Adapted Physical Activity Can Increase Life Appreciation in Patients with Parkinson's Disease.

Objectives:This study aimed to measure the effect of a treatment of adapted physical activity (APA) on motor symptoms and on positive psychological resources in a group of patients with PD. Methods: 37 patients with PD (Mage= 71.5; 70.3% male) completed measures of disability level, motor performance, distress, well-being, and quality of life before and after participating in a program of APA (duration: 7 months). Analysis of variance - repeated measures was performed to evaluate the effect of APA on disability, distress, and well-being. Results: After intervention, patients reported significant improvements in their motor autonomy, disability level, psychological distress, and in life appreciation. Discussion: A brief physical activity program was beneficial not only to patients' motor functioning, but also to their mental health, by reducing distress and promoting life appreciation.

Improving Purpose in Life in School Settings.

Background and aim: The dimension of purpose in life (PiL) is one of the core features of eudaimonia and plays a crucial role in developmental settings. However, few studies have examined purpose in life in younger generations and verified if it is amenable to improvements following a wellbeing-promoting intervention. The aim of the present investigation is to explore correlates and predictors of purpose in life in school children and to test if it can be ameliorated after school-based wellbeing interventions. Methods: A total of 614 students were recruited in various schools in Northern Italy. Of these, 456 belonged to junior high and high schools and were randomly assigned to receive a protocol of School Well-Being Therapy (WBT) or a psychoeducational intervention (controls). A total of 158 students were enrolled in elementary schools and received a positive narrative intervention based on fairytales or were randomly assigned to controlled conditions. All students were assessed pre- and post- intervention with Ryff scales of eudaimonic wellbeing (short version) and with other self-report measures of anxiety, depression and somatization. Additionally, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was administered to their schoolteachers as observed-rated evaluation. Results: In both elementary and high schools, purpose in life after the intervention was predicted by initial depressive symptoms and by group assignment (positive interventions vs. controls). In older students, PiL was predicted by female gender and anxiety levels, while no specific strengths identified by teachers were associated with PiL. Conclusions: PiL plays an important and strategic role in developmental settings, where students can develop skills and capacities to set meaningful goals in life. Depressive symptoms and anxiety can be obstacles to developing PiL in students, while positive school-based interventions can promote this core dimension of eudaimonia.

Menstrual cycle symptomatology during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of interoceptive sensibility and psychological health.

The literature on the COVID-19 pandemic has shown the importance of investigating its impact on mental health during this sensitive period, also in relation to the female menstrual cycle. To this end, interceptive sensibility has emerged as a fundamental construct for studying the mind-body interaction among psychosomatic and pain symptoms, particularly through the distinction between two attentional styles (namely, a "mindful" and a "non-mindful" sensibility). The aim of the following study is to verify the role of mental health and interoceptive sensibility on menstrual symptoms in women of childbearing age, during the pandemic, as well as to identify the specific contribution of the existing dimensions of interoceptive sensibility in the prediction of symptoms' severity. Data were collected through an online survey, for which 5294 women responded on demographic information, menstrual history, symptoms' disturbance, and completed the Italian versions of the GHQ-12 and the MAIA. The analyses showed that symptoms were strongly correlated to either the GHQ-12 and the MAIA subscales Noticing, Emotional Awareness, Trusting and Not-Worrying. This result was further verified via a hierarchical regression, which revealed that the same interoceptive dimensions and mental health strongly predicted the intensity of menstrual symptoms (R2 = 0.177, ΔR2 = 0.143) compared to other considered dimensions (R2 = 0.180, ΔR2 = 0.002). Results are partially in line with the premises but suggest that mental health has a strong impact on the experience of the menstrual cycle and that only a few interoceptive dimensions may be relevant in explaining the severity of menstrual symptoms. It is here suggested that noticing internal bodily signals and being aware of emotional states might become dysfunctional if not reconciled with a good ability to self-regulate internal states, but may rather contribute to the perpetuation of the 'vicious cycle' of heightened affective and attentional reactions to interoceptive sensations.

The well-being and burden of caregiving for patients with Parkinson's disease.

