Nadzieja na sukces a style radzenia sobie w sytuacjach stresowych kobiet w wieku 25-35 lat doświadczających przemocy w małżeństwie

Introduction: The case of violence against women is an up-to-date topic much publicized in the society. Police data confirm that the number of home interventions increases by the year, with women as the main group of victims of violent behaviour. A number of questions, therefore, arise, inter alia: how do women cope with the difficulties they face, and how do they evaluate their chances for the improvement of their life situation? The aim of the study is to show the styles of coping with stressful situations and the level of hope for the success of women experiencing violence in their marriage. Material and methods: The study covered two groups of women aged 25–35. The research tool was Hope for Success Questionnaire and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations. The results were subject to statistical analysis. Results: Women experiencing violence in marriage received significantly lower scores on the task-oriented style scale. The same group of women is characterised by significantly higher results obtained on the emotion-oriented style scale. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in terms of the avoidance-oriented style scale. The analysis of the results obtained in the Hope for Success Questionnaire shows that women abused by their husbands do not exhibit much hope for success. Conclusions: Women experiencing violence in marriage apply the emotion-oriented style, whereas women free from violence – the task-oriented style. Both groups surveyed apply the avoidance-oriented style in the same degree. Women abused by their husbands do not achieve high results as far as hope for success is concerned

Intimate partner violence by men abusing and non-abusing alcohol in Poland

Alcohol use is to one of the most of risk factors for intimate partner violence. The aim of this study was to check the difference of demographic characteristics and type of violence between of the perpetrators with a history of alcohol abuse (A) versus the perpetrators without a history of alcohol abuse (N). Data were obtained from the survey conducted in the office of the Association for Violence Prevention in the city of Lublin, Poland. 400 perpetrators and their victims (400 subjects) were examined. To collect information from victims a specially designed questionnaire was used (VQ). Besides, another questionnaire (PQ) and The Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) was used to measure alcohol use in the perpetrators. About 76% of the perpetrators scored 8 and above (AUDIT). 84.8% of the perpetrators with a history of alcohol abuse (A) versus 9.2% of the perpetrators without a history of alcohol abuse (N) committed acts of violence after alcohol consumption. The A-perpetrators were more likely to be younger, have lower education and break law, and less likely to have permanent jobs than the N- perpetrators. The significant difference in the type of violence was found: the A-perpetrators were more likely to commit physical violence (78.2%) than the N-perpetrators (33.2%) and the N-perpetrators were more likely to commit sexual violence (32.2%) than A-perpetrators (9.14%). We would like to conclude that despite similarities among perpetrators, they are not a homogenous group so different therapeutic approach should be considered

Coping strategies among nurses during the COVID -19 outbreak

The SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus pandemic, which is responsible for COVID-19 disease, is a catastrophic global crisis, which is the background for individual emotional crises. One of the most vulnerable groups are medical staff, including nurses – especially those who are professionally most active during the pandemic. Preventive measures that have been taken in Asian countries in this target group include mainly problem-focused strategies. These are the same strategies that have already been used by Polish nursing teams in difficult work-related situations. The skills and potential of nursing teams aimed at activating these strategies during the epidemic will constitute a significant indicator of constructive coping with the crisis, not only in the case of individuals but also on a nationwide or even universal scale

Validation analysis of selected aspects of Interpersonal Support Evaluation List - 40 v. General Population (ISEL-40 v. GP)

