Analysis of adolescents' opinions on suicide prevention. / Analiza opinii mlodziezy na temat profilaktyki samobójstw.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of the study is to investigate the views of adolescents aged 16-19, attending public high schools in Warsaw, on effectiveness of suicide prevention. METHODS: The studied population covered adolescents aged 16-19 back in 2015 (M = 17.29; SD = 0.94). The respondents attended eight public high schools in Warsaw in eight different districts. The study group was representative. 1,439 respondents participated in the study - 821 girls (57.1%) and 592 boys (41.1%). PAPI method was used in the conducted study. The questionnaire consisted of 34 questions. RESULTS: In most cases respondents did not know whether there was an organized system of suicide prevention in Poland (42.0%), however, a large proportion of the respondents (39.7%) was aware of nonexistence of such a system in Poland. The respondents considered the activity of a school (46.7%), the Church (38.3%) and the police (55.9%) in the field of suicide prevention ineffective, the activity of health care institutions (47.7%) and the media (46.6%) hardly effective, while the family was considered effective (70.9%). Persons who perceive significant role of the Church in suicide prevention at the same time indicate considerable share of the family and a much lesser role of the remaining institutions. CONCLUSIONS: 1) More than . of studied adolescents realize that there is no integrated system of suicide prevention; 2) The family, according to high school students, plays the greatest role in preventing self-destructive behaviors; 3) There is a need of greater involvement of schools, the Church, the police, health care institutions and the media in education and raising adolescents' awareness in the field of self-destructive behaviors.`.

Analysis of the opinions of adolescents on the risk factors of suicide. / Analiza opinii mlodziezy na temat czynników ryzyka popelnienia samobójstwa.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper was to identify the opinions of adolescents aged 16-19, attending public high schools in Warsaw, on the risk factors of suicide. METHODS: The study group consisted of adolescents who were aged 16-19 in the year 2015 (M = 17.29; SD = 0.94). The respondents attended eight public high schools in Warsaw, from eight different districts of the city. The study group was representative. 1,439 respondents participated in the study -821 girls (57.1%) and 592 boys (41.1%). PAPI method was used in the conducted study. The questionnaire consisted of 34 questions divided into three sections - concerning epidemiology, risk factors and prevention of suicidal behaviors. RESULTS: According to 37.0% of respondents, the main problem occurring in a family that could become a risk factor in committing suicide is lack of understanding from the parents. The respondents indicated that conflicts between peers are school-related situations that could be the source of suicidal thoughts (48.6%). More than half of respondents (59.1%) believed that being rejected by close and important persons was the main factor related to the feeling of loneliness that could contribute to a suicidal act. CONCLUSIONS: 1) An important element in the prevention of self-destructive behaviors of young people should be parental training in understanding and accepting their children. 2) Itis advisable to conduct classes developing psycho-social skills of adolescents, in particular their ability to solve interpersonal problems, in order to reduce the number of conflicts with peers that occur in the school environment.

Analysis concerning nutritional behaviors in the context of the risk of orthorexia.

Orthorexia is recognized as an eating disorder, an obsessive-compulsive spectrum disorder, or a somatoform disorder. The aim of our research was to analyze nutritional behaviors for the assessment of the risk of orthorexia. The authors developed a questionnaire in which 981 respondents participated and used it as a research method. Both men and women ate mostly 4-5 meals per day (46.30% women versus 34.74% men); however, more men than women ate 1-2 meals daily (18.95% men versus 7.9% women). Both place of birth and field of study did not differ in terms of the number of meals. Moreover, it was observed that the number of meals per day was correlated with the declared time spent on planning a diet. People who ate over 3 meals per day more often indicates that they spent >3 h per day on planning their diet in comparison with people who ate only 1-2 meals. Only 17.6% of the respondents declared that they most often ate meals in a company of someone, whereas 45.3% indicated that there was no rule. The remaining 37.1% of the respondents most often consumed their meals alone. Almost twice as many men as women never paid attention to the qualitative composition of nutrition. Women followed a slimming diet more often than men (20.3% versus 5.8%) and this indicated >4 attempts of losing weight. Around one-third of all the respondents suffered or suffer from eating disorders. Owing to insufficient information on orthorexia, it is essential to conduct further research to determine the characteristics of high-risk groups. Taking the growing interest in a healthy lifestyle into account, there is a need to address the problem of orthorexia in the public space.

