The Influence of Religiosity and Spirituality on the Quality of Life of Patients With Multiple Myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: The majority of patients with advanced neoplasms have religious/spiritual needs, and for most of them religion and/or spirituality is important. The psychology of religion and spirituality is one the forms of support offered to patients with advanced cancer. R/S are factors which impact health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The aim of this paper was to assess the influence of R/S on the HRQoL of patients diagnosed with MM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The patients filled out anonymous questionnaires about R/S and the HRQoL scale. The clinical data were collected from medical records. RESULTS: The study sample consisted of 83 patients with MM (51.8% women), with a mean age of 64.9 years. The leading denomination among the respondents was Catholic (N = 83, 100%): 36% described themselves as deep believers (N = 30), 53% as believers (N = 44), and 11% as nonpracticing believers (N = 9). Most patients were receiving ongoing treatment (59.8%), while 40.2% were in remission from the disease. Patients in remission declared a significantly higher interest in R/S issues than patients in active treatment and had a higher rate of intrapsychic R/S struggles dominated by anxiety and guilt. A moderate negative correlation between interest in R/S issues and unfavorable assessment of physical functioning and role functioning was observed. Anger towards God positively correlated with a negative assessment of emotional functioning. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the importance of R/S for the HRQoL of MM patients and show that their QoL depends on the types of R/S coping used.

Parental attitudes and intensification of borderline personality traits: the mediational role of self-control and identity integration. / Postawy rodzicielski a nasilenie cech osobowosci borderline: mediacyjna rola samokontroli i integracji tozsamosci.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this paper is to analyze the relationship between parental attitudes, selfcontrol, identity integration, and traits of borderline personality disorder (BPD) in a non-clinical sample of adults. Additionally, it will examine the role of self-control and identity integration as direct predictors of BPD, and as potential mediators of the association between parental attitudes and BPD traits. METHODS: The study involved a group of 162 adults drawn from the general population. The study participants were asked to complete the Questionnaire of Retrospective Assessment of Parental Attitudes (KPR-Roc) by Plopa, one subscale of the Lifestyle Questionnaire 05/SK by Trzebinska, subscale Identity Integration of the Multidimensional Self-Esteem Inventory (MSEI) by O'Brien and Epstein in a Polish adaptation by Fecenec, and the Self-Control Scale (SCS) by Tangney et al. in the adaptation by Kwapis and Bartczuk. RESULTS: The results demonstrated a significant correlation of self-control and identity integration with parental attitudes (except from an excessively protective attitude presented by the mother and father), as well as negative correlations of both identity integration and self-control with BPD traits. Structural modeling analysis revealed that the mother's inconsequent attitude and identity integration have a direct impact on BPD traits, whereas the mother's excessively demanding attitude and self-control influence BPD traits only indirectly. An inconsequent father's attitude influences BPD traits in both direct and indirect ways. Self-control and identity integration are the mediators of the relationship between a mother's excessively demanding attitude and a father's inconsequent attitude with BPD traits. The impact of self - control on BPD traits is mediated by identity integration. CONCLUSIONS: Parental attitudes of both the mother and father are associated with selfcontrol, identity integration and BPD traits. Self-control and identity integration mediate the influence of the selected parental attitudes on BPD traits.

Paraphilias among Roman Catholic priests: what we know, and do not know, about sexual clergy-abusers of minors. / Parafilie wsród ksiezy Kosciola rzymskokatolickiego: co wiemy, czego i nie wiemy, o duchownych wykorzystujacych seksualnie maloletnich.

