Prevalence and factors associated with depressive symptoms among Polish dentistry students

Introduction and objective. Depression is a disease that affects over 264 million people worldwide. According to research, the problem of depression concerns dentistry students. The aim of the research was to investigate the prevalence and severity of depressive symptoms among Polish dental students, determine factors associated with this phenomenon and examine the relationship between these factors and depressive symptoms. Material and method. The participants of the study were dental students enrolled in each of the 10 Polish universities that offer dental education. The research tool was an author’s questionnaire and a Polish-language version of 9-Item-Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9).  Results. A total of 247 dental students took part in the study. The statistical analysis showed that 53.85% of the respondents were provisionally diagnosed with major depression. 8.91% of the participants had symptoms of severe depression. The research suggests that not doing sports regularly and not getting enough sleep are factors associated with depression among Polish dental students. Conclusions. Depressive symptoms among Polish dental students are common. Results suggest that it is important for students to maintain physical activity and take care of proper sleep hygiene. Further research needs to be done in order to explore more factors associated with depressive symptoms in the above-mentioned group

Chronic traumatic encephalopathy – current state of knowledge

Introduction and purpose. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) is a tauopathy caused by repetitive, mild head injuries. It is characterized by perivascular accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the neurons and astrocytes. CTE leads to changes in central nervous system, both on microscopic and macroscopic level. The aim of the study was to present the current knowledge on chronic traumatic encephalopathy among athletes, its predisposing factors, symptoms and consequences, as well as diagnostic methods and treatment.Description. CTE occurs among contact sport players, such as American football, ice hockey, soccer, baseball, box and MMA (mixed martial arts), as well as among soldiers and victims of domestic violence. Repetitive head injuries and long career duration increase the risk of CTE. Symptoms of chronic traumatic encephalopathy include a commonly occurring triad: cognitive disturbances, behavioral problems and mood disturbances. Other symptoms include memory loss, parkinsonism, headaches, speech and walking problems. Currently, the only diagnostic method of CTE is a posthumous detection of neuropathological markers. Methods such as detection of exosomal tau protein in plasma and imaging techniques give hope to diagnose CTE in alive patients. Treatment methods of CTE, such as LIPUS (low intensity pulsed ultrasound) therapy are currently being developed.Conclusions. Chronic traumatic encephalopathy among athletes is a serious problem that affects multiple people due to the popularity of contact sports. Thus, an emphasis should be put on prevention, raising awareness and appropriate protection of athletes through changes in regulations and improvement of protective equipment

Adverse Childhood Experiences as a significant predictor of worsened well-being among Polish medical and dental students

Introduction and purpose. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are a major public health problem. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences among medical and dental students in Poland and to examine a relationship between ACEs and chosen factors associated with well-being of the students.Material and method. The research tool consisted of the Adverse Childhood Experiences standardized questionnaire and authors’ questions. 934 medical students and 228 dental students took part in the study (a total of 1162 participants). The respondents came from 18 Polish universities.Results. 57.40% of the students experienced at least 1 childhood adversity, 8.43% of them were affected by 4 or more ACEs. The most common adverse childhood experiences were: emotional neglect (23.06%), emotional abuse (22.98%) and mental illness or a suicide attempt in a household member (21.86%). On average, women experienced more childhood adversities than men. An overall graded relationship was found between ACEs and: frequent feelings of loneliness, low self-assessment of academic performance, problems with maintaining stable body weight, reaching for alcohol in order to de-stress and being non-religious.Conclusions. Adverse Childhood Experiences are common among Polish medical and dental students and are linked with multiple aspects of worsened well-being of the students. The study emphasizes a need to create strategies that aim to educate on Adverse Childhood Experiences in order to prevent them and help those who are affected by them

