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Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all societies worldwide. The heightened levels of stress that accompanied the crisis were also expected to affect parenting in many families. Since it is known that high levels of stress in the parenting domain can lead to a condition that has severe consequences for health and well-being, we examined whether the prevalence of parental burnout in 26 countries (9,923 parents; 75% mothers; mean age 40) increased during COVID-19 compared to few years before the pandemic. In most (but not all) countries, analyses showed a significant increase in the prevalence of parental burnout during the pandemic. The results further revealed that next to governmental measures (e.g., number of days locked down, homeschooling) and factors at the individual and family level (e.g., gender, number of children), parents in less (vs. more) indulgent countries suffered more from parental burnout. The findings suggest that stricter norms regarding their parenting roles and duties in general and during the pandemic in particular might have increased their levels of parental burnout.

Kritinių situacijų metu sudėtingiau kontroliuoti savo bei kitų emocijas. Skubiosios medicinos pagalbos slaugos specialistai (SMPSS) savo darbe kasdien susiduria su kritinėmis situacijomis, kurios veikia psichoemocinę ir fizinę šių darbuotojų būklę, o kartu ir pacientų sveikatos priežiūros kokybę. Emocinių kompetencijų (EK) ugdymas gali turėti įtakos ne tik kokybiškesniam manipuliacijų atlikimui kritinių situacijų metu, bet ir fizinei, psichoemocinei SMPSS būklei. Tyrimo tikslas – nustatyti SMPSS perdegimo sindromo ir EK sąsajas. Tyrimo metodika. Kiekybinis tyrimas, taikant apklausos metodą. Naudotos priemonės: R. Vimantaitės (2006) perdegimo sindromo rizikos veiksnių modifikuotas klausimynas ir A. Skarbalienės ir kt. (2019) validuotas EK klausimynas. Taikytas statistinis duomenų apdorojimo metodas. Imtį sudarė: 241 SMPSS. Tyrimo rezultatai. 1. Penktadalis SMPSS patiria perdegimą. Pusė visų apklaustųjų po darbo jaučiasi psichologiškai pavargę. Net keturi penktadaliai respondentų skundėsi sveikatos sutrikimais. 2. SMPSS potencialūs perdegimo sindromo rizikos veiksniai yra jaunas amžius (iki 35 m.); nepakankamas poilsio ir laisvalaikio laikas; fiziškai, emociškai bei psichologiškai nepalankios, ekstremalios darbo sąlygos; laisvalaikio praleidimas rūpinantis tėvais. 3. SMPSS savo EK dažniausiai vertino vidutiniškai, pakankamai gerai supranta savo emocijas. 4. Neperdegę SMPSS geba žymiai geriau valdyti savo emocijas nei patiriantieji perdegimo sindromo rizikos veiksnius. Psichologiškai pavargę sunkiau atpažįsta, supranta, valdo ir reiškia savo emocijas, jiems sunkiau sekasi suvaldyti kitų emocijas. Išvada. SMPSS, kurie aukštai įsivertino EK, rečiau patyrė perdegimo sindromo rizikos veiksnius. Siekiant didinti asmens sveikatos priežiūros specialistų atsparumą stresui ir perdegimui, būtina ugdyti ir tobulinti emocines kompetencijas. Raktažodžiai: skubioji medicinos pagalba, slaugos specialistai, perdegimo sindromas, emocinės kompetencijos. In critical situations, it is much harder to control one’s own emotions and emotions of others. Emergency nursing professionals (ENPs) daily face critical situations in their work, which not only affect their psycho-emotional wellbeing but also their physical condition and consequently the quality of patient care. In view of the foregoing, development of emotional competencies not only would contribute to improving the quality of manipulations in critical situations but also benefit physical condition and psycho-emotional wellbeing of ENPs. Research purpose. The aim of the study was to determine the relationship between burnout syndrome and emotional competencies of ENPs. Research methodology. A quantitative study was performed by using the survey. Instruments used: Modified Questionnaire of Risk Factors for Burnout Syndrome by R. Vimantaitė (2006) and Validated Questionnaire of Emotional Competencies by A. Skarbalienė et al. (2019). Literature analysis and statistical data processing methods were used. The sample consisted of 241 ENPs. The study was performed in accordance with ethical principles. Research results. One-fifth of ENPs experience burnout. Half of all respondents feel psychologically tired after work. As many as four-fifths of respondents complained of health problems. Potential risk factors for burnout syndrome in ENPs include young age (under 35); insufficient rest and leisure time; physically, emotionally and psychologically unfavourable, extreme working conditions; spending leisure time caring for parents. ENPs mostly rated their emotional competencies as intermediate, and demonstrated fairly good understanding of their emotions. ENPs not suffering from burnout are able to significantly better manage their emotions than those with risk factors for burnout syndrome. Those suffering from psychological fatigue find it harder to recognise, understand, manage and express their emotions, and have more difficulty managing emotions of others. Conclusion. Summarizing the results of the study, it can be said that ENP who rated their emotional competences higly experienced less risk factors of burnout syndrome. In order to increase the resilience of health care professionals to stress and burnout, it is necessary to develop and improve emotional competences. Keywords: emergency nursing professional (ENP), burnout syndrome, nurses, emotional competences, psychoemotional state, stress, medical staff.

