Ego-Resiliency and Parental Satisfaction Among Parents of Children with Down Syndrome

Parents of children with Down syndrome face many challenges related to their children’s disability. They manage to raise their children primarily thanks to their internal resources, protective psychological traits and help from other people. The aim of this study was to investigate the level of ego-resiliency as an important personality trait in a group of mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome. The relationship between ego-resiliency and parental satisfaction was also studied. The sample consisted of 126 parents (75 mothers and 51 fathers). Our results show that there is no difference in the level of ego-resiliency between mothers and fathers of children with Down syndrome. Nevertheless, it is noticed that there is a difference in perceived stress, psychological well-being and some aspects of parental satisfaction between parents with high and low levels of ego-resiliency. These results give an interesting insight into the internal functioning of parents of children with Down syndrome

Volumetric properties of binary mixtures of 2,4,6-trimethylpyridine with 1,2-ethanediol, methanol, and water, and the association energies of the O-H...N bonded complexes

2,4,6-Trimethylpyridine forms 1:1 complexes with methanol, 1,2-ethanediol, and water due to the O–H· · ·N bonds. The association energy of the complexes was calculated usingMP2 and DFT methods. The complexes with 1,2-ethanediol and water aggregate in the liquid phase as a result of the O–H· · ·O bonds. In spite of the higher O–H· · ·N bond energy, the aggregation of the ethanediolic complexes is less pronounced than that of the aqueous ones. That is probably caused by the weaker induction effect due to the C–C chain separating the hydroxyl groups in the diol molecule. Aggregation is impossible in the methanolic system, because of the lack of proton-donating functional groups. Differences in the hydrogen bond energy and in the ability to aggregate are manifested in the volumetric properties of the mixtures

Psychological well-being of individuals after divorce: the role of social support

Divorce is a transition period in which divorcing individuals face restructuring of the family system and adjustment to changes. The psychological well-being of divorcees can serve as an important indicator of the adjustment process. The achievement of well-being does not come easily for many reasons, one of which is the experience related to a sense of loss associated with the marriage break-up. Social support is a major relational resource for overcoming the crisis and successfully adjusting to post-divorce life. The sample consisted of 157 individuals after divorce: 120 women and 37 men (mean age = 41.29). Instruments employed in the study included the Sense of Loss Scale (DS), the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL), the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire (OHQ-23), and sociodemographic data. Our results show that perceived social support is a partial mediator of the relationship between the sense of loss associated with divorce and the psychological well-being of individuals after divorce. For the vast majority of the respondents their parents, friends and acquaintances were the major source of support. About one third of the participants were given support by their siblings and their own children. The study confirms the mediating role of support in building well-being after experiencing loss related to dissolution of marriage. This means that for divorced women and men perceived social support is one of the key resources that have a significant impact on achieving psychological well-being after divorce, since it is related to mitigating the negative impact of the sense of loss associated with marriage break-up

Depression and marital satisfaction: the mediating role of sexual satisfaction and perceived partner acceptance in women after mastectomy

Background Diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer disrupts women’s functioning on both individual and dyadic levels. The main objective of the present study was to examine whether the partner’s acceptance of the woman and her sexual satisfaction can play a key role in mediating the relationship between depression and marital satisfaction in women treated for breast cancer after mastectomy. Participants and procedure The sample consisted of 97 women with breast cancer after mastectomy (mean age = 55.68 years). The participants completed the following self-reported assessments: Beck’s Depression Inventory, Scale of Assessment of Self- Attractiveness in the Relationship by Chybicka and Karasiewicz and the Good Marriage Questionnaire KDM-2 by Plopa and Rostowski. All women were married (89.70%) or in informal relationships (10.30%). Recruitment for the study was conducted among women from the Amazonki community. Results The time since the first diagnosis and the commencement of surgical treatment was a negative predictor (β = –.36, p < .001) of marital satisfaction in women with breast cancer after mastectomy, whereas acceptance by the partner was a significant positive predictor (β = .30, p = .023); the mediation analyses showed that acceptance by the partner fully mediated the relationship between depression and marital satisfaction. Sexual satisfaction can also be considered as a significant total mediator between depression and marital satisfaction in women with breast cancer after mastectomy. Conclusions The results highlight the importance of the analysed variables for marital satisfaction of women with breast cancer and can serve as a helpful guide for clinicians and other health professionals. One of the more important findings concerned the importance of acceptance by the partner as a direct predictor of marital satisfaction. The research also showed that the women’s conviction about their partners’ acceptance and their sexual satisfaction renders their depression impactless in terms of marital satisfaction

