The bidirectional longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and HbA1c : A systematic review and meta-analysis.

AIM: To investigate whether there is a bidirectional longitudinal association of depression with HbA1c . METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search in PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL and EMBASE for observational, longitudinal studies published from January 2000 to September 2020, assessing the association between depression and HbA1c in adults. We assessed study quality with the Newcastle-Ottawa-Scale. Pooled effect estimates were reported as partial correlation coefficients (rp ) or odds ratios (OR). RESULTS: We retrieved 1642 studies; 26 studies were included in the systematic review and eleven in the meta-analysis. Most studies (16/26) focused on type 2 diabetes. Study quality was rated as good (n = 19), fair (n = 2) and poor (n = 5). Of the meta-analysed studies, six investigated the longitudinal association between self-reported depressive symptoms and HbA1c and five the reverse longitudinal association, with a combined sample size of n = 48,793 and a mean follow-up of 2 years. Higher levels of baseline depressive symptoms were associated with subsequent higher levels of HbA1c (partial r = 0.07; [95% CI 0.03, 0.12]; I2 38%). Higher baseline HbA1c values were also associated with 18% increased risk of (probable) depression (OR = 1.18; [95% CI 1.12,1.25]; I2 0.0%). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings support a bidirectional longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and HbA1c . However, the observed effect sizes were small and future research in large-scale longitudinal studies is needed to confirm this association. Future studies should investigate the role of type of diabetes and depression, diabetes distress and diabetes self-management behaviours. Our results may have clinical implications, as depressive symptoms and HbA1c levels could be targeted concurrently in the prevention and treatment of diabetes and depression. REGISTRATION: PROSPERO ID CRD42019147551.

[Brief measure to assess patient perception of self-influence on the disease course-version for hemodialysis]. / Krótka metoda oceny poczucia wplywu pacjenta na przebieg choroby--wersja dla hemodializowanych.

INTRODUCTION: Self-influence on the disease course has a significant impact on coping with disease and adherence to medical recommendations. AIM: Elaboration of a brief scale for screening of patient perception of self-influence on the course of disease among hemodialysis, which could be used during usual medical practice. METHODS: In the first stage of the study, based on a group focus interview with 6 hemodialysis (mean age 65.2 ± 14.8 year)--5 women (83%) and 1 men (17%), mean time of dialysis 43.8 ± 38 months, a list of 51 characteristics of patients with low (LP) and high perception (HP) of self-influence on the curse of disease, was constructed. In the second stage 99 patients (mean age 66.1 ± 14.7 year)--51 men (52%) and 48 women (48%), mean time of dialysis 48.7 ± 48.1 months, assessed scale reliability. They were selected by their nephrologists to groups with LP and HP. Based on the results 11 items had the strongest power of discrimination of those two groups. 15 (13.2%) hemodialysis refused to participate at this part of study. In a third step 70 (mean age 68 ± 13.3 year) patients--40 men (57.1%) and 30 women (42.9%), mean time of dialysis 48.1 ± 45.6 months, assessed validity of the tool. RESULTS: The reliability alfa-Cronbach = 0.9 and validity tau-Kendall = 0.6. CONCLUSIONS: Scale has a very high reliability and satisfactory validity. It can be used for those of hemodialysis who have problems with adherence to medical recommendations or have difficulty in contact with the medical staff or other patients.

