Eur. J. Investig. Health Psychol. Educ., Volume 14, Issue 5 (May 2024) – 24 articles

Bodybuilding, as a high-performance sport, requires regular strength and resistance exercises with the principal objective of increasing muscle hypertrophy. However, many bodybuilders resort to the use of anabolic-androgenic steroids (AASs) to improve their performance in a short period of time. This study employs a survey-type, cross-sectional, descriptive–analytical method to evaluate the profile of bodybuilding athletes in the State of Sergipe, Brazil, and verify the level of knowledge/awareness about the health risks and impacts resulting from the use of such substances. Finite- and convenience-type populations are assessed, including individuals of both sexes, aged older than 18 years, self-declared bodybuilding athletes residing in the State of Sergipe, Brazil, and participating in regional and/or state competitions. As a result, no significant relationships were determined between sex (p = 0.492), age (p = 0.460), family income (p = 0.141), and medical follow-up sessions. For the variables level of education and medical follow-up vs. no follow-up sessions, a significant result was achieved (p = 0.01), with 74.3% of individuals reporting having follow-up treatment and 25.7% responding that they had no follow-up treatment, a percentage representing the group that completed their higher education. The substances most used by the athletes were Sustanon 250 or Durateston, Nandrolone Decanoate (Deca or Deca-Durabolin), and Testosterone. The most-reported acute side effects were acne at 33.8% (n = 20), irritability at 32.1% (n = 19), alopecia (hair loss), and nervousness at 23.7% (n = 14). The most-reported chronic side effects were arterial hypertension at 36.0% (n = 9), liver disease at 28.0% (n = 7), and cancer (non-specific) at 8.0% (n = 2). We concluded that, regardless of the athletes’ socioeconomic profiles, the use of AASs was high, with two or more substances being used in combination and for a prolonged period. Thus, it is necessary to promote awareness campaigns regarding the use of AASs and their effects on high-performance and recreational athletes. Full article

Choosing career paths in today’s contemporary labor market complexity is becoming more and more challenging for adolescents and young people. Career indecision could take over, and assessing its facets could guide career interventions to support the career decision-making process. To create increasingly tailored career guidance interventions, using a person-centered approach, this study aimed to understand whether profiles of late adolescents based on their career decision-making difficulties might be circumscribed. A total of 776 Italian late adolescents took part in this study. The assessment of career decision-making difficulties was conducted through the Career Decision-Making Questionnaire (CDDQ). To determine the optimal number of profiles, a Latent Profile Analysis (LPA) using the stepwise approach was used. Moreover, a multinomial logistic regression was conducted to study whether school grade and sex predicted profile membership. LPA revealed a four-profile model: “Lower Indecision” (Profile 1, 39%), “High Indecision” (Profile 2, 23%), “Very High Indecision” (Profile 3, 7%) and “Moderate Indecision” (Profile 4, 31%). Being enrolled in the last year of high school significantly predicted belonging to Profile 2 and Profile 3. Practical implications were discussed in light of these findings. Full article

Eating disorders have serious physical, mental and social consequences that can affect the quality of life of the sufferer. This study aimed to evaluate the relationship between the severity of ED-related psychopathology and clinical impairment in adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN) as well as their perception of health-related quality of life. Eighty-six Spanish young women with AN completed a set of questionnaires assessing eating disorder pathology, clinical impairment, and quality of life. The set included the following instruments: the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire, Clinical Impairment Assessment, Short Form-12 Item Health Survey, and the Eating Disorder-Specific Heath-Related Quality of Life instrument. Descriptive and regression analyses were applied to identify associations between variables. Higher scores on clinical impairment domains were associated with greater impairment of mental and physical health. Moreover, clinical impairment domains and concerns due to ED were related to a lower quality of life. In conclusion, adolescents with AN have a poor quality of life. Moreover, the findings suggest that the clinical features of impairment may serve as severity indicators of quality of life. Full article

