Mareike Ernst

Alpen-Adria-Universität Klagenfurt · Institute of Psychology

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures aimed at its mitigation, such as physical distancing, have been discussed as risk factors for loneliness, which increases the risk of premature mortality and mental and physical health conditions. To ascertain whether loneliness has increased since the start of the pandemic, this study aimed to narratively and sta...

Objective: As changes in mental representations have been discussed as mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, the question arises whether recollections of childhood abuse and neglect are altered as well and how they relate to symptom changes. Method: Individuals in psychosomatic inpatient treatment (N = 488, 60.5% women) filled out the Childhood...

Background: Loneliness is a major public health issue and the identification of risk factors is crucial for prevention and intervention. While previous research has often investigated sociodemographic and external factors (e.g., living situation), personality variables received less attention. This study aimed to harness recent advances in the dime...

Background: Research has found that patients with suicidal ideation (SI) are at high risk for unfavorable outcomes. The present work aimed to expand the knowledge about their characteristics and treatment success. Methods: Data were drawn from a routine assessment of N = 460 inpatients. We used patients' self-report data as well as therapists' r...

Psychological variables substantially shape the risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviours (STBs). However, it is unclear to what extent they are considered in individuals with cancer. We synthesized the quantitative research landscape concerning psychological risk/protective factors of STBs in the (psycho-) oncological context. This pre-registered...

Objective: Health anxiety (HA) is frequently observed in patients suffering from a severe disease such as cancer. This study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Whiteley Index-7 (WI-7) measuring HA and to identify prognostic factors for heightened HA in cancer patients. Methods: A sample of 1723 cancer patients, treated in a German reh...

Increased risk of suicide attempts among descendants of displaced persons – An epidemiological contribution to the study of transgenerational consequences of flight experiences Objectives: The far-reaching consequences of flight and displacement are well documented. Such traumatic experiences may affect the next generation. However, mental health...

Objective Individuals affected by cancer have an elevated risk of experiencing suicidal crises. Aligning established suicide theories with social‐cognitive theories, perceived control and related constructs emerge as potential protective factors for suicidal thoughts and behaviors in cancer patients. As perceived control is potentially modifiable,...

Age-related cognitive decline has become an increasingly relevant public health issue. However, risk and protective factors of cognitive decline have yet to be investigated prospectively taking into account genetic, lifestyle, physical and mental health factors. Population-based data from middle-aged (40 to 59 years; N = 2,764) and older individual...

Einsamkeit stellt ein substanzielles Gesundheitsrisiko dar und steht als solches aktuell im Fokus empirischer Untersuchungen. Ein Schwerpunkt der Einsamkeitsforschung liegt häufig auf dem höheren Lebensalter, da spezifische Risikofaktoren in dieser Lebensphase besonders ausgeprägt sind. Gleichermassen ist Einsamkeit nicht universell und auch nicht...

Im Zusammenhang mit der COVID-19-Pandemie ist Einsamkeit bei jungen Menschen mehr in den Fokus von Forschung und Praxis gerückt. Sie kann als das Ergebnis eines komplexen Zusammenspiels lebensphasenspezifischer Anforderungen, sozialer Bedürfnisse und individueller Unterschiede verstanden werden, die wesentlich durch frühere Erfahrungen beeinflusst...

Background Childhood trauma is a major risk factor for chronic depression. It has been suggested that adults with chronic depression who have experienced childhood trauma may require long-term treatment owing to a breakdown of basic trust and related difficulties in developing a productive therapeutic relationship. Aims As empirical studies have b...

Introduction Suicidal ambivalence is increasingly understood as the result of the interplay of two conflicting motivational orientations, the wish to die (WTD) and wish to live (WTL). However, research is scarce regarding the nature of their relationship, their temporal structure, and their relevance in predicting suicidal desire. Methods Fifty ps...

Research indicates that patients with a lifetime history of suicide attempts are particularly burdened. However, investigations of their characteristics and comparisons with other patients are scarce. This study aimed to fill this research gap, using routine clinical data and guided by theoretical models. Data of N = 706 patients (54.4% women) was...

