In Search of Variables Affecting Mental Adjustment and Acceptance of Cancer among Urological Patients.

Background/Objectives: Genitourinary cancers are now considered a major problem in modern medicine. In urological oncology, the most frequently occurring diseases are prostate, bladder and renal cancer. Any cancer has a profound effect on the life of a patient. Therefore, disease acceptance and mental adjustment to the condition are the key elements in coping with cancer. Aim: The main aim of the study was the determination of the level of acceptance of illness and mental adjustment to cancer in urological patients undergoing surgical treatment and the assessment of the effect of mental adjustment on disease acceptance. Material and Methods: The study group comprised 150 patients treated at the Department of Urology and Urological Oncology at the Independent Public Clinical Hospital No 2 in Szczecin. The study made use of the diagnostic survey method with the original questionnaire and standardized research tools: Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS) and Mental Adjustment to Cancer Scale (Mini-MAC). Results: The analysis of mental adjustment to cancer according to Mini-MAC revealed that the respondents most frequently adopted the fighting spirit strategy (M; 22.22). Slightly less frequently adopted strategies were positive re-evaluation (M; 21.28) and anxious preoccupation (M; 17.07). The least frequently adopted strategy was the helplessness-hopelessness strategy (M; 13.14). The analysis of data showed a statistically significant negative correlation (r = -0.245; p = 0.003) between disease acceptance according to AIS and age. The data analysis revealed a statistically significant positive correlation with helplessness-hopelessness and destructive style (p < 0.05). Conclusions: Mental adjustment to cancer was found to affect the acceptance of illness. When providing comprehensive care to cancer patients, it is equally crucial to consider the physical as well as mental health aspect, taking into account the aforementioned factors which affect both acceptance as well as adjustment to disease.

Psychosocial Functioning of Individuals at Risk of Developing Compulsive Buying Disorder.

(1) Background: This study aimed to establish the connection between depressiveness, workaholism, eating disorders, and personality traits, according to the five-point model called the Big Five, in women with a risk of compulsive buying disorder. (2) Methods: The study was conducted on 556 Polish women from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. The study employed the diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire technique including Personality Inventory NEO-FFI, the Buying Behaviour Scale, the Beck Depression Inventory I-II, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, and a self-questionnaire. (3) Results: The analysis revealed the risk of compulsive buying being accompanied by a higher median score for depressiveness, neuroticism, Cognitive Restraint of Eating, Uncontrolled Eating, and a risk of workaholism. A lower score in the respondents in the compulsive buying risk group was observed in an assessment of agreeableness and conscientiousness. Work addiction was exhibited by 26% of people with compulsive buying disorder vs. 12% of people without it. (4) Conclusion: This study found that a high risk of compulsive buying disorder is accompanied by a high risk of moderate depressiveness, neuroticism, Cognitive Restraint of Eating, Uncontrolled Eating, and workaholism. It also confirmed the view that compulsive buying is a behavioural addiction which is a consequence of ineffective coping and being dissatisfied with one's social life.

The Relationship between Depressiveness and Eating Behaviors among Women.

(1) The objective of the study was to determine the relationship between depressiveness and the occurrence of eating disorders, i.e., emotional eating, uncontrolled eating, cognitive restraint of eating, and the risk of orthorexia. (2) The study was conducted among 556 women from the West Pomeranian Voivodeship (Poland). The study employed the diagnostic survey method using a questionnaire technique: The Beck Depression Inventory, the ORTO-15 Questionnaire, the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire, and a sociodemographic questionnaire. (3) Higher depressiveness severity is associated with a higher score on the "Cognitive Restraint of Eating" scale. The authors' original study demonstrated a statistically significant relationship only between depressiveness and the "Uncontrolled Eating" subscale (p = 0.001). (4) The results of this study suggest that depressiveness is an important factor that contributes to a better understanding of eating behaviors. In addition, the results of this study suggest that eating behaviors and psychological factors should be taken into account in psychological interventions in the treatment of eating disorders. The clinical goal can be considered to be an improvement in non-normative eating behaviors, such as a reduction in overeating episodes or eating less frequently in the absence of a feeling of hunger.