Reconsidering migration in Bronze and Early Iron Age Europe : bridging a gap in european mobility?

Artykuł podaję przeglądową charakterystykę zjawisk z europejskiej epoki brązu i wczesnej epoki żelaza, dla których wyjaśniania stosowano scenariusze migracyjne. Podsumowuje także stan dyskusji nad zagadnieniem migracji w archeologii, omawiając, w jaki sposób odnoszą się do tej dyskusji prace zgromadzone w niniejszym tomie.Article gives a review of phenomena from the European Bronze and Early Iron Ages, which have been explained by the migratory scenarios. It recaps also the current stage of discussion on migration asan explanatory concept in archaeology, indicating how do contributions gathered in the present volume refer to this issue

Interior design of modernist housing estates in Łódź on the example of the estate of Montwiłła-Mirecki and the so-called Colony of Cooperatives

When buildings designed by modernist architects are inhabited by representatives of the intelligentsia – officials, doctors, teachers – in terms of interior design, it is expected to harmonize with the character of buildings, and therefore the modernist blocks or houses need modern furniture. The topic of the apartments of “ordinary people” from the interwar period is a difficult research area, because the opportunity to learn about their furnishings is usually provided only by a few preserved photos, often in private hands. In Poland, as well as in the discussed city of Łódź, a case of continuation of residence by the generations of the same family from the pre-war period is rare. Such a situation took place in the discussed complexes: at the Montwiłła-Mirecki (1928–1933) and in the two-family houses of the Municipal Management Board Employees Cooperative (1927–1931), where - despite the period of deportation - after World War II, most (about 80%) of the pre-war residents returned to their premises. As a result, elements of the old equipment and the memory of their origin have been preserved in some interiors. The analysis of the collected photos of apartment furnishings, as well as individual pieces of furniture from these interiors preserved until today, shows that the prevailing trend was to conserve forms, sometimes referring loosely to historical styles. More modern elements of interior equipment rarely appear, and these also find their way into the “familiar” surroundings. It seems that the reason behind such situation was neither the lack of furniture with modern forms on the market, nor the lack of access to knowledge about these forms (propagated in the then professional and popular press), nor the inability to consult with specialists in the field of interior design. Undoubtedly, it was influenced by the global economic crisis that occurred during the period when the studied apartments were inhabited, but also the issue of slowly changing tastes of tenants was important.Gdy budynki zaprojektowane przez modernistycznych architektów zasiedlają przedstawiciele inteligencji – urzędnicy, lekarze, nauczyciele – w zakresie wyposażenia wnętrz oczekuje się współbrzmienia z charakterem budynków, a zatem w modernistycznych blokach czy domach mebli również nowoczesnych. Temat mieszkań „zwykłych ludzi” z okresu międzywojennego jest niełatwym obszarem badawczym, gdyż możliwość poznania ich wyposażenia dają najczęściej jedynie nielicznie zachowane zdjęcia, często pozostające w rękach prywatnych. Na ternie Polski rzadkością jest kontynuacja zamieszkania od okresu przedwojennego przez pokolenia tej samej rodziny. Taka sytuacja miała miejsce w omawianych zespołach: na osiedlu im. Montwiłła-Mireckiego (1928–1933) oraz w domach dwurodzinnych Spółdzielni Pracowników Zarządu Miejskiego (1927–1931), gdzie – mimo okresu wysiedlenia – po II wojnie światowej większość (około 80%) przedwojennych mieszkańców powróciła do swoich lokali. Dzięki temu w niektórych wnętrzach zachowały się elementy dawnego wyposażenia oraz pamięć ich pochodzenia. Analiza zgromadzonych zdjęć wyposażenia mieszkań, a także pojedynczych zachowanych do współczesności mebli z tych wnętrz uświadamia, że przeważająca była tendencja do zachowawczych form, czasem nawiązujących luźno do stylów historycznych. Rzadko pojawiają się nowocześniejsze elementy wyposażenia wnętrza, a i te trafiają w „swojskie” otoczenie. Jak się wydaje, przyczyną tego stanu rzeczy nie był ani brak mebli o nowoczesnych formach na rynku, ani brak dostępu do wiedzy o tych formach (propagowanej w ówczesnej prasie fachowej i popularnej), ani też niemożność konsultacji ze specjalistami z zakresu projektowania wnętrz. Niewątpliwie wpływ na to miał ogólnoświatowy kryzys gospodarczy, który nastąpił w okresie zasiedlania badanych mieszkań, ale też istotna była kwestia powoli zmieniającego się gustu lokatorów