The issue of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church is widely discussed in the media. Nevertheless, the term ?priest-pedophile'has been used inaccurately to identify perpetrators. There is very little research directly dealing with this group of offenders among Catholic clergy, and we do not yet have any theory that would adequately explain this type of behavior. Attempts to psychologically characterize priests who sexually abuse minors have brought limited success so far. The purpose of this article is to present the most important issues and clinical dilemmas related to the diagnosis and treatment of paraphilias among Catholic clergy, signifying similarities and differences between clergy and other perpetrators of sexual offenses against minors, present typology of sexual offenders among priests, and discuss therelationship of victims' gender with sexual orientation and celibacy of perpetrators. The author demonstrates that using the term ?priest-pedophile' is not only misleading, but is sometimes used to deliberately mislead. On the one hand, to create a moral panic effect, suggesting that the Catholic clergy is at increased risk of this type of crime. On the other hand, indicating gender and age of the most of their victims, suggesting that people responsible for this kind of abuse among Catholic clergy are homosexual priests and thus select a scapegoat responsible for the problems of the Church institution.

Autotelic vs instrumental motivation of doctors and their medical specialty choice in relation to sense of coherence. / Motywacje autoteliczna vs instrumentalna lekarzy a wybór specjalizacji medycznej na tle poczucia koherencji.

OBJECTIVES: Analysis and comparison of two types of motivation (autotelic and non-autotelic) which are behind the choice of medical specialisation by doctors in relation to their sense of coherence. METHODS: Questionnaire method was used in the study. The study included a group of 86 graduates of the Faculty of Medicine of the Jagiellonian University, who have completed postgraduate internships at the Department of Haematology and Oncology, Department of Gynaecology of the Jagiellonian University and the L. Rydygier hospital in Krakow in 2010-2012. Statistical analyses were performed using the IBM SPSS Statistics 21. The level of significance was alpha = 0.05. RESULTS: It has been shown that doctors are more frequently characterised by the autotelic type of motivation. It has also been proven that there is a relationship between the male sex of the surveyed doctors and their autotelic type of motivation. Moreover, it has been demonstrated that there is a correlation between the comprehensibility component of the sense of coherence and the male sex. It has been also demonstrated that there is a correlation between meaningfulness component of the sense of coherence and the choice of surgical specialisation. CONCLUSIONS: Autotelic motivation prevails when choosing a medical specialty and this tendency is more noticeable in men than in women. The meaningfulness component of SoC plays a regulatory role in making career decisions related to the greater physical and mental pressure put on doctors. The observed differences in the types of motivation and the size of the components of the sense of coherence in groups of surveyed doctors - men and women - encourage further observations of these relationships on a larger population.

Differential diagnosis of "Religious or Spiritual Problem" - possibilities and limitations implied by the V-code 62.89 in DSM-5.

UNLABELLED: Introduction : Work over preparation of DSM-5 has been a stimulus for research and reflection over the impact of religious/spiritual factors on phenomenology, differential diagnosis, course, outcome and prognosis of mental disorders. AIM: The aim of this paper is to present the attitude of DSM towards religion and spirituality in the clinical context. Even though DSM is not in use in Poland, in contrast to ICD, it gives a different, not only psychopathological, look at religious or spiritual problems. METHODS: The paper is based on in-depth analysis of V-code 62.89 ("Religious or spiritual problem") from historical, theoretical and clinical perspective. RESULTS: The introduction of non-reductive approach to religious and spiritual problems to DSM can be considered as a manifestation of the development of this psychiatric classification with regard to the differential diagnosis between religion and spirituality and psychopathology. By placing religion and spirituality mainly in the category of culture, the authors of DSM-5 have established their solution to the age-old debate concerning the significance of religion/spirituality in clinical practice. Even though, DSM-5 offers an expanded understanding of culture and its impact on diagnosis, the V-code 62.89 needs to be improved taking into account some limitations of DSM classification. CONCLUSIONS: The development of DSM, from its fourth edition, brought a change into the approach towards religion and spirituality in the context of clinical diagnosis. Introducing V-code 62.89 has increased the possibility of differential diagnosis between religion/spirituality and health/psychopathology. The emphasis on manifestation of cultural diversity has enabled non-reductive and non-pathologising insight into the problems of religious and spirituality. On the other hand, medicalisation and psychiatrisation of various existential problems, which can be seen in subsequent editions of the DSM, encourages pathologising approach towards religious or spiritual problems. Clinical look at religion and spirituality should therefore go beyond the limitations of DSM.