Health Behaviours and the Quality of Life of Students of Medical Fields during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Background: Social distancing and closing down public spaces associated with learning, leisure and physical activity limited the spread of COVID-19. These measures had an impact not only on the economy and education but also on health behaviours and the quality of life of individuals affected by the restrictions. The aim of this study was to identify the role of health behaviours in the perception of the quality of life of students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: This study was conducted among 796 students of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn in the first quarter of 2022. Subgroup 1 consisted of students at the Public Health School (n = 428; 53.8%) and subgroup 2 consisted of students belonging to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (n = 368; 46.2%). The diagnostic survey method was applied, and an original survey questionnaire, the Health Behaviour Inventory and the Quality of Life Questionnaire (WHOQoL-Bref version) were used. (3) Results: The largest contribution to the prediction of quality of life of students in subgroup 1 was made by a positive mental attitude related to avoiding too strong emotions, which explained 19% of the result variability in the somatic domain (ßeta = 0.24; R2 = 0.21), 20% of the result variability in the psychological domain (ßeta = 0.36; R2 = 0.20), 16% of the result variability in the social domain (ßeta = 0.52; R2 = 0.17) and 17% of the result variability in the environmental domain (ßeta = 0.19; R2 = 0.19). Moreover, in subgroup 2, a predominantly positive mental attitude significantly predicted quality of life in the somatic domain, explaining 23% of the result variability (ßeta = 0.24; R2 = 0.26), while it explained 25% of the result variability in the psychological domain (ßeta = 0.47; R2 = 0.25), 16% of the result variability in the social domain (ßeta = 0.46; R2 = 0.17) and 21% of the result variability in the environmental domain (ßeta = 0.38; R2 = 0.23). (4) Conclusions: Positive correlations between health behaviours and the quality of life among the study participants were determined. Health-promoting behaviours had a beneficial impact on the respondents' quality of life during the COVID-19 pandemic. The category of health behaviours described as a positive mental attitude was an important predictor for the participants' quality of life.

Positive Orientation and Feelings of Loneliness among Polish Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Background/Objectives: The COVID-19 pandemic was a time of limited direct contact with other people. The aim of this study was to determine the role of positive orientation and sociodemographic variables in the feelings of global, social and emotional loneliness and to seek predictors for loneliness among students during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: The study was conducted on a group of 798 students at the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn (Poland) between January and March 2022. The empirical data were gathered with the following research tools: the Positive Orientation Scale and the De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale-DJGLS. Results: The study found a correlation (r = -0.370; p < 0.001) between positive orientation and emotional loneliness. The level of loneliness was significantly higher in students who greatly reduced their social contact, compared to those who reduced them moderately (p < 0.001). The intensity of social loneliness among women was lower (p < 0.001) than among men. Those who lived with their families or with a close companion felt less intense emotional loneliness (p < 0.001) than those who lived alone. Conclusions: A positive orientation, which manifests itself in a favourable opinion about oneself and in attaching weight to positive aspects of life, was found to be the main determinant of the feelings of global and emotional loneliness. However, it did not prove to be a predictor of social loneliness in the group of students under study.

Attitudes of Polish Medical Students toward Organ Donation in Cases of Brain Death.

(1) The aim of our study was to determine the attitudes of medical students toward organ donation in the case of brain death. (2) The study was conducted among 1348 medical students from three medical universities in Poland. The research tool was the Polish version of the standardized questionnaire concerning attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation (ODT) [PCID-DTO RIOS: A questionnaire designed by the 'International Collaborative Organ Donation project about organ transplantation and donation]. (3) Some sources of information on organ donation were found to have a significant impact on the recipients' knowledge of brain death. These were books, friends, family, lectures in other centers, social media, and the Church. Medical students holding the opinion that recovery and leading a normal lifestyle after brain death is impossible were significantly more likely to donate their organs after death, not for religious reasons and not because they wanted to survive their own death. (4) The medical students in our study showed a high level of awareness and favorable attitudes toward ODT. However, the number of registered donors was low. It is important to educate students on these issues to raise the awareness of both future medical professionals and the public on organ transplantation procedures. The public should be made aware that transplantation procedures are of a high standard, and that the law protects both donors and recipients. These measures would reduce recipients' waiting time, and certainly increase the statistics of the number of life-saving and health-saving procedures.

