Miro Jakovljević | University of medicine Zagreb (original) (raw)

Papers by Miro Jakovljević

Psychiatria …, 2009

Personality interacts with psychosocial variables, psychopathology and coping strategies of patie... more Personality interacts with psychosocial variables, psychopathology and coping strategies of patients with schizophrenia. Psychobiological model of personality is important for schizophrenia as temperament dimensions, except dimension Persistence, have been associated with different neurotransmitter systems. Comorbidity of psychiatric and somatic disorders and syndromes is generally associated with dimensions high Harm avoidance and low Self-directedness. Variations in other dimensions may also be important. High Harm Avoidance may represent state vulnerability marker for various psychiatric disorders and is associated with appearance of comorbidity in schizophrenia. High Self-directedness may be protective factor for development of various psychiatric as well somatic comorbidity states.

Psychiatria Danubina, 2008

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and metabolic syndromes are growing public heal... more Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and metabolic syndromes are growing public health problems in post-war countries. Understanding the co-morbidity among PTSD, depression and metabolic syndrome has an important clinical and theoretical issue. To examine the relationship between combat-related PTSD, co-morbid depression and metabolic syndrome as well as between severity of depression and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome and co-morbid depression were investigated in 100 male war veterans with combat PTSD and in 79 males who needed medical attention in dispensary of family medicine. Metabolic syndrome according NCEP: ATP III was found in 25 % of war veterans with PTSD. Metabolic syndrome was identified more frequently in PTSD patients with co-morbid depression (47.8 %) compared to those without depression (9.1%). PTSD with moderate and severe co-morbid depression was associated with higher rates of metabolic syndrome (78.6% and 90.9% respectively) in comparison wit...

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2012

Purpose Stigma is the most powerful obstacle to the development of mental health care. Numerous a... more Purpose Stigma is the most powerful obstacle to the development of mental health care. Numerous activities aiming to reduce the stigma of mental illness and the consequent negative discrimination of the mentally ill and their families have been conducted in Europe. Descriptions of many of these activities are not easily available, either because there are no publications that describe them, or because descriptions exist only in local languages. This supplement aims to help in overcoming this imbalance by providing a description of anti-stigma activities in 14 countries in Europe regardless of the language in which they were published and regardless whether they were previously published. Methods The review was undertaken by experts who were invited to describe anti-stigma activities in the All authors contributed equally to this text.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2014

It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates... more It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.

Psychiatria Danubina

Background: PTSD been recognized as a major problem in public health and has attracted an ever-gr... more Background: PTSD been recognized as a major problem in public health and has attracted an ever-growing scientific, epistemological and clinical interest. On the other side, PTSD is one of the most controversial diagnosis in psychiatry as well as in medicine in general.

Psychiatria Danubina

Differences in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression and function produced by gene polymorphism... more Differences in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression and function produced by gene polymorphisms are associated with several behavioral and psychiatric traits. Two polymorphic regions of SERT gene: a 44-base-pair (bp) insertion / deletion polymorphism in the promoter region (SERTPR), and variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in second intron (SERT-in2) have been characterized. In this study we investigated the frequency distribution of polymorphic variants of short (S, s) and long (L, l) alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of SERTPR, and SERTin2, in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and compared it with results obtained from the Croatian healthy population. one hundred and fourteen patients who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of MDD were included in the study. Comparisons were made with the results obtained for 120 healthy volunteers representing a mixed Croatian population. SERT genotyping was performed by the PCR (polymerase-chain reaction) method. The frequency distribution of L and S alleles and genotypes of SERTPR was not statistically different between MDD patients and control participants. The proportion of SERT-in2 short (s) alleles was significantly higher among MDD patients in comparison to healthy subjects (p = 0.04). "s" allele variant in the intron 2 of SERT gene could be associated with susceptibility to MDD.

