PERCEPTIONS AND EXPERIENCES OF M-HEALTH TECHNOLOGIES AND SOCIAL MEDIA: A QUALITATIVE STUDY IN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA.

The growing influence of technology in the realm of mental health presents promising prospects for patients with psychiatric disorders like schizophrenia. The objective of this study is to investigate the perceptions of individuals with schizophrenia spectrum disorder regarding the utilization of technology and social media. The qualitative methodology used consists of an individual structured interview and the data were subjected to thematic analysis. The results show that the participants use digital tools for various activities such as work, searching for information, entertainment, and socialising. Their perceptions confirm the usefulness and easy accessibility of these tools, which enable positive changes in the organisation of daily life and social relationships. In general, it is possible to identify both positive and negative aspects of technology and social media, such as abuse and addictive behaviour, network and information overload problems, and the risk that privacy may not be guaranteed; among the positive ones, the promotion of remote sociability, speed in carrying out tasks and acquiring useful information emerge. Most of the participants express a positive perception of the possibility that digital tools can help in the field of mental health.

One wave or another in the pandemic: psychological well-being during the third COVID-19 wave.

BACKGROUND: After a year from the emergence of COVID-19 in February 2020, between March and May 2021 Italy faced its third wave of infections. Previous studies have shown that in the first phases of the pandemic certain factors had a protective effect against distress. However, little is known regarding the role of possible protective variables after prolonged pandemic situations. PARTICIPANTS AND PROCEDURE: 454 Italian adults were asked questions regarding the intensity of mental states and emotions experienced, the perceived usefulness of lockdown, the feeling of living a normal life, and the coping strategies implemented to face the pandemic. RESULTS: Our findings indicate that the presence of acceptance attitudes toward restrictive measures and the implementation of recreational activities helped participants face a prolonged pandemic with positive emotions. CONCLUSIONS: These results extend previous findings about the impact of several behavioral variables on individuals' mental states and emotions experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy.

What Decides the Well-Being of the Relationship between Parents and Adolescents.

The literature indicates a variety of factors that contribute to adolescent well-being: among these, the parent-adolescent relationship has a key role. The present article offered an overview of studies on parent-adolescent relationships across diverse family forms, not limited to the traditional family but also including "non-traditional" and "modern" families. To do so, this article described the evolution of the concept of family over the last fifty years and traced the significant family variables that guarantee adolescent well-being. Additionally, this article discussed the changes that occurred in family research, shifting from studies that considered only the family structure to more recent studies that investigated family processes and contextual factors. Overall, the reviewed studies indicated that the quality of parent-adolescent relationship, the interparental conflict and the consequent spillover effect on the child subsystem, and the changes in the economic situation following parental separation/divorce override the effect of the family structure. Finally, this article pointed out the need to examine, in the future research, adolescent well-being across diverse families by adopting more fine-grained methodologies, collecting data from the entire family system, and using a multi-method assessment to obtain a more ecological view of family complexity.

Smartphone addiction across the lifetime during Italian lockdown for COVID-19.

BACKGROUND: Smartphone misuse, also known as Nomophobia is the fear of not being able to consult your own mobile phone, of not being connected or traceable. During the Italian lockdown caused by COVID-19, while the use of technology was the fundamental basis of adaptation for smart working, school and professional training, leading to a change in the population's lifestyle, smartphone dependency caused impaired social relationships. To date, the impact of smartphone dependency in men and women is unclear. We conducted this study with the hypothesis that a period of lockdown fosters the growth of a pathological use of the cell phone different in women and men. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this work is to investigate gender differences in the level of smartphone dependency in teens and adults during the COVID-19 lockdown period. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The NoMobilePhobia-Questionnaire (NMP-Q) was presented online to 1264 participants between the ages of 15 and 67. RESULTS: The results show no significant main effects for the two factors taken into account (Gender and Age of participants). However, the significant interaction shows that female participants reported on average higher scores on NMP-Q than males, [F(4,1253) =7.06 and p<.001, observed power close to 1 (0.99) and effect size = 0.03 (ETA partial squared)] for the younger age group (15-44), while for those over the age of 44, the average highest scores were for male participants. CONCLUSIONS: One of the "positive" aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic is the use of the Internet and smartphones, and our analysis aimed to document the frequency of use in the Italian context with the NMP-Q. However, we can also conclude that this research is relevant because it can give us a glimpse of the relationship between dependency and mental issues. The results reveal the risk in some of the Italian population of developing forms of smartphone dependency, especially in circumstances that prohibit direct social interactions.

