The study investigates the role of temperament in posttraumatic growth among people who experienced a death of someone close. A group of 74 participants - mostly women, aged 21 to 74 years, who lost a parent, a child, a spouse or a partner, a sibling or a very close friend completed questionnaires measuring levels of posttraumatic growth and temperamental traits. Results revealed that increased appreciation of life and improved relations to others are the most prevalent areas of posttraumatic growth. Findings (...) suggest that such temperamental traits, as emotional reactivity, and to a lesser extent briskness and endurance play significant role in posttraumatic growth. (shrink)

Introduction: As an occupational group, medical providers working with victims of trauma are prone to negative consequences of their work, particularly secondary traumatic stress symptoms. Various factors affect susceptibility to STS, including work-related and organizational determinants, as well as individual differences. The aim of the study was to establish the mediating role of cognitive trauma processing in the relationship between job satisfaction and STS symptoms among medical providers.Procedure and Participants: Results were obtained from 419 healthcare providers working with victims of (...) trauma. Three questionnaires, namely the Secondary Traumatic Stress Inventory, Work Satisfaction Scale, and Cognitive Trauma Processing Scale, were used in the study, as well as a survey developed for this research. Correlational and mediation analyses were applied to assess relations between variables.Results: The results showed significant links between STS symptoms and both job satisfaction and cognitive processing of trauma. Three cognitive coping strategies play the intermediary role in the relationship between job satisfaction and symptoms of secondary traumatic stress. However, this role varies depending on preferred strategies.Conclusion: Nurses and paramedics are significantly exposed to the occurrence of STS. Thus, it is important to engage health care providers in activities aimed at preventing and reducing symptoms of STS. (shrink)

Type D personality in Poland: Validity and application of the Polish DS14 Type D personality is an emerging risk indicator in cardiovascular disease, associated with poor patient-centered outcomes, mortality and morbidity. Little is known about the cross-cultural utility of the construct, as it has primarily been used in the Western European setting. We applied the Type D Scale to a large sample of healthy and CVD patients to validate the DS14 in Poland. DS14 was used in the sample comprised 1154 (...) persons, healthy and CVD. The internal consistency of the Polish version of the DS14 was good with Cronbach's alpha of 0.86 for negative affectivity and 0.84 for social inhibition. The 2-factor structure of the DS14 was confirmed both with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Both of the DS14 subscales were internally consistent and stable over time. Using the standardized cut-off ≥10 for both NA and SI to identify those with a Type D personality, the prevalence was 72.1% in CVD patients and 34.8% in healthy. The Type D personality construct, as assessed with the DS14, seems to be applicable to the Polish setting, as the Polish DS14 was shown to be a psychometrically sound instrument. (shrink)