... Patients with a history of severe neurological disorder as well as patients showing severe ma... more ... Patients with a history of severe neurological disorder as well as patients showing severe manifestations of hostility, megalomania, formal thought disorder and suspiciousness in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were not included (Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler ...

Psychiatria Danubina

Epidemiological studies suggest a strong heritability in schizophrenia. Positive family history i... more Epidemiological studies suggest a strong heritability in schizophrenia. Positive family history is the greatest risk factor for developing schizophrenia. However, regarding the genetic factors in schizophrenia, there is a lot of the inconsistency (i.e. non-replication) in the literature of the associations of different genes with schizophrenia. The presence of a single gene is neither sufficient, nor necessary to cause schizophrenia. The understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia is complex. Besides different gene polymorphisms, numerous environmental factors, interacting with genes, contribute to susceptibility to schizophrenia. Such factors include the use of street drugs, childhood head injury, maternal infection during pregnancy, paternal age at conception, stressful life events and urban upbringing. While knowing genetic risks, integrative psychiatry may have a role in reducing other modifiable risk factors, including reduction of stress level, stress management strate...

Psychiatria Danubina

Objective: To analyze trend the suicide rates in Croatia during the pre-war period of socialistic... more Objective: To analyze trend the suicide rates in Croatia during the pre-war period of socialistic Yugoslavia (1966-1990), war period in the former Yugoslavia (1991-1995) and the post-war period of Croatian independence and democratization (1996-2002). Method: Using official suicide statistics, this study examined suicide rates in Croatia over a 36-year span (1966 to 2002) as a function of gender, age, marital status, time, war and social changes. Suicide rates were displayed graphically and compared with some neighbouring countries (Slovenia, SCG, Hungary and Italy). Results: During the period of socialistic Yugoslavia, suicide rate in Croatia was constantly increasing with small variations. During the war time suicides with firearms were significantly increased. Since 1993 (the period of independence and democratization) there has been a trend of evident decrease in total suicide rate. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Croatia has still had high suicide rates with declining ...

Psychiatria Danubina

A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, ... more A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, development of PTSD is relatively rare, which is one of the reasons PTSD still remains a controversial psychiatric entity. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research on the role of personality traits in the vulnerability, resilience, posttraumatic growth and expressions associated with PTSD. Personality based approach represents a dimensional aspect of the transdisciplinary integrative model of PTSD. We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Complete from 1980 (the year PTSD was first included in the DSM) and 2012 (the year the literature search was performed). Manual examination of secondary sources such as the reference sections of selected articles and book chapters were also conducted. Most of the reviewed studies dealing with personality traits as vulnerability and protective factors for PTSD examined the relationship between b...

Psychiatria Danubina

Psychiatry is in the midst of the paradigm shift. The new field called theoretical psychiatry is ... more Psychiatry is in the midst of the paradigm shift. The new field called theoretical psychiatry is fundamental for further scientific and professional maturation of psychiatry at the twenty first century. The cross disciplinary interactions and transdisciplinary systems approach are of great importance in science and the paradigm shift.

Psychiatria Danubina

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia often co-occurs with chronic medical illnesses. Beside comorbid somatic... more BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia often co-occurs with chronic medical illnesses. Beside comorbid somatic illness, somatic symptoms appear as a result of side effects of antipsychotics during treatment of psychotic disorders, which may lead to certain diagnostic problems in deciding regarding the origin of such symptoms (somatic illness vs. side effects). The aim of this article is to review literature regarding comorbidity of psychotic disorders and somatic disorders and to point at possible diagnostic problems in differentiating comorbid somatic illness from side effects of antipsychotics. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of comorbidity of psychotic disorders and somatic disorders and possible diagnostic problems in differentiating comorbid somatic illnesses from side effects of antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: Co-occurrence of schizophrenia and somatic illnesses is frequent. Genetic factors, seden...

