Religion and Satisfaction with Life in Polish Seniors: Mediation by Forgiveness and Hope.

This study examined the mediating role of forgiveness and hope in the relationship between religiousness and satisfaction with life in late adults in Poland. Participants were 237 people (165 females and 72 males) aged between 60 and 92. The mean age of the sample was 68.37 years (SD = 6.92), and the most represented religious affiliation was Roman Catholic (98.3%). Satisfaction with life is related to the centrality of religiousness. In the surveyed seniors, hope and tendency to forgive mediated the relationship between the centrality of religiousness and satisfaction with life.

Religiosity and death anxiety among cancer patients: the mediating role of religious comfort and struggle.

OBJECTIVES: Religiosity may serve as a personal source of support when people face a life-threatening illness, but it can also elicit stress. The main aim of this study is to show how various religious dimensions interplay in predicting death anxiety in patients diagnosed as having cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical research, 141 Polish patients who were hospitalized due to cancer were selected using sequential convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Centrality of Religiosity Scale, Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, and the Death Anxiety and Dying Distress Scale. RESULTS: The authors' results show that the effect of the centrality of religiosity on death anxiety is non-linear. We can also confirm the mediating role of religious comfort and struggles in the relationship between the centrality of religiosity and death anxiety. CONCLUSIONS: Thus, religious struggles appear to weaken the effect of religion on death anxiety, whereas religious comfort (contrary to expectation) does not enhance it. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(4):450-64.

The perception of COVID-19, the Light Triad, harmony and ethical sensitivity in late adolescents: The role of meaning-making and stress.

The experiences of inner harmony and ethical sensitivity among late adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic depend on the interplay of perceptive factors, personal resources and cognitive and stress mechanisms. Using a sample from Poland, the present study examined the relationships between the perceptions of COVID-19 and the Light Triad and the characteristics of inner harmony and ethical sensitivity from the mediational perspective of meaning-making and perceived stress. Three hundred and sixteen late adolescents were recruited in the cross-sectional study. They filled in questionnaires measuring the perception of COVID-19, the Light Triad, meaning-making, stress, inner harmony and ethical sensitivity, from April to September 2020. The perception of COVID-19 was negatively related to ethical sensitivity, whereas the Light Triad was positively related to inner harmony and ethical sensitivity. Perceived stress and meaning-making mediated the relationships between the perceptions of COVID-19, the Light Triad and the characteristic of inner harmony. Perception processes and the Light Triad dimensions directly influence ethical sensitivity, as well as indirectly affect inner harmony through meaning-making processes and perceived stress. This noticeably highlights the vital role played by meaning structures and emotional reactions in the experience of inner peace and calmness.

Risk Perception of COVID-19, Religiosity, and Subjective Well-Being in Emerging Adults: The Mediating Role of Meaning-Making and Perceived Stress.

The pressured experienced due to COVID-19 for young people has become clearly visible in the domain of well-being. Although the psychological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on emerging adults have been examined, little is known about the role played by risk perception and religiosity for their well-being. In addition, the mediating effects of meaning-making and perceived stress still need to be investigated. A total of 316 emerging adults (143 males and 173 females) participated in the present study. Using structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis, we showed that the relationship of risk perception of COVID-19 and religiosity with subjective well-being was largely mediated by meaning-making and perceived stress. However, their mediational roles were different and depended on the interplay of perceptual and religious factors, which can be more fully understood within the meaning-making model. Emerging adults tend to rely on both their personal evaluation of COVID-related risks and religious beliefs to the extent that it helps them understand current life situations and restore cognitive and emotional balance.

Polish Validation of a 14-Item Version of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale (RSS-14): Factorial Structure, Psychometric Properties, and Clinical Correlates.

