Quality of Life in Schoolchildren, Their Parents and Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Psychosomatic Health, Teachers’ and Parents’ Burnout Along with the Prevalence of Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms

The COVID-19 pandemic and the related changes in the implementation of educational activities affected three groups of the school community: schoolchildren, their parents and teachers. The purpose of this study is to assess psychological functioning in these groups in the period before returning to full-time face-to-face education. The study involved 88 schoolchildren, 99 parents and 36 teachers from Poland. Life satisfaction, subjective physical and mental health complaints as well as the quality of life were assessed in students. Anxiety and depressive symptoms, teachers’ and parental burnout were also studied. Additionally, the usage of such maladaptive coping strategies as rumination was assessed in teachers. The analysis revealed that lower levels of psychological well-being were shown by girls (compared to boys) and schoolchildren from grades 7 to 8 (compared to younger pupils). Teachers scored relatively high on the anxiety/depressive symptoms and work burnout scales. In contrast, parents had lower levels of anxiety/depressive symptoms and the level of parental burnout was average.Among the participants of the educational process, pupils in the higher grades (7–8), especially girls, as well as teachers had poorer well-being. We suggest that measures should be taken to provide psychological support to these risk groups

Assessment of activation, intensity and duration of positive and negative emotions: psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale – Short Form

Background:The Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale – Short Form (PERS-S) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire that assesses emotional reactivity. The PERS-S measures activation, intensity, and duration of negative and positive emotions. The study aims to validate the Polish version of the PERS-S.Participants and procedure:The study was performed on a sample of 675 people aged 18-80 (M = 28.88, SD = 13.17, 56.15% female). The factor structure and measurement invariance across gender, age and educational categories were verified with confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed based on the relationship between the PERS-S scale and the Emotional Reactivity scale taken from the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour–Temperament Inventory, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Subjective Vitality Scale.Results:The intended 6-factor model was an excellent fit for the data (CFI = .963; TLI = .953; RMSEA = .053, 90% CI [.046; .061]; SRMR = .057) and was invariant across gender, educational level and age groups. All PERS-S subscales correlated with another emotional reactivity questionnaire, stress, emotion regulation strategies, well-being and vitality as expected. The reliability was high for all subscales (α > .70); it was slightly lower only for the positive-activation subscale (α = .68). Due to gender differences in emotional reactivity traits, group norms (sten scale) were calculated separately for females and males.Conclusions:The Polish version of the PERS-S has strong psychometric properties. Its practical applications are discussed.Background:The Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale – Short Form (PERS-S) is an 18-item self-report questionnaire that assesses emotional reactivity. The PERS-S measures activation, intensity, and duration of negative and positive emotions. The study aims to validate the Polish version of the PERS-S.Participants and procedure:The study was performed on a sample of 675 people aged 18-80 (M = 28.88, SD = 13.17, 56.15% female). The factor structure and measurement invariance across gender, age and educational categories were verified with confirmatory factor analysis. Convergent and divergent validity were assessed based on the relationship between the PERS-S scale and the Emotional Reactivity scale taken from the Formal Characteristics of Behaviour–Temperament Inventory, the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale and the Subjective Vitality Scale.Results:The intended 6-factor model was an excellent fit for the data (CFI = .963; TLI = .953; RMSEA = .053, 90% CI [.046; .061]; SRMR = .057) and was invariant across gender, educational level and age groups. All PERS-S subscales correlated with another emotional reactivity questionnaire, stress, emotion regulation strategies, well-being and vitality as expected. The reliability was high for all subscales (α > .70); it was slightly lower only for the positive-activation subscale (α = .68). Due to gender differences in emotional reactivity traits, group norms (sten scale) were calculated separately for females and males.Conclusions:The Polish version of the PERS-S has strong psychometric properties. Its practical applications are discussed

W stronę medycyny psychosomatycznej. Właściwości psychometryczne polskiej wersji Subiektywnej listy dolegliwości Giessen (GBB-8) i rozpowszechnienie symptomów somatycznych wśród dorosłych Polaków

