Heide Glaesmer

Heide Glaesmer
University of Leipzig · Abteilung für Medizinische Psychologie und medizinische Soziologie

Professor

About

535
Publications
235,215
Reads
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18,113
Citations
Additional affiliations
April 2014 - present
University of Leipzig
Position
  • Head of Department
January 2007 - March 2014
University of Leipzig
Position
  • Senior Researcher
October 2002 - September 2005
Technische Universität Dresden
Position
  • Researcher

Publications

Publications (535)
Article
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Higher rates of depression, suicidal ideation and suicide risk have been reported for veterinarians in Germany. In this study, several demographic and job-related factors were examined to determine whether they could be considered possible predictors of depression, suicidal ideation, and suicide risk. For this purpose, a survey was conducted among...
Article
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Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) can severely impair survivors’ mental health and prompt their need for mental health care. Male survivors face gender-related barriers to disclosing experiences of sexual violence, yet the understanding of factors impeding or promoting disclosure is limited. This knowledge gap is even more pronounced regardin...
Article
Objective: Aim of the study was to report evidence on mental health needs and access to mental health and psychosocial support for Leipzig citizens of Afghan and Iraqi citizenship in the presence of mental stress and, above all, to identify barriers to access to care. Methods: All adults in Leipzig with Iraqi or Afghan citizenship, who were not...
Article
Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Die in Deutschland gängige kriterienorientierte Erfassung der Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund wird aktuell u. a. aus sozialwissenschaftlich-methodischer Perspektive kritisiert. Insbesondere die Eignung als Indikator für wahrgenommene Diskriminierung der Bevölkerung mit Migrationshintergrund kann aufgrund des aktuel...
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Introduction Findings on the role of suicide ambivalence, an individual's wish to live (WL), and wish to die (WD) in the development of suicidality have been heterogenous. The main goal of this study was to examine associations of these constructs within the past week with sociodemographic factors and to longitudinally investigate their predictive...
Article
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Gewalt in Paarbeziehungen ist ein weitverbreitetes Problem und kann schwerwiegende psychi- sche und körperliche Gesundheitsfolgen für betroffene Menschen haben. Der vorliegende Übersichtsartikel beleuch- tet, wie Psychotherapeut*innen von Gewalt in Paarbeziehungen betroffene Menschen erkennen und unterstützen können. Der Artikel erläutert die heter...
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The Cognitive Model of Suicide proposes a suicide attentional bias in individuals with suicidal thoughts and behavior (STBs). The Suicide Stroop Task (SST) was developed as a behavioral measure to assess this attentional bias. However, prior studies demonstrated poor psychometric properties of the SST. Methods We developed a modified Suicide Stroo...
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Background: In attempts to elucidate PTSD, recent factor analytic studies resulted in complex models with a proliferating number of factors that lack psychometrical and clinical utility. Recently, suggestions have been made to optimize factor analytic practices to meet a refined set of statistical and psychometric criteria. Objective: This study ai...
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Our aim was to examine mental health needs and access to mental healthcare services among Syrian refugees in the city of Leipzig, Germany. We conducted a cross-sectional survey with Syrian refugee adults in Leipzig, Germany in 2021/2022. Outcomes included PTSD (PCL-5), depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (GAD-7) and somatic symptom (SSS-8). Descriptive, re...
Article
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Background Suicidal ideation is a major concern in clinical practice. Yet, little is known about prevalence rates of suicidal ideation in patients undergoing outpatient psychotherapeutic treatment. Therefore, the aim of the current study is to assess the prevalence of suicidal ideation in a large sample of psychotherapy outpatients in Germany. The...
Article
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Background Refugee populations have an increased risk for mental disorders, such as depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Comorbidity is common. At the same time, refugees face multiple barriers to accessing mental health treatment. Only a minority of them receive adequate help. The planned trial evaluates a low-threshold, transd...
Article
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Background Refugees are at high risk for developing mental illnesses. Due to language and cultural barriers, there is need for specifically adapted therapeutic procedures for refugees in inpatient mental health care settings. Internet-based applications in refugee mother tongues have the potential to improve the outcomes of mental health care for t...