Psychiatria Danubina

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in peop... more BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in people with schizophrenia. Metabolic syndrome can contribute to significant morbidity and premature mortality and should be accounted for in the treatment of mental disorders. Along with results of numerous investigations regarding metabolic syndrome, different issues have occurred. The aim of this article is to review literature regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome and point at some issues regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders and in general population. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of metabolic syndrome, particularly diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders and in general population. CONCLUSION: Despite numerous investigations of metabolic syndrome, many issues remain unclea...

Psychiatria Danubina

The aim of this article is to report weight loss in patients with schizophrenia after switching f... more The aim of this article is to report weight loss in patients with schizophrenia after switching from olanzapine standard oral tablet (SOT) to olanzapine orally disintegrating tablets (ODT). In the first case report, the patient was switched to olanzapine ODT in daily dosage of 20 mg, while in the second case report, the patient was switched to olanzapine ODT in daily dosage of 15 mg, and weight loss was similar (14 kg vs. 15 kg). Switching patients from olanzapine SOT to olanzapine ODT treatment resulted in significant weight loss that was maintained during 12 months in both case reports. Further controlled clinical investigations are necessary to evaluate change in weight during treatment with olanzapine ODT, and to improve our understanding of this change.

Psychiatria Danubina

The cortisol/DHEAS ratio has been found to predict different health outcomes. We examined the ass... more The cortisol/DHEAS ratio has been found to predict different health outcomes. We examined the association between cortisol/DHEAS ratio and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The only subcomponent of MetS positively associated with the cortisol/DHEAS ratio was diastolic blood pressure. Possible reasons for this finding, as well as study limitations, are discussed.

Collegium antropologicum

This research aims to investigate differences in speech comprehension between children with speci... more This research aims to investigate differences in speech comprehension between children with specifi c language impairment (SLI) and their developmentally normal peers, and the relationship between speech comprehension and emotional/ behavioral problems on Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Caregiver Teacher’s Report Form (C-TRF) according to the DSM IV. The clinical sample comprised 97 preschool children with SLI, while the peer sample comprised 60 developmentally normal preschool children. Children with SLI had signifi cant delays in speech comprehension and more emotional/behavioral problems than peers. In children with SLI, speech comprehension signifi cantly correlated with scores on Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Problems (CBCL and C-TRF), and Pervasive Developmental Problems scales (CBCL)(p<0.05). In the peer sample, speech comprehension signifi cantly correlated with scores on Affective Problems and Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Problems (C-TRF) scales. R...

Psychiatria Danubina

Background: The occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is rather frequent among war vetera... more Background: The occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is rather frequent among war veterans, particularly those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding factors present within these individuals that increase suicide risk may inform prevention efforts. The present study aimed to determine whether the dimensions of temperament and character are associated with various aspects of suicidality among Croatian war veterans with PTSD. Subjects and methods: A sample of 72 Croatian male war veterans (mean age 52.33 years) diagnosed with PTSD was gathered at the National Center for Psychotrauma between May and October 2014. The participants completed the Temperament and Character Inventory - Revised (TCI-R) and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised (SBQ-R). Results: Zero-order analyses revealed that temperament dimension Harm avoidance and character dimension Self-directedness were moderately associated with the total risk for suicide (i.e., the SBQ-R...

Psychiatria …, 2009

Personality interacts with psychosocial variables, psychopathology and coping strategies of patie... more Personality interacts with psychosocial variables, psychopathology and coping strategies of patients with schizophrenia. Psychobiological model of personality is important for schizophrenia as temperament dimensions, except dimension Persistence, have been associated with different neurotransmitter systems. Comorbidity of psychiatric and somatic disorders and syndromes is generally associated with dimensions high Harm avoidance and low Self-directedness. Variations in other dimensions may also be important. High Harm Avoidance may represent state vulnerability marker for various psychiatric disorders and is associated with appearance of comorbidity in schizophrenia. High Self-directedness may be protective factor for development of various psychiatric as well somatic comorbidity states.

