The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, stress, sense of coherence, and life satisfaction during the coronavirus pandemic. Participants were 907 Polish people (522 women and 385 men). We used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The relationship between stress and life satisfaction was mediated by the sense of coherence, and the relationship between stress and sense of coherence was moderated by fear of COVID-19. The fear of COVID-19 acted as a buffer in the relationship between stress and sense of coherence weakening the impact of stress on the sense of coherence. This study is the first to verify the proposed model of moderated mediation during the COVID-19 pandemic and was undertaken in a very large sample. This manuscript highlights the important role of the fear of COVID-19 and sense of coherence in our well-being. An individual’s sense of coherence can affect their subjective well-being and help them to effectively manage stress and reduce anxiety.

Background: COVID-19 is a significant threat to human life and health. It makes people experience fear, stress, anxiety and mood disor-ders, which have a negative impact on their psychological well-being. The aim of the study was to determine the relation-ship between fear of COVID-19, perceived stress, and life satisfaction during the coronavirus pandemic.Participants and procedure: 907 Polish people (522 women and 385 men) participated in this study. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used in the study.Results: Fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress were positively correlated with each other and both negatively related to life satis-faction. Moderation analysis showed that fear of COVID-19 acted as a buffer between perceived stress and life satisfaction – people with a high level of fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress had greater life satisfaction than those with high levels of stress but low levels of fear of COVID-19.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people experience significant stress and fear of infection, which negatively affect their life satisfaction. It can be assumed that during a global pandemic, most stressors are not directly linked to the risk of infection. Loss of job, isolation, lack of social support, or a total change in lifestyle may be more threatening to the well-being than the risk of infection, which many people do not consider as dangerous. Therefore, it can be assumed that people who expe-rience a strong fear of COVID-19 may perceive inconveniences resulting from restrictions as less oppressive than people who do not feel fear.

Introduction The outbreak of COVID-19 has caused fear and anxiety around the world. Health care workers are particularly exposed to stress. Fear of COVID-19 and stress can negatively affect job satisfaction. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between fear...

The COVID-19 pandemic has become a huge challenge for the modern world. How people perceive themselves and their coping abilities is important for their mental health and well-being. One of the traits that may be important in effectively coping with difficulties is positive orientation: a stable cognitive disposition that is the opposite of depression and is associated with a positive perception of oneself, one’s life, events, and the future. This study aimed to verify the role of positive orientation in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress. A sample of 907 Polish people took part in this study. FOC-6, P Scale, and PSS-10 questionnaires were used in the presented cross-sectional study. The analysis showed that women scored higher in fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress scores than men (Cohen’s d indicated a moderate effect). There was no significant difference in the levels of positive orientation. P Scale results were significantly related to fear of COVID-19 (small effect) only for the whole studied sample, and not for women and men considered separately. Fear of COVID-19 was positively related to the perceived stress score (moderate effect). Positive orientation was negatively related to the PSS-10 scores (also moderate effect) for all tested groups. Fear of COVID-19 and positive orientation were significant predictors of perceived stress scores. The mediation effect of positive orientation was statistically significant, but the effect size was marginally small. Positive orientation is an important predictor of perceived stress, which could be related to the COVID-19 pandemic. People with a positive orientation better cope with the challenges of the pandemic and are optimistic about the future. Working on positive orientation can improve well-being and reduce tension, which is extremely important in difficult pandemic times.

Introduction. The outbreak of COVID-19 disease causes severe stress in health care workers, especially nurses.Nurses are at high risk of contracting the disease, as well as an increased risk of developing mental health symptomssuch as fear, anxiety and work-related stress.Aim. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, risk perception, perceivedthreat and stress in Polish nurses during COVID-19 outbreak.Material and Methods. 106 nurses participated in the study. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale(FOC-6), Risk of Contracting COVID-19 Scale and Perceived Threat of COVID-19 Scale were used in the study.Results. It has been shown that perceived stress, fear of COVID-19, perceived risk and threat are at high level. Allthe variables related to the perception of COVID-19 threat were significantly correlated with the perceived stress.The strongest relationship was between the risk of infection and perceived stress. Risk perception was statisticallysignificant predictor of perceived stress.Conclusions. Polish nurses experience severe stress and perceive COVID-19 as a significant threat for their healthand safety. In addition to protecting medical personnel from infection, nurses experiencing the highest levels ofstress should be given psychological care and support, which could prevent the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their mental health. (JNNN 2021;10(1):3–9)

Background Valid assessment of body image is salient in therapy and rehabilitation of women suffering from breast cancer. Adequate instruments are still lacking in this domain. To overcome this limitation two aims were formulated in the study. First, we tested the factorial structure of the Body Image after Breast Cancer Questionnaire (BIBCQ) developed by Baxter (1998) in Canada, in the Polish context. Then, we tested the construct validity of the scale. The scale is based on a multidimensional concept of the body image of chronically ill individuals proposed by Vamos (1993). Participants and procedure A group of 270 women at the mean age of 55 (range of 23-81) with breast cancer who underwent conservation, mastectomy, or lumpectomy surgery was sampled in the Amazonki community. Results Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test the factorial structure of the instrument. To test the convergent validity, scales assessing body self, body image, self-esteem, and depression were used. Divergent validity was analyzed in the context of the social desirability construct. Discriminant validity was based on comparisons between women who had undergone lumpectomy or mastectomy surgery. The results showed that within two out of six subscales proposed by Baxter, two additional subscales had to be distinguished. However, some differences in comparisons with previous validation studies were also found. Conclusions The BIBCQ scale was found to be a valid multidimensional tool of body image assessment in the Polish context. The results are discussed in terms of cross-cultural differences in body image perception in breast cancer patients and guidelines for the scale’s implementation in the Polish context.