Religious and spiritual (R/S) struggles are defined as the occurrence of tension, conflict, or strain that focus on matters of ultimate significance perceived by people as sacred. The widespread prevalence of R/S struggles and the growing demand for research in this area created the need for a brief tool. Recently, the 14-item form of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale was developed and validated (Exline et al. in Psychology of Religion and Spirituality, 2022a). Given the significance of the empirical research on R/S struggles, we implemented the project of structure verification, internal consistency confirmation, reliability, and nomological validation of the Polish variant of the RSS-14 through three separate studies. With respect to the internal structure of the RSS-14, the CFA from three studies confirmed the good fit of the six-factor model, very similar to the one obtained in the original version of the tool. Moreover, both the total score and the subscales had high reliability and acceptable stability over the three studies. With respect to the nomological analyses, R/S struggles were related negatively to life satisfaction, presence of meaning in life, self-esteem, social desirability, religious centrality, and positively with search for meaning, God's disengagement, poorer health indicators, sleep problems, stress, and cognitive schemas (this category was the new element of our research). Polish 14-item version of the Religious and Spiritual Struggles Scale seems a valuable tool to assess religious strains.

Modeling psychological well-being among abdominal and pelvic cancer patients: The roles of total pain, meaning in life, and coping.

OBJECTIVE: Relationships between pain and well-being are mediated by a variety of factors. This study examines a serial mediating role of meaning in life and coping in the relationship of total pain with psychological well-being in abdominal and pelvic cancer (APC) patients. Total pain is understood in terms of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual components interacting upon one another. METHODS: Adult patients diagnosed with the APC (N = 333) who were undergoing radiotherapy/chemotherapy treatment in two inpatient units of university hospitals completed questionnaires measuring total pain, psychological well-being, meaning in life, and coping. SEM analysis was used to examine serial mediation effects. RESULTS: All the dimensions of total pain were negatively associated with presence of meaning, coping strategies, and psychological well-being. In contrast, the pain dimensions were positively associated with search for meaning. Presence of meaning, search for meaning, emotion- and meaning-focused coping were serial mediators in the relationship between total pain and psychological well-being. CONCLUSIONS: Our results strongly suggests that a holistic examination of pain among patients with cancer is important for several reasons. They also indicate that psychological well-being is significantly influenced by the serial interplay of personal meaning structures and coping abilities.

Total Pain and Illness Acceptance in Pelvic Cancer Patients: Exploring Self-Efficacy and Stress in a Moderated Mediation Model.

Cancer patients experience pain not only in its physical dimension, but also in a broader context that includes psychological, social, and spiritual aspects due to a higher level of anxiety and stress. The present prospective, longitudinal study examined the relationship between total pain and illness acceptance among pelvic cancer patients, taking into consideration the moderated mediation effects of self-efficacy and stress. The study involved a sample of pelvic cancer patients receiving radiotherapy treatment. Assessments were completed at T1 (before radiotherapy), T2 (after 3-4 weeks), and T3 (after radiotherapy) to assess the psychosocial dynamics of illness acceptance (N = 267). The more physical, psychological, social, and spiritual pain symptoms the patients experienced, the less they accepted negative health conditions and the effects of their illness. Stress moderated the indirect effect between total pain dimensions and illness acceptance through self-efficacy, but it did not moderate the relationship between total pain and illness acceptance. The relationships between total pain dimensions and illness acceptance thus depend on both the mediating effect of self-efficacy and the moderating effect of stress. This highlights the need to control one's motivation and behavior and manage emotional strain or tension.

Relational depth from the perspective of the psychotherapy dyad: Psychometric properties of the Relational Depth Frequency Scale.

Objective: The Relational Depth Frequency Scale (RDFS) is a 6-item measure to assess the impact of relational depth experiences on psychotherapeutic outcomes. To date, the RDFS has only been validated in online samples of clinical and non-clinical individuals. This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the RDFS in clinical dyads of clients and psychotherapists.Method: A total of 86 psychotherapy dyads-86 psychotherapists (18 male, 68 female, mean age = 44.34) and 86 clients (17 male, 69 female, mean age = 34.22)-completed the RDFS, and the Scale to Assess the Psychotherapeutic Relationship (STAR), mid-psychotherapy.Results: CFA showed acceptable fit statistics for a one-factor model. The partial measurement invariance across both partners of the psychotherapeutic dyad was positively verified. The RDFS had good internal consistency for psychotherapists and clients (α = .90 and .81, respectively). Actor-partner interdependence model confirmed moderate to high levels of convergent validity against the STAR. Relational depth in both partners was predicted by their own perceptions of the quality of the psychotherapeutic relationship. Psychotherapist frequency of relational depth was also related to client perceptions of the psychotherapeutic relationship.Conclusion: The RDFS is a promising tool measuring relational depth both from psychotherapist and client perspectives.