The Giessen Subjective Complaints List (GBB-8) is an 8-item self-report measure of somatic symptoms. Originally developed in German and then validated in English, it was designed for measuring eight of the most frequently assessed somatic complaints in four categories (exhaustion, gastrointestinal, musculoskeletal, and cardiovascular complaints). This study aimed to validate a Polish version of the GBB-8 and to examine the prevalence of somatic complaints in a Polish community sample. Our sample consisted of 846 Polish adults (545 females, 281 males and 20 non-binary) aged 18–77 (M = 27.42, SD = 12.67). The study was conducted from February to September 2022. The GBB-8’s factor structure was verified with confirmatory factor analysis, whereas convergent and divergent validity were assessed via relationships with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Our results indicated strong factorial validity, conforming to the intended 4-factor model with a second-order factor. The GBB-8 subscales correlated in expected directions with markers of depression and anxiety symptoms. Moreover, the questionnaire showed good discriminant validity against these mental health symptoms. Internal consistency reliability was good for three subscales and the total score and it was satisfactory for the cardiovascular subscale. The test-retest reliability of the questionnaire was good. Overall, the Polish version of the GBB-8 has strong psychometric properties. We also examined the age, gender, and demographic differences. Specific age–gender relationships with somatic complaints were noted. We provided current group norms (sten scale) of somatic symptoms for females and males separately.Subiektywna lista dolegliwości Giessen (GBB-8) to ośmiopunktowy kwestionariusz samoopisowy służący do oceny występowania symptomów somatycznych. Pierwotnie opracowany w języku niemieckim, a następnie zwalidowany w języku angielskim, GBB-8 został zaprojektowany do pomiaru ośmiu najczęściej ocenianych dolegliwości somatycznych w czterech kategoriach (wyczerpanie, dolegliwości żołądkowo-jelitowe, dolegliwości mięśniowo-szkieletowe, dolegliwości sercowo-naczyniowe). Niniejsze badanie ma na celu walidację polskiej wersji GBB-8 oraz zbadanie rozpowszechnienia symptomów somatycznych w próbie polskiej. Zbadano 846 dorosłych Polaków (545 kobiet, 281 mężczyzn i 20 osób niebinarnych) w wieku 18–77 lat (M = 27,42; SD = 12,67) w okresie od lutego do września 2022 r. Strukturę czynnikową polskiej wersji GBB-8 zweryfikowano za pomocą konfirmacyjnej analizy czynnikowej, natomiast trafność zbieżną i rozbieżną oceniono, analizując związki dolegliwości somatycznych z symptomami depresji i lęku. Wyniki wykazały, że kwestionariusz GBB-8 charakteryzował się czteroczynnikową strukturą z czynnikiem drugiego rzędu. Podskale GBB-8 dodatnio korelowały z symptomami depresji i lęku. Co więcej, kwestionariusz wykazał dobrą trafność dyskryminacyjną wobec tych symptomów. Rzetelność (alfa Cronbacha i omega McDonalda) była wysoka dla trzech podskal i wyniku ogólnego oraz zadowalająca dla podskali symptomów sercowo-naczyniowych. Stabilność bezwzględna testu (test-retest) była dobra. Podsumowując, polska wersja GBB-8 ma dobre właściwości psychometryczne. Odnotowano różnice w nasileniu symptomów somatycznych ze względu na wiek, płeć i inne cechy demograficzne. Podkreślono specyficzne zależności wiekowo-płciowe z tymi symptomami. Zaprezentowano również tymczasowe normy (skala stenowa) dla kobiet i mężczyzn osobno

W stronę medycyny psychosomatycznej. Rola wieku i cech emocjonalnych w zaburzeniach psychosomatycznych