Physical activity is an important factor for primary and secondary stroke prevention. The process of stroke rehabilitation includes early and late physical activity and exercise, which prevents further stoke and improve patients’ quality of life. MY WAY project, an ERASMUS+ SPORT program, is aimed at analyzing and developing or transferring best innovative practices related to physical activity and exercise enhancing health in poststroke patients. The aim of the study was to identify, analyze, and present the good practices and strategies to encourage participation in sport and physical activity and engage and motivate chronic stroke patients to perform physical activity changing their lifestyle and to maintain a high adherence to long-term exercise-based rehabilitation programs. Our results demonstrated that unified European stroke long-term exercise-based rehabilitation guidelines do not exist. It seems that low training frequency with high aerobic exercise intensity may be optimal for improved physical performance and quality of life in combination with a high adherence. It is important to optimize the training protocols suitable for each patient. The continuous education and training of the specialized professionals in this field and the presence of adequate structures and cooperation between different healthcare centers are important contributors. The clear objective for each country should be to systematically make the necessary steps to enhance overall exercise-based stroke rehabilitation attendance in the long term. Long-term interventions to support the importance of physical exercise and lifelong exercise-based rehabilitation in chronic stroke patients should be created, what coincides with the goal of the MY WAY project.

Objetivo:este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as percepções dos estudantes de Enfermagem das universidades públicas de três países da União Europeia sobre saúde mental e ambientes de aprendizagem clínica, tema pouco investigado na literatura.Método:a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um formulário de dados demográficos, a Escala Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem e oMental Health Continuum Short Form. Um total de 571 participantes da Turquia, Lituânia e Portugal foram incluídos no estudo.Resultados:houve uma diferença significativa entre os três grupos em relação ao ambiente de aprendizagem clínica e estado de saúde mental (p

Pacientų sveikatos ir funkcinio savarankiškumo išsaugojimas keliamas kaip vienas pagrindinių uždavinių visam PSO Europos regionui. Svarbu užtikrinti pacientų geresnę sveikatą, gyvenimo kokybę ir vertinti fiziologinius pokyčius senstant. Gera pusiausvyra ir mobilumas yra pagrindinės sėkmingo kasdienio gyvenimo bei mėgstamos veiklos prielaidos. Pacientų griuvimas yra aktuali problema, tačiau Lietuvoje nėra plačiai nagrinėjama. Pacientai traumas patiria ne tik namuose, gatvėje, bet ir gydymo įstaigoje. Tyrimo tikslas – išanalizuoti pacientų žinias apie griuvimo rizikos veiksnius. Tyrimas vykdytas 2020 m. lapkričio–gruodžio mėn. Anketinės apklausos būdu. Apklausoje dalyvavo 104 asmenys nuo 55 metų, turintys judėjimo, kraujotakos, jutimų, pusiausvyros sutrikimų ar kitų gretutinių ligų, galėjusių turėti įtakos griuvimams. Klausimynas sudarytas iš 5 dalių, atspindinčių konkrečius klausimus, pateikiamas kiekvienos tyrimo dalies aprašymas. Dauguma tiriamųjų buvo pargriuvę ir jautė galvos svaigimą. Nors respondentai jautėsi stabiliai judėdami (jaučia, kad gali paeiti tiesia linija), tačiau baimė pargriūti ribojo jų fizinį aktyvumą, jie reguliariai nesimankštino. Dauguma tiriamųjų pargriuvę patyrė sumušimus. Respondentų nuomone, dažniausiai griuvimus gali sukelti tokie išoriniai veiksniai kaip slidžios grindys, netinkama avalynė, prastas apšvietimas ar turėklų nebuvimas. Galimi ir vidiniai veiksniai – galvos svaigimas, raibuliavimas akyse. Pacientai yra suinteresuoti ir nori sužinoti, kaip pagerinti pusiausvyrą.

