Cel: Celem niniejszego doniesienia jest przedstawienie wyników badań dotyczących skarg związanych z zaburzeniami snu – subiektywnej bezsenności, przeprowadzonych w ramach programu oceny czynników ryzyka chorób układu sercowo-naczyniowego NATPOL.Metoda: Grupa badana składała się z 2413 osób (w tym 1245 kobiet i 1168 mężczyzn) w wieku 18-79 lat i była reprezentatywna dla populacji Polski. W kwestionariuszu zaprojektowanym na potrzeby badania NATPOL uwzględniono pytania dotyczące przebiegu snu nocnego. Kwestionariusz był wypełniany przez przeszkolone pielęgniarki podczas osobistych wizyt w miejscu zamieszkania osób biorących udział w badaniu. W niniejszej pracy przedstawiono jedynie wyniki dotyczące skarg na problemy ze snem.Wyniki: Rozpowszechnienie skarg dotyczących snu w grupie badanej wyniosło 50,5% (58,9% wśród kobiet i 41,4% wśród mężczyzn). Subiektywna bezsenność była najczęstsza wśród kobiet w wieku 60-79 lat. Deklarowało ją 74,8%. Trudności w zasypianiu deklarowało 60,2% badanych, 45,5% utrzymywanie ciągłości snu, 26,4% przedwczesne ranne budzenie.Wnioski: Wyniki badania sugerują, że subiektywna bezsenność jest w populacji Polski powszechnym problemem. Subiektywna bezsenność jest najczęstsza u kobiet i u osób w starszym wieku. Najczęściej skargi dotyczą trudności w zasypianiu.

The evaluation of treatment from the patient's perspective (Patient Reported Outcomes, PROs) currently remains one of the most vibrant and dynamically developing fields of research. Among PROs, patient self-assessment of various symptoms, including one's psychological state, is of great importance. Anxiety is one of the most frequently observed psychological reactions among patients awaiting various surgeries, and may occur even in up to 80% of patients scheduled for high-risk surgical procedures. An increased level of preoperative anxiety has been proved to be related to negative consequences, both psychological and somatic, and affecting, in consequence, anaesthesia, postoperative care and treatment, along with the rehabilitation process. It is also considered as a risk factor for mortality in patients after surgeries. Planning of necessary educational, pharmacological and psychological interventions should be preceded by the evaluation of anxiety level which should be considered a routine element of preoperative care. The assessment of anxiety intensity may be performed using psychometric scales. Various factors should be taken into consideration while choosing the scale, including its reliability and accuracy, the aim of the assessment, the patient's age and clinical state, as well as the type of surgery being planned. In the current article, we present standardised and reliable methods which may be used in the evaluation of preoperative anxiety among patients scheduled for surgery, namely: the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI); the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS); the Amsterdam Preoperative Anxiety and Information Scale (APAIS); and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). A detailed description of the scales, including their main advantages and limitations, as well as their usefulness in both clinical evaluation of various patients' groups and scientific research are presented.

Introduction: Survival of ovarian cancer patients is still unsatisfactory despite the introduction of new diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Women with advanced ovarian cancer with long-term survival are at persistent risk of anxiety and reactive depression due to poor prognosis and risk of burdensome symptoms. The aim of the study was to assess changes in anxiety and depression during multimodality ovarian cancer treatment and to identify correlates of anxiety and depression. Method: The study included 106 consecutive patients with advanced ovarian cancer. Mean age of the study group was 53.9 years (SD = 10.8, range: 23–79). The participants completed Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory four times: prior to and one week after surgery, and before the second and the fourth course of adjuvant chemotherapy. Multivariate analysis was performed to identify the independent determinants of distress at various stages of treatment. Results: The level of anxiety and the prevalence of pathological anxiety (74%) were the highest prior to surgery and gradually decreased thereafter. Irrespective of the treatment stage, the level of anxiety was higher than the corresponding level of depression. History of abortion, presence of intestinal stoma, poor general status, residual disease and time from the initial diagnosis were the main determinants of distress in ovarian cancer patients. Conclusions: Significant changes in the level of anxiety and slight fluctuations in the depression level experienced during ovarian cancer treatment are mostly determined by clinical variables. Identification of individuals with psychological comorbidities is a vital component of patient-oriented multidisciplinary care.

Objectives: Illness perception is a cognitive representation influencing physical and psychological functioning and adherence in patients with rheumatic disease. Studies exploring illness perception in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) are still scarce and none of them have investigated factors determining illness perception. We aimed to assess illness perception and to identify psychological, clinical and sociodemographic factors that might influence illness perception in SLE. Methods: The study involved 80 patients with SLE (87.5% women, mean age 41.56 years). The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire, State Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Visual Analogue Scale-Pain and Fatigue Severity Scale were used. Clinical and sociodemographic data were collected via structured interview and medical files review. Results: Illness perception was significantly positively correlated with anxiety, depression, sleep quality, fatigue and pain while it was not related to age, education, steroid treatment, disease duration and activity (SLEDAI) or organ damage (SLICC/ACR). Regression analysis revealed that state anxiety and depression explained 43% of illness perception variance. Cluster analysis identified three patient groups among which the middle-aged group had the most negative illness perception, the highest levels of anxiety, depression, pain and fatigue, and the poorest sleep quality. Conclusions: The study has proved a significant relationship between negative illness perception and anxiety and depression. Patients reporting fatigue, poor sleep and pain might have special needs in terms of psychological intervention focused on negative illness perception and distress symptoms. Multidisciplinary care in managing SLE seems to be of great importance.

The aim of the study was to assess the incidence and severity of the frailty syndrome assessed with the Edmonton Frailty Scale. This is a cross-sectional study conducted among 382 patients (236 men and 146 women, mean age 71.9 years). The Edmonton Frailty Scale was administered during the patient’s admission to the hospital. The Polish adaptation was performed using the standard methodology. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the whole Edmonton Frailty Scale was 0.709. The mean correlation between positions and the overall result was r = 0.180. There were no statistically significant differences between women and men in the area of Edmonton Frailty Scale mean score (p < 0.05). The socio-clinical analysis, showed statistically significant differences in the age of respondents, educational attainment, occupational activity, number of drugs taken and co-occurrence of chronic diseases. A higher values of the Edmonton Frailty Scale were indicated for individuals >70 years than for those <70 years (p < 0.001). The Edmonton Frailty Scale proved to be a reliable tool which may be used in the Polish population. The use of this questionnaire for frailty syndrome may be helpful in everyday clinical practice.