Therapeutic relationship and professional burnout in psychotherapists: A structural equation model approach.

Previous studies on the therapists' burnout have focused on individual and environmental risk factors. This study aimed to analyse whether variables reflecting therapeutic relationship-the therapist experience of relational depth and quality of the therapeutic relationship-can be related to psychotherapist burnout. Four alternative path models were examined. A total of 101 humanistic-experiential psychotherapists, aged between 29 and 86 years, participated in the research. The Relational Depth Frequency Scale, the Scale to Assess the Therapeutic Relationship, the Psychological Well-Being Scale and the Link Burnout Questionnaire were applied to the research. The results showed that relational depth and therapeutic quality correlated negatively with psychotherapist burnout. Relational depth is the main predictor of psychological well-being and psychotherapist burnout through its effect on therapeutic quality. The experiences of relational depth, primarily of person-centred therapists, have positive psychological potential in predicting lower professional burnout.

Religiosity, Meaning-Making and the Fear of COVID-19 Affecting Well-Being Among Late Adolescents in Poland: A Moderated Mediation Model.

Adolescents have come to be greatly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the ensuing containment measures in recent months. The aim of the present study was to examine the relations among religiosity, meaning-making, fear of COVID-19, and subjective well-being within a moderated mediation model. Three hundred and sixteen late adolescents (173 women and 143 men) in Poland volunteered to take part in the study. The results show that meaning-making mediated relationships between religiosity and life satisfaction, religiosity and positive affect, and religiosity and negative affect. In addition, these mediation effects were moderated by the fear of COVID-19. Specifically, the indirect effects were stronger for adolescents with high fear than for those with low fear, which indicates that fear of COVID-19 serves as a 'warning' factor.

The Religious Meaning System and Resilience in Spouse Caregivers of Cancer Patients: A Moderated Mediation Model of Hope and Affect.

The character of the relationship between religiosity and resilience depends to a large extent on mediation and moderation mechanisms which rely on cognitive and emotional processes. Research conducted within hope theory and the broaden and build theory indicates that hope and affect can mediate and moderate this relationship. The present study explored whether the relationship of the religious meaning system with resilience in spouse caregivers of cancer patients can be mediated by hope and simultaneously moderated by positive and negative affect. A total of 241 spouse caregivers completed a set of questionnaires. The results revealed that hope mediated the relationship between the religious meaning system and resilience. Furthermore, positive affect but not negative affect moderated the indirect effect of the religious meaning system to resilience through hope.

Risk of Contracting COVID-19, Personal Resources and Subjective Well-Being among Healthcare Workers: The Mediating Role of Stress and Meaning-Making.

The latest research suggests that the relationships between the risk of contracting COVID-19, personal resources and subjective well-being have rather an indirect character and can include the occurrence of mediating factors related to meaning-making processes and stress experiences. Protection motivation theory offers a theoretical paradigm that enables these associations to be thoroughly investigated and understood. The current study aimed to examine the mediating roles of meaning-making and stress in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources (self-efficacy and meaning in life) with subjective well-being among healthcare workers. A total of 225 healthcare workers from hospitals, medical centres and diagnostic units completed a set of questionnaires during the first few months of the COVID-19 lockdown period (March-May 2020). The results revealed that greater self-efficacy and meaning in life were associated with higher cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being, whereas a lesser risk of contracting COVID-19 was only associated with the higher affective dimension. The central finding demonstrated different mediating roles of stress and meaning-making in the relationship of risk of contracting COVID-19 and personal resources with the cognitive and affective dimensions of subjective well-being. This confirmed the applicability of meaning-oriented and stress management processes for understanding how healthcare workers' well-being is affected during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Evaluation of Changes to the Oral Microbiome Based on 16S rRNA Sequencing among Children Treated for Cancer.