Although the representatives of different social sciences are trying to highlight and raise the methodological and methodical peculiarity of social sciences with respect to natural sciences, it should be noted that a big part of social sciences research is based on the positivist research paradigm. The positivist tradition allows a researcher to choose certain research methods that originated from natural sciences and to apply them in the research of social sciences. Regarding the possibilities to determine causality, an experiment is considered to be the best empirical research method. However, the emphasis is placed on the complicated application of this method to social sciences due to certain practical, political and ethical aspects. When developing ideas about an appropriate and effective use of the experimental research method in social sciences, the use of natural experiment is recommended. Although in recent years, the research based on the methodology of natural experiment is gaining popularity, there is still a lack of literature on how and when this methodology can be applied, what problems it can help to solve, how data can be collected and analysed. Thus, on the basis of methodological literature analysis, this article is an attempt to present natural experiment as a method for social researches, to provide guidelines and recommendations for the application of the methodology of natural experiment and to inspire scientific discussion about using the strategy of natural experiment in social sciences.KEYWORDS: experiment, natural experiment, positivist research strategy.

Parenting is a complex and stressful activity. Prolonged extreme parental stress can lead to parental burnout. Parental burnout develops when parental resources (emotional, cognitive, psychological, financial, etc.) are insufficient to meet current and emerging needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great stress and anxiety to many parents around the world. For healthcare professionals, the pandemic period is particularly difficult due to increased stress in the workplace. Constant stress in the workplace and at home can lead to severe psychological illnesses. The aim of this study was to reveal the parental burnout of nurses during COVID-19. A quantitative study was conducted using the Parental Burnout Assess-ment tool. The participants were nurses (n = 200) raising pre-school and school age children. The results revealed that nurses experienced relatively mild burnout in parenting activities, presumably due to the possibility to work in the workplace (not from home) without juxtaposing work and children’s learning problems. Greater burnout is caused by younger age of parents, higher education, higher number of children living together, and time spent helping children with education. Persons who have used the services of babysitters or children's centres/clubs before the national lockdown experi-ence more severe burnout in parenting activities.

At universities for students, the COVID-19 pandemic and the introduced anti-pandemic measures turned out to be psycho-traumatic factors that increased the experience of loneliness. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the phenomenon of loneliness among university students in five European countries, taking into account the variety of anti-COVID measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, questionnaires of 2316 students. In Russia, Poland and Ukraine a hard lockdown was introduced during the pandemic. Lithuania (in the first months) did not undertake severe restrictions, and for a long time the danger of the SARS-CoV-2 virus was not recognized in Belarus. The students in Lithuania and Belarus, 33 and 35 points. Students from Poland, Russia and Ukraine: 38, 37, 37 points, respectively. All respondents were classified according to three levels of loneliness experience. A low level (60) experience of loneliness — 66 respondents (2.8%). Among the representatives of Lithuania and Belarus, a low level of subjective feeling of loneliness prevailed (about 70% of respondents), while in Ukraine, Russia and Poland the share of low indicators was significantly less, respectively, 65.2%, 59.8% and 57.8%. University students from five countries who participated in the study do not experience high levels of loneliness. Gradation of the prevalence of feelings of loneliness from minimum to maximum in comparison is as follows: LT — BY — RU—UA—PL. The severity of loneliness is associated with the levels of restrictions in the countries during the pandemic.