Meta-cognitive beliefs as a mediator for the relationship between Cloninger's temperament and character dimensions and depressive and anxiety symptoms among healthy subjects.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies suggest that temperament and character may impact depression and anxiety through dysfunctional cognition. This study targets the mediating role of meta-cognitive beliefs in the relationship between Cloninger's temperament and character dimensions and symptoms of depression and anxiety. METHOD: One hundred and sixty-one healthy subjects filled out Cloninger's Temperament Character Inventory (TCI), a Metacognitions Questionnaire (MCQ), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Correlation and mediation analyses according to Baron and Kenny's method were performed. RESULTS: Harm avoidance (HA) and self-directedness (SD) were related to depression and anxiety. HA was related to negative beliefs about uncontrollability of thoughts and to beliefs about cognitive confidence. SD was associated with the same types of meta-cognitive beliefs and with general negative beliefs. Cooperativeness (CO) was related to positive beliefs about worry, beliefs about cognitive confidence and to general negative beliefs. Self-transcendence (ST) was related to all types of meta-cognitive beliefs. Mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between HA and depression and anxiety is partially mediated by certain types of meta-cognitive beliefs. The same results were obtained for the relationship between SD and depression and anxiety. General negative beliefs fully mediated the relationship between CO and depression and the relationship between ST and anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-cognitive beliefs mediate the relationship between temperament and character dimension and depressive and anxiety symptoms, thus providing further evidence for the meta-cognitive theory of emotional disorders as presented by Wells and Matthews (Behav Res Ther 1996;32:867-870).

[Classification of persons attempting suicide. A review of cluster analysis research]. / Próba klasyfikacji osób podejmujacych zachowania samobójcze - przeglad badan z zastosowaniem analizy skupien.

AIM: Review of conclusions from cluster analysis research on suicide risk factors published after the year 1993. METHODS: Search and analysis of cluster analysis research papers on suicidal behaviour. RESULTS: Following groups where distinguished: (1) persons with comorbid mental disorders or with severe symptoms, (2) persons without mental disorders or with mild symptoms, (3) persons with personality disorders and externalizing psychopathology, (4) socially withdrawn persons with a tendency to avoid social contacts, (5) depressive persons CONCLUSIONS: Analysis of studies on characteristics of suicide attempters, with the application of cluster analysis, has indicated the possibility of differentiation of several groups of persons with significantly increased risk of suicide attempt. The reviewed cluster analysis research had multiple methodological limitations. Studies employing cluster analysis on large, representative and homogeneous population are needed.

[Characteristics of groups after the suicide attempt. Cluster analysis of National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) 1990-1992]. / Charakterystyka grup osób po próbach samobójczych - analiza skupien danych z National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) z lat 1990-1992.

AIM: Identification of specific groups with increased risk of suicidal behavior. METHODS: Latent class analysis, (LCA) data from the National Comorbidity Survey (NCS) 1990-1992, conducted in the representative sample of 5977 Americans aged 15-54 years. RESULTS: Seven clusters of persons were identified: (C1) young adults with at least 5 psychiatric diagnoses in lifetime, with sever anxiety, somatic illnesses and low income;(C2) alcohol dependent with depressive mood, and with at least 4 psychiatric diagnoses in lifetime; (C3) persons without mental disorders and persons with one or two mental disorders, in fourth decade of life; (C4) nearly only women suffering from depression with other comorbid mental disorders, often with anxiety disorders; (C5) young persons with variety of mental disorders, and with abuse of alcohol and other psychoactive substances, with suicidal attempt in past, currently not in relationship; (C6) nearly only men, in fourth decade of life, abusing alcohol and drugs, with depressive mood; majority of them with dissocial personality disorder and with at least three psychiatric diagnoses; (C7) young persons without mental disorders or with 1 or 2 mental disorders, strongly emotionally dependent. CONCLUSIONS: Cluster analysis let to identify and relatively well describe 7 groups of persons with increased risk of suicidal behavior.

A Comparison of the Anxiolytic Properties of Tofisopam and Diazepam: A Double-Blind, Randomized, Crossover, Placebo-Controlled Pilot Study.

