A. (Alexandra) Husivargová, MSc

Alexandra Husivargova Theofanidis (1988) graduated in Psychology from the University of Ss. Cyril and Methodius in Trnava in 2012. Her diploma thesis dealt with cultural differences in 17 nations from Europe, Asia, and Australia focusing on self-esteem, well-being, lying, free time, the notion of the afterlife, and financial satisfaction (thesis title: “Intercultural comparison of differences in self-esteem, well-being, and its attributes in the population of employed young adults”). The results of her diploma thesis received very positive reviews from both consultants and thesis opponents, and she was awarded the Dean’s prize. Her bachelor thesis was on prisoners imprisoned in Dubnica nad Vahom (thesis title: Difference in choice of authority between convicted offenders and people without a criminal record). After completing her university studies, she spent 3 years abroad working in other fields and studying languages.

From July 2016 until the present time, she has been a researcher at Pavol Jozef Safarik University in Kosice, at the Department of Social and Behavioural Medicine, and a PhD student at the University of Groningen, at the Department of Health Psychology. Her research focus is on non-pharmacological interventions in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and changes after the pandemic. She takes part in the Social Medicine and Diploma Seminar 3 teaching courses. She also supervises general medicine students' diploma theses (15 defended, 2 in progress). She participates in several projects, including APVV and VEGA, and has represented her research at international conferences in Dublin, Dubrovnik, Santiago de Chile, Padova, Hradec Kralove, Prague, Bratislava, and Kosice. She is a member of the IBTN network and attended their summer school program.

“The greatest mistake in the treatment of diseases is that there are physicians for the body and physicians for the soul, although the two cannot be separated." Plato (427–347 BC)

Conferences

• 16th European Public Health Conference: 8-11. November 2023 Dublin, Ireland. "Are diet and exercise associated with depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients?"

• Central European Congress of Rheumatology: 1-3. December 2022 Bratislava, Slovakia."Factors associated with disease activity in RA patients treated with biologics."
• 6th SAVEZ Conference: Chronic Diseases and Integrated Care: Rethinking Health and Welfare Systems, 24-25. October 2019, Kosice, Slovakia. “Cultural differences in needs and treatment preferences in rheumatoid arthritis patients“
• EHPS 2019, 33rd Annual Conference of the European Health Psychology Society, 03–07. September 2019, Dubrovnik, Croatia. “The unmet needs of rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with biologics“
• ICBM—International Congress of Behavioral Medicine, 14-17. November 2018, Santiago de Chile, Chile. “The associations between fatigue and coping self-efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis“
• EHPS- European Health Psychology Society, 29 August-2 September 2017, Padova, Italy. “The associations between fatigue and self-esteem in patients with rheumatoid arthritis“
• 3rd V4 Conference on Public Health, 19-20. October 2017, Praha, Czech Republic. “The importance of fatigue and depression for quality of life in rheumatoid arthritis patients“
• IBTN summer school- online version 17-21. May 2021, Montreal Canada

Publications

• Husivargova, A., Timkova, V., Macejova, Z., Kotradyova, Z., Aljubouri, M.A.S., Breznoscakova, D., Sanderman, R., and Nagyova, I., 2023. Social participation of rheumatoid arthritis patients: does illness perception play a role? Health Psychology.
• Husivargova A, Timkova V, Macejova Z, Kotradyova Z, Sanderman R, Fleer J, Nagyova I. 2023. A cross-sectional study of multidimensional fatigue in biologic-treated rheumatoid arthritis: which variables play a role?. Disability and rehabilitation, 21:1–9.
• Husivargova A, Sulkers E, Macejova Z, Kotradyova Z, Breznoscakova D, Sanderman R, Fleer J, Nagyova I. Self-reported health problems and patients’ preferences for non-pharmacological interventions in rheumatoid arthritis. Cesko-Slovenska Psychiatrie, 118 (4), 149–156.
• Husivargova A, Macejova Z, Benka J, Breznoscakova D, Nagyova I. 2018. The associations between fatigue and coping self-efficacy in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 25:S185S185
• Husivargova A, Timkova V, Macejova Z, Kotradyova Z, Breznoscakova D, Sanderman R, Nagyova I. 2022. Factors associated with disease activity in RA patients treated with biologics. Rheumatologia, 36(1), p. 28. ISSN 1210-1931.
• Husivargova A, Macejova Z, Benka J, Breznoscakova D, Nagyova I. 2018. The Importance of Fatigue and Depression for Quality of Life in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. In: Dlouhy, M. (Ed.) Proceedings of the 3rd V4 Conference on Public Health 2017. Prague, Professional Publishing, p. 50-55. ISBN 978-80-88260-08-0.
• Husivargova A, Kimakova T. 2016. Well-being in relation to frequency of positive emotions between group of southern and non-southern cultures in young adulthood – comparative study. Teoreticko-praktické pohľady na problémy súčastnej spoločnosti. - Košice: Katedra spoločenských vied, Technická univerzita. p. 86-90. ISBN 9788055325903.
• Husivargova A, Kimakova T. 2016. Leisure time and means of relax in young adulthood – intercultural study. Teoreticko-praktické pohľady na problémy súčastnej spoločnosti. - Košice: Katedra spoločenských vied, Technická univerzita. p. 78-85. ISBN 9788055325903.