In postoperative care, patient education and follow-up are pivotal for enhancing the quality of care and satisfaction. Artificial intelligence virtual assistants (AIVA) and large language models (LLMs) like Google BARD and ChatGPT-4 offer avenues for addressing patient queries using natural language processing (NLP) techniques. However, the accuracy and appropriateness of the information vary across these platforms, necessitating a comparative study to evaluate their efficacy in this domain. We conducted a study comparing AIVA (using IBM Watson Assistant) with ChatGPT-4 and Google BARD, assessing the accuracy, knowledge gap, and response appropriateness. AIVA demonstrated superior performance, with significantly higher accuracy (mean: 0.9) and lower knowledge gap (mean: 0.1) compared to BARD and ChatGPT-4. Additionally, AIVA’s responses received higher Likert scores for appropriateness. Our findings suggest that specialized AI tools like AIVA are more effective in delivering precise and contextually relevant information for postoperative care compared to general-purpose LLMs. While ChatGPT-4 shows promise, its performance varies, particularly in verbal interactions. This underscores the importance of tailored AI solutions in healthcare, where accuracy and clarity are paramount. Our study highlights the necessity for further research and the development of customized AI solutions to address specific medical contexts and improve patient outcomes. Full article

The aim of this paper is to analyze the formative and evaluative activities involving statistical graphs in the new textbooks for Chilean rural multigrade education. The methodology is qualitative, at a descriptive level and uses the content analysis technique. The sample is made up of the six primary education textbooks distributed by the Ministry of Education for rural multigrade schools. The results show the predominance of the bar chart, semiotic level 3, the task of calculating and the personal context in both types of activities, although with respect to the reading level, it is evident that level 4 predominates in the formative activities and level 2 in the evaluative ones. According to the results, it is recommended to incorporate graphs proposed by the curricular guidelines of the Ministry of Education, which are absent in textbooks as well as to include evaluative activities that require reflection on the nature of the data, context, representation and conclusions obtained from them. Full article

The study explores how different dimensions of perfectionism influence psychological well-being (PWB) in emerging adults. Literature has deepened the relationships between maladaptive perfectionism (e.g., excessive self-criticism, perceived discrepancy from the standards) and low PWB. Less is known about whether and how adaptive perfectionism (e.g., pursuing personal standards) relates to PWB. Secondly, the study has investigated whether self-compassion (i.e., self-benevolence, seeing personal imperfections as a common condition) may mediate the relationships between adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism and PWB. Participants (N = 217, 18–35 y. o.) completed self-report questionnaires measuring: adaptive/maladaptive perfectionism (Almost Perfect Scale-Revised, APS-R: high standards and order/discrepancy, respectively), PWB, and self-compassion (SCS). Adaptive perfectionism was associated with PWB, particularly a higher presence of purpose in life, environmental mastery, self-acceptance, and personal growth. Conversely, discrepancy resulted in the most robust predictor of low PWB (β = −0.68), followed by high standards with a positive direction (β = 0.23; Rc² = 0.514, p < 0.001). A strong negative association emerged between discrepancy and SCS (r = −0.67, p < 0.001). A mediation analysis shows that self-compassion has an indirect effect, reducing the strength of the relationship between discrepancy and low PWB. Results suggest focusing on self-compassion as a buffer factor that reduces the negative impact of maladaptive perfectionism on psychological well-being. Implications for education and health psychology are discussed. Full article

This study aims to validate the Spanish version of the Measure of Happiness (MH), a questionnaire that identifies the specific areas of an individual’s life that are related to experienced happiness. The sample consisted of 458 Spanish native speakers (65.7% women, 34.3% men; mean age = 24.14, SD = 8.45) and was divided into two groups: Sample 1 (N = 226) underwent Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA), and Sample 2 (N = 232) underwent Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). The convergent and discriminant validity of the Spanish version of the MH and its subscales was assessed by calculating Pearson correlations between the MH factors and the Subjective Happiness Scale, the State–Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the WHOQOL-BREF. The EFA and CFA confirmed the original five-factor structure of the MH questionnaire. The only difference in the Spanish version of the MH is that Item 4, which was originally assigned to Factor 2 “Financial Status”, was reallocated to Factor 1 “Psychophysical Status”. The reliability of the Spanish version of the MH questionnaire was also confirmed, and the factors correlated in the expected direction with the constructs of quality of life, happiness, anxiety, and depression. The MH questionnaire demonstrated excellent psychometric properties among Spanish respondents. Full article

