Occhio alla salute - le riflessioni linguistiche sul concetto di "salute" nella lingua italiana

The article aims to analyse — on the basis of cognitive linguistics — the concept of health in Italian and some of its relations to many domains of people’s life. Various idiomatic expressions are examined with the focus on determining the way of perceiving a given notion and its conceptual content. The analyses which were conducted within the framework of master’s thesis of the author led to conclusion that health, which is an abstract notion, is often expressed by the metaphors which reveal a great part of perception, values and attitudes. Italians most often associate health with a person, thus the examined notion is equipped with the qualities and attributes characteristic for humankind

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

Body image in women with breast cancer undergoing surgical treatment – a comparative analysis

Surgery is the most basic treatment in case of breast cancer: it involves a complete or partial removal of the mammary gland. The aim of the study was to assess the body image distress and self-esteem in a group of women with breast cancer undergoing various surgical procedures. The material was collected in a group of 229 women with breast cancer who were divided into subgroups based on the surgery criterion (mastectomy, breast-conserving therapy - BCT and mastectomy with breast reconstruction). The study used the Body Image Scale by Hopwood, Fletcher, Lee and Al Ghazal (2001; Polish adaptation by Brandt-Salmeri and Przybyła-Basista), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale – SES (Polish adaptation by Łaguna, Lachowicz-Tabaczek and Dzwonkowka, 2007) and an original survey. Analyses showed, among other things, significant differences in the assessment of discomfort associated with a change in body image depending on the type of surgery. The research also revealed that the assessment depended on differences between the women in terms of age and the time elapsed since the onset of treatment. Negative body image was adversely associated with self-esteem in all studied groups. Body image was significantly related to age and time elapsed since the treatment in the post-mastectomy group. At the same time, it was related only to age in the BCT group and with regards to the breast reconstruction group, the relationship concerned only elapsed time

The crisis of divorce and the nature of the experienced life changes

In this study, divorce is understood as a complex and multidimensional phenomenon. Furthermore, divorce is one of the most stressful life events – an event which changes almost every aspect of life. It has been assumed that for majority of people, divorce is related to a crisis or is viewed as a turning point in life. The aim of this study is to verify whether the assessment of the impact of divorce on various spheres of life (housing situation, work, friends, children, etc.) is associated with different magnitude of experienced life changes (positive or negative). Positive changes may signify individual's ability to cope with critical life events (such as divorce); negative changes mean that people after divorce experience the negative impact of it on fundamental beliefs about the self as well as the value and meaning of life. In this study, the Life Changes Scale (LCS), demographic data and divorce-related data were used. The difference significance tests were conducted between the groups. A total of 157 divorced individuals participated in the research. Three out of four participants were women (76.40%); a quarter of the group comprised of men (23.60%). The respondents’ average age was 41 years. Analyses have shown differences in the assessment of changes after divorce. The most important results include the occurrence of significant differences in experienced life changes (positive or negative) among divorced individuals, depending on the sphere of life in which the changes occurred

Assessment of obstetrician-patient relationship and stress levels experienced by women in healthy pregnancy and pregnancy complicated by maternal or fetal factors

Pregnancy is a special period in the life of a woman and her family, resulting in biological, social and psychological changes. Each pregnancy, even one non-burdened with social and obstetric risk, is a stressful situation (Dulude et al, 2002). For each pregnancy, the obstetrician-patient relationship and the level of the woman's confidence in the obstetrician become important. Patient's trust is one of the components of the satisfaction with medical care, which is a determinant as to adherence to the doctor's recommendations, leading to better clinical effects of the health care itself (Kurpas, Sapilak, Steciwko, 2006). The aim of this study was to assess the obstetrician-patient relationship during pregnancy and the stress levels experienced in four groups of women, selected on the basis of their pregnancy – healthy pregnancy and high-risk pregnancy complicated by: a fetal factor, a maternal factor or both factors. The purpose of this study was to assess the relationship between stress and trust towards the obstetrician in the studied groups. The research was conducted on a total of 242 women applying for follow-up examinations to the obstetrician or staying in the department of pregnancy pathology. The following measurement methods were used in the research: Global Stress Scale PSS-10 and the Trust in Physician Scale. The analyses have shown significant differences among the studied groups regarding the assessment of the magnitude of stress experienced and the assessment of confidence level towards the obstetrician. The magnitude of stress was negatively correlated with the level of trust towards the obstetrician only in the group of women in high-risk pregnancy complicated by a fetal factor

Ricorso ai termini psichiatrici nel linguaggio della rete: rispecchio della realtà o "prestiti" poco felici?