New clinical reports have recently been published on tofisopam-an anxiolytic drug currently registered as a benzodiazepine-after a long break in this research area. Neurobiological studies concerning its properties, which differ from those of benzodiazepines, are underway. The analyses presented in this study aimed to compare the effects of tofisopam, diazepam, and a placebo in the treatment of anxiety symptoms. A total of 66 outpatients (43 women and 23 men) with generalized anxiety disorder aged 19 to 74 years (M = 41.4; SD = 13.2) were randomized in three groups receiving (1) tofisopam (50 mg three times a day), (2) diazepam (5 mg three times a day), or (3) a placebo for 2 weeks. Then, throughout a 2-week washout period, the patients were monitored for withdrawal symptoms. During the last 2 weeks, the effects of tofisopam (50 mg three times a day) and diazepam (5 mg three times a day) were compared (crossover design). The mean improvement on the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale was significantly higher in both the tofisopam and diazepam groups compared to the placebo group. There were no significant differences between the effects of diazepam and tofisopam, whereas adverse effects and withdrawal symptoms occurred less frequently in the tofisopam group. Tofisopam did not impair cognitive abilities, and related withdrawal symptoms resembled those of the placebo. If larger future studies corroborate these findings, tofisopam should be classified as a homophtalazine.

Polish cross-cultural adaptation of a disease-specific quality-of-life instrument: The Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality-of-Life Scale.

BACKGROUND: The medical community has shown a growing interest in developing methods for measuring and comparing objective patient outcomes coupled with subjective patient assessments. Questionnaires enable healthcare professionals to obtain the patient's perspective about their experienced vestibular schwannomas (VS) symptoms quickly. To date, in Poland, a cross-cultural adapted version of a disease-specific questionnaire for the measurement of quality of life (QoL) in patients with VS has not been produced. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to adapt the questionnaire evaluating disease-specific QoL in patients with VS (Penn Acoustic Neuroma Quality-of-Life Scale; PANQOL) to Polish and evaluate its psychometric properties. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One-hundred twenty-four patients aged between 24 and 85 years (mean (M) = 60.17 ±standard deviation (SD) = 13.27) diagnosed with VS and treated with Gamma Knife were included in the study. We used a questionnaire translated from English into Polish by a bilingual professional, verified through a back-translation. The final version consisted of 26 items. The internal consistency of the Polish version of the PANQOL scale domains was measured using the Cronbach's alpha (α). To verify the validity of PANQOL subscales, a correlation analysis was conducted between the domains of PANQOL and other questionnaires, including the Assessment of Quality of Life (AQoL-8D), the Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI), the 5 Well-Being Index (WHO-5), the Skarzynski Tinnitus Scale (STS) for the presence of dizziness, and the Gardner-Robertson classes. RESULTS: The majority of PANQOL domains showed excellent or good internal consistency (for a PANQOL total of 0.934; for subscales in the range of 0.916-0.424). Our analysis showed strong correlations between the total PANQOL score and AQoL-8D utility score, as well as between the subscales. We observed weak to moderately significant relationships between GBI and PANQOL domains (r = 0.18-0.43), the WHO-5 (r = 0.18-0.56) and the STS scale (r = -0.40- -0.19). CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that the POL-PANQOL is a reliable and valid questionnaire for measuring QoL.

Polish cross-cultural adaptation of the Glasgow Benefit Inventory as an instrument for the post-intervention measurement of change after Gamma Knife treatment.

<b>Introduction:</b> The Glasgow Benefit Inventory (GBI) is one of questionnaires for the measurement of treatment success, which is widely used in patients after vestibular schwannoma treatment.<b>Aim:</b> This study aimed to adapt the GBI originally written in English to Polish conditions and to evaluate its psychometric properties.<b>Material and methods:</b> The Polish version of the GBI used in this study was prepared by a bilingual translator, and its accuracy was ensured by back-translation. To identify the structure of the Polish version of the GBI, exploratory factor analysis was performed. The reliability was determined using Cronbach's α. To verify the validity, correlation analysis was conducted between the domains of GBI and other questionnaires.<b>Results:</b> The results of confirmatory factor analysis indicated that the original 3-factor model is not a good fit for the data. The exploratory factor analysis was performed and identified 4 factors. The total variance of the 4-factor solution was 66.25%. The Cronbach's α calculated for the total GBI reached 0.91. Our analysis confirmed significant weak or moderate correlations between tools for the measurement of general QoL (AQoL-8D: r = 0.411; p = 0.000) and health-related QoL (PANQOL: r = 0.367; p = 0.000; a tool dedicated for patients with VS), well-being (WHO-5: r = 0.432; p = 0.000), hearing and tinnitus (STS: r = -0.217; p = 0.016).<b>Conclusions:</b> This study reports the first adaptation of the GBI for patients with VS to Polish conditions. The results demonstrated that the Polish version of the GBI is a reliable and valid questionnaire that can be used to measure treatment success.