Breast cancer (BC)-related sequelae drastically impact the psychophysical functioning and quality of life of affected women. Adapted physical activity (APA) has proved to effectively counteract these impairments in a non-medicalized framework. In particular, dragon boats are able to promote body functionality, social interaction, and quality of life in BC survivors, but the literature on specific motor gestures is scarce and practice is still based more on a re-educative perspective than a performative one. In this context, the present longitudinal study investigated the benefits of an adapted biofeedback-based sensorimotor training intervention on upper body functionality in a team of dragon ladies. The 8-week intervention was conceived as integrated dry workout sessions led by an APA kinesiologist and applied a novel sensorized proprioceptive device, such as a Libra board. Post-protocol evaluation revealed a significant improvement in bilateral upper limb mobility, core endurance, and trunk stability along with a distress decrease and quality of life enhancement through validated assessment tools. Our findings suggest that integrating biofeedback-based workout sessions can effectively promote upper body functionality in BC survivors practicing dragon boating. Furthermore, our innovative approach could help spread methodological hints able to boost exercise adherence in this target population, thus counteracting cancer recurrence while promoting overall well-being. Full article

In the present study, I developed and tested an R module to explore the best models within the context of multilevel modeling in research in public health. The module that I developed, explore.models, compares all possible candidate models generated from a set of candidate predictors with information criteria, Akaike information criterion (AIC), and Bayesian information criterion (BIC), with multiprocessing. For testing, I ran explore.models with datasets analyzed in three previous studies in public health, which assumed candidate models with different degrees of model complexity. These three studies examined the predictors of psychological well-being, compliance with preventive measures, and vaccine intent during the COVID-19 pandemic. After conducting model exploration with explore.models, I cross-validated the nomination results with calculated model Bayes Factors to examine whether the model exploration was performed accurately. The results suggest that explore.models using AIC and BIC can nominate best candidate models and such nomination outcomes are supported by the calculated model Bayes Factors. In particular, all the identified models are superior to the full models in terms of model Bayes Factors. Also, by employing AIC and BIC with multiprocessing, explore.models requires a shorter processing time than model Bayes Factor calculations. These results indicate that explore.models is a reliable, valid, and feasible tool to conduct data-driven model exploration with datasets collected from multiple groups in research on health psychology and education. Full article

(1) Background: Because life events when there is a family member with a disability can affect the overall family wellbeing, contributing to enhance family quality of life (FQoL) in the field of early childhood intervention has become a priority. However, it is a distal outcome that needs other short-term outcomes to be addressed, some of them under the potential impact of support services. This study examines the relationships between caregiver burden, family confidence, and FQoL, as well as the influence of child and family variables. (2) Method: A total of 58 families with children in early intervention from four Spanish communities participated. Hierarchical regression was conducted to assess the relevance of each predictor. Also, a mediation was performed to investigate the mediating role of family confidence. (3) Results: The family income impacted FQoL scores, and when burden and confidence were added, it was no longer relevant. Mothers with higher levels of confidence predicted a higher FQoL. Finally, we found a complete mediation of family confidence in the relations between severity and caregiver burden on FQoL. (4) Conclusions: Caregiver burden and family confidence affect FQoL. Building families’ confidence contributes to attenuating the impact of burden on FQoL. Full article

Online sexual grooming (a manipulative process in which the perpetrator locates a young person and creates an abusive relationship with the child that involves sexual exploitation) poses significant challenges to parents. This study examined how parents of adolescent victims of online sexual grooming experienced guiding their children through the event. This qualitative study, conducted in Israel, was based on semi-structured in-depth interviews with 15 parents who guided their adolescents who had been subjected to online sexual grooming. Results indicate that the parents reported a spectrum of emotions, from insecurity and guilt to a sense of control and satisfaction in managing the situation. Also, the reluctance of some parents to engage with the education system indicates potential trust issues. The study demonstrates the urgent need for targeted interventions to equip parents and educational professionals with the necessary knowledge for prevention and effective response to online sexual grooming. Implications for future research, policy, and practice are discussed. Full article

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurological disorder caused by the loss of dopamine-producing cells in the substantia nigra and characterized by motor and non-motor symptoms. Boxing is a type of complementary therapy to improve symptoms in PD. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effect of boxing training on the functionality and quality of life of patients with PD. The literature search was performed on PubMed, Scopus, PEDro, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar search engines. The PEDro scale was used to assess the methodological quality of the studies. This systematic review included three studies that examined disease severity, mobility, physical activity, balance, and quality of life. According to the PEDro scale criteria, the three articles included were of high methodological quality. Statistically significant improvements after the implementation of boxing training was shown for balance and quality of life in contrast to the other variables. Boxing training intervention programs had a positive effect on balance and quality of life in patients with PD; however, the results are conflicting regarding certain functionality variables. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct further research to examine the effectiveness of boxing training on the functionality and quality of life of patients with Parkinson’s disease. Full article