Article
There is an empirical association between stress and symptoms of food addiction (FA), but it is still not clear which domains of stress are the most relevant when it comes to FA, limiting the ability of researchers and practitioners to address problematic eating‐related health outcomes. In order to address this gap in the literature, we analysed ho...
Article
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Zusammenfassung: Theoretischer Hintergrund: Suizidales Erleben und Verhalten ist unter Kindern und Jugendlichen sehr verbreitet. Im deutschsprachigen Raum existiert gleichwohl kein validierter Fragebogen zur Erfassung von Suizidgedanken, -absichten, -plänen und -versuchen. Fragestellung: In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die Skala Suizidales Erleben...
Article
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Introduction Identifying various interacting risk factors for suicidality is important to develop preventive measures. The Interpersonal-Psychological Theory of Suicidal Behavior (IPTS) postulates suicidal ideation resulting from the occurrence of Perceived Burdensomeness (PB) and Thwarted Belongingness (TB). Suicidal behavior ultimately occurs if...
Article
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Introduction Stigma is an individual and societal process based on attitudes and power and relates to both spatial disparities and social distinction. In this study, we examined differences in desire for social distance toward people with mental illness within a city using social and spatial information. Methods ANOVAs and Scheffé post-hoc tests a...
Article
Zusammenfassung Ziel Der stärkste Prädiktor für einen Suizidversuch ist ein vorangegangener Suizidversuch. Personen, die aufgrund von suizidalem Erleben und Verhalten stationär aufgenommen wurden, haben nach Entlassung aus stationärer Behandlung ein erhöhtes Risiko durch einen Suizid zu versterben. Es wird untersucht, inwieweit ambulante Behandlung...
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Background Anxiety is a frequent condition in patients and in the general population. The aim of this study was to investigate changes in anxiety over time and to test several psychometric properties of the Generalized Anxiety Disorder Screener (GAD-7) from a longitudinal perspective. Methods The GAD-7 was included in an examination with two waves...
Article
Objective: The rather broad definition of medical trauma within DSM-IV has contributed to long-lasting debates on the applicability of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in oncological patients and its differentiation from Adjustment Disorder (AjD) which results from non-traumatic critical life events. The DSM-5 criteria have introduced a narrow...
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Objective Suicide ideation and suicide attempts are prevalent in Farsi speaking populations. The present study aimed at validating the Farsi version of the Suicide Ideation and Behavior Scale (SIBS). Methods Reliability and validity of the Farsi version of the SIBS were established in a highly burdened Afghan student sample (N = 279). Internal con...
Article
Hintergrund: Eine detaillierte Exploration suizidalen und nicht-suizidalen selbstverletzenden Verhaltens mittels spezifischer Interviewverfahren kann die Risikoabschätzung in der klinischen Praxis und Forschung unterstützen. Methode: In der vorliegenden Studie wurde die deutschsprachige Version des Suicide Attempt Self-Injury Interviews (SASII) in...
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Zusammenfassung Hintergrund Menschen, die in Kinderheimen und Jugendwerkhöfen der DDR Vernachlässigung, Missbrauch und Misshandlung erlebt haben, leiden oft Jahre und Jahrzehnte später noch unter den psychosozialen Folgen dieser Erfahrungen. Sie haben deshalb häufig Bedarf an psychosozialer Unterstützung, berichten aber auch über Zugangsschwierigk...
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Introduction There is growing recognition that daily stressors, such as social and material deficiencies, can be highly detrimental to the mental health of refugees. These stressors are in addition to stressful life events, which have been widely studied in the context of migration and forced displacement. Despite increasing evidence for an ecologi...
Article
Background: Symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and adjustment disorder (AjD) are common in hematological cancer patients as they face severe stressors during their serious disease and often intensive treatment, such as stem cell transplantation (SCT). Aims of the present study were to provide frequency and risk factors for PTSD and A...
