György Purebl

Semmelweis University | SOTE · Institute of Behavioural Sciences

Issue/problem Europe’s aging population presents substantial hurdles for healthcare sustainability. To alleviate the social and economic impacts of age-related diseases, promoting healthy aging is imperative. However, motivating individuals to adopt a healthier lifestyle proves challenging. Description of the problem Semmelweis University, a leadi...

Introduction Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a chronic disease that significantly impairs the quality of life, with a low (less than 50%) remission rate, the incidence of which is increasing and it appears at younger and younger ages. Objectives Our aim is to facilitate effective and targeted therapy for anorexia nervosa by identifying personality traits...

Introduction The incidence of eating disorders is increasing in Hungary and Central-Eastern Europe. The number of complex/severe cases is also increasing. Accordingly, several new unmet needs of the users and their relatives appear in the clinical care. Objectives As a possible response to these unmet needs, we have introduced a multifaceted care...

Introduction Exploring the positive psychological and behavioural dimensions of people living with mental disorders can establish a firm ground in a therapeutic alliance for setting up positive life goals. Objectives The present study aimed to explored whether the strength of the mental health capacities and the severity of mental disorder symptom...

Introduction The Mental Health Test serves as the operationalized, comprehensive measurement of Maintainable Positive Mental Theory which defines mental health (for either the non-clinical or psychiatric population) as a high level of global well-being, psychological, social and spiritual functioning, resilience, effective creative and executive fu...

Study question Does psychosocial intervention targeting better psychological adjustment increase the likelihood of treatment continuation among women pursuing assisted reproductive technologies (ART)? Summary answer After a psychosocial intervention, a robust amelioration occurred in distress levels, yet no notable change was detected in motivatio...

STUDY QUESTION Does the Mind/Body Program for Infertility (MBPI) perform better, due to certain distinctive elements, than a partly matched support group in improving the wellbeing and medically assisted reproduction (MAR) outcomes of women with elevated distress levels in a clinical setting? SUMMARY ANSWER While robust enhancements occurred in th...

The present study aimed to investigate whether the strength of mental health competencies and the severity of mental disorder symptoms, and their interaction, differ in the strength of their associations with several dimensions of well-being in Hungarian adult psychiatric and non-clinical samples. All respondent in the psychiatric sample (129 patie...

Within the paradigm of existential positive psychology, suffering has the potential to be transformed into a source of strength, an opportunity to experience deeper meaning, and a possible gateway to reaching a higher state of self-transcendence, connectedness, and empowerment. Drawing on prior work involving implicit theories, this chapter introdu...

Objective To determine if and which types of organisational interventions conducted in small and medium size enterprises (SMEs) in healthcare are effective on mental health and wellbeing. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, we searched six scientific databases, assessed the methodological quality of eligible studies using QATQS and grouped them i...

To assist psychiatrists and clinical psychologists to assess their patients' psychological immune competence-based capacities and resources, depending on the mental health disorder diagnosis and the severity of the symptoms, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample. The research was ca...

The present study aimed to investigate whether the strength of mental health capacities and the severity of mental disorder symptoms, and their interaction, differ in the strength of their associations with several dimensions of well-being in Hungarian adult psychiatric and non-clinical samples. All respondent in the psychiatric sample (129 patient...

The Semmelweis Study is a prospective occupational cohort study that seeks to enroll all employees of Semmelweis University (Budapest, Hungary) aged 25 years and older, with a population of 8866 people, 70.5% of whom are women. The study builds on the successful experiences of the Whitehall II study and aims to investigate the complex relationships...

There is considerable evidence that simple, cost-effective, non-pharmaceutical strategies can be readily implemented to improve outcomes in the treatment of depression. It is estimated that 4.4% of the world’s population suffers from depression. Despite being a major public health concern and the availability of both pharmacological and non-pharmac...

Background and purpose: The aim of the current observational study was to examine the level of adherence of Hungarian patients suffering from depression, using iFightDep­ression (iFD) guided online self-help tool with and without an extra weekly phone call support as well as identifying the predictors of adherence. Our hypotheses were: the addi...

Many individuals, both in the public and within the field of psychology, often perceive aging as a burden that negatively impacts intellectual and mental health. Our present study aims to challenge this notion by identifying the crucial components of positive mental health in later life. These components not only promote positive mental health but...

To assist psychiatrists and clinical psychologists to assess their patients' psychological immune competence-based capacities and resources, depending on the mental health disorder diagnosis and the severity of the symptoms, the present study examined the psychometric properties of the Mental Health Test in a psychiatric sample. The research was ca...