Differences in the verbal fluency, working memory and executive functions in alcoholics: Short-term vs. long-term abstainers.

The aim of the study was to assess differences in verbal fluency, working memory and executive functions in two subgroups of alcohol-dependent patients, those undergoing short-term abstinence (STA) and those undergoing long-term abstinence (LTA), and to compare the level of cognitive functions in patients after long-term abstinence with healthy subjects. The study group consisted of 106 alcohol-dependent patients (53 immediately after drinking at least 3 days and 53 after at least one-year abstinence). The control group comprised 53 subjects, whose age, sex and education levels matched those of the patients in the experimental group. The dependence intensity was assessed using SADD and MAST scales. The neuropsychological assessment was based on the FAS Test, Stroop Test and TMT A&B Test. The results obtained for alcohol-dependent patients revealed significant disturbances of cognitive functions. Such results indicate the presence of severe frontal cerebral cortex dysfunctions. Frontal cortex dysfunctions affecting the verbal fluency and working memory subsystems and the executive functions also persisted during long-term abstinence periods. No significant correlations between the duration of dependence, quantity of alcohol consumed and efficiency of the working memory and executive functions were observed in alcohol-dependent subjects after short-term or long-term abstinence.

The relationship between chronotype and personality among patients with alcohol dependence syndrome: Pilot study.

The study investigates the distribution of chronotypes among alcohol-dependent subjects and the relationship between personality and chronotype. Fifty-eight alcohol-dependent patients and 29 age-matched healthy controls were studied using Oginska's Chronotype Questionnaire (ChQ), Eysenck's Personality Questionnaire - Revised (EPQ-R), Selzer's Michigan Alcoholism Screening Test (MAST) and a sociodemographic status questionnaire designed by the authors. The alcohol-dependent patients tended to be morning type, based on the morningness-eveningness ChQ scale, with a weakly marked rhythm, based on the distinctness ChQ scale. Preference towards morningness was associated with older age, but no relation between chronotype and severity of alcohol dependence was found. A high amplitude of the rhythm was associated with higher neuroticism. Therefore, despite being in the minority, patients with a distinct circadian rhythm (i.e. with a high amplitude) are at greater risk of mood and anxiety disorders and hence should be given special consideration.

Teenagers' perception of being an active patient and putting the concept into practice.

AIM: To analyse the results of research on how adolescents understand the "active patient" concept, how often they undertake that role depending on gender and on whether they are suffering from a chronic disease. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The research was conducted in a group of 14-15 year-olds. It comprised qualitative research (focus groups, N=24) concerning the way the concept of an "active patient" is understood and quantitative research (questionnaire study, N=716). The research tool was an anonymous authored questionnaire with questions concerning the role of the active patient and chronic illnesses. RESULTS: The idea of the "active patient" was not understandable to the teenagers, but they were able to enumerate many kinds of behaviours which are typical for such a patient. Among the 7 kinds of such behaviours, only two (presenting their ailments to the doctor and following the doctor's recommendations) were always or almost always followed by over half the respondents. The frequencies of undertaking behaviours typical for an active patient by girls and boys were similar. Teenagers with chronic diseases more often behaved actively during their visit to the doctor, but less frequently followed the doctor's recommendations. CONCLUSIONS: Few adolescents actively participate in the process of diagnosis and treatment. There is a need for early education of children and young people to become active patients, since such an attitude promotes health throughout one's lifetime. Such education is first of all the task of doctors and nurses, and it can be effective only if the inter-communication skills with patients are improved. It is a necessity to support young people with chronic diseases in their treatment and in coping with their disease.