Anxiety disorders as predictors of suicidality in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus: Findings of a study in six European countries. / Zaburzenia lekowe jako predyktory samobójczosci u osób z cukrzyca typu 2: Wyniki badania przeprowadzonego w szesciu europejskich krajach.

OBJECTIVES: Anxiety disorders are significant predictors of suicidality and are proposed to be independent risk factors for suicide attempts. They are common in people with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) and are associated with longer duration of diabetes and poorer treatment outcomes. The aim was to examine associations between anxiety disorders and suicidal thoughts and behaviour in people with T2DM, to establish the prevalence of suicidality among people with T2DM in the selected European countries and to examine whether anxiety disorders were predictive of current outcomes of suicidality in this population using data from the International Prevalence and Treatment of Diabetes and Depression study. METHODS: The study sample comprised 1063 adults with T2DM from 6 European countries. The presence of anxiety disorders and suicidality was assessed with the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview. The group of participants with current suicidal risk was compared with the group of participants with no suicidal risk. RESULTS: The participants from Germany were more likely to report suicidality than those from other countries, whereas people from Serbia and Ukraine were less likely to report it. Depression and anxiety disorders significantly contributed to the increased presence of suicidality among people with T2DM. Agoraphobia was a significant predictor of suicidality when controlling for depression. The participants with T2DM and comorbid agoraphobia had 4.86 times higher odds to report suicidality than those without agoraphobia. CONCLUSIONS: Agoraphobia was a significant predictor of suicidality in people with T2DM.

Impaired discrimination between imagined and performed actions in schizophrenia.

The main aim of the present study was to investigate whether a specific type of source monitoring, namely self-monitoring for actions (differentiation between imagined and performed actions), is disrupted in schizophrenia. Persons diagnosed with schizophrenia (n=32) and healthy participants (n=32) were assessed with an action memory task. Simple actions were presented to the participants either verbally (short instructions) or nonverbally (icons). Some of the items required participants to physically perform the action whereas other actions had to be imagined. In the recognition phase of the study, participants were asked whether an action was previously displayed (verbally or nonverbally), whether it was a new action (not presented before), and if they had performed or imagined the action. In addition, participants were asked how confident they were in their decision. Participants in the group with schizophrenia significantly more often misattributed imagined actions as performed and vice versa and were more convinced about their wrong decision than participants in the control group. Patients revealed worse recognition for both verbal and nonverbal actions. In accordance with prior studies, we found that patients were less confident in their correct answers than healthy subjects. However, no enhanced confidence in incorrect answers was found. There was no observed significant relationship between source misattributions and the severity of psychopathological symptoms. Our findings suggest tentatively general source monitoring deficits in schizophrenia.

[Dysfunctional meta-cognitive beliefs and anxiety, depression and self-esteem among healthy subjects with hallucinatory-like experiences]. / Dysfunkcjonalne przekonania metapoznawcze oraz lek, depresja i samoocena u osób zdrowych psychicznie majacych doswiadczenia podobne do omamów.