Psychiatria Danubina, 2008

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and metabolic syndromes are growing public heal... more Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and metabolic syndromes are growing public health problems in post-war countries. Understanding the co-morbidity among PTSD, depression and metabolic syndrome has an important clinical and theoretical issue. To examine the relationship between combat-related PTSD, co-morbid depression and metabolic syndrome as well as between severity of depression and metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome and co-morbid depression were investigated in 100 male war veterans with combat PTSD and in 79 males who needed medical attention in dispensary of family medicine. Metabolic syndrome according NCEP: ATP III was found in 25 % of war veterans with PTSD. Metabolic syndrome was identified more frequently in PTSD patients with co-morbid depression (47.8 %) compared to those without depression (9.1%). PTSD with moderate and severe co-morbid depression was associated with higher rates of metabolic syndrome (78.6% and 90.9% respectively) in comparison wit...

Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 2012

Purpose Stigma is the most powerful obstacle to the development of mental health care. Numerous a... more Purpose Stigma is the most powerful obstacle to the development of mental health care. Numerous activities aiming to reduce the stigma of mental illness and the consequent negative discrimination of the mentally ill and their families have been conducted in Europe. Descriptions of many of these activities are not easily available, either because there are no publications that describe them, or because descriptions exist only in local languages. This supplement aims to help in overcoming this imbalance by providing a description of anti-stigma activities in 14 countries in Europe regardless of the language in which they were published and regardless whether they were previously published. Methods The review was undertaken by experts who were invited to describe anti-stigma activities in the All authors contributed equally to this text.

The British journal of psychiatry : the journal of mental science, 2014

It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates... more It is unclear whether there is a direct link between economic crises and changes in suicide rates. The Lopez-Ibor Foundation launched an initiative to study the possible impact of the economic crisis on European suicide rates. Data was gathered and analysed from 29 European countries and included the number of deaths by suicide in men and women, the unemployment rate, the gross domestic product (GDP) per capita, the annual economic growth rate and inflation. There was a strong correlation between suicide rates and all economic indices except GPD per capita in men but only a correlation with unemployment in women. However, the increase in suicide rates occurred several months before the economic crisis emerged. Overall, this study confirms a general relationship between the economic environment and suicide rates; however, it does not support there being a clear causal relationship between the current economic crisis and an increase in the suicide rate.

Psychiatria Danubina

Background: PTSD been recognized as a major problem in public health and has attracted an ever-gr... more Background: PTSD been recognized as a major problem in public health and has attracted an ever-growing scientific, epistemological and clinical interest. On the other side, PTSD is one of the most controversial diagnosis in psychiatry as well as in medicine in general.

Psychiatria Danubina

Differences in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression and function produced by gene polymorphism... more Differences in serotonin transporter (SERT) expression and function produced by gene polymorphisms are associated with several behavioral and psychiatric traits. Two polymorphic regions of SERT gene: a 44-base-pair (bp) insertion / deletion polymorphism in the promoter region (SERTPR), and variable number of tandem repeats (VNTR) in second intron (SERT-in2) have been characterized. In this study we investigated the frequency distribution of polymorphic variants of short (S, s) and long (L, l) alleles, genotypes and haplotypes of SERTPR, and SERTin2, in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and compared it with results obtained from the Croatian healthy population. one hundred and fourteen patients who fulfilled DSM-IV criteria for a diagnosis of MDD were included in the study. Comparisons were made with the results obtained for 120 healthy volunteers representing a mixed Croatian population. SERT genotyping was performed by the PCR (polymerase-chain reaction) method. The frequency distribution of L and S alleles and genotypes of SERTPR was not statistically different between MDD patients and control participants. The proportion of SERT-in2 short (s) alleles was significantly higher among MDD patients in comparison to healthy subjects (p = 0.04). &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;s&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot; allele variant in the intron 2 of SERT gene could be associated with susceptibility to MDD.

