Background: The unexpected changes caused by the COVID-19 pandemic related to the fear of developing the disease, and the need for social distancing and isolation have had an effect on people’s mental health. These drastic changes can result in the development of anxiety, depressive symptoms and sense of loneliness. Elderly and chronically ill individuals are at a particularly high risk of developing COVID-19, suffering severe illness and dying as a result of it. Aim of the study: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety, depressive symptoms, irritability and loneliness in the elderly aged 60 years and older as a group exposed to the negative impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and to analyze the relationships between loneliness and mental health of the respondents and sociodemographic variables and chronic diseases. Materials and methods: The study was conducted in Poland among 221 individuals aged 60+. The study material was collected using a sociodemographic questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M) and a revised University of California Los Angeles loneliness scale (R-UCLA). Women accounted for 47.51% and men for 52.49% of study participants; the mean age was 65.18 (SD = 4.06). Results: In total, according to HADS-M, depressive symptoms were present in 19.15% of the participants and borderline states in 14.18% of them. Based on R-UCLA, moderate and moderately high sense of loneliness was present in 58.83% of the participants. Sense of loneliness was significantly correlated with the prevalence of depressive symptoms (p < 0.001). Conclusions: In this study, one in five participants experienced anxiety and depressive symptoms. Two out of three participants experienced a moderate sense of loneliness. Individuals who displayed a higher level of loneliness also had a higher severity of anxiety level depressive symptoms and irritability. Elderly individuals should be under special care due to their high risk of experiencing physical and mental effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Social support has a vital role in preventing traumatic stress in nurses. Nurses are regularly exposed to contact with violence, suffering, and death. The situation worsened during the pandemic because they were also faced with the possibility of infection SARS-CoV-2 and death from COVID-19. Many nurses are faced with increased pressure, stress, and other adverse effects on their mental health. The study aimed to measure the relationship between compassion fatigue and perceived social support in polish nurses. Methods: The study was conducted on 862 professionally active nurses in Poland using the CAWI method (Computer-Assisted Web Interview). The professional Quality of Life scale (ProQOL) and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used for collecting the data. StatSoft, Inc. (2014) was used for data analysis. For comparisons between the groups: Mann–Whitney U test, ANOVA Kruskal–Wallis test, and multiple comparisons (post-hoc). The relationships between variables were tested using Spearman’s rho, Tau Kendall, and the chi-square test. Results: The research showed the presence of compassion satisfaction, compassion fatigue, and burnout in the group of Polish hospital nurses. A higher level of perceived social support was associated with lower compassion fatigue (r = −0.35; p < 0.001). A higher level of social support was associated with higher job satisfaction (r = 0.40; p < 0.001). The study also found that a higher level of social support was associated with a lower risk of burnout (r = −0.41; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Preventing compassion fatigue and burnout should be a priority for healthcare managers. Notably, an essential predictor of compassion fatigue is that Polish nurses often work overtime. It is necessary to pay more attention to the crucial role of social support in preventing compassion fatigue and burnout.

Introduction: Having impaired relations and limited interpersonal contact is associated with a sense of loneliness, and can result in a number of mental disorders, including the development of depression. Approximately one in five adolescents in the world suffers from depression, and first episodes of such are occurring at increasingly young ages. Due to a lack of appropriate support from parents, teachers and the healthcare system, the young person feels alone when dealing with their problem. Aims: The aims of this study are to determine the prevalence of anxiety, depression, aggression and sense of loneliness among high school students, and to analyze a correlation between loneliness and depression. Materials and methods: The study was conducted on 300 high school students in Poland. The study material was collected using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS-M) and De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS). Results: A feeling of loneliness correlated significantly with depressive disorders (p < 0.005), with the strongest effect between the total HADS-M score and the total loneliness scale score (r = 0.61). The overall presence of disorders as per HADS-M was found to be 23%, and borderline conditions were found in 19.3%. In 24% of the students, disorders were revealed on the anxiety subscale and in 46.3% on the aggression subscale. On DJGLS, a very severe sense of loneliness was observed in 6.67% of the subjects, and in 42.3% of them, a moderate feeling of loneliness was indicated. On the social loneliness subscale, a severe sense of loneliness was found in 22.7%, while on the emotional loneliness subscale, it was found in 16.7% of the subjects. Conclusions: In this study, a quarter of the student participants experienced anxiety and depression disorders. Students showing higher levels of anxiety, depression, and aggression also showed enhanced loneliness. Girls showed higher levels of anxiety, depression and aggression, as well as emotional loneliness.

