Introduction Patients' sexual concerns are frequently underestimated because of health professionals' reluctance to address sexual health issues. Though it has been documented that sexual attitudes are extremely influential in everyday clinical practice, limited data exist on identifying health professionals' attitudes. Aim To explore sexual attitudes in medical students and students in allied health professions. Main Outcome Measures The Derogatis Sexual Functioning Inventory (DSFI)–Attitude Subscale was used to assess sexual attitudes. Methods The sample included 1st and 4th year college students enrolled in the following academic departments/schools of two academic institutions leading to health professions: medical school, psychology, pharmaceutical school, nursing and midwifery. Demographic data were obtained relating to sexual behaviors and information sources on sexual issues. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test and two-way analysis of variance, as well as logistic regression and Pearson's correlation coefficient. Results A total of 714 students (81.9% females) participated in the study: 48.5% 1st year students and 51.5% seniors with a mean age of 20.17 years (SD=1.87, range 17–25). Using iterative cluster analysis on DSFI scores, participants were divided in conservative (N=167), liberal (N=224), and neutral (N=323) clusters. A significant gender difference on sexual attitudes was obtained (P <0.001) with male students being more liberal compared to females (mean=18.26 and mean=11.13, respectively). Differences were also revealed for the field but not for the year of study. Analysis also revealed that liberalism in sexual attitudes is more likely to be affected by a liberal stance toward religion (OR: 2.39), receiving information for sexual matters mainly from peers (OR: 1.86), and media influence on students' sexual life (OR: 1.68). Conclusions Gender, personal values, and experiences influence students' attitudes toward sexual issues. Since negative attitudes can impede effective sexual health consultations, it is imperative to incorporate courses on effective communication and human sexuality in the medical and allied health professions curricula that will enhance students' awareness of their own values and prejudices.

Burnout is a variable that continues to sustain international research interest. The most widely adopted tool measuring the burnout syndrome is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The present study attempted to examine the psychometric properties and factorial structure of the MBI amongst a sample of 536 professional health specialists in Greece. The results indicated satisfactory reliability through internal consistency for all three dimensions. However, a factor analysis did not produce conclusive evidence of a tripartite construct, but rather the predominance of a single primary factor (emotional exhaustion), and a secondary factor (depersonalization). The results confirm previous findings advocating the uni-factorial or bi-factorial nature of the construct.

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A total of 117 women in their third trimester of pregnancy participated in the study. Demographic and obstetric history data were recorded during women's third trimester of pregnancy. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the validated Greek version of the Edinburg Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) at two time points: on the third trimester of pregnancy and on the first week postpartum. Findings Prevalence of GDM was 14.5%. Probable diagnosis of depression occurred for 12% of the sample during the antenatal assessment and 15.1% in the postpartum assessment. In the first week postpartum, women with GDM had significantly higher postpartum (but no antenatal) EPDS scores compared with the non-GDM cohort. In conclusion, GDM appears to be associated with depressive symptoms in the first week postpartum. Clinical implications and recommendations for future research are discussed, emphasizing the importance of closely monitoring women with GDM who seem more vulnerable to developing depressive symptomatology during the postnatal period.

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