Psychotherapeutic interventions diff er from other health care interventions in many ways, thus the indicators of evidence-based medicine should be used with modifications when necessary. Implementation of a unified evaluation and quality assurance framework would aid the psychotherapy scene in having their intervention methods acknowledged by othe...

Objectives Increasing access to mental health support is a key factor for treating mental disorders, however, important barriers complicate help-seeking, among them, mental health related stigma being most prominent. We aimed to systematically review the current evidence for interventions focusing on reducing stigma related to mental health problem...

Positive psychology has been studying the flourishing among healthy people but neglected to understand how “optimal human functioning” can apply to the life experiences of a vulnerable person. We aim to verify the two-continuum mental health model on a clinical and a non-clinical sample in the light of the Maintainable Positive Mental Health Theory...

Positive psychology has fully examined the flourishing among healthy people but neglected to understand how “optimal human functioning” can apply to the life experiences of a vulnerable person. Considering methodological issues, this article gives a brief overview on how the conceptualization of mental health and mental disorders affects the consid...

Objective Stigma towards people with mental health problems is a growing issue across the world, to which healthcare providers might contribute. The aim of the present study was to explore psychiatrists’ attitudes towards their patients and link them to psychosocial and professional factors. Methods An online questionnaire was used to approach the...

Background: Depression is one of the leading causes of human misery and disability worldwide. For those fortunate enough to have access to the rapidly expanding World Wide Web, online self-help tools can guide those suffering from depression, with or without professional intervention, to better manage their symptoms and maintain some measure of se...

Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent mental health difficulties in the EU, causing immense suffering and costing the global economy EUR 1 trillion each year in lost productivity. Employees in construction, health and information and communications technology have an elevated risk of mental health difficulties. Most mental health interventi...

Introduction: The Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) is a frequently used questionnaire to measure the stigmatising attitudes of healthcare providers towards patients with mental health problems. Despite the widespread use of the OMS-HC, its latent factor structure has only been examined in Canada [1], Singapore [2] and I...

Background The Opening Minds Stigma Scale for Health Care Providers (OMS-HC) is a widely used questionnaire to measure the stigmatising attitudes of healthcare providers towards patients with mental health problems. The psychometric properties of the scale; however, have never been investigated in Hungary. We aimed to thoroughly explore the factor...

As suicide attempts pose major risk for future suicide death, understanding the underlying factors of suicide attempts and suicidal behaviour is an important mental health imperative. The aim of this study was to examine suicide attempts with a special focus on the intention. A total of 2540 discharge summaries were collected between 2009 and 2011...

The ‘European Alliance Against Depression’ community-based intervention approach simultaneously targets depression and suicidal behaviour by a multifaceted community based intervention and has been implemented in more than 115 regions worldwide. The two main aims of the European Union funded project “Optimizing Suicide Prevention Programmes and The...

Background: Within the intercultural milieu of medical pluralism, a nexus of worldviews espousing distinct explanatory models of illness, our research aims at exploring factors leading to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use with special attention to their cultural context. Methods: The results are based on medical anthropological fi...

In recent years, suicide rates in Hungary have been among the highest in the European Union. Attempted suicide rates in the Roma population are 2-3 times higher than in the non-Roma population. Since individuals making multiple attempts have a higher pro-bability of eventual death by suicide, and there are limited data on suicidal behaviour of the...

Background: General Practitioners (GPs) are well placed as gatekeepers for managing depression and suicidal ideation but not always well prepared. Capacity building has therefore been recommended as a useful strategy for suicide prevention. This study aimed to examine whether GPs' knowledge and attitudes towards and confidence to deal with depress...

Introduction Suicide rate in Hungary is among the highest in the European Union (2015: 18.9/100,000 inhabitant). Although there is no national registration system of suicide attempts in Hungary, according to previous studies Hungarian Romas have three times higher suicide attempt rate than non-Romas. Objectives The aim of this study was to explore...

Purpose: To evaluate how patient satisfaction after cataract surgery is associated with postoperative visual acuity, visual functioning, dry eye signs and symptoms, health anxiety, and depressive symptoms. Patients and methods: Fifty-four patients (mean age: 68.02 years) were assessed 2 months after uneventful phacoemulsification; 27 were unsatisfi...

The importance of eating disorders is increasing in the psychiatric practice, underlined by the epidemiological data and the severity of these disorders. In the treatment several approaches can be found, and some of these are controversial. Following the rules of evidence-based medicine an increasing number of guidelines were published. Eating diso...

Suicide is a major public health problem everywhere in the world and in the WHO European Region suicide accounts for over 120,000 deaths per year. 1. Recognition and diagnosis: An underlying psychiatric disorder is present in up to 90% of people who completed suicide. Comorbidity with depression, anxiety, substance abuse and personality disorders i...

