Adolescenti con e senza DSA dopo due anni di pandemia: esiti psicologici differenti?

Although the risk of psychopathological problems for adolescents with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) is well-acknowledged, few studies focused on this population after two years of Covid-19 pandemic. The study has two main goals: to investigate strengths and difficulties in the emotional, social and behavioral areas in a group of adolescents with SLD and to analyze the concordance between the mothers’, fathers’ and adolescents’ reports. The study involved 4 adolescents with SLD and 7 typically developing (TD) peers aged 11-14 years. The Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) administered on-line. In contrast with the main pre-Covid studies, the SLD adolescents did not show more psychological problems than TD peers. On the contrary a higher percentage of adolescents with TD fell into the clinical range. We also observed a low parents-adolescent concordance. Clinical and educational implications derived from these results are discussed. © 2022, Associazione Culturale Pediatri. All rights reserved.

Women during the Covid-19 lockdown: more anxiety symptoms in women with children than without children and role of the resilience

Backgrounds. In addition to being a public physical health emergency, Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been identified as a psychological health emergency of global concern. The emergency measures implemented by the Italian Government from March to June 2020 included drastic limitations to living conditions that may have impacted on women with children in particular. Nevertheless, few studies focused on them investigating psychopathological consequences of lockdown and protective factors for mental health. Aims. First aim was to examine differences on generalized anxiety symptoms between working women with children and without children;second, we investigated whether psychological resilience contributed to low emotional impact of the COVID-19 lockdown. Method. An online survey was administered to 516 working mothers and 514 working women without children. Participants responded to Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD7) and ConnorDavidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC 25). Results. Significant differences emerged between the two groups, with higher symptoms and percentages of generalized anxiety disorders (GADs) in the group of mothers relative to women without children. Regression analysis showed that CD-RISC 25 score, more than having/not having children, had a predictive effect on GAD7 score, concurring to reduce anxiety symptoms. Conclusions. Our findings suggest that dealing with lockdown was a particularly stressful experience for working mothers who had to balance personal life, work, and raising children without other resources. Resilience may be a protection against emotional problems and supportive interventions should be implemented in the present and in the future to promote mental health in this population.