Resumen Objetivo: este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las percepciones de estudiantes de enfermería de universidades públicas de tres países de la Unión Europea sobre la salud mental y los Ambientes de Aprendizaje Clínico, tema poco estudiado en la literatura. Método: la recolección de datos se realizó mediante un formulario de datos demográficos, la Escala de Evaluación de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería y el Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Se incluyeron en el estudio un total de 571 participantes de Turquía, Lituania y Portugal. Resultados: hubo una diferencia significativa entre los tres grupos con respecto al Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico y al estado de salud mental (p < 0,001). La supervisión fue el elemento más valorado. Los estudiantes portugueses obtuvieron los puntajes promedio más altos en el Mental Health Continuum Short Form y Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería (p

this study aimed at evaluating the perceptions of Nursing students from public universities in three European Union countries on mental health and clinical learning environments, a topic that has been rarely investigated in the literature.data collection took place using a demographic data form, the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale, and the Mental Health Continuum Short Form. A total of 571 participants from Turkey, Lithuania and Portugal were included in the study.there was a significant difference among the three groups regarding clinical learning environment and mental health status (p.001). Supervision was the most valued element. The Portuguese students presented the highest mean in the Mental Health Continuum Short Form and Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores (p.001). Age, gender and mental health were effective in the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores.the results indicated that the Mental Health Continuum Short Form and Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher Scale scores obtained by the Portuguese Nursing students were higher. It was also revealed that the students' perceptions on the clinical learning environment were affected by age and gender, and that their perceptions on mental health were influenced by the Clinical Learning Environment, Supervision and Nurse Teacher scale scores.este estudo teve como objetivo avaliar as percepções dos estudantes de Enfermagem das universidades públicas de três países da União Europeia sobre saúde mental e ambientes de aprendizagem clínica, tema pouco investigado na literatura.a coleta de dados ocorreu por meio de um formulário de dados demográficos, a Escala Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem e o Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Um total de 571 participantes da Turquia, Lituânia e Portugal foram incluídos no estudo.houve uma diferença significativa entre os três grupos em relação ao ambiente de aprendizagem clínica e estado de saúde mental (p0,001). A supervisão foi o elemento mais valorizado. Os estudantes portugueses apresentaram a média mais elevada nos escores do Mental Health Continuum Short Form e Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem (p0,001). Idade, sexo e saúde mental influíram nos escores do Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínico, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem.os resultados indicaram que os escores do Mental Health Continuum Short Form e Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem obtidos pelos estudantes de Enfermagem portugueses foram mais elevados. Revelou-se também que as percepções dos alunos sobre o ambiente de aprendizagem clínica foram afetadas pela idade e sexo, e que suas percepções sobre saúde mental foram influenciadas pelos escores da escala Ambiente de Aprendizagem Clínica, Supervisão e Professor de Enfermagem.este estudio tuvo como objetivo evaluar las percepciones de estudiantes de enfermería de universidades públicas de tres países de la Unión Europea sobre la salud mental y los Ambientes de Aprendizaje Clínico, tema poco estudiado en la literatura.la recolección de datos se realizó mediante un formulario de datos demográficos, la Escala de Evaluación de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería y el Mental Health Continuum Short Form. Se incluyeron en el estudio un total de 571 participantes de Turquía, Lituania y Portugal.hubo una diferencia significativa entre los tres grupos con respecto al Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico y al estado de salud mental (p0,001). La supervisión fue el elemento más valorado. Los estudiantes portugueses obtuvieron los puntajes promedio más altos en el Mental Health Continuum Short Form y Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería (p0,001). La edad, el sexo y la salud mental influyeron en los puntajes de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería.los resultados indicaron que los estudiantes de Enfermería portugueses obtuvieron los puntajes más altos en el Mental Health Continuum Short Form y Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería. También se reveló que las percepciones de los estudiantes sobre el Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico se vieron afectadas por la edad y el género, y que sus percepciones sobre la salud mental fueron influenciadas por los puntajes de la escala de evaluación de Ambiente de Aprendizaje Clínico, Supervisión y Profesor de Enfermería.