Background: Many countries are developing suicide prevention strategies for which up-to-date, high-quality evidence is required. We present updated evidence for the effectiveness of suicide prevention interventions since 2005. Methods: We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library using multiple terms related to suicide prevention for studies publ...

Introduction: Complementary and alternative medicine have undoubtedly been gaining ground on the healthcare market, thus the vital question arises why patients choose these treatments, oftentimes at the cost of discontinuing the Western medical therapy. Aim: The aim of the authors was to investigate and scrutinize factors leading to the utilization...

Purpose: To investigate the associations between health anxiety, depressive and anxiety symptoms, and the severity of the subjective and objective symptoms of dry eye disease (DED). Methods: Participants completed the following psychological questionnaires: Shortened Health Anxiety Inventory, Shortened Beck Depression Inventory, and Beck Anxiety...

Within the framework of Joint Action on Mental Health and Wellbeing (JAMHWB) key national stakeholders of the following participating countries (Bulgaria, Denmark, Estonia, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Latvia, Netherlands, Sweden) were brought together to collaborate on the development of a status report and action framework in the thematic areas of...

Background: Depression incurs significant morbidity and confers increased risk of suicide. Many individuals experiencing depression remain untreated due to systemic and personal barriers to care. Guided Internet-based psychotherapeutic programs represent a promising means of overcoming such barriers and increasing the capacity for self-management o...

Fight against depression and suicide in Europe: evidence-based tools partly utilised. Results of JA situation analysis György Purebl, Tamás Kurimay Semmelweis University of Medicine, Budapest, Hungary Introduction According to the WHO GBD Study depression will be the second most frequent cause of disability by 2020. Although many activities and re...

Objective: To characterize a subgroup of arousal parasomnias associated with violent behavior in adults. Design: A pilot study on clinical and polysomnographic data of 13 adult patients seen in a tertiary sleep center for the suspicion of arousal parasomnia associated with violence. Results: Nine young patients (8 males 1 female) had a common...

Sleep and health are closely interrelated and sleep quality is a well-known contributor to perceived health. However, effects of sleep-timing preference i.e. morningness-eveningness on health has yet to be revealed. In this study, we explored the relationship between morningness-eveningness and perceived health in a sample of female working profess...

Background: The suicide rate in Hungary is one of the highest in the European Union, with a male-female ratio of 3.55:1. Suicide rates correlate positively with suicide attempts, for which depression is the most frequent underlying disorder. Aims: The aim of this qualitative study was to examine gender differences in suicide attempts, with a focus...

The suicide rate in Hungary is high in international comparison. The two-year community-based four-level intervention programme of the European Alliance Against Depression (EAAD) is designed to improve the care of depression and to prevent suicidal behaviour. Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a regional community-based four-level suicide...

It is widely believed that oppressive dreams are frequent in bereavement--despite the lack of scientific investigations of the subject. The aims of our study were the analysis of dream quality as well as the correlates of oppressive dreams in bereavement. Participants with (N = 473) and without bereavement were compared upon the database of a natio...

Az alvaszavarok a 21. szazad leggyakoribb betegsegei koze tartoznak. Nepegeszsegugyi jelentőseguk nő, hiszen az egeszseges alvas a testi-lelki egeszseg egyik legfontosabb indikatora (Taylor es munkatarsai, 2003, 2007). Az egyebkent is gyakori alvaszavarok kozott a leggyakoribb alvasbetegseg az inszomnia. Az iparosodott kulturakban a felnőtt lakossa...

A comprehensive assessment of psychosocial stress often poses significant challenges due to diversity in conceptualization of stress. Consequently, a number of instruments that measure psychosocial stress, its stressors, and its impact at the individual, organizational, and societal levels have been developed. This article aims to provide a brief r...

The statement that circadian rhythmicity is an important component of mood regulation as well as a drive of mood disorders is supported by a growing body of evidence. Diurnal rhythms of the positive and negative components of mood as well as of the level of arousal depend on the circadian phase, the homeostatic sleep regulatory mechanisms and the h...

Mirtazapine is an effective antidepressant with unique and special mechanism of action characterized by high response and remission rates, relatively early onest of action and favourable side-effect profile. The present paper reviews some special points of the clinical use of mirtazapine, which is on the market in Hungary for almost 10 years, inclu...

It has been long known that the frequency of overweight and obese people is higher among depressed and bipolar patients than in the general population. The marked alteration of body weight (and appetite) is one of the most frequent of the 9 symptoms of major depressive episode, and these symptoms occur during recurrent episodes of depression with a...

