Rajna Knez

Skaraborgs Sjukhus Skövde · Departement of Pediatrics

Background: Children and adolescents are often exposed to traumatic events, which may lead to the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is therefore important for clinicians to screen for potential symptoms that can be signs of PTSD onset. PTSD in youth is a worldwide problem, thus congruent screening tools in various languages ar...

Introduction: Hypermobility spectrum disorders (HSD) and hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) are both characterized by generalized hypermobility, in combination with pain, affected proprioception, and pronounced fatigue. Clinical observation indicates that behavioral problems, hyperactivity, and autistic traits are overrepresented in children...

Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations (ESSENCE) is an umbrella term covering a wide range of neurodevelopmental difficulties and disorders. Thus, ESSENCE includes attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and other neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and difficulties, w...

Objective: The QbTest that combines a continuous performance task (CPT) with a motion-tracking system may help identify attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study examined the structure and diagnostic ability of the QbTest in children and adolescents. Method: Retrospective data from 1,274 children and adolescents were analyzed....

Background Globally, the digital sources developed and available in antenatal care differ, and infrastructure challenges may impede the further development of such sources. Challenges accompanying digital developments can include the commonly occurring high workload, which affects healthcare professionals' ability to acquire professional knowledge...

The prevalence of pain in children and adolescents with psychiatric conditions is rarely investigated. The aims of the current study were to (a) describe the prevalence of headaches and abdominal pain in children and adolescents with psychiatric conditions, (b) compare the prevalence of pain in children and adolescents with psychiatric conditions w...

Background This study aimed to explore residents’ and teachers’ perceptions of the digital format of Metis (a national education network in Sweden) didactic courses for psychiatry residents in Sweden to guide post-pandemic curriculum development. Methods An online attitude survey was developed and sent out to 725 residents in psychiatry and 237 co...

Objective To explore parents’ experiences using digital tools in relation to pregnancy, labor and birth, and the child’s first 18 months. Background Parents find relevant information using digital healthcare tools, material obtained from professionals, as well as personal opinions and experiences that vary in quality. Method Fifteen parents were...

Takotsubo syndrome (TTS) is an acute heart failure syndrome. Emotional or physical stressors are believed to precipitate TTS, while the pathophysiological mechanism is not yet completely understood. During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, an increased incidence of TTS has been reported in some countries; however, the precise pathophysio...

Purpose: Determine the prevalence of symptoms of neurodevelopmental problems (NDPs) with a semi-structured review of fourth grade students' medical records, its interrater agreement and validity as compared with clinical assessment. Methods: A school-based sample of 11-year-old children provided child health care (CHC) records and school health...

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of parent-rated developmental concern using the ESSENCE-Q (Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations-Questionnaire, 12-items, score range 0– 24) and to ascertain the predictive validity and optimal cutoff level of the instrument in a school-based sample of 11-year-old childre...

New research shows that the prevalence of neurodevelopmental disorders, such as attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), is increased in children and adolescents as well as in adults with chronic pain, compared to those without chronic pain. Children and adolescents with ADHD also have an increased incidence of various physical conditions a...

Background This study aimed to evaluate the endorsement rates of M-CHAT(-R) items by parents/caregivers of toddlers with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) synthesizing data from ten countries: Albania, Chile, Georgia, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mexico, Serbia, Turkey, United Kingdom, and the United States of America. Method Data were aggregated for toddler...

Background The Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire-Short Form (Q-LES-Q-SF) is the most frequently used generic quality of life (QOL) measure in many countries and cultures worldwide. However, no single study has been carried out to investigate whether this questionnaire performs similarly across diverse cultures/countries. Acco...

Objective The aim of this study was to explore expecting parents’ perceptions of the Childbirth Journey as an intervention that includes medical information for parental support, constructed as a serious game. Methods In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were held with expecting parents in Sweden who were able to talk about specif...

Background The continuous performance task (CPT) may help identify coexistent attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The Quantified behavior Test (QbTest) combines a CPT and motion-tracking data to assess ADHD symptoms. This study aimed to evaluate the QbTest performance of children and adolescents with A...