... Patients with a history of severe neurological disorder as well as patients showing severe ma... more ... Patients with a history of severe neurological disorder as well as patients showing severe manifestations of hostility, megalomania, formal thought disorder and suspiciousness in the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were not included (Kay, Fiszbein, & Opler ...

Psychiatria Danubina

Epidemiological studies suggest a strong heritability in schizophrenia. Positive family history i... more Epidemiological studies suggest a strong heritability in schizophrenia. Positive family history is the greatest risk factor for developing schizophrenia. However, regarding the genetic factors in schizophrenia, there is a lot of the inconsistency (i.e. non-replication) in the literature of the associations of different genes with schizophrenia. The presence of a single gene is neither sufficient, nor necessary to cause schizophrenia. The understanding of the genetic basis of schizophrenia is complex. Besides different gene polymorphisms, numerous environmental factors, interacting with genes, contribute to susceptibility to schizophrenia. Such factors include the use of street drugs, childhood head injury, maternal infection during pregnancy, paternal age at conception, stressful life events and urban upbringing. While knowing genetic risks, integrative psychiatry may have a role in reducing other modifiable risk factors, including reduction of stress level, stress management strate...

Psychiatria Danubina

Objective: To analyze trend the suicide rates in Croatia during the pre-war period of socialistic... more Objective: To analyze trend the suicide rates in Croatia during the pre-war period of socialistic Yugoslavia (1966-1990), war period in the former Yugoslavia (1991-1995) and the post-war period of Croatian independence and democratization (1996-2002). Method: Using official suicide statistics, this study examined suicide rates in Croatia over a 36-year span (1966 to 2002) as a function of gender, age, marital status, time, war and social changes. Suicide rates were displayed graphically and compared with some neighbouring countries (Slovenia, SCG, Hungary and Italy). Results: During the period of socialistic Yugoslavia, suicide rate in Croatia was constantly increasing with small variations. During the war time suicides with firearms were significantly increased. Since 1993 (the period of independence and democratization) there has been a trend of evident decrease in total suicide rate. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that Croatia has still had high suicide rates with declining ...

Psychiatria Danubina

A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, ... more A number of studies have shown that although exposure to potentially traumatic events is common, development of PTSD is relatively rare, which is one of the reasons PTSD still remains a controversial psychiatric entity. The aim of this article was to provide an overview of the research on the role of personality traits in the vulnerability, resilience, posttraumatic growth and expressions associated with PTSD. Personality based approach represents a dimensional aspect of the transdisciplinary integrative model of PTSD. We conducted a systematic search on PubMed, PsycINFO, and Academic Search Complete from 1980 (the year PTSD was first included in the DSM) and 2012 (the year the literature search was performed). Manual examination of secondary sources such as the reference sections of selected articles and book chapters were also conducted. Most of the reviewed studies dealing with personality traits as vulnerability and protective factors for PTSD examined the relationship between b...

Psychiatria Danubina

Psychiatry is in the midst of the paradigm shift. The new field called theoretical psychiatry is ... more Psychiatry is in the midst of the paradigm shift. The new field called theoretical psychiatry is fundamental for further scientific and professional maturation of psychiatry at the twenty first century. The cross disciplinary interactions and transdisciplinary systems approach are of great importance in science and the paradigm shift.

Psychiatria Danubina

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia often co-occurs with chronic medical illnesses. Beside comorbid somatic... more BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia often co-occurs with chronic medical illnesses. Beside comorbid somatic illness, somatic symptoms appear as a result of side effects of antipsychotics during treatment of psychotic disorders, which may lead to certain diagnostic problems in deciding regarding the origin of such symptoms (somatic illness vs. side effects). The aim of this article is to review literature regarding comorbidity of psychotic disorders and somatic disorders and to point at possible diagnostic problems in differentiating comorbid somatic illness from side effects of antipsychotics. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of comorbidity of psychotic disorders and somatic disorders and possible diagnostic problems in differentiating comorbid somatic illnesses from side effects of antipsychotics. CONCLUSION: Co-occurrence of schizophrenia and somatic illnesses is frequent. Genetic factors, seden...