Studying the emotional characteristics in people with psychosomatic disorders (PSD) at the early stages of disease development is a topical research area in psychosomatic medicine, as it allows clarifying the psychological mechanisms of PSD formation. This exploratory research aims to study the age features of emotional characteristics in people with and without PSD. The study was carried out on a sample of 200 people aged 18–55 (M = 26.89; SD = 7.82) using the following questionnaires: the Perth Emotional Reactivity Scale-Short Form (PERS-S), the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10), the Rumination subscale from the Cognitive Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (CERQ), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). The results showed that the levels of stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms decrease with age. Ease/speed of activation, intensity, and duration of negative emotions, as well as rumination on stressful situations, are positively correlated with the level of stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms. With an increase in positive emotion duration, the severity of mental symptoms decreases. Compared to people aged 26–55 with or without PSD, young people aged 18–25 and especially young people with PSD have a more unfavorable psychosomatic status, which is characterized by a more explicit tendency to experience negative emotions with their higher intensity and duration. Emotion regulation difficulties at a young age (especially intensive and prolonged experience of negative emotions) may form the basis for PSD development. Correcting these difficulties at a young age may prevent PSD.Badanie cech natury emocjonalnej u osób z zaburzeniami psychosomatycznymi we wczesnych fazach rozwoju tych zaburzeń jest aktualnym obszarem badań w medycynie psychosomatycznej, ponieważ pozwala na wyjaśnienie psychologicznych mechanizmów powstawania chorób psychosomatycznych. Celem eksploracyjnych badań było określenie specyfiki cech emocjonalnych i ich związku z wiekiem u osób z zaburzeniami psychosomatycznymi i bez nich. Badanie przeprowadzono w próbie 200 osób w wieku 18–55 lat (M = 26,89; SD = 7,82). Zastosowano skróconą wersję Skali Reaktywności Emocjonalnej Perth (PERS-S), Skalę Postrzeganego Stresu (PSS-10), podskalę Ruminacja z Kwestionariusza Poznawczej Regulacji Emocji (CERQ), Kwestionariusz Regulacji Emocji oraz Kwestionariusz Zdrowia Pacjenta (PHQ-4). Wyniki wykazały, że wiek negatywnie koreluje z poziomem objawów stresu, depresji i lęku. Łatwość/szybkość aktywacji, intensywność i czas trwania negatywnych emocji oraz ruminacje dodatnio korelują z poziomem symptomów stresu, depresji i lęku. Czas trwania pozytywnych emocji negatywnie koreluje z tymi symptomami. Młodzi ludzie w wieku 18–25 lat, szczególnie z zaburzeniami psychosomatycznymi, charakteryzują się wyraźniejszą tendencją do przeżywania negatywnych emocji o większym natężeniu i czasie trwania w porównaniu do osób w wieku 26–55 lat (niezależnie od tego, czy te ostatnie mają zaburzenia psychosomatyczne). Trudności z regulacją emocji (zwłaszcza intensywne i długie przeżywanie negatywnych emocji) w młodym wieku prawdopodobnie stanowią podstawę dla rozwoju zaburzeń psychosomatycznych. Z kolei korygowanie tych trudności może zapobiec zaburzeniom psychosomatycznym

W stronę psychologii i edukacji prośrodowiskowej: osobowościowe i socjodemograficzne korelaty tożsamości środowiskowej i dobrowolnej prostoty

