The relationships between wisdom, positive orientation and health-related behavior in older adults.

The concept of healthy ageing, i.e. maintaining health in late life, is closely connected with the role of health behavior. Although health behavior is determined by personal factors, little is known about its relationships with wisdom and positive orientation. Therefore, the aim of the study was to establish relationships between sociodemographic and health factors, personal resources (wisdom and positive orientation) and health-related behavior in late life. The study included 353 Polish seniors aged 60-99 (M = 71.95; SD = 1.45). The respondents completed the Health-Related Questionnaire for Seniors, Three Dimensional Wisdom Scale, Positive Orientation Scale and a sociodemographic survey. Wisdom and positive orientation were associated with general health behavior and all of its factors. Among the sociodemographic variables, attendance in nonformal education courses had the strongest predictive role for health behavior. A hierarchical regression model demonstrated that personal resources significantly determined healthy lifestyle, after controlling for sociodemographic factors. Additionally, mediational analyses revealed that positive orientation acted as a partial mediator between wisdom and health behavior. Our findings extend knowledge about the factors enhancing healthy lifestyle in older adults, indicating that both wisdom and positive orientation may represent valuable personal resources for health-related behavior.

[Temperament and character traits measured by temperament and character inventory (TCI) by Cloninger in patients with ischemic heart disease]. / Cechy temperamentu i charakteru mierzone kwestionariuszem TCI cloningera u chorych na chorobe niedokrwienna serca.

UNLABELLED: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is one of the main causes of death and disability worldwide. This situation stimulates research of its ethiopathogenesis. The role of psychosocial factors like depression, stress is underlined. Also personality traits play an important role in this process. The aim of study was to assess temperament and character traits in a group of patients with IHD. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was used to determine temperament and character dimensions. Temperament traits: harm avoidance (HA), reward dependence (RD), novelty seeking (NS), persistence (P), character traits: cooperativeness (C), self-directedness (SD), self-transcendence (ST). Each of these traits has a varying number of subscales. The dimensions are determined from a 240-item questionnaire. RESULTS: Patients with IHD obtained higher scores in HA dimension of the TCI questionnaire. The study group achieved lower score in a subscale of NS called extravagance (NS3), and higher score of C dimension called compassion (C4). CONCLUSION: The intensity of temperament and character traits are different in a group of patients with IHD in comparison with the control group especially in dimensions of HA, NS3 and C4. Variables that differentiated the study group were also sex, age and years of education.

[Neuropsychological tests in a group of patients with ischaemic heart disease]. / Badania neuropsychologiczne u pacjentów z choroba niedokrwienna serca.

AIM: Ischaemic heart disease (IHD) tops the list of sick and death rates all over the world. IHD brings the risk of central nervous system disturbances. On the other hand lower neuropsychological tests results enable to predict cardiac relapse. We assess the neuropsychological function such as working memory and executive functions, associated with prefrontal cortex activity, as well as direct and delayed verbal memory in patients with ischemic heart disease vs. healthy subjects. METHODS: The following neuropsychological tests were applied in the study for evaluation of cognitive functions: the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). RESULTS: In the patients with IHD a significant intensification of cognitive dysfunctions (working memory and executive dysfunctions also immediate and delayed memory) was observed in comparison with the control group of healthy subjects. CONCLUSIONS: Cognitive dysfunctions are widespread effect among IHD patients. Working memory and executive functions disturbances are especially dangerous in this group because they can result in problems with understanding, learning new information and difficulties in following medical recommendations which may cause consecutive hospitalisations. The seriousness of cognitive disturbances consequences motivate to evaluate all patients and initiate neurocognitive rehabilitation programs when needed.

[Health education from the perspective of contemporary challenges and threats]. / Edukacja zdrowotna z perspektywy wspólczesnych wyzwan i zagrozen.

The latest socio-economical changes have had a great impact on the perception of health issues. The definition of health according to the WHO is often citied here as a kind of postulate of psychical, psychological and sociological well being. Health education takes an important part in propagating ideas of promoting and protecting health and also shaping life skills. Health education especially affects schools but it also has an impact on family and local community. Contemporary definitions of health education underline that it is also a process of learning how to take care of one's own health and that of others'. This attitude to health corresponds with the changing health problems affecting society. Despite implementing many programs and actions promoting health and preventing diseases on a world and European scale, there still exist many problems in this area. They are particularly due to disproportionate access to medical help and technological development resulting from low awareness, but most of all, from the low socioeconomic status of the people involved. The school, as a place where health education takes place, has the right and obligation to influence health behaviors of pupils and the whole of society.

[Social exclusion and discrimination of chronically mentally ill people in the Lodz region]. / Wykluczenie spoleczne i dyskryminacja przewlekle chorych psychicznie w województwie lódzkim.

UNLABELLED: Mental crisis exerts a negative effect on somatic, psychological and social functioning of a mentally ill person. Mental disease is often accompanied by factors increasing the social exclusion and discrimination of patients. Another problem is deeply rooted stereotypes and prejudices functioning in the public opinion, according to which people who suffer from mental disorder are considered insane and often dangerous for society. In Poland, thanks to, amongst others, the ESF (The European Social Fund) funds, it is possible to finance and implement research concerning social exclusion and discrimination of people who have experienced a mental crisis. The aim of the study was to evaluate the level of social exclusion and discrimination of people suffering from mental disorders from the Lodz region on the basis of seven points scale assessing their personal, occupational, and social functioning. MATERIAL AND METHODS; The study included a group of 101 patients with mental disorders. Participants were selected randomly from mental health institutions from the region of Lodz. To evaluate the problem of social exclusion in the group of patients a interview questionnaire was used. RESULTS: Social exclusion concerned people suffering from schizophrenia and psychosis, more than six years of illness, those with allocated disability pension, non-working and non-learning, with the lowest levels of education and maintaining a one-person household or living with one parent. Those who experienced the lowest degree of social exclusion were mainly people suffering from mood disorders, people with higher education, learning and working, living with both parents. Groups experiencing discrimination were mostly people with schizophrenia, disorders due to psychoactive substances, those with secondary and professional education, patients having a certificate of disability and maintaining a one-person household. CONCLUSIONS: Social exclusion of mentally ill people was mainly related to their low education, civic, social and economic activity. The problem of discrimination concerned 17% of the tested group. Half of participants of the study did not experience the discrimination effect.