Psychologie der Einsamkeit Zahlreiche Studien belegen die schwerwiegenden Folgen der Einsamkeit für die körperliche und seelische Gesundheit. Einsamkeit ist mit hohem Leidensdruck verbunden, chronische Einsamkeit spielt eine Rolle für das Auftreten und die Aufrechterhaltung verschiedener Erkrankungen. Das Buch bietet einen wissenschaftlich fundiert...

Background: Preterm birth is a risk factor for a variety of detrimental health outcomes. Previous studies have identified recalled (or remembered) parental rearing behaviour as a potential modifier of preterm individuals’ mental health in adulthood. However, no investigations to date have contrasted the parents’ and children’s views, explored wheth...

Structural changes in chronically depressed patients in psychoanalyses compared to cognitive-behavioral longterm psychotherapy

Background Depression is associated with an increased risk for type 2 diabetes mellitus. However, depression may take different courses, and it is not fully understood how these affect the development of diabetes. It is further to be determined whether sex modifies the association between depression and type 2 diabetes. Methods We analyzed data fr...

Abstract Background. The present study aimed to investigate whether prematurity and perinatal stress exert long-term effects on the onset of panic disorder in later life. Methods. From 40,189 adults born in Germany between 1969-2002, a study cohort (n = 427) stratified by gestational age (GA) (extremely preterm: GA < 29 weeks; very preterm: GA 29-3...

Previous studies on self-rated health and mortality have usually not differentiated between physical and mental health, respectively have not considered physical diseases. This study aims to determine self-rated physical and mental health from middle to old age, examine associations with mortality adjusted for objective risk factors and assess effe...

Objectives: Personality organization or functioning describes biographically acquired characteristics for the regulation of psychological processes. Limitations correlate with symptom load. This study examines whether significant improvement in personality functioning can be achieved in the framework of a multimodal psychodynamic treatment and its...

Objectives: Personality organization or functioning describes biographically acquired characteristics for the regulation of psychological processes. Limitations correlate with symptom load. This study examines whether significant improvement in personality functioning can be achieved in the framework of a multimodal psychodynamic treatment and its...

Introduction: Long-term psychodynamic/psychoanalytic psychotherapy (LTPP) is a prevalent treatment option for complex mental disorders. Yet, little is known about the role of treatment intensity in LTPP. We present a study protocol for a systematic review and individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis aggregating and analysing individual data...

Background This study aimed to compare the quality of life (QoL) reported by childhood cancer survivors (CCS) drawn from a cohort of the German Childhood Cancer Registry with a representative general population sample and, within CCS, to test associations between QoL and health behavior, health risk factors, and physical illness. Methods CCS ( N =...

Associations of preterm birth with later-life mental distress are well-established. A research gap concerns the role of psychosocial factors such as the family context. This study investigated associations of recalled parental rearing behavior with both preterm birth characteristics and psychological symptom burden later in life. Based on birth re...

Background/Objective The aim of this study was to investigate whether the three resource variables sense of coherence, resilience, and dispositional optimism become impaired when people are ill with cancer, whether there are sex and age differences in these variables, and how these variables are associated with quality of life (QoL). Method A samp...

With the increasing numbers of long-term cancer survivors, their long-term quality of life and mental health are becoming increasingly important foci in research and practice. Long-term survivors form a heterogeneous group with wide-ranging stresses and resources, which are influenced by individually diverse biological, psychological, and social co...

Background Loneliness is a highly relevant public mental health issue. This work presents the validation of a single-item measure of loneliness and its subjective experience: “I am frequently alone/have few contacts”. It can be used in large-scale population surveys where an economical assessment is of key importance. Methods Data was drawn from t...

Background: The present study aimed to investigate how depressive symptoms affect bodyweight change (gain and loss), and how this association is intertwined with other psychosocial and biomedical factors in the adult general population. Methods: In a population-based, prospective, observational single-center cohort study in the Rhine-Main-Region...

Background Childhood and adolescent cancer interferes with important developmental tasks, which is why many long-term survivors experience not only physical but also psychosocial late effects. Increasingly, factors influencing coping with the disease and its consequences come into focus—such as the role the family plays, especially in the form of p...