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Introduction: Resilience describes good adaptation to adversity and is a significant factor for well-being in old age. Initial studies indicate a high relevance of social resources. So far, only few studies have investigated resilience patterns in the elderly population. Therefore, the present study aims to investigate sociodemographic and social...
Preprint
Full-text available
Background Refugee populations have an increased risk for mental disorders, such as depressive, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorders. Comorbidity is common. At the same time, refugees face multiple barriers to accessing mental health treatment. Only a minority of them receives adequate help. The planned trial evaluates a low-threshold, trans...
Article
While there are studies connecting everyday physical activity (PA) to mental health, they mostly use self-report measures for PA which are biased in multiple ways. Nevertheless, a realistic assessment of everyday PA is important for the development and implementation of low-threshold public health interventions. Therefore, we want to analyze the re...
Article
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Conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is one of the most severe and stigmatizing human rights violations. The recognition of men and boys as targets of sexual violence is a rather recent development. In the present study data on experiences of sexual violence as well as mental health outcomes were analysed in recently arrived male refugees (N = 3...
Article
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Resilience describes a good adaptation to adversity. Strengthening resilience is a promising approach in the prevention of mental health problems. Yet, research on the association of resilience with mental health symptoms in the general population is scarce. The aim of our study is to examine comprehensively the association of resilience with depre...
Article
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Within the ideation-to-action framework, existing theories of suicidal thoughts and behaviors (STBs) primarily focus on the linear progression of suicide risk. This, however, neglects growing evidence that many suicidal individuals do not experience their suicide attempt as a planned action, and in some instances deny even having experienced any su...
Article
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Abstract Objective: Research on the impact study participation has on participants has shown that, even though they may find it stressful during participation, overall, they appear to benefit personally and emerge with a positive cost-benefit-balance. In 2013, the first psychological study on German occupation children (GOC), a potentially vulnerab...
Data
Study material (questionnaire) as well as material regarding the qualitative analysis of open-ended questions, s.a. category system, analysis table, additional statistic analyses. Supplement 1: Questionnaire used in the study (open access) Supplement 2: Category system of qualitative analysis with sample quotes (restricted access) Supplement 3:...
Preprint
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Purpose Research on prevalence rates of traumatic events and PTSD has shown significant differences between countries, due to their different history and socialization processes. In the case of Germany, with its history of two divided states, this is highly relevant. This study explores the prevalence of traumatic events and PTSD in formerly divide...
Article
Background: There are socioeconomic inequalities in dementia risk. Underlying pathways are not well known. Objective: To investigate whether modifiable health and lifestyle factors for brain health mediate the association of socioeconomic status (SES) and cognitive functioning in a population without dementia. Methods: The "LIfestyle for BRAin...
Article
Studies show a connection between anxiety and stress, but with little differentiation between different domains of stress. In this article, we utilize a multi-dimensional approach to better understand the relationship between different chronic stress domains and anxiety. This will allow researchers to identify and address those areas of stress that...
Article
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Objective Children Born of War (CBOW) are an international and timeless phenomenon that exists in every country involved in war or armed conflict. Nevertheless, little is known on a systematic level about those children, who are typically fathered by a foreign or enemy soldier and born to a local mother. In particular, the identity issues that CBOW...
Article
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Background: In addition to help-seeking behavior in a professional context, suicide-related communication (SRC) with that discloses suicidal thoughts and plans to relatives and significant others play a major role in suicide prevention. While studies revealed gender differences in help-seeking behavior in case of suicidal thoughts and intent in a p...
Article
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Objectives To further validate the concept of suicidal subtypes distinguished by indicators of suicidal thinking and behavior with regard to clinical characteristics and past and future suicide attempts. Methods Psychiatric inpatients were assessed (study 1: ecological momentary assessments in 74 depressed inpatients with suicidal ideation; study...
Article
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Background A valid, quick and widely applicable retrospective screening tool for child maltreatment is of great importance to better adapt interventions and treatments. The Childhood Trauma Screener (CTS) , derived from the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ), is one such instrument that aims to increase the likelihood of detecting mental and phys...