Przegląd rodzimych narzędzi w badaniach wsparcia społecznego wskazuje na przewagę instrumentów autorskich, często pozbawionych walidacji psychometrycznej, co wielokrotnie ogranicza możliwości interpretacyjne uzyskanych wyników. Celem niniejszej pracy było przedstawienie procedury adaptacyjno-walidacyjnej Skali Oceny Wsparcia Społecznego (ISEL-40 v. GP), opierając się na podstawowych wskaźnikach psychometrycznych. Materiał i metody. W badaniach zastosowano metodę sondażu diagnostycznego z wykorzystaniem pakietu narzędzi: ISEL, Skali do Oceny Depresji i Lęku oraz metryczka, pozwalający na ocenę rzetelności skali metodą test–retest, trafności kryterialnej oraz spójności skali. Obliczenia statystyczne wykonano przy użyciu pakietu Statistica 6.0 PL. Wyniki. Rzetelność ISEL-40 v. GP określona na próbie 172 studentów dla całości skali wynosiła 0,91 alfa Cronbacha, a dla subskal 0,71-0,84 alfa Cronbacha. Trafność kryterialna była zgodna z przyjętymi standardami dla tego typu narzędzi, natomiast spójność skali wymaga dalszych badań, a w przypadku potwierdzenia uzyskanych wyników - zmian niektórych dystraktorów walidowanego narzędzia. Wnioski. W pracy zaprezentowano narzędzie badawcze wraz z określeniem jego właściwości psychometrycznych, wzbogacając tym samym warsztat badawczy nie tylko dla pielęgniarstwa, ale wszystkich zainteresowanych problematyką wsparcia społecznego.Introduction. A Introduction. review of home research tools in the studies of social support indicates the prevalence of instruments designed by the authors. These tools often lack psychometric validation which, by many times, limits the possibilities of interpretation of the results obtained. The aim of the study was the presentation of the adaptation-validation scale Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL-40 v. GP), based on basic psychometric indicators. Material and methods. The study was conducted by means of a diagnostic survey with the use of the tools package: ISEL, Hospital Anexiety and Depression Scale, and a register, allowing assessment of the reliability of the scale by the test-retest method, assessment of scale internal consistency, and criterion validity. Statistical analysis was performed by means of Statistica 6.0 PL software package. Results. The reliability of the ISEL-40 v. GP, assessed based on a sample of 172 students was: 0.91 Cronbach’s alpha for the whole scale, and 0.71–0.84 Cronbach’s alpha for subscales. Criterion validity was consistent with the standards adopted for this type of tools; however, the internal consistency of the scale requires further investigations, and if the obtained results are confirmed, changes are need of some distractors of the validated tool. Conclusions. The article presents the research tool, together with the determination of its psychometric properties, thereby enriching the research workshop, not only for nursing, but also for all those who are interested in the scope of problems concerning social support

Physical activity in perimenopausal women

Introduction. The menopausal age of women is characterized by a high probability of health problems related with oestrogen deficiency and reduced ovarian hormonal activity. The most significant element in the therapy of the menopausal problems is to take part in physical activity on at least a moderate level, which is sufficient to maintain health. Objective. To investigate the effect of physical activity on the severity of the symptoms of menopause and body mass index BMI, which can decisively influence menopause. Material and methods. A group of respondents consisting of 210 women aged between 45–65 who were not using hormone replacement therapy, and staying at a rehabilitation centre. The study was conducted in 2013–2014 in the provinces of Silesia, Podlasie and Malopolska. Research tools consisted of a self-designed survey questionnaire and the Menopause Rating Scale (MRS). Results. Mean BMI indicated overweight of the women and their infrequency and low level participation in physical activity. The intensity of menopausal symptoms increased with BMI, and low physical activity of the respondents decreased with age. Increase in the intensity of physical activity decreased the severity of symptoms characteristic for menopausal age. Conclusions. Physical activity can play an important role in reducing menopausal symptoms and preventing the most frequently occurring diseases of menopausal age

Psychosocial determinants of metabolic disorders in individuals with psychiatric disorders

Aim of the study: The analysis of metabolic disorders in people with mental disorders due to psychological factors, healthy and unhealthy behaviour as well as the material situation and employment status. Material and methods: Ninety-one adults diagnosed with a mental disorder who use community support centres, whose metabolic rates were examined with the use of the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) indicator, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, HDL cholesterol and glucose concentration. Cognitive function examinations were performed by using various testing methods to assess general cognitive function, direct and delayed memory, verbal fluency (letter and semantic). Additionally, a test to determine the severity of depression, and also a sociodemographic survey were performed. Results: Cigarette smoking was associated with a decrease of cognitive functions (p < 0.01) and letter fluency (p < 0.04). Physically active people have lower WHR indicators (p < 0.008), decreased severity of depressive symptoms (p < 0.002) and a lower rate of hospitalisations (p < 0.001). They achieved better results in terms of short-term memory (p < 0.02) than physically inactive people. People employed in sheltered work conditions had lower rates of abdominal obesity WHR (p < 0.01), and achieved better results in the tests measuring their general cognitive functions – Short Test of Mental Status (p < 0.02). Conclusions: Cigarette smoking, low physical activity, and a lack of employment are associated with metabolic rate disorders, especially in relation to the indicators of overweight and obesity, as well as the general decrease in cognitive functions and the ability of learning and memorisation

