Daily Activities in European Children and Adolescents During COVID-19 School Closure: A Longitudinal Study Exploring Physical Activity, Use of Screens, and Sleep Patterns.

This longitudinal study aimed to analyze the evolution of patterns of daily activities (physical activity time, screen usage time, and sleep hours) in European youth during school closure due to the COVID-19 health crisis. Participants were 624 caregivers of children and adolescents aged 3-18 from Italy, Spain, and Portugal. Evaluations were online, and four time-points were considered: retrospective measurement of daily activities before confinement (T1), and two (T2), five (T3), and eight (T4) weeks after starting the lockdown. Generally accepted international guidelines on physical activity time, screen usage time, and hours of sleep by age group were used to determine whether the pattern might increase the risk for ill health or not. To estimate the evolution of daily activities, generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used. The percentage of children who practiced less than 60 min of daily exercise increased significantly from before home confinement (47.8%) to T2 (86.4%); it slightly decreased at T3 (79.8%), and remained stable at T4 (76.1%). The percentage of children who made excessive use of screens (according to their age group) significantly increased from T1 to T2 and remained stable and high in the rest of the evaluations. The percentage of children who slept fewer or more hours than recommended for their age group remained stable between T1 and T4, although there was a significant increase at T3. In general, results found unhealthier behaviors as confinement was extended. Results are discussed in order to find strategies for promoting healthy daily activities for future pandemics.

Childhood trauma and psychopathy: The moderating role of resilience.

OBJECTIVE: Despite accumulating evidence of significant albeit moderate associations between childhood trauma and psychopathy, little is known about the potential moderators of these associations. To advance knowledge in this area, the present study investigated the moderating role of resilience in the childhood trauma-psychopathy link. METHOD: A community sample of 521 adult participants from the Netherlands (40.1% men; Mage = 35.27 years, SD = 15.99) completed two self-report questionnaires measuring psychopathic personality traits: a self-report measure of resilience and a retrospective measure of childhood traumatic experiences. Correlation analyses were employed to investigate bivariate associations among study variables. Moderated multiple regression analyses with bootstrapping followed by simple slope analyses were employed to examine Childhood Trauma × Resilience interactions in predicting scores of psychopathy subscales. RESULTS: Childhood trauma had small positive associations with psychopathic traits across the board, with the exception of a small negative association with boldness traits, as well as a small negative association with resilience. Resilience was strongly and positively related to boldness, and negatively related to affective (callousness, meanness) and behavioral (antisocial, disinhibition) traits of psychopathy. Resilience moderated six out of seven associations between childhood trauma and psychopathic traits. CONCLUSIONS: Resilience appeared to represent a significant buffer in the associations between childhood traumatic experiences and psychopathic traits, such that these associations became weaker and nonsignificant (and even negative for boldness) at higher levels compared to lower levels of resilience. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Anxiety and Stress among American, Chinese, Italian, and Russian Emerging Adults: Does Uncertainty Avoidance Matter?

Levels of anxiety and stress vary throughout the lifespan and across cultures. Uncertainty appears particularly relevant during emerging adulthood, thus potentially affecting both stress and anxiety. Uncertainty as a construct was identified by Hofstede (i.e., Uncertainty Avoidance Index, UAI), who defined it as the extent to which members of a culture feel threatened by ambiguous or unknown situations and tend to avoid them. The UAI was considered as a means to understand cultures in addition to the "classic" distinction between collectivist and individualistic cultures. The present study compared levels of anxiety and stress in 1790 university students (18-21 years old) from two individualistic (Italy and the US) and two collectivistic (China and Russia) countries, with a consideration of country UAI levels. Results showed that country-level UAI scores were associated with levels of anxiety and stress, controlling for age and sex. Italian and Russian students reported greater anxiety than American and Chinese ones. Chinese emerging adults reported the lowest stress levels, followed by American, Italian, and Russian students. The study findings provide initial evidence that anxiety and stress in emerging adults are associated with how a culture deals with perceived instability and uncertainty about the future.

Flourishing and Self-Control in Adolescence: The Role of Perceived Parenting.

