Barbara Jankowiak

Background: Although survival in coronary artery disease (CAD) has improved with modern therapies, quality of life (QoL) remains an important clinical concern. Our study aimed to evaluate QoL, life satisfaction, and disease acceptance in CAD patients and to identify their clinical and lifestyle determinants. Methods: This single-center, prospective study included patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention for myocardial infarction (MI) or chronic coronary syndrome (CCS). QoL was assessed using validated questionnaires (WHOQOL-BREF, SWLS, AIS). Comparative analyses between the MI and CCS groups were performed, and the determinants of the outcomes were evaluated using regression models. Results: The study included 220 patients (110 MI and 110 CCS) with a median age of 64 years (IQR 54–70); 30% were women. The WHOQOL-BREF-assessed QoL was comparable between MI and CCS patients, whereas MI patients reported higher life satisfaction (SWLS 24 vs. 20, p = 0.003). Smoking was the strongest determinant of poorer QoL, associated with lower SWLS (β = −2.75; p < 0.001) and WHOQOL-BREF (β = −4.46; p = 0.014). Alcohol consumption (β = −6.22; p = 0.008), hypertension (β = −7.10; p < 0.001), and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (β = −9.84; p < 0.001) were also independently associated with lower WHOQOL-BREF scores. Subgroup analyses showed heterogeneity between MI and CCS patients. Conclusions: QoL in CAD patients might be influenced more by lifestyle factors and multimorbidity than by CAD phenotype. Smoking, alcohol, and cardiopulmonary comorbidities might have the most consistent adverse associations with QoL. These findings highlight the potential importance of integrating lifestyle and comorbidity management to improve QoL and patient-reported outcomes in CAD care.

Introduction: Cardiovascular diseases, particularly myocardial infarction (MI), significantly impact patients’ lives, causing stress and prompting varied responses to illness. Aim and methods: We conducted a narrative review concerning the acceptance of illness and quality of life in post-MI patients. Based on an extensive search of the available literature, this review consolidates current evidence on the proposed topic. Conclusions and implications: While some patients struggle with acceptance and face emotional distress, others who accept their condition are more likely to engage in treatment and lifestyle changes, leading to an improved health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Following an MI, patients often experience depression, anxiety, and stress, complicating their acceptance of the illness. Risk factors, such as hypertension, diabetes, and smoking, play a significant role in influencing HRQoL in post-MI patients. An accurate assessment of HRQoL is crucial for tailoring effective treatments and support strategies to enhance patient outcomes and identify those most at risk of developing post-MI depression or anxiety. Effective physician–patient and nurse–patient communication and support from family might be helpful in recovery. Cardiac rehabilitation improves patients’ outcomes and HRQoL. This review underscores the importance of integrating psychological support with optimal medical care to improve patient prognosis and enhance the HRQoL of individuals recovering from MI. The healthcare system could implement routine psychological assessments for MI patients at admission and discharge to establish a baseline for follow-up. Future research should explore effective psychological interventions, the interplay of CVD risk factors and psychosocial aspects, the emerging role of artificial intelligence in personalized care, and the cost-effectiveness of integrated treatment models.

The aim of the study was to analyze the level of stigmatization among patients with plaque psoriasis according to their demographic and clinical characteristics. The study included 122 patients who completed the 6-item and 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire and a sociodemographic survey. The analysis of the 6-item Stigmatization Scale showed a mean stigmatization score of 6.4 points. (Me = 6; s = 3.7); the mean score for the 33-item scale was 81.3 points (Me = 79.5; s = 19.9). Female patients felt stigmatized more often than males. Respondents living in the countryside had a stronger sense of stigmatization in the Sensitivity to Others’ Attitudes (p = 0.0238) and Secretiveness (p = 0.0234) domains. The presence of psoriatic lesions across the entire body was the only explanatory variable significantly determining the level of stigmatization in the Positive Attitudes domain, either through the main effect or through the interaction with the patient sex. A highly significant difference was found for the feeling of being flawed domain (p = 0.044), with a mean score of 13.4 points. The issue of stigmatization in psoriasis deserves more attention, as the analysis of this problem may provide a better insight into the effect of the disease on the patient’s condition, not merely in the context of its clinical manifestation.