Psychiatria Danubina

BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in peop... more BACKGROUND: Metabolic syndrome and other cardiovascular risk factors are highly prevalent in people with schizophrenia. Metabolic syndrome can contribute to significant morbidity and premature mortality and should be accounted for in the treatment of mental disorders. Along with results of numerous investigations regarding metabolic syndrome, different issues have occurred. The aim of this article is to review literature regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome and point at some issues regarding diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders and in general population. CONTENT ANALYSIS OF LITERATURE: Literature research included structured searches of Medline and other publications on the subject of metabolic syndrome, particularly diagnostic and treatment of metabolic syndrome in patients with psychotic disorders and in general population. CONCLUSION: Despite numerous investigations of metabolic syndrome, many issues remain unclea...

Psychiatria Danubina

The aim of this article is to report weight loss in patients with schizophrenia after switching f... more The aim of this article is to report weight loss in patients with schizophrenia after switching from olanzapine standard oral tablet (SOT) to olanzapine orally disintegrating tablets (ODT). In the first case report, the patient was switched to olanzapine ODT in daily dosage of 20 mg, while in the second case report, the patient was switched to olanzapine ODT in daily dosage of 15 mg, and weight loss was similar (14 kg vs. 15 kg). Switching patients from olanzapine SOT to olanzapine ODT treatment resulted in significant weight loss that was maintained during 12 months in both case reports. Further controlled clinical investigations are necessary to evaluate change in weight during treatment with olanzapine ODT, and to improve our understanding of this change.

Psychiatria Danubina

The cortisol/DHEAS ratio has been found to predict different health outcomes. We examined the ass... more The cortisol/DHEAS ratio has been found to predict different health outcomes. We examined the association between cortisol/DHEAS ratio and metabolic syndrome (MetS) in patients suffering from bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. The only subcomponent of MetS positively associated with the cortisol/DHEAS ratio was diastolic blood pressure. Possible reasons for this finding, as well as study limitations, are discussed.

Collegium antropologicum

This research aims to investigate differences in speech comprehension between children with speci... more This research aims to investigate differences in speech comprehension between children with specifi c language impairment (SLI) and their developmentally normal peers, and the relationship between speech comprehension and emotional/ behavioral problems on Achenbach’s Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) and Caregiver Teacher’s Report Form (C-TRF) according to the DSM IV. The clinical sample comprised 97 preschool children with SLI, while the peer sample comprised 60 developmentally normal preschool children. Children with SLI had signifi cant delays in speech comprehension and more emotional/behavioral problems than peers. In children with SLI, speech comprehension signifi cantly correlated with scores on Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Problems (CBCL and C-TRF), and Pervasive Developmental Problems scales (CBCL)(p<0.05). In the peer sample, speech comprehension signifi cantly correlated with scores on Affective Problems and Attention Defi cit/Hyperactivity Problems (C-TRF) scales. R...

Psychiatria Danubina

Background: The occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is rather frequent among war vetera... more Background: The occurrence of suicidal thoughts and behaviors is rather frequent among war veterans, particularly those suffering from posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Understanding factors present within these individuals that increase suicide risk may inform prevention efforts. The present study aimed to determine whether the dimensions of temperament and character are associated with various aspects of suicidality among Croatian war veterans with PTSD. Subjects and methods: A sample of 72 Croatian male war veterans (mean age 52.33 years) diagnosed with PTSD was gathered at the National Center for Psychotrauma between May and October 2014. The participants completed the Temperament and Character Inventory - Revised (TCI-R) and the Suicidal Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised (SBQ-R). Results: Zero-order analyses revealed that temperament dimension Harm avoidance and character dimension Self-directedness were moderately associated with the total risk for suicide (i.e., the SBQ-R...