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Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) are at high risk of experiencing work-related stress, burnout syndrome, and depression, especially during infectious disease outbreaks like COVID-19. Contributing factors include increased workload, lack of personal protective equipment, and inadequate support from the healthcare administration. Longitudinal studies have shown that the mental health status of HCWs has deteriorated over time. Social support and compassion satisfaction (CS) are protective factors that can mitigate adverse mental health effects. The present longitudinal study examined the mental health status of HCWs during the COVID-19 outbreak and aimed to identify potential predictors and protective factors. Methods: The study comprised 386 healthcare workers in Hungary and was conducted in two waves (T1 and T2) from January 2021 to January 2022. Participants completed an online survey including the Professional Quality of Life Scale, Maslach Burnout Inventory, demographic and work-related background factors. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, and a cross-lagged panel model (CLPM). Results: Frontline HCWs had higher levels of secondary traumatic stress (STS) and emotional exhaustion (EE) than non-frontline healthcare workers. Both groups experienced significant increases in these measures between T1 and T2. The CLPM indicated that EE had a significant lagged effect on STS among frontline workers, while STS had a significant lagged effect on EE among non-frontline workers. CS had a significant protective effect on both STS and EE in both groups. Conclusions: The findings suggest that CS protects EE and STS, particularly among frontline HCWs. The study also showed that different causative relationships exist between these factors among frontline and non-frontline HCWs, which underlines the possible cyclical relationship between the two depending on the circumstances. The results provide insights into the protective role of positive work experiences and the importance of considering the needs of both frontline and non-frontline HCWs in preventive intervention programs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emotion regulation difficulties are a significant concern in the realm of eating disorders, serving as either contributing factors or ongoing challenges. While extensive research has explored these issues within prominent eating disorders like anorexia (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN), there is a noticeable gap when it comes to understanding emotion regulation difficulties (ERD) and intuitive eating (IE) characteristics in the context of orthorexia nervosa (ON). This study aims to bridge this knowledge gap by introducing a quantitative approach to investigate ERD and IE in a Turkish population affected by ON, involving 159 participants. The study's primary findings reveal that ON represents a non-adaptive eating behavior inherently marked by ERD. Notably, a significant gender difference was observed, indicating that men exhibit a higher likelihood of displaying orthorexic tendencies compared to women. Prior research has highlighted the importance of ERD and the absence of IE in the context of AN and BN. This study extends these findings to assert that these emotional factors also constitute critical criteria in the understanding and treatment of ON. Thus, clinicians should be attentive to the emotional aspects when addressing individuals affected by ON. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the modern oncology care the subject of quality of life has an emphasized importance. In our research we assessed aspects which may predict the quality of life. We hypothesized that after controlling the demographical and some medical factors, psychological distress and illness representations would have significant roles as predictors. The research has been carried out in Budapest at the Radiology Diagnostic Department of the National Institute of Oncology; participants were women (N=221) treated for malignant breast tumour (C50). The research tools included the Shortened Beck Depression Inventory, Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQBR23), Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), and the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). In terms of functional (β=-0.705, p=0.000; β=0.493, p=0.003), and symptom quality of life (β=0.517, p=0.000) negative affectivity has an outstanding role as predictor. Among the illness representations, the functional quality of life is influenced by cognitions concerning the illness consequences (β=0.243, p=0.008) and by emotional representations (β=0.220, p=0.034). Cognitive representations influencing the symptom quality of life are serious consequences (β=0.240, p=0.016) and illness perception (β=0.212, p=0.011). In the improvement of quality of life, treating negative affectivity has determining and the modification of dysfunctional illness cognitions play important roles.

The aim of the research was to assess the effectiveness of a comprehensive, complex psycho-social intervention program, operating on different levels of spiritual plane, life management and behavioural health, among women with breast cancer. The general objective of the study was to help in coping, promote cognitive and emotional processing, encourage psychological and spiritual growth, improve the quality of life, and reduce the chances of remission. The research has been carried out in Budapest at the Radiology Diagnostic Department of the National Oncology Institute, involving 173 women treated for malignant breast tumour (C50) (experimental group: n=86, control group: n=87). Thirty-four women from the experimental group participated in the complex intervention program. We carried out two tests: one before the start and one after the end of the program. Research tools: Shortened Beck Depression Inventory, Quality of Life Questionnaire (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-BR23), Spielberger's State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R), the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory, and the Benefit Finding Questionnaire. The women participating the experimental program showed a significant positive change in comparison to the control group: in anxiety F (1, 65)=6.021, p=0.017; in depression: F(1, 72)=4.347, p=0.041; in experience of personal control: F(1, 69)=7.346, p=0.008; in EORTC General Health/Quality of Life Subscale F(1, 78)=7.531, p=0.008; in EORTC physical functioning F(1, 78)=4.874, p=0.014; in EORTC fatigue F(1, 78)=15.060, p=0.000; in BR23 body-image F(1, 79)=8.828, p=0.004; in BR23 arm symptoms F(1, 78)=7.229, p=0.009; in benefit finding F(1, 80)=21.171, p=0.000, and in posttraumatic growth F(1, 31)=24.186, p=0.000). The program has proven effective, its widespread use in practice is recommended.