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has challenged and almost completely disrupted the previous teaching system, based mainly on teachers’ and learners’ physical presence. This impact has forced educators to identify alternative learning models and begin utilizing new approaches, often without detailed analysis or thorough, systematic...

Background: The access to digital tools for parents is increasing, and further exploration is needed to gain knowledge about parents' experiences in using such tools, for example, when preparing for childbirth and parenthood. This study protocol describes a prospective study that will explore serious games as digital tools for parental support, and...

Tidskriften för Svensk Psykiatri #3, September 2021

No abstract available

The Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS) is a simple and inexpensive tool for Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) assessments, with evidenced psychometric data from different countries. However, it is still unclear whether ASD symptoms are measured the same way across different societies and world regions with this tool, since data on its cross-cultural...

Background Exposure to traumatic events in childhood is associated with the development and maintenance of various psychiatric disorders, but most frequently with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The aim of this study was to evaluate the types of traumatic events experienced and the presence and predictors of PTSD symptoms among adolescents fr...

The core signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be objectivized by the Quantified behavior Test (QbTest), combining a continuous performance task (CPT) and motion tracking. The aim of this study was to evaluate the QbTest performance of children with ADHD before and after a single methylphenidate (MPH) dose.

Locus of control (LOC) is a modifiable mediator of symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among traumatized individuals and a potential target of intervention. Compared with studies involving adults, the potential mediation effect of LOC on PTSD symptoms among trauma-exposed children and adolescents is relatively under-explored. This stud...

Introduction: The Quantified behavior Test (QbTest), which combines a continuous performance task (CPT) and motion tracking, provides data for the core signs of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD): attention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. This study aimed to evaluate the performance of children and adolescents with ADHD on the QbTest...

Background: A significant number of citizens, including a great proportion of doctors, both psychiatrists and doctors of other specialties, decided to emigrate from Croatia after Croatia entered the EU in 2013. Aim of research was to investigate possible differences in satisfaction with life and work between 3 groups: emigrants psychiatrists (EP),...

Background and objective The current article explored the possibility of using daily internet use time as an indicator for problematic internet use (PIU) among college/ university students based on observations from a multi-centric, multi-country study conducted across eight different countries. Additionally, the current article explored whether da...

After Croatia entered EU in 2013 and gained access to the EU single market, a significant number of citizens, including a great proportion of doctors, both psychiatrists and doctors of other specialties, decided to emigrate from Croatia. Are they satisfied with their life and work conditions now? Was it worth it?

Introduction Exposure to traumatic events in childhood and adolescence is associated with the development and maintenance of various psychopathologies, such as anxiety, depression, somatic, but most frequently with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Adolescent PTSD is unresearched in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Objectives To evalua...

As the global health care workforce faces a shortage, several EU nations focus on employing foreign-trained physicians. So much so, that in some countries of the EU, the percentage of foreign-trained physicians has reached 30 % and the percentage of foreign-trained psychiatrists has risen to 40 %. After Croatia entered the EU, together with a signi...

The present study evaluated the psychometric properties of a self-report scale for assessing Internet Gaming Disorder (IGD) symptoms according to the DSM–5 and ICD–11 among 3270 college/university students (2095 [64.1%] females; age mean 21.6 [3.1] years) from different countries worldwide. Croatian, English, Polish, Portuguese, Serbian, Turkish, a...

1-25% of college/university students worldwide at risk for IGD Our results of the k-means cluster analysis performed with six non-invariant items in the total sample showed that 2480 (75.8%) of participants clustered in a none/low-risk group (Cluster 1), participants responding mostly never (≥ 90%) or almost never (≤ 28%), 555 (17%) of participant...

The Internet gaming disorder self-report by the ICMH-SG (ICMH-IGD scale)

A current research trend is the identification of psychosocial variables that moderate and/or mediate the association between stressors and psychopathological symptoms. Research has shown Locus of Control (LoC) is a key cognitive component of this psychological process in adolescents from individualist cultures. It is unclear whether this finding c...

Background and aims Internet use has increased worldwide exponentially over the past two decades, with no up-to-date cross-country comparison of Problematic Internet Use (PIU) and its correlates available. The present study aimed to explore the pattern and correlates of PIU across different countries in the European and the Asian continent. Further...