AIM: This study focuses on the relationship between dysfunctional meta-cognitive beliefs, depression, anxiety and self-esteem and hallucinatory-like experiences among healthy subjects. METHODS: 198 participants (149 women), mostly recruited from universities, took part in the study. Hallucinatory-like experiences were assessed with the Polish version of the Revised Hallucinations Scale (RHS). Based on two sub-scales of RHS that measure visual and auditory hallucinatory-like experiences, two groups were divided: 1--participants with no auditory and visual hallucinatory-like experiences (n = 35) and 2--participants with high frequent hallucinatory-like experiences (n = 40). Meta-cognitive beliefs were assessed with the Metacognitions Questionnaire. Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), State and Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (R-SES) were used for emotional processes assessment. Further correlations between meta-cognitive beliefs, hallucinatory-like experiences and emotional processes were calculated. RESULTS: Persons with frequent hallucinatory-like experiences tend to exhibit higher dysfunctional meta-cognitive beliefs in comparison to those who had no psychotic-like experiences. Moreover, those who had more frequent hallucinatory-like experiences revealed subclinical depression, were more anxious and exhibit lower level of self-esteem. Besides a total score in the RHS scale, dissociative experiences and auditory and visual perceptual alternations were found to be related to more dysfunctional meta-cognitive beliefs. CONCLUSIONS: Hallucinatory-like experiences among healthy subjects are related to dysfunctional meta-cognitive beliefs. In addition, hallucination-like experiences were found to be linked to emotional dysfunctions, which implies that psychotic-like experiences observed in healthy persons may be of clinical interest.

Binge Eating Disorder-The Point Prevalence among Polish Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome and Validity of Screening Tool for This Population.

BACKGROUND: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is one of the most common endocrine disorders which is associated with an increased risk of metabolic dysregulation. The elevated prevalence of obesity has been observed in women with PCOS. Since obesity is commonly associated with eating disturbances, including the binge eating disorder (BED), and since the hormonal changes in PCOS patients could influence the food intake model, we decided to estimate the prevalence of BED in PCOS patients and to assess the sensitivity and specificity of the Questionnaire for Binge Eating Screening (QBES) in PCOS patients. METHODS: A total of 122 hospitalized women with PCOS aged 16-45 (M = 26; SD = 5.22) took part in the study. Binge eating disorder (BED) was diagnosed according to the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria. QBES was used as a screening tool for BED. RESULTS: The point prevalence of BED in PCOS women according to DMS-5 criteria was 51 (42%). At least two positive answers to four QBES items had 100% sensitivity and 91% specificity. Positive answers to even only the first two questions from QBES had 98% sensitivity and 85% specificity. CONCLUSIONS: Women with polycystic ovary syndrome are at a very high risk of binge eating behaviors. Screening for eating disorders should be a routine procedure in women with PCOS. The first two questions from QBES are a brief and relatively reliable screening tool that may be used in everyday practice with POSC patients.

Body self-esteem is related to subjective well-being, severity of depressive symptoms, BMI, glycated hemoglobin levels, and diabetes-related distress in type 2 diabetes.

BACKGROUND: There are limited data on the role of body image in patients with type 2 diabetes. The purpose of this study was to compare body self-esteem in this group with norms for the general Polish population and to investigate the relationship between body self-esteem and the psychological and clinical characteristics of the course of diabetes. METHODS: A group of 100 consecutive adult patients with type 2 diabetes (49 women and 51 men) aged 35 to 66 years were assessed using the Body Esteem Scale (BES), World Health Organization-Five Well-Being Index (WHO-5), Problem Areas in Diabetes Scale (PAID), and Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D). RESULTS: In comparison to norms for the general population, women with type 2 diabetes had lower body self-esteem only in the dimension of Physical Condition (M = 30.71; SD = 7.11 versus M = 32.96; SD = 5.69; P = 0.003), whereas men in the dimensions of Physical Condition (M = 42.43; SD = 9.43 versus M = 48.30; SD = 8.42; P <0.001) and Upper Body Strength (M = 32.16; SD = 6.60 versus M = 33.97; SD = 5.86; P = 0.015). There were moderate or weak positive correlations between the overall BES score and/or its dimensions and subjective well-being, and negative correlations between the overall BES score and/or its dimension and the severity of depression symptoms, level of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), body mass index (BMI), and diabetes-related distress among women. Among men, BES scores were positively correlated with well-being, and negatively, with BMI and diabetes-related distress. A correlation of r = 0.39 between BES scores and HbA1c levels was relatively high compared with values for other psychosocial factors. Both in women and men, a high Physical Condition score was a significant predictor of better well-being, less severe depression, and milder diabetes-related distress. Among men, it was also a significant predictor of lower BMI, whereas among women, BMI was predicted by Weight Concern. CONCLUSIONS: Persons with diabetes seem to have lower body self-esteem than the general population, which is significantly associated with clinical and psychological characteristics of the diabetes course. The observed differences and relationships are gender-specific.

