Up to a third of the population of older adults has been estimated to suffer from feelings of loneliness, which is considered a risk factor of depression. The aim of this paper is to compare the perceived level of loneliness and depression in seniors living in the country and in the cities and assess somatic morbidity and sociodemographic status as predictors of loneliness and depressiveness. n = 92 older adults in primary care units filled out a set of questionnaires: authors’ survey on sociodemographic data and morbidities, Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI, to measure depressiveness) and De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS, to assess loneliness). There was a strong, positive and statistically significant correlation between the BDI and DJGLS scores (R = 0.855, p < 0.001). City residents had on average higher BDI and DJGLS scores. Linear regression models were constructed to predict BDI and DJGLS scores. The set of statistically significant predictors were similar for BDI and DJGLS. Sociodemographic status and somatic morbidities accounted for around 90% of variance of depressiveness and loneliness scores in the studied group. Living alone was found to be the strongest relative predictor of both loneliness and depressiveness in the studied sample of the older adults. Our current results suggest that there might be a need to improve social support in the late adulthood as an intervention to diminish the sense of loneliness and depressiveness.

Having an autistic child significantly impairs the functioning of the family, including the wellbeing of the parents. The aim of this study was to assess whether loneliness mediates the relationship between perceived stress and the severity of depressive symptoms in the studied sample of parents. This cross-sectional study involved 39 parents of autistic children and 45 parents of non-autistic children. They completed a set of tests: a survey on sociodemographic and clinical data and psychometric questionnaires, i.e., Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI), De Jong Gierveld Loneliness Scale (DJGLS), and Perceived Stress Questionnaire (KPS). A rise in external and intrapsychic stress, independently, was linked to a rise in the severity of depressive symptoms. The severity of depression, loneliness and stress was higher among parents of autistic children compared with parents of non-autistic children. Intrapsychic stress exhibited an indirect effect through loneliness on the worsening of depressive symptoms.

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The presented paper analyses the interdependencies between the meaning of life and health. The noo-psychotheoretical concepts derived from the logotherapeutic trend of Victor Frankl (1984, 2009, 2018) and the phenomenon of health in salutogenetic orientation by Aaron Antonovsky (1979, 1992, 2005) have been compared. As a result, the importance of a sense of meaning in the process of achieving health and the essence of the sense of meaning as one of the elements of health have been outlined.

Przedmiotem badania jest refleksja nad fenomenem neuroróżnorodności u osób ze spektrum ASD w kontekście koncepcji autorstwa własnego życia. Neuroróżnorodność oznacza zróżnicowanie populacyjne właściwości ośrodkowego układu nerwowego, przekładające się na zróżnicowanie poznawcze i emocjonalne populacji. Celem pracy jest przegląd literatury na temat związku, jaki zachodzi między autorstwem własnego życia, neuroróżnorodnością a zaburzeniami ze spektrum ASD. Zastosowaną metodą w niniejszej pracy jest przegląd literatury ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem literatury polskojęzycznej. Obraz kliniczny spektrum ASD jest zróżnicowany. Wśród osób z ASD są zarówno osoby samodzielne, jak i wymagające całodobowego nadzoru. Mówi się o autyzmie dobrze i źle funkcjonującym. Osoby z autyzmem dobrze funkcjonującym są zdolne do samostanowienia o sobie w przeciwieństwie do osób źle funkcjonujących, które wymagają opieki i wsparcia środowiskowego. Wśród osób z ASD istnieje duża neuroróżnorodność obrazu klinicznego. Znaczna część osób jest zdolna do samostanowienia i kreowania własnego życia.