A child's mouth is the gateway to many species of bacteria. Changes in the oral microbiome may affect the health of the entire body. The aim of the study was to evaluate the changes in the oral microbiome of childhood cancer survivors. Saliva samples before and after anti-cancer treatment were collected from 20 patients aged 6-18 years, diagnosed de novo with cancer in 2018-2019 (7 girls and 13 boys, 7.5-19 years old at the second time point). Bacterial DNA was extracted, and the microbial community profiles were assessed by 16S rRNA sequencing. The relative abundances of Cellulosilyticum and Tannerella genera were found to significantly change throughout therapy (p = 0.043 and p = 0.036, respectively). However, no differences in the alpha-diversity were observed (p = 0.817). The unsupervised classification revealed two clusters of patients: the first with significant changes in Campylobacter and Fusobacterium abundance, and the other with change in Neisseria. These two groups of patients differed in median age (10.25 vs. 16.16 years; p = 0.004) and the length of anti-cancer therapy (19 vs. 4 months; p = 0.003), but not cancer type or antibiotic treatment.

Disclosure to God as a Mediator Between Private Prayer and Psychological Well-Being in a Christian Sample.

Although a number of studies have reported the psychological and physical benefits of prayer, only a few have examined the means by which prayer affects health. Winkeljohn Black et al. (J Relig Health 54(2):540-553, 2015. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-014-9840-4 ) found disclosure to God as a mediator in the relationship between prayer and mental health. In their study, the authors used Poloma and Pendleton's (Rev Relig Res 31(1):46-53, 1989. https://doi.org/10.2307/3511023, ) model of prayer. This study examined whether disclosure to God as a mediator can be upheld with Laird et al.'s (Int J Psychol Relig 14(4):251-272, 2004) prayer model. The study included 285 Polish adults (50.2% of women), aged between 18 and 60 years. The Multidimensional Prayer Inventory, the Revised Distress Disclosure Index, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale were applied to the research. The results showed that the prayer of thanksgiving correlated positively and the prayer of supplication negatively with well-being. Two indirect effects were significant, indicating disclosure to God as a mediator of the confession-well-being link and the supplication-well-being link.

An In Vitro Study on the Antimicrobial Properties of Essential Oil Modified Resin Composite against Oral Pathogens.

Modifying the composition of dental restorative materials with antimicrobial agents might induce their antibacterial potential against cariogenic bacteria, e.g., S. mutans and L. acidophilus, as well as antifungal effect on C. albicans that are major oral pathogens. Essential oils (EOs) are widely known for antimicrobial activity and are successfully used in dental industry. The study aimed at evaluating antibacterial and antifungal activity of EOs and composite resin material (CR) modified with EO against oral pathogens. Ten EOs (i.e., anise, cinnamon, citronella, clove, geranium, lavender, limette, mint, rosemary thyme) were tested using agar diffusion method. Cinnamon and thyme EOs showed significantly highest antibacterial activity against S. mutans and L. acidophilus among all tested EOs. Anise and limette EOs showed no antibacterial activity against S. mutans. All tested EOs exhibited antifungal activity against C. albicans, whereas cinnamon EO showed significantly highest and limette EO significantly lowest activity. Next, 1, 2 or 5 µL of cinnamon EO was introduced into 2 g of CR and microbiologically tested. The modified CR showed higher antimicrobial activity in comparison to unmodified one. CR containing 2 µL of EO showed the best antimicrobial properties against S. mutans and C. albicans, while CR modified with 1 µL of EO showed the best antimicrobial properties against L. acidophilus.

Risk Perception of COVID-19, Meaning-Based Resources and Psychological Well-Being amongst Healthcare Personnel: The Mediating Role of Coping.

The well-being of healthcare personnel during the COVID-19 pandemic depends on the ways in which they perceive the threat posed by the virus, personal resources, and coping abilities. The current study aims to examine the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between risk perception of COVID-19 and psychological well-being, as well as the relationship between meaning-based resources and psychological well-being amongst healthcare personnel in southern Poland. Two hundred and twenty-six healthcare personnel who worked in hospitals, outpatient clinics, and medical laboratories during the first few months of the coronavirus pandemic (March-May 2020) filled in questionnaires measuring risk perception of COVID-19, meaning-based resources, coping, and psychological well-being. The results demonstrate that risk perception was negatively related to psychological well-being, whereas meaning-based resources were positively associated with well-being. Two coping strategies-problem-focused and meaning-focused coping-mediated the relationship between risk perception and psychological well-being as well as the relationship between meaning-based resources and psychological well-being. This indicates that perception processes and personal factors do not directly influence healthcare personnel's psychological well-being, but rather they do indirectly through coping processes.

