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BACKGROUND: Stroke often impairs upper extremity motor function, with recovery in the sub-acute phase being crucial for regaining independence. This study examines changes in isometric muscle strength…

BACKGROUND: Stroke often impairs upper extremity motor function, with recovery in the sub-acute phase being crucial for regaining independence. This study examines changes in isometric muscle strength, dexterity, and self-care independence during this period, and evaluates the effects of a comprehensive intensive rehabilitation (COMIRESTROKE). METHODS: Individuals in sub-acute stroke recovery and age- and sex-matched controls were assessed for pre- and post-rehabilitation differences in primary outcomes (grip/pinch strength, Nine Hole Peg Test [NHPT], Action Research Arm Test [ARAT]). COMIRESTROKE’s effects on primary and secondary outcomes (National Institute of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS], Modified Rankin Scale [MRS], Functional Independence Measure [FIM]) were evaluated. Outcomes were analyzed for dominant and non-dominant limbs, both regardless of impairment and with a focus on impaired limbs. RESULTS: Fifty-two individuals with stroke (NIHSS 7.51 ± 5.71, age 70.25 ± 12.66 years, 21.36 ± 12.06 days post-stroke) and forty-six controls participated. At baseline, individuals with stroke showed significantly lower strength (dominant grip, key pinch, tip-tip pinch, padj < 0.05), higher NHPT scores (padj < 0.05), and lower ARAT scores (padj < 0.001). COMIRESTROKE led to improvements in dominant key pinch, non-dominant tip-tip pinch, NHPT, and both dominant and non-dominant ARAT (padj < 0.05). Notably, non-dominant key pinch improved significantly when considering only impaired hands. Pre- and post-test differences between groups were significant only for ARAT (both limbs), even after adjustment (padj < 0.05). All secondary outcomes (NIHSS, MRS, FIM) showed significant improvement post-COMIRESTROKE (padj < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Individuals with stroke exhibit reduced muscle strength and dexterity, impairing independence. However, comprehensive intensive rehabilitation significantly improves these functions. Data are available from the corresponding author upon request and are part of a sub-study of NCT05323916.

Výroční Mezinárodní konferenci Psychometrické společnosti (International Meeting of Psychometric Society, IMPS 2024) ve dnech 15.−19. července 2024 hostil &Uac…

Výroční Mezinárodní konferenci Psychometrické společnosti (International Meeting of Psychometric Society, IMPS 2024) ve dnech 15.−19. července 2024 hostil Ústav informatiky Akademie věd České republiky (AV ČR) ve spolupráci s Pedagogickou fakultou UK (PedF UK) a Vysokou školou ekonomickou (VŠE) v Praze. V rámci Ústavu informatiky AV ČR konferenci pořádala Skupina výpočetní psychometrie, která se zabývá výpočetními aspekty, vývojem a aplikací statistických metod pro analýzu měření v psychologii, vzdělávání a dalších sociálních vědách. Na VŠE organizaci podpořili členové fakulty informatiky a statistiky. Z PedF UK se zapojili členové Ústavu výzkumu a rozvoje vzdělávání, který se zaobírá mj. analýzou dat z velkých mezinárodních studií.The annual International Meeting of the Psychometric Society (IMPS 2024), held from July 15–19, 2024, was hosted by the Institute of Computer Science of the Czech Academy of Sciences (CAS) in cooperation with the Faculty of Education at Charles University (PedF UK) and the University of Economics (VŠE) in Prague. Within the Institute of Computer Science at CAS, the conference was organized by the Computational Psychometrics Group, which focuses on the computational aspects, development, and application of statistical methods for measurement analysis in psychology, education, and other social sciences. The Faculty of Informatics and Statistics at the Prague University of Economics and Business also provided organizational support. From the Faculty of Education at Charles University, members of the Institute for Research and Development in Education, which specializes in analyzing data from large international studies, participated in the event organization.

This article explores innovations for parameter estimation in generalized linear and nonlinear models, which may be used in item response modeling to account for guessing/pretending or slipping/dissim…

This article explores innovations for parameter estimation in generalized linear and nonlinear models, which may be used in item response modeling to account for guessing/pretending or slipping/dissimulation and for the effect of covariates. We introduce a new implementation of the EM algorithm and propose a new algorithm based on the parametrized link function. The two novel iterative algorithms are compared to existing methods in a simulation study. Additionally, the study examines software implementation, including the specification of initial values for numerical algorithms and asymptotic properties with an estimation of standard errors. Overall, the newly proposed algorithm based on the parametrized link function outperforms other procedures, especially for small sample sizes. Moreover, the newly implemented EM algorithm provides additional information regarding respondents’ inclination to guess or pretend and slip or dissimulate when answering the item. The study also discusses applications of the methods in the context of the detection of differential item functioning and addresses the measurement error. Methods are offered in the difNLR package and in the interactive application of the ShinyItemAnalysis package; demonstration is provided using real data from psychological and educational assessments.