Smoking behavior and psychological dynamics during COVID-19 social distancing and stay-at-home policies: A survey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, about 60 million of Italians stayed at home. These circumstances may generate exceptional challenges and stress for people who regularly use cigarettes, ecigarettes, heated tobacco products, dual users, former smokers and never smokers. Here, we present results from a study that was aimed at surveying smoking behaviour and psychological dynamics during the Italian COVID-19 social distancing and stay-at-home policies. Participants living in Italy were invited to complete an online brief questionnaire. A questionnaire was prepared and uploaded in an online survey tool. They were asked to participate regardless of their current smoking status and were divided in seven subgroups. In total, 1825 participants were included in the analysis. Exclusive cigarette smokers; Dual users of cigarette and ecigarettes; Dual users of cigarette and heated tobacco products; Former smokers; Exclusive users of e-cigarette; Exclusive users of heated tobacco products; never smoker. Dual users of cigarette and e-cigarette and exclusive cigarette smokers perceived that their daily consumption has slightly decreased. Exclusive cigarette smokers and exclusive e-cigarette users changed the way of purchasing products. Most exclusive cigarette smokers have considered quitting but most exclusive e-cigarette users have not considered stopping the use of e-cigarettes. In former smokers' group, about one third of participants declared thoughts about starting to smoke again and in never smokers' group few participants declared intention to start smoking. The COVID-19 era could be considered a "transition" phase and as such requires a search for a new balance. These changes in everyday habits can be a significant moment to use established and emerging strategies to create a definitive smoke-free world.

Improvement of health-related quality of life and psychological well-being after HCV eradication with direct-acting antiviral agents. Real life setting data of an Italian cohort valued by Hepatitis Quality of Life Questionnaire (HQLQv2).

HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) decreases Health-Related Quality of Life with detriments to physical, mental and social health domains. Interferon and Ribavirin treatment is associated with depression and anxiety that further impairs HRQoL (Health- Related Quality of Life). IFN-free (interferon-free) regimes (Direct Acting Antivirals, DAAs) are safe and highly effective drugs, with improvement also of HRQoL and related Psychological Well-Being. Our aim is to describe how the latest generation IFN-free treatment can change quality of life and related Psychological Well-Being in Italian Chronic Hepatitis C/Cirrhosis affected patients. SF-36v2 (Short Form Health Survey is a 36-item, patient-reported survey of patient health) - HQLQv2 (Hepatitis Quality of Life Questionnaire) was administered at two time points: baseline (n=72) and 12 weeks after the end of therapy [n=72, SVR=72 - Sustained Virologic Response (SVR)]. Patients with chronic HCV undergoing DAAs treatment from two Italian centers were enrolled. The overall average of the answers is configured for most of the domains that make up the questionnaire, with scores above 50. The quality of life of this sample is very close to the average of the US population, with a minimum average score of 45.9 for the Role Emotional scale and an average maximum score of 56.4 for the Vitality scale. Both are significant results from statistical analysis. It seems that DAAs treatment therapy does not affect but improves the general quality and psychological state of adult patients with Chronic HCV infection.

Psychological wellness, yoga and quality of life in patients affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders: A pilot study.

Schizophrenia is a serious psychiatric disorder characterized by positive symptoms, negative symptoms and neurocognitive deficits. The aim of this study was to estimate relationships between wellness, yoga and quality of life in patients affected by schizophrenia spectrum disorders. Participants were 30 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia in care at the Rehabilitative Psychiatry and Research Villa Chiara Clinic in Mascalucia (Catania, Italy), after that randomly assigned to two groups. The first group followed the experimental treatment with sets of yoga exercises conducted by a yoga trainer and a psychiatrist or a clinical psychologist expert in yoga, while a second control group was treated with usual care. The results revealed a significant difference, before and after treatment, between the experimental group and the control group in quality of life.

Combining group psychotherapy and yoga exercises improves quality of life in mental health professionals: a controlled randomized clinical trial.

