Grants
Current research projects at the Department of Psychology
Title of the project: Social disconnection in general and clinical populations: understanding the complex interplay among social, psychological, and neurobiological processes - DISCONNECT
Project Duration: 2024–2026
Principal Investigator: doc. PhDr. Michal Hajdúk, PhD.
Grant Scheme: VAIA
Co-investigators: prof. Mgr. Anton Heretik, PhD., Mgr. Petra Brandoburová, PhD., Mgr. Daniel Dančík, PhD., Mgr. Alexandra Straková, PhD., Mgr. Adam Kurilla, PhD., Mgr. Simona Krakovská, PhD., Mgr. Natália Čavojská, PhD., Mgr. Vladimír Ivančík, PhD., MSc. Hana Hollá Kutlíková, PhD., Mgr. Jakub Januška, PhD., Mgr. Valentína Cviková, Mgr. Sára Majsniarová, Mgr. Juraj Halas, PhD., Mgr. Júlia Hýsi, MA. Katarína Kebis, Mgr. Sebastián Petreje, Mgr. Táňa Sedláková, PhD.
Project objectives: The DISCONNECT project aims to provide a comprehensive and interdisciplinary examination of loneliness and social isolation. Its objectives are structured into several work packages. The epidemiological component will deliver the first Slovak longitudinal study on social isolation and loneliness. Through EMA and EMI studies, digital technologies will be employed to capture these phenomena in real time within at-risk groups. Experimental neuroscience research will investigate the bio-behavioral mechanisms underlying loneliness and social isolation. Finally, the project will translate its findings into recommendations for public health policy.
Project Title: Understanding heterogeneity of apathy in general and clinical populations
Project Duration: 2024–2027
Grant Scheme: APVV
Principal Investigator: Mgr. Alexandra Straková, PhD.
Co-investigators: doc. PhDr. Michal Hajdúk, PhD., Mgr. Natália Čavojská, PhD., Mgr. Vladimír Ivančík, PhD., MSc. Hana Hollá Kutlíková, PhD., Mgr. Jakub Januška, PhD., Mgr. Valentína Cviková, Mgr. Sára Majsniarová
Project objectives: The project APAT focuses on the examination of apathy using innovative multidimensional framework and research methods. The aim of the project is to comprehensively investigate the heterogeneity of apathy in general and clinical populations. To fulfill this aim, the project is divided into two work packages. WP1 will adopt a longitudinal design to estimate the stability of apathy dimensions over time and to analyze cross-sectional and longitudinal relationships between apathy, psychopathology, and functioning. WP2 will focus on identifying specific and shared cognitive and psychopathological factors associated with apathy across disorders (schizophrenia and depression) and examining the impact of apathy on functional outcomes. The results of the project will contribute new insights into mechanisms underlying the occurrence of apathy across the norm-pathology continuum and provide useful information to better understand patients’ different profiles of apathy for designing specific intervention strategies.
Project Title: Therapeutic potential of stress-reducing intervention in complex cancer care
Project Duration: 2023–2027
Grant Scheme: APVV
Principal Investigator: RNDr. Ľuba Hunáková, CSc. (LF UK)
Principal Investigator for FiF UK: Mgr. Jakub Rajčáni, PhD.
Co-investigators: Mgr. Josef Hamza
Project objective: Chronic stress including early life stress induces accumulation of allostatic overload, chronic inflammation and alters immunity. It can participate on development and progression of cancer and influence the efficacy of cancer treatment. Therefore, stress-reducing interventions could be promising supportive treatment modalities in addition to conventional oncological treatment. The research project focuses on using the monitoring and modulation of vagus nerve that maintains homeostasis and exerts anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer effects. Its activity can be indexed via heart rate variability (HRV) and influenced by HRV biofeedback (HRV-BF) intervention. According to the neurovisceral integration model, HRV could be perceived as an index of regulation of emotion and its peripheral responses. It is also related to a large range of positive outcomes including cognitive function and overall health. The study will be divided into observational and intervention part. The observational part aims to test the link between life stress, emotional regulation, HRV and neuroendocrine and immune inflammatory markers in cancer patients. This will be performed by measurements in cancer patients and working with larger data from international databases. Based on data on experienced stress, HRV, daily cortisol profiles, and immune inflammatory markers, we aim to statistically predict cancer outcomes in patients. The intervention part aims to test the effect of HRV-BF supporting treatment on cancer outcomes (therapy response rate, tumor markers, survival) and quality of life by conducting a randomized controlled study (RCT). To the best of our knowledge, this is the first RCT with the ambition to test real life application of HRV-BF on cancer outcomes. Proposed observation and intervention studies should help to identify effective strategies to target stress-immune-cancer axis that could serve as new supportive treatment modalities in complex cancer management.