The long-term research focus on the analysis of the lifestyle of families with prepubertal children and the dismal state of the increase in overweight and obesity in Czech adolescents led the authors …

The long-term research focus on the analysis of the lifestyle of families with prepubertal children and the dismal state of the increase in overweight and obesity in Czech adolescents led the authors to conduct research with families with children aged 3-8 years with the intention of uncovering patterns of all-day movement behaviour, including sleep and physical activity (PA), and formulating understandable recommendations aimed a tanchoring their healthy lifestyle. The presented monograph is methodologically based on a validated instrumental 24-hour monitoring using an accelerometer placed on the wrist of the non-dominant hand capable of detecting even the slightest human movement. A total of 396 families with at least one child aged 3-8 years completed this multiday monitoring of movement behavior.

Introduction The aim was to analyse mortality and estimate the life expectancy among people hospitalised for alcohol use disorders (AUD) compared with the general Czech population aged ≥20 y…

Introduction The aim was to analyse mortality and estimate the life expectancy among people hospitalised for alcohol use disorders (AUD) compared with the general Czech population aged ≥20 years. A temporal perspective on excess mortality was used, covering three recent calendar periods before and during the pandemic. Methods Three retrospective cohorts of the target population were constructed using registry-based data. The target population was defined as all adult patients (aged ≥20 years) admitted to the hospital for AUD (ICD-10 dg. of F10.x) between 2010 and 2021. Age-adjusted mortality rates and life expectancies were calculated for the comparative analysis. Official Czech mortality and vital statistics were used for the comparison. A Poisson log-linear regression model was used to test the effect of the pandemic period (2020–2021) on mortality in the AUD target population. Results At age 20, the estimated life expectancy of the AUD target was 21–27 years less than that of the Czech general population. Excess mortality was relatively highest in young people aged 20–34 years and in adults aged 35–49 years. During the pandemic period 2020–2021, mortality rates in the target AUD increased significantly. However, relative inequalities with the general Czech population did not change significantly. Discussion and Conclusions People hospitalised for AUD have much higher mortality rates, resulting in markedly reduced life expectancy. During the pandemic, their mortality rates increased even more. However, the increase was no greater than in the general Czech population.

 The Covid-19 pandemic and related social restrictions have been associated with increased rates of mental health problems, prompting a global surge in interest in mental well-being, which might …

 The Covid-19 pandemic and related social restrictions have been associated with increased rates of mental health problems, prompting a global surge in interest in mental well-being, which might have had a positive effect on population mental health literacy (MHL). We aimed to compare levels of mental health related stigma among the Czech general adult population before and after the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as recognition of own mental health problems, among those members of the general population who screened positively for mental disorders. Methods: We conducted a comprehensive analysis of multiple almost identically designed cross-sectional surveys carried out on representative samples of the non-institutionalized adult population in Czechia in 2017, 2019, and 2022. Mental health problems were assessed using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (M.I.N.I.) in 2017 and 2022, while Self-identification of Mental Illness Scale (SELF-I) gauged self-recognition in 2017 and 2022. Mental health-related stigma was evaluated using the Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale (RIBS) and the Community Attitudes towards Mental Illness scale (CAMI) in 2019 and 2022. Results: Attitudes towards individuals with mental health problems exhibited no statistically significant change; however, reported and intended behaviours, i.e. proxies of social distance, changed for the better. Also, self-recognition of mental health problems demonstrated statistically significant improvements among those screening positive for depression, anxiety, and suicide risk, but not among alcohol use disorders. Conclusions: Population MHL remains low and recent positive changes are likely more attributable to the Covid-19 pandemic and related increase in interest in mental health than to deliberate efforts by government or state or other entities. This underscores the complex interplay between societal factors and mental health outcomes, warranting further exploration and reconsideration of public mental health strategies.

