Katarzyna Adamczyk

Perceived Social Support and Mental Health Among Single vs. Partnered Polish Young Adults

The aim of this study was to examine whether young adults in nonmarital romantic relationships experience better mental health and lower levels of mental health problems compared to single young adults. In addition, the current study also tested the hypothesis that perceived social support mediates the association between relationship status (single vs. partnered) and mental health, and mental health problems. Five hundred fifty three participants (335 females and 218 males) aged 20–30 completed the Polish versions of General Health Questionnaire-28, Mental Health Continuum–Short Form, Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults–Short Form, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Results indicated that single individuals reported lower emotional well-being than partnered individuals. No differences emerged between single and partnered individuals in regard to social and psychological well-being, as well in total well-being. Results also revealed no differences between single and partnered individuals in regard to somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, social dysfunction, severe depression, and total mental health problems. Mediational analyses indicated the perceived social support mediates the association between partner status and mental health problems.

Direct and Indirect Effects of Young Adults' Relationship Status on Life Satisfaction through Loneliness and Perceived Social Support

This study examined the indirect effects of relationship status (single vs. in a relationship) on life satisfaction through social and emotional (romantic and family) loneliness and perceived social support from significant others, family, and friends. Five hundred and fifty three Polish young adults (335 females and 218 males), ranging in age from 20–30 years (M = 23.42), completed the Polish versions of the Satisfaction With Life Scale, the Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. The results indicated that single individuals reported significantly lower satisfaction with life and social support from a significant other, but higher romantic and social loneliness, and higher family support compared to participants in a relationship. A path analysis revealed no direct effect of relationship status on satisfaction with life. However, there were significant indirect effects from relationship status to life satisfaction though romantic, family, and social loneliness, and through perceived social support from significant others and from family. Therefore, singlehood may be deleterious to life satisfaction because of the higher loneliness and lower social support from a significant other.

A longitudinal study of alexithymia in relation to physical activity in adolescent females with scoliosis subjected to cheneau brace treatment: preliminary report.

Study Design. A longitudinal pilot study of changes in levels of alexithymia among females with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) under brace treatment. Objective. To investigate the prevalence of alexithymia and to evaluate changes in alexithymia levels among female patients with AIS treated with a Cheneau brace, in comparison with healthy female adolescents. Summary of Background Data. Alexithymia is a personality trait incorporating the following core characteristics: difficulty in identifying and describing feelings, difficulty in distinguishing between feelings and the physical sensation of emotional arousal, limited imaginal processes, and an externally oriented cognitive style. Alexithymia can be common among adolescents and young adults with severe idiopathic scoliosis. Methods. Thirty-six female patients with AIS, aged 13.4 years (standard deviation [SD], 1.7) at the beginning of the study, completed the Polish version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-26 (TAS-26). The second and third evaluations took place at 6 and 12 months, respectively, after the beginning of the study. Thirty-six healthy female controls were also included. Results. The mean TAS-26 total score was 63.4 (SD, 9.3), 59.5 (SD, 12.1), and 59.6 (SD, 12.5) during the first, second, and last patient evaluation, whereas in healthy females 60.0 (SD, 10.9). With regard to the TAS-26 total score, results differed significantly between the first and the second (P = 0.007) and between the first and the third patient evaluation (P = 0.007). Regression analysis revealed that during the second and third patient evaluation, duration of recreational sports activity had a statistically significant (P = 0.029 and P = 0.005, respectively) influence on the probability of females reporting no alexithymia. Conclusion. The prevalence of alexithymia in healthy female controls is the same as in patients with scoliosis subjected to underarm brace treatment. Statistically significant changes with regard to TAS-26 total score and externally oriented thinking domain were found in patient sample. Physical activity in females with AIS treated nonoperatively coexists with lower scores in the TAS-26. Level of Evidence: 2

The Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument for a Polish sample with juvenile idiopathic arthritis: psychometric properties of proxy version.

The aims of the study were to investigate the psychometric properties of the Pediatric Outcomes Data Collection Instrument (PODCI) for parents of children aged 2–10 years, in a Polish sample of juvenile idiopathic arthritis and to compare the results from children with chronic arthritis to the results from a normative sample.

