Envy, Social Comparison, and Depression on Social Networking Sites: A Systematic Review.

This study aims to review the evidence for the reciprocal relationship between envy and social comparison (SC) on social networking sites (SNSs) and depression. We searched PsychINFO, PubMed, and Web of Science from January 2012 to November 2022, adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. A total of 9 articles met our inclusion criteria. In all articles reviewed, a simple correlation was found between SC on SNSs, envy, and depression. Three cross-sectional studies successfully tested a model with envy as a mediator between SNSs and depression. The moderating role of additional variables such as self-efficacy, neuroticism, SC orientation, marital quality, and friendship type was also evident. The only two studies that were suitable to determine direction found that depression acted as a predictor rather than an outcome of SC and envy, and therefore depression might be a relevant risk factor for the negative emotional consequences of SNSs use.

Voice rehabilitation and quality of life in laryngectomized patients.

BACKGROUND: Total laryngectomy represents the surgical procedure necessary for the treatment of some advanced neoplasms of the hypopharyngeal-laryngeal district and involves strong functional, physical and emotional repercussions. This research investigated the way in which the rehabilitation methods, used to improve the communicative needs of laryngectomized patients, influence their perceived quality of life. METHOD: The questionnaires "V-RQoL" and "SECEL" were administered to 45 patients divided into four groups on the basis of the type of vicarious voice: group TE (27 patients), group E (7 patients), group EL (2 patients), group NV (9 patients). RESULTS: Patients using electrical or tracheo-esophageal prostheses reported a better quality of life than patients with an erythromophonic voice. Regarding postoperative satisfaction, the group with esophageal voice was the most satisfied. CONCLUSIONS: The results lead us to emphasize the importance of preoperative counseling to make the patient as aware as possible of his future condition. KEY WORDS: Cancer, Laryngectomy, Vicarious Voice, Voice Rehabilitation, Quality of Life.

A new tool to assess the occurrence of personality traits: the Phenomenological Personality Factor questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: Personality traits are patterns of thoughts, feelings and actions that are usually assessed by means of psychometric questionnaires. In the present study we described the Phenomenological Personality Factor (PPF), a short questionnaire assessing the personality traits, taking into account the different interpretative models of personality. METHODS: A sample of 554 healthy subjects (357 female; 197 males) aged 18-60 years were enrolled. Each participant was required to complete PPF, by indicating the presence/absence of the individual personality trait, and the Italian version of the Affective Neuroscience Personality Scale (ANPS). RESULTS: The principal component analysis showed that seven factors explained the 35.07% of the total variance. Moreover, the correlation analysis revealed that the PPF components were significantly and positively associated with the ANPS scales. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that the PPF is a useful questionnaire to assess the personality traits, and the adaptive functioning, in healthy individuals.

Computational Methods in Psychotherapy: A Scoping Review.

BACKGROUND: The study of complex systems, such as the psychotherapeutic encounter, transcends the mechanistic and reductionist methods for describing linear processes and needs suitable approaches to describe probabilistic and scarcely predictable phenomena. OBJECTIVE: The present study undertakes a scoping review of research on the computational methods in psychotherapy to gather new developments in this field and to better understand the phenomena occurring in psychotherapeutic interactions as well as in human interaction more generally. DESIGN: Online databases were used to identify papers published 2011-2022, from which we selected 18 publications from different resources, selected according to criteria established in advance and described in the text. A flow chart and a summary table of the articles consulted have been created. RESULTS: The majority of publications (44.4%) reported combined computational and experimental approaches, so we grouped the studies according to the types of computational methods used. All but one of the studies collected measured data. All the studies confirmed the usefulness of predictive and learning models in the study of complex variables such as those belonging to psychological, psychopathological and psychotherapeutic processes. CONCLUSIONS: Research on computational methods will benefit from a careful selection of reference methods and standards. Therefore, this review represents an attempt to systematise the empirical literature on the applications of computational methods in psychotherapy research in order to offer clinicians an overview of the usefulness of these methods and the possibilities of their use in the various fields of application, highlighting their clinical implications, and ultimately attempting to identify potential opportunities for further research.

Post-operative oncological and psychological evaluation of patients with colostomy for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: The therapeutic arsenal for colorectal cancer is largely made up of surgery. In digestive tumors, ostomy devices induce loss of function and control. This medical device generates changes that affect all aspects of patients' lives. This study evaluates the postoperative follow-up from the oncological point of view and the psychological impact of colostomy on the quality of life of patients with colorectal cancer, analyzing any complications or relapses, and the high risk of self-concept disorder and social isolation. METHODS: The aim of the work was to identify all the surgeries for colorectal cancer performed in the Federico II University Hospital of Naples, from 2018 to 2021, and among them how many had been packaged a colostomy. We then analyzed how many patients had been evaluated 12 months after surgery, with a transanal endoscopy or transtomy, and the percentage of any complications or relapses. The same patients who underwent endoscopic control were also evaluated psychologically, to analyze how they lived the packaging of the ostomy and how it had affected the quality of life. RESULTS: At endoscopic control, diversion colitis phenomena and few cases of stoma stenosis and stomatitis were detected. No case of neoplastic recurrence. From the psychological point of view, the problems detected were in particular the alteration of body image, the loss of sphincter control, embarrassment and shame for the bad smell, impairment of sexuality and difficulties in the couple relationship and social contacts, anxiety, depression and loneliness. CONCLUSIONS: The post-operative evaluation of the ostomy patient following colorectal cancer requires endoscopic control to suddenly detect recurrences and complications and psychological support that improves their quality of life. KEY WORDS: Permanent Colostomy, Psychological Adjustment, Quality of Life, Temporary Colostomy.

