Background: The effort-reward imbalance (ERI) model by Siegrist encouraged numerous scientific investigations that reported particular ties between psychosocial risks and poor self-reported health (SRH), while psychosocial work-related stress has also been linked to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). The aim of this study was to examine the health status and the perceived levels of occupational stress of university employees and to analyse the findings according to the employees’ effort and reward structure of work, perceived overall stress, SRH and the presence of MSDs. Design and methods: 398 employees – including healthcare professionals, academic personnel and workers with administrative or other jobs – employed at the University of Szeged, Faculty of Medicine were investigated with a self-administered questionnaire including the Effort-Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERIQ) and Perceived Stress Scale 4 (PSS-4). Results: More than half of the investigated subjects (54.8%) reported some forms of MSDs. Low self-reported health (P<0.001) and presence of MSDs (P=0.015) were significantly associated with the level of perceived stress and effort-reward imbalance (ERI), moreover increased level of perceived stress was independently associated with the likelihood of MSDs (AOR=1.13) and low self-reported health (AOR=1.30). ERI well predicted low self-reported health (AOR=2.05) as well. Increased level of perceived stress positively correlated with high workrelated effort (r=0.247, P<0.001) and over-commitment (r=0.387, P<0.001) while with work-related reward (r=-0.181, P=0.011) perceived stress showed a negative connection. Conclusion: Our results suggest that addressing the burden of effort-reward imbalance and MSDs would likely lessen employees’ perceived level of overall stress and affect their self-reported overall state of health.

Adequate vitamin D (VD) intake during pregnancy is needed for fetal development and maternal health maintenance. However, while there is no doubt regarding its importance, there is not a unified recommendation regarding adequate intake. The main aim of our study was to measure the VD serum level of studied women, together with its potential influencing factors: demographic (i.e., age, level of education, relationship status and type of residence), conception and pregnancy related factors. Results are based on secondary data analyses of a retrospective case–control study of 100 preterm and 200 term pregnancies, where case and control groups were analyzed together. Data collection was based on a self-administered questionnaire, health documentation, and maternal serum VD laboratory tests. VD intake was evaluated by diet and dietary supplement consumption. According to our results, 68.1% of women took some kind of prenatal vitamin, and only 25.9% of them knew about its VD content. Only 12.1% of included women reached the optimal, 75 nmol/L serum VD level. Higher maternal serum levels were associated with early pregnancy care visits (p = 0.001), assisted reproductive therapy (p = 0.028) and advice from gynecologists (p = 0.049). A correlation was found between VD intake and serum levels (p < 0.001). Despite the compulsory pregnancy counselling in Hungary, health consciousness, VD intake and serum levels remain below the recommendations. The role of healthcare professionals is crucial during pregnancy regarding micronutrients intake and the appropriate supplementation dose.

Introduction: The fundamental purpose of sociological studies is to explore social problems which should be also in focus when examining doctors and medical students. In addition to fact findings, published reports may raise awareness toward these issues. Aim: The authors formulate a possible change of the research approach exploring possibilities to move forward with special focus on the health status among doctors, the role-conflict among female doctors and the professional socialisation among medical students. Methods: Secondary analysis of published studies among health care professionals. Results: Almost all published papers convey the conflict of being a physician in some aspect, but they fail to explore issues related to professional success, protective factors, resources and conflict management modes. Conclusion: In addition to exploration of risk factors, future studies should promote medical identity, should call attention to existing positive examples and should provide hints to cope with challenging issues in order to achieve a successful medical career. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1738–1744.

Introduction: Nowadays doctor–patient consultation is not limited to personal appointments, there are new technical possibilities to keep contact. Aim: The aim of our study was to examine the way in which the doctor and patient interact with each other between two personal consultations and how the patients would like to reach their physicians when needed. Method: Questionnaire survey was done among waiting patients in an outpatient clinic in Budapest. The questionnaire was based on the following groups of questions: habits of visiting a doctor, the methods of communication with a specialist, use of technical tools and socio-demographic data. Statistical analysis: Simple descriptive analysis, chi-square test and binary logistic regression were used. Results: The participants (260 persons) were in 36.2% male and in 63.8% female. One out of four patients did not contact the doctor between two personal consultations. The rest of the patients contacted the nurse by phone or their doctors on their mobile even as per different socio-demographic groups but without a significant difference in between those. Two thirds of the patients would like to have more face to face appointments with their doctor, half of them would like to keep contact by e-mail, and one out of three would call the doctor on mobile phone as far as possible. More men need personal consultations dominantly and in smaller proportion divorced, widowed and patients with vocational education. Half of the patients would like to e-mail their doctor, especially the younger and higher educated people. Conclusion: Patients’ consultation preferences differ by socio-demographic groups. Reestablishing conditions by taking all of our results into account, the efficiency of outpatient-clinics could be increased. Orv Hetil. 2018; 159(50): 2136–2143.

