The study investigated whether the level of life satisfaction and general mental health was associated with COVID-19 worries at the initial stage of the COVID-19 pandemic in Poland. A cross-sectional observational study using an online questionnaire was conducted between 19 March and 27 April 2020, i.e. at the beginning of the epidemic in Poland. The study participants were residents of Poland over the age of 18 years. A total of 412 completed responses were received. The majority of respondents were women (75%), 84% respondents were mentally healthy and did not have any diagnosis of mental illnesses. Sixty-eight percent respondents indicated that they had been worried about the COVID-19 pandemic for the average of 21.75 days (SD +-16), while the median period from the onset of epidemic in Poland (20 March) to the participation in the study was 11 days. The main domains of concern included: death of loved ones (75%), severe course of illness in loved ones (72%), healthcare failure (64%), consequences of the pandemic at an individual and social level (64% and 63%, respectively). There was a significant medium decrease in the level of happiness and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 epidemic (p <.001).

Niniejszy artykuł przeglądowy skupia się na implikacjach zmian klimatu dla zdrowia psychicznego. Globalne ocieplenie może spowodować poważne i powszechne sytuacje kryzysowe: ekstremalne upały, susze, pożary, katastrofy wodne (np. powodzie, huragany i burze przybrzeżne), ekstremalne opady śniegu, gwałtowne burze oraz tornada. Rosnące temperatury, podniesienie się poziomu oceanów oraz ekstremalne zjawiska pogodowe mogą Doprowadzić do drugo- i trzeciorzędowych konsekwencji, np. konfliktów społecznych, zubożenia i przesiedleń ludności. Zagrożenia dla zdrowia psychicznego obejmują: silne stresory, zaburzenia związane ze stresem, lęk, rozpacz, depresję i myśli samobójcze. Zagrożenia te mogą wynikać zarówno z bezpośrednich następstw klęsk żywiołowych związanych z klimatem (np. ekstremalne zjawiska pogodowe), w tym wolniej przebiegających katastrof (np. susza), jak i obaw o samo zjawisko zmiany klimatu. Skoncentrowanie się na wpływie zmian klimatu na zdrowie psychiczne może pomóc lepiej zrozumieć czynniki, które wzmacniają odporność i adaptację psychospołeczną, a także opracować interwencje dostosowane do lokalnych potrzeb. Efektywna adaptacja psychospołeczna do nadchodzących wyzwań wynikających ze zmian klimatu wymaga rozwoju kapitału społecznego oraz wzmocnienia systemów instytucjonalnych.

Developing valid and reliable measures of psychological responses to climate change is of high importance, as this facilitates our understanding of people’s psychological responses, including their pro-environmental behavior. Recently, the Climate Change Worry Scale (CCWS) was introduced. This study aimed to develop the first Polish version of the CCWS and explore its psychometric properties. Our sample comprised 420 Polish adults aged 18–70, with a mean age of 26.20 (standard deviation = 10.61) years. The CCWS’s factor structure was assessed with confirmatory factor analysis. McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were computed to assess internal consistency reliability. Pearson correlations between climate change worry (CCW) and experience of climate change (i.e., an individual’s level of perception of being affected by climate change), pro-environmental behavior, ill-being (i.e., anxiety and depression symptoms), and well-being were calculated. Our results support the strong factorial validity of the CCWS, conforming to its intended one-factor solution, with excellent internal consistency reliability for the total scale score (i.e., McDonald’s omega and Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.93). We noted large positive correlations between CCW and experiences of climate change, as well as pro-environmental behavior, and medium positive correlations with psychopathology symptoms. CCW scores were not associated with well-being. As the CCWS represents a measure of a specific manifestation of worry, we also examined its discriminant validity against more general psychological distress markers, and it evidenced strong validity in this regard. Overall, the Polish version of the CCWS appears to have strong psychometric properties, and will therefore be a useful tool to use in research on psychological responses to climate change.