Older adults who use digital technology are desired to adapt to digitalization and literacy. One required aspect is eHealth literacy, measured with the eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS). Many studies on eHealth literacy have used the eHEALS to examine the health behaviors of college students, relatively younger adults, and Internet users. However, the relevance of eHealth literacy to social activity has not yet been studied in older adults. The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between eHealth literacy and health behaviors and social activities (community, cultural, and sports activities) and to investigate the factors associated with eHEALS scores among community-dwelling older adults. The mean eHEALS score was 12.4 points (SD 8.2), with the majority (73.3%) having the lowest score (the lowest score is 8 points). Males (17.6, SD 10.5) scored significantly higher than females (11.8, SD 7.7). The eHEALS score had a significant relationship with both cultural and community activity. Five factors significantly associated with having the lowest eHEALS score were cultural activity at least once a week, no cultural activity, no community activity, total IADL score, and intellectual activity. These results suggest that eHealth literacy is associated with community activity and cultural activity among older adults. Full article

Musical performance anxiety (MPA) is considered a subtype of social phobia and affects musicians who must face musical exposure in public, potentially severely affecting their emotional stability and significantly impairing the quality of their performance. This research has utilized previous scientific knowledge on the issue and a qualitative approach to musicians’ needs through focus groups in order to design a collective preventive program for MPA that could be implemented within the training curriculum of professional musicians. To evaluate the adequacy of the preventive program ‘ConfiDance’, a pilot test was conducted with a sample of 17 professional musicians in training, all post-graduate students in classical music performance. For the pilot test, a quasi-experimental model with a repeated measures methodology (pre-post and one-year follow-up after application) was carried out. The results indicate a significant decrease in MPA after the program implementation, with a notable improvement in effect one year post-application, demonstrating an even greater positive impact over time. These data should be interpreted cautiously due to sample limitations but represent an opportunity for the future implementation of a program that can prevent and treat MPA in music education centers. Full article

Recent studies have revealed increasingly worse and more complex mental health conditions in young people, which is reflected in a growing trend in emergency room (ER) visits for acute psychopathological symptoms (APSs). This phenomenon has become exacerbated in recent decades, with a peak in the post-pandemic period. To better characterize the phenomenon, we investigated the change in the rate and type of ER counseling requests provided at the Child Neuropsychiatry Unit of the University Hospital of Bari, Italy over the period between 2019 and 2023 for subjects younger than 18 years old. For this purpose, we retrospectively analyzed a total number of 1073 urgent consultation reports retrieved through the reporting computerized operating system of our hospital. The distribution of the counseling requests provided for APSs and, among these, the distribution of the numbers of APSs and of the male: female ratio were significantly different over the years, with an increasing linear trend identified for APSs (p = 3.095 × 10⁻⁷), the average number of APSs (p = 3.598 × 10⁻⁷), and female gender prevalence (p = 0.03908), as well as for the patients with a history of psychotropic drug assumption (p = 0.0006319). A significant change in the number of urgent counseling requests received for eating disorders (p = 0.0007408), depression (p = 7.92 × 10⁻⁸), somatization (p = 4.03 × 10⁻⁶), self-harm (SA) (p = 1.358 × 10⁻⁶), and non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) (p = 8.965 × 10⁻⁶) was found, with a significant increasing trend for anxiety (p = 0.0444), depression (p = 8.06 × 10⁻⁶), somatization (p = 0.004616), SA (p = 3.998 × 10⁻⁸), and NSSI (p = 5.074 × 10⁻⁷). The findings of our study support the hypothesis of an alarming progressive worsening of the mental health of children and adolescents, with an overlapping effect of the pandemic exacerbating the process. Full article

The main objective of this exploratory study is to analyze the negative effects associated with the phenomenon of tokenism for Portuguese women in non-playing football roles, as well as their strategies for integration into a context where they are a minority and the social functions are dominated by men. To this end, we carried out semi-structured individual interviews with eight men and eight women, undertaking functions in the fields of coaching, psychology, medical team, planning, refereeing, and management in football organizations, and with their contents then subject to thematic analysis. Our analysis confirms how the football context strongly demarcates gender differences with women being more visible and leads to the stereotypical roles being associated with traditional femininity. The findings also observe how, in order to integrate, women align with the norms imposed by the dominant group (men) and accept being circumscribed to the spaces that hegemonic gender ideologies and practices attribute to them. Full article