Self-control is the ability to control thoughts, emotions, and impulses to pursuit of long-term goals. Adolescents with high self-control experience higher flourishing levels. The latter refers to the fulfillment of needs for competence, relationship, and self-acceptance, as well as the possession of psychological capital such as flow and commitment. High levels of self-control also seem to be linked to a positive relationship with parents, which is crucial in adolescent flourishing. However, few studies investigated the association between flourishing, self-control, and perceived parenting in adolescence. The aim of this study was to investigate how the ability to exert self-control and the need to perceive and preserve a responsive relationship with parents would facilitate adolescents' experience of higher flourishing levels. The relationships among self-control, adolescents' perception of some paternal and maternal dimensions (closeness, communication, and parents' peer approval), and flourishing were analyzed in a sample of 335 Italian adolescents. Self-control was positively correlated with flourishing and the adolescent's perception of maternal and paternal dimensions. The PROCESS model showed that perceived maternal and paternal dimensions mediate the relationship between self-control and flourishing. These findings show the importance of self-control and parenting dimensions in promoting flourishing during adolescence.

Italian Validation of the Delaying Gratification Inventory in Adolescents.

The delay of gratification (DoG) is defined as the willingness to forego immediate satisfaction to achieve greater long-term gratification. This ability is essential in adolescence, as its development is crucial against desirable versus undesirable behaviors. This study investigated the psychometric proprieties of the Delaying Gratification Inventory (DGI) in Italian adolescents. A total of 621 Italian adolescents, ranging from 14 to 17 years old (M = 15.92, SD = 1.05; 47.7% boys), participated in the study. Confirmatory factor analysis identified a four-factor structure (delay of gratification concerning Food, Social Interaction, Money, and Achievement). The reliability of the Italian DGI was acceptable. Measurement invariance across gender was supported. Boys reached a higher DoG score in the Food subscale and a lower score in the Social Interaction and Achievement subscales than girls. Moreover, the Italian DGI dimensions were all positively correlated with self-control and prosocial behavior. Except for the Social Interaction subscale, positive correlations were found between the Food, Money, and Achievement subscales and self-esteem. The present findings suggest that the Italian DGI could be used for assessing DoG ability, a key regulatory ability that promotes healthy behaviors in adolescence.

Association between Familism and Mental Health in College Adolescents during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Familism, also known in the literature as allocentrism, is the cultural propensity of a society to place the family at the center of its value system. Adherence to this value has been related to less depressive symptomatology in young people; however, these results are not conclusive, since it has also been found that the influence of familism on depressive symptoms is more indirect than direct. This study aimed to explore the direct relationships between familism (allocentrism and idiocentrism) and mental health (depression, anxiety, and stress). Methodologically, the study had a non-experimental, cross-sectional, descriptive, and correlational design. A sample of 451 Chilean university students responded to an instrument composed of the subscales allocentrism, idiocentrism, depression, anxiety, and stress during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that family allocentrism was positively and significantly associated with depression (γ = 0.112, p < 0.05), anxiety (γ = 0.209, p < 0.001), and stress (γ = 0.212, p < 0.001), and family idiocentrism was negatively and significantly linked with depression (γ = -0.392, p < 0.001), anxiety (γ = -0.368, p < 0.001), and stress (γ = -0.408, p < 0.001). These findings contribute to supporting actions to reduce negative symptomatology and promote greater well-being in university students.

Health-Related Quality of Life in Children with Overweight and Obesity: An Explorative Study Focused on School Functioning and Well-being.

Overweight and obesity in childhood has reached epidemic levels, and their roles in physical and psychological health are now recognized. Recently, researchers have focused on the impact of these weight problems in health-related quality of life (HRQoL) domains, which are less investigated in children. This exploratory study examined the differences in HRQoL domains between a clinical group who were overweight/obesity treatment-seeking (n = 58) and a normal-weight group (n = 44) in a sample of 102 children, with a specific focus on school functioning and well-being. The second aim explored the link between our findings and other HRQoL dimensions. After controlling for sex and age, a multivariate analysis of variance showed lower levels in school functioning and well-being dimensions between overweight/obesity than normal-weight (F = 4.72; p < 0.05). Correlation analyses highlighted positive links between lower school functioning and well-being and lower levels of self-esteem (r = 0.308; p < 0.01) and social domains in terms of friendships (r = 0.522 ; p < 0.001) and family relationships (r = 0.561; p < 0.001) in children who were with overweight and obesity. This study discusses the implications of these findings in educational research and practices.