Association of Higher Rates of Type 2 Diabetes (T2DM) Complications with Psychological and Demographic Variables: Results of a Cross-Sectional Study.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to assess the relationship between the occurrence and number of T2DM complications with sociodemographic (age, sex, habitation, education), clinical (duration of diabetes, HbA1c (%), BMI) and psychological (well-being, sense of influence on the diabetes course, coping styles) variables. Methods: A total of 2574 adult patients were assessed using The Sense of Influence on the Diabetes Course Scale, WHO-5 Well-Being Index, and the Brief Method of Evaluating Coping with Disease. Hierarchical Regression Analysis was conducted with number of complications as the dependent variable and three sets of variables entered in sequential steps: (a) sociodemographic; (b) clinical and (c) psychological factors. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association of these variables with diabetes complications' occurrence. Results: A higher number of complications and higher odds ratios of occurrence of complications were associated with sociodemographic and clinical variables, poor well-being, low perception of influence on the diabetes course, and an emotion-oriented coping style. The logistic regression indicated that participants with HbA1c >7% (in comparison with HbA1c ≤ 7%) and with high risk of depression (in comparison with no risk of depression) had respectively 68% and 86% higher odds of developing complications. Discussion: The number of complications has weak but statistically significant relations with psychological and clinical factors. Conclusion: The results support the rationale of including the psychosocial factors in the context of diabetes management.

Relations of Well-Being, Coping Styles, Perception of Self-Influence on the Diabetes Course and Sociodemographic Characteristics with HbA1c and BMI Among People with Advanced Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus.

PURPOSE: Assessment of the relationship between psychological and sociodemographic factors with the levels of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and Body Mass Index (BMI) among people with advanced type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 2574 persons, among them 1381 (53.7%) women, with type 2 diabetes, during the period of switching from biphasic mixtures of human insulin to insulin analogues. The age of participants ranged from 22 to 94 years (M = 63.5; SD = 9.58), and their treatment period was in the time frame from 2 years to 43 years (M = 10.2; SD = 6.1). Participants filled out a Scale for Perception of Self-Influence on the Diabetes Course, Well-Being Index WHO-5, two questions from the Brief Method of Evaluating Coping with a Disease. RESULTS: Statistically significant correlations were found between the HbA1c levels and (1) disease duration (rs=0.067; p < 0.001); (2) number of complications (rs = 0.191, p < 0.001) (3) the perception of self-influence on the diabetes course (rs=- 0.16; p < 0.001); (4) well-being (risk of depression) (rs=- 0.10; p < 0.001). The regression analysis showed that 7% of HbA1c variability is explained by age, a perception of self-influence on the diabetes course, the number of complications, place of residence, education, BMI. The most important findings concerning BMI were found in regression analysis, which indicated a week relationship between BMI and a number of complications, perception of self-influence on the diabetes course and coping styles (3% of the resultes' variability). The group at high risk of depression had the highest levels of HbA1c. CONCLUSION: Sociodemographic and psychological factors show weak but statistically significant relationships with the current levels of HbA1c and BMI.

