Health Behaviours among Nursing Students in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

(1) Background: An individual's health status can be perceived as a consequence of their health behaviours. This research aimed to determine the intensity of health-promoting behaviours and to identify factors determining the health behaviours of nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) Methods: This study included 894 nursing students from six universities in Poland, and it was conducted between 20 March and 15 December 2021. A diagnostic survey was applied as the research method, and the data were collected using the Health Behaviour Inventory and the Satisfaction With Life Scale. (3) Results: Nearly half of the students participating in the study (48.43%) declared that the intensity of their general health behaviours was low. A positive and significant correlation (r = 0.426) was found between general health behaviours and satisfaction with life. A regression model demonstrated general satisfaction with life to be a predictor of taking up health-related behaviours (18%; ß = 0.34), as well as in terms of proper eating habits (4%; ß = 0.15), prophylactic behaviours (6%; ß = 0.21), positive mental attitudes (26%; ß = 0.44) and applied pro-health practices (10%; ß = 0.25). (4) Conclusions: Most nursing students showed low levels of health-promoting behaviours. More research is needed on health behaviours and their determinants among nursing students, as it may be important in explaining the mechanisms of health behaviour formation.

Loneliness and Optimism among Polish Nursing Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediatory Role of Self-Efficacy.

(1) The COVID-19 pandemic is a global epidemic crisis situation with negative health consequences. This study aimed to determine the mediatory role of self-efficacy in correlations between dispositional optimism and loneliness (both general loneliness and social and emotional loneliness) among Polish nursing students during the COVID-19 pandemic. (2) The study involved 894 students from six Polish universities. A diagnostic survey was used as the research method, and the Scale for the Measurement of Loneliness Scale (DJGLS), Life Orientation Test (LOT-R), and the Generalized Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) were used to collect data. (3) The mean subject age was 20.73 years (SD = 1.81). More than half (51.01%) of the respondents scored high on the GSES scale, indicating an individual's belief in the self-efficacy in coping with difficult situations and obstacles. However, 40.60% scored low on the LOT-R scale, indicating that the respondents were pessimistic. The mediation analysis revealed that self-efficacy plays a partial mediatory role in correlations between dispositional optimism and loneliness in general, social and emotional loneliness. (4) It is important to undertake loneliness prophylactic and prevention activities among nursing students and to develop personal resources, i.e., optimism and self-efficacy, to effectively offset the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychometric validation and cross-cultural adaptation of the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale in Polish (IPOS-Pol).

OBJECTIVE: The study aimed to assess the reliability and validity of the IPOS-Pol for patient self-reporting. METHOD: Patients (>18 years of age) with advanced cancer admitted to three palliative care centers (inpatient units and home-based) were recruited to a multicenter, cross-sectional, observational, prospective study. Participants provided responses to the IPOS-Pol Patient version and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire - Core 15 - Palliative Care (EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL) Polish version at baseline (T1) and four to seven days later (T2). We assessed test-retest reliability, internal consistency, and construct validity of the tool. RESULTS: One hundred and eighty patients were included. Test-retest reliability demonstrated no statistically significant differences in the average outcomes of the IPOS-Pol between T1 and T2 (27.2 ± 9.2 vs. 26.5 ± 8.7; p > 0.05). The intra-class correlation coefficient between T1 and T2 was r = 0.83 (p < 0.0001), the intra-class correlation coefficient for test-retest reliability of the IPOS-Pol items ranged from 0.63 to 0.84 (p < 0.0001), and the Cronbach's α coefficient for internal consistency was 0.773. The correlation coefficient between the IPOS-Pol and EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL total score was 0.79 (p < 0.001). SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: The patient version of the Polish adaptation of IPOS is a valid and reliable outcome measure for assessing symptoms and concerns of individuals receiving palliative care, as well as the quality of care provided.