Possible Stress-Neuroendocrine System-Psychological Symptoms Relationship in Pregnant Women during the COVID-19 Pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic induced long-term damages that weigh on the national health systems of various countries in terms of support and care. This review aimed to highlight the mental health impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in pregnant women. We first report data on the immune system physiopathology and the main viral infections in pregnancy, including COVID-19. Then, the attention is focused on the main factors that affect the mental health of pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as (1) the fear of being infected and transmitting the infection to the fetus, (2) the cancellation of checkups and pre-child courses, and (3) confinement and the inability to have close friends or a partner at the time of delivery or in the first days after delivery, as well as family tensions. Because of all this, pregnant women find themselves in a stressful condition independent of the pregnancy, and thus experience anxiety, depression, insomnia, hostility, delirium, and an alteration of the mother-baby relationship. Several studies have shown an involvement of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis and the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in response to the pandemic. We propose a possible involvement of the neuroendocrine system as a mediator of the psychological symptoms of pregnant women induced by COVID-19-related stress.

Hypercholesterolemia in Cancer and in Anorexia Nervosa: A Hypothesis for a Crosstalk.

The relationship between cholesterol and cancer has been widely demonstrated. Clinical studies have shown changes in blood cholesterol levels in cancer patients. In parallel, basic research studies have shown that cholesterol is involved in the mechanisms of onset and progression of the disease. On the other hand, anorexic patients have high cholesterol levels and a high susceptibility to cancer. In this review, we first present a brief background on the relations among nutrition, eating disorders and cancer. Using several notable examples, we then illustrate the changes in cholesterol in cancer and in anorexia nervosa, providing evidence for their important relationship. Finally, we show a new possible link between cholesterol disorder in cancer and in anorexia nervosa.

COVID-19: Psychological symptoms and coping strategies in preschoolers, schoolchildren, and adolescents.

The present study aimed to compare psychological symptoms and coping strategies in 1480 preschoolers, schoolchildren, and adolescents during home confinement due to COVID-19. We enrolled parents from Italy, Portugal, and Spain who completed a survey between the second and fourth week of lockdown. The results showed that preschoolers displayed more sleeping difficulties, temper tantrums, and dependency while adolescents' reactions were more related to COVID-19 worries and uncertainty. Schoolchildren showed more difficulty in concentrating. Adolescent girls showed higher anxiety levels than schoolchildren boys. Schoolchildren relied more on emotion-oriented strategies, which were linked to increased internalizing and externalizing symptoms in all ages. Task-oriented strategies, regardless of the child's age, work best to cope with stress. Our findings provide information for professionals and parents about children's most common and adaptive coping strategies according to age. Furthermore, they contribute to the early detection of long-term psychological maladjustment in children.

Psychological Symptoms in Italian, Spanish and Portuguese Youth During the COVID-19 Health Crisis: A Longitudinal Study.

Aiming to slow down the spread of the COVID-19, a lockdown was declared in the first term of 2020 in many European countries, applying different restrictions measures. Although the psychological effects of home confinement in children have been described, there is a lack of longitudinal research examining the impact of the confinement over time. The present study analyzes the evolution of the psychological wellbeing of children and adolescents from three European countries with different restrictions. Parents of 624 Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years old completed the "Impact Scale of COVID-19 and Home Confinement on Children and Adolescents" two, five, and eight weeks after the lockdown. Results show a different pattern for each country. Children from Italy, the first European country that applied a lockdown, were better adapted than Spanish and Portuguese children the first two weeks after confinement but they were more psychologically impacted by home confinement at the eight-week assessment. Portuguese children, who followed a general duty of home confinement, were the best adapted to the situation, with no significant differences over time. A significant change was found in anxiety symptoms in Spanish children, with a decrease at the last assessment. Findings suggest that long confinements and hard restrictions affect children, so prevention measures should be applied during confinements to prevent psychological problems in children.

Brain and gut microbiota disorders in the psychopathology of anorexia nervosa.

Studies of pathophysiological mechanisms involved in eating disorders (EDs) have intensified over the past several years, revealing their unprecedented and unanticipated complexity. Results from many articles highlight critical aspects in each member of ED family. Notably, anorexia nervosa (AN) is a disorder due to undefined etiology, frequently associated with symptoms of depression, anxiety, obsessive-compulsiveness, accompanied by endocrine alterations, altered immune response, increased inflammation, and dysbiosis of the gut microbiota. Hence, an advanced knowledge of how and why a multisystem involvement exists is of paramount importance to understand the pathogenetic mechanisms of AN. In this review, we describe the change in the brain structure/function focusing on hypothalamic endocrine disorders and the disequilibrium of gut microbiota in AN that might be responsible for the psychopathological complication.

Corrigendum: Coping Behaviors and Psychological Disturbances in Youth Affected by the COVID-19 Health Crisis.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2021.565657.].

