Noncompliance with therapy is one possible explanation for the observation that long-term graft survival is not sufficiently improved by the development in immunosuppression. The aim of the study was to explore the prevalence, characteristics and risk factors of noncompliance with immunosuppression. A total of 161 adult kidney transplant recipients were interviewed about their self-rated health, social support, education, stress from adverse effects and compliance with the immunosuppression. The prevalence of subclinical noncompliance was 54%. Noncompliant patients declared significantly worse self-rated health, less satisfaction with social support and higher stress from adverse effects. Male gender (OR 7.5, CI 2.4-23.39), high stress from adverse effects (OR 12.27, CI 2.44-61.88), fair self-rated health (OR 4.45, CI 1.04-19.55) and fair satisfaction with social support (OR 4.55, CI 1.08-19.24) were predictors of noncompliance. Standardized detection methods should be developed with the aim of identifying patients who are at risk of noncompliance in order to prevent graft loss.

Participation in organized leisure-time activities (OLTA) has been linked to healthy youth development. This study aimed to assess whether participation in OLTA is associated with both physical and mental health in adolescents, and whether this association differs by pattern of activity participation, age and gender. The present study was based on data from the 2013/2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study in the Czech Republic. This data concerned 10,503 adolescents (49.2 % boys) aged 11, 13 and 15. A cluster analysis was carried out to obtain patterns of activity participation and yielded five groups (all-rounders, artists, individual sports, team sports and inactive). The association between participation in types of OLTA and physical and mental health was analysed using logistic regression models adjusted for age and gender. We also assessed interactions between types of OLTA and gender and age. Participation in OLTA was associated with better self-rated health and higher life satisfaction regardless of gender or age. Participation in team or individual sports was associated with better general health and less frequent health complaints in boys, while participation in art activities was associated with lower occurrence of health complaints in girls and 11-year-olds. Participation in OLTA is associated with better physical and mental health in adolescents. The association varies by pattern of activity participation and is partly gender- and age-specific.

Background: The influence of social support on health was explored among gender and socio‐economic groups with the aim of contributing to the explanation of socio‐economic health differences among Slovak adolescents. Methods: The sample consisted of 2616 Slovak adolescents (52.4% male, 47.6% female, mean age 15 years). The data were assessed by a self‐reported questionnaire including measures of social support, socio‐economic status and health. Results: There are significant gender differences in social support, which are unfavourable for males. On the other hand, there are significant gender differences in health, unfavourable for females. Low social support is significantly related to worse health. There are significant socio‐economic differences in both health and social support, which are unfavourable for lower socio‐economic groups. Three groups, females, adolescents from lower socio‐economic groups, and also adolescents reporting low social support, less frequently consider their health as excellent or very good. Females suffer from more health complaints, report worse psychological health, vitality and mental health in comparison to males, to adolescents from higher socio‐economic groups, and to adolescents reporting high social support. Males and adolescents from lower socio‐economic groups more frequently reported low social support in comparison to females and adolescents from higher socio‐economic groups. No significant differences in the influence of social support on health among gender and socio‐economic groups of adolescents were confirmed. Conclusion: Social support is related to health and it is unequally distributed among gender and socio‐economic groups. Social support had a positive impact on health, but this effect was independent of gender and socio‐economic groups.

Background: The school environment has shown itself to be an important factor in explaining adolescent behaviour. The relationships and experiences that pupils have at school have been found to influence their development, psychological well-being, self-esteem and social adjustment. Purpose: The aim of the study is to explore whether there is a relationship between pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships and psychological well-being and self-esteem, and whether this relationship varies according to pupils’ experience of bullying or being bullied. Sample: Data consisted of a sample of 3694 students (mean age ± SD 14.3 ± 0.62 years; 51% girls) from elementary schools in Slovakia. Design and method: Questionnaires were administered to the students. In terms of data analysis, linear regression was firstly used in the whole sample to explore pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships and psychological well-being (the depression/anxiety and social dysfunction subscales of GHQ-12) and self-esteem (positive and negative self-esteem subscales of RSE). Next, the whole sample was divided into four groups in terms of involvement in bullying (normative contrasts, passive victims, aggressive non-victims and aggressive victims). Linear regression was used to explore the associations between pupil–peer and pupil–teacher relationships with the two factors of psychological well-being and two factors of self-esteem in these four groups. Results: As findings showed, better pupil–peer relationships and also pupil–teacher relationships were significantly related statistically to less depression/anxiety and social dysfunction, as well as to more positive and less negative self-esteem. All bullying categories were significantly related to pupil–peer relationships and the four dependent variables. However, in the categories of aggressive victims and aggressive non-victims, the pupil–teacher relationship was not significantly related to their psychological well-being and self-esteem. Also, in all subgroups, better pupil–peer relationships were significantly related to less depression/anxiety and social dysfunction, as well as with more positive and less negative self-esteem. Conclusion: Given the differences found in the connections between pupil–teacher relationships and well-being and self-esteem, between those who bullied and those who were bullied, it would seem that the school environment can play an important role in implementing anti-bullying prevention strategies.