Problematic Internet use and attitudes towards persons with disabilities - cross-sectional research among Polish students.

BACKGROUND: Problematic Internet use (PIU) can have detrimental effects on physical, emotional, psychological, and social functioning. Besides well-described PIU correlations in psychological domains such as personality traits, or life satisfaction, and self-assessment, the social aspect of PIU risk also appeared to be important. This study aimed to investigate the association between PIU and attitudes towards persons with disabilities. METHODS: A total of 595 Polish students aged 18-29 participated in this research by completing the Internet Addiction Test, Multidimensional Attitudes Scale Towards Persons With Disabilities, and personal information form. RESULTS: The findings revealed that 30.6% of the respondents were at high risk for PIU. Moreover, heightened levels of PIU were more prevalent among male participants and students in technical fields of study than in those in medical and social fields of study. Increased PIU was also associated with more negative attitudes towards persons with disabilities in general and in the domains of emotions and behaviours. Additionally, prior personal contact with individuals with disabilities was related to both PIU rates and attitudes towards persons with disabilities in the domain of emotions and beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the prevalence of PIU among Polish students and emphasizes the need for preventive measures, particularly targeting male students and those in technical fields of study. The results indicate a relationship between PIU and attitudes towards individuals with disabilities. Further research is required to determine the direction of the relationship. It is recommended that educational programs provide opportunities for interaction with individuals with disabilities to promote understanding and acceptance.

Problematic Internet Use among Polish Students: Prevalence, Relationship to Sociodemographic Data and Internet Usage Patterns.

Problematic Internet Use (PIU) is a broad term that covers problems with Internet use that result in psychological, social, academic or professional difficulties. The aim of our study was to identify individuals particularly vulnerable to developing PIU among Polish students, taking into account sociodemographic characteristics and Internet use patterns. A total of 1008 students of Polish universities took part in the survey. The research tool was The Problematic Internet Use Test-the Polish version of the Internet Addiction Test. Among the respondents, 10.2% showed signs of PIU-high or very high risk of addiction. Significantly higher levels of PIU were found in males than females, science students than medical and humanities students, and Internet users using a computer, as opposed to students using only a phone/tablet. A decrease in PIU was observed as students improved their assessment of their material situation. The severity of PIU increased significantly as the importance of Internet use for entertainment increased. Our research indicates that it is worth implementing measures to prevent the development of PIU in Poland, e.g., screening educational campaigns, especially for science students. It is also necessary to offer students at lower levels of education, especially the less affluent, forms of leisure time other than computer activity with the use of the Internet.

Problematic Internet Use, health behaviors, depression and eating disorders: a cross-sectional study among Polish medical school students.

BACKGROUND: Problematic Internet Use is defined as a use of the Internet which leads to various difficulties. The aim of this study was to check whether Problematic Internet Use is associated with health risks, such as: anti-health behaviors, depressive symptoms, abnormal body weight or eating disorders. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 540 medical school students of Polish descent (83.5% females; 16.5% males), whose mean age was 22.49 years (SD = 5.20). The participants were asked to complete a questionnaire set, including the Problematic Internet Use Test, Juczynski's Health-Related Behavior Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, the Eating Attitudes Test and a self-designed demographic survey. RESULTS: Increased Problematic Internet Use scores were observed in male, full-time students, persons who use the Internet on the computer (compared to those who mostly use it on the phone), and those who go online mainly for entertainment purposes (compared to those who indicated another main purpose of using the Internet). 47.6% of the sample reported poor health behaviors, while 27.1% met the criteria of a depressive episode and 6.9% of an eating disorder. High risk of Problematic Internet Use was observed in 2.8% of the sample, particularly those who reported having more free time during the day, engaged in fewer health protective behaviors, manifested more severe depressive symptoms and scored higher on the Eating Attitudes Test. CONCLUSION: Such results indicate that students with Problematic Internet Use lead an unhealthy lifestyle and more often show symptoms of depression and eating disorders than students without Problematic Internet Use.

There Are Predictors of Eating Disorders among Internet Use Characteristics-A Cross-Sectional Study on the Relationship between Problematic Internet Use and Eating Disorders.

The aims of this cross-sectional study were: (i) to establish the prevalence of problematic Internet use (PIU) and eating disorders (EDs) among Polish students; (ii) to investigate potential correlations between the two phenomena; and (iii) to identify predictors of eating disorders among socio-demographic and Internet use characteristics in this population. To this end, a total of 1008 Polish students aged 18-40, completed the Problematic Internet Use Test (TPIU22), the Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and a self-designed Socio-demographic and Internet Use Survey. Men received more PIU scores (p < 0.001), while women received more EAT-26 scores (p < 0.05) with a significant correlation observed between those variables (rho = 0.212; p < 0.001). The strongest predictors of EDs were as follows: preoccupation with the Internet, neglect of sleep in favor of Internet use, alleviation of negative feelings while online, higher mean number of hours spent online on weekends for academic and work-related purposes, extracurricular activity, lower height and higher BMI. An association has been demonstrated between problematic internet use and eating disorders. Somewhat surprisingly, our results suggest that people at risk of EDs use the Internet primarily to fulfill their routine duties. Nevertheless, further research is needed to establish the causality of EDs and PIU.