Different anxiety and/or depressive disorders are possible to be diagnosed in diabetes. Every third person with diabetes, including children and adolescents, could have significant symptoms of anxiety and/or depressive disorders. It is highly likely that the diagnoses of these disorders will change over time, but the two would be persistent and rec...

Purpose: The Early Symptomatic Syndromes Eliciting Neurodevelopmental Clinical Examinations – Questionnaire (ESSENCE-Q) was developed as a brief screener to identify children with developmental concerns who might have neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This study aimed to translate the ESSENCE-Q into south Slavic languages, namely, Bosnian, Bulga...

Diabetes mellitus (DM) and mental health problems are frequently co-occurring conditions. Anxiety and depressive disorders are the most common mental disorders that accompany DM. These conditions could have severe consequences in children and adolescents suffering from DM. Thus, it is important to pay additional attention to them. This article prov...

Objectives: To translate the ESSENCE-Q screening instrument for neurodevelopmental disorders into South Slavic languages, namely Bosnian, Bulgarian, Croatian, Macedonian, Montenegrin, Serbian, and Slovenian. Methods: The ESSENCE-Q (12 items, possible total scores 0-24) was translated into languages abovementioned in a multiple-step process. Afterwa...

Objectives: To test the sensitivity and specificity of the parent form of the ESSENCE-Q South Slavic language versions as a screening instrument for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in clinical settings. Methods: Children under the age of 6 assessed for developmental problems from seven centers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Maced...

Purpose: There is disregard in the scientific literature for the evaluation of psychiatric in-patient care as rated directly by patients. In this context, we aimed to explore satisfaction of people treated in mental health in-patient facilities. The project was a part of the Young Psychiatrist Program by the Association for the Improvement of Ment...

In this systematic review, we assessed available evidence for cross-cultural measurement invariance of assessment scales for child and adolescent psychopathology as an indicator of cross-cultural validity. A literature search was conducted using the Medline, PsychInfo, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar databases. Cross-cultural measurement...

Cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale across eleven world-wide societies – ERRATUM - Volume 26 Issue 4 - D. Stevanovic, Z. Bagheri, O. Atilola, P. Vostanis, D. Stupar, P. Moreira, T. Franic, N. Davidovic, R. Knez, A. Nikšić, K. Dodig-Ćurković, M. Avicenna, I. Multazam Noor, L. Nussbaum, A. Deljkovic...

In order to compare estimates by one assessment scale across various cultures/ethnic groups, an important aspect that needs to be demonstrated is that its construct across these groups is invariant when measured using a similar and simultaneous approach (i.e., demonstrated cross-cultural measurement invariance). One of the methods for evaluating me...

This study evaluated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory version 4.0 (PedsQL™) among adolescents sampled from Bulgaria, Croatia, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, and Turkey. The multiple-indicator multiple-cause (MIMIC) model was used, which allowed controlling of demographic variables (i.e., age,...

The authors aimed to assess and compare problematic internet use among medical students enrolled in a graduate degree course in one school each from Croatia, India, and Nigeria and to assess correlates of problematic use among these students. The questionnaire included a sociodemographic profile of participants and Young's Internet Addiction Test....

INTRODUCTION: Asexuality is a sexual orientation, or lack thereof, when an individual feels no sexual attraction to other people of either sex, with low or absent desire for sexual activity. Even though asexual people usually do not experience the need for physical, they can still have needs for emotional intimacy. Nowadays, asexuality can be consi...

INTRODUCTION: Asexuality is a sexual orientation, or lack thereof, when an individual feels no sexual attraction to other people of either sex, with low or absent desire for sexual activity. Even though asexual people usually do not experience the need for physical, they can still have needs for emotional intimacy. Nowadays, asexuality can be consi...

Although a major public health and social concern globally, limited data exist on substance use and their effects among adolescents living in low- and middle-income countries. This study evaluated the relationships between alcohol/drug use and quality of life (QOL) among adolescents in general populations from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, Tur...

Depression is an illness of modern society, which affects population of different age. Etiological factors differ, and frustration factors as a cause of depression are multiplying. Each new episode presents difficulties, both for patients and psychiatrists. Despite the increasing number of antidepressants we use in treatment, it is sometimes hard t...