The purpose of this research is to discuss the entrance of psychiatric terms in everyday Italian language. In this article, the authors make an attempt to answer the following questions: why does a man make use of such terminology (once reserved only for scientific field and now deeply-rooted in everyday language)? What are the linguistic and psychosocial consequences of it? It is stressed that a great deal of psychiatric terms, which comprise a wide range of diseases, are used improperly in everyday language. Furthermore, it will be proved that their meaning is often reduced to the level of insults or injuries

Pandemic Stress and Its Correlates among Pregnant Women during the Second Wave of COVID-19 in Poland

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has created numerous stressful conditions, especially for vulnerable populations such as pregnant women. Pandemic-related pregnancy stress consists of two dimensions: stress associated with feeling unprepared for birth due to the pandemic (Preparedness Stress), and stress related to fears of perinatal COVID-19 infection (Perinatal Infection Stress). The purpose of our study was to elucidate the association between various factors - sociodemographic, obstetric, pandemic-related, and situational - and pandemic stress in its two dimensions during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Polish pregnant women. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a total of 1119 pregnant women recruited during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland (between November 2020 and January 2021). Participants were recruited via social media to complete an online study questionnaire that included sociodemographic, obstetric, situational, and COVID-19 pandemic factors, as well as the Pandemic-Related Pregnancy Stress Scale (PREPS). Results: Nearly 38.5% of participants reported high Preparedness Stress; 26% reported high Perinatal Infection Stress. Multivariate analyses indicated that lack of COVID-19 diagnosis, higher compliance with safety rules and restrictions, and limited access to outdoor space were independently associated with moderate to severe levels of Infection Stress. Current emotional or psychiatric problems, nulliparity, limited access to outdoor space, and alterations to obstetric visits were independently associated with moderate to severe Preparedness Stress. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that particular attention should be focused on the groups of pregnant women who are most vulnerable to pandemic-related stress and therefore may be more prone to adverse outcomes associated with prenatal stress

Factors associated with fear of childbirth among Polish pregnant women

The purpose of our study was to elucidate the association between obstetric and psychological factors and fear of childbirth (FOC) during the third trimester of pregnancy and to identify women at risk of severe FOC in Poland. An additional goal of the study was to verify the Polish version of the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (W-DEQ) and to establish its psychometric characteristics. Cross-sectional study with a total of 359 women recruited during routine visits to an antenatal clinic in Poland during the third trimester (≥ 27 weeks gestation). The survey included obstetric details (parity, obstetric history and preferred mode of delivery), and standardized psychological measures: the W-DEQ (fear of childbirth) and the EPDS (depressive symptoms). We demonstrated the satisfactory psychometric properties of the Polish version of the W-DEQ. Our findings confirm the one-factor structure found by the authors of the original version of the scale. A greater FOC was reported by women with unplanned pregnancies, women whose preferred mode of delivery was a cesarean section, and women who had previously undergone psychiatric treatment. The risk factors for severe FOC were depression, unplanned pregnancy or parity, and disagreement with the birth plan proposed by the obstetrician. The W-DEQ is a widely used, valid instrument for the assessment of FOC in pregnant women and can be used in Poland. Findings support the key role of obstetric and psychological variables in predicting fear of childbirth

How to measure ego-resiliency in the face of various life-changing crises: Measurement invariance, convergent and discriminant validity and reliability of the Polish version of the Revised Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER89-R12)

This study examines the generalizability of the latent structure of the Polish version of the Ego-Resiliency Scale (ER89-R12), a brief self-report scale that measures ego-resiliency. We investigated the measurement invariance, validity, and reliability of ER89-R12 among three groups of individuals who were facing various major, long-term, life-changing crises (N = 512): parents of children with Down’s syndrome, women with breast cancer, and individuals after divorce. The analysis of the measurement invariance confirmed the two-factor structure of the questionnaire and the high reliability of this measure in those studied groups. A multigroup confirmatory factor analysis provided evidence of configural, metric, scalar, and residual invariance across the three groups. Moreover, the correlation patterns were similar across the groups. Ego-resiliency was strongly and consistently positively correlated with mental health: psychological well-being, perceived social support, self-esteem, and post-traumatic growth, and negatively correlated with perceived stress. The presented results indicate the potential usefulness of the ER89-R12 tool in studies on people experiencing various crises in their lives

Anxiety among pregnant women during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland

Although anxiety is common because of the transitional nature of the perinatal period, particularly high levels of anxiety have been observed in some studies of pregnant women during the pandemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the severity of anxiety among pregnant women during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland, and factors associated with it. Cross-sectional study with a total of 1050 pregnant women recruited via social media in Poland during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, from March 1 until June 1, 2020. The survey included validated psychological measures: the GAD-7 (anxiety), the PREPS (pandemic stress), with two subscales: preparedness and infection stress, and obstetric, sociodemographic and COVID-19 related variables. T-tests, ANOVAs, and hierarchical binary logistic regression for dichotomized GAD-7 scores (minimal or mild vs. moderate or severe) were used. Over a third of respondents experienced moderate or severe levels of anxiety. Predictors of moderate or severe anxiety were non-pandemic related factors like unplanned pregnancy and emotional and psychiatric problems, as well as pandemic related pregnancy stress. Levels of anxiety among pregnant women during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland exceeded pre-pandemic norms. Findings suggest that prior psychiatric conditions, unplanned pregnancy, and elevated pandemic-related pregnancy stress due to concerns about infection or poor preparation for birth contributed to the risk of high anxiety in Polish pregnant women during the pandemic onset. Given the harmful effects of antenatal anxiety on the health and well-being of mothers and their children, psychotherapeutic interventions, efforts to alleviate pregnant women’s stress, and training in adaptive ways to cope with stress are vital to reduce the prevalence of maternal anxiety and its potential consequences during this global crisis