Background Child maltreatment is a risk factor for a range of mental disorders later in life, including dangerous self-harm and suicide attempts. A better understanding of the mechanisms underlying this association can inform prevention and intervention. Objective To investigate personality functioning as a potential mediator of the association of...

Objective Research has described positive psychological outcomes after severe illness, including posttraumatic growth. The aim of the present research was to evaluate a short scale assessing posttraumatic growth within a sample of cancer survivors to provide an efficient instrument for research and care settings. Methods Using data of a registry-b...

Objective: Psychotherapy of chronic depression has remained a challenge due to limited prognosis and high rates of recurrence. We present five-year outcome data from a multicenter trial comparing psychoanalytic (PAT) and cognitive-behavioral (CBT) long-term treatments with randomized and preferred allocations analyzing symptom (N=227) and structur...

Objective: As changes in mental representations have been discussed as mechanisms of change in psychotherapy, the question arises whether recollections of childhood abuse and neglect are altered as well and how they relate to symptom changes.Method: Individuals in psychosomatic inpatient treatment (N = 488, 60.5% women) filled out the Childhood Tra...

Objective: Although the relationship between insecure attachment patterns and eating disorder (ED) psychopathology has repeatedly been demonstrated, the underlying mechanisms of this association are not fully understood. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine personality functioning, defined as an impairment in self and interpersonal functi...

Objective: The literature on alexithymia has multiplied in recent decades as the construct has important implications for mental health. The so far used inventories are of limited use in epidemiological research, primary care, and other clinical settings where time and effort are important factors in assessment. Based on items of the authorized Ge...

Suicide prevention is an important public mental health issue that can be significantly brought forward by recent advances in psychological research methods and assessment. The project “TempRes” aims to harness the power of Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) to investigate the transdiagnostic risk and resilience factors associated with suicidal...

Background Tattoos and piercings are becoming increasingly popular in many countries around the world. Individuals seeking such body modifications have reported diverse psychological motives. Besides purely superficial considerations, tattoos and piercings can also have a deep, personal meaning. For example, they can mark and support the emotional...

Background: Depression, the most frequent and harmful mental disorder, has been associated with specific somatic diseases as the leading cause of death. The purposes of this prospective study were to predict incident chronic diseases based on baseline depressive symptoms and to test sex-dependent effects. Methods: In a representative German comm...

The COVID-19 pandemic and measures aimed at its mitigation, such as physical distancing, have been discussed as risk factors for loneliness, which increases the risk of premature mortality and mental and physical health conditions. To ascertain whether loneliness has increased since the start of the pandemic, this study aimed to narratively and sta...

Self-criticism is a stable personality trait identified as a serious risk factor for psychopathology and weight-related health problems. Therefore, it is relevant to epidemiological research, which requires a relatively brief instrument for measuring trait self-criticism in the general population. The current study introduces a brief measure of sel...

As long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk for late effects, ongoing medical care is crucial to detect and treat physical illnesses as early as possible. However, previous research from around the world has shown that many adult survivors did not participate in long-term medical follow-up. This study aimed to provide insight into Ger...

Background Suicidal ideation and behavior constitute important public mental health issues. In this study, we examined whether social integration prevents suicidal ideation over time and whether gender modifies this association. Methods Data from the Gutenberg Health Study (population-based representative community sample in midwest Germany) and t...

The COVID-19 pandemic poses a psychological challenge, especially for individuals with chronic illnesses. The aim of this study was to investigate associations of cancer with distress, including its interplay with further risk and protective factors. We conducted a representative survey of the German population (N = 2503, including N = 144 with a c...

Background : The association of depression with mortality and the significance of explanatory factors, in particularly gender, have remained an issue of debate. We therefore aimed to estimate the effect of depression on all-cause mortality, to examine potential explanatory factors and to assess effect modification by gender. Methods : We used Cox...

Background In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, many individuals have been found to endorse conspiracy beliefs. Socio-demographic variables, personality functioning, anxiety, and loneliness could be risk factors for this endorsement. Methods In a representative sample of the German population (N = 2,503) measures of conspiracy mentality, consp...