Background: It is widely held that with quality of life (QOL) questionnaires we could evaluate different aspects of well-being and functioning of people with mental health problems. However, research with adults indicates that there might be overlapping between questionnaires measuring aspects of mental health and QOL due to similarities in items r...

BACKGROUND: There is very little literature data available on the prevalence of personality disorder in parents of children and adolescents suffering from inflammatory bowel disease. The purpose of this study is to assess the rate of parents who fulfilled criteria for a particular personality disorder according to the Structured Clinical Interview...

Most studies examining adolescent alcohol and substance use or abuse hardly include samples from developing countries. To bridge some gap, the prevalence and associated social correlates of alcohol and substance use and abuse was examined among a cohort of school-going adolescents sampled from seven developing countries. Alcohol and substance abuse...

Aims. This study evaluated the measurement invariance of the strengths and difficulties questionnaire (SDQ) self-report among adolescents from seven different nations. Methods. Data for 2367 adolescents, aged 13–18 years, from India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Serbia, Turkey, Bulgaria and Croatia were available for a series of factor analyses. Results....

Dementia is a syndrome of global and progressive damage of cognitive functions (memory, learning, abstract thinking, orientation) with conserved consciousness. The manifestations of the disease are various, with sometimes combined neurological and psychiatric symptoms, like in certain physical diseases. People who suffer from dementia often do not...

Depression is an illness of modern society, which affects population of different age. Etiological factors differ, and frustration factors as a cause of depression are multiplying. Each new episode presents difficulties, both for patients and psychiatrists. Despite the increasing number of antidepressants we use in treatment, it is sometimes hard t...

Akutne psihotične poremećaje prilično često susrećemo u svakodnevnoj kliničkoj praksi. Etiološki čimbenici mogu biti različiti, a vjerojatno da način i tempo života imaju utjecaj na njihov nastanak. Osnova liječenja akutnog psihotičnog poremećaja su antipsihotici. Komorbidne bolesti i poremećaji mogu utjecati na izbor antipsihotika i na tijek liječ...

1885. godine neurolog G. de la Tourette opisao je sindrom s višestrukim motoričkim tikovima i barem jednim vokalnim tikom. Početak poremećaja je u djetinjstvu/adolescenciji, a uobičajena je pojava motoričkih tikova prije vokalnih. Biokemijske, slikovne, neurofiziološke i genetičke studije potvrđuju da se radi o razvojnom poremećaju s nasljednom ko...

Most studies examining adolescent alcohol and substance use or abuse hardly include samples from developing countries. To bridge some gap, the prevalence and associated social correlates of alcohol and substance use and abuse was examined among a cohort of school-going adolescents sampled from seven developing countries. Alcohol and substance abuse...

The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory™ Family Impact Module (PedsQL™ FIM) is a health-related quality of life and family functioning questionnaire for parents of children with chronic conditions. The aim of this study was to develop the Croatian version of the PedsQL™ FIM and to evaluate its psychometric properties. The study included 212 parents...

Purpose: One of the main characteristics of measuring quality of life (QOL) in psychopharmacology is in providing data about the impacts of specific treatments on different aspects of well-being and functioning [1]. Therefore, QOL and other similar patientreported outcome (PRO) measures are recognized by regulatory bodies as important outcome measu...

There is some evidence indicating that psychotropic medications might lead to health-related quality of life (QOL) improvements among children and adolescents with psychiatric disorders. The aim of this systematic review is to assess evidence regarding whether antidepressant treatment improves QOL among children and adolescents with depressive or a...

Obsessive traits, neuroticism, as well as obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) may be notably found among adult patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), while the results are not so clear among children with IBD. However, according to published data, all children with IBD who also have a psychiatric diagnosis have at least one pa...

Sex therapy consists of an array of counselling and therapeutic procedures that aim at establishing individual sexual health and/or sexually healthy relationship, and also at alleviating consequences of sexual health disorders and enabling people to cope with them more satisfactorily. Although this kind of therapy has been developing for half a cen...

IDEA project is the outcome of Association for the Improvement of Mental Health programme and coordinated at Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London. Aims are to explore experience of people treated in a mental health setting across nations, determine how inpatient experiences can be improved. Results: 10 countries are participating to the s...