Inga Truskauskaitė

Vilnius University · Institute of Psychology

Background The altered respiratory patterns have a significant impact on our health. However, the links between respiration patterns during spontaneous breathing and physical fitness remain unknown. Therefore, we sought to examine how the respiratory pattern during spontaneous breathing interacts with physical fitness. Methods A total of 610 parti...

Emerging adulthood is the time when identity questions are addressed. It is also a time of excessive stress and risk for mental health problems. Different identity statuses relate to different mental health outcomes. Yet, little research has addressed how identity status is interlinked with trauma exposure and post-traumatic stress reactions, espec...

Internet-delivered CBT interventions effectively improve different aspects of mental health, although the therapist’s role remains unclear. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the efficacy of a therapist-supported 6-week internet-delivered intervention in improving stress recovery among healthcare workers compared to a group with optional therapi...

Background and Objectives: The current study aimed to better understand the changes in respiration that occur with aging in men and women to provide accurate recommendations for breathing exercises to improve health. Materials and Methods: A total of 610 healthy subjects, aged 20 to 59, participated in the study. They performed quiet breathing whil...

Introduction Theorists and a few empirical studies have suggested that traumatic experiences, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and complex PTSD (CPTSD) may affect identity development. However, existing studies have overlooked how adolescents' traumas are associated with the alignment of their identity with socio‐cultural expectations, which i...

Objective: Young adults are at high risk for developing mental disorders. Moreover, trauma exposure and trauma-related disorders in emerging adulthood are highly prevalent. The study aimed to explore the prevalence of traumatic experiences, probable ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), probable complex PTSD (CPTSD), and links between traum...

Background The current definitions of resilience can be addressed as a process, an outcome, or a trait. Empirical studies should be carried out to determine the most appropriate definition for it. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate changes in adolescents’ resilience over two years and explore the links between resilienc...

Objective Heart surgery can have a significant negative effect on patients’ quality of life (QoL) and may cause long-term posttraumatic stress reactions. We aimed to estimate the longitudinal change and predictors of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and identify factors associated with posttraumatic stress (PTS) at 5-year follow-up after elec...

Background The COVID-19 pandemic demanded exceptional physical and mental effort from healthcare workers worldwide. Since healthcare workers often refrain from seeking professional psychological support, internet-delivered interventions could serve as a viable alternative option. Objective We aimed to investigate the effects of a therapist-guided...

Background: Although there is increasing knowledge about adjustment disorder (AjD) based on the new diagnostic criteria of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11), less is known on AjD in adolescents. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of AjD and its risk factors in Japanese and Lithuanian adolescents. Methods: The cross-se...

Aims Cross-cultural studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) based on ICD-11 diagnostic criteria are scarce, especially in adolescence. The study aimed to evaluate the trauma exposure, prevalence and factors associated with PTSD and CPTSD in general populations of adolescents in Lithuania and Japan. Methods The stud...

Introduction: Adjustment disorder is frequently diagnosed in clinical practice; however, the course of adjustment disorder over time has not yet been studied extensively. Methods: This longitudinal study was one of the first that aimed to analyze trajectories of adjustment disorder symptoms in a 12-month follow-up among a high-risk community sam...

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate how moral injury (MI), traumatic experiences and daily stressors were related to the symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and International Classification of Diseases 11th revision specific complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms of disturbances in self-organisation (DSO) in a treatment-seeking sample of...

Adjustment disorder is among the most diagnosed mental disorders worldwide. However, until recently adjustment disorder was largely neglected in mental health research. Therefore, factors associated with adjustment disorder are highly understudied. The current study aimed to reveal the role of positive mental health (PMH) as a protective factor in...

Objectives Mindfulness-based interventions have recently been shown to be a promising option for treating posttraumatic stress. The current study aimed to investigate the effects of an online mindfulness-based intervention on ICD-11 posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) symptoms at a 3-month follow-up. Methods An RCT design...

Aim Suicide ideation has increased since the outbreak of Covid-19 in many countries. The present longitudinal study investigated potential predictors of suicide ideation. Subject and methods Data of 406 participants from Germany (age M = 27.69, SD = 6.88) were assessed via online surveys in spring 2020 (baseline, BL) and in spring 2021 (follow-up,...

ObjectivesA substantial proportion of trauma survivors with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and complex PTSD (CPTSD) continue to experience symptoms even after trauma-focused therapies. Internet-based interventions could facilitate access to treatment for PTSD and CPTSD. The current pilot study aimed to investigate the effects of mindfulness-b...