Zeitdiagnosen nehmen die Gegenwart in den Blick und fordern ein Verständnis aktueller Gegebenheiten aus den Entwicklungen der Vergangenheit heraus. Psychoanalytische Zeitdiagnosen erweitern diesen Fokus, indem sie auf das Unbewusste rekurrieren: auf unbewusste Konflikte, Ängste und Motive, auf Abwehrvorgänge und Kompromissbildungen, so wie sich die...

Background: Sex and gender are important modifiers of mental health and behavior in normal times and during crises. We investigated whether they were addressed by empirical, international research that explored the mental health and health behavior ramifications after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: We systematically searched the datab...

Background Cancer can have far-reaching and lasting consequences for mental health. Cancer patients and survivors are significantly more likely to experience suicidal thoughts and engage in suicidal actions than the general population. Suicide prevention is therefore an important task in clinical (psycho-)oncological practice.Objective Empirically...

During the pandemic, the extent of subsequent mental health strains is an important issue. A representative face-to-face survey was conducted to assess mental health consequences in the general population and to identify mental health risk factors. In a representative German sample (N = 2,503), we assessed depression and anxiety symptoms by the PHQ...

Background Loneliness has been related to negative physical and mental health outcomes including suicidal ideation (SI). However, it is not clear whether loneliness is equally important for SI in women and men and for individuals of all age groups. Methods Participants were a representative population sample (N=2,450) comprising the entire adult a...

Background: Evidence shows that anxiety and depressive disorders play an important role in eating disorder behavior. However, given the epidemiology of eating disorders, there is a need to investigate potentially gender-specific connections. Method: This study tested the associations of anxiety and depression symptoms with eating disorder symptoms...

Background Loneliness has been increasingly recognized as an important determinant of mental health. The purposes of this study were to (1) determine the degree of loneliness of women and men across different age groups, (2) explore its association with distress, (3) psychometrically evaluate the Three-Item Loneliness Scale, (4) provide norm values...

Depression has been associated with increased inflammation. However, only few large-scale, prospective studies have evaluated whether inflammation leads to new cases of depression and whether this association can be found in men and women. Longitudinal data of N = 10,357 adult participants with no evidence of depression at baseline (based on Patien...

Background Sex and gender are important modifiers of mental health and behavior in normal times and during crises. We investigated whether they were addressed by empirical, international research which explored the mental health and health behavior ramifications after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.Methods We systematically searched the databas...

Objective The aim of this umbrella review is to summarize and discuss the current state of research on information and other needs among migrant and ethnic minority cancer patients and survivors, as well as to provide a practical and comprehensive overview for medical personnel. In fact, although migrants and ethnic minorities with cancer show wors...

Background/Objective: Long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are at risk for adverse late effects. However, not all of them are well understood. The present study addressed loneliness, a previously under-researched mental health risk in cancer survivor populations. We assessed the prevalence of loneliness and its impact on psychological symptom...

Objective The aim of this umbrella review is to summarize and discuss the current state of research on information and other needs among migrant and ethnic minority cancer patients and survivors, as well as to provide a practical and comprehensive overview for medical personnel. In fact, although migrants and ethnic minorities with cancer show wors...

Low birth weight (LBW; < 2,500 g) has been identified as a risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes over the life span. However, little is known about the association of LBW and suicidal ideation in middle and late adulthood. We investigated N = 8,278 participants of a representative community cohort: 3,849 men (46.5%) and 4,429 women (53.5%)...

In a large German community sample of adults, we investigated the association of chronic anxiousness with cardiovascular disease and mortality. Self-reported anxiousness from 11,643 German adults between 40 and 80 years of age from the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) was analyzed over 5 years. Multivariable regression modeling assessed the relation be...

Background: Although gender plays a pivotal role in the psychological adaptation of immigrant youth, its association with acculturation strategy and mental health among 1st generation immigrant adolescents are still scarce and inconsistent. Therefore, the purpose of the current study was to investigate gender-related differences in acculturation p...