Prospective Assessment of Scoliosis-Related Anxiety and Impression of Trunk Deformity in Female Adolescents Under Brace Treatment

The aim of this study is to make a prospective analysis of changes in anxiety levels and determining their associations with a longitudinal subjective assessment of trunk deformity in adolescent females with scoliosis, in relation to clinical, radiological and brace-related data. The study design was comprised of three questionnaire assessments, with the second and third evaluations taking place 6 and 12 months after the beginning of the study, respectively. 36 AIS females treated conservatively were asked to fill in the Polish versions of the Spinal Appearance Questionnaire (SAQ-pl) and the trait version of the Spielberger’s Anxiety Inventory for Children (STAIC-trait). High anxiety was indicated in 16.6, 8.3 and 8.3% during the 1st, 2nd and 3rd evaluations. Patients’ results differ in regards to the Curve domain; the discrepancies concern the 2nd and 3rd and the 1st and 3rd evaluations (p = 0.028 and p = 0.003, respectively). The only association between STAIC-trait and SAQ-pl regards Trunk shift in the 1st evaluation (rs = 0.48). The logistic regression revealed that the duration of brace-wearing in months has a statistically significant (p = 0.021) influence on the probability of diagnosing patients’ low anxiety levels in the 2nd assessment. Special attention should be paid to patients’ emotional reactions later on as brace-wearing continues as well as to the results which support the point that patients’ perceptions of spinal deformity do not deteriorate with treatment time. Clinicians need to be aware how patients’ appearance-specific cognitions might be associated with levels of emotional distress and relate to clinical and radiological, scoliosis-related data.

The Mediating Role of Romantic Desolation and Dating Anxiety in the Association Between Interpersonal Competence and Life Satisfaction Among Polish Young Adults.

This study investigates the role of romantic desolation on life satisfaction in young adulthood. Using data from a Polish sample of 330 (205 females and 125 males) young adults aged 20–30, who completed Polish versions of the Satisfaction With Life Scale, Dating Anxiety Scale, Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire-Revised, and Social and Emotional Loneliness Scale for Adults-Short Form, romantic desolation (romantic loneliness and lack of a romantic partner) and dating anxiety were tested as mediators of the association between interpersonal competence and life satisfaction. Results revealed that single individuals reported lower life satisfaction and higher romantic loneliness than did partnered individuals. At the same time, no differences emerged between single and partnered individuals in dating anxiety or interpersonal competence. Structural equation modeling results showed that low interpersonal competence has an indirect effect on romantic desolation through higher levels of dating anxiety. Also, dating anxiety had an indirect effect on lower life satisfaction through increased romantic desolation. These results highlight the important role of dating anxiety and romantic desolation for explaining why low interpersonal competence is associated with diminished life satisfaction in young adults.

Specyfika funkcjonowania rodziny w percepcji adolescentów i młodych dorosłych a formowanie się ich tożsamości

Previous studies on the impact of family factors on the identity formation process have focused on various aspects of family environment such as parental behavior (Romano, 2004), parental control (Luyckx et al., 2007), parental support and the quality of relationships between adolescents and their parents (Liberska, 2004), and the level of development of parents’ identity (Syed, Seiffge-Krenke, 2012). The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between identity processes and dimensions of family functioning (i.e. cohesion, flexibility, and communication) in the perception of adolescents and young adults. The sample consisted of 119 high school and university students (72 women and 47 men) who completed the Polish versions of Flexibility and Cohesion Evaluation Scales (FACES IV; Olson, 2011), and Dimensions of Identity Development Scale (DIDS; Luyckx et al., 2008). The correlation analysis and ANOVA test showed that different levels and different configurations of family environment characteristics are associated with identity formation processes in young people. The results also suggest that the observed relationship between different aspects of family functioning and identity dimensions changes with sex. At the same time, the obtained pattern of correlations in the current study was less systematic than it was expected on the basis of literature, and the directions of these correlations were not always congruent with predictions.