Bevezetés: Az orvostanhallgatók marginalizált csoportokkal kapcsolatos ismeretei, előítéletei befolyásolhatják a betegekkel való kapcsolatukat. Célkitűzés: Az orvostanhallgatók véleményének vizsgálata abból a szempontból, hogy mely társadalmi csoportokat fogadnának el betegként kevésbé. Módszer: A Szegedi Tudományegyetem orvostanhallgatói önkéntes, anonim kérdőívet töltöttek ki 2021-ben (n = 410), mely több kérdéscsoportot tartalmazott (szociodemográfiai jellemzők, családi háttér, pályaválasztási motivációk, orvosi identitás alakulása, jövőbeli szakmai tervek, egyetem alatti munkavégzés, 19 társadalmi csoportra vonatkozóan kedvesség és kompetencia, társadalmi távolság mérése, saját tapasztalatok). Eredmények: A hallgatók a legkevésbé a bántalmazókkal, az oltásellenesekkel és a fogvatartottakkal szeretnének munkájuk során találkozni. Az orvostanhallgató-nők nagyobb arányban utasították el a bántalmazókat, míg férfi társaik inkább a hajléktalanokat, az alkoholistákat, az AIDS-betegeket, illetve a pszichiátriai betegségben szenvedőket, a felsőbb évesek pedig az oltásellenes és az AIDS-betegeket. A hallgatóknak a különböző társadalmi csoportokkal kapcsolatos tapasztalatai is nagyon eltérőek voltak. Személyesen a legtöbben romát, drogfogyasztót, pszichiátriai beteget, alkoholistát ismertek. A klinikai gyakorlatokon a leginkább romákkal, alkoholistákkal és pszichiátriai betegekkel találkoztak. Az oktatás során oltásellenesekről, alkoholistákról, romákról, hajléktalanokról, AIDS-betegekről hallottak a leggyakrabban. Megbeszélés: A hallgatók a különböző társadalmi csoportokba tartozó betegekkel kapcsolatban elfogadók voltak. Az előítéleteik mögött álló személyes, illetve az oktatás során szerzett tapasztalataik azonban nagyon szerteágazóak. Következtetés: Törekedni kell arra, hogy a hallgatók magatartás-tudományi, népegészségtani tanulmányaik alatt és klinikai munkájuk során is találkozzanak a különböző társadalmi csoportokkal, megismerhessék őket, így megtanulhassák a velük való megfelelő kommunikációt. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(48): 1912–1919.

Perinatal depression is one of the most common mental illnesses in women. The aim of this study was to assess the association of life stressors, perceived stress, obstetric and neonatal complications, and depressive symptoms in the early postpartum period and to compare these variables in two groups of women (preterm and term deliveries). Methods: A case–control study was conducted among 300 women who gave birth in 2019 at the University of Szeged. Cases included women with preterm deliveries (<37 weeks, n = 100), and the controls included women with term deliveries (≥37 weeks, n = 200). Data were collected during postpartum hospital stays through a self-administered questionnaire (containing validated questionnaires: the Holmes–Rahe Life Stress Inventory, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)) and the medical records of women and newborns. A descriptive statistical analysis and logistic regression were used to identify predictors of high EPDS scores (≥10). Results: Perceived stress levels were significantly higher among cases than controls (p < 0.001). Higher perceived stress was associated with a higher risk of depression in cases (OR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.17–1.48, p < 0.001) and controls (OR: 1.33, 95% CI: 1.21–1.45, p < 0.001), too. Newborn complications were associated with an increased perinatal depression risk in the controls (OR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.05–5.91; p = 0.039) but not in the cases (OR: 2.79, 95% CI: 0.79–9.85; p = 0.111). It is supposed that premature birth was stressful itself, and women with preterm babies were less sensitive to any complications occurring in their newborns compared to women with term newborns. Neither maternal age, education, nor obstetric complications predicted depressive symptoms. Conclusions: Our findings highlight the impact of maternal perceived stress and newborns’ health status on the risk of developing depression during the early postpartum period. These results emphasize the need for ongoing screening and follow-up measures, especially for women with higher EPDS scores.