Psychopathology and coping styles in patients with neuromuscular disorders: A follow-up study during the COVID pandemic

Objective. To verify the change in the emotional and behavioural conditions of neuromuscular disorders patients' before and during the COVID-19 pandemic and to evaluate if the change was predicted by coping strategies. Methods. We analyzed 43 participants-age range at first assessment 4-52 - out of 112 subjects recruited in the study. The emotional and behavioural conditions were assessed through standardized questionnaires: Youth Self Report (YSR), Adult Self Report (ASR), Child Behaviour Checklist (CBCL), Adult Behaviour Checklist (ABCL). The pre-pandemic coping strategies of both parents and patients were assessed through the New Italian Version of the Coping Orientation to the Problems Experienced questionnaire. The relationship between coping strategies and psychopathological profiles was investigated through correlations, while the change in the patient's psychopathological profile was observed with repeated measures ANOVA. The predictivity of coping strategies on adaptation during pandemic was analyzed through linear regression's analysis. Results. Patients' coping strategies are correlated with psychopathological level reported by caregivers pre pandemic. ABCL and CBCL scores reported a significant worsening in patients' general emotional-behavioral conditions during COVID-19, even though it's under clinical cut-off;whilst patients didn't perceive any variation in their well-being status. The change has no causal relationship with the patients' coping strategies. Conclusions. Pre pandemic, parents' perception of the patient's psychopathological level depends on the coping strategies used by the subject. Caregivers perceive a worsening of the patient's psychopathological level during the pandemic, but this is not predicted by the patient's pre-pandemic coping strategies.

The impact of COVID-19 lockdown on infectious diseases epidemiology: The experience of a tertiary Italian Pediatric Emergency Department

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to describe the rate and types of community-acquired respiratory infections observed in a pediatric ED during the SARS-CoV-2 related lockdown in Italy and to compare data with the same period of previous year. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of medical charts of patients arrived at the ED of Gaslini Children's Hospital from 10th March 2020 to 30th April 2019 and the same frame of 2020 were performed. We compared two groups by demographics, duration of fever before ED admission, triage code, number of patients hospitalized after ED evaluation. We calculated proportion and incidence rate for airborne infections, fever, and urinary tract infections (UTI), appendicitis, and gastroenteritis for control. RESULTS: 1362 children arrived at the ED during the lockdown compared to 5628 in the same period of 2019 (-75,8%). No difference was noticed (27.7% vs 28.4%) in the total amount of infectious episodes. A significant reduction in rate of incidence and proportion were observed for upper respiratory tract infections (21,4% vs 28%), otitis (2,6% vs 16,2%), streptococcal infections (0,5% vs 5,2%) and bronchiolitis (2,1% vs 5,7%). Conversely, FUO (27,8 vs 11,1%), infectious mononucleosis (2,6% vs 0,4%), UTI (7,4% vs 2,9%) and appendicitis (6,8% vs 1,1%) significantly increased. Median time from the onset of fever and arrival in ED was significantly lower in 2020 group. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrated a reduction in community-acquired respiratory infections during the lockdown for COVID-19. The increase in rate of FUO and febrile conditions, together with the short time from fever onset and ED visit could be related to the fear for a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Effects of COVID-19 Lockdown on the Emotional and Behavioral Profiles of Preschool Italian Children with and without Familial Risk for Neurodevelopmental Disorders

The effects of COVID-19 containment measures on the emotional and behavioral development of preschoolers are not clear. We investigated them within an ongoing longitudinal project including typically developing children (TD) and children at high familial risk for neurodevelopmental disorders (HR-NDD) who were potentially more vulnerable. The study included ninety children aged 2-6 years (TD = 48;HR-NDD = 42). Before the emergency phase (T0), all children received a clinical assessment, including the parent questionnaire Child Behavior Checklist for Ages 1.5-5 (CBCL 1.5-5). The same questionnaire was filled out again during the emergency (T1), together with an ad-hoc questionnaire investigating environmental factors characterizing the specific period. Changes in the CBCL profiles between T0 and T1 were evaluated. Overall, irrespective of familial risk, the average T-scores on specific CBCL scales at T1 were higher than at T0. Associations emerged between delta scores reflecting worsening scores on specific CBCL scales and clinical and environmental factors. Our results confirmed the negative impact of the lockdown on preschool children's emotional/behavioral profiles, and highlight the need for strategic approaches in the age range of 2-6 years, especially for more susceptible children owing to environmental factors and pre-existing emotional problems.

The challenge of telepsychiatry in childhood: The parent training for ADHD

In the last years, several studies support the advantages offered by child and adolescent telepsychiatry, including the possibility of avoiding long movements to children and their families and the opportunity to limit absences from school or work. The COVID-19 pandemic, unleashed in early 2020, highlightes an additional advantage of telemedicine: the opportunity to carry out consultations or treatments even when, for health protection, it's impossible for patients and operators to meet in person. Recent works support the effectiveness of on-line interventions in adults and children with various problems, including ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders. In particular, the effectiveness of internet-delivered behavioral parent training has been confirmed. An on-line version of preexisting behavioral parent training has been implemented in Child Psychopathology Unit of Scientific Institute, IRCCS E. Medea (Bosisio Parini, LC). The present work aims to describe the implementation of this intervention and to share considerations on clinical implications and technical aspects, including the choice of hardware and the necessary support equipment. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved) Abstract (Italian) Negli ultimi anni, diversi studi hanno supportato i vantaggi offerti dalla telepsichiatria in eta evolutiva, fra i quali la possibilita di evitare spostamenti anche lunghi ai bambini e alle loro famiglie e l'opportunita di limitare le assenze da scuola o dal lavoro. La pandemia da COVID-19, scatenatasi all'inizio del 2020, ha evidenziato un ulteriore vantaggio della telemedicina: l'opportunita di effettuare valutazioni e trattamenti anche in quelle situazioni in cui, per la tutela della salute, risulti impossibile per pazienti ed operatori incontrarsi di persona. Recenti lavori di letteratura supportano l'efficacia di interventi condotti in modalita telematica su adulti e bambini con diverse problematiche, fra le quali l'ADHD (Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder), uno dei piu frequenti disturbi del neurosviluppo in eta evolutiva. In particolare, e stata confermata l'efficacia di parent training comportamentali, svolti tramite video-collegamenti. Il Centro ADHD del Polo territoriale di NPIA di Bosisio Parini (LC) (Associazione "La nostra famiglia" IRCCS E. Medea) ha scelto di mettere in atto, in modalita telematica, un parent training comportamentale sulla base del modello applicato da diversi anni presso il Centro. Il presente lavoro si pone l'obiettivo di descrivere l'esperienza di applicazione dell'intervento di parent training, condividendo riflessioni su aspetti clinici e su aspetti piu tecnici, tra i quali la scelta dell'hardware e degli apparati di supporto necessari. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved)