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The purpose of the study was to compare United States and Polish university women in regard to demographics, victimization experiences, sensation seeking, fear of dangerous situations, perceived likelihood of victimization, and confidence about managing dangerous situations. A total of 520 women completed the online instruments, which consisted of Perceptions of Dangerous Situations Scale (PDSS), Brief Sensation-Seeking Scale (BSSS), and a demographic questionnaire. Overall, in regard to Fear, Likelihood, and Confidence about dangerous situations, Polish women scored significantly higher in Fear and Likelihood than U. S. women. Differences in Confidence between the two groups were not statistically significant. The two groups differed in the frequency of victimizations in terms of violent crimes, rape, and abusive relationships. The groups also differed in Likelihood scores depending on prior victimization. U. S. women made less of a distinction than Polish women between their emotional (Fear) and their cognitive (Likelihood) appraisals of dangerous situations. Neither group of women scored higher in Fear if they had been previously victimized. The researchers found differences between Polish and U.S. university women in Fear and Likelihood scores, some of which may be related to cultural differences. Sensation seeking did not differ between the two groups. Regardless of country membership, women did not acknowledge rape by a known person to be as likely as rape by a stranger, nor did they acknowledge the greater likelihood of being beaten up by a known person than by a stranger. It is clear that more education is still needed. Plain language summary: Fear of Crime, Perception of Risk, and Confidence About Dangerous Situations Among Women in the United States and Poland Security is a basic human need, connected with stability, freedom from fear, anxiety and chaos, and a feeling that there is no threat or risk of losing essential goods. A sense of security depends on numerous objective factors: scope of real danger, gender, age, and place of residence, but also on subjective perceptions– resources, social support, and individual personality features. Thus, it follows that a sense of safety and a sense of danger result from a way of thinking, as well as the temperament and personality of a particular individual. The purpose of our study was to compare United States and Polish university women regarding demographics, victimization experiences, sensation seeking, fear of dangerous situations, perceived likelihood of victimization, and confidence about managing hazardous situations. A total of 520 women from Poland and the United States completed the online instruments: the Perceptions of Dangerous Situations Scale (PDSS), a Brief Sensation-Seeking Scale (BSSS), and a demographic questionnaire. In our study, we found differences between the groups. Polish women scored significantly higher in Fear and Likelihood than U. S. women. Differences in Confidence between the two groups were not statistically significant. The two groups differed in the frequency of victimizations in terms of violent crimes, rape, and abusive relationships. Our results show that cultural diversity might affect the perception of dangerous situations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polish women have not been studied in regard to fear, likelihood, or confidence about dangerous situations, nor has there been an instrument to measure those perceptions. The purpose of the study was fourfold: first, to present the Polish translation and validation of the Perception of Dangerous Situations Scale (PDSS-P) and second, to assess Polish women's perceived fear, likelihood, and confidence about dangerous situations using the PDSS-P (41 items). The third purpose was to determine to what degree the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and/or the Hope for Success Scale (KNS) correlated with any of the three subscales of the PDSS-P. The fourth purpose was to determine the congruence of the PDSS-P to the original PDSS. Two other tools (GSES and KNS) were administered to determine concurrent validity with the PDSS. A sample of 208 women aged 19 to 27 years (M = 21.04, SD = 1.88) participated in the study. Five factors were determined for each subscale, similar to the original version of the PDSS. Women reported they were more afraid of being raped by a stranger than being murdered. Their estimation of the likelihood of some serious events occurring was not congruent with statistical realities. The women thought the least likely events to happen to them in the next year would be being raped or beaten by someone they know, or being held prisoner by someone who wanted to murder them. Confidence to manage dangerous situations was low in cases of being raped by strangers or known people, being kidnapped, or being attacked. The GSES and KNS provided useful information, in that they did not measure the same constructs as the PDSS-P. