Suicides and suicidal behaviors are very important causes of mortality and morbidity and have become a serious global problem. More than 800,000 people die from suicide every year. Previous researches have established that lipids play an important role in the pathogenesis of suicide. Moreover, lipid levels might be a biological marker of suicide. A lot of researchers have tried to identify biological markers that might be related to depressive disorder, bipolar disorder or schizophrenia and suicidal behavior. It was also important to consider the usefulness of an additional tool for prevention actions. Metabolic deregulation, particularly low total cholesterol and low-density lipoproteins-cholesterol levels may cause higher suicide risk in patients with these psychiatric disorders.

Aim. The aim was to investigate the attitudes of men who plan to become fathers or not, and who either attend antenatal classes with their wife/partner or do not. Material and methods. The study included three groups of 200 men: I – those who did not plan to become a father within the next year, II – those who were going to become fathers within the next year but did not attend antenatal classes, III – those who were gping to become fathers within the next year and attended antenatal classes. The original questionnaires were used. Results. Pregnancy should be planned according to 81.8% of respondents. When it comes to 87.2% of men, they reported that man should support pregnant wife/partner, while 65.5% believed that joint visits to the doctor were pointless. Respondents most often preferred interactions between mother and father with the future child in her womb, such as stroking the belly (43% vs. 29.8%) and talking to the baby (31% vs. 19.8%). Conclusions. Most men reported pregnancy should be planned. Men had problems with declaring whether the father should be on paternity leave after the birth, and there was no infl uence of the duration of the marriage, the fact of having children, the age of the respondents and education, and the place of residence had infl uence on the above. Key words: pregnancy, attitudes, men

Introduction: The COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) affected individuals and society and caused disruption, anxiety, stress, and loneliness. Being hospitalized during the pandemic increase a patient’s negative feelings. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on patients’ feelings (loneliness, depression, hope, self-efficacy) during a hospital stay. Materials and methods: This study included 207 women, aged from 15 to 83 years (55 ± 21.2) that were hospitalized during the pandemic in Białystok, Łomża, and Biała Podlaska, Poland at internal medicine departments. The main reasons for hospitalization were cardiovascular diseases, abdominal pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia, diabetes, and unknown fever. Respondents were asked to complete the following questionnaires: Sense of Loneliness (the DJGLS), Depression Beck Inventory (BDI), Basic Hope (BHI-12), and Self-Efficacy (GSES). Results: Most of the studied group of women had an average sense of loneliness. A greater sense of loneliness was found among hospitalized women living in the countryside—the lowest sense of loneliness and depression was among women with higher education and the highest sense of effectiveness. One-third of respondents had a moderate degree of depression. Of the respondents, 39% had a relatively high level of basic hope. The assessment of self-efficacy demonstrated that 52% of the respondents showed a high sense of self-efficacy, an average sense of self-efficacy was shown by 35.5% of the respondents, and a low sense of self-efficacy was shown by 12.6% of the respondents. Conclusions: Numerous hospitalized women during the COVID-19 pandemic, despite experiencing moderate depression, had an average sense of loneliness and a high level of hope and self-efficacy.

Owing to medical advances and improved living conditions, life expectancy continues to increase. Consequently, population aging poses growing challenges for healthcare systems. The aim of this study was to assess whether men's perceptions of aging have changed between 2013 and 2023. A cross-sectional comparative study was conducted in 2013 and 2023 using identical research tools and inclusion criteria. Participants were randomly selected from hospitalized patients in the Podlaskie Province, Poland. The following instruments were used: an original questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES), the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), the Inventory of Health Behaviour (IHB), the Androgen Deficiency in Aging Male questionnaire (ADAM), and the Aging Males' Symptoms Scale (AMS). Most respondents in both 2013 and 2023 associated old age with declining testosterone levels and considered it to begin after the age of 75. Men generally rated their health as good and regarded andropause as a natural process. Psychological symptoms of aging were reported by 80.5% of respondents in 2013 and 75.9% in 2023, while sexual dysfunction was reported by 65.8% and 63.3%, respectively. More than half of the respondents had no depressive symptoms according to the BDI. Men with high self-efficacy predominated in both study periods. Respondents' knowledge of the aging process remains incomplete and often inaccurate. Despite this, men generally rated their health positively and perceived andropause as a natural process. Psychological symptoms of aging and sexual dysfunction were reported by a substantial proportion of participants.

Aim. To investigate the attitudes of men who plan to become fathers or not, and who either participate in antenatal classes regarding the birth or not. Material and methods. The study included three groups of 200 men each: I - those who do not plan to become fathers, II - who will be fathers and have not attended antenatal classes, III - who will be fathers and have attended antenatal classes. A self-authored questionnaire was used. Results. Only 34.5% of respondents participated in the previous birth. The feelings before childbirth were dominated by fear of seeing blood, helplessness in the face of the woman’s suffering and fear. The best place to give birth is a hospital, and the best way to participate in the act of giving birth is to hold the hand of the woman giving birth (36.1%). Conclusions. The willingness to participate in childbirth was influenced by participation in childbirth classes, and not by the duration of marriage, having children, age, place of residence, or education. Demographic variables did not influence men’s perception of the benefits of shared birth. Only education was a factor having influence on the belief that giving birth together reduces fear, loneliness and brings spouses closer.