Background: While COVID-19 has rapidly spread around the world, and vaccines are not widely available to the general population, the World Health Organization outlines preventive behavior as the most effective way to limit the rapid spread of the virus. Preventive behavior is associated with a number of factors that both encourage and discourage prevention.Aim: The aim of this research was to study COVID-19 threat appraisal, fear of COVID-19, trust in COVID-19 information sources, COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs and the relationship of socio-demographic variables (gender, age, level of education, place of residence, and employment status) to COVID-19 preventive behavior.Methods: The data originate from a national cross-sectional online survey (N = 2,608) undertaken in July 2020. The data were analyzed using structural equation modeling.Results: COVID-19 threat appraisal, trust in COVID-19 information sources, and fear of COVID-19 are all significant predictors of COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Together they explain 26.7% of the variance of this variable. COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs significantly negatively predict COVID-19 threat appraisal (R2 = 0.206) and trust in COVID-19 information sources (R2 = 0.190). COVID-19 threat appraisal contributes significantly and directly to the explanation of the fear of COVID-19 (R2 = 0.134). Directly, as well as mediated by COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs, threat appraisal predicts trust in COVID-19 information sources (R2 = 0.190). The relationship between COVID-19 threat appraisal and COVID-19 preventive behaviors is partially mediated by fear of COVID-19 (indirect effect 28.6%) and trust in information sources (15.8%). Socio-demographic variables add very little in prediction of COVID-19 preventive behavior.Conclusions: The study results demonstrate that COVID-19 threat appraisal is the most important factor associated with COVID-19 preventive behavior. Those Latvian residents with higher COVID-19 threat appraisal, experienced higher levels of fear of COVID-19, had more trust in COVID-19 information sources, and were more actively involved in following COVID-19 preventive behaviors. COVID-19 conspiracy beliefs negatively predict COVID-19 threat appraisal and trust in COVID-19 information sources, but not the COVID-19 preventive behaviors. Socio-demographic factors do not play an important role here.

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As the worldwide pandemic of Covid-19 continues, health-care professionals (HCP) have been exposed to different hazards, and there is a need to explore psychological resilience in crisis situations, and to give recommendations for its strengthening. The aim of this study was to examine relationship between psychological resilience and self-care strategies in HCP of Latvia, controlling for gender and age during Covid-19 pandemic, and to determine whether the psychological resilience and self-care strategies differ between HCP and professionals in other fields (POF) unrelated to healthcare. Method. The sample consisted of 1723 employees, who during the state of emergency continued to work in their profession; they were divided in two groups - 77 HCP (18 men, 59 women, age M = 46.23 (SD = 14.43)) and 1646 POF (720 men, 926 women, age M = 44.98 (SD = 11.93)) as comparison group. Specific data of national representative cross-sectional online survey (N = 2608), performed in July, 2020, were selected – demographic items, 7 items forming Psychological Resilience Scale and 17 item forming Self–care Strategies Questionnaire (consist of 4 scales: “Spiritual resources”, “Social support”, “Free time activities”, “Time management”). Results. “Time management” was only predictive for Self-care strategy for psychological resilience in both HCP and POF group. Neither age nor gender predicted psychological resilience in HCP group. No statistically significant differences for major variables between HCP and POF were found. Conclusions. The results suggest that performing such Self-care activity as time management can help to promote psychological resilience of the employees regardless of profession. Given the workload of HCP in pandemic, this is an important result. HCP psychological resilience and used self-care strategies during COVID-19 are not different from POF.

This research study investigates the development of art therapy in Latvia taking in account the art therapy's organizational model partly deriving from the UK and partly from strong influences of traditions from Russia. Following a discussion of the development of art therapy in Latvia, this paper provides an opportunity for empirically based comparisons between the general characteristics of practice in particular comparison of working environments in three countries, namely Latvia, the UK and Russia.Mutual interactions are also considered.