Years of service, self-efficacy, stress and burnout among Polish firefighters

Objectives: The aim of the research was to analyze the impact of selected factors: years of service, the number of interventions, self-efficacy and stress, on occupational burnout. It was hypothesized that firefighters with more years of service and a bigger number of interventions would be characterized by higher perceived stress and burnout, and that self-efficacy would have an impact on reducing the level of perceived stress and burnout. Material and Methods: The participants were firefighters (N = 576) from 12 Polish voivodeships, aged 20-58 years, with different seniority: up to 3, 4-8, 9-15 or >15 years of service. The following research tools were used: the Link Burnout Questionnaire, the 10-item Perceived Stress Scale, the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale, and an independent questionnaire to gather additional information. A correlation between particular variables was carried out; the Kruskal-Wallis test was performed together with a post-hoc analysis to examine differences in the severity of individual variables depending on seniority, followed by a path analysis studied together with the identification of direct and indirect impacts. Results: The number of interventions did not affect the severity of experienced stress or any of the aspects of burnout. Work experience directly influenced the level of perceived stress (β = 0.219), disillusion (β = 0.076), and relationship deterioration (β = -0.156). The generalized sense of self-efficacy was found to impact both on reducing the sense of stress (β = -0.418) and on all 4 aspects of professional burnout: psychophysical exhaustion (β = -0.181), relationship deterioration (β = -0.16), the sense of professional inefficacy (β = -0.275) and disillusion (β = -0.143). Conclusions: The results have shown that: 1) the number of interventions does not affect the severity of experienced stress or particular aspects of burnout; 2) years of service increase the severity of experienced stress and occupational burnout; 3) self-efficacy has an impact both on reducing the sense of stress and on all aspects of burnout

Sexual dysfunction in women with diabetes mellitus

W pracy dokonano przeglądu literatury medycznej dotyczącej problemu zaburzeń funkcji seksualnych u kobiet (FSD) chorujących na cukrzycę. Do przeglądu włączono artykuły z bazy PubMed opublikowane w latach 2000&#8211;2010 dostępne w języku angielskim. Częstość występowania problemu szacuje się na 20&#8211;80%. Do oceny nasilenia zaburzeń służy skala Female Sexual Function Index, w której analizie podlega 6 domen: pożądanie, podniecenie, nawilżanie, orgazm, satysfakcja i dyspareunia. Badania koncentrują się na wyodrębnieniu czynników predykcyjnych rozwoju FSD u kobiet z cukrzycą, wśród których najważniejsze są czynniki psychologiczne, a zwłaszcza obecność objawów depresyjnych. W pracy przedstawiono ograniczenia, dalsze kierunki oraz implikacje kliniczne badań. Seksuologia Polska 2011; 9 (1): 22&#8211;26The objective of this article is to conduct a literature review concerning female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in women with diabetes mellitus (DM). PubMed database was searched for FSD in DM to identify relevant studies published between 2000 and 2010 available in English. Female sexual dysfunction is known to occur in approximately 20 to 80% of diabetic women. Sexual function was evaluated by Female Sexual Function Index, a widely used, self-report measure that assesses sexual function across six domains, including sexual desire, arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction and pain. It is relevant to specify the predictors of FSD in women with DM and it is proved that psychological factors are more important than the biological ones. Depression is the major predictor. The limitations, the directions of further research and clinical implications are presented as well. Polish Sexology 2011; 9 (1): 22&#8211;2