Sport is considered an exceptional activity for promoting healthy lifestyles, but the relationship between sport and alcohol consumption is inconclusive. Research on personal values may shed light on this issue and thus make it possible to find effective ways to prevent alcohol misuse in adolescents. The main objectives of this study were to explore the relationships between personal values and alcohol consumption amongst adolescent athletes and to validate the Portrait Values Questionnaire-21 (PVQ-21) in this population. A total of 914 athletes (aged 11–19; 55.4% female) participated in this study. Confirmatory multidimensional scaling analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were performed. Logistic regression models were fitted to assess the predictive power of personal values on alcohol use. Openness to change values positively predicted high-frequency alcohol use and high-frequency heavy episodic drinking, whereas the opposite occured with athletes who held conservation values. Furthermore, the probability of presenting heavy episodic drinking was negatively associated with conservation values. Finally, the PVQ-21 presented adequate psychometric properties to assess personal values among adolescent athletes. It is crucial to consider the personal values of adolescent athletes when promoting healthy lifestyles through sport. Full article

This article aims to reflect on the images of childhood in videos featuring child YouTubers playing, analyzing the nature of play portrayed in them and its relationship with the child’s right to play and be protected against any form of exploitation. Method: A documentary study of 100 videos shared on YouTube was conducted, subjected to categorical content analysis with an emphasis on the modes of participation of adults and children in dialogues with the platform’s languages present in the videos. Results and Discussion: The boundaries between children’s artistic expression and child labor exploitation are becoming increasingly challenging, with legal discussions presenting difficulties in regulation due to the home environment and predominant parental control. The analysis reveals how the videos are perceived as standardized commodities, hiding the concrete work behind an image of apparent spontaneity. Conclusion: The research highlights contractual digital risks for children, focusing on those related to commercialization. The analyzed videos reflect an instrumentalization of the child’s basic right to play, associated with market interests, an aspect that takes on the contours of child labor exploitation, compromising the freedom to play spontaneously. Full article

With abundant information and interconnectedness among people, identifying knowledgeable individuals in specific domains has become crucial for organizations. Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms have been employed to evaluate the knowledge and locate experts in specific areas, alleviating the manual burden of expert profiling and identification. However, there is a limited body of research exploring the application of AI algorithms for expert finding in the medical and biomedical fields. This study aims to conduct a scoping review of existing literature on utilizing AI algorithms for expert identification in medical domains. We systematically searched five platforms using a customized search string, and 21 studies were identified through other sources. The search spanned studies up to 2023, and study eligibility and selection adhered to the PRISMA 2020 statement. A total of 571 studies were assessed from the search. Out of these, we included six studies conducted between 2014 and 2020 that met our review criteria. Four studies used a machine learning algorithm as their model, while two utilized natural language processing. One study combined both approaches. All six studies demonstrated significant success in expert retrieval compared to baseline algorithms, as measured by various scoring metrics. AI enhances expert finding accuracy and effectiveness. However, more work is needed in intelligent medical expert retrieval. Full article

Introduction: Although gifted children can express high cognitive skills, they can also show socioemotional difficulties. Drawing from Olson’s circumplex model, the present paper assessed the role of family functioning in internalizing and externalizing problems in gifted children. Materials and Methods: 362 mothers and their 362 gifted children were included. The unbalanced subscales of the FACES IV—disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity, and chaos—and the CBCL were administered to mothers. The children completed the WISC-IV. Results: The model predicting internalizing problems was significant and explained 5.6% of the variance. Only rigidity had an independent and positive effect on internalizing problems in gifted children over and above sociodemographic variables and QI, whereas disengagement, enmeshment, and chaos were not associated with internalizing problems. The model predicting externalizing problems was significant and explained 10% of the variance. Again, rigidity was the only variable that had an independent and positive effect on externalizing problems in gifted children over and above sociodemographic variables and QI, whereas disengagement, enmeshment, and chaos were not associated with externalizing problems in this population. Discussion: Rigid families with a low ability to change in conditions that require readjustment appear to increase the risk of both internalizing and externalizing problems in gifted children. Although further studies are needed to support these preliminary findings, parental support interventions aimed at increasing flexibility appear to be useful. Full article

