Psychoactive substances use experience and addiction or risk of addiction among by Polish adolescents living in rural and urban areas

The objective of the study was to determine the similarities and differences between adolescents with psychoactive substances use experience living in urban and rural areas as regards the intensity of Internet addiction symptoms as well as the evaluation of prevalence of psychoactive substances use among adolescents depending on the place of residence. The examined group consisted of 1 860 people (1 320 girls and 540 boys) their average age being 17 years. In the study the following research methods were used: the Sociodemographic Questionnaire designed by the authors, the Internet Addiction Questionnaire by Potembska, the Internet Addiction test by Young, the Internet Addiction Questionnaire (KBUI) designed by Pawłowska and Potembska. Statistically significant differences were found as regards the prevalence of psychoactive substances use by the adolescents living in urban and rural areas and as regards the intensity of Internet addiction symptoms in adolescents, both from the urban and rural areas, who use and do not use illegal drugs. Significantly more adolescents living in urban areas as compared to their peers living in rural areas use psychoactive substances, mainly marihuana. The adolescents who use psychoactive substances, as compared to the adolescents with no experience using illegal drugs, living both in urban and rural areas significantly more often play online violent games and use web pornography. The adolescents living in rural areas who use psychoactive substances significantly more often as compared to the adolescents who do not use these substances claim that it is only thanks to the interactions established on the Internet that they can get acceptance, understanding and appreciation

DIFFERENCES IN THE DYNAMICS OF CHANGES IN THE CONCENTRATION OF KYNURENIC ACID IN THE BLOOD SERUM OF DEPRESSED PATIENTS TREATED WITH ELECTROCONVULSIVE THERAPY

Background: Nowadays, depression is a serious clinical problem, as the prevalence of its various forms increases and there are growing numbers of patients with severe forms of depression and treatment-refractory depression. Depressed patients have been observed to have decreased levels of kynurenic acid (KYNA), which is the only endogenous antagonist of ionotropic N-methyl-Daspartate (NMDA) receptors. The aim of this study was to identify subgroups of patients differing in the dynamics of changes in KYNA concentration during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). Subjects and methods: The study included 32 patients with an ICD-10 diagnosis of a major depressive episode receiving ECT treatment and 48 healthy volunteers. Blood serum KYNA concentrations were determined using HPLC-based methods, and clinical assessment was performed using the Montgomery-Åsberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Clinical Global Impressions (CGI) Scale. Results: Three subgroups of patients with depression were identified which differed in baseline KYNA levels and in the dynamics of changes in blood serum KYNA concentrations during and after ECT. Conclusions: The largest number of patients with clinical improvement (83%) was observed in the subgroup with significantly lower pre-treatment, treatment and post-treatment KYNA concentrations than those determined in the control group. This subgroup of patients also showed the lowest dynamics of changes in KYNA concentrations during ECT. Clinical improvement was observed in 75% of depressed patients who had insignificantly lower pre-treatment levels of KYNA and slightly higher levels of this acid after 6 and 12 ECT sessions than controls. The smallest number of patients with clinical improvement (50%) was observed in the subgroup of patients who had similar pre-treatment and treatment concentrations of KYNA to controls and whose post-treatment concentrations of KYNA were significantly lower than those of healthy individuals

Personality traits in adolescents with the Internet Gaming Disorder. Part II

Introduction: The aim of this study was to characterize types of gamers in terms of selected personality traits

A typology of adolescent online gamers. Part I

Introduction: For several years now, there has been an increased interest on the part of psychiatrists, pediatricians, psychologists, specialists in education, and sociologists in the issue of so-called behavioral addictions, which include Internet addiction and computer gaming addiction. The aim of this study was to draw a typology of Internet gamers

Use of psychoactive substances, body image and characteristics of personality traits in bodybuilders

The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of psychoactive substances use as well as the characteristics of body image, self-image, narcissism and stress coping strategies in the group of male professional bodybuilders

Coping strategies in individuals at risk and not at risk of mobile phone addiction

The aim of the present study was to provide an answer to the question of whether, and what, differences in stress coping strategies could be found between university students at risk and those not at risk of mobile phone addiction. The study included 408 students aged 19 to 28 years. The following instruments were used: a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Mobile Phone Addiction Assessment Questionnaire (in Polish, Kwestionariusz do Badania Uzależnienia od Telefonu Komórkowego, KBUTK) by Pawłowska and Potembska, and the Coping with Stress Questionnaire (SVF) by Janke, Erdmann, and Boucsein, translated into Polish by Januszewska. The results of the study showed that individuals at risk of mobile phone addiction were more likely to cope with stress by seeking substitute gratification, reacting with resignation, passivity, dejection and hopelessness, blaming themselves, pitying themselves and looking for support. They also tended to ruminate over their suffering, withdraw from social interactions, react with aggression and/or take to drinking

Changes in the levels of kynurenic acid and selected proinflammatory cytokines after pharmacological treatment and electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in patients with depressive disorder

The aim of the present study was to compare the concentrations of KYNA, 3-OH-KYN and the cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 in patients with depression vs. healthy controls as well as in patients with depression treated pharmacologically vs. those treated using ECT. We also evaluated the relationship between the concentrations of KYNA, 3-OH-KYN and the cytokines TNF-α and IL-6 and clinical improvement measured on the MADRS scale in patients treated pharmacologically and those treated with ECT

The psychometric properties of the Disease Perception Questionnaire

This article describes the psychometric properties of the Disease Perception Questionnaire (Kwestionariusz Obrazu Choroby, KOCh, in Polish). An original version of KOCh consisting of 99 items was used to survey a group of 161 subjects aged 25 to 85 years. On the basis of factor analysis, four factors (scales) were identified which pointed to the subjects’ different perceptions of their disease: (1) Disease as a Threat, (2) Disease as a Weakness, (3) Disease as a Task, and (4) Disease as a Benefit. Items with the lowest factor loadings and the lowest factor specificity indexes were rejected. The factors identified explained 38% of the total variance. The final version of the KOCh questionnaire consisted of 57 items. The coefficients of reliability for the individual factors were Cronbach’s alpha = 0.94 for Disease as a Threat, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.86 for Disease as a Weakness, Cronbach’s alpha = 0.84 for Disease as a Task, and Cronbach’s alpha = 0.85 for Disease as a Benefi