Accurate assessment of substance use is essential in public health, clinical, and research settings. While self-reports are widely used, they are prone to biases such as social desirability and recall errors. Objective biological measures, such as hair toxicology, offer a longer detection window and may improve data validity. This study examined the concordance between self-reported substance use and hair toxicology results, with a particular focus on cannabis. It also explored the prevalence and predictors of underreporting, and the relationship between cannabis use patterns and THC detection in hair. Data were collected from 75 adult participants. Self-reported substance use was assessed via questionnaire, and hair samples were analyzed using liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) to detect drug use over the prior 3 months. Underreporting was defined as a negative self-report with a positive hair test. Results showed that 21.3% of participants underreported use of at least one substance. While group differences were not statistically significant, moderate-to-large effect sizes were observed, these effect sizes are descriptive in nature and may reflect possible discordance for substances such as MDMA and cocaine. No sociodemographic factors or alcohol use patterns significantly predicted underreporting. However, self-reported cannabis use frequency and quantity were significant predictors of THC detection, while years of use and time since last use were not. These findings highlight the limitations of relying solely on self-reports and emphasize the value of integrating objective biological measures. A combined approach improves the accuracy of substance use assessment and helps address underreporting biases, particularly in settings where legal or social pressures may influence disclosure.
The aim of this study is to examine how professionals from Latin America working in Poland negotiate their cultural identities and make sense of their multiculturalism within organizational settings. Ten bicultural or multicultural individuals participated in in-depth interviews and created Cultural Identity Circles. Drawing on the frameworks of Bicultural Identity Integration and cultural identity styles, the findings indicate that across the sample, harmonious, blended, and hybridized identity styles were most prevalent among participants, with some individuals demonstrating multiple styles simultaneously. Alternating was less common, appearing mainly through contextual language switching. Moreover, within organizational contexts, multiculturalism was largely perceived as an asset. Participants drew on multilingualism, cultural bridging, and relational warmth rooted in Latin American values as deliberate strategies for fostering inclusion, mediating between teams, and navigating diverse workplace norms. However, these advantages were accompanied by costs, including linguistic barriers, being subject to stereotyping, and feelings of otherness. This study contributes to the field by providing phenomenologically grounded insights into Latin American professionals in Poland, an underexplored group in a Central and Eastern European context, and by demonstrating the value of cultural identity mapping as an elicitation tool for uncovering complex identity negotiations of bi- and multicultural individuals. The article calls for more dynamic approaches to multiculturalism, grounded in qualitative inquiry and close attention to lived experiences.
Background: Research into posttraumatic growth (PTG) and posttraumatic depreciation (PTD) has predominantly relied on cross-sectional quantitative designs, often overlooking the subjective nuances and temporal dynamics of adaptation. This study aimed to explore the long-term evolution of perceived posttraumatic outcomes and identify emergent domains of change that transcend traditional theoretical models.
Methods: We utilised a longitudinal qualitative design, following a purposive sample of 26 psychology graduates (23 women, 3 men; age M = 34.42, SD = 9.10) over a 36-month interval. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews at two time points: T1 (within 12 months of a seismic life event) and T2 (36 months later). Reflexive thematic analysis (RTA) was employed, integrating deductive theory-driven coding based on established models with the inductive discovery of emergent themes to map individual trajectories of change.
Results: Posttraumatic adaptation was characterised by a shift toward narrative complexity, with PTG and PTD coexistence increasing from 42.3% at T1 to 61.5% at T2. Core findings include the identification of emergent domains—Self-Alignment and Autonomous Regulation (growth) and Existential Vulnerability and Insecurity (depreciation)—which were present in over 70% of narratives. We identified four distinct longitudinal trajectories: Persistence, Transience, Latent Impact, and Emergence of Complexity. A dominant pattern was ‘Increased Strength at a Relational Cost,’ where personal empowerment coexisted with an enduring loss of interpersonal trust.
Conclusions: Posttraumatic adaptation is a non-linear, ongoing process of narrative reconstruction that continues long after the initial crisis. The results underscore the limitations of cross-sectional snapshots and traditional inventories, highlighting the need for longitudinal monitoring to distinguish transient coping from permanent personality transformation. Clinically, the findings suggest that fostering authenticity and self-alignment may be vital for long-term recovery.
This commentary responds to a recently published comprehensive framework for integrating mindfulness into global public health by evaluating its application to war-affected populations, with primary focus on the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war and Ukrainian populations. While Oman’s framework provides a valuable foundation for the integration of mindfulness within public health systems, we argue that it requires further development to adequately address the complex needs of combat veterans, volunteers, and civilians experiencing ongoing warfare. Drawing on recent developments in posttraumatic growth research and cognitive behavioral therapy, we propose enhancements to mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) that incorporate interpersonal emotional connections called "attraction relationships"-encompassing companionship, friendship, romantic bonds, and family ties and nature-based activation as critical components. We further identify limitations of existing assessment tools and outline directions for culturally adapted interventions that more accurately reflect the lived realities of war in Ukrainian contexts. This commentary expands Oman’s framework by integrating interpersonal and environmental dimensions into trauma recovery. We identify “attraction relationships” as a significant socio-attentional environment (Axis A8) and a crucial meso-level structure (Axis A7). We argue that for war-affected populations, the restorative environment is no longer solely physical but may also be conditioned by interpersonal bonds that provide the social-ecological foundation for religious and spiritual factors (Axis A12) that foster posttraumatic growth.
An undeniable consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the unprecedented use of new technologies in the provision of legal services. In arbitration, being a system for resolving both commercial and investment disputes, extensive use was already made of new technologies even before the pandemic. This was possible thanks to its less formal procedure and significantly less stringent requirements regarding the taking of evidence or the presentation of the parties’ positions than was the case in traditional proceedings before a national court of general jurisdiction. In addition, new technologies enabled faster and more efficient resolution of disputes between the parties. Despite this, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, as a rule, substantive hearings were held in person, which had many advantages, particularly due to the concentration of the case material in a single hearing and the full implementation of the principles of orality of proceedings and direct taking of evidence. Fully remote hearings were rare prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, although certain elements of the using remote communication methods were already known and applied in arbitration. This article examines the practical aspects of conducting hearings remotely from the perspective of several years of holding them in a reality transformed by the pandemic. The central theme of the article is an attempt to answer the question: do remote hearings have the potential to become the new norm in dispute resolution through arbitration?