Background: Long COVID refers to the persistence or development of signs and symptoms well after the acute phase of COVID-19. Objective of the study: To investigate the long-term outcomes of the SARS-CoV-2 infection in terms of psychological, social, and relational consequences within the Italian population. Materials and methods: We conducted an observational, cross-sectional, and multicenter study using an online questionnaire distributed to a sample of the Italian population. By utilizing the Short Form 12 Health Survey (SF-12) and the Hikikomori scale, we assessed perceived quality of life and social isolation, respectively. The questionnaire also included an open-answer question: “What will you remember about the pandemic period?”. We used generative artificial intelligence to analyze and summarize the corresponding answers. Results: A total of 1097 people participated in this study. A total of 79.3% (n = 870) of participants declared that they had been hospitalized and 62.8% (n = 689) received home care. Physical symptoms included headaches (43%, n = 472) and asthma (30.4%, n = 334). Additionally, 29.2% (n = 320) developed an addiction during the pandemic and, among these, 224 claimed internet addiction while 73 declared an emotional addiction. Furthermore, 51.8% (n = 568) experienced limitations in carrying out daily life activities. According to the Hikikomori scale, participants with positive SARS-CoV-2 infection exhibited higher levels of isolation compared to the others (p < 0.001). Participants without COVID-19 showed higher levels of emotional support (p < 0.001). Our semiautomatic analysis of the open-ended responses, obtained by a procedure based on a free large language model, allowed us to deduce and summarize the main feelings expressed by the interviewees regarding the pandemic. Conclusions: The data collected emphasize the urgent need to investigate the consequences of long COVID in order to implement interventions to support psychological well-being. Full article

The Mediterranean diet is considered a healthy eating pattern. It has been shown to improve people’s quality of life. When a person suffers injuries, their quality of life suffers. This research aims to accomplish the following: (a) to study the differences in the effect of the health-related quality of life on injuries according to the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, (b) to analyse the existing differences in the variables that make up the health-related quality of life according to the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet, and (c) to analyse the degree of adherence to the Mediterranean diet according to whether the participants have suffered any injury. The study was descriptive, cross-sectional, and exploratory in a sample of 556 physical education students. The PREDIMED questionnaire, the SF-36 questionnaire, and a self-administered questionnaire were used. The results showed that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet was associated with higher quality of life and lower injury rates. It was also observed that high adherence to the Mediterranean diet improved the effect of the quality of life on injuries. In conclusion, the Mediterranean diet is beneficial for the quality of life of young university students. Full article

The importance of self-esteem during the course of oncological illness has been well-documented by some previous studies. However, data assessing its association with various coping strategies, especially considering the period of illness, are still scarce. The objective of this study is to analyze the differences in coping strategies among oncological adolescents, taking into account their self-esteem, illness period, age, and sex. A total of 201 oncological patients between the ages of 12 and 17 from three different Spanish cities were included in this study. All of them were asked to answer a tailored questionnaire, encompassing information about age, sex, and illness period. Additionally, the coping strategies were measured using the ACS scale, while self-esteem was evaluated using the SENA questionnaire. The results demonstrated that male adolescents and older individuals exhibited higher levels of self-esteem. The main coping strategies associated with higher self-esteem were “ignore the problem”, “focus on positive”, “physical recreation”, and “wishful thinking” both during the treatment and the follow-up phases. We conclude that higher self-esteem is associated with some of the coping strategies such as “focus on positive”, “ignore the problem”, and “wishful thinking”. Sociodemographic variables influence the relationship between self-esteem and coping strategies, but no differences were found regarding the period of illness. Full article

(1) The aim of our study was to determine the attitudes of medical students toward organ donation in the case of brain death. (2) The study was conducted among 1348 medical students from three medical universities in Poland. The research tool was the Polish version of the standardized questionnaire concerning attitudes toward organ donation and transplantation (ODT) [PCID-DTO RIOS: A questionnaire designed by the ‘International Collaborative Organ Donation project about organ transplantation and donation]. (3) Some sources of information on organ donation were found to have a significant impact on the recipients’ knowledge of brain death. These were books, friends, family, lectures in other centers, social media, and the Church. Medical students holding the opinion that recovery and leading a normal lifestyle after brain death is impossible were significantly more likely to donate their organs after death, not for religious reasons and not because they wanted to survive their own death. (4) The medical students in our study showed a high level of awareness and favorable attitudes toward ODT. However, the number of registered donors was low. It is important to educate students on these issues to raise the awareness of both future medical professionals and the public on organ transplantation procedures. The public should be made aware that transplantation procedures are of a high standard, and that the law protects both donors and recipients. These measures would reduce recipients’ waiting time, and certainly increase the statistics of the number of life-saving and health-saving procedures. Full article