Vita Postuvan

• University of Primorska

Objectives Suicide research and prevention are complex. Many practical, methodological and ethical challenges must be overcome to implement effective suicide prevention interventions. Implementation science can offer insights into what works, why and in what context. Yet, there are limited real-world examples of the application of implementation sc...

Objectives Suicide research and prevention are complex. Many practical, methodological and ethical challenges must be overcome to implement effective suicide prevention interventions. Implementation science can offer insights into what works, why and in what context. Yet, there are limited real-world examples of the application of implementation sc...

Objectives: The 12-item Self-Compassion Scale–Short Form (SCS–SF) is a widely used instrument for the assessment of self-compassion. To date, there have been few examinations of this instrument’s psychometric properties, particularly across nations and languages. Therefore, we used data from the Body Image in Nature Survey (BINS) to assess measurem...

Background and Objective: During the COVID-19 pandemic, women faced unique employment-related stressors, including higher exposure to unstable working conditions, increased workload changes due to motherhood, and greater risk of infection in certain jobs. This study explores how these factors influence women’s anxiety and subjective well-being, aim...

This study addresses the scarcity of quantitative tools for assessing the mental health consequences of intimate partner violence on women, focusing on validating the Slovenian translation of the Intimate Violence and Traumatic Affect Scale (S-VITA). Using an online cross-sectional design, we surveyed a representative sample of 1,016 Slovenian wome...

Osamljenost je pomemben družbeni problem, ki vpliva na kakovost življenja starejšega prebivalstva. Prav tako je eden izmed najpomembnejših psiholoških dejavnikov tveganja za samomor, ter eden izmed ključnih konceptov, povezanih s pandemijo COVID-19. Namen raziskave je bil preučiti vpliv preventivnih ukrepov med pandemijo COVID-19 na osamljenost in...

The aim of this study was to explore public attitudes toward medically assisted dying, focusing on the role of socio-demographic factors, mental health conditions, and personal experiences. Data were collected via an online panel in Slovenia, which consisted of 567 participants (53.1% men) aged 18 years and older. The majority of respondents suppor...

Background: Suicide bereavement increases the probability of adverse outcomes related to grief, social functioning, mental health, and suicidal behavior. While more support for individuals bereaved by suicide has become available, the evidence regarding its effectiveness is not straightforward. The literature suggests that identifying best-practice...

Slovenia was part of Yugoslavia and became independent in 1991 after a ten-day war. Slovenia had the highest suicide rate of all the member states of Yugoslavia. All young men in Yugoslavian states served the military out of their home state and some soldiers returned in a coffin because of suicide. This, among other factors, was the trigger for th...

This study examined the historical shifts in Slovenian public attitudes towards suicide by analyzing media coverage in two major Slovenian newspapers from 1959 to 1999. We conducted a database search and analyzed 1,785 relevant articles from an initial pool of 13,042 hits. Our findings reveal that the media reported more frequently on risk factors...

This study examines the representation of suicide in Slovenian newspapers from 1959 to 1999, a period characterised by profound socio-political changes. By analysing 1,785 articles from the archives of two major newspapers, Delo and Večer, we identified a dynamic relationship between the style of media reporting on suicide and the evolving societal...

Aim The main purpose of the present study was to validate the Slovenian version of the 41- item Capacity to Love Inventory (CTL-I). Based on psychoanalytic theory, limitations to capacity to love are expected to be associated with personality dysfunction and disintegration as well as fundamental mental capacities such as self-reflection and self-aw...

Exposure to media reporting on suicide can be both a risk and a protective factor, as (ir)responsible reporting on suicide can have different effects on vulnerable people. Since online media are increasingly important in everyday life, this study aimed to examine how the three most widely read Slovenian online media report on suicide. 114 online me...

Background and Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preventive measures affected various aspects of people’s lives, while also representing an important risk factor for people’s mental health. In the present study, we examined the negative psychological consequences of the preventive measures on people’s mental health and the protect...