Project title: Analysis of Psychoneuroimmunological Parameters of Health in Specific Population Groups in Slovakia
Obdobie riešenia projektu: 2023-2027
Grant scheme: APVV
Principal investigator: prof. MUDr. Alexandra Bražinová, PhD., MPH
Research Team Member: prof. RNDr. Eva Kontseková, DrSc., doc. PhDr. Daniela Čechová, PhD., doc. PaedDr. Stanislav Katina, PhD., Mgr. et Mgr. Annamária Antalová, PhD., Mgr. Radoslav Blaho, PhD., Mgr. Martina Kotrbancová, PhD., MVDr. Ľubica Fialová, PhD., MUDr. et Mgr. Miriam Fulová, PhD., RNDr. Jana Perželová, PhD., Ing. Gabriela Paulíková - Ing. Roľková, PhD., PhDr. Kristína Široká, Mgr. Peter Gába, Mgr. Dorota Nováková
Project objectives: Current knowledge on the links between the human brain, behavior, and immune system points out important associations between the psychological and biological immunity. The proposed project will investigate the links from the perspective of psychology, epidemiology, and immunology in a general population study sample as well as in a specific group of people in treatment for alcohol addiction. The project goal is to investigate the links between psychological and biological immunity from the perspective of psychology, epidemiology, and immunology in a general population study sample as well as in a specific group of people in treatment for alcohol addiction.
Specific objectives:
- Assessment of the relationship between psychological and biological immunity
- Assessment of the relationship between psychological immunity and current psychological status of the participants
- Assessment of the relationship between psychological immunity in adulthood and adverse childhood experiences
- In-depth investigation of the general population subgroups with extremely high and low scores of psychological immunity for the factors contributing to the results
- Assessment of the relationship between psychological immunity and biological immunity in a specific group of people in treatment for alcohol addiction
Project Title: Measurement of lifetime stress exposure by the method STRAIN
Project Duration: 2025–2028
Grant Scheme: VEGA
Principal Investigator: Mgr. Jakub Rajčáni, PhD.
Co-investigators: Mgr. et Mgr. Annamária Antalová, PhD., Mgr. Josef Hamza
Project objective: Stress and coping are very important objects to study in today's society. However, in the scientific psychological study of stress, there is a problem of missing tools for reliable measurement. Most available questionnaires focus only on some aspects of stress, for example, either objective stressors or subjective perceptions, either current state or long-term life history. STRAIN is an online clinical interview that monitors stressors throughout a person's entire lifespan. The goal of this project is the validation of the Slovak version of STRAIN and the creation of a database containing, data on life stress as well as neuroendocrine indicators (e.g. the acute stress response of the hormone cortisol, the daily rhythm of cortisol in saliva, or its levels in hair samples over the past months) Based on these data and other measured variables, we can statistically model the trajectories of life stress and through them predict neuroendocrine changes as well as somatic and psychopathological symptoms.
Project Title: Cognitive regulation of emotions and its psychophysiological and neuroendocrine correlates
Project Duration: 2022–2024
Grant Scheme: VEGA
Principal Investigator: Mgr. Jakub Rajčáni, PhD.
Co-investigators : Mgr. Daniela Turoňová, PhD., Mgr. Josef Hamza
Project objective: Effective cognitive regulation of emotions is crucial in coping with everyday stressors. While some regulatory strategies, like cognitive reappraisal or acceptance, reduce negative emotional responses, other strategies, such as reactive suppression or avoidance, may reinforce or maintain negative emotions. As research on emotional regulation often relies on self-report, this project emphasizes measurable psychophysiological indicators of emotional arousal such as event-related potentials, skin conductance response, heart rate response, or pupillary response, as well as neuroendocrine variables like salivary cortisol and alpha-amylase. Through two laboratory experiments, we will compare the effectiveness of the mentioned emotion regulation strategies during the administration of emotionally charged images and during exposure to a laboratory stressor. We are interested in the impact of the regulatory strategy on the intensity of experienced emotions, as well as psychophysiological and neuroendocrine changes.
