health psychology report • volume 3(2), 5 original article background Despite significant improvements in physical state after heart transplantation, the majority of adult patients struggle with continuous psychological distress. The aim of the study was to explore the lived experiences of adult heart transplant recipients in order to understand the inner background of these difficulties. participants and procedure Unstructured, in-depth interviews, based on the Life Story Interview of D. P. McAdams, were performed with 8 adults, aged between 50 and 60 years, who had undergone heart transplantation a year before the research was conducted. Interviews were tape recorded and transcribed verbatim. Data were analysed using narrative methods. results The central themes of the patients' lived experience were the illness itself and the feeling of being very different from others and from oneself remembered in the pastthe times before the transplantation. The experienced discordance between their inner world and the expectations to get better presented by other people (the family, health care workers, etc.) implies that these patients struggle with others' lack of understanding and therefore suffer from a lack of effective psychological support. conclusions This study shows that the life stories of patients after heart transplantation are in fact stories of their illness and the consequences it brought. It seems important to take this into consideration when constructing rehabilitation programmes for these patients in order to offer them the most effective support possible.
The aim of this study was to determine the tendencies of change in suicide frequency among Polish adults aged 65 or older, recognize the importance of available socio-demographic data (age, sex, marital status, and education attainment level) and provide an in-depth psychological understanding of the obtained results. We analysed the influence of education and marital status on suicide risk in the Polish adult population aged 65 or older, which has not been previously presented in publications related to the Central Statistical Office or any other research. Our results indicated that male adults aged 65 or older that were single or divorced and with a lower education had a higher risk of death by suicide. In female adults aged 65 or older, those with higher education and who were divorced or married had a higher risk of fatal suicide behaviour meanwhile, single women and widows had a lower risk. The dominant method of suicide among Polish older adults was suicide by hanging, regardless of sex; female older adults were more likely to die by suicide by poisoning or jumping from a height, and male older adults were more likely to die by shooting with a firearm. Although data from recent years highlights a downward trend for suicide rates in Polish older adults, the problem cannot be considered solved.
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