Background and Objectives: The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) goes beyond the consequences of the infectious disease, especially as the measures taken to prevent the spread of the virus have had a very profound impact on people’s social relationships and everyday lives. Several studies have investigated these effects, but there is a...

Background and Objectives: Resuscitation is one of the most stressful tasks in emergency medicine. The participation of nurses in this procedure can have specific effects on them. In this research, we wanted to find out what these effects are. Materials and Methods: A qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews was used, and a the...

Background: Online implementation of suicide prevention interventions offers many advantages, facilitating the dissemination of large-scale suicide prevention interventions. An online tool iAlive aimed at raising awareness and increasing suicide prevention competences in lay people was developed and implemented in Slovenia. Aims: To develop, implem...

Resuscitation is one of the most stressful tasks in emergency medicine. The participation of medical professionals in this procedure can have specific effects on them. In the research, we wanted to find out what these effects are. A qualitative approach by conducting semi-structured interviews was used, and thematic data analysis of the recorded in...

The Body Appreciation Scale-2 (BAS-2) is a widely used measure of a core facet of the positive body image construct. However, extant research concerning measurement invariance of the BAS-2 across a large number of nations remains limited. Here, we utilised the Body Image in Nature (BINS) dataset – with data collected between 2020 and 2022 – to asse...

Insecure attachment has been identified as a risk factor for adolescent psychopathology and, consequently, for suicidal behavior. We aimed to highlight the relationship between the attachment styles of adolescents and their suicidal behavior and to investigate the role of each parent in the suicidality pathway of adolescents. The sample consisted o...

Suicide is one of the biggest social and public health problems. Every year about 450 Slovenians and about 800,000 people around the world die by suicide. Suicide represents a significant proportion of the global burden of disease, being the tenth leading cause of death, accounting for 1.5% of all deaths. The most direct consequences after death ar...

Introduction: Suicide of a student affects the entire school community. Therefore, professionally supported postvention activities should be implemented in such cases. The first postvention guidelines for schools in Slovenia were published and distributed in the fall of 2021. The aim of this contribution is to present the first impressions of the u...

Introduction: Scout leaders are youth workers in close contact with children and adolescents, a vulnerable group for mental health problems and suicidal behaviour. They assume the role of an older sibling and the implemented activities facilitate development of close relationships. The leaders are sometimes trusted with personal problems by members...

Our study aimed to test the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Capacity to Love Inventory (CTL-I, Kapusta et al., 2018). The CTL-I is a 41-item self-report questionnaire that measures the construct of capacity to love. The measure itself has been operationalized based on findings from clinical practice and psychodynamic theory...

Objective: Suicidality is a phenomenon, which does not fit into the traditional medical illness model. Working with suicidal clients requires unique approaches and is frequently referred to as one of the most demanding and anxiety-provoking aspects of therapeutic work. The aim of this study was to obtain an in-depth understanding of psychotherapist...

Background: In times of unprecedented infectious disease threats, it is essential to understand how to increase individual protective behaviors and support for collective measures. The present study therefore examines factors associated with individual and collective pathways. Methods: Data was collected via an online survey from 4,483 participants...

Early detection and intervention can counteract mental disorders and risk behaviours among adolescents. However, help-seeking rates are low. School-based screenings are a promising tool to detect adolescents at risk for mental problems and to improve help-seeking behaviour. We assessed associations between the intervention “Screening by Professiona...

Slovenija predstavlja t. i. "mokro kulturo", kjer je alkohol splošno sprejet. Najpogosteje zaradi škodljivega pitja posameznika trpi njegova družina, predvsem otroci, ki predstavljajo ranljivo skupino s povečanim tveganjem za duševne in telesne težave. Namen pričujoče raziskave je bil preveriti, ali prihaja do razlik v težavah v duševnem zdravju, v...