The Interrelationships of Coping Styles and Professional Burnout Among Physiotherapists: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Burnout is a pathological syndrome in which emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DEP), and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment (PA) develop in response to prolonged occupational stress. Those working in the physiotherapy profession appear to be at risk for professional burnout brought on by the specific character of the medical professions, involving continuous contact with patients and associated stress, as well as poor working conditions. However, literature data concerning the scale of professional burnout and its psychosocial correlates remain scarce. The aim of the present study was to assess the scale of professional burnout among physiotherapists and to determine the interrelationships between coping styles and burnout symptoms. The sample consisted of 117 professionally active physiotherapists (90 women and 27 men) aged 21 to 55 years (mean [M] 31.88, standard deviation [SD] = 9.14, responsiveness rate of 80.6%) from randomly selected medical institutions of the Lodz Region. The study was conducted using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) by Endler and Parker. Demographic and job-related data on the respondents were also collected. Task-oriented coping correlated negatively with DEP, EE, and low PA, in contrast to emotion-oriented coping. No correlation was found between avoidance-oriented coping and burnout symptoms. Similarly, no interactive correlations between coping styles and particular burnout symptoms were confirmed. Coping styles correlate independently with professional burnout, without any mutual correlations. Physiotherapists employing a wider spectrum of task-oriented strategies are slightly more satisfied with their job. The incidence of burnout syndrome in the analyzed group is similar to that observed in other medical professions and requires the adoption of preventive measures.

[The evaluation of the stress coping styles and emotional intelligence in psychiatrically treated adolescent patients with deliberate self-harm in relation to chosen clinical features]. / Ocena stylów radzenia sobie ze stresem i inteligencji emocjonalnej u samouszkadzajacej sie mlodziezy leczonej psychiatrycznie w zaleznosci od wybranych czynników klinicznych.

AIM: The primary goal of the study was an evaluation of the dominating stress coping styles in adolescent patients with self-harm records, who were psychiatrically treated, taking into account the level of their emotional intelligence vs. the psychiatric diagnosis, the type of motives and decision involved in self-harming and the presence of suicidal attempts (SA) in the past. The secondary goal included an analysis of the correlations between particular stress coping skills and the level of emotional intelligence. METHOD: The reported studies involved self-harming patients aged of 13-18 years during their psychiatric hospitalisation (n=31). The applied tools included the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS) and the Two-Dimensional Inventory of Emotional Intelligence (DINEMO). RESULTS: An evaluation of the correlation between stress coping styles and the levels of emotional intelligence in the studied group and the types of mental disorders did not reveal any significant differences between the evaluated subgroups. Patients, who confirmed an instrumental motive, obtained statistically significantly higher scores on the task-oriented scale vs. those who performed the acts of DSH for reactive or pathological reasons. Taking into consideration the type of decision, involved in self-harming acts, did not show any differences in the stress coping styles of the patients, however, those patients, who had planned an act of DSH, achieved statistically significantly higher scores in the OTHERS scale of the DINEMO. Patients with DSH and with SA in the past (77% studied group), achieved similar results in CISS and DINEMO vs. the self-harming patients without SA in the past. In the study group, one statistically significant correlation was demonstrated between CISS--the avoidance-oriented style--and the I in DINEMO. CONCLUSIONS: 1. Patients with DSH records and without SA constitute a fairly uniform group with regards to stress coping styles, taking into account the type of psychic disorders and the urgency of self-harm decision. 2. Their use of the task-oriented style may be associated with instrumental auto-aggression. 3. DSH may be a non-verbal form of communicating other problems to others. 4. Adolescents, who perform the acts of self-harm, are endangered by suicidal attempts, regardless of their stress coping styles or the level of their emotional intelligence. 5. A development of constructive stress coping skills against strong emotional reactions is a recommended method in the therapy of patients with DSH.