Depression among Polish medical students and its lifestyle-linked predictors

Introduction and objective. Depression is a common mental disorder that affects over 264 million people worldwide. Medical students are at a particularly high risk of this disease. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of depression among Polish medical students and to determine predictors of this disease that are related to student’s lifestyle. Material and method. A total of 1023 medical students took part in the study. The research tool included a Polish version of the PHQ-9 questionnaire and author’s questions which concerned sociodemographic characteristics of the investigated group and analyzed factors. Answers were collected in the April of 2020. Results. About a half of the students (51.61%, 95% CI: 48.50 – 54.72) were found to have major depression (PHQ score ≥ 10). 30.21% of the students had mild depressive symptoms, 26.00% – moderate depressive symptoms and 15.05% – moderately severe depressive symptoms. 10.56% of the participants had symptoms of severe depression. A statistically significant relationship was found between major depression and: frequent feelings of loneliness, not doing sports regularly, not getting enough sleep, not participating in social meetings often enough, having problems with maintaining stable body weight, using alcohol in order to relieve stress or negative emotions and being non-religious. Conclusions. Depression among medical students in Poland is common. There are many lifestyle-linked predictors which are associated with this disease in the above-mentioned group. It is crucial to take actions aimed at reducing the high prevalence rates of depression among medical students in Poland, such as introducing routine screening for depression and creating resources that would enable students to obtain help

Adverse Childhood Experiences and worsened social relationships in adult life among Polish medical and dental students

Introduction and purpose. Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are potentially traumatic events experienced before the age of 18 that have lasting negative effects on physical and mental health. Numerous studies have shown that exposure to Adverse Childhood Experiences increases the probability of chronic health conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, coronary heart disease, asthma, depression or PTSD. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences among medical and dental students of Polish Medical Universities and to examine an association between ACEs and chosen factors associated with social relationships of the students.Material and method. A total of 1162 medical and dental students from each year of education and 18 different Polish universities took part in the study. The research tool contained the Adverse Childhood Experiences standardized questionnaire and authors’ questions.Results. More than a half of the students (57.4%) had at least 1 exposure to ACEs. 8.43% of them experienced 4 or more childhood adversities. The most commonly reported ACEs were: emotional neglect (23.06%), emotional abuse (22.98%) and mental illness or a suicide attempt in a household member (21.86%). An overall graded relationship was found between ACE score and: parents’ lower level of education, negative relationship with parents, siblings and friends and having a diagnosis of depression.Conclusions. Adverse Childhood Experiences are common among Polish medical and dental students and are associated with worsened social relationships and depression in adult life of the students. It is important to implement strategies that aim to prevent ACEs and help to build social support networks for those that are affected by them