Introduction: Psoriasis is a chronic disease with intermittent flares and remissions. Each individual perceives the disease, its somatic effects, resultant dysfunction and related problems differently. This attitude is primarily determined by one’s characterological traits and type of illness. A primary response to the diagnosis can be denial, underestimation, acceptance or overestimation of the disease. The aim of the study was to analyze the level of illness acceptance and its effect on the quality of life in moderate psoriasis depending on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of the patients. Materials and Methods: The study included 186 patients with plaque psoriasis with Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI) scores ≤ 10. The inclusion criteria of the study were duration of psoriasis > 2 years, age ≥ 18 years, and lack of other somatic or mental disorders during three months preceding the study. The study participants completed the Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) as well as an original survey containing questions about their sociodemographic characteristics and information about their disease. Results: Mean AIS score for the study group was 24.3 pts. Patients older than 40 years presented with lower levels of illness acceptance than younger persons (p = 0.0311). Also, patients’ sex and duration of psoriasis significantly affected the acceptance of the illness, with lower AIS scores found in women (p = 0.0092) and persons with a longer history of the disease (p = 0.0362). Mean DLQI score for the study group was 13.3 pts. A lower level of illness acceptance turned out to exert an unfavorable effect on the quality of life (QOL) in psoriasis (p = 0.0015; R = − 0.33). Conclusion: In this study, patients with psoriasis presented with a moderate level of the illness acceptance, and a significant correlation was found between this parameter and QOL.

Background: Psoriasis is a systemic inflammatory disease capable of creating stigmatization in the form of social exclusion and decrement of psychological conditions. Aim: The aim of the study was to determine the level of stigmatization in patients with plaque psoriasis. Methods: The study included 166 patients with plaque psoriasis (55.6% women and 44.3% men) with Psoriasis Area and Severity Index scores ≤10. The age of the study patients ranged between 18 and 72 years (arithmetic mean = 37.4; median = 38; standard deviation [SD] = 11.0). The mean age at the diagnosis of psoriasis was 21.5 years (median = 20; SD = 9.1) and disease duration varied from 2 to 59 years (arithmetic mean = 15.8; median = 15; SD = 11.3). The study patients completed the Polish version of the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and the 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire and a survey developed by the authors of this study, containing questions about the participants’ sociodemographic characteristics (sex, age, place of residence, marital status, education, employment status) and information about their disease (location of psoriatic lesions, time elapsed since the diagnosis of psoriasis). Results: The mean score for the 6-item Stigmatization Scale for the whole study group was 7.6 out of 18 points (median = 7; SD = 3.8; minimum = 0; maximum = 17). The average score for the 33-item Stigma Feelings Questionnaire in our series was 84.5 out of 165 points (median = 88; SD = 20.9; minimum = 30; maximum = 136). A statistically significant sex-related difference was observed in the 6-item Stigmatization Scale scores, with higher stigmatization levels found in men than in women (p = 0.0082). Moreover, significantly higher levels of stigmatization were observed in countryside dwellers (p = 0.0311) and unmarried persons (p = 0.0321). Patients with a longer history of the disease (≥15 years) scored significantly higher on the 6-item Stigmatization Scale (p = 0.0217) than those in whom psoriasis lasted less long, and presented with higher, at the threshold of statistical significance, scores for the 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire. Conclusions: Stigmatization awareness should be promoted among physicians and psoriatic patients to improve psoriasis management.

