[Evaluation of theoretical accuracy, reliability, discriminative power and difficulty for physical, mental and social well-being scales in adolescents]. / Ocena trafnosci teoretycznej, rzetelnosci, mocy dyskryminacyjnej i stopnia trudnosci Skali Samopoczucia Fizycznego, Psychicznego i Spolecznego mlodziezy.

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the questionnaire used to measure adolescents' wellbeing and its physical, mental and social dimensions. The questionnaire was composed of two parts: the first part contained wellbeing indicators and the second part contained criterion indicators (health disorders and harmful behaviours). Physical wellbeing scale contained the most common complaints due to psychosocial and life style factors, and was measured by three indicators: headache, abdominal pain and backache. Mental wellbeing scale contained emotional and moral dimensions that were recognised as closely connected with the physical disorders from one hands and the process of socialisation from the other hands. There were eight indicators: fatigue, stress, fear, depression, loneliness, helplessness, feeling of guilt, and low self-complacency. Five indicators: perceived social support, relationship with mother, father, friends and teacher measured social wellbeing scale. Each indicator of wellbeing is scored in three scales: dichotomise scale, five-point Likert scale and visual analogue scale. The cluster sample of 445 schoolchildren aged 14-15 years, randomly selected from the last grade of elementary schools of Warsaw was surveyed in October-November 1999. The physical, mental, social and total wellbeing scales were found to be reliable, but differing in internal consistency. The total and mental scales of wellbeing demonstrated high reliability, while the physical and social scales demonstrated moderate reliability. Analysis of correlation between criterion and tested variables showed acceptable discriminative power of the physical, mental, social and total wellbeing scales. Respondents assessed the five-point Likert scale as easier in comparison to dichotomise and visual analogue scales.

[Psychosocial conditions of cigarette smoking among youth]. / Psychospoleczne uwarunkowania palenia papierosów przez mlodziez.

The study was carried out on 13-17 years old school children from Warsaw elementary and secondary schools (vocational schools, technical schools and general education secondary schools). Statistical analysis of following parameters was estimated: 1. Respondent characteristics (sex, age, type of school, grade); 2. Characteristics of cigarette smoking (nonsmoking, age of first experience of smoking, frequency of smoking, planning the cigarette smoking in future); 3. Psychosocial factors (frequency of cigarette smoking among social environment of respondents, attitude toward smoking, estimating of psychophysical self-confidence, estimating of interpersonal relationships with other significant people and environments and estimating of social role playing in youth. The obtained results showed: 1. Cigarette smoking is one element of the global strategy that smoker uses to cope with interpersonal problems in process of socialization. 2. Smoking is a process conditioned by many factors influencing each other. Among this factors, psychosocial elements are very important. 3. The sources of this process are harmful relations with parents in early childhood, especially with mother. 4. The necessary condition of intaking regular smoking is cigarette smoking by social environments of youth. Frequency of this phenomenon is condited by sociocultural factors.

[Prevalence of tobacco smoking and knowledge of harmful effects of smoking among school children in Warsaw]. / Rozpowszechnienie palenia papierosów a wiedza uczniów szkól warszawskich o szkodliwosci palenia.

The study was carried out on 1493 school children (740 girls and 753 boys) from randomly selected Warsaw schools. Among them 1006 attended classes 6 and 8 of elementary schools, and 487 attended 2nd classes of secondary schools; vocational schools, technical schools and general education secondary schools. The inquiry for data collecting was based on the variable serving for description of the prevalence of smoking and determination of the extent of knowledge possessed by the children on harmful effects of smoking. The obtained results were subjected to statistical analysis. It was found that 51% of these children, more boys than girls, had already tried smoking. Most boys smoked their first cigarette at the age or 10 and 12 years, and girls at 14 years. The first contact with cigarettes had already been made by 31% children in class 6, 55% of those in class 8 of elementary schools, 53% of students in class 2 of general education secondary schools, 71% of those in class 2 of technical schools and 79% of those in vocational schools. The first contact with smoking was not meaning that these children continued smoking; from 46% to 77% of them in various classes or schools do not smoke at all. In the studied population 84% (more often girls than boys) do not smoke, but 7% smoke daily (twice as many boys as girls) and the mean number of daily smoked cigarettes is 11. At least one weekly smoke 4% of children. The mean number of weekly cigarettes is 40, but girls smoke 29 and boys 47, on average. Less than once weekly smoke 5% of children, both girls and boys. Most children smoking daily attend 2nd classes of vocational schools.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Knowledge of AIDS among secondary school students]. / Wiedza o AIDS uczniów szkóll ponadpodstawowych.

The paper presents the results of an inquiry examination among teenagers between 17 and 19 years of age. The article discusses sources of information on AIDS used by teenagers and the level of this knowledge. It was found that the knowledge of methods of protection against HIV virus infection during a sexual contact was insufficient. Besides, the authors discussed the feeling of danger resulting from the existence of AIDS and the range of life experience in connection with the disease.