Jelen tanulmanyunkban a Lazarus es Folkman altal kifejlesztett Konfliktusmegoldo Kerdőiv, illetve az ebből kidolgozott roviditett valtozat pszichometriai jellemzőit mutatjuk be. A Konliktusmegoldo Kerdőiv 66 teteles teljes valtozatat 582 szemellyel toltettuk ki, a kitoltők eletkora 18 es 69 ev koze esett. A kerdőiv tetelein vegzett feltaro faktorel...

The aim of this representative study in the Hungarian population was to analyse the association between work-related factors and self-reported mental and physical health after controlling for negative affect and hostility as personality traits. The effects of job related factors on Beck Depression Score, WHO well-being score and self-rated health (...

A tanulmany celja, hogy bemutassa a Rovid Stressz Kerdőiv kifejlesztesenek első lepeseit, valamint a kerdőivvel kapcsolatos előzetes eredmenyeket. A kerdőiv fejlesztesenek celja az volt, hogy gyors, nehany perc alatt kitolthető, a hetkoznapi stressz mertekenek szűrővizsgalati jelleggel valo becslesere alkalmas merőeszkozt hozzunk letre. A kerdeseke...

Jelen vizsgalat celja a D-tipusu szemelyiseg vizsgalatara kifejlesztett kerdőiv magyar adaptacioja volt. A D-tipusu (distressed) szemelyiseg modelljet szamos vizsgalat alapjan a sziv- es errendszeri betegsegek fontos kockazati tenyezőjenek tartjak. A Hungarostudy 2002 orszagos reprezentativ vizsgalat kereteben 12 653 szemellyel kerult felvetelre a...

A large-scale national representative community survey of 11,122 persons aged more than 35 years included the investigation of the coincidence of depressive symptoms, vital exhaustion, cardiovascular disorders, stroke, and myocardial infarction. A total of 20.3% of the survey participants reported having experienced a cardiovascular disorder (CVD)....

Tanulmanyunkban a Rahe-fele Roviditett Stressz es Megkuzdes Kerdőiv (Rahe es Tolles 2002) hazai adaptaciojanak eredmenyeit szemleltetjuk. Vizsgalatunk empirikus hatteret 152 szemely alkotta (91 nő es 61 ferfi), akiknek az atlageletkora 29,7 ev. A Roviditett Stressz es Megkuzdes Kerdőiv mellett a Derogatis Tunetlista is felvetelre kerult. A Rovidite...

To describe the relationship of subjective health and harmful lifestyle with familial risk factors, such as low parental educational level, parental psychiatric disorder reported by their offspring, alcohol use, and divorce. 3615 hungarian women aged 15-24 in 1998. The questionnaire addressed socio-economic factors, physical and mental health, and...

The aim of this study is to analyse data concerning 15–24-year-old Hungarian women to estimate the prevalence of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa and subclinical eating disorders. A cross-sectional representative survey was conducted among 3615 young women using a self-report questionnaire. The point prevalence of anorexia nervosa was 0.03%, of bu...

To analyze the relationship among fear of being abused, direct experience of physical and sexual abuse, and severe depressive symptoms among young women. A cross-sectional survey was conducted in schools and households among 3615 young Hungarian women, ages 15-24 years, of whom 2016 were students. A multistage stratified sampling method was applied...

Frequent headaches and musculoskeletal pain problems were assessed as part of a cross‐sectional health survey in a representative sample of 3615 young Hungarian women, aged 15–24 (mean age: 19.0 years). The representative sample was obtained by a multilevel stratified sampling procedure based on national statistical data, the refusal rate was 6%. D...

The authors used a multistage stratified sampling method to conduct a cross-sectional survey of a nationally representative sample of 3,615 Hungarian women aged 15 to 24 years to acquire epidemiologic data on physical and sexual abuse and analyze the relationship between abuse and health-risk behaviors. Just over 30% of the young women reported hav...

In the study, the authors surveyed young Gipsy women's attendance of screening, as compared to non-Gipsy women of similar age groups. The survey was based on a national representative sample consisting of 1599 persons selected from women belonging to the age group between 18 and 24 years: out of them 4.3%, that is, 69 persons identified themselves...

Vizsgálataink célja az volt, hogy magatartástudományi alapú esélyerősítési modellt dolgozzunk ki. Ok-okozati összefüggések bemutatására nyílt lehetőségünk a 2002-es 12.600 főre kiterjedő országos reprezentatív felmérés, valamint a 2006-os 4849 főt magába foglaló követéses vizsgálat adatai alapján. A kutatási témában elért eredményeinkről "Esélyerős...