Roman Szałachowski

Abstract: A growing number of researchers are testing potential problematic forms of religiousness that denote anxieties regarding sacred matters. However, only a few studies have assessed how religious/spiritual struggle is associated with positive outcomes. Because people’s coping responses to stressors are key determinants of their well-being, we expected that different coping strategies could be potential mediators between religious problems/tensions and life satisfaction. The research was conducted on a group of 744 Roman Catholics. We used the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, Satisfaction with Life Scale, and Brief Coping Orientation to Problems Experienced (COPE) questionnaire. The outcomes show that religious comfort correlated positively with life satisfaction, while fear/guilt, negative emotions toward God, and negative social interactions surrounding religion correlated negatively with life satisfaction. Our research amplifies the understanding of the religious/spiritual struggles and life satisfaction relationship, mediated by “secular” coping strategies. It confirms that both religious and secular methods of experiencing different strains seem to coexist with multiple other strategies in the context of broadly understood life satisfaction.

Abstract: Scientific achievements concerning the direct relation between personality traits and positive orientation among patients with multiple sclerosis do not explain the role of potential mediators. In fact, some researchers argue that the traits–positivity association is much more complex than it seems to be. For this reason, we made an attempt to analyze the indirect relationship between the above-mentioned variables, including meaning in life as a mediator. In total, 618 patients with MS took part in the study. The NEO Five-Factor Inventory, the Positive Orientation Scale, and the Meaning in Life Questionnaire were used. The results showed that positive orientation/the presence of meaning/searching for meaning correlated positively with extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness, and were negatively associated with neuroticism. Moreover, meaning in life in both its dimensions acted as a mediator in 9 of 10 models. It can be assumed that a propensity to establish interpersonal relationships (extraversion), use active imagination (openness), inspire confidence among others (agreeableness), and take responsibility (conscientiousness) can have an impact on someone’s positive attitude toward oneself and the surrounding world (positive orientation) when people have meaning in life and when they are seeking it.

Abstract: Based on Huber’s centrality of religiosity concept, a non-experimental research project was designed in a group of 178 women and 72 men, voluntary participants in online studies, quarantined at home during the first weeks (the first wave) of the pandemic, to determine whether and to what extent religiosity, understood as a multidimensional construct, was a predictor of the worsening of PTSD and depression symptoms in the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic. The study made use of CRS Huber’s scale to study the centrality of religiosity, Spitzer’s PHQ-9 to determine the severity of depression, and Weiss and Marmar’s IES-R to measure the symptoms of PTSD. Our study, which provided interesting and non-obvious insights into the relationship between the studied variables, did not fully explain the protective nature of religiosity in dealing with pandemic stress. Out of five components of religiosity understood in accordance with Huber’s concept (interest in religious issues, religious beliefs, prayer, religious experience, and cult), two turned out to contribute to modifications in the severity of psychopathological reactions of the respondents to stress caused by the pandemic during its first wave. A protective role was played by prayer, which inhibited the worsening of PTSD symptoms, whereas religious experience aggravated them. This means that in order to interpret the effect of religiosity on the mental functioning of the respondents in a time of crisis (the COVID-19 pandemic), we should not try to explain this effect in a simple and linear way, because religious life may not only bring security and solace, but also be a source of stress and an inner struggle.

Abstract: Based on the concepts of Pargament’s adaptational functions of religiosity, Huber’s centrality of religiosity, and Block’s conceptualisation of ego-resiliency as psychosocial resources, a nonexperimental, moderated mediation project was designed for a group of 175 women and 57 men who voluntarily participated in an online study to determine whether and to what extent religiosity mediated or moderated the relationship between ego-resiliency and the severity of PTSD and depression during the COVID-19 epidemic. The analyses carried out showed that the studied variables, ego-resiliency and centrality of religiosity, were predictors of the intensity of some psychopathological reactions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic but were not connected via a mediation relationship. Therefore, one question remains open: what is the role of ego-resiliency and the nature of the stated immunogenic effect of the centrality of religiosity in dealing with the critical threat to mental health that is the COVID-19 pandemic?

Abstract: The religious dimension of life represents an important source of human strength, meaning, and coping for many people. However, the religious life is not always "smooth and easy" and can be associated with weak personal adjustment, poorer psychological well-being, and lower satisfaction. Yet, besides the direct relationship between these variables, some researchers postulate the existence of an indirect association that has not been fully explained by various psychosocial mediators. The aim of the present study was to verify whether self-esteem could be a potential mediator between religious strain and life satisfaction. The sample consisted of 607 adult Christians (49.6% women) aged between 18 and 79. We used the Religious Comfort and Strain Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale. Consistent with our hypotheses, life satisfaction positively correlated with religious comfort and was negatively associated with fear/guilt, negative emotions toward God, and negative social interactions surrounding religion. The same pattern of results was shown in the case of self-esteem. Moreover, the outcomes obtained from bootstrap sampling (5000) with a 95% confidence interval indicated a significant role of self-esteem as a mediator in all of the relationships between: (1) religious comfort and life satisfaction; (2) fear/guilt and life satisfaction; (3) negative emotions toward God and life satisfaction; and (4) negative social interactions surrounding religion and life satisfaction.