Over the past 25 years, the development of multi-user applications has seen significant advancements and challenges. The technological development in this field has emerged from simple chatrooms, thro…

Over the past 25 years, the development of multi-user applications has seen significant advancements and challenges. The technological development in this field has emerged from simple chatrooms, through videoconferencing tools to the crea-tion of complex, interactive, and often multisensory virtual worlds. These multi-user technologies have gradually found their way into mental health care, where they are used in both dyadic counselling and group interventions. However, some limitations in hardware capabilities, user experience designs, and scalability may have hindered the effectiveness of these applications. Objective: The present systematic review aimed at summarizing the progress made and the potential future directions in this field while evaluating various factors and perspectives relevant to remote multi-user interventions. Methods: The systematic review was performed based on Web of Science (WoS) and PubMed database search covering articles in the English language published from Jan-uary 1999 to March 2024 related to multi-user mental health interventions. Several inclusion and exclusion criteria were determined before and during the records screening process performed in several steps. Results: We have identified 49 records exploring the multi-user applications in mental health care, ranging from text-based interventions to interventions set in fully immer-sive environments. The number of publications exploring this topic is growing since 2015, with a large increase during COVID-19 pandemic. The majority of digital inter-ventions were delivered in a form of video-conferencing, with only a few implementing immersive environments. The studies utilized professional or peer supported group interventions or a combination of both approaches. The research studies targeted di-verse groups and topics, from nursing mothers to psychiatric disorders or various mi-nority groups. Most group sessions happened weekly, or in case of the peer-support groups, often with flexible schedule. Conclusions: We have identified many benefits to multi-user digital interventions for mental healthcare. These approaches provide distributed, always available and afford-able peer support that can be used to deliver necessary help to people living outside of areas where in-person interventions are easily available. While immersive virtual envi-ronments have become a common tool in many areas of psychiatric care, such as expo-sure therapy, our results suggest that this technology in multi-user settings is still in its early stages. Most identified studies investigated mainstream technologies, such as vid-eo conferencing or text-based support, substituting immersive experience for conven-ience and ease of use. While many studies discuss useful features of virtual environ-ments in group interventions, such as anonymity or stronger engagement with the group, we discuss persisting issues with these technologies, which currently prevent their full adoption.

Alcohol use is one of the leading public health concerns in the Czech Republic. Drinking motives play a vital role in both initiation and subsequent alcohol use. A revised version of the self-report D…

Alcohol use is one of the leading public health concerns in the Czech Republic. Drinking motives play a vital role in both initiation and subsequent alcohol use. A revised version of the self-report Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ-R) has been proposed to assess these motives. The present study aims to validate the DMQ-R in the Czech general population. METHODS: A total sample of 1,784 Czech participants completed a national survey. For the analysis, only a sub-sample of the past 12 months alcohol users was used: N = 1,123; 52.8% male; mean (SD) age = 40.2 (13.3). Drinking motives were assessed by the adopted Czech version of the DMQ-R. Both confirmatory (CFA) and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted to examine the factorial structure of the instrument. The age of the participant was additionally considered in the analysis (15-24 years as opposed to 25-64 years). RESULTS: The CFA supported the four-factor model in the 25-64 age group. The analysis supported the construct validity of the Social, Conformity, and Coping factors. The Enhancement factor retained only two items and was found to refer more to a domain of 'Pleasant Feeling'. For the 15-24 age group, the hypothesised four-factor structure was not corroborated. CONCLUSIONS: The Czech version of the DMQ-R was found to be a reliable measurement tool of the Social, Conformity, and Coping motives. Future research should investigate the dimensionality of the instrument items presumed to correspond to the Enhancement motives. This should be conducted particularly among adolescents and young adults aged 15-24 years, where administering the DMQ-R with a large enough sample is also needed.

Previous studies have found that threatening stimuli are more readily perceived and more intensely experienced when presented during cardiac systole compared with diastole. Also, threatening stimuli a…

Previous studies have found that threatening stimuli are more readily perceived and more intensely experienced when presented during cardiac systole compared with diastole. Also, threatening stimuli are judged as physically closer than neutral ones. In a pre-registered study, we tested these effects and their interaction using a naturalistic (interactive and three-dimensional) experimental design in immersive virtual reality: we briefly displayed threatening and non-threatening animals (four each) at varying distances (1.5–5.5 m) to a group of young, healthy participants (n = 41) while recording their electrocardiograms (ECGs). Participants then pointed to the location where they had seen the animal (approx. 29 000 trials in total). Our pre-registered analyses indicated that perceived distances to both threatening and non-threatening animals did not differ significantly between cardiac phases—with Bayesian analysis supporting the null hypothesis. There was also no evidence for an association between subjective fear and perceived proximity to threatening animals. These results contrast with previous findings that used verbal or declarative distance measures in less naturalistic experimental conditions. Furthermore, our findings suggest that the cardiac phase-related variation in threat processing may not generalize across different paradigms and may be less relevant in naturalistic scenarios than under more abstract experimental conditions.