Background: The study aimed at the identification of the risk factors present during delivery, which might be present in prophylactic programs concerning postpartum mood disorders. Material and Method: This was a retrospective comparative study. The study material included data retrieved from the medical records of patients hospitalized in the Teaching Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of Professor Orłowski Hospital in Warsaw, in the years 2010–2017. The EPDS data of 604 patients were analyzed. The study group included 75 women who obtained at least 12 points in the EPDS and the control group was made up of 75 women who obtained no more than 5 points in the EPDS. Results: The women in whom we noted an increased risk of developing mood disorders had blood loss >1000 mL and had a significantly longer stage II and III of labor than the control group. Other risk factors were cesarean section, vaginal delivery with the curettage of the uterine cavity, slightly lower APGAR scores (0.4 pts), and lower birth weight (approximately 350 g) of the child. Women at a low risk of postpartum mood disorders more commonly underwent episiotomy during delivery (76%). Conclusions: Increased supervision and support should be offered to women who experienced the above-mentioned risk factors.

Job demands-resources (JD-R) model of professional burnout states that job demands predict the feeling of exhaustion, and lack of job resources—disengagement from work. This research project investigated professional burnout and it correlates, including sex, death anxiety, and relationship status in 108 Polish donor transplant coordinators involved in organ, tissue, and cell transplantations. This study employed the Polish version of the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory which follows the JD-R model, the Psychosocial Working Conditions Questionnaire—a Polish instrument based on the model of job stress proposed by Karasek—and the Polish version of the Fear of Death and Dying Questionnaire. The results were suggestive of average levels of job stress and burnout in the studied population, with men being more disengaged than women. Participants who were in relationship had significantly higher levels of exhaustion than those who were single. Exhaustion was positively correlated with years of working as a transplant coordinator but not with participants’ age. Multiple negative correlations were detected between exhaustion/disengagement and different aspects of job control, social support, and well-being. Moreover, positive correlations between different components of fear of death and dying and exhaustion were detected. Our findings, linking fear of death and dying with some aspects of professional burnout in transplant coordinators, suggest that a pre-employment screening for the level of death anxiety in candidates for transplant coordinators could be useful as this job provides chronic exposure to mortality cues.

Background: Ethically controversial medical procedures, such as the termination of pregnancy, are frequently associated with a discrepancy between personal attitude and values versus requirements related to a professional situation. The study aimed to assess emotional complications in midwives participating in pregnancy termination procedures. Methods: The study included 181 midwives working in state-governed healthcare facilities in central and eastern Poland. The Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI) and the present authors’ own questionnaire were used in the study. The results indicating the level of occupational burnout were presented in two scales: the exhaustion scale and the disengagement scale. Results: The study revealed that 48% of midwives had never participated in pregnancy termination procedures due to fetal defects. The level of occupational burnout described with the exhaustion factor (t = 2.06; p < 0.041) and disengagement factor (t = 2.96; p < 0.003) was significantly higher in the group of midwives participating in pregnancy termination procedures due to fetal defects than in the group of midwives who did not participate in pregnancy terminations. The most common factors contributing to burnout reported by midwives who participated in pregnancy terminations were: moral dilemmas (68%), seeing the aborted fetus (65%), anticipating the child’s death in case it was born with signs of life (59%) and the lack of professional psychological support for medical personnel (56%). Conclusions: Importantly, pregnancy termination should be performed by persons who find such procedures acceptable from the viewpoint of their value system. It is a protective factor in regards to work with women who undergo terminations. Moreover, developing a system of informational and psychological support for midwives participating in pregnancy termination procedures is also a significant aspect.

Postpartum mood disorders occur in a considerable number of women with the most common postpartum disorder being baby blues. The study aimed at the identification of the risk factors present before delivery, which may be comprised in prophylactic programs concerning postpartum mood disorders. The research material includes data retrieved from the medical record of patients delivering in Warsaw in the years 2010–2017 who routinely completed Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) after delivery. Data of 604 patients were analyzed. The study group included 75 women who obtained at least 12 points in EPDS, which constituted 12.4% of the whole group (mean = 14.92, SD = 3.05). The control group was made up of 75 women who obtained no more than 5 points in EPDS. A significant correlation was reported between the parity and their order vs. the risk of developing postpartum mood disorders. Women with an increased risk delivered at about 37 gestational weeks, while women in whom the risk of such disorders was low delivered at about 39 gestational weeks. No increased risk was noted in women with premature rupture of membranes. Primigravidas and women who delivered prematurely were the most predisposed to developing postpartum depression and should undergo screening tests in the perinatal period.

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 181 midwives working in hospitals in Poland. The midwives completed professional psychological tests (CISS questionnaire, EPQ-R questionnaire, OLBI questionnaire) and a questionnaire developed for this study. Midwives participating in pregnancy termination procedures most commonly used the task-oriented coping style. The emotion-oriented coping style was positively related to burnout in the group which performed pregnancy terminations. The analysis showed that the higher the indices of neuroticism, the greater the severity of burnout in both groups. The results indicate the need to conduct an initial assessment of personality resources when employing midwives to the wards.