OBJECTIVES: Well-being and positive psychological functioning may protect caregivers from experiencing burden. Despite this, research has scarcely explored these variables among caregivers of patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). This research endeavoured (1) to measure differences in distress and well-being between caregivers of PD patients and caregivers assisting individuals suffering from non-neurodegenerative age-related health problems (controls); and (2) to evaluate the predictors of well-being, distress and caregiver burden in the total sample of caregivers. METHODS: The study has a cross-sectional design. 100 caregivers were recruited from centres for ageing individuals. 50 caregivers assisted patients with PD, while the other 50 were considered as controls. Participants completed self-report questionnaires concerning psychological well-being, life satisfaction, post-traumatic growth, distress and symptomatology. Multiple regression analysis was performed on the dataset of the total sample (N = 100), exploring the possible predictors and correlates of caregiver burden. RESULTS: Caregivers who assisted patients with PD significantly experienced more depression, more distress and less well-being when compared to controls. The main significant correlates of caregiver burden were older age, less psychological well-being and more depression. CONCLUSIONS: Parkinson's disease caregivers reported more impairment in psychological well-being and higher rates of distress. In the total sample of caregivers (of patients with PD and of healthy individuals), depression and specific areas of well-being (environmental mastery, personal growth) correlated to the burden of caregiving. Psychosocial interventions focused on these dimensions may help caregivers to better cope with the possible burden of the assistance.

Exploring Post-traumatic Growth in Parkinson's Disease: A Mixed Method Study.

Post-traumatic growth (PTG) may favor the psychological adaptation to chronic illnesses. However, few studies investigated PTG in Parkinson's Disease (PD). This study aims to investigate PTG in patients with PD, by exploring disease-specific features and assessing its impact on distress, well-being, and quality of life. A mixed methodology with a convergent parallel design was used. 54 patients were classified according to their level of PTG (low PTG, medium PTG, and high PTG). PD patients with high PTG showed a more positive psychological adaptation and less distress when compared to patients with less PTG. Forty-nine patients were interviewed and their transcripts were analyzed using Thematic Analysis. The emerged themes confirmed the traditional dimensions of PTG model, but a specific theme connected to a new body awareness was identified. Patients with high PTG were more likely to report positive statements following PD diagnosis, particularly concerning spirituality and maintaining a good physical functioning. PTG presents peculiar characteristics in PD and it may favor a better psychological adjustment following the diagnosis.

Optimal Well-being, Depression, and Caregiving: An Explorative Investigation.

OBJECTIVES: Recent studies documented the protective role of hedonic and psychological well-being for mental and physical health of aging individuals. However, the combination of these two dimensions of well-being (conceptualized as optimal well-being) has been rarely evaluated in association with providing caregiving. This exploratory investigation aimed to: (1) cluster a group of community dwellers according to levels of hedonic and psychological well-being (low well-being-LWB; moderate well-being-MWB; high well-being HWB); and (2) to identify their psychosocial correlates of their optimal well-being, including providing daily caregiving. METHODS: 217 community dwellers (60-90 years) completed questionnaires concerning psychological well-being, life satisfaction, and caregivers' distress. They were classified into three groups (LWB, MWB, HWB), following a k mean cluster analysis. Chi-square and GLM were used to compare the three clusters. Regression analyses were performed to evaluate the correlates of hedonic and psychological well-being. RESULTS: Fifty-two individuals belonged to the HWB cluster, 68 to the LWB cluster and 97 to the MWB cluster. Individuals in the LWB cluster showed higher levels of anxiety and depression, and 61 of them reported to provide caregiving. Members of the HWB cluster were the oldest. Psychological and hedonic well-being negatively correlated with depression and caregiving. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that only a small proportion of community dwellers reported optimal well-being. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Addressing depression and alleviating caregiver distress may constitute ingredients for promoting optimal well-being among older community dwellers.

Well-being and distress of patients with Parkinson's disease: a comparative investigation.