Introduction: Climate change is one of the greatest threats to humanity today. Environmental identity, referring to the individual definition of self through the prism of human's relationship with nature, and the voluntary simplicity, which refers to the anti-consumer idea of life, are psychological constructs that have been analyzed in terms of personality and sociodemographic correlates in this work.Research Aim: The aim of this exploratory study is to analyze the relationships between environmental identity, voluntary simplicity and personality traits, as well as to search for sociodemographic correlates of the analyzed constructs mainly in the sample of young Poles. Method: In the study, 218 people, including 156 women (71.6% of the entire sample) and 62 men (28.4%), aged 18 to 63 (M = 25.40; SD = 7.43), completed the Environmental Identity Scale, the Voluntary Simplicity Engagement Scale and the HEXACO–60 Personality Inventory.Results: The results showed a high positive correlation between environmental identity and voluntary simplicity (r = 0.73) and their weak positive correlations with openness to experience, honesty-humility, conscientiousness, agreeableness and extraversion, as well as no relationships with emotionality and age. Women scored significantly higher on environmental identity and voluntary simplicity. The place of residence, education, marital and employment status, religion and subjective assessment of the material situation were not related to the analyzed constructs, whereas attitudes towards belief in God or higher force were positively associated with them.Conclusion: The similarity of the analyzed constructs was demonstrated. Personality traits and socio-demographic variables related to them were investigated. The practical implications of the research in promoting voluntary simplicity are discussed. The Polish translation of the Voluntary Simplicity Engagement Scale is presented. It may be used in pro-environmental education among students. Particular attention should be paid to males as a group that is less interested in pro-environmental issues.Wprowadzenie: Zmiany klimatyczne stanowią obecnie jedno z największych zagrożeń ludzkości. Tożsamość środowiskowa, odnosząca się do indywidualnej definicji siebie poprzez pryzmat relacji człowieka z naturą, oraz dobrowolna prostota, stanowiąca antykonsumpcyjną ideę życia, to psychologiczne konstrukty, które przeanalizowano pod względem korelatów osobowościowych i socjodemograficznych.Cel badań: Celem niniejszych eksploracyjnych badań jest analiza związków między tożsamością środowiskową, dobrowolną prostotą i cechami osobowości, a także poszukiwanie korelatów socjodemograficznych analizowanych konstruktów głównie w próbie młodych Polaków.Metoda badań: W badaniach 218 osób, w tym 156 kobiet (71,6% całej próby) i 62 mężczyzn (28,4%), w wieku od 18 do 63 lat (M = 25,40; SD = 7,43), wypełniło Skalę tożsamości środowiskowej, Skalę zaangażowania w dobrowolną prostotę i Inwentarz osobowości HEXACO-60.Wyniki: Wyniki wykazały wysoką dodatnią korelację między tożsamością środowiskową i dobrowolną prostotą (r = 0,73) oraz ich słabe dodatnie związki z otwartością na doświadczenia, uczciwością-pokorą, sumiennością, ugodowością i ekstrawersją, a także brak związku z emocjonalnością i wiekiem. Kobiety osiągnęły istotnie wyższe wyniki tożsamości środowiskowej i dobrowolnej prostoty. Miejsce zamieszkania, wykształcenie, stan cywilny, status zawodowy, wyznawana religia i subiektywna ocena sytuacji materialnej nie różnicowały wyników badanych konstruktów, natomiast stosunek do wiary w Boga lub siłę wyższą był pozytywnie z nimi związany.Wnioski: Wykazano podobieństwo analizowanych konstruktów, a także określono zmienne osobowościowe i socjodemograficzne mające z nimi związek. Omawiane są praktyczne implikacje badań w zakresie promowania dobrowolnej prostoty. Zaprezentowano polskie tłumaczenie Skali zaangażowania w dobrowolną prostotę, która może znaleźć zastosowanie w edukacji proekologicznej wśród studentów. Szczególną uwagę należy zwrócić na mężczyzn jako grupę, która jest mniej zainteresowana kwestiami prośrodowiskowymi

Measurement invariance and Polish norms for the Perth Empathy Scale (PES)

Introduction: Originally developed in English, the Perth Empathy Scale (PES) is a 20-item self-report measure of empathy, designed to assess cognitive empathy and affective empathy across both negative and positive emotions. Recently, the Polish version of the PES was introduced, which demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Material and methods: In the present study, we aimed (1) to further examine the psychometrics of the Polish PES, with a focus on measurement invariance testing, and (2) to facilitate use of the scale by providing norms for Polish adults. Our sample included 1112 Polish-speaking adults aged 18–77 years, recruited from the general community in Poland. The PES’s factor structure and measurement invariance were verified with confirmatory factor analysis. Internal consistency reliability coefficients were assessed, and percentile rank norms were calculated. Results: The Polish version of the PES demonstrated strong factorial validity, with support for the intended 4-factor structure, and invariance across females and males. The PES scores showed good to excellent internal consistency reliability. There were gender differences in PES scores, with higher empathy in females than in males. Due to this, Polish percentile rank norms for the PES were presented for females and males separately. Conclusions: Overall, as in the first Polish study on the PES, the scale further demonstrated strong psychometric performance

The Polish version of the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S): psychometric properties and norms

