Psychological profile of Greek doctors: differences among five specialties.

The aim of the present study was to explore the differences in the psychological profiles between genders and different specialties among Greek doctors. Five-thirty nine doctors in five different specialties, namely 115 general practitioners, 168 internists, 81 surgeons, 108 microbiologists and 67 anesthesiologists, participated in the study. 253 participants were specialized doctors and 286 participants were medical residents. The sample consisted of 280 women and 259 men. The mean age of the sample was 38.75(±7.98) years. A cross sectional survey study was conducted. Symptom Check List 90-Revised (SCL-90-R) was used to collect the data. Multivariate Analysis of Variance indicated the significant effect of specialty (Wilks' Lambda = .20, p = .000), the effect of gender (Wilks' Lambda = .90, p = .000) as well as their interaction (Wilks' Lambda = .68, p = .000) on participants' scores in SCL-90-R subscales. Internists reported high scores in 8 out of 9 subscales of SCL-90-R. Surgeons scored significantly higher compared to all other specialties in hostility(HS) subscale. Women reported statistically higher scores in almost all subscales of the SCL-90-R test compared to men, apart from HS (p = .191). Gender and specialty choice play role in the psychological profile of Greek doctors. Women and internists seem to be more prone to psychopathology. These findings should be taken into account in future studies and interventions.

Shame and Anxiety Feelings of a Roma Population in Greece.

Shame is a crucial issue for Roma. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the severity of shame and anxiety feelings in a Roma population living in Greece and assess the differentiation of these feelings between Roma men and women. A quota sample of 194 Roma adult men and women living in Southern Greece was retrieved. The Experiences of Shame Scale (ESS), the Other As Shamer Scale (OAS) and the Spielberg's State/Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) questionnaires were used. Women scored statistically significantly higher than men on ESS, whereas men scored higher on OAS scale (52.27 ± 16.91 vs 45.42 ± 9.98 and 35.93 ± 16.94 vs 30.87 ± 13.72 respectively). Women scored higher than men in both STAI subscales, however significant differences were observed only in State Anxiety scale (48.83 ± 9.26 vs 43.20 ± 9.81). OAS total score was inversely related to state anxiety, whereas ESS total score was positive related to trait anxiety, all correlations being significant at p < 0.05 level. Roma men and women exhibit high levels of shame and anxiety. Cultural, social and minority issues contribute to feelings of inferiority and anxiety experience.

A study to ascertain the patients' satisfaction of the quality of hospital care in Greece compared with the patients' satisfaction in Poland.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to evaluate the satisfaction of elderly patients, of the hospital care's quality, based on the literature evidence on results of a qualitative research and on a previous developed conceptual frame. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We developed the Elderly Patient Satisfaction Scale (EPSS) by using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research. In this study participated 320 elderly patients from Greece (182 male, 138 female) and 240 patients (136 male, 104 female) from Poland (mean age 74.16 +/- 6.14 years). Most of elderly patients were married. Inclusion criteria were: elderly patients over 65 years old, being able to be interviewed, hospitalized for at least three days and not to be suffering from severe mental disease. RESULTS: There was no correlation among age and global patients' satisfaction. Men in both of groups were expressed greater satisfaction with perceived quality of doctor care than women. Age positively correlated with question who estimate the satisfaction with the time that doctor spends for medical history taking. Patient's education correlated with question (satisfaction with availability of nurses night). Patient's depression found that affects the quality of hospital care and the satisfaction. Elderly patients were most satisfied with the technical care ability of nurse. The time period of hospital stay is correlated negatively with patient's global satisfaction. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference between the patients from Greece and Poland in majority of dimensions: the satisfaction of elderly patients, of the hospital care's quality was noted.

Therapeutic value of antidepressants in asthma.

Laboratory and clinical data provide evidence that a biological linkage exists between asthma and depression. Cytokines are key molecules in both diseases. They promote allergic reaction as well as depressive symptomatology. Antidepressants may have a therapeutic role in asthma by suppressing production of proinflammatory cytokines, inducing production of anti-inflammatory ones and preventing their brain effects. Most antidepressants also induce adaptive changes in central monoaminergic neurotransmission, which itself might modulate immune reactivity and central actions of cytokines. Antidepressants may also have direct effects on the immune cells. Their impact on hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis is discussed. Antidepressants are expected to terminate the cascade of inflammatory events in other inflammatory diseases as well. The use of antidepressants in experimental clinical trials in patients with asthma is suggested.

Fetal sensitivity to testosterone, left-handedness and development of bronchial asthma: a new approach.

In contrast to Geschwind, Behan and Galaburda (GBG) theory, there is strong evidence that inheritance through maternal line is responsible for the coexistence of asthma and left-handedness early in childhood. A new model that incorporates GBG's theory and maternal inheritance is proposed. This hypothesis suggests that maternal atopy is the most important factor in the evolution of asthma and that GBG's theory applies mainly in childhood. An inherited enhanced sensitivity of fetus to testosterone may be the underlying mechanism that leads to the development of bronchial asthma.

Personality dimensions of haemodialysis patients related to initial renal disease.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to investigate personality dimensions in uraemic patients undergoing haemodialysis (HD. The relationship between the disease that led to renal failure (and the subsequent need for haemodialysis) and the personality of the haemodialysis patients in question were investigated. METHODS: In the present study, which was conducted in three Greek hospitals, 103 patients were analysed and compared to 138 control patients matching the groups according to their age, sex and place of residence. The investigation was conducted using the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), a reliable method for clinical studies that measures three dimensions of personality: neuroticism, psychoticism and introverted/extroverted. RESULTS: The results from the EPQ were compared to the three disease categories that cause renal failure: glomerulonephritis, polycystic disease, and vascular disease. It was concluded that haemodialysis systematically affected all three scales of personality disorders in the patients. Male patients scored higher in neuroticism, while female patients appeared to score higher in psychoticism. Renal disease, the responsible factor for renal failure and the need for haemodialysis, significantly affected personality disorders. CONCLUSION: The findings show that dialysis modality influences the personalities of patients, and that initial renal disease must be strongly considered in the psychosocial evaluation and care of these patients.