Vilnius University Trauma research group

Sukurta: 14 January 2019
Keywords: psychotraumatology, trauma, stress-related disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), adjustment disorder (AjD), complex PTSD (CPTSD), evidence-based treatment, internet-based intervention, psychological assessment

This research team is focused on development and validation of trauma exposure measures; epidemiological studies, psychological assessment measures and risk and protective factors for stress-related disorders; research of social risk groups and eHealth interventions.

 

Research group activities

  • Development and validation of trauma exposure measures;
  • Development of psychological assessment measures for stress-related disorders;
  • Epidemiological studies of stress-related disorders;
  • Risk and protective factors for stress-related disorders;
  • Research of social risk groups;
  • Studies of interventions for posttraumatic stress disorder;
  • eHealth interventions.

 

Proposal

The group is seeking for partnership and communication with organizations or centers working in the field of psychotrauma­tology and stress-related disorders. Successful collaboration has led to joint research projects, publications and implementation of trauma treatments. Vilnius University Trauma Research Group is open to new collaboration opportunities nationally and inter­nationally.

Current projects:

  • Effects of Childhood Trauma: Stress and Resilience (STAR-A);
  • Psychosocial risk and resilience factors of stress-related disorders;
  • The structure of complex PTSD in the Lithuanian population;
  • Factor structure and risk factors of the ICD-11 adjustment disorder;
  • Efficacy of the internet based Brief Adjustment Disorder Intervention (BADI);
  • Metaphors of adversity and growth in the Lithuanian popula­tion: Cross-cultural study.

 

Meet our team

 

Lead researcher - Dr. Evaldas Kazlauskas

Dr. Evaldas Kazlauskas is a clinical psychologist, and a leading expert of trauma- and stress-related disorders in Lithuania. In 2007 Dr. Evaldas Kazlauskas was awarded with Young Minds in Psychotraumatology Award for his PhD thesis. He was a principal investigator in several successful research projects, including the first national specialized evidence-based treatment intervention project. Over more than decade of work in the field of psychotraumatology and psychology in Lithuania Dr. Evaldas Kazlauskas is as well actively collaborating with other European centers of excellence in psychotraumatology (Denmark, Norway Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, UK, and Netherlands). He is a president and the founder of the Lithuanian Society for Trau­matic Stress Studies (LSTSS), which is a member of the European Society of Traumatic Stress Studies (ESTSS).

 

Group members

Dr. Paulina Želvienė, postdoctoral research fellow.

Jonas Eimontas, PhD student, Goda Gegieckaitė, PhD student.

 

Research outcomes

 

Selected journal articles

  • Kazlauskas, E., Gegieckaite, G., Hyland, P., Zelviene, P., & Cloitre, M. (2018). The structure of the ICD-11 PTSD and complex PTSD in Lithuanian mental health services. European Journal of Psychotraumatology.
  • Eimontas, J., Gegieckaite, G., Dovydaitiene, M., Mazulyte, E., Rimsaite, Z., Skruibis, P., Zelviene, P., & Kazlauskas, E. (2017). The role of therapist support on effectiveness of an internet-based modular self-help intervention for adjustment disorder: A randomized controlled trial. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 1-13.
  • Kazlauskas, E., Gailiene, D., Vaskeliene, I., & Skeryte-Kazlauskiene, M. (2017). Intergenerational transmission of resilience? Sense of coherence is associated between Lithuanian survivors of political violence and their adult offspring. Frontiers in Psychology, 8:1677.
  • Kazlauskas, E., Zelviene, P., & Eimontas, J. (2017) ‘No posttraumatic stress disorder in Lithuania’: National health care fails to identify PTSD. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 30, 99–102.
  • Kazlauskas, E., & Zelviene, P. (2017). Association between posttraumatic stress and acceptance of social changes: Findings from a general population study and proposal of a new concept. International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 63, 126–131.
  • Zelviene, P., Kazlauskas, E., Eimontas, J., & Maercker, A. (2017). Adjustment disorder: Empirical study of a new diagnostic concept for ICD-11 in the general population in Lithuania. European Psychiatry, 40, 20–25.
  • Kazlauskas, E., & Zelviene, P. (2016). Trauma research in the Baltic Countries: From political oppression to recovery. Euro­pean Journal of Psychotraumatology, 7, 29295.

 

Recent projects with external grant funding:

  • Mediating effects of psychosocial factors on stress and trauma related psychological after-effects in the context of social psychotraumatology (2015–2017);
  • Brief adjustment disorder psychosocial intervention effectiveness study (2014–2016);
  • Psychosocial factors of psychosocial well-being in the con­text of psychotraumatology (2012–2013);
  • Vilnius BEPP efficacy study: comparison with internet-based psychotraumatology program (2012–2014).

 

Contacts

 

Dr. Evaldas Kazlauskas

Faculty of Philosophy, Vilnius University

Phone: +370 5 2667126

Email:

More about the faculty: http://www.fsf.vu.lt/en

 

Department for Research

and Innovation

Phone: +370 5 2687006

E-mail:

More information: https://www.vu.lt/verslui/

 

Flyer for printing: Vilnius_University_Trauma_research_group.pdf