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accessible Summary: What is known about the subject? (Scientific Rationale): Mental health care in Poland lags behind that of many other countries, and coercive measures are used on a regular basis.Scant research has been conducted in Poland regarding the treatment of psychiatric patients.The perspectives of Polish psychiatric nurses towards aggression remain unknown. What does this paper add to the existing knowledge?: The translated and validated Attitude Towards Aggression Scale (ATAS) in Polish will serve as an instrument that gauges Polish nurses' attitudes towards aggression. The Polish nurses have unenlightened and negative attitude towards aggression. What are the implications for practice?: There is now an instrument in Polish by which we can gauge the attitudes of mental health nurses, which must precede any educational efforts. Polish nurses showed more restrictive and antiquated attitudes about patient violence than nurses in some other parts of the world. With a shift to more positive attitudes, the use of coercion could be reduced, resulting in improved patient care. Introduction: In Poland, the mode and site of patient treatment have changed little in the past 75 years, despite therapeutic advances worldwide. There is limited information regarding attitudes of nurses towards aggression in psychiatric settings in Poland, nor has there been an instrument in Polish to measure it. Aim: To translate and validate the Attitudes Towards Aggression Scale (ATAS) for use in Poland, and to assess the attitudes of three groups of nursing personnel towards aggression. Method: We surveyed 980 psychiatric and general nurses as well as nursing students. We translated the ATAS into Polish, and validated it using exploratory factor analysis. Results: The Polish version of the ATAS showed good psychometric properties. We found that Polish nurses perceived patient aggression extremely negatively. Discussion: Polish nurses perceive aggression as destructive, negative and not to be tolerated, leading to use of restraints. Among the three groups, psychiatric nurses showed the most negative attitude towards aggression. Thus, education is needed for preservice and inservice nurses alike to address this issue. What this study adds to existing evidence: We now have a validated instrument to assess nurses' attitudes about aggression. We also know that Polish nurses have exceedingly negative attitudes towards aggression. Implications for Practice: The Polish version of ATAS was found valid and reliable. Therefore, we can now measure the attitudes of Polish nurses towards aggression, which was not possible previously. The baseline data provide a starting point from which to determine effects of educational efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: To reduce the use of mechanical restraints, Safewards was introduced to a ward in a psychiatric hospital in Poland. Design and Methods: Three aspects of Safewards were applied for 8 months. The comparison time period was the same time frame of the previous year. Findings: Restraint use dropped by 24%, and the number of patients restrained dropped 34%. The duration of restraint remained at 2.8 days per episode. Practice Implications: Simple techniques aimed at promoting positive interactions between staff and patients can reduce the frequency of restraints. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The number of meteoropaths, or people negatively affected by weather conditions, is rising dramatically. Meteoropathy is developing rapidly due to ever poorer adaptations of people to changes in weather conditions. Strong weather stimuli may not only exacerbate symptoms in people with diseases of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems but may also induce aggressive behavior. Researchers have shown that patients suffering from mental illnesses are most vulnerable to changes in the weather and postulate a connection between the seasons and aggressive behavior. Methods : The goal of the study was to analyze the relationship between coercive measures and weather factors. The researchers identified what meteorological conditions prevailed on days with an increased number of incidents of aggressive behavior leading to the use of physical coercion towards patients in a psychiatric hospital in Poland. In order to determine the impact of weather conditions on the frequency at which physical coercion measures were used, the hospital's "coercion sheets" from 1 January 2015 to 31 March 2017 were analyzed. The data were correlated with meteorological data. In order to determine the relationship between the occurrence of specific weather conditions and the number of coercive interventions ( N ), researchers utilized Spearman's rank correlation analysis together with two-dimensional scatter diagrams (dependency models), multiple regression, stepwise regression, frequencies, and conditional probability (%). Results : Lower barometric pressure and foehn wind increased aggressive behavior in patients that led to coercive measures. For temperature (positive correlation) and humidity (negative correlation), there was a poor but statistically significant correlation. Conclusions : Monitoring weather conditions might be useful in predicting and preventing aggression by patients who are susceptible to weather changes.