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(1) Background: The aim of the present study was to examine symptom classes of major depressive disorder (MDD), prolonged grief disorder (PGD), and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in a sample of suicide-bereaved individuals, while accounting for loss-related characteristics. (2) Methods: A latent class analysis was conducted to identify classe...
Article
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Background Various studies from different countries indicated that veterinarians have a significantly increased risk of depression, suicidal ideation and of death by suicide. For German veterinarians a recent study has demonstrated a three times higher rate for depression, two times higher rate for suicidal ideation and a five times higher suicide...
Article
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Resilience is closely related to mental health and well-being. Identifying risk groups with lower resilience and the variables associated with resilience informs preventive approaches. Previous research on resilience patterns in the general population is heterogeneous, and comprehensive largescale studies are needed. The aim of our study is to exam...
Article
Objective The Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) is a widely used instrument for measuring bodily complaints. The aims of this study were to analyze changes of bodily complaints over a six-year period in a large general population community sample, to test age and sex differences in these changes, and to examine associations between these cha...
Article
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It is estimated around 1.9 million German women were raped in the post-World War II period. Unwanted pregnancies were common and many women went on to raise these children born of sexual violence (CBSV). Now more than 70 years later, we sought to explore the perceptions of past and present relationships of CBSV with their mothers. Using a combinati...
Article
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Substantial evidence indicates a huge potential for risk reduction of cognitive decline and dementia based on modifiable health and lifestyle factors. To maximize the chances for risk reduction, it is useful to investigate associations of social determinants and lifestyle for brain health. We computed the “LIfestyle for BRAin health” (LIBRA) score...
Article
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Background: Research shows a connection between stress and depression, but there is little differentiation between areas of stress, making it difficult to identify and address specific areas in the context of public health measures. We utilized a multi-dimensional approach to chronic stress to better understand the relationship between different a...
Article
Zusammenfassung Männliche Betroffene von kriegs- und vertreibungsbezogener sexualisierter Gewalt stellen eine aus psychologischer Sicht stark belastete Population dar. Offenlegungshürden seitens der Patienten und eine unzureichende Sensibilität der Behandler1 für die Betroffenheit von Männern können eine adäquate Traumadiagnostik erschweren. Auf Gr...
Article
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Background Anxiety is a widespread phenomenon, and it is connected to disordered eating and obesity. We want to analyze the connection between anxiety and food addiction (FA) over two points in time to better understand the directionality of the association. Since there are gender differences with regard to anxiety and eating, we are also intereste...
Article
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Aims: Pica and rumination disorder are known as feeding disorder diagnoses in childhood, but little is known about their occurrence in adulthood. This study aimed to assess prevalence rates of one-time and recurrent pica and rumination behaviours (PB and RB) in adults, including sociodemographic subgroups, and to examine associations with other ea...
Article
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Geflüchtete machen im Zusammenhang mit ihrer Flucht häufig traumatische Erfahrungen und weisen deutlich erhöhte Prävalenzraten für die posttraumatische Belastungsstörung (PTBS) und andere psychische Störungen auf. Optimismus zeigte in vielfältigen anderen Kontexten eine protektive Wirkung auf die psychische Gesundheit. Die vorliegende Studie unters...
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The United Nations Missions in the Democratic Republic of Congo have faced heavy allegations of peacekeeper-perpetrated sexual exploitation and abuse. Reports indicate that sexual encounters between members of peacekeeping forces and female civilians have resulted in the birth of children; however, no conclusive information on these children exists...
Article
This study focused on the specific challenges of university students in the face of the COVID‐19 pandemic and examined similarities and differences in COVID‐related concerns and difficulties in functioning in samples of undergraduate students in five countries. A sample of 4306 undergraduate university students (43.8% males, 56.2% females) from Isr...
Article
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Background Suicidal ideation and attempts are one of the most serious mental health problems affecting refugees. Risk factors such as mental disorders, low socio-economic status, and stressful life events all contribute to making refugees a high-risk group. For this reason, this meta-analysis aims to investigate the prevalence of suicidal ideation...