Coping strategies and adherence in people with mood disorder: a cross-sectional study.

Introduction: Non-adherence to treatment recommendations is a significant problem, as it contributes to the progression of the disease and to the exacerbation of distressing symptoms. Failure to cope with the disease and elevated levels of stress, in turn, influence the choice of strategy for coping with a difficult situation, and thus adherence to recommendations. Objectives: The purpose of our study was to evaluate the impact of the subjects' stress coping styles on therapeutic adherence, life satisfaction, disease acceptance and quality of life (QoL) in people with mood disorders. Methods: This survey-based study included 102 respondents diagnosed with mood disorders, living in the West Pomeranian Voivodeship. It was performed using the sociodemographic questionnaire and standardized tools: The Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS), The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), The Short Form-36 (SF-36) Health Survey, The Adherence to Refills and Medication Scale (ARMS), and The Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS). Results: Some 47.06% of the respondents suffered from depressive disorders, while 34.31% had depression or mixed anxiety disorder. Patients who made greater use of an emotion-focused style were found to have significantly lower life satisfaction than other patients. Moreover, this style was related to such SF-36 domains as general health, social functioning, role emotional, vitality, and mental health, as well as to physical component summary (PCS) and mental component summary (MCS). Conclusion: Treatment non-adherence is a serious challenge in the treatment of patients with mood disorders. Individuals who do not adequately follow treatment recommendations often resort to alternative activities as a mechanism for coping with difficult situations. Patients who predominantly adopt an emotion-oriented coping style tend to experience lower life satisfaction and greater difficulty accepting their condition compared to their peers. Conversely, patients who adopt a task-oriented coping style report better quality of life than those who rely on emotion-oriented coping or alternative activities.

Personality traits and the degree of work addiction among Polish women: the mediating role of depressiveness.

Objectives: Workaholism is an addiction, however the obsessive-compulsive components alone may prove insufficient in determining its nature. The aim of the following study was to determine the mediating role of depressiveness in the relationships between workaholism and personality traits according to the five-factor model among Polish women. Methods: The research study was carried out among 556 women residing in the West Pomerania Voivodeship in Poland. The research was based on a survey performed using a questionnaire technique. The following research instruments adapted to Polish conditions were employed to assess the incidence of work addiction among female adults: The NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), The Work Addiction Risk Test (WART) Questionnaire, and The Beck Depression Inventory-BDI I-II. Results: A positive correlation between the intensity of neuroticism and the work addiction risk was revealed (ß = 0.204, p < 0.001). A partial mediation (35%) with the severity of depression symptoms as a mediating factor was observed (ß = 0.110, p < 0.001). Respondents characterized by high neuroticism showed a greater severity of the symptoms of depression (ß = 0.482, p < 0.001), which is a factor increasing the work addiction risk (ß = 0.228, p < 0.001). No effect of extraversion intensity on the work addiction risk was found (ß = 0.068, p = 0.081). Respondents characterized by a high level of extraversion displayed lower severity of the symptoms of depression (ß = -0.274, p < 0.001). A negative correlation between the intensity of agreeableness and the work addiction risk was revealed (ß = -0.147, p < 0.001). A partial mediation (27.8%) was observed. A positive correlation between the intensity of conscientiousness and the work addiction risk was revealed (ß = 0.082, p = 0.047). Respondents characterized by a high level of conscientiousness showed a lower severity of depression symptoms (ß = -0.211, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Depressiveness plays the role of a mediator between neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness as well as conscientiousness, and work addiction. Depressiveness is a factor which increases the risk of work addiction.