Vandens procedūros sukelia terminį, mechaninį, cheminį, imunologinį poveikį, jų metu veikiama oda bei periferinė limfinė ir kapiliarinė cirkuliacija. Tyrimo tikslas: įvertinti periferinio kraujo įsotinimo deguonimi ir pulso kitimą balneoterapijos procedūros metu. Metodika. Atlikta randomizuota kontroliuojama vienpusė akla paralelinių grupių intervencinė studija su 3 mėn. stebėjimo periodu, kurioje 250 dalyvių, suskirstytų į 5 grupes. Vandens terapijos grupės gavo 20 min. skirtingos mineralizacijos vandens vonių kasdien 2 savaites. Periferinio kraujo įsotinimas deguonimi ir pulsas matuotas prieš gydymą, kiekvienos procedūros pradžioje, po 10 min. bei 20 min., taip pat po kurso bei 3 mėnesių. Prieš ir po vonių kurso matuotas eritrocitų ir hemoglobino kiekis veniniame kraujyje. Rezultatai. Didžiausias SpO2 sumažėjimas procedūros viduryje stebėtas 20-40 g/l mineralizacijos vonių metu (iki 2,7-3,3%); SpO2 mažiausiai veikė 60 g/l vanduo (iki 2,3%). Gėlo vandens vonios SpO2 poveikis buvo mažiausias (iki 1,8%). Vonios procedūros pabaigoje SpO2 daugiausia mažino 20-40 g/l vonios (iki 2,2%), mažiausiai – 60 g/l. Daugumos gėlo vandens procedūrų pabaigoje patikimo poveikio SpO2 nebuvo. Po 10 min. ŠSD mažėjo iki 22 k./min., o po 20 min. – iki 18 k./min. (20 g/l); 40 g/l procedūros visos procedūros metu mažino ŠSD 8-16 k./min.; stabiliausiai procedūros viduryje ŠSD mažėjo 1117 k./min., o pabaigoje – 9-15 k./min. skiriant 60 g/l vandens procedūras. Gėlo vandens procedūrų metu gautas mažiausias (4-10 k./min. po 10 min.) ŠSD pokytis, kuris išliko tik 30% atvejų. Po kurso 40 ir 60 g/l vonios sumažino pulsą 5-6 k./min., kuris išliko 3 mėnesius. Po procedūrų kurso hemoglobino kiekis nekito, o eritrocitų skaičius padidėjo 40 g/l ir kontrolinėje grupėse. Po 60 g/l vonių nustatytas šlapimo pH padidėjimas. Išvados. Daugiausia SpO2 mažina ir galimai didina deguonies atpalaidavimą audiniuose 20-40 g/l procedūros. Didžiausią trumpalaikį ŠSD mažėjimą suteikia 20 g/l, ilgalaikį – 40-60 g/l geoterminio vandens procedūros.

Introduction. Aim: to evaluate the effect of geothermal water of different mineralization on health state improvement. Material and method. A randomized controlled single blinded parallel groups interventional study was performed. 250 participants were divided into 5 groups: 3 balneotherapy (20, 40 and 60 g/l total mineralization), 1 tap water, and 1 control group. Hydrotherapy was carried out on an outpatient on everyday basis for 5 days a week over a 2-week period. The main effect on health state was measured using SHSQ-25 questionnaire after 2 weeks and each month during 3-month follow-up period. Examination by a physician and common blood and urine tests were done after the treatment period. Results and discussions. After a 2-week treatment, participants receiving all types of hydrotherapy showed a significant therapeutic response compared to the control group, especially in fatigue and mental state subcategories. The biggest total health enhancing effect after therapy was in seen in 40 g/l group, followed by 20 g/l group. The smallest effect was seen in tap water group. The most significant post-therapy effect during 3 months was given by 40 g/l procedures. Health self-rating after 2 weeks improved significantly only in geothermal water groups and lasted 2-3-month post-treatment. 2 weeks of balneotherapy had significant impact on Er, MCV, MCH, MPV, Eo, Tr, urine SG, and pH. According to the physician’s assessment, the best results after 2 weeks were in 20 g/l group, but 40 and 60 g/l water procedures gave more residual effect. Conclusions. The geothermal water of 40 g/l total mineralization has the best positive effect for health enhancement after 2 weeks and during 3-month period. 20 g/l water gives fast and short- term health effect, while 40-60 g/l water has long-lasting effect on health status. Key words: health status, balneotherapy, geothermal water, hydrotherapy