Article
Previous research provided preliminary support of a potential reinforcing effect of suicidal ideation demonstrating reduced negative affect and increased positive affect after thinking about suicide. The present study therefore sought to investigate the role of mood and affect as a proximal risk factor of suicidal ideation in a high‐risk sample. Se...
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Background Refugees are considered a high-risk population for developing mental health disorders. Yet little research has been conducted on suicidal ideation among refugees resettled in Western high-income countries. In the present hstudy, suicidal ideation and its association with different socio-demographic, flight-related, and mental health-rela...
Article
The police profession involves numerous risk factors which can have an impact on the officers’ health. Delivering death notifications is one of the most stressful tasks with lack of training and poor aftercare. We analyzed data of 142 German officers regarding their experiences with death notifications, use of aftercare, and access to training. Off...
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Background Sleep disturbances are an underestimated risk factor for suicidal ideation and behavior. Previous research provided preliminary support of a temporal relationship between sleep disturbances and suicidal ideation. The present study therefore sought to investigate the prospective association between sleep disturbances, passive and active s...
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Introduction Suicidal behavior still cannot be sufficiently predicted. Exposure to suicidal behavior in the personal social environment is assumed to moderate the individual’s transition from suicidal ideation to suicidal behavior within the Integrated Motivational-Volitional Model of Suicidal Behavior (IMV-model). This study aimed to investigate t...
Article
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Over the last decades, the number of immigrants in Germany has been rising steadily. One result of this is that currently, around 40% of children in the country have immigrant parents. Existing studies report rather mixed results concerning their mental health outcomes. The present study provides some insight into factors that affect the mental hea...
Article
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Background: Police officers are at high risk for mental and physical health problems and suicidal ideation. The specific risk factors are numerous and concern stressful missions and administrative aspects of the police profession. So far, the police get only little training on specific missions as well as on coping with stress and suicidal ideation...
Article
Background Suicide bereavement is associated with increased risk for severe negative mental health outcomes and suicidality. The purpose of this study was to examine the association between mental health symptoms and suicidal ideation among suicide bereaved while taking multiple factors into account. Methods The sample consisted of N = 157 German...
Article
Recent studies suggest that impulsivity fluctuates over time. It is unclear if state-impulsivity serves as a risk factor of suicidal ideation (SI) at a state level. A sample of 74 psychiatric inpatients with depression (M = 37.6 years, 72% female) and SI completed baseline measurements and an ecological momentary assessment over a 6-day period. Des...
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Background There is a lack of empirical evidence on the level of cultural adaptation required for psychological interventions developed in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) societies to be effective for the treatment of common mental disorders among culturally and ethnically diverse groups. This lack of evidence is par...
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Background: This study aims to provide a transparent and replicable documentation approach for the cultural adaptation of a cognitive-behavioural transdiagnostic intervention (Common Elements Treatment Approach, CETA) for Arabic-speaking refugees with common mental disorders in Germany. Method: A mixed-methods approach was used, including litera...
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Aim Being subjected to childhood maltreatment has devastating long-term adverse effects and is a major risk factor for mental health problems in adult life. There is empirical support that socio-political factors can be risk factors for childhood maltreatment. Here we examine whether socio-political context predicts self-rated childhood maltreatmen...
Article
In Deutschland starben im Jahr 2019 insgesamt 9041 Menschen durch einen Suizid [1]. Die Lebenszeitprävalenz von Suizidgedanken liegt in Deutschland bei 9.7 % und lebenszeitliche Suizidversuche werden von 1,7 % der erwachsenen Allgemeinbevölkerung berichtet [2]; deutlich höhere Prävalenzangaben finden sich in spezifischen Stichproben (Patient*innen,...
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If information on single items in the Short Form-12 health survey (SF-12) is missing, the analysis of only complete cases causes a loss of statistical power and, in case of nonrandom missing data (MD), systematic bias. This study aimed at evaluating the concordance of real patient data and data estimated by different MD imputation procedures in the...