This chapter explores the different pathways of the 5Cs model of Positive Youth Development (PYD) represented by competence, confidence, character, connection, and caring among adolescents in Lithuania. We present a longitudinal four-wave study with a community sample (N = 458, M age = 15.14, SD = .48 at T1, 52% females) and a quasi-experimental fo...

The current two-wave longitudinal study aimed to investigate changes in stress, anxiety, depression, and positive mental health (PMH) during the first COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in the sample of emerging adults. Data were collected before the COVID-19 and within the first month of the outbreak. The study sample consisted of 775 university students...

Background The spread of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and the accompanying countermeasures can significantly impact the wellbeing of adolescents. There is a lack of longitudinal studies that can shed light on potential social, emotional, and behavioral development in adolescents. We aimed to identify potential changes in adolescent psychosocial f...

Background The demand for care during the COVID-19 pandemic has affected the mental health of healthcare workers (HCWs), thus increasing the need for psychosocial support services. Internet-based interventions have previously been found to reduce occupational stress. The study aims to test the effects of an Internet-based stress recovery interventi...

Background The study aimed to evaluate the long-term change of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) and to identify predictors of HRQOL 5 years after cardiac surgery. Methods Consecutive adult patients, undergoing elective cardiac surgery were enrolled in the study. HRQOL was measured using the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Health Su...

We aimed to identify patterns of changes in suicidal ideation among university students six months after the COVID-19 outbreak, in comparison to the pre-pandemic suicidal ideation. Furthermore, we explored the links among these patterns and mental health indicators. 474 university students participated in the study in October-December 2019 and Octo...

The aim of the current study was to assess the components of the intervention program “Aquatic”, targeted at the reduction of bottled water use in adolescence. The Comprehensive Action Determination Model was chosen as a theory of change for the development and evaluation of pro-environmental behavior intervention. We examined the impact of five ex...

Background To slow down the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic, governments of many countries introduced various behavioral measures starting March 2020. The measures included domestic quarantine (not leaving home) for infected or potentially infected people. Due to the need for social distancing, online activity increased in spring 2020. This could f...

In the current study, we provided the evidence of satisfactory validity of the RS-14 scale in the Lithuanian adolescents’ sample (N = 1299; Mage = 14.24; SDage = 1.26), based on its internal structure, and relations to other variables. The results of the study indicated an acceptable model fit for a single-factor structure of the scale with a high...

The aim of the current study was to assess the components of the intervention program "Aquatic", targeted at the reduction of bottled water use in adolescence. The Comprehensive Action Determination Model was chosen as a theory of change for the development and evaluation of pro-environmental behavior intervention. We examined the impact of five ex...

The present study investigated problematic social media use (SMU) in Lithuania and in Germany. In two student samples (Lithuania: N = 1640; Germany: N = 727), problematic SMU, flow experienced during SMU, life satisfaction, depression, anxiety and stress symptoms were assessed by online surveys. Latent Class Analysis resulted in a four-group classi...

Background Caregiving for a family member can result in reduced well-being for the caregiver. Internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy (ICBT) may be one way to support this population. This is especially the case for caregivers in countries with limited resources, but high demand for psychological services. Objective In this study we evalua...

This representative study examines the prevalence of psychological, economic, physical, or sexual intimate partner violence (IPV), the main patterns of IPV exposure, and the interconnections between IPV and socio-demographic characteristics. The participants of the current cross-sectional study were 1173 women from a nationally representative surve...

Policy awareness increases the likelihood of policy-congruent behavior. Yet individuals may differ in the extent to which they notice certain policies; thus, psychological factors that explain behavior can have a differing effect on policy-congruent behavior of individuals. We investigated to what extent the relationship between normative, habitual...

Adolescents today face the negative outcomes of climate change, and their pro-environmental behavior is crucial to mitigate these negative outcomes. Yet, we know little about what influences adolescents’ pro-environmental behavior. Research shows that people’s biospheric values and environmental self-identity, elicit personal norms to act environme...

Background There is considerable evidence that child abuse and neglect has a significant impact on social relationships and mental health across the lifespan. Objective We aimed to estimate the prevalence of child abuse in Lithuanian adolescents, to identify patterns of abuse experiences using a latent class analysis approach, and to assess psycho...

In emerging adulthood, coherent identity plays a protective role against the development of the disturbed psychosocial functioning and is seen as one of the defining characteristics of positive youth development. The factors that shape the identity are still understudied and little quantitative research has addressed, how trauma exposure is linked...