Background. Balneotherapy is one of the basic methods of treatment widely used in natural medicine. Objectives. To investigate the effect of geothermal water on body mass index, body skinfolds and circumferences and serum cholesterol. Material and methods. A randomised, controlled, single-blinded follow-up interventional study was performed on 204 workers divided into 5 groups: balneotherapy with 20, 40 and 60 g/l total mineralisation, tap water and a control group. A 20-minute bath treatment was carried out on an everyday basis for 5 days a week over a 2-week period. Body circumferences and skinfolds, body mass index and cholesterol were measured before and after the treatment. Results. The best effect reducing body volume after 2 weeks was obtained in the 20 g/l group (7.5 cm), but the biggest and longest effect was achieved in the 60 g/l group (8.4 cm from baseline). The greatest and longest-lasting decrease in skinfold was after 60 g/l procedures (22.4 mm from baseline). Significant positive changes for total cholesterol were seen after 20 (MD 0.2) and 40 g/l (MD 0.3) baths, for low-density lipoprotein after 40 g/l (MD 0.1) baths, and for triglyceride levels after 20 g/l baths. There were no significant changes in all groups regarding body mass index. Conclusions. 20-minute baths of geothermal water are more effective than tap water for lowering of hypodermic fat content in the body and cholesterol level in serum. 60 g/l baths have a long-lasting effect on body fat volumes, and 20–40 g/l geothermal water is appropriate for an antilipidemic effect.

Understanding how nursing students in European countries perceive their future professional role is an important step in creating awareness of the diversity and similarities between countries. Investigating nursing students' perceptions of their future profession could help in the design of education and the retention of nurses.To compare nursing students' perceptions of the professional nurse's role between Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden.A cross-sectional design was implemented. The study used two scales of the Professional Nursing Image Survey, which has questions about 10 skills and abilities and 14 functions and duties of a nurse.A total of 392 final-year nursing students in four countries participated in the study. Statistically significant differences were found between countries in terms of all 10 skills and abilities and in the distribution of responses concerning functions and duties of a nurse.Nursing students in Belarus, Lithuania, Poland and Sweden perceive differently the role of a nurse in terms of some functions and responsibilities. This may influence the adaptation of nurses who enjoy freedom of movement among the countries.The knowledge gained in this study could be beneficial in improving nursing education, as it could illuminate the discrepancy between educational goals and students' perceptions of their future professional role.

Parenting is a complex and stressful activity. Prolonged extreme parental stress can lead to parental burnout. Parental burnout develops when parental resources (emotional, cognitive, psychological, financial, etc.) are insufficient to meet current and emerging needs. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused great stress and anxiety to many parents around the world. For healthcare professionals, the pandemic period is particularly difficult due to increased stress in the workplace. Constant stress in the workplace and at home can lead to severe psychological illnesses. The aim of this study was to reveal the parental burnout of nurses during COVID-19. A quantitative study was conducted using the Parental Burnout Assessment tool. The participants were nurses (n = 200) raising pre-school and school age children. The results revealed that nurses experienced relatively mild burnout in parenting activities, presumably due to the possibility to work in the workplace (not from home) without juxtaposing work and children’s learning problems. Greater burnout is caused by younger age of parents, higher education, higher number of children living together, and time spent helping children with education. Persons who have used the services of babysitters or children's centres/clubs before the national lockdown experience more severe burnout in parenting activities.