<p><em>Anomia is one of the important factors, which can influence the psychological well-being of individuals. It is especially valuable to determine those socio-demographic groups which can demonstrate the highest levels of anomia. The purpose of the research was to determine whether there are sex and age differences in levels of anomia of Latvian inhabitants. The secondary data from the third European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS) were used. The sample consisted of Latvian inhabitants (n = 1009), aged from 18 to 92 years (male – 34.9%, female – 65.1%). 3 indices and 3 subscales of anomia (Social Distrust, Social Isolation and Meaninglessness) were constructed (</em><em>Ļevina, Mārtinsone &amp; </em><em>Kamerāde, 2015a, 2015b). </em><em>A multivariate analysis of variance was conducted. It was found that there was a significant difference in multidimensional anomia between Latvian inhabitants of different age groups.</em></p><p> </p>

Abstract.Research of anomia is topical in the period when a society endures social and economic changes. On the other hand, the modern Western society is characterized by a rapid speed of development, by diversity, variability, multicultural life. In such conditions for some individuals it could be difficult to make life choices. Such individuals can get into "an anomic state". In a situation of rapid social and political changes as well as simply in the modern diverse and rapidly developing society pathological personality traits can serve as a factor that aggravates anomic feelings. Thus, the main purpose of this research is to investigate relations between anomia and pathological personality traits. The sample consisted of 83 Latvian inhabitants aged from 19 to 47 years (16.9% males, 83.1% females). The Anomia Questionnaire -AQ [1] and the Latvian Clinical Personality Inventory -LCPI v2.2 [2] were used. It is found that there are multiple relations between all six sub-dimensions of anomia and certain different maladaptive personality traits. Irresponsibility is the only personality trait that predicts deviation from prescribed rules or customs. Negative emotionality is the only significant predictor for social distrust. Suspiciousness that falls within a first-order domain Psychoticism and a second-order domain Schizotypy is the most significant predictor of estrangement to others as a dimension of anomia. Eccentricity that falls within a first-order domain Psychoticism and a second-order domain Schizotypy is the most significant predictor of cultural isolation. Separation insecurity that falls within a first-order domain Dependence and a second-order domain Neuroticism is the most significant predictor of a lack of goal clarity as a dimension of anomia. Depression as a pathological personality trait that falls within a first-order domain Negative emotionality and a second-order domain Neuroticism is the most significant predictor of a lack of goal clarity as a dimension of anomia.

The aim of this study was to evaluate the utility of the pathological personality traits in predicting suicidal ideation, especially in combination with other risk factors, such as the level of depression, prior attempts of suicide, low self-esteem, low level of perceived social support and self-esteem-by-social support interaction, both in general and in psychiatric inpatient samples. Data were analysed within two samples: non-clinical general sample (n = 461) and psychiatric inpatient sample (n = 131). Latvian Clinical Personality Inventory (LCPI) was used as the instrument for data collection. LCPI is a comprehensive multi-scale multi-item inventory, which consists of nine clinical scales (including Depression Symptom Scale), 33 pathological personality scales, five functioning scales, and five additional scales, including a Suicidal Ideation Scale, Low Self-esteem Scale and Lack of Perceived Social Support Scale. Results of the hierarchical regression analysis showed that several facet-level pathological personality traits (depressivity, self-harm, dissociation proneness, submissiveness, and suspiciousness) added significant incremental variance to the prediction of suicidal ideation above and beyond the well-known main risk factors of suicidal ideation, such as depression and prior suicide attempt. This effect remained stable even after taking into account additional interpersonal risk factors, such as low self-esteem, low level of perceived social support and self-esteem-by-perceived social support interaction. The incremental effect of personality traits was medium in the psychiatric inpatient sample and small in the general sample. Findings of the study may assist in early screening for persons with suicide risk and for developing prevention programmes in different settings.

<p><em>Research of personal values is one of the most important tasks in the context of social and economic changes of the society. The purpose of this research was to compare the values and the level of disintegration of personal value-meaning systems of Latvian youths in different periods of socio-economic development of Latvian society. The research was conducted in 1998 and repeated in 2005, 2010 and in 2015. All participants were students of 11^th or 12^th grade</em><em>. </em><em>To provide a measure of value-meaning systems the M. Rokeach technique modified by E.B. Fantalova was used. </em><em>The results revealed that there were </em><em>differences</em><em> </em><em>in ratings of importance and attainability of values as well as </em><em>in levels of discrepancy between importance and attainability of values </em><em>of Latvian youths in different periods of socio-economic development of Latvian society.</em><em> </em></p><p> </p>