• Timkova V, Minarikova D, Katreniakova Z, Mikula P, Husivargova A, Nagyova I. 2022. Behavioral innovations in the management of obesity and overweight using the COM-B model. European Journal of Public Health 32, no. Supplement_3: ckac131-352.
• Breznoscakova D, Husivargova A. 2017. Přírustek hmotnosti u ambulantně léčených depresivnívh nemocných z hlediska pohlaví. Psychiatrie. 21 (1), p. 15. ISSN 1211-7579.
• Chylova M, Katreniakova Z, Pestova L, Polanova M, Linkova M, Mikula P, Timkova V, Husivargova A, Breznoscakova D, Herda R, Nagyova I. 2018. Sclerosis multiplex: Ja a moje vzťahy. Bratislava: Grifis, 2018. p. 1-19. ISBN 9788097296803.
• Timkova V, Husivargova A, Macejova Z, Kotradyova Z, Breznoscakova D, Sanderman R, Nagyova I. 2022. Factors influencing physical activity in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Rheumatologia. 36(1), p.29. ISSN 1210-1931.
• Kotradyova Z, Husivargova A, Nagyova I, Aljubouri MAS, Macejova Z 2021. Vplyv syntetických a biologických DMARDs na hodnoty DAS28 a HAQ u pacientov s reumatoidnou artritídou. Praha (Česko) : Česká revmatologická společnost, 2021. – ISBN 978-80-906582-7-1, s. 10-10

Education and Training

MSc in General Psychology, Faculty of Arts UCM in Trnava Slovakia
[ 2006 – 2012 ]
The 3rd wave in Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy - New ways, workshop
[ 2018 ]
Diploma of participation in course: „Usage of cognitive interview in investigation, psychology of self-defence a practical self-defence“
[ 2012 ]
Diploma of participation in course: „Psychological evaluation of credibility and modern methods of criminal and investigative psychology“
[ 2011 ]
Collecting data for the HBSC (Health Behaviour of School Aged Children) Study [ 2010 ]

Thesis supervisor

Ongoing thesis supervision:

• The importance of physical activity in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Andrea Morciano

• Factors associated with sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis patients. Julia Wiktoria Baczewska

Completed thesis:

• Depression, fatigue, and the importance of intervention programs in rheumatoid arthritis - Omaar Habib (2018)
• Gender differences in fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Anniken Aanensen (2019)
• Factors associated with fatigue in rheumatoid arthritis - Anna-Vilelmina Balinovitz (2020)
• Factors associated with pain and fatigue in rheumatic diseases - Lukas Guggenbichler (2021)
• Gender differences in pain in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Diego Francesco Macali (2021)
• Non-pharmacological interventions and needs of patients with rheumatoid arthritis Laurens Raoul (2021)
• Rheumatoid arthritis – disability, pain, and its management - Mehmet Ali Gürkan (2022)
• Fatigue and sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Sylwia Ociepa (2022)
• Multidimensional fatigue and associated factors in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Alberto Maestre (2022)
• The importance of social support in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Elaf Al-Akhal (2022)
• Predictors of fatigue, pain, and non-pharmacological interventions in the management of rheumatoid arthritis - Viktória Kostilníková (2022)
• Pain and sleep quality in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Feras Hussain M Alyami (2023)
• Cultural differences in factors associated with anxiety in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Nicole Frumkin (2023)
• Gender differences in depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Esther Schuck (2023)
• Cultural differences in factors associated with depression in rheumatoid arthritis patients - Mustafa Waadullah Jamil (2023)

Languages

Slovak, English, Czech, Greek