Stress management: how does the academic staff cope with it? a cross-sectional study at the university of Udine.

BACKGROUND: Increasing work-related stress in academia can have an impact on physical and mental health. The aim of this study was to analyse the coping strategies of staff employed at the University of Udine and to verify whether sociodemographic data, professional position, and the presence of anxiety or depression symptoms are related to the use of different coping strategies. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study between June and December 2020 using the Brief COPE questionnaire. We correlated coping strategies with professional position, sociodemographic data, and the presence of anxiety or depressive symptoms measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 and the General Anxiety Disorder-7. RESULTS: A total of 366 people participated in the study, including 109 junior academics, 146 senior academics, and 111 administrative staff (response rate 23.6%). The three most frequently used coping strategies in terms of approach coping style were planning (6.77 ± 1.41), active coping (6.58 ± 1.45) and acceptance (6.23 ± 1.44). Women were more likely than men to report using approach and avoidant coping strategies (p < 0.001). Positive reframing and religion were most commonly used by administrative staff (p < 0.05), in contrast to junior academics, who were more likely to use substances and self-blame (p < 0.05). Anxiety was found to correlate with self-blame (OR 1.94) as a coping strategy, while depression was associated with venting (OR 2.83), self-blame (OR 3.27), and humor (OR 3.02). CONCLUSION: Identifying profiles of coping strategies can help higher education institutions to implement support strategies for the academic community, ultimately promoting healthier lives and more effective teaching and research. Our study has shown that women and junior academics among staff at the Udine University would benefit from a tailored health promotion intervention that encourages the use of approach coping styles to reduce their risk of developing anxiety and depressive symptoms.

Whitish oral lesions in a heavy pipe smoker.

Classically known as the "Great Imitator", the diagnosis of syphilis continues to be an enormous challenge. We describe a case of isolated oral lesions as the sole presentation of secondary syphilis and only clinical clue to previously undiagnosed human immunodeficiency virus infection. The current increase in new cases of syphilis is leading to reemergence of forgotten old scenarios, which physicians should bear in mind within the differential diagnosis of their daily practice.

Acute and dramatic saxophone penis.

We present a case of intense genital swelling because of a hereditary angioedema. This rare disease should be included in the differential diagnosis of acute and asymptomatic genital edema, because it may prevent future potentially life-threatening episodes of visceral angioedema.