporting signs of internet addictive behaviors. The focus was to discern adaptive and maladaptive use patterns, which promote or interfere with adolescents' development, respectively. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, Netherlands and Iceland) and qualitatively analyzed using grounded theory. Considerable variability emerged in the way adolescents satisfied their personal needs online and offline, in the experienced impact from high online engagement and functional value ascribed to the internet, and in the self-regulatory processes underlying use. Variability in these discriminating processes was linked to adaptive or maladap...
Cyberpsychology, behavior and social networking, 2014
A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N=13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8±0.7) of 14-17-y... more A cross-sectional school-based survey study (N=13,284; 53% females; mean age 15.8±0.7) of 14-17-year-old adolescents was conducted in seven European countries (Greece, Spain, Poland, Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, and Iceland). The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Internet addictive behavior (IAB) and related psychosocial characteristics among adolescents in the participating countries. In the study, we distinguish two problematic groups: adolescents with IAB, characterized by a loss of control over their Internet use, and adolescents "at risk for IAB," showing fewer or weaker symptoms of IAB. The two groups combined form a group of adolescents with dysfunctional Internet behavior (DIB). About 1% of adolescents exhibited IAB and an additional 12.7% were at risk for IAB; thus, in total, 13.9% displayed DIB. The prevalence of DIB was significantly higher among boys than among girls (15.2% vs. 12.7%, p<0.001) and varied widely between countries, fr...
Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2012
The present paper intends to highlight some aspects of computer and Internet use among adolescent... more The present paper intends to highlight some aspects of computer and Internet use among adolescents (accessibility, time spent, online activities and interests) related to demographic and individual characteristics in an adolescent sample in Iasi County (Romania). The 289 school students in the 10 th grade (15-16 year old) answered to a 52-item self-reported questionnaire. Data analysis shows easy access, widespread usage (85.1% of participants have a computer at home, 60% in their own room, and 94.8% have used the Internet) and relationship including a number of factors as parents' status, living area, school grades, first usage, and online activities.
EUROCON 2005 - The International Conference on "Computer as a Tool", 2005
The purpose of this study is to investigate issues related to computer use by school students fro... more The purpose of this study is to investigate issues related to computer use by school students from 11 to 18 years old including interference with social life and academic performance. The studied group comprised 205 school students aged between 11 and 18 years, who answered to a questionnaire. Data have been processed statistically with the program SPSS. The school children