Attitudes of Polish Medical and Health Sciences Students towards Persons with Physical Disabilities Using the MAS-PL Scale.

Discovering the role of negative attitudes in the social functioning of people with disabilities, tools were developed to measure these attitudes, of which the Multidimensional Attitude Scale of People with Disabilities (MAS) is a good one. It is particularly important to study the attitudes of people who are professionally involved in meeting the needs of people with disabilities. The aim of this study was to determine the attitudes towards people with physical disabilities among medical and health sciences students regarding gender, year of study, field of study, and place of residence. The study was conducted among 625 students in Poland with the use of the MAS-PL scale. The results obtained indicate that women display more positive attitudes towards people with disabilities than men in the cognition and behavioural domains. In the emotional domain, these attitudes were more negative than in the other domains and almost identical for both genders. The year of study, field of study, and place of residence did not differentiate students in terms of their MAS score. Since the sociodemographic variables studied do not determine a positive attitude, educational interventions to increase contact with people with disabilities should be undertaken in future research, and this factor should be investigated as an element of attitude modulation.

The multidimensional attitudes scale towards persons with disabilities (MAS) - a Polish adaptation (MAS-PL).

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to create a Polish adaptation of the Multidimensional Attitudes Scale toward Persons with Disabilities (MAS) by performing a statistical psychometric analysis in a sample of Polish students. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 540 person (82.0% of students and 18.0% of workers), whose attitudes towards the disabled were measured with the Polish version of the MAS (MAS-PL). Mean age of respondents was 24.72 years (SD = 5.7), with a significant majority of women (n = 455, 84.3%). Data was collected during university classes and via an online survey. RESULTS: Factor analysis yielded a three-factor structure of the MAS-PL, including affective, cognitive, and behavioural domains, which explained almost 45% of the total variance. Further factor-based solutions increased this percentage only slightly (0.8). CONCLUSIONS: The Polish version of the MAS scale (MAS-PL) has been developed and presented as a reliable instrument for studying the attitudes of Poles towards people with disabilities. The scale can be used as a preliminary assessment tool when creating educational programmes, including those for training and social Policy, as well as assessing the effectiveness of programmes. Studies with the use of the MAS-PL will allow comparisons of research findings conducted with the use of MAS scales in other English-speaking (original/English MAS) or Spanish-speaking (Spanish MAS) populations and German (G-MAS), Korean (MAS-K), Serbian (Serbian MAS), Turkish (Turkish MAS) and French populations (French MAS autism).

Telemedicine services in the work of a doctor, dentist, nurse and midwife - analysis of legal regulations in Poland and the possibility of their implementation on the example of selected European countries.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study is to discuss the legal framework for telemedicine services in Poland, and to present telemedicine solutions used in selected European countries. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The analysis of legal cts was chosen as a research method in order to determine legal possibilities for medical professionals to use telemedicine services. A literature review was undertaken to demonstrate the possibilities of telemedicine as used in the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands and Sweden. RESULTS: The Act on the professions of a doctor and a dentist states that the doctor and the dentist can perform their profession via ICT systems or communication systems. The doctor is obliged to practice in accordance with current medical knowledge and available methods. 'Available methods' include considering information and communication measures that may allow prevention, recognition or treatment. The Act on the profession of a nurse and a midwife states that the nurse and midwife perform the professions using current medical knowledge and the mediation of ICT systems or communication systems. Thus, the legislator has clearly authorized persons performing these professions to provide services in the field of telemedicine. However, despite the existence of a legal basis for using telemedicine, its development in Poland is not as high as in the United Kingdom, Germany, Norway, The Netherlands or Sweden. CONCLUSIONS: The legislator gradually introduces legal solutions necessary for the development of telemedicine services, although the pace of these changes, as well as building the technical infrastructure that is the basis for the proper provision of telemedicine services, are too slow.

[Clause of conscience implemented in competition law medical in Poland in the context of the implementation of the European Convention on Human Rights].

Freedom of conscience and religion, also called conscience clause legislation is part of the inherent and inalienable rights of every human being and freedoms protected by the constitution as a fundamental principle of democratic countries working in the law. At international level, the most common piece of legislation on this issue is the European Convention on Human Rights of 4 November 1950, which Poland is a party. Pursuant to Art. 9 of the European Convention Poland is committed to the protection of freedom of thought, conscience and religion to every person under its jurisdiction, including the medical professions. In a special way to be protected by the freedom of conscience of physicians, dentists, nurses and midwives, as the conscience clause is written in the law governing the exercise of such professions in Poland.

[Development of a modern paradigm of disability]. / Ksztaltowanie sie wspólczesnego paradygmatu niepelnosprawnosci.

The aim of this study was to show the evolution of the paradigm of disability associated with the scientific discourse, but also social and cultural changes. The problem of people with dis abilities has existed since the beginnings of civilization, and with its development the concept of disability has also evolved. The individual problems of a patient have, over time, been treated as a medical problem associated with the disease, including its effects on physical and mental health. After World War II there were significant changes in the perception of disability and disabled people, which was associated with the rise of medical sociology and the emergence of new descriptions of diseases. New discourse on people with disabilities meant that they began to participate more frequently in public debate. This, in turn, had an impact on the attitudes of society and social policy towards people with disabilities. The model of disability evolved, and disability was finally treated as a social problem with an impact on the functioning of the whole society.