A substantial body of research provides evidence for the role of parents in transferring pro-environmental attitudes, values, and behaviors to their children. However, little research has focused on children’s active attempts to influence parents’ pro-environmental behavior. In a survey involving 508 Lithuanian families, we examined the bidirection...

Main aim of this oral presentation was to present preliminary results of the project 'Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy for informal caregivers: a randomized controlled pilot trial'.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the change in posttraumatic growth (PTG) of women survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV) in Lithuania, in relation to the centrality of traumatic experience, identity exploration, and time after exposure to violence. The longitudinal study sample consisted of 217 women who experienced IPV, recruite...

The first aim of the study was to develop a theory-based multidimensional measure of contribution, as currently known measures address the single dimension – contribution to the community. Eighteen adolescents from Lithuania (50% girls) aged 15 to 17 participated in focus groups as the corresponding population to consult about the concept of contri...

FULL TEXT AVAILABLE FROM http://rdcu.be/FvRy The aim of the current study was to evaluate the efficacy of the short-term school-based intervention program Try Volunteering in the development of the Five Cs (Competence, Confidence, Connection, Character, and Caring) of positive youth development. The longitudinal quasi-experimental study design was...

Introduction. Research has shown that people’s biospheric values, environmental self- identity, and personal norms influence their pro-environmental behaviour. While this has been found for adults, the question is whether such general environmental considerations influence pro-environmental behaviour among adolescents too. Considering that adolesce...

European Union member states are already equipped with policies and strategies that can be followed to tailor local policies that aim to reduce bottled water use (i.e., EU, 2018, No.52018DC0028). However, little is known how adolescents’ self-reported awareness of policy is related to their bottled water use in the context of the Comprehensive Acti...

In adolescence, both identity concerns and feelings of loneliness are of utmost importance to the experiences of young people. Yet, a theoretically grounded hypothesis that identity and loneliness are developmentally related has never been tested. Thus, the aim of this study was to disentangle the longitudinal associations between identity processe...

The “greening” of individual behaviors is an important component of mitigating climate change and other human-caused environmental problems (Dietz et al., 2009). In pursuing the goal to understand pro-environmental behavior, attitudes and attitude change are mostly explored. But although attitudes are relatively good predictors, they only help expl...

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social support for posttraumatic growth (PTG) and identity processes in a sample of 217 women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), recruited from women shelters, social support centers, and through counseling psychologists. The results of the study highlight the important role of social su...

The purpose of this study was to explore the role of social support for posttraumatic growth (PTG) and identity processes in a sample of 217 women victims of intimate partner violence (IPV), recruited from women shelters, social support centers, and through counseling psychologists. The results of the study highlight the important role of social su...

The “greening” of individual behaviors is an important component of mitigating climate change and other human-caused environmental problems (Dietz et al., 2009). Pro-environmental behaviors are “prosocial”—they benefit others, often with some direct costs to the actor (Schmitt et al., 2017). Up till now most of the pro-environmental research are fo...

Given the necessity for actions in reducing the impact of climate change consequences on human and non-human life and environmental quality, it is clear that immediate engagement in complex and multi-context pro-environmental actions is inevitable. Adolescents are the near-future decision makers in reducing climate change related outcomes. Therefor...

The “greening” of individual behaviors is an important component of mitigating climate change and other human-caused environmental problems (Dietz et al., 2009). Pro-environmental behaviors are “prosocial”—they benefit others, often with some direct costs to the actor (Schmitt et al., 2017). In this study, we see pro-environmental behavior as more...

Despite increased awareness of the widespread and damaging nature of violence against women, violence by intimate partners persists as a common, hidden problem for women worldwide (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017). Intimate partner violence (IPV) is associated with a wide variety of mental health indicators (Beydoun et al., 2012). Self-concep...

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is an important gender-based, social, and public health problem, affecting women globally (World Health Organization [WHO], 2017). Halpern et al. (2009) found that large number, i.e. 27 percent, of women reported IPV victimization in emerging adulthood, thus it is particularly important to explore the effects of IPV...

Experiencing stressful life events contributes to poorer psychological and vulnerable emotional states Experiencing stressful life events contributes to poorer psychological and vulnerable emotional states (Buckner et al., 2004). However, some authors argue that in general, growth tends to occur after the primary resolution of trauma (Tadeschi & Ca...