Project Title: Individual and Organizational Strategies of Digital Detox and Their Effects on Employee Experience and Behavior
Project Duration: 2024–2026
Grant Scheme: VEGA
Principal Investigator: Assoc. Prof. Milica Schraggeová, PhD.
Co-investigators : Assoc. Prof. Eva Rošková, PhD.; Mgr. Ema Štánerová; Mgr. Jozef Smoroň
Project objective: As a result of the increasing digitalization of the professional world, so-called knowledge workers—those whose work involves the creation, dissemination, or application of knowledge—are confronted daily with information and communication technologies (ICT). On one hand, ICT enables greater flexibility and autonomy; on the other hand, it is associated with technological overload and its negative consequences on job performance, well-being, and both physical and mental health (Stewart, 2020; Pirkkalainen & Salo, 2016).
The main objective of the project is to identify effective individual and organizational strategies for digital detox, understood as conscious disconnection from information technologies in order to reduce or eliminate their negative effects.
The secondary objective is to analyze the impact of digital detox on the behavior (performance) and experience (stress, burnout, well-being) of knowledge workers.
These objectives will be pursued through a so-called "mixed design" approach.
Project Title: Development of teaching statistical methods and open science practices in the social sciences
Project Duration: 2021–2023
Grant Scheme: KEGA
Principal Investigator: Mgr. Jakub Rajčáni, PhD.
Co-investigators: Mgr. Daniela Turoňová, PhD.
Project objective: In the last ten years, more and more emphasis has been placed on replicability and reproducibility as the essential attributes of empirical research. The so-called replication crisis (term currently used mainly in psychological research) also pointed to a methodological and statistical crisis, as low replicability is related to lack of transparency in research, over-reliance on testing null hypotheses (NHST), as well as the occurrence of questionable research practices (QRP) which are often related to a misunderstanding of the nature of NHST. If the upcoming generation of researchers in social sciences is expected to produce replicable and reproducible research, it is necessary that their education also reflects the current trends of the so-called open science. We believe that the availability of information and education of young researchers are the key factors in changing the scientific culture in Slovakia. The aim of this project is therefore the dissemination of current statistical-methodological knowledge and principles of open science primarily (but not exclusively) among researchers and students of social sciences, through three interconnected activities: 1) Implementation of educational workshops; 2) Creating a website for the dissemination of information, including practical instructions, references, and space for wider discussion and the networking; 3) Creating comprehensive teaching materials in the field of statistics and quantitative methodology, which will reflect the principles of open science with the use of freely available software solutions.
Project title: Enhancing Skills, Developing Innovative Service Solutions and Policy Recommendations for Burnout Prevention, in CE Smart Specialization Sectors - BURNOUT PREVENT
Project duration: 2024-2026
Grant Scheme: INTERREG CENTRAL EUROPE
Principal investigator: doc. PhDr. Eva Rošková, PhD.
Co-investigators: doc. PhDr. Milica Schraggeová, PhD.; Mgr. Ema Štánerová;
Project objective: BURNOUT PREVENT aims to enhance entrepreneurial skills to address the rising incidence of anxiety, burnout syndrome, and depression among the workforce of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It will be the first project in the European Union to comprehensively address all three key aspects of burnout: the corporate environment, leisure time, and digital stress. The project will strengthen entrepreneurial competencies and establish an organizational model for burnout resilience tailored to SMEs operating in three Smart Specialization fields: Industry 4.0, Smart Health, and Sustainable Food. It will equip both managers and employees with new knowledge and practical skills to implement burnout prevention strategies both in the workplace and beyond. The partnership comprises 12 organizations from 7 Central European countries: Slovenia, Hungary, Poland, Italy, Croatia, Germany, and Slovakia. These partners represent three key groups: Knowledge institution; Business support organizations; Policy and expert stakeholders
Key beneficiaries of the project include: SMEs in the three Smart Specialization sectors, by increasing their capacity to redesign organizational structures for burnout prevention Employees, by providing practical knowledge on managing stress and anxiety beyond work hours Policy stakeholders, by offering insights to better align occupational health policies with the demands of the modern working world. The project’s core impact will be achieved by enhancing knowledge and skills and delivering comprehensive, cross-sectoral solutions to prevent burnout in SMEs. As a result, the working environment will improve, boosting productivity and creativity in participating SMEs within the Smart Specialization sectors.