Alexithymia is a trait involving difficulties identifying feelings, difficulties describing feelings, and an externally orientated thinking style. It is an important risk factor for a range of psychopathologies, and its assessment is therefore important in research and clinical settings. Originally created in English, the Perth Alexithymia Questionnaire-Short Form (PAQ-S) is a brief 6-item self-report measure of alexithymia. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the first Polish version of the PAQ-S and to provide norms to help facilitate the interpretation of PAQ-S scores. Our sample was 1115 Polish-speaking adults (661 females, 438 males, and 16 non-binary gender) aged 18–72 from the general community in Poland. The PAQ-S’s factor structure and measurement invariance was explored with confirmatory factor analysis, and the convergent and divergent validity of the questionnaire was assessed via relationships with psychopathology symptoms and well-being. As expected, the Polish PAQ-S demonstrated strong factorial validity, and was invariant across age and gender. Convergent and divergent validity was also empirically supported, and internal consistency reliability was good. Overall, the Polish PAQ-S therefore appears to have strong psychometric properties much like the original English form, with its brief format being promising for allowing robust alexithymia assessments in a range of settings. Percentile rank norms and high alexithymia cut-off scores for Polish adults are presented

Anxiety and depression screening among Polish adults in 2023: Depression levels are higher than in cancer patients

Background: This study presents a brief report on the psychometrics of the Who-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) and a screening assessment of probable anxiety and depression disorders in a general community sample of Poles. The study aimed to (1) examine the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Polish WHO-5 across age and gender groups, and (2) estimate the prevalence of probable anxiety and depression disorders using two screening questionnaires, i.e., the WHO-5 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Material and methods: The sample included 1115 Polish adults (661 females, 438 males, and 16 non-binary people) aged 18–72 recruited from the general population in July 2023. The Polish versions of the WHO-5 and the PHQ-4 were applied. Results: The Polish WHO-5 had an intended 1-factor structure and was invariant across two age and two gender groups. Based on the recommended WHO-5 cut-off scores of ≤12, more than 71% of respondents in all age-gender groups (aged 18–29 and older) were screened positively for depression. In the whole sample, 59.28% and 52.91% of the respondents were screened positively for anxiety and depression, respectively (based on the PHQ-4 cut-off scores of ≥3 for the anxiety and depression subscales). Females aged 18–29 and non-binary people were very high-risk groups for psychopathology. Conclusions: Compared to previous Polish studies and other diverse cultural samples, the prevalence of probable anxiety and depression disorders in Polish adults in July 2023 was extremely high. Clinical interviews and a mixed methods approach are required to a more in-depth examination of this state of affairs.Introduction: This study presents a brief report on the psychometrics of the WHO-Five Well-being Index (WHO-5) and a screening assessment of probable anxiety and depression disorders in a general community sample of Poles. The study aimed to (1) examine the factorial validity and measurement invariance of the Polish WHO-5 across age and gender groups, and (2) estimate the prevalence of probable anxiety and depression disorders using two screening questionnaires, i.e., the WHO-5 and the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 (PHQ-4). Material and methods: The sample included 1115 Polish adults (661 females, 438 males, and 16 non-binary people) aged 18–72 recruited from the general population in July 2023. The Polish versions of the WHO-5 and the PHQ-4 were applied. Results: The Polish WHO-5 had an intended 1-factor structure and was invariant across two age and two gender groups. Based on the recommended WHO-5 cut-off scores of ≤ 12, more than 71% of respondents in all age-gender groups (aged 18–29 and older) were screened positively for depression. In the whole sample, 59.28% and 52.91% of the respondents were screened positively for anxiety and depression, respectively (based on the PHQ-4 cut-off scores of ≥ 3 for the anxiety and depression subscales). Females aged 18–29 and non-binary people were very high-risk groups for psychopathology. Conclusions: Compared to previous Polish studies and other diverse cultural samples, the prevalence of probable anxiety and depression disorders in Polish adults in July 2023 was extremely high. Clinical interviews and a mixed methods approach are required to a more in-depth examination of this state of affairs

Wybrane problemy badań w medycynie psychosomatycznej i sposoby na ich rozwiązania: przestrzeń dla nowych osiągnięć

Obecnie, pomimo dosyć długiej historii medycyny psychosomatycznej (MP) i dużej liczby publikacji naukowych, nauka ta przestała szukać odpowiedzi na kluczowe dla niej pytania i nagromadziła określone problemy wymagające omówienia. W tym artykule zostanie rozpatrzony krótki zarys wybranych problemów badań w MP oraz sposobów na ich rozwiązania. Zaprezentowanezostanie również perspektywiczne i niewymagające dużego nakładu pracy podejście badawcze, które może znaleźć zastosowanie w MP.</p