In the face of the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, healthcare professionals, including nurses who provide direct care for patients, are at particular risk of mental health problems. The aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence of symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress among nurses working in healthcare facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional observational study. A total of 333 professionally active nurses participated in the study. Data was collected in the period from 10 November to 20 November 2021. We collected sociodemographic data and used the short form of Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) to assess the mental health among nurses. Results: Severe and very severe symptoms of depression were found in 23.1% of nurses, whereas moderate symptoms were detected in 30.3%. High to very high levels of anxiety were observed in 46.5% of respondents, while 25.8% of nurses showed a moderate level of anxiety. Moderate and high levels of stress were found in 35.4% and 14.1% of the respondents, respectively. Contact with a patient suspected of having SARS-CoV-2 infection was a significant predictor of depressive symptoms. Gender, workplace, and contact with patients suspected of SARS-CoV-2 infection and patients with COVID-19 were significant predictors of anxiety, whereas contact with patients suspected of being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 patients was a significant predictor of stress. Conclusions: High scores for depressive symptoms, anxiety, and stress among Polish nurses during the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic are indicative of a direct threat to the mental health of nurses. Targeted support strategies need to be developed and implemented to prevent the deterioration of mental health in this group.

According to data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development, Poland has one of the lowest numbers of nurses (5.2) per 1000 inhabitants among 28 EU countries. The migration of nurses from Poland has particular importance in the context of scarce human resources in this professional group, especially given the increasingly ageing population in European societies, which will entail an increased demand for nursing and care services. The aim of the study was to obtain information on the intentions of Polish nurses to migrate for work to other countries in the European region. The study included 581 nurses, professionally active in Poland over the duration of the study. The Computer Assisted Web Interview technique was used to collect data. Nurses filled in a web-based questionnaire that was available from December 5, 2011, to March 5, 2012. The choice of respondents for the sample was based on the availability of data. An invitation to participate in the study could be viewed on selected websites from the Portal of Nurses and Midwives, the Supreme Chamber of Nurses and Midwives, and the Polish Nursing Society. The survey questionnaire was designed by the authors, which served as the primary research tool. Nearly one in three respondents intended to leave Poland for professional reasons. Overall, 12.4 % of respondents had already worked as a nurse abroad. The main destinations for migration included Germany, followed by England and Norway. The intended length of stay abroad ranged from 2–5 years. In the studied group of Polish nurses, there was great interest in seeking employment abroad. Nurses tend to go abroad mostly for long-term, repeated periods to the wealthiest countries nearest to Poland. In view of the low level of human resources in the Polish nursing sector, the migration of Polish nurses will probably have crucial implications for the quality of healthcare services in Poland in the coming years. Given the methodology applied, study findings refer solely to the study group.

In 2020 it is estimated that 281 million people were international migrants. Migrants constitute a potentially vulnerable population in terms of facing discrimination, poor living and housing conditions, and insufficient access to healthcare services. Due to the armed conflict in Ukraine in 2022, almost 10 million people crossed the Polish border within a year of the outbreak of the conflict. The objective of this paper is to present the use of primary healthcare services by people migrating from Ukraine to Poland and identify the barriers in access to healthcare by this group of persons. This study used a qualitative research technique in the form of an expert interview using individual in-depth interviews (IDI). The study group consisted of professionally active primary healthcare providers (doctors, nurses, and facility managers) in Poland. Research was carried out in the areas regarding the availability of healthcare, the potential threats and challenges, and possible system solutions. The results showed that the most common cause for doctor’s appointments among migrants are respiratory infections, including COVID-19. Many cases were related to back pain, mainly resulting from the physical work of the patients. Additionally, some barriers to access and the provision of healthcare services for patients from Ukraine were identified. The majority (75%) of respondents indicated language as a significant barrier when providing services. Based on the study results, we recommend creating a dedicated website and telephone hotline for this group of persons as well as the use of traditional media to distribute information about access to healthcare services. It is also essential to focus on assistance for older people, since they may experience more difficulties with language and navigating the healthcare system.