Intimate partner violence (IPV, physical, sexual, economic/financial, and/or psychological abuse) that occurs in all levels of intimate relationships seriously undermines women’s well-being. The negative psychological consequences of IPV include lowered self-esteem, increased levels of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, posttraumatic stress dis...

Positive youth development (PYD) is strengths-based model focused on the main assumption that the youth possess particular strengths and have potential for healthy successful development. PYD model recognizes importance of an individual’s and his or her environment’s (e.g. family context) connectivity and how those relationships shape human develop...

The present investigation evaluated multiple patterns of change and stability in Berzonsky’s identity styles (informational, normative, and diffuse-avoidant) in a four-annual-wave longitudinal study with 468 adolescent boys and girls from Lithuania. A combination of mean level changes, high rank-order stability, and high profile stability has been...

With the present study, we aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of youth development program implemented in one of the high schools in Vilnius, Lithuania. 351 ninth to tenth grade students participated in an 8 weeks long Youth Development (YD) program with the 4 month long optional volunteering possibilities and were compared to 262 students in a de...

Positive youth development (PYD) theoretical model (Lerner, 2005) postulates that if strengthening competencies of young people they will develop in a healthier manner. There is empirical evidence that positive and health–compromising behaviors are associated inversely (Benson et al., 2004). However, studies from prevention science (e.g. Phelps et...

The objective of this study was to systematically review the psychometric properties of the measures used in assessing the psychosocial well-being status of children and adolescents. This review updates and expands on the previous review of the literature on child well-being in order to assess all available studies from 2000 to 2013 on the measurem...

This study aims to explore relationships between life satisfaction, volunteering frequency and contribution to self, family and community for youth in Lithuania and to compare these relationships for boys and girls. Data from a two-wave longitudinal study of a youth community sample was used. The sample size for this study was N = 1,140 (52.7% girl...

Poster

Pathways of positive parental practices to positive youth development are different between mothers and fathers. Transformational parenting plays moderating role in relationship between fathering practices and PYD.

Poster

Positive youth development (PYD) is strengths-based model that recognizes importance of an individual’s and his or her environment’s connectivity and how those relationships shape human development (Benson and Saito, 2000; Benson, 2003; 573 Lerner 2005; Fredricks and Eccles, 2008; Chand et al, 2013). The literature has distinguished five positive y...

The current review aims at evaluating the correspondence of prevention programs for late adolescents (15-19 years) implemented in Lithuania in 2006-2013 with PYD framework. Fifteen programs were included in the final analysis for this review. We used the criteria of positive youth development programs identified by Roth & Brooks-Gunn (2003a): progr...

Positive youth development (PYD) is a strengths-based model that recognizes importance of an individual’s and his or her environment’s connectivity and how those relationships shape human development (Benson and Saito, 2000; Benson, 2003; Lerner 2005; Fredricks and Eccles, 2008; Chand et al., 2013). The literature has distinguished five positive yo...

Positive youth development is a competence based developmental concept (Lerner, 2005), focused on the main assumption that the youth possesses particular strengths and has potential for healthy successful development (Lerner, 2000). Life satisfaction is a cognitive component of subjective well-being, which is positively related to a variety of desi...

The number of people leaving Lithuania to live and work abroad has been increasing and this phenomenon has complex consequences. Therefore, reasons for leaving have been studied in Lithuania for a decade. However, most of the research concentrates on environmental factors even though studies conducted by foreign authors more than a decade ago revea...

HEXACO personality inventory revised (HEXACO PI-R) based on HEXACO six factor model (Honesty-Humility (H); Emotionality (E); Extraversion (X); Agreeableness (A); Conscientiousness (C) and Openness to Experience (O)) was translated into the Lithuanian language and adapted for the use in scientific research in 2011 (Truskauskaitė et al., 2011). Never...

During the last decade, the potential of the dominant five-factor personality model to describe the personality structure was questioned. It has been found that at least six factors are needed for the explication of personality structure (Jackson et al., 1996). Lexical research as well as factor analysis of translated five-factor questionnaires rep...

Pastarąjį dešimtmetį buvo suabejota dominuojančio penkių faktorių asmenybės modelio galimybėmis aprašyti asmenybės struktūrą. Buvo pasiūlytas šešių faktorių asmenybės modelis ir nustatyta, kad šis modelis, palyginti su penkių faktorių modeliu, yra pranašesnis tiek psicholeksiniu, tiek teoriniu, tiek prak­tiniu aspektais (Ashton and Lee, 2007). HEXA...