Thermodynamic and acoustic properties of mixtures of dibromomethane + heptane

Densities and speeds of ultrasound in binarymixtures of dibromomethane with heptane have been measured within the temperature range from 288.15K to 318.15 K. From the experimental data, the thermodynamic excess volume, molar isobaric expansion, molar isentropic compression, and ultrasonic speed were calculated. The excess volume and excess isentropic compression have opposite signs, whereas the excess isobaric expansion is an S-shaped function of the mole fraction. An explanation was suggested to account for the excesses in terms of intermolecular interactions. It involved energetic and steric factors. Moreover, itwas shown that the positive excess sound speed results almost entirely from the negative excess compression

Doświadczanie stresu i odnajdywanie pozytywnych aspektów rodzicielstwa w kontekście wychowywania dziecka z niepełnosprawnością intelektualną

Parenthood is a complex, responsible and difficult life task. In the case of being a parent of child with intellectual disability it is a much more burdening experience. The aim of the article is to present lights and shadows which accompany parents when they fulfill their parental tasks. Attention has been focused especially on challenges and difficulties in the process of adaptation to parental role as well as on factors which conduce to development of parental satisfaction despite difficulties and threats. The article consists of three parts. The first part concerns chosen causes of parental stress (shadows connected with parenting), such as: difficulties with acceptance of diagnosis of child’s disability, necessity of caretaker’s increased effort, anxiety attitude towards future, difficulties in obtaining satisfying institutional care as well as negative social experiences of families rearing a child with intellectual disability (i. a. social isolation, concerns about rejection of a child among its peers, concerns about intentional and unintentional child injuries). The second part of the article focuses on search for factors which allow to find positive aspects of parenthood. The following factors have been analyzed: factors which help parents to build their sense of parental identity (i. a. satisfaction from the relationship with the spouse, detecting bright sides of their own parental situation, bond with a child, personality traits) and the importance of social support for the parents’ psychological well-being. We made an assumptionthat helping parents to overcome stress by supporting their personal and family resources as well as their formal and informal resources, reinforces not only parents, but above all protects children and gives them a chance for a better development. In the third part of the article chosen psychoeducational programmes adressed to parents of children with intellectual disability as well as trainings enhancing their parental skills have been presented

Perceived stress, ego-resiliency, and relational resources as predictors of psychological well-being in parents of children with Down syndrome

The objective of the present study was to examine the role of perceived stress, ego-resiliency, and relational resources in maintaining psychological well-being in parents of children with Down syndrome, in particular in groups of mothers and fathers. Being a parent of a child with a disability is stressful, and it can be a burden. Despite these negative aspects of child-rearing, mothers and fathers are supported by their own resources and help from other people. participants and procedurę The study included 126 parents of children with Down syndrome (75 mothers and 51 fathers). All parents were married at the time of the study (i.e. the study did not involve single parents). The subjects completed questionnaires of psychological well-being, perceived stress, ego-resiliency, quality of marital relationship, and perceived social suport[…