The aim of the present validation study is to determine the psychometric properties of the Slovenian version of the Mental Health Literacy Scale. For this purpose, the factorial structure, internal consistency, cross-cultural, convergent and discriminant validity were assessed. The measure was translated and adapted to Slovenian context through a b...

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death in adolescents and help-seeking behaviour for suicidal behaviour is low. School-based screenings can identify adolescents at risk for suicidal behaviour and might have the potential to facilitate service use and reduce suicidal behaviour. The aim of this study was to assess associations of a two-stage s...

Loneliness and suicidal ideation (SI) are relevant issues. This study aimed to examine the prevalence of death ideation (DI) and SI in the general population across four age groups and to determine the extent to which emotional and social loneliness are associated with SI. Data were collected via an online panel in Slovenia in February 2019 on a re...

As first responders in prisons, correctional officers are more exposed to suicides than the general population. The aim of the study was to explore how they experience the suicidal behavior of inmates and how they cope with potential psychological consequences of these experiences. We conducted interviews with 11 male correctional officers working...

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is one of the most stressful situations in emergency medicine. Nurses involved in performing basic and advanced resuscitation procedures are therefore exposed to a certain amount of stress. The purpose of this study was to determine the stressors and the level of stress experienced by nurses during resuscitation....

Pathological Internet use (but only with respect to gaming) is classified as mental disorder in the ICD-11. However, there is a large group of adolescents showing excessive Internet use, which may rather be considered adolescent risk-behavior. The aim was to test whether pathological and excessive Internet use should be considered as “psychopatholo...

Background While loneliness is recognized as a risk to mental and physical health, there is a lack of data covering a broad age range. This study used a Slovenian adult sample to investigate loneliness. Aims To examine levels of social, emotional and general loneliness within the general population. Method A survey on a sample representative of t...

Prisoners are an extremely vulnerable group regarding suicidal behaviour, with a consistently higher prevalence of suicide when compared to the general population. However, the characteristics of suicidal behaviour for this group are understudied in Slovenia. We wanted to investigate the characteristics of suicidal behaviour and suicide-related fac...

The school-based mental health promotion and suicide prevention universal program Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM) significantly reduces incident suicide attempts and severe suicidal ideation. This paper aims at elucidating psychological mechanisms underlying YAM’s efficacy. Our hypothesis is that YAM operates through interactions with coping str...

Background The changing landscape of the work environment, which often encompasses expectations of employees being continuously available, makes it difficult to disengage from work and recover. This can have a negative impact on employees’ well-being, resulting in burnout, depression and anxiety, among other difficulties. The current study will tes...

Working with suicidal clients is frequently referred to as one of the most demanding and anxiety‐provoking aspects of therapeutic work. The aim of this study was to obtain an in‐depth understanding of therapists’ experience in treating suicidal individuals and develop a theoretical model of it. Eleven psychotherapists (4 men and 7 women) participat...

Peer victimization is a major stressor adolescents often face in the school environment, and has been linked to depression and suicidal risk. This study analyzed the associations between three behavioral coping strategies (avoidance, seeking social support from adults/peers, and retaliation) and depression and suicidal ideation. Participants includ...

The Breast Size Satisfaction Survey (BSSS) was established to assess women’s breast size dissatisfaction and breasted experiences from a cross-national perspective. A total of 18,541 women were recruited from 61 research sites across 40 nations and completed measures of current-ideal breast size discrepancy, as well as measures of theorised anteced...

Purpose: Self-injurious behavior is a frequent phenomenon in adolescence. The present study prospectively examined life events as risk factors for the first onset of direct self-injurious behavior (D-SIB) in the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe school-based multicenter sample. Methods: Longitudinal assessments with an interval of 1 ye...

Background Predictions of two different models for suicide attempts (SA) over 12 months, as differentially impacted by specific school‐based suicide prevention interventions, were compared. These were as follows: (a) interpersonal theory (IPTS) and (b) a two‐pathway model, one path associated with externalizing symptoms and continuum of self‐harm b...

