Beata Ziółkowska

Unhealthy eating behaviors in people with physical disabilities

The problem of abnormal eating behaviour is a phenomenon grounded and considered in theoretical issues of varied scientific disciplines, as well as verified in a purely empirical way. In the source literature one can find data pointing out the coexistence of eating disorders with other disorders of mental or developmental nature, addiction to  substances and activities or self-destructive behaviours. Unfortunately, one can hardly find authors who take into consideration the problem of eating disorders in people with physical disabilities, despite the source data clearly indicate eating disorder as quite frequent in them. The presented paper is an attempt to show the current knowledge on the scope, discuss physical disabilities as a risk factor for symptoms of eating disorders, outline the treatment recommendations and directions for eating disorders therapy and psychoprophylaxis.

Body Image and Perceived Quality of Life in Young Women with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

The purpose of our research was to check whether young women diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome differ in the perception of their body image and sense of quality of life from the general population of women. A total of 80 participants were examined, divided into two equally numerous groups: with and without PCOS. Three research tools were used: a personal questionnaire, the Bodily Self Questionnaire (Scale J-C) and the WHOQOL-BREF Questionnaire. It was demonstrated that women with PCOS are characterized by a less positive body image and report a significantly lower quality of life compared to healthy women. There was a strong relationship between body image and quality of life in the study group of women suffering from polycystic ovary syndrome.

W okresie adolescencji niepełnosprawność fizyczna w szczególny sposób wpływa na funkcjonowanie młodego człowieka. Ponadto doświadczenie to pozostaje w związku z poczuciem umiejscowienia kontroli oraz sposobem radzenia sobie z przeciwnościami przez nastolatka. Badaniami objęto próbę 60 osób w okresie wczesnej adolescencji, w tym 30 z niepełnosprawnością ruchową i 30 sprawnych fizycznie. Kluczowe zmienne: „radzenie sobie ze stresem" oraz „poczucie umiejscowienia kontroli" zdiagnozowano odpowiednio za pomocą kwestionariusza Jak sobie radzisz autorstwa Z. Juczyńskiego i N. Ogińskiej-Bulik oraz Kwestionariusza do badania poczucia kontroli autorstwa G. Krasowicz-Kupis i A. Wojnarskiej. U podstaw badań własnych leżało przewidywanie, że niepełna sprawność fizyczna nastolatków wraz z poczuciem umiejscowienia kontroli będą wspólnie determinowały sposób ich radzenia sobie w stresie. Główne założenie nie potwierdziło się, jednak udowodniono m.in., że: (1) lokalizacja poczucia kontroli osób sprawnych jest bardziej zbliżona do wewnętrznej, niż w przypadku osób niepełnosprawnych; (2) badani niepełnosprawni przejawiają nieustalone/zewnętrzne i zewnętrzne poczucie umiejscowienia kontroli istotnie częściej, niż sprawni.

Coping with stress of physically disabled youth in the light of the issue of location of control
In the period of adolescence, physical disability has a special impact on the functioning of a young person. In addition, this experience remains in connection with the sense of location of control and the way adolescents deal with adversities. The study included a sample of 60 people in the period of early adolescence, including 30 with physical disabilities and 30 physically fit. Key variables: "coping with stress" and "sense of location of control" were diagnosed using the questionnaire Jak sobie radzisz by Z. Juczyński and N. Ogińska-Bulik and Kwestionariusz do badania poczucia kontroli by G. Krasowicz-Kupis and A. Wojnarska. At the basis of her own research was the anticipation that incomplete physical fitness of adolescents, along with the sense of the location of control, would jointly determine how they dealt with stress. The main assumption has not been confirmed, but it has been proven, among others, that: (1) the location of the sense of control of the able-bodied is more similar to the internal one than in the case of disabled people; (2) disabled respondents display an undefined/ external and external sense of location of control significantly more often than efficient.

Keywords: physical disability, coping with stress, sense of location of control, adolescence, stereotypes