Social Support Mediates the Relationship between Body Image Distress and Depressive Symptoms in Prostate Cancer Patients.

Treatments for prostate cancer (PCa), the second most common cancer in men, may affect the body image (BI) of patients, increasing the risk of negative mental health outcomes. However, an enabling social support network may be a protective factor against the effects of BI distress on health. Therefore, the present study examined the mediating role of social support in the relationship between BI distress and depressive symptoms. Data were retrospectively collected from 197 PCa patients aged from 48 to 79 years (M = 67.19; SD = 6.83). The statistical package for the social sciences with PROCESS Macro was used to assess the direct and mediating effects with bias-corrected bootstrapping (10,000 samples). Results showed that BI distress was positively associated with depressive symptoms and that social support partially mediated this relationship. Moreover, among the different sources of social support, only friend support significantly mediated the association between BI distress and depressive symptoms. This study sheds light on the crucial role of social support as a dimension that can promote health in PCa patients.

Health of Non-binary and Genderqueer People: A Systematic Review.

Background: Non-binary and genderqueer (NBGQ) people are those who do not identify within the gender binary system (male vs. female), not falling exclusively in man/male or woman/female normative categories. A higher proportion of NBGQ people is usually found within young persons. This population is marginalized and, as such, is at risk of stigmatization and of developing negative health outcomes. As literature on the health of NBGQ people is sparse, this study aims at systematically review the limited studies on this field. Methods: The research questions which guided the systematic review were: (1) What are the differences in the health levels between NBGQ and binary transgender (BT) individuals? (2) What are the differences in the health levels between NBGQ and cisgender individuals? (3) Which medical and psychological interventions are most suitable for improving NBGQ health? According to PRISMA guidelines, a systematic search was conducted in PubMed, PsycInfo, Web of Science, and Google Scholar. Results: Eleven studies met the inclusion criteria for the current systematic review. Among them, 9 were focused on the health differences between NBGQ and BT individuals, 4 of the latter and 1 individually were focused on the health differences between NBGQ and cisgender individuals, and 1 was focused on the evaluation of health outcomes related to medical procedures. No studies assessed psychological interventions aimed at improving health in NBGQ individuals. All studies were cross-sectional, did not generally recruit a large sample of NBGQ individuals, and used non-probability sample design. Results related to the difference in health between NBGQ and BT were mixed; indeed, some found a better health status while others a worse one. Results related to the differences in health between NBGQ and cisgender highlighted higher health needs in NBGQ than in BT individuals. The only study analyzing the effects of medical interventions on health found that NBGQ female-assigned at birth individuals improved their quality of life after chest surgery. Conclusions: Although scholars are starting to pay attention to the NBGQ health, research needs to be expanded both in terms of methodology and research contents. Clinical, health-related social policies, and research recommendations in this field are reported.

Effect of two post-surgical cleansing protocols on early periodontal wound healing and cytokine levels following osseous resective surgery: A randomized controlled study.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this RCT study was to compare early wound healing and gingival crevicular fluid cytokine levels of patients treated with two different post-surgical cleansing protocols. METHODS: A total of 30 chronic periodontitis patients scheduled for osseous resective surgery with fibre retention technique were randomly assigned to follow one of two post-surgical protocols. Patients assigned to the test protocol (n = 15) were instructed to brush the surgical area with a sonic toothbrush starting the day after surgery in addition to 0.12% chlorhexidine (CHX) rinsing, while patients following the control protocol (n = 15) rinsed only with 0.12% CHX solution and resumed mechanical cleansing with a manual toothbrush on day 14 after surgery. Interleukin (IL)-1ß and IL-8 levels were assessed before and 14 days post-operatively in gingival crevicular fluid. Patients were recalled on day 7, 14, 21 and 28 after surgery for clinical assessment. Pain was self-reported by a visual analogue scale. RESULTS: Lower early wound healing scores, higher bacterial plaque reduction and milder inflammatory response were observed at the surgical sites in the test group on day 7, 14 and 28 when compared to the control group (P < 0.01). The faster wound healing process was modulated by a statistically significant decrease in IL-1ß and IL-8 levels on day 14 in the sonic group. The intensity of pain was similar between groups. CONCLUSIONS: The introduction of sonic toothbrush on the first post-operative day as an adjunct of daily CHX rinsing would seem to accelerate early wound healing.

Immediate Augmentation of Compromised Extraction Sockets in Chronic Periodontitis Patients: 1-Year Results of a Case Series on Volumetric and Histologic Response.

The present case series evaluated three-dimensional volumetric bone tissue changes and new bone formation in severely resorbed extraction sockets augmented with Bio-Oss collagen and a covering collagen membrane in nine chronic periodontitis patients. Healing was by secondary intention. After 12 months of healing, the augmentation procedure appeared not only to compensate for bone remodeling but also appeared to repair a significant portion of the buccal wall. The mineralized tissue filled the 91.49% ± 6.77% of the maximum volume for regeneration. Overall, a mean of 49.6% new bone, 27.1% residual graft material, and 23.3% connective tissue were detected.