[Polish version of the Revised Hallucination Scale (RHS) by Morrison et al. Its factor analysis and the prevalence of hallucinatory-like experiences among healthy participants]. / Polska wersja Zmodyfikowanej Skali Halucynacji (RHS) Morrisona i wsp. Analiza czynnikowa skali oraz czestotliwosc wystepowania doswiadczen podobnych do omamów wsród osób zdrowych psychicznie.

AIM: The study aimed at presenting the Polish version of Morrison's et al. (2002) Revised Hallucinations Scale (RHS). Factor structure of the RHS was of interests. Moreover, we were interested in the incidence of hallucinatory-like experiences among healthy subjects. METHOD: Polish version of RHS was elaborated following the back-translation procedure. Then, it was administered to 213 healthy persons. Factor structure analysis of RHS was conducted. Finally, based on the RHS scores, frequency of selected visual and auditory hallucinatory like experiences were calculated. RESULTS: Factor analysis of RHS revealed four factors structure: 1) imagery vividness; 2) auditory and visual perceptual anomalies; 3) experience of dissociation; 4) auditory hallucinatory like experiences. Four factors explained 51.54% of total variance in the RHS. The scale has good reliability (Cronbach's alpha varied from 0.7 to 0.88). Frequency of selected auditory hallucinatory like experiences varies from several to a dozen percent. Similar results were revealed for visual hallucinatory like experiences. These experiences that are similar to hallucinations observed among psychotic patients were observed seldom. CONCLUSIONS: The factor structure of Polish versions of the RHS is comparable to the original one. However, we have found a new subscale that may represent the experience of dissociation. The Polish version of the RHS is characterised by good psychometric properties and may be used as an assessing scale for psychotic like experiences in a population. Our results suggest that hallucinatory like experiences are present among healthy subjects and those phenomenon may represent a psychosis phenotype.

[Psychotic experiences in the course of alcohol withdrawal symptoms: locus of control among patients with and without delirium and analysis of subjective experiences in delirium]. / Doznania psychotyczne w przebiegu alkoholowych zespolów abstynencyjnych: porównanie lokalizacji poczucia kontroli u osób z majaczeniem i bez majaczenia oraz analiza doznan w zespolach majaczeniowych.

AIM: The comparison of the locus of control in groups of patients hospitalised due to alcohol withdrawal with and without delirium and analysis of psychotic experiences of patients with delirium. METHODS: 25 patients with alcohol withdrawal with delirium and 25 without delirium took part in the study. They filled-in the Internal-External (I-E) Locus of Control Scale by Rotter; Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) scale; the group with delirium also did the Psychopathological Symptoms Inventory, by Bizon et al. RESULTS: The mean score in I-E Locus of Control Scale in the group with delirium was more external than in the group without delirium (M = 13.28; SD = 2.762 versus M = 11.64; SD = 2.612; t(48) = -2.157; p = 0.036). Group with delirium had also lower mean score in the dimension of internal control in MHLC, than the group without delirium (M = 24.8; SD = 6.149 versus M = 26.8; SD = 4.648; t(48) = 1.99; p = 0.04). There were no statistically significant differences between the groups in the other subscales. The auditory and visual hallucinations were most common among patients with delirium (84%, 80% respectively, as well as delusions of taking part in not existing events (92%) and persecutory delusions (80%). Psychotic experiences influenced behaviour in nearly 50% of the cases. CONCLUSIONS: A more external locus of control may be one of the factors contributing to the development of alcohol delirium. The content of psychotic experiences seems to have impact on the behaviour of many patients with alcohol delirium.

[Sexological questionnaire for screening research. Theory and validity]. / Kwestionariusz seksuologiczny--narzedzie do badan przesiewowych: zalozenia i trafnosc.