At universities for students, the COVID19 pandemic and the introduced anti-pandemic measures turned out to be psychotraumatic factors that increased the experience of loneliness. The purpose of the study was to investigate the prevalence of the phenomenon of loneliness among university students in five European countries, taking into account the variety of anti-COVID measures during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using the UCLA Loneliness Scale, questionnaires of 2316 students. In Russia, Poland and Ukraine a hard lockdown was introduced during the pandemic. Lithuania (in the first months) did not undertake severe restrictions, and for a long time the danger of the SARSCoV-2 virus was not recognized in Belarus. The students in Lithuania and Belarus, 33 and 35 points. Students from Poland, Russia and Ukraine: 38, 37, 37 points, respectively. All respondents were classified according to three levels of loneliness experience. A low level (60) experience of loneliness - 66 respondents (2.8%). Among the representatives of Lithuania and Belarus, a low level of subjective feeling of loneliness prevailed (about 70% of respondents), while in Ukraine, Russia and Poland the share of low indicators was significantly less, respectively, 65.2%, 59.8% and 57.8%. University students from five countries who participated in the study do not experience high levels of loneliness. Gradation of the prevalence of feelings of loneliness from minimum to maximum in comparison is as follows: LT - BY - RU - UA - PL. The severity of loneliness is associated with the levels of restrictions in the countries during the pandemic. = Для студентов в университетах пандемия COVID-19 и введенные антипандемические меры оказались психотравмирующими факторами, усилившими переживание одиночества. Целью работы была сравнительная оценка распространенности феномена переживания одиночества у студентов университетов из пяти европейских стран с учетом разнообразия антиковидных стратегий во время пандемии COVID-19. При помощи шкалы одиночества UCLA проанализированы анкеты-опросники 2316 студентов из пяти европейских стран. В России, Польше и Украине во время пандемии вводился жесткий локдаун. Литва в первые месяцы не предпринимала жестких ограничений, а в Беларуси долгое время не признавалась опасность вируса SARS-CoV-2. Суммарный показатель одиночества всех опрошенных составил 36 баллов (медиана). У представителей студенчества Литвы и Беларуси он был минимальным (33 и 35 баллов). У студентов из Польши, России и Украины был достоверно выше: 38, 37, 37 баллов соответственно. Все респонденты были классифицированы с учетом трех уровней переживания одиночества. Низкий уровень (менее 40 баллов) отмечен в 1510 случаях (65,2%). Средний (40-60 баллов) - 740 человек (32,0%). Высокий (более 60) с максимальным переживанием одиночества выявлен у 66 респондентов (2,8%). У представителей Литвы и Беларуси низкий уровень субъективного ощущения одиночества превалировал (около 70% респондентов), в то время как среди представителей Украины и особенно России и Польши доля низких показателей достоверно была меньше, соответственно 65,2, 59,8 и 57,8%. Студенты университетов из пяти стран, принявшие участие в исследовании, не испытывали высокого уровня одиночества. Суммарный показатель соответствует низкому и среднему уровню. Градация распространенности переживаний одиночества от минимального до максимального в сравнении: LT - BY - RU - UA - PL. Выраженность одиночества связана с уровнем ограничений, проводимых в странах во время пандемии.

Introducing interpersonal communication courses for students of health sciences. Encouraging students to use their strengths in communication: listening without interrupting, paying attention to other people’s feelings, ability to compliment or praise, as well as to apologize and admit when something wrong was done. Encouraging students to participate in the discussions, express their opinions with appropriate reasoning and argumentation, as well as to explain the importance of paying attention to the speakers’ voice, and dealing with the difficult emotional conditions.

Nors lyderio tapatumo filosofinės paieškos Lietuvoje įgauna vis didesnį mastą ir pagreitį, pagrindo idėjoms ieškoma Rytų ir Vakarų filosofijose apeinant Lietuvos filosofinę mintį. Šiuolaikinėje visuomenėje, stengiantis riboti pragmatiškumą ir vartotojiškumą, ypač skleidžiamos tvariosios – moralinėmis vertybėmis grįstos – lyderystės idėjos, skatinančios kiekvieną žmogų savyje ieškoti lyderio tapatumo. Tapatumas, teigiama, yra subjektyvus savęs paties vertinimas, savo vertybių ir socialinių vaidmenų pasirinkimas. Idėjos, kad asmens lyderystė yra socialinis konstruktas, kad ji gali būti sėkmingai išugdoma, pasaulyje pradėtos kelti ir Lietuvoje priimtos palyginti neseniai, t. y. įsitvirtinant postmodernizmo filosofinei krypčiai. Tačiau ar tikrai lyderystės idėjos nebuvo plėtojamos anksčiau? Egzistencijos prasmingumo orientyrų ieškojimai sutinkami Vydūno filosofijoje. Tikėtina, kad skatindamas atsigręžti į moralumą ir vertybes, jis galėjo kelti ir lyderystės idėjas. Šiame straipsnyje pateikiami lyderystės idėjų paieškų Vydūno filosofijoje rezultatai. Although, in Lithuania, the philosophical quest for leader’s identity is gaining great capacity, the ideas of leadership are sought in Eastern and Western philosophies bypassing the philosophical heritage of Lithuania. Efforts are made to restrict pragmatism and consumerism and promote sustainable ideas of leadership based on moral values. Every person is encouraged to look for the leadership identity in her/himself. It is argued that identity consists of subjective self-assessment, the choice of personal values and social roles. The idea that personal leadership is just a social construct and can be successfully developed became popular in the world and recently was accepted in Lithuania. But perhaps, in the Lithuanian philosophy heritage, there is the original idea of leadership developed by Vydūnas. It is highly likely that, by encouraging a return to morality and values, he could also raise ideas of leadership. T his article presents the results of the quest for the ideas of leadership in Vydūnas’s philosophy.