PURPOSE: This study aims to investigate the effects of combining 12-week group psychotherapy with yoga exercises on stress perception and quality of life in mental health professionals. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: This study was a parallel-arm randomized controlled trial, in which the participants was unaware of which group was the experimental one. Participants involved in our research were assigned to two groups of separate treatment that followed for three months group psychotherapy combined with yoga program for stress management or usual stress coping strategies. FINDINGS: The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The findings did not reveal a significant difference in stress perception assessed in the two groups either before or after intervention but reveal a significant difference in the quality of life in the two groups before and after the psycho behavioral interventions.

Quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions benefits of a stress management program by autogenic training for emergency room staff: A pilot study.

Emergency room have particularly stressful work situations. Emergency room personnel cope with stressors on a daily basis. These stressors can be risks factor for burn out and for reduced quality of life and work motivation. Emergency room staff of one of ASP 3 CT urban hospital in Acireale, Italy participated to stress management program by autogenic training twice a month for 16 weeks. This program were prepared based on existing research and studies, and were conducted by clinical psychologists. We found that the mean value in pre-test is significantly different from mean value in post-test for: Perceived Stress Scale PPS (t=7.72 with 27 df and P<0.001); Euro Quality for life (t=-14,13 with 27 df and P<0.001); Work motivation assessed by Visual Analogue scale VAS (t=-4.52 with 27 df and P<0.001). In the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the mean value is significantly different for emotional exhaustion sub-scale (t=5.64 with 27 with 27 df and P<0.001) and for depersonalization subscale (t=6.67 with 27 df and P<0.001). No significant difference was observed for the personal accomplishment sub-scale. This research suggests that psychological interventions with emergency room staff are effective. Our study showed effectiveness of an autogenic and stress management training in improvement of quality of life, work motivation, burn-out and stress perceptions for emergency department team.

Impact of Different e-Cigarette Generation and Models on Cognitive Performances, Craving and Gesture: A Randomized Cross-Over Trial (CogEcig).

Introduction: Most electronic-cigarettes (e-cigarette) are designed to look like traditional cigarettes and simulate the visual, sensory, and behavioral aspects of smoking traditional cigarettes. This research aimed to explore whether different e-cigarette models and smokers' usual classic cigarettes can impact on cognitive performances, craving and gesture. Methods: The study is randomized cross-over trial designed to compare cognitive performances, craving, and gesture in subjects who used first generation electronic cigarettes, second generation electronic cigarettes with their usual cigarettes. (Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT01735487). Results: Cognitive performance was not affected by "group condition." Within-group repeated measures analyses showed a significant time effect, indicating an increase of participants' current craving measure in group "usual classic cigarettes (group C)," "disposable cigalike electronic cigarette loaded with cartridges with 24 mg nicotine (group H), second generation electronic cigarette, personal vaporizer model Ego C, loaded with liquid nicotine 24 mg (group E). Measures of gesture not differ over the course of the experiment for all the products under investigation Conclusion: All cognitive measures attention, executive function and working memory are not influenced by the different e-cigarette and gender showing that in general electronics cigarettes could become a strong support also from a cognitive point of view for those who decide to quit smoking. It seems that not only craving and other smoke withdrawal symptoms but also cognitive performance is not only linked to the presence of nicotine; this suggests that the reasons behind the dependence and the related difficulty to quit smoking needs to be looked into also other factors like the gesture. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier NCT01735487.

Neural processing of emotions in traumatized children treated with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing therapy: a hdEEG study.

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been proven efficacious in restoring affective regulation in post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) patients. However, its effectiveness on emotion processing in children with complex trauma has yet to be explored. High density electroencephalography (hdEEG) was used to investigate the effects of EMDR on brain responses to adults' emotions on children with histories of early maltreatment. Ten school-aged children were examined before (T0) and within one month after the conclusion of EMDR (T1). hdEEGs were recorded while children passively viewed angry, afraid, happy, and neutral faces. Clinical scales were administered at the same time. Correlation analyses were performed to detect brain regions whose activity was linked to children's traumatic symptom-related and emotional-adaptive problem scores. In all four conditions, hdEEG showed similar significantly higher activity on the right medial prefrontal and fronto-temporal limbic regions at T0, shifting toward the left medial and superior temporal regions at T1. Moreover, significant correlations were found between clinical scales and the same regions whose activity significantly differed between pre- and post-treatment. These preliminary results demonstrate that, after EMDR, children suffering from complex trauma show increased activity in areas implicated in high-order cognitive processing when passively viewing pictures of emotional expressions. These changes are associated with the decrease of depressive and traumatic symptoms, and with the improvement of emotional-adaptive functioning over time.