Introduction Psoriasis is a complex disease with a heterogeneous presentation, which may have a profound effect on the everyday functioning of patients. As a strongly stressogenic disease, psoriasis may cause lack of illness acceptance and contribute to negative changes in self-image. Usually, psoriasis also has a detrimental effect on quality of life. The aim of this study is to determine the levels of illness acceptance, satisfaction with life, stigmatization, and quality of life in people with psoriasis, to analyze relationships among these variables, and to verify whether they are modulated by selected sociodemographic factors. Methods A total of 366 people with psoriasis treated at the Dermatology and Medical Cosmetology Clinic in Białystok were included. The study was conducted using a short survey prepared by the authors and five validated psychometric scales: Acceptance of Illness Scale (AIS), Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), 6-item Stigmatization Scale, 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire, and Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI). Results Median AIS score was 24 pts, which corresponds to a moderate level of illness acceptance. The level of illness acceptance among men was significantly higher than among women. More than half of respondents assessed their satisfaction with life as low. Men showed low levels of satisfaction with life slightly more often than women. Patients living in the countryside showed high levels of satisfaction with life significantly more often than those living in cities/towns. Mean scores for the 6-item Stigmatization Scale and the 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire were 8.73 pts and 90.06 pts, respectively, with no significant differences between the results of male and female patients. The DLQI scores for the study group ranged between 0 and 30 pts, with the mean value of 17.81 pts corresponding to a severe deterioration of quality of life. Statistically significant differences between quality of life and all sociodemographic variables were demonstrated. Conclusions People with psoriasis participating in this study showed moderate levels of illness acceptance and stigmatization, low level of satisfaction with life, and moderately deteriorated quality of life. Acceptance of illness was significantly modulated by patient sex. The level of illness acceptance among men was significantly higher than among women. Furthermore, illness acceptance exerted a significant effect on satisfaction with life in psoriasis patients. Place of residence exerted significant effects on satisfaction with life (higher in countryside dwellers), sense of stigmatization (stronger in countryside dwellers), and quality of life (more severely deteriorated in city/town dwellers). Disease duration significantly affected the degree of life satisfaction, sense of stigmatization (measured using a 33-item Feelings of Stigmatization Questionnaire), and quality of life among patients with psoriasis.

Introduction. Psoriasis is classified as a psychosomatic disease, since its development and outcome may be modulated by various psychological factors. Due to the presence of clinical signs visible to others and poor social awareness of the disease, psoriasis patients are not infrequently...

Background: Vaccinations are currently the key element in the prevention of the spread of infectious diseases. We studied parents’ opinions about mandatory and recommended preventive vaccinations in Poland. Methods: A diagnostic survey using an original questionnaire was done in a group of 300 parents. Results: A total of 3.7% of parents did not vaccinate their children. 90% were aware of the threat potentially posed by infectious diseases, and 73.7% knew that breastfeeding alone does not ensure sufficient protection against them. 28% believed that it is necessary to vaccinate a child against all diseases, 51.7% that the number of vaccinations is insufficient, and 62.7% that vaccine use is safe. 40.7% thought that unvaccinated children should not be able to attend nurseries and kindergartens, as they pose a threat to other children. Postvaccinal adverse events occurred in 21.3% of children, mainly (71.9%) an increase in body temperature above 38°C. 88.3% were informed about possible vaccine-induced complications, most often by nurses (79.7%). 88% of the respondents were aware of the possibility to switch to an alternative immunization program, 92% were informed on the possible administration of recommended vaccines, and 53% took advantage of combined vaccines. Conclusions: Views on vaccinations were mostly varied, depending on the age, sex, education, and financial situation of the respondents. Most of the parents who did not vaccinate their children believed that immunity can be acquired by infection. They were in favor of a limited number of vaccinations, were more critical of the vaccination program in Poland, considered the vaccines used in Poland to be unsafe, and blamed vaccines for multiple developmental defects and autism in children. Parents whose children experienced vaccine-induced adverse reactions were more likely to have doubts before the next vaccination.

Introduction: Nursing is one of those medical professions that are inseparably associated with being in continuous contact with other people, and it is worth noting that there are things that cannot be acquired in the course of an education. These include conscience and empathy as subjective and ultimate standards of morality, which help nurses make morally good decisions and that represent criteria for assessing their behavior. Purpose: To assess the effect of nurses' religious beliefs on their empathy and life satisfaction. Materials and methods: The study included 150 nurses and 150 nursing students, using our own questionnaire, the Empathy Understanding Questionnaire (KRE) by Węgliński and The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: The mean level of KRE-based empathic understanding was 65.7  9.4 points, which indicates that it was relatively high. The lowest level was 39, and the highest was 92 points. Mean SWLS score was about 20 points, which indicates that the studied nurses were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their life. Respondents with the highest level of empathy would discontinue treatment due to their beliefs or they would choose another unspecified solution. No significant correlations were found between the levels of empathy and life satisfaction and the opinion on the role of religious beliefs in the choice of nursing profession, and regarding religion as an obstacle in performing work-related tasks. Conclusions: Nurses showed relatively high levels of empathy and average levels of life satisfaction. The importance of nurses’ religiousness in making therapeutic decisions did not correspond with life satisfaction nor their level of empathy.