Joanna Dymecka

Dr. Joanna Dymecka

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

9Years (2018-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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31 March 2021 in Psychology, Health & Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Closed access
JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
Rafał GerymskiRafał Gerymski
Rafał Gerymski
AMAnna Machnik-Czerwik
Anna Machnik-Czerwik
The aim of the present study was to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, stress, sense of coherence, and life satisfaction during the coronavirus pandemic. Participants were 907 Polish people (522 women and 385 men). We used the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6), Sense of Coherence Scale (SOC-29) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. The relationship between stress and life satisfaction was mediated by the sense of coherence, and the relationship between stress and sense of coherence was moderated by fear of COVID-19. The fear of COVID-19 acted as a buffer in the relationship between stress and sense of coherence weakening the impact of stress on the sense of coherence. This study is the first to verify the proposed model of moderated mediation during the COVID-19 pandemic and was undertaken in a very large sample. This manuscript highlights the important role of the fear of COVID-19 and sense of coherence in our well-being. An individual’s sense of coherence can affect their subjective well-being and help them to effectively manage stress and reduce anxiety.

26 December 2020 in Health Psychology Report
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
Rafał GerymskiRafał Gerymski
Rafał Gerymski
AMAnna Machnik-Czerwik
Anna Machnik-Czerwik
Background: COVID-19 is a significant threat to human life and health. It makes people experience fear, stress, anxiety and mood disor-ders, which have a negative impact on their psychological well-being. The aim of the study was to determine the relation-ship between fear of COVID-19, perceived stress, and life satisfaction during the coronavirus pandemic.Participants and procedure: 907 Polish people (522 women and 385 men) participated in this study. The Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6) and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS) were used in the study.Results: Fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress were positively correlated with each other and both negatively related to life satis-faction. Moderation analysis showed that fear of COVID-19 acted as a buffer between perceived stress and life satisfaction – people with a high level of fear of COVID-19 and perceived stress had greater life satisfaction than those with high levels of stress but low levels of fear of COVID-19.Conclusions: During the COVID-19 pandemic, people experience significant stress and fear of infection, which negatively affect their life satisfaction. It can be assumed that during a global pandemic, most stressors are not directly linked to the risk of infection. Loss of job, isolation, lack of social support, or a total change in lifestyle may be more threatening to the well-being than the risk of infection, which many people do not consider as dangerous. Therefore, it can be assumed that people who expe-rience a strong fear of COVID-19 may perceive inconveniences resulting from restrictions as less oppressive than people who do not feel fear.

JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
Rafał GerymskiRafał Gerymski
Rafał Gerymski
AIAdrianna Iszczuk
Adrianna Iszczuk
MBMariola Bidzan
Mariola Bidzan
The COVID-19 pandemic is the largest pandemic of an aggressive coronavirus in the human population in the 21st century. The pandemic may have a negative emotional impact on pregnant women, causing fear and stress. Negative feelings during pregnancy later affect fear of childbirth. Our study aimed to determine the relationship between fear of COVID-19, stress and fear of childbirth. We assume that fear of COVID-19 will be a mediator of the relationship between perceived stress and fear of childbirth. A total of 262 Polish pregnant women participated in this study. Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FOC-6) and Labour Anxiety Questionnaire (KLP II) were used in the study. There was a statistically significant, moderate, and positive relationship between perceived stress, fear of COVID-19, and fear of childbirth. Fear of COVID-19 was a statistically significant mediator in the relationship between perceived stress and fear of childbirth. The COVID-19 epidemic may have a negative emotional impact on pregnant women, causing fear, stress and increased fear of childbirth. Childbirth during the COVID-19 pandemic is perceived by women as a threat to their well-being and health. Therefore, it is especially important to support a woman in the perinatal period and to enable her to give birth to a child.

JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
Rafał GerymskiRafał Gerymski
Rafał Gerymski
RTRafał Tataruch
Rafał Tataruch
MBMariola Bidzan
Mariola Bidzan
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic progressive demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that leads to permanent disability and many neurological symptoms, making everyday functioning difficult. The predictors of the acceptance of illness and the health-related quality of life in people with MS include the degree of disability, neurological symptoms and psychosocial factors, such as personal resources. The aim of our study is to determine the relationships among disability, fatigue, self-efficacy, acceptance of illness and quality of life. The study group consisted of 137 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis—73 women and 64 men. EDSS, GNDS, LSES, AIS and MSIS-29 were used in the present study. The results show that all tested variables were significantly correlated with each other. Disability and fatigue were significant predictors of both the physical and psychological aspects of patients’ quality of life. Self-efficacy was a significant predictor of both the acceptance of illness and the psychological aspect of patients’ quality of life. Based on the current research study, it can be concluded that factors of a biomedical nature explain other aspects of struggling with the disease, rather than psychological resources.

JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
MBMariola Bidzan
Mariola Bidzan
The aim of this research was to assess the level of adaptation to multiple sclerosis (Sclerosis multiplex; MS) and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of the study population as well as to determine the relationship between biomedical factors related to the course of multiple sclerosis, adaptation to the disease, and HRQoL. Analysis of medical records, clinical and psychological interviews, the Extended Disability Status Scale (EDSS), Guy’s Neurological Disability Scale (GNDS), the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), and the Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale 29 (MSIS-29) were collected from 137 patients with MS. It was found that there was a relation between motor impairment, neurological disability, adaptation to illness, and HRQoL; it was also found that there were negative correlations between adaptation to illness and the severity of lower-limb disability, fatigue, mood disorders, other problems related to MS, and upper-limb disability. Of all the symptoms, lower-limb disability, fatigue, and mood disorders had the strongest relation with adaptation. All of the analysed symptoms were found to correlate with HRQoL. Of all the symptoms, HRQoL was most affected by lower- and upper-limb disability, fatigue, other MS problems, and mood disorders.

19 March 2022 in Journal of Clinical Medicine
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
JDJoanna Dymecka
Joanna Dymecka
Rafał GerymskiRafał Gerymski
Rafał Gerymski
RTRafał Tataruch
Rafał Tataruch
MBMariola Bidzan
Mariola Bidzan
Multiple sclerosis is a progressive demyelinating disease of the central nervous system that can lead to permanent disability and significantly impact the quality of life. The present study explores the relationship between neurological disability and disease symptoms, quality of life, and the level of sense of coherence, which is an important resource for coping with the disease. EDSS, GNDS, SOC-29, and MSIS-29 were used in the presented study. The study group consisted of 137 people diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The study showed the correlation between most of the analyzed variables. Mood disability and fatigue were significant predictors of the sense of coherence and explained 34% of its variance. Physical disability and fatigue served as significant predictors of the physical aspect of quality of life, explaining 49% of its variance. Fatigue and sense of coherence were significant predictors of the psychological aspect of quality of life, explaining 47% of the variance. In studies on a group of people with multiple sclerosis, it is worth considering, in addition to the level of disability, also invisible symptoms, such as fatigue or mood disability, which are important for the quality of life and the level of resources. As this study suggests, a sense of coherence is a resource essential for the quality of life of people with disabilities.