Nurses' professional identities develop throughout their lifetimes, from before entering nursing education, throughout their years of study and clinical experience, and continue to evolve during their careers. Education is, however, a key period as it is during this time students gain the knowledge and skills that separate nurses as healthcare professionals from people representing their professions. In order to purposefully shape the professional identity of nursing students, there is a need of knowing the level at which students identify themselves with the profession when graduating from a university. The aim of the study is to reveal the professional identity of nursing students in Lithuania and Poland and to make recommendations for improving the study process on the basis of the results of the study. A quantitative survey was conducted in the spring of 2017. The results of the research reveal that the professional identity of nursing students is rather of high level, the decision to work as nurses is strong, but there are some gaps in understanding of roles and responsibilities of nursing.

Krūties vėžys jau daugelį metų yra dažniausia moterų onkologinė liga bei opiausia ir aktualiausia jų sveikatos problema. Krūties vėžio, kaip ir kitų onkologinių ligų, klinikinių baigčių rezultatai, tokie kaip išgyvenamumas ir su sveikata susijusi gyvenimo kokybė, yra vieni svarbiausių sveikatos priežiūros efektyvumo ir kokybės kriterijų. Sergančiųjų krūties vėžiu su sveikata susijusios gyvenimo kokybės tyrimai apima fizinę, psichologinę ir socialinę tiriamųjų savijautą ir emocinį būvį. Sergant krūties vėžiu, gyvenimo kokybės tyrimai yra ypač svarbūs ir turėtų būti atliekami ne vieną kartą, nes tik daugkartiniai tyrimai gali kur kas tiksliau atspindėti gydymo efektyvumą bei padėti prognozuoti darbingumo lygį bei išgyvenimo trukmę.

Musculoskeletal pain is a health challenge with various treatment strategies. The study has been accomplished with the aim to reveal the effect of mineral water with different mineral content on musculoskeletal pain and related symptoms experienced. A randomized controlled single-blinded parallel-group study has been performed (145 participants with pain; 5 groups). The duration of treatment was 2 weeks, whereas follow-up has taken 3 months. Change in pain after a single procedure and the pain parameters with related symptoms during the study period have been measured. The effect size using Cohen’s d has been estimated. Small effect (0.2–0.4) on pain has been distinguished after each mineral water procedure. Tap water procedures have been effective in 60% of cases. Twenty grams per liter water baths have had a small effect on pain intensity and tender points, body flexibility, and spinal mobility, and a medium one on sleep quality, and reduced CRP. Forty grams per liter water has had a small effect on pain intensity, frequency, and spinal mobility, and a medium one on flexibility, fatigue, and sleep quality, and reduced ESR. Sixty grams per liter water has had a small effect on pain parameters and fatigue, and a medium one on flexibility and sleep quality, and reduced ESR. The effect lasting up to 2 months has been identified mostly in the 60 g/L group. Tap water has had a short time effect on pain intensity and tender points. There have not been any changes of sufficient significance identified in the control group and any differences between mineral water groups. Sufficient difference between mineral and tap water groups has been determined in pain intensity, spinal mobility, and sleep quality, whereas in the case of the control group, significant difference in pain intensity and frequency, flexibility, and spinal mobility has been identified. The consumption of pain medication has significantly decreased in all mineral water groups. The total mineral content of the water has no significant influence on the reduction of musculoskeletal pain. Mineral water baths have small effect on pain and medium effect on other musculoskeletal disease-related symptoms and pain medication consumption lasting up to 3 months; it is more beneficial than tap water or no treatment for the improvement of symptoms associated with musculoskeletal diseases. Even single balneotherapy procedure results in small pain reduction.