General research areas
Research at the Department for Clinical Psychology at the TU Chemnitz is concerned with different clinical themes and questions, which are aligned to the key focus on clinical research in practice. It belongs to the Natural Scientific-Technical direction of the TU Chemnitz. The central research themes of our group lie therefore in the areas of:
- health services research (processes, quality of structure and outcomes of service provision within the outpatient psychotherapy, psychiatry, psychosomatic, addiction and rehabilitation, patient centeredness and development of patient-focused success indicators);
- intervention research (systematic reviews to: examine the evidence of effectiveness of clinical interventions, to develop evidence-based guidelines, conceptualise and evaluate innovative approaches to therapy and provision in psychotherapy, advice, prevention and rehabilitation, risk and analysis of failure);
- as well as research around the aetiology (models of risks and protective factors, psychological comorbidities, link between somatic illnesses and psychological disorders).
Our focus on disorders is primarily concerned with addiction (smoking, other substance-related disorders and disorders of impulse control), bipolar disorders as well as specific problems associated with psychological comorbidities (double- and multiple diagnoses).
We are also concerned with the problems around psychological disorders in older people (Clinical Gerontopsychology) as well as the therapeutic provision (Gerontopsychotherapy) and develog and evaluate professional development programmes in this area.
Current research projects
ATEMM-Studie: Tobacco cessation in high-risk patients - a model project: ATEMM study
Every year 110,000 to 140,000 people die in Germany as a result of tobacco consumption. Nevertheless, professional tobacco cessation is not yet a standard benefit of the statutory health insurance funds. In a model project of the AOK PLUS in cooperation with the TU Chemnitz and the Berufsverband der Pneumologen in Sachsen e.V. (Professional Association of Pneumologists in Saxony), a structured programme for tobacco cessation is fully financed, tested and evaluated under real life conditions in specialist practices in the model region. The target group are patients with beginning or manifest COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). The programme was developed in accordance with the S3 guideline on tobacco cessation in COPD.
Evaluationsprojekt "Wissenschaftliche Begleitung und Evaluation von Modellvorhaben nach § 65d SGB V": Scientific monitoring and evaluation of pilot projects according to § 65d SGB V
The Chair of Clinical Psychology and Psychotherapy at Chemnitz University of Technology has been commissioned by the GKV-Spitzenverband with the scientific monitoring and evaluation of model projects according to § 65d SGB V. The model projects are special therapy facilities that offer prevention and therapy for people with paedophilic sexual disorder.
NAKURA: Network analysis of the cooperation network of university smoking outpatient departments (KURA e.V.): effectiveness, impact factors, predictors, differential indication in tobacco cessation.
Both the potential for dependence on tobacco and the difficulty of a consistent smoking cessation are still massively underestimated: although 60-90% of smokers state that they want to stop, only 3-6% manage to stay abstinent for 12 months without professional help. However, even former tobacco addicted smokers remain at risk of relapse for life. Compared to independent attempts at abstinence, professional tobacco cessation interventions are highly effective. However, they are rarely used and it is difficult to reach potentially quit smokers. Within the NAKURA research project, the cooperation network of university smoking outpatient clinics (KURA e.V.) is to be linked more closely. With the help of the large number of smokers willing to quit smoking as well as indication-specific cessation groups (e.g. pregnant women) that reach these university smoking outpatient departments, the effectiveness of the programmes and their effect factors as well as predictors for the success of abstinence will be investigated.
