Introduction : Depression may affect up to 9.8% of adolescents and young adults and is associated with significant life-long consequences. The aim of our study was to assess the association between symptoms of depression and demographic factors such as gender, having brothers or sisters,...

This panel study explored the effects of male, female, mixed, or idiopathic factor of infertility on the fertility quality of life (FertiQoL) in involuntarily childless males undergoing fertility workup for the first time. A convenience sample of 255 married males (age range = 22–51 years, mean = 30.24 years), 254 (99.6%) of whom suffered from primary infertility were assessed (1) at the baseline, before their initial fertility evaluation (T1); (2) before their second andrological appointment, 2–3 months after diagnostic disclosure (T2); and (3) before subsequent treatment-related/ follow-up appointments (T3, T4). The timing of psychological assessment was strictly related to andrological appointments and routine medical procedures. Respondents completed Emotional, Mind–Body, Relational, and Social subscales of the Polish version of FertiQoL and a baseline demographic survey. The research demonstrated that the FertiQoL scores across the Emotional, Mind–Body, and Relational subscales markedly decreased after the diagnostic disclosure, particularly in the subgroups with male and concurrent male and female factor. Social subscale scores in all subgroups remained stable after the diagnostic disclosure (at T2) but significantly decreased in the follow-up (at T3 and T4). Significant differences in FertiQoL scores associated with respondents’ infertility factor could be demonstrated at each time point. The study identifies the FertiQoL in unintentionally childless males is significantly affected by their factor of infertility and evolves across the pathway of treatment-related/follow-up appointments.

Cel: Zaburzenia depresyjne, które należą do najczęściej występujących przewlekłych zaburzeń psychicznych, dotyczą do 15% osób przed 25 rokiem życia i mogą wiązać się z szeregiem niekorzystnych zjawisk takich jak: porzucenie nauki, uzależnienia i czyny samobójcze. Z badań wynika, że studenci stanowią grupę szczególnie obciążoną ryzykiem wystąpienia depresji. Wiadomo, że wiele przypadków depresji w tej populacji pozostaje niezdiagnozowanych i nieleczonych. Z tego powodu szczególne znaczenie ma opracowanie odpowiednich metod diagnostycznych. Skala Depresji Kutchera (wersja skrócona) jest powszechnie stosowanym testem przesiewowym do wykrywania młodych osób zagrożonych depresją. Składa się z sześciu pytań dotyczących głównych objawów depresji. Celem pracy było sprawdzenie trafności teoretycznej polskiej wersji skali do oceny depresji KADS (wersja skrócona) na próbie złożonej ze studentów metodą konfirmacyjnej analizy czynnikowej.Metoda: W badaniach wzięło udział 1589 studentów w wieku 18-24 lat, którzy anonimowo i dobrowolnie wypełnili kwestionariusz KADS oraz ankietę demograficzną. Wyniki: Konfirmacyjna analiza czynnikowa wykazała dobre dopasowanie rozwiązania jednoczynnikowego do danych empirycznych. Uzyskane parametry to SB χ² (15) = 968.688, p < .001, RMSEA = .053, CFI = .958, SRMR = .029 oraz ładunki czynnikowe w przedziale od 0,40 do 0,80.Wyniki: Konfirmacyjna analiza czynnikowa wykazała dobre dopasowanie rozwiązania jednoczynnikowego do danych empirycznych. Uzyskane parametry to SB χ² (15) = 968.688, p < .001, RMSEA = .053, CFI = .958, SRMR = .029 oraz ładunki czynnikowe w przedziale od 0,40 do 0,80.Wnioski: Badania wersji polskiej testu KADS w grupie studentów w wieku 18-24 lat wykazały, że test ten cechuje się trafnością teoretyczną i wysoką rzetelnością. Dalsze badania powinny zostać skoncentrowane na trafności kryterialnej narzędzia.

This panel study aimed to explore the effects of male, female, mixed or idiopathic factor of infertility on the course of clinical distress and possible psychiatric morbidity in involuntarily childless males undergoing fertility evaluation for the first time. A sample of 255 males completed the General Health Questionnaire-28 (GHQ-28) (a) at the baseline, before their initial fertility evaluation (T₁); (b) before their second andrological appointment 2–3 months after diagnostic disclosure (T₂); and (c) before subsequent treatment-related/follow-up appointments (T₃, T₄) to be screened for clinically significant distress and risk for psychiatric morbidity. Then they were dichotomized as non-cases and cases. The timing of psychological testing was strictly related to andrological appointments and medical procedures. The research demonstrated that the baseline prevalence of clinical distress and psychiatric morbidity in all the subgroups was similar to reference values, but then significantly surged after the diagnostic disclosure, particularly in male and mixed factor respondents. However, the percentage of clinically distressed mixed or idiopathic factor of infertility respondents remained stable after diagnostic disclosure and during the entire follow-up. The prevalence of clinically significant distress and risk for psychiatric morbidity in the male factor of infertility, female factor of infertility, and mixed factor subgroups decreased during the follow-up but remained higher than at the baseline. The study identifies that the course of distress and risk of psychiatric morbidity of males is significantly affected by their factor of infertility and changes across the pathway of treatment-related/follow-up appointments.

Objective: This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the stress outcomes in health-care staff working during the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the role of coping in the relationship between stress outcomes and mental health dimensions with Preacher & Hayes’s mediation analysis. Subjects and Methods: One hundred seventy participants including physicians (n = 41; 24.1%), nurses (n = 114, 67.1%), and paramedics (n = 15, 8.8%) with a mean age of 37.69 ± 12.23 years and an average seniority of 14.40 ± 12.32 years were administered the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20, Cohen’s Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Emotional Processing Scale, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. The data were analyzed by estimation of simple correlation coefficients and a Preacher and Hayes’s mediation procedure. Results: Participants reported elevated levels of stress (7–8 sten on the sten scale developed for the PSS-10 questionnaire). Statistically significant differences in the stress levels between nurses, paramedics, and physicians could not be determined. In contrast, significant association between mental health outcomes and the occupational category could not be found. Conclusion: Our observations support the assumption about a controlling role of coping in the relationship between work-related stress, alexithymia, emotional processing loneliness and positive/negative affect in medical staff working amid pandemic.