Self-Efficacy and Psychological Well-Being in Cardiac Patients: Moderated Mediation by Affect and Meaning-Making.

Prior research suggests a potential moderated mediation effect between self-efficacy and psychological well-being. Based on the Meaning Making Model and the Broaden-and-Build Theory, this study examines the relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being in the moderated mediation perspective of affect and meaning-making in coronary heart disease patients. The questionnaires measuring self-efficacy, psychological well-being, affect, and meaning-making were used to collect data from one hundred and fifty six patients (73 women and 83 men) who were suffering from coronary heart disease. The patients had a history of coronary heart disease in the previous .1‒7.9 years and were aged 47‒82. Findings demonstrated that meaning-making mediated the indirect relationship between self-efficacy and psychological well-being. In addition, the moderated mediation effect of positive affect, but not of negative affect was significant. Positive affect moderated the indirect effect between self-efficacy and psychological well-being through meaning-making; the indirect effect was stronger when positive affect was high as opposed to low. The results suggest the interplay of affective and meaning-making processes in the relationship between self-efficacy and well-being.

Can Religious and Spiritual Struggle Enhance Well-Being? Exploring the Mediating Effects of Internal Dialogues.

Although a number of studies have demonstrated links between religious/spiritual struggle and well-being, only a few have examined what makes religious/spiritual struggle increase or decrease well-being. The present paper aims to examine different forms of internal dialogues (IDs) as potential mediators of the relationship between religious/spiritual struggle and well-being among Roman Catholics. There were 143 respondents (81 female) who participated in the study. We applied the Religious and Spiritual Struggle Scale, the Internal Dialogical Activity Scale, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale. The results showed that religious/spiritual struggle triggers IDs. Three types of IDs-ruminative, supportive, and social simulation dialogues-were mediators in the relationship between religious/spiritual struggle and well-being. Although religious/spiritual struggle decreased well-being through its effect on ruminative dialogues, it improved well-being through its effects on supportive and social simulation dialogues.

Internal Dialogue as a Mediator of the Relationship Between Prayer and Well-Being.

When people are praying, they are not only communicating with God (upward prayer), but also they are exploring their relationships with themselves (inward prayer) and with other people (outward prayer). Internal dialogical activity includes areas which correspond to upward, inward, and outward prayer. Therefore, the aim of this article is to examine whether and how internal dialogues can be mediators in the relationship between these three types of prayer and well-being. Data from 193 respondents (143 females) were analyzed in the study. We used: the Prayer Thoughts Scale, the Internal Dialogical Activity Scale, and the Psychological Well-Being Scale. The results showed that internal dialogue served as a mediator of the relationship between upward, inward, and outward prayer and well-being.

Religious comfort and anxiety in women with cancer: The mediating role of hope and moderating role of religious struggle.

OBJECTIVE: Religiosity is an important source of consolation among individuals suffering from cancer. However, religion does not always bring comfort. Religious struggles elicit stress. We examined whether religious comfort predicts anxiety in patients diagnosed as having cancer. Hope was examined as a mediator and religious struggle as a moderator in this relationship. METHODS: In this cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical research, 77 Polish women with cancer were selected using sequential convenience sampling. Data were collected using the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the Adult Hope Scale, and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. A statistical procedure using Pearson's correlation coefficient and multiple regression was employed. RESULTS: Religious comfort correlated negatively with anxiety (.007) and positively with hope (.006). Hope correlated negatively with anxiety (.011). Hope was a mediator in the relationship between religious comfort and anxiety: indirect effect (IE) = -0.07; 90% CI, -0.161 to -0.001. Patients who derive more comfort from religion feel stronger hope and, consequently, lower anxiety. The index of moderated mediation (IMM) was significant when we introduced fear-guilt as a moderator: IMM = 0.07; 90% CI, 0.001-0.007. Thus, the effect of religious comfort on anxiety reduction through hope is bigger if the experience of religious fear-guilt is smaller. CONCLUSIONS: Religion appears to protect against developing anxiety because it enhances hope. However, religious guilt can stop cancer patients from using their religious resources.