Across many domains of health and welfare, there have been remarkable advances in prevention where public-health models have had a significant impact. Psychology has much to offer in building on these successes and we describe some excellent examples, but in general, it has not been fully engaged with prevention science and implementation. We set o...

Sexual-minority youth have a two to three times higher risk for suicidal behaviour than their peers. They also have increased mental health risk factors, such as depression and substance abuse, and are often victims of homophobia and discrimination. Available data are unable to provide a clear understanding of the psychosocial factors contributing...

Background Reproductive and mental health are key domains of adolescent wellbeing but possible interrelationships are poorly understood. This cross-sectional study evaluated the association between psychopathology and reproductive health risk among European adolescents. Methods A structured self-report questionnaire was delivered to 12,395 pupils...

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death among young people globally. In light of emerging evidence supporting the effectiveness of school-based suicide prevention programmes, an analysis of cost-effectiveness is required. We aimed to conduct a full cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of the large pan-European school-based RCT, Saving and Empowe...

Mental health promotion and suicide prevention project for adolescents: A (se) štekaš?!? / Do you understand (yourself)?!?

Introduction: Scouts leaders are in regular and close contact with children and adolescents, who are a vulnerable group for suicidal behaviour. The leaders are sometimes trusted with personal problems by members of their groups or are able to notice warning signs of distress in them. Aim: The aim of this study was to explore Slovenian scouts leader...

Physical disorders and anxiety are frequently comorbid. This study investigates the characteristics of physical disorders, self-rated heath, subjective well-being and anxiety in adolescents. Data were drawn from the Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe cohort study. From 11 countries 11,230 adolescents, aged 14–16 years were included. Zung S...

Background The association between bullying victimization and depression, suicide ideation and suicide attempts has been studied mainly in cross‐sectional studies. This study aims to test the bidirectional effect and the chronicity versus sporadic effect of physical, verbal, and relational bullying victimization on suicidal ideation/attempts and de...

Decades of research has shown that adolescent alcohol consumption is linked to effective parenting. Data were obtained from adolescents (N=11 503, mean age 14.9±0.79) in Austria, Estonia, France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Romania, Slovenia and Spain within the European Union’s 7th Framework Programme funded project, ‘Saving and Empo...

BACKGROUND: Restriction of access to suicide methods has been shown to effectively reduce suicide mortality rates. AIMS: To examine how the global economic crisis of 2008 and the firearm legislation reform of 1997 affected suicide and homicide mortality rate within Austria. METHODS: Official data for the years 1985–2016 for firearm certificate...

Background Sexuality is a physiological component of adolescent development, though early initiation is associated with reproductive health risk. This study aimed at identifying correlates and predictors of sexual initiation in a large multinational cohort of European adolescents. Methods A questionnaire addressing socio-demographics, behaviours,...

The Youth Aware of Mental health (YAM) experience Youth stand at the core of much mental health promotion, yet little is written about their experiences of such efforts. We aimed to take this on by interviewing youth after they participated in Youth Aware of Mental Health (YAM), a universal mental health promotion program. YAM has a non-anticipator...

Early onset and long-term smoking are associated with physical and psychological health problems. The aim of the presented analysis was to investigate risk and influencing factors for different smoking status in a big sample of European adolescents. In the context of the "saving and empowering young lives in Europe" (SEYLE) study we surveyed 12,328...

Background Although effective treatment is available for a variety of mental disorders, the treatment and help-seeking gap remains high. One of the main obstacles to help-seeking behaviour is prevailing stigmatizing attitudes. Aim To examine attitudes within the general population towards seeking professional help in times of mental distress. Met...

Background Migration has been reported to be associated with higher prevalence of mental disorders and suicidal behaviour. Aims To examine the prevalence of emotional and behavioural difficulties, suicidal ideation and suicide attempts among migrant adolescents and their non-migrant peers. Method A school-based survey was completed by 11 057 Euro...

