Background: The number of meteoropaths, or people negatively affected by weather conditions, is rising dramatically. Meteoropathy is developing rapidly due to ever poorer adaptations of people to changes in weather conditions. Strong weather stimuli may not only exacerbate symptoms in people with diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems but may also induce aggressive behavior. Researchers have shown that patients suffering from mental illnesses are most vulnerable to changes in the weather and postulate a connection between the seasons and aggressive behavior. Methods: The goal of the study was to analyze the relationship between coercive measures and weather factors. The researchers identified what meteorological conditions prevailed on days with an increased number of incidents of aggressive behavior leading to the use of physical coercion towards patients in a psychiatric hospital in Poland. In order to determine the impact of weather conditions on the frequency at which physical coercion measures were used, the hospital’s “coercion sheets” from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2017 were analyzed. The data were correlated with meteorological data. In order to determine the relationship between the occurrence of specific weather conditions and the number of coercive interventions (N), researchers utilized Spearman’s rank correlation analysis together with two-dimensional scatter diagrams (dependency models), multiple regression, stepwise regression, frequencies, and conditional probability (%). Results: Lower barometric pressure and foehn wind increased aggressive behavior in patients that led to coercive measures. For temperature (positive correlation) and humidity (negative correlation), there was a poor but statistically significant correlation. Conclusions: Monitoring weather conditions might be useful in predicting and preventing aggression by patients who are susceptible to weather changes

Phenomenon: Patient aggression directed toward medical personnel, including medical school students during their internships, is an increasingly important issue. To minimize this phenomenon, violence management training programs were carried out. Approach: To assess the efficacy of a violence management training program among medical school students and evaluate changes in the perception of aggressive behavior in relation to the participants’ sense of self-efficacy and self-confidence by sex. A quasi-experimental examination of medical school students was performed before and after completion of a training program. Two hundred seventy-six students, including students of medicine, nursing, emergency medical services, and physiotherapy, participated in the study. Three standardized questionnaires were used: The Perception of Aggression Scale (POAS), the Hope for Success Questionnaire (HSQ), and the General Self -Efficacy Scale (GSES). Findings: The training program had a positive impact on the sense of self-efficacy in both men and women. However, the perception of aggressive behavior changed only in women and the impact of such intervention was higher for women. Further studies should look at the long-term outcomes.

We studied perceptions of Oklahoma public school students (n = 7,848) regarding bullying. Specifically, we asked for their thoughts about the seriousness of bullying, the hurtfulness of bullying, their involvement in bullying (as victim or perpetrator), their responses to being bullied or seeing someone else being bullied, and what they wanted adults to do to make the situation better. Children who were bullied frequently worried more about bullying, thought bullying was more serious and hurtful, and wanted adults to do more to fix the situation. To improve the situation, children wanted adults to provide better supervision.

Polish women have not been studied in regard to fear, likelihood, or confidence about dangerous situations, nor has there been an instrument to measure those perceptions. The purpose of the study was fourfold: first, to present the Polish translation and validation of the Perception of Dangerous Situations Scale (PDSS-P) and second, to assess Polish women’s perceived fear, likelihood, and confidence about dangerous situations using the PDSS-P (41 items). The third purpose was to determine to what degree the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and/or the Hope for Success Scale (KNS) correlated with any of the three subscales of the PDSS-P. The fourth purpose was to determine the congruence of the PDSS-P to the original PDSS. Two other tools (GSES and KNS) were administered to determine concurrent validity with the PDSS. A sample of 208 women aged 19 to 27 years (M = 21.04, SD = 1.88) participated in the study. Five factors were determined for each subscale, similar to the original version of the PDSS. Women reported they were more afraid of being raped by a stranger than being murdered. Their estimation of the likelihood of some serious events occurring was not congruent with statistical realities. The women thought the least likely events to happen to them in the next year would be being raped or beaten by someone they know, or being held prisoner by someone who wanted to murder them. Confidence to manage dangerous situations was low in cases of being raped by strangers or known people, being kidnapped, or being attacked. The GSES and KNS provided useful information, in that they did not measure the same constructs as the PDSS-P.

The impact of computer games on human functioning has become the sub­ject of many studies and scientific reports. With the development of technol­ogy, games have transcended boards and become part of the video entertain­ment industry. However, technology did not end traditional games. It was only a matter of time before games were extended to other areas of life. Because games were so popular, educators found that students engage quickly with educational games. The article explains the aspects of serious games (SG), which are defined as digital games used for purposes other than entertain­ment. It describes the areas in which games can be used in the educational process, their effectiveness, and controversies regarding their use.