Abstract: Os termos religiao, religiosidade, espiritualidade e ancestralidade sao tradicionalmente empregados com base em distincoes terminologicas que consideram embates e sinteses epistemologicas em diferentes campos do saber, como a Psicologia, a Filosofia e a Psicologia da Religiao, por exemplo. Pensando nos distanciamentos e nas aproximacoes entre esses termos, o objetivo deste estudo teorico e problematizar o modo como tais expressoes tem sido empregadas nas producoes cientificas e nas praticas localizadas nas chamadas ciencias da saude. Observamos neste campo discursivo, por exemplo, um predominio da expressao espiritualidade, de modo que tais producoes a consideram mais apropriada por esta se apresentar mais apartada de referencias religiosas e que poderiam, de algum modo, colocar em xeque a laicidade das praticas em saude. Assim, oferecemos a possibilidade do uso combinado da expressao religiosidade/espiritualidade (R/E) como forma de cotejar as possiveis tensoes existentes entre as mesmas e com vistas a fornecer indicios para uma assistencia em saude que efetivamente possa se valer desses dominios para a promocao de um cuidado integral e humanizado.

Abstract: Diabetes is a significant health issue that threatens patients' overall wellbeing and quality of life. Critical public health concerns center on creating the best approach for diabetes management. Patients and caregivers have different approaches to diabetes management; however, this and the associated physiological, physical and mental health issues remain challenging. This review explores the potential influences of religiosity and religious coping strategies on people with diabetes. This study used a literature review approach to investigate how religiosity and religious coping strategies can influence the effective management of diabetes among patients. Based on the literature search, the researchers were able to identify and cite published papers that were analyzed using the descriptive-narrative analysis. An important goal of the descriptive-narrative analysis was to provide descriptions of the selected literature and take implications from the literature. The results of studies reviewed show some religious coping strategies for managing chronic diseases such as diabetes. The studies did establish a relationship between religiosity and diabetes management and suggest that religious coping strategies could positively impact the management of diabetes; however, they reported some adverse effects. Hence, we propose a pathway for the development of religion-oriented interventions and support framework for the management of diabetes.

Abstract: Celem artyku l u jest ukazanie zasadnic- zych ro z nic psychicznych mi e dzy kobiet a i m ez czyzn a – na podstawie literatury przed- miotu oraz przedstawienie ro z nic w zakre- sie religijno s ci kobiet i m ez czyzn w ro z nych okresach doros l o s ci – na podstawie w l asnych bada n empirycznych. Przebadano po 60 osob w wieku wczesnej, s redniej i po z nej doros l o s ci metod a wywiadu eksploracyjno-krytycz- nego, stosuj a c standardowy kwestionariusz pyta n . Prezentacja tabelaryczna wynikow bada n w l asnych daje wgl a d w ro z nice mi e dzy kobietami i m ez czyznami w poszczegolny- ch parametrach religijno s ci we wczesnej, s redniej i po z nej doros l o s ci. W jako s ciowej interpretacji wynikow bada n uwzgl e dniono ro z nice istotne ze statystycznego punktu widzenia oraz trendy, czyli ro z nice mniejsze, ale zachowuj a ce okre s lon a systematyczno sc . W dyskusji zosta l o sformu l owane stwierdze- nie, z e ujmowanie natury i w l a s ciwo s ci p l ci z e n skiej i m e skiej mo z e odbywa c si e nie tyl- ko za pomoc a jej zro z nicowania, lecz tak z e za pomoc a relacji i wi e zi mi e dzy kobiet a i m ez czyzn a .

Abstract: Background: Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental disorder that can result from direct or indirect contact with traumatic events. The current study aimed to evaluate PTSD and its related factors in nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Materials and Methods: This study was a descriptive correlational study. Using convenience sampling methods, 395 nurses were enrolled in the study. The study instruments included demographic information, Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), and General Health and Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ). Data were analyzed using the Pearson correlation test, t-test, ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis. Results: The mean (SD) age and work experience of the participants were 33.79 (6.74) years and 9.47 (6.47) years, respectively. Most nurses (86.60%) experienced PTSD. Multiple linear regression results showed general health (R2 = 0.51, p = 0.001), job insecurity (R2 = 0.51, p = 0.042), decision latitude (R2 = 0.51, p = 0.037), and high age (R2 = 0.51, p = 0.049) to be associated with an increase in PTSD, and having high social support (R2 = 0.51, p = 0.043) was associated with a decrease in PTSD in nurses. Conclusions: Nurses have experienced high levels of PTSD after the fatal outbreak of COVID-19 disease. Stressful conditions associated with an increased likelihood of this disorder should be identified, and coping skills such as decision latitude (control) and social support should be strengthened to prevent the symptoms of this disorder in nurses.