The Impact of Parental Stress on Italian Adolescents' Internalizing Symptoms during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Longitudinal Study.

The challenges and consequences of COVID-19 imposed massive changes in adolescents' daily routines (e.g., school closures, home confinement, and social distancing rules), which impacted their mental health. This longitudinal study aimed to better understand the changes in adolescents' internalizing symptoms and the underlying mechanisms of parental stress due to COVID-19. We asked 1053 parents of adolescents to complete an online survey during the second and fifth weeks and at the end of home confinement (i.e., four weeks later). Results showed that parents reported their adolescents' anxiety and depression symptoms were more severe at Time 2 than at the first administration. Anxiety symptoms slightly decreased at Time 3, while there was no significant change in depression symptoms. Moreover, parents' expressive suppression mediated the association between parental stress and adolescents' anxiety and depression symptoms, respectively. The findings suggest that as restriction increased, adolescents' anxiety and depression became more severe. Moreover, due to the link between parental stress and adolescents' internalizing disorders helping families to cope with the distress due to the pandemic may have a positive impact on parents, the child, and the family as a whole (i.e., the family climate).

A Cross-Cultural Study on Attachment and Adjustment Difficulties in Adolescence: The Mediating Role of Self-Control in Italy, Spain, China, and Poland.

From a socio-ecological perspective, individuals are influenced by the interplay of individual, relational, and societal factors operating as a broader system. Thereby, to support youth adjustment during the critical adolescence period, the interplay between these factors should be investigated. This study aimed to investigate cross-cultural differences in adolescents' maternal and paternal attachment, adolescents' adjustment difficulties and self-control, and in their association. N = 1000 adolescents (mean (M) age = 16.94, SD = 0.48; 45.90% males) from China, Italy, Spain, and Poland participated by completing self-report measures. Results showed cross-country similarities and differences among the considered variables and their associative pattern. Moreover, conditional process analysis evaluating the association between maternal vs. paternal attachment and adjustment difficulties, mediated by self-control, and moderated by country, was performed. Maternal attachment directly, and indirectly through greater self-control, influenced adjustment difficulties in all four countries. This association was stronger among Spaniards. Paternal attachment influenced directly, and indirectly through self-control, on adolescents' adjustment difficulties only in Italy, Spain, and Poland, and was stronger among Polish adolescents. For Chinese adolescents, paternal attachment solely associated with adjustment difficulties when mediated by self-control. Thus, results highlighted both similarities and differences across countries in the interplay between maternal vs. paternal attachment and self-control on adolescents' adjustment difficulties. Implications are discussed.

Coping Behaviors and Psychological Disturbances in Youth Affected by the COVID-19 Health Crisis.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the quarantine undergone by children in many countries is a stressful situation about which little is known to date. Children and adolescents' behaviors to cope with home confinement may be associated with their emotional welfare. The objectives of this study were: (1) to examine the coping strategies used out by children and adolescents during the COVID-19 health crisis, (2) to analyze the differences in these behaviors in three countries, and (3) to examine the relationship between different coping modalities and adaptation. Participants were 1,480 parents of children aged 3-18 years from three European countries (n Spain = 431, n Italy = 712, and n Portugal = 355). The children's mean age was 9.15 years (SD = 4.27). Parents completed an online survey providing information on symptoms and coping behaviors observed in their children. The most frequent coping strategies were accepting what is happening (58.9%), collaborating with quarantine social activities (e.g., drawings on the windows, supportive applauses) (35.9%), acting as if nothing is happening (35.5%), highlighting the advantages of being at home (35.1%), and not appearing to be worried about what is happening (30.1%). Compared to Italian and Spanish children, Portuguese children used a sense of humor more frequently when their parents talked about the situation. Acting as if nothing was happening, collaborating with social activities, and seeking comfort from others were more likely in Spanish children than in children from the other countries. Compared to Portuguese and Spanish children, Italian children did not seem worried about what was happening. Overall, an emotional-oriented coping style was directly correlated with a greater presence of anxious symptoms, as well as to mood, sleep, behavioral, and cognitive alterations. Task-oriented and avoidance-oriented styles were related to better psychological adaptation (considered a low presence of psychological symptoms). Results also show that unaffected children or children with a lower level of impact were more likely to use strategies based on a positive focus on the situation. This study provides interesting data on the strategies to be promoted by parents to cope with the COVID-19 health crisis in children.

Parent and Child's Negative Emotions During COVID-19: The Moderating Role of Parental Attachment Style.

