Ocena kompetencji kulturowych wśród pracowników ochrony zdrowia

Polska, jako kraj znajdujący się w centrum Europy, zachęca obcokrajowców do przyjazdu. Odwiedzający i zamieszkujący na terenie naszego kraju cudzoziemcy, zazwyczaj oczekują lepszego i godnego życia. Nasi rodacy zamiast okazać troskę i życzliwości, najczęściej są nieufni i wrogo nastawieni. Nieznajomość różnic kulturowych może spowodować wiele niepotrzebnych konfliktów. Kompetentny pracownik zobowiązany jest do zrozumienia potrzeb każdego pacjenta, również tego z innych kręgów kulturowych. Odpowiednie przygotowanie pielęgniarek, lekarzy i innych pracowników szpitala pozwala na uniknięcie nieporozumień i problemów związanych między innymi z nieznajomością różnic kulturowych. Kompetencje kulturowe, rozumiane jako umiejętność przyjęcia postawy relatywizmu kulturowego, stanowią zbiór postaw, wiedzy i motywacji, wśród których ważną rolę odgrywają empatia etnokulturowa oraz poczucie własnej skuteczności jak również elastyczność poznawcza oraz otwartość na nowe doświadczenia

The assessment of stress reactions of patients with implanted defibrillators

Background. Although they save life, implantable defibrillators have psychological side effects and increase the number of patients who experience anxiety, depressive symptoms and, in extreme cases, post-traumatic stress disorder (PT SD). Escalation of PT SD symptoms depends on patients’ ability to cope with stress. Objectives . The aim of this study was to assess the reactions of patients after defibrillator implantation, and their ways to cope with stress, as well as to analyze the relationship between the ways of coping with stress and PT SD symptoms. Material and methods. The study was conducted using the Mini-Cope, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and the author’s questionnaire. It involved 111 patients with implanted defibrillators at the mean age of 60 years, including 88 (79.3%) men. The majority of the patients had secondary education – 38 (34.2%) and were married – 85 (76.6%). 51 (45.9%) were one year after defibrillator implantation. Results. It was demonstrated that 49 (44.1%) of the surveyed experienced intracardiac discharges, out of whom 8 (17.1%) went through an ‘electrical storm’. This group obtained higher PT SD scores in all three IES-R domains comparing to those without implanted defibrillators. The most common strategy to cope with stress was acceptance of the situation and searching for emotional support. Conclusions . 1. Intracardiac discharges are the vital problem of patients after defibrillator implantation. 2. Searching for emotional support and acceptance of the situation are the most common strategies to cope with stress. 3. There is a relationship between PT SD symptoms occurring in patients after implantation of a defibrillator and their strategies to cope with stress

Global self-esteem and coping with stress by Polish students during the COVID-19 pandemic

ObjectivesStudents experience considerable stress and anxiety during the course of their studies, which has a significant impact on their health and hinders the learning process. There are many stressors that can intensify stress, which is why choosing the right strategies for coping with stress and self-esteem is so important.MethodsThe study was conducted on 798 students of the School of Public Health at the University of Warmia and Mazury in majors: nursing, midwifery, emergency medicine and dietetics (subgroup 1; n = 428; 53.77%) and at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, major: veterinary medicine (subgroup 2; n = 368; 46.23%). The study employed the diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire technique including Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale, MINI-COPE, PSS-10, and a self-questionnaire.ResultsThe scores obtained by over half of the students were indicative of low global self-esteem, whereas over 80% of the students felt stress at a high intensity. Moreover, it was shown that the veterinary medicine students demonstrated a higher intensity of coping strategies, i.e., active coping (p < 0.04) and planning (p < 0.02), than medicine students.ConclusionThe study revealed that students, irrespective of the major, experienced high levels of stress. Self-esteem had a significant impact on the stress level and methods of coping with difficult situations in students of medicine. A majority of the students applied positive styles of coping with stress

Personality traits and risk of eating disorders among Polish women: the moderating role of self-esteem

ObjectivesPersonality traits should be taken into account when diagnosing individuals with disordered eating behaviors in the hope of better understanding their etiology and symptom progression and when planning treatment. The objective of this study was to attempt to determine the moderating role of self-esteem in the relationships between personality traits included in the Big Five model among Polish women and estimated risk of eating disorders.MethodsThe study was conducted among 556 Polish women from Zachodniopomorskie Voivodeship. The average age of the women under study was 34 years. A diagnostic survey was used as the research method, and the empirical data were collected using the following research tools: The NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (SES), ORTO – 15 Questionnaire, The Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-13), and the authors’ original questionnaire. A multivariate linear regression analysis was conducted to examine the influence of selected independent variables. The assumptions for the linear regression model were satisfied, as indicated by the Ramsey Regression Equation Specification Error Test, White’s test, and the Jarque-Bera test.ResultsOnly the personality trait of neuroticism exhibits a statistically significant effect on the “Cognitive Restraint of Eating,” “Uncontrolled Eating,” and “Emotional Eating” scores (p < 0.001). The moderation effect was demonstrated between self-esteem and the personality trait of conscientiousness on the “Cognitive Restraint of Eating” scale score. There is a moderation effect between self-esteem and the personality trait of extraversion on the “Uncontrolled Eating” subscale score. There is a moderation effect between self-esteem and the personality trait of conscientiousness on the “Uncontrolled Eating” scale score.ConclusionSelf-esteem was not a predictor of the occurrence of risk of eating disorders while playing a moderating role in the relationship between certain personality traits and estimated risk of eating disorders. A higher level of neuroticism was identified as an important predictor of higher results for orthorexia, Cognitive Restraint of Eating, Uncontrolled Eating, and Emotional Eating. It was also demonstrated that the orthorexia risk index decreased with increased extraversion and openness to experience. The results of this study suggest that eating behaviors and psychological factors should be included in psychological interventions in the treatment of eating disorders. The clinical goal can be considered to be an improvement in non-normative eating behaviors, such as a reduction in overeating episodes or eating less frequently in the absence of a hunger feeling. In order to assist these individuals in their attempts to achieve healthy behaviors, variables related to mental functioning can be then identified as important goals to support individuals in their efforts to change health behaviors by achieving better mental well-being