Ocena ryzyka występowania depresji u pacjentów neurogeriatrycznych

Introduction. Specific factors predisposing to depression in the elderly are: widowhood, loss of employment, deterioration of the financial situation, loss of physical fitness, dependence on others, the use of institutional care. Early detection and treatment of depressive disorders is a determinant of modern geriatric care.Aim. The aim of the study was to evaluate the risk of depression among elderly patients hospitalized in the neurological departments.Material and Methods. The study was conducted in a group of 113 patients aged over 65 years of age, residing in neurological departments of hospitals in Lublin. Assessing patients was made using the Geriatric Depression Scale in the abbreviated version (Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form — GDS-SF).Results. Assessing the patients with the Geriatric Depression Scale no risk of depression in 75.22% of patients, and 24.88% showed depressive symptoms. In assessing the patients with the scale of depression, it was stated that the mean for the entire group was at the level of 4.15±3.57 points.Conclusions. In the group of elderly patients hospitalized in the neurological departments we found a fairly low risk of depression. More than 3/4 of respondents did not show symptoms of depression. The age of respondents had a significant effect on their risk of depression. (JNNN 2016;5(3):104–108)Wstęp. Specyficznymi czynnikami predysponującymi do depresji w wieku podeszłym są: wdowieństwo, utrata zatrudnienia, pogorszenie sytuacji materialnej, utrata sprawności fizycznej, uzależnienie od innych, korzystanie z opieki instytucjonalnej. Wczesne wykrywanie i leczenie zaburzeń depresyjnych stanowi wyznacznik współczesnej opieki geriatrycznej.Cel. Celem badań była ocena ryzyka występowania depresji wśród pacjentów w podeszłym wieku hospitalizowanych w oddziałach neurologicznych.Materiał i metody. Badania przeprowadzono w grupie 113 pacjentów w wieku powyżej 65 roku życia, przebywających na oddziałach neurologicznych lubelskich szpitali. Oceny stanu pacjentów dokonano za pomocą Geriatrycznej Skali Depresji w wersji skróconej (Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form — GDS-SF).Wyniki. Oceniając badanych Geriatryczną Skalą Depresji stwierdzono brak ryzyka wystąpienia depresji u 75,22% pacjentów, a 24,88% wykazywało objawy depresyjne. Oceniając pacjentów skalą depresji stwierdzono, że średnia dla całej badanej grupy kształtowała się na poziomie 4,15±3,57 pkt.Wnioski. W badanej grupie pacjentów w podeszłym wieku hospitalizowanych w oddziałach neurologicznych stwierdzono dość niskie ryzyko wystąpienia depresji. Ponad 3/4 badanych osób nie wykazywało objawów depresji. Wiek badanych istotnie wpływał na ryzyko wystąpienia u nich depresji. (PNN 2016;5(3):104–108

Polish Academy of Sciences

The short- and long-term effects of two isomers of DDT and their metabolite DDE on hormone secretion and survival of human choriocarcinoma JEG-3 cell

Determining environmental predictors of subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among Polish medical students

Introduction and objective. Depression is a disease that impairs daily functioning. According to research, as much as 27.2% of medical students suffer from depression or show depressive symptoms and 11.1% of them experience suicidal ideation. The aim of the research was to investigate the occurrence of subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among Polish medical students during the course of their medical studies and to determine predictors of this phenomenon that are related to student’s environment. Material and method. A total of 1023 medical students from each year of medical education and different Polish universities took part in the study. The research tool was an author’s questionnaire. Obtained data was subjected to a statistical analysis. To assess the relationship between two variables, the chi-square test of independence was used. The level of significance was set at p &lt; 0.05. Results. The statistical analysis showed that most respondents (52.79%) had noticed symptoms that might had pointed to depression during their medical studies. A statistically significant link was found between subjective feeling of depressive symptoms during the course of medical studies and: mother’s level of education, relationship with parents, relationship with siblings, relationship with friends, knowing a person that one could count on in a difficult situation, knowing a person in which one could trust with all their problems, frequent feelings of loneliness and feeling that one doesn’t participate in social gatherings often enough. Conclusions. The prevalence of subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among medical students is high. Results suggest that good relationships with others are important in prevention of depression.</p

Predictors associated with studies and lifestyle and subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among Polish medical students

Introduction and objective. Depression is a disorder that medical students are subjected to. The aim of the research was to investigate the occurrence of subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among Polish medical students during the course of medical studies and to determine predictors of this phenomenon that are associated with studies and lifestyle. Material and method. The research tool was author’s questionnaire. 1023 medical students from each year of medical education and different Polish universities took part in the study. Results. 52.79% of the respondents had noticed symptoms that might had pointed to depression during the course of their medical studies. The research suggests that predictors of subjective feeling of depressive symptoms among medical students are: repeating a university subject, repeating a year in university, low self-assessment of academic performance during studying, considering dropping out of university, low satisfaction from the choice of studying medicine, reaching for alcohol in order to de-stress or discharge negative emotions, not having interests that enable to relax, not doing sports regularly, not participating in social gatherings often enough, not sleeping enough, having problems with maintaining stable body weight and not being religious. Conclusions. There are many lifestyle and studies connected factors associated with depressive symptoms among Polish medical students. The study suggests that it is important for students and their communities to pay attention to the emergence of them in order to improve the well-being of students.</p