In February 2020, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) appeared and spread rapidly in Italy. With the health emergency and social isolation, parents started spending more time with their children, and they might have experienced greater distress. Attachment style is considered as an effective emotion regulation strategy in the parent-child relationship. However, few empirical studies have addressed this issue. Based on attachment theory, this study aimed to find parental attachment style as a candidate to moderate the relation between parents' negative emotions and their perceptions of their children's negative emotions related to COVID-19. Parents (Mage = 42.55 ± 6.56, 88.2% female) of 838 Italian children and adolescents aged 3 to 18 years participated in an online survey. Results showed that parents with a fearful attachment style had significantly higher negative emotions when facing COVID-19 than those with other attachment styles. Moreover, parents with a dismissing attachment style perceived fewer negative emotions in their children than parents with fearful and preoccupied styles. At last, higher parents' negative emotions were associated with greater perception of children's negative emotions only in parents classified as secure and fearful. These findings suggest that parents with dismissing and fearful attachment styles and their children may be at higher risk during the COVID-19 pandemic and they should be given long-term attention.

The link between individualism-collectivism and life satisfaction among emerging adults from four countries.

The current investigation tested life satisfaction (LS), a cognitive component of subjective well-being, among emerging adults, in the context of individualism (I) and collectivism (C), by distinguishing both cultural and individual levels of analysis, considering their horizontal (H) and vertical (V) dimensions, and controlling age and gender effects. Emerging adults (N = 1760 university students, aged 18-25, Mage  = 19.46, SDag  = 1.50) located across four countries, namely China, Italy, Russia, and the USA, known to differ in the individualism index value (IDV), completed measures on the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism and Life Satisfaction. At the cultural level, an ANCOVA showed a significant country effects on LS. The post hoc comparisons indicated that the higher the country IDV score, the higher the average LS score, in the following order: Americans, Italians, Russians, and Chinese. At the individual level, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. Instead, it was associated with HC and VC. The positive link between LS and VC suggested an important role of family connectedness on LS across different cultures during emerging adulthood. However, contrary to previous studies, LS was unrelated to HI and VI.

Anxiety and depressive symptoms in children and adolescents during covid-19 pandemic: a transcultural approach / Ansiedad y Síntomas Depresivos en Niños y Adolescentes durante la Pandemia de la COVID-19: un enfoque transcultural

BACKGROUND: Despite being necessary to delay the spread of COVID-19, home confinement could have affected the emotional well-being of children and adolescents. Knowing which variables are involved in anxiety and depressive symptoms could help to prevent young people's psychological problems related to lockdown as early as possible. This cross-sectional study aims to examine anxiety and depressive symptomatology in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese children and adolescents in order to determine which variables are related to poorer well-being during the pandemic. METHOD: The parents of 515 children, aged 3-18 years old, completed an online survey. Children's anxiety symptoms were assessed using the Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent Version, and depressive symptoms were measured with the Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire-Parent Version. RESULTS: We found differences in anxiety and depression between countries, with higher anxiety scores in Spanish children, and higher depression scores in Spanish and Italian children compared to the Portuguese. Anxiety and depressive symptoms were more likely in children whose parents reported higher levels of stress. CONCLUSIONS: These findings are discussed in the light of detecting and supporting affected children as early as possible

ANTECEDENTES: a pesar de ser necesario para retrasar la propagación del COVID-19, el confinamiento podría haber afectado al bienestar emocional de niños y adolescentes. Conocer qué variables están involucradas en la ansiedad y depresión podría ayudar a prevenir en los niños los problemas psicológicos asociados al confinamiento lo antes posible. Este estudio transversal tiene como objetivo examinar la sintomatología ansiosa y depresiva en niños y adolescentes italianos, españoles y portugueses, para detectar qué variables están relacionadas con un peor bienestar durante la pandemia. MÉTODO: los padres de 515 niños de 3 a 18 años completaron una evaluación online. Los síntomas de ansiedad de los niños se evaluaron con la Spence Children's Anxiety Scale-Parent Version, y los síntomas depresivos con el Short Mood and Feelings Questionnaire-Parent Version. RESULTADOS: se hallaron diferencias en la ansiedad y la depresión entre países, con mayor ansiedad en los niños españoles, y mayor sintomatología depresiva en los niños españoles e italianos, en comparación con los portugueses. Los síntomas de ansiedad y depresión eran más probables en niños cuyos padres informaron de un mayor nivel de estrés. CONCLUSIONES: estos hallazgos se discuten con el propósito de detectar y apoyar a los niños afectados lo antes posible