Coping strategies and adherence in people with mood disorder: a cross-sectional study

IntroductionNon-adherence to treatment recommendations is a significant problem, as it contributes to the progression of the disease and to the exacerbation of distressing symptoms. Failure to cope with the disease and elevated levels of stress, in turn, influence the choice of strategy for coping with a difficult situation, and thus adherence to recommendations.ObjectivesThe purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of the subjects’ stress coping styles on therapeutic adherence, life satisfaction, disease acceptance and quality of life (QoL) in people with mood disorders.MethodsThis survey-based study included 102 respondents diagnosed with mood disorders, living in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It was performed using the sociodemographic questionnaire and standardized tools: The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), The Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey, The Adherence to Refills and Medication Scale (ARMS), and The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS).ResultsSome 47.06% of the respondents suffered from depressive disorders, while 34.31% had depression or mixed anxiety disorder. Patients who made greater use of an emotion-focused style were found to have significantly lower life satisfaction than other patients. Moreover, this style was related to such SF-36 domains as general health, social functioning, role emotional, vitality, and mental health, as well as to physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS).ConclusionTreatment non-adherence is a serious challenge in the treatment of patients with mood disorders. Individuals who do not adequately follow treatment recommendations often resort to alternative activities as a mechanism for coping with difficult situations. Patients who predominantly adopt an emotion-oriented coping style tend to experience lower life satisfaction and greater difficulty accepting their condition compared to their peers. Conversely, patients who adopt a task-oriented coping style report better quality of life than those who rely on emotion-oriented coping or alternative activities

Ocena kompetencji kulturowych wśród pracowników ochrony zdrowia

Polska, jako kraj znajdujący się w centrum Europy, zachęca obcokrajowców do przyjazdu. Odwiedzający i zamieszkujący na terenie naszego kraju cudzoziemcy, zazwyczaj oczekują lepszego i godnego życia. Nasi rodacy zamiast okazać troskę i życzliwości, najczęściej są nieufni i wrogo nastawieni. Nieznajomość różnic kulturowych może spowodować wiele niepotrzebnych konfliktów. Kompetentny pracownik zobowiązany jest do zrozumienia potrzeb każdego pacjenta, również tego z innych kręgów kulturowych. Odpowiednie przygotowanie pielęgniarek, lekarzy i innych pracowników szpitala pozwala na uniknięcie nieporozumień i problemów związanych między innymi z nieznajomością różnic kulturowych. Kompetencje kulturowe, rozumiane jako umiejętność przyjęcia postawy relatywizmu kulturowego, stanowią zbiór postaw, wiedzy i motywacji, wśród których ważną rolę odgrywają empatia etnokulturowa oraz poczucie własnej skuteczności jak również elastyczność poznawcza oraz otwartość na nowe doświadczenia

Health Behaviours and the Sense of Optimism in Nursing Students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 Pandemic

(1) The COVID-19 outbreak brought about several socio-economic changes and has had a negative impact on the mental health of people around the world. The aim of this study was to examine the correlation between health behaviours and dispositional optimism among nursing students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) The study was carried out in spring 2021 on a group of 756 nursing students in Poland (n = 390), Spain (n = 196) and Slovakia (n = 170). The diagnostic survey method was applied with the questionnaire technique, and the following standardised research tools were used: Life Orientation Test—Revised (LOT-R) and the Health Behaviour Inventory (IZZ). The survey was conducted in a mixed arrangement: in direct contact with the respondents in Poland and in Spain and online in Slovakia. (3) Significant differences were demonstrated in health behaviour preferences in students in Poland, Spain and Slovakia (F = 6.22; p < 0.002). The highest IZZ index was found in Spanish students (82.60 ± 13.65), while lower values were observed in Slovak (80.38 ± 13.74) and Polish (78.44 ± 13.47) students. The correlation between dispositional optimism and a positive attitude was the strongest in the Polish sample (r = 0.56; p < 0.001), at a high level in the Spanish sample (r = 0.53; p < 0.001) and at an average level in the Slovak sample (r = 0.48; p < 0.001). (4) 1. The study showed a moderating effect of the country of origin on the students’ health behaviours. 2. Dispositional optimism is an important predictor of the students’ health behaviours, regardless of the country of origin