AIM: The aim of the research was to construct a questionnaire basing on the presently standing criteria of sexual dysfunctions and sexual disorders (according to ICD-10), that would enable the diagnosis of symptoms, as well as to verify its validity. METHOD: 102 patients (46 women and 56 men, mean age of 32.09, SD = 10.29) of sexological clinics who declared they had symptoms of sexual dysfunctions or disorders were asked to participate and fill in the questionnaire which was later evaluated in a clinical study on the basis of ICD-10 research criteria. RESULTS: Results show that using the questionnaire enables the diagnosis of 100% of gender identity disorders, almost all sexual dysfunctions and disorders connected to sexual orientation. The sensibility and specificity of the questionnaire were also examined and proved very high. CONCLUSIONS: The Sexological questionnaire for screening research presents with good validity, sensibility and specificity.

Involvement in Health Behavior After Heart Transplantation: The Role of Personal Resources and Health Status. Single-Center Observational Study.

Introduction: Heart transplantation affects all spheres of the patients' functioning - their physical well-being and coping with everyday situations, as well as their identity and social functioning. Its long-term effects depend on the effective cooperation with the transplant team. Post-transplant patients are expected to be committed to adherence to recommendations. Patients' subjective characteristics could increase the risk of difficulties during treatment or might have a protective effect. The major aim of the study was to evaluate the level of engagement in health behavior in heart transplant recipients in relation to their personal resources, such as personality traits, and their health status. Material and Method: The observational ex post facto model was proposed. Participants completed a set of psychological questionnaires. In the study, there were used questionnaires regarding health behavior (HBI), personality traits (NEO-FFI), health locus of control (MHLC), self-efficacy (GSES) and health status (GHQ-28). The group included in the analyses consisted of 107 heart transplant patients. They ranged in age from 19 to 75 years; 10.3% of them were women. Results: According to norms, 71% patients reported high level of engagement in health behavior. There were significant differences in the level of dietary habits and other types of health behaviors. The best predictors of overall health behavior were conscientiousness (ß = 0.20, p < 0.05) and health locus of control (Powerful Others) (ß = 0.25, p < 0.05). The prophylaxis behavior was related significantly to the level of conscientiousness (p < 0.05) and health locus of control (Internal and Powerful Others) (p < 0.05; p < 0.01). The level of positive mental attitude was related significantly to agreeableness (p < 0.05), health locus of control (Powerful Others) (p < 0.01), and self-efficacy (p < 0.01). Everyday healthy practices were related significantly to openness to experience (p < 0.01) and health locus of control (all categories: Internal, Powerful Others and Chance) (p < 0.05; p < 0.01; p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: Majority of heart transplant patients is engaged in high level of health behavior. Among the various forms of health-relevant habits, heart transplant patients adhere significantly less frequently to a healthy diet. Among examined resources, the best predictors of caring about health are generalized self-efficacy and age at the time of HTx.

Underdiagnosis of Major Depressive Episodes in Hemodialysis Patients: The Need for Screening and Patient Education.

This article aims to identify the reasons why patients with major depressive episode (MDE) do not seek treatment for their mental disorder. 89 out of 208 persons screened were diagnosed with major depressive episode using the Mini-International Neuropsychiatric Interview. 85 individuals with untreated depression filled out the following questionnaires: Beck Depression Inventory, List of Explanations of Well-Being (LEWB), Brief Measure to Assess Perception of Self-Influence on the Course of the Disease, Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations, Brief Method of Evaluating Coping with Disease, and Metacognitions Questionnaire. There were 43 women (50.6%) and 42 men (49.4%), aged 24 to 93 years (Mean (M) = 68.26 years; Standard Deviation (SD) = 14.19 years), with dialysis vintage ranging from 1 month to 33 years (M = 70.63 months; SD = 75.26 months). Among study patients, 70.6% declared that depression was the cause of their poor well-being, 75.3% attributed their depressive symptoms to kidney failure, and 49.4%, more specifically, to hemodialysis. A total of 64.7% of patients had a low perception of self-influence on the course of their kidney disease, and 58.5% presented a coping style focused on emotions. The most frequent dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs were negative beliefs about not controlling one's own thoughts. This attitude was related to the low perception of self-influence on the course of the disease, maladaptive coping styles, and dysfunctional metacognitive beliefs.