Background/Objectives: The Hogg Eco-Anxiety Scale (HEAS-13) is a thirteen-item measure of eco-anxiety, with four dimensions: (1) affective symptoms, (2) rumination, (3) behavioural symptoms, and (4) anxiety about personal impact. Being a recently developed questionnaire, data on its psychometrics are limited. The aim of this study was to introduce a Polish version of the HEAS-13 and examine its psychometric properties. Methods: Our sample consisted of 634 Polish-speaking adults, with ages ranging from 18 to 67 years. We assessed the HEAS-13’s factor structure, internal consistency, test–retest reliabilities, and its concurrent validity via relationships with climate-related variables, psychopathology symptoms, and well-being. We put emphasis on examining the discriminant validity of the HEAS-13 against general psychological distress. Results: As expected, the Polish HEAS-13 demonstrated strong factorial validity with an intended four-factor structure. The internal consistency and test–retest reliabilities of the scale were good and moderate, respectively. Higher levels of eco-anxiety were associated with higher environmental concerns, the experience of climate change (i.e., one’s perception of being affected by climate change), pro-environmental behavioural engagement, climate change worry, anxiety, and depressive symptoms, as well as lower levels of well-being. We empirically supported the strong discriminant validity of the HEAS-13, demonstrating that eco-anxiety was separable from general psychological distress. We also noted that females, younger people, and those with lower educational levels experienced higher eco-anxiety. To facilitate the use of this measure, we propose a potential screening cut-off value for the HEAS-13, which can indicate meaningfully elevated levels of eco-anxiety. Conclusions: Overall, the Polish version of the HEAS-13 has strong psychometric properties, usefully enabling the examination of climate-related anxiety. Our findings highlight its potential in cross-cultural research and healthcare practice.

Niedawno odkryta choroba COVID-19 jest spowodowana przez koronawirusa ostrej niewydolności oddechowej 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Światowa Organizacja Zdrowia ogłosiła globalną pandemię 11 marca 2020 r., a sam COVID-19 stał się klinicznym zagrożeniem dla populacji ogólnej i pracowników służby zdrowia na całym świecie. Niniejszy przegląd literatury opisuje wpływ COVID-19 na zdrowie psychiczne personelu medycznego. Dotychczasowe badania są nieliczne, w większości koncentrują się na depresji, lęku i bezsenności. Według doniesień problemy ze zdrowiem psychicznym są częstą reakcją na pandemię COVID-19. Istnieje wyraźna potrzeba zarówno szkoleń, jak i programów wsparcia koncentrujących się na zdrowiu psychicznym i odporności psychicznej. W czasie pandemii pracownicy służby zdrowia są najcenniejszym zasobem każdego kraju. W związku z tym istnieje ogromna potrzeba budowania odpowiednich strategii prewencyjnych, w celu zminimalizowania psychologicznego wpływu pandemii COVID-19 na pracowników służby zdrowia. Niezwykle istotne jest szerokie zidentyfikowanie czynników ryzyka, w celu identyfikacji grup podwyższonego ryzyka oraz opracowania adekwatnych interwencji. Oceny wymaga w dalszej kolejności długoterminowy wpływ psychospołeczny epidemii na zdrowie psychiczne pracowników medycznych.

In recent years, there has been a major shift towards bringing nature-based interventions (green therapy) into the mainstream of activities improving the psychological well-being of the population. Various interventions generally based on practising mindfulness in nature and training in psychosocial skills are also increasingly integrated into psychiatric rehabilitation. In Poland, the most commonly used therapeutic intervention involving contact with nature has traditionally been horticultural therapy (also known as social and therapeutic horticulture). A variety of therapeutic methods with an established status in other European countries, for example mountain hiking, forest bathing/shinrin-yoku, wilderness therapy, outdoor therapy or adventure therapy, are not sufficiently well-known in Poland. A specific type of therapeutic intervention based on contact with nature is therapy in the mountain setting, which taps into the potential of interventions based on mindfulness, climate therapy, and occupational therapy. The paper outlines the principles of organisation, therapeutic factors, and conditions determining the effectiveness of therapeutic mountain hiking, also known as mountain therapy or psychosocial mountain therapy. In addition, the paper aims to provide an overview of the tasks facing the therapist/guide. Mountain therapy has a strictly defined therapeutic goal which is pursued in a specific mountain environment. It is important to highlight that the effectiveness of therapeutic methods and the plan of the mountain hike are supported by sufficiently strong empirical evidence. The authors propose their own therapy programme in a mountain environment, complete with the preconditions and consecutive stages of the therapeutic process. Multiple research-documented benefits of the mountain setting in psychiatric rehabilitation may convince specialists to incorporate this therapeutic modality more widely into their practice, especially in the context of restrictions related to the current epidemiological situation.