Since the 1970s, mindfulness programmes have expanded to various fields of stress prevention, depression and other mental health problems and occupational field in which they are frequent especially in the helping professions due to high exposure to stress. Numerous studies are confirming positive effects of mindfulness for professionals, however,...

Purpose: To examine risk and protective factors moderating the associations between three types of bullying victimization (physical, verbal, and relational bullying) with suicide ideation/attempts in a large representative sample of European adolescents. Methods: We analyzed cross-sectional data on 11,110 students (mean age = 14.9, standard devi...

Introduction Knowledge about signs and treatment of mental illnesses is often not enough to seek professional help. Hence, it is important to gain understanding of other determinants, i.e. attitudes, stigma, which influence help-seeking behaviour. Objectives Based on Ajzen's theory of planned behaviour, we aimed at collecting data of determinants...

In this cross-sectional study, physical activity, sport participation and associations with well-being, anxiety and depressive symptoms were examined in a large representative sample of European adolescents. A school-based survey was completed by 11,110 adolescents from ten European countries who took part in the SEYLE (Saving and Empowering Young...

Previous studies have examined the association between victimization by bullying and both suicide ideation and suicide attempts. The current study examined the association between victimization by bullying and direct-self-injurious behavior (D-SIB) among a large representative sample of male and female adolescents in Europe. This study is part of t...

Background Gatekeeper training for community facilitators, to identify and respond to those at risk of suicide, forms an important part of multi-level community-based suicide prevention programmes. Aims This study examined the effects of gatekeeper training on attitudes, knowledge and confidence of police officers in dealing with persons at risk o...

BACKGROUND: For many psychologists, working with suicidal people can be one of the most stressful parts of their work; however, adequate management of these individuals is of crucial importance. Therefore, it is necessary to study and enhance psychologists’ competences in this field. SUPER PSYCHOLOGIST is a project of a one-year professional develo...

The Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire (INQ) for assessing thwarted belongingness (TB) and perceived burdensomeness (PB) has not been validated with community adolescents. We translated and administered the INQ to 307 Slovenian adolescents twice over 2-3 months and found that the 15-item version (INQ-15) did not fit without modification. TB and PB s...

Introduction The existing literature provides evidence of the link between media reporting and suicide in terms of either preventive or provocative effects. Hence, working with media representatives on responsible reporting on suicide is of great importance. Until recently in Slovenia, there has been an obvious lack of communication between media r...

Risk-behaviors are a major contributor to the leading causes of morbidity among adolescents and young people; however, their association with pathological Internet use (PIU) is relatively unexplored, particularly within the European context. The main objective of this study is to investigate the association between risk-behaviors and PIU in Europea...

Reading books and watching films were investigated as protective factors for serioussuicidal ideation (SSI) in young people with low perceived social belonging.Cross-sectionaland longitudinal (12-month) analyses were performed using data from a representative Europeansample of 3256 students from the “Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe” stu...

After the railway suicide of the German national goalkeeper Robert Enke in 2009, a significant increase of railway suicides was observed nationally. This study analyses whether this incident also triggered copycat effects in other European countries. Additionally, media coverage proxied by Google Trends and long-term changes taking into account gen...

Background Smoking among adolescents is still a major public health problem and a global concern. Early onset and long-term smoking are associated with physical and psychological health problems. Objective To identify risk factors and comorbidities for occasional and daily smoking among European adolescents. Methods In the context of the Europe-w...

To screen and clinically interview European adolescents reporting current suicidality (suicidal ideation and suicide attempt) and investigate attendance at the clinical interview. The Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) Project was carried out in 11 European countries. A baseline questionnaire was completed in school by 12,395 adole...

Background Suicidal behaviours in adolescents are a major public health problem and evidence-based prevention programmes are greatly needed. We aimed to investigate the efficacy of school-based preventive interventions of suicidal behaviours. Methods The Saving and Empowering Young Lives in Europe (SEYLE) study is a multicentre, cluster-randomised...