Emilia Rozwadowska

Quality of life and satisfaction with life of malaria patients in context of acceptance of the disease: quantitative studies

BackgroundHealth status is one of the basic factors of a high quality of life and the problem of the acceptance of illness is important for adaptation to the limitations imposed by it. The purpose of the study was the evaluation of the quality of life, satisfaction with life and the acceptance of illness by malaria patients, as well as the discovery of a relationship between studied parameters.MethodsThe study was undertaken in August 2010, on 120 Nigerian patients with confirmed malaria. A method of diagnostic survey, based on standardized scales - Acceptance of Illness Scale, The Satisfaction With Life Scale and a standardized survey questionnaire World Health Organization Quality of Life/BREF - was used in this study. Descriptive statistics, variability range, 95% confidence interval, correlation analysis, Spearman’s non-parametric correlation coefficient, Mann–Whitney test and Kruskal-Wallis test were applied and the, so called, test statistics was calculated, followed by the calculation of the test probability p. Results of analyses were presented in a box graph, and a graph of dispersion.ResultsA dominating share in the adjective scale of the AIS scale was the category of “no acceptance”, given by 71.7% of respondents. The average level of a “somatic domain” was 41.7, and of a “social domain” was 62.8. The mean satisfaction of life evaluation in the SWLS scale was 18 points. The correlation between acceptance of the disease and quality of life for the psychological domain was 0.39***, and between acceptance of the disease and satisfaction with life was 0.40***. The correlation between satisfaction with life and quality of life for the psychological domain was 0.65***, and between satisfaction with life and quality of life for the environment domain was 0.60***. The mean level of AIS for the studied population of men was 16.5, and test probability: p = 0.0014**, and for the environment domain the level was 50, and the test probability: p = 0.0073**. For quality of life in the social sphere the test probability: p = 0.0013** in relatively older individuals.ConclusionThe majority of people do not accept their condition. Evaluation of the quality of life was the highest in the social domain, and the lowest in the somatic domain. There is a statistically significant correlation between the level of acceptance of illness and the quality of life and satisfaction with life. The strongest correlation is found between satisfaction with life and the evaluation of the quality of life in psychological and environmental domains. Men evaluate their quality of life in the environmental domain higher and demonstrate a higher acceptance of their disease. There is a correlation regarding a significantly higher quality of life in the social sphere in relatively older people.

Internet addiction among students of the medical university of białystok.

The objective of this research was to assess Internet addiction among students of the Faculty of Health Prevention at the Medical University of Białystok. The present study included 358 students—nursing (n = 232), midwifery (n = 71), and medical rescue (n = 55). The following instruments were administered to the participants:the Young test, a test of the intensity of the abstinence syndrome, and a test of “online” addiction. Students who did not have a computer at home spent 3 hours a day on the Internet; students who did have a computer at home spent 0.5 to 8hours. On average, all respondents spent 1.8 ± 1.3 hours daily online. Internet addiction was confirmed among 24 (10.3%) nursing, 7 (9.9%) midwifery, and 5(9.1%) medical rescue students. The abstinence syndrome was noted among 11 (4.7%) nursing, 7(9.9%) obstetrics, and 7 (12.7%) medical rescue students. Several students had both an Internet addiction and the abstinence syndrome.