ABSTRACTBackground:Psychological resources, such as psychological well-being (PWB) and life satisfaction (LS) can aid individuals suffering from chronic illnesses to cope with their illness. The aim of this study was to investigate PWB, LS, quality of life (QoL), and distress in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD) and to compare them with healthy controls. METHODS: One hundred and thirteen individuals were recruited. Fifty of the participants suffered from PD, while 53 individuals reported other non-neurological diseases. PD patients were assessed through medical routine examinations. All participants had to be devoid of severe cognitive impairment. They were administered self-report questionnaires to measure PWB, LS, QoL, and distress. A cross-sectional comparative design was applied. RESULTS: PD patients reported higher general PWB than controls with the exception of the autonomy subscale where the PD patients scored lower. However, they also reported higher distress (anxiety, depression, somatic symptoms, and hostility-irritability), lower LS, and poorer QoL compared to controls. In regressive models, general PWB and LS were significantly correlated to the presence of PD, to its functional impairments, and not to other socio-demographic variables. CONCLUSIONS: Findings confirmed previous literature on other neurological conditions, showing that PD may be associated with greater psychological distress, lower levels of LS and QoL. At the same time, PD patients may preserve their PWB, which is a protective factor for mental and physical health. The presence of these psychological resources is inversely related to functional impairments. Future studies should better investigate the pattern of PWB in PD.

University counseling service for improving students' mental health.

The main aims of this study were to provide an initial sociodemographic and clinical characterization of university students' academic and psychological functioning and to investigate and compare the feasibility and clinical utility of psychotherapies (cognitive behavior vs. psychodynamic) delivered at a large University in Northern Italy for improving university students' mental health, using self and observer-report measures. One hundred forty-9 students (102 women; MAge = 24.55, SD = 3.35) were consecutively interviewed and extensively assessed by independent clinicians of the Service before and after the intervention, using the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation and the Global Assessment Scale. Patients were enrolled in an individual psychotherapy and allocated to cognitive behavior or psychodynamic approach according to specific criteria. Psychotherapists who were not involved in the assessment phase administered the treatment. The majority of students was female and the most severe conditions emerged among students enrolled in philosophy, arts, and communication and medical schools. At posttreatment, all students improved both in terms of well-being and distress, regardless of the type of psychotherapy received. This improvement emerged both by students' self-report and clinicians' evaluations. These findings point to the feasibility and clinical utility of psychotherapy in promoting well-being and reducing young adults' distress. The importance of university counseling services for promoting students' mental health, and a positive transition to adulthood is discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record

Beyond Ryff's scale: Comprehensive measures of eudaimonic well-being in clinical populations. A systematic review.

Eudaimonic well-being that protects mental and physical health has received increasing attention. This investigation aimed to review which comprehensive instruments for measuring eudaimonic well-being were applied with clinical populations (reporting mental or physical illnesses), beyond Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scale. Articles citing at least 1 of the measures of eudaimonic well-being identified by previous theoretical work were extracted from medical and psychological electronic databases and screened. Only investigations involving clinical populations were included and reviewed. An initial screening identified 5,065 articles using eudaimonic well-being measures, out of which only 28 articles encompassed clinical populations and could be included. Sixteen involved patients with mental disorders and 12 populations with medical conditions. In these articles, only 4 measures of eudaimonic well-being were used (Mental Health Continuum, Flourishing Scale, General Causality Orientations Scale, and Orientations to Happiness Subscales), out of the 12 currently available in literature. The Mental Health Continuum was the most used instrument, particularly in adults with depression, whose levels of eudaimonic well-being are impaired, but may be improved by specific interventions. Autonomy appeared to influence patients' motivation to treatment, both in mental and physical disorders. The need for a larger consensus regarding specific measures of eudaimonic well-being for clinical populations emerged. The importance of including assessment of positive functioning as an indicator of recovery in clinical domains is discussed.

The Promotion of Well-Being in Aging Individuals Living in Nursing Homes: A Controlled Pilot Intervention with Narrative Strategies.

OBJECTIVES: The study aimed: (1) to compare levels of well-being and distress in older adults living in nursing homes with those living in community; and (2) to test the feasibility of a positive narrative intervention for improving well-being versus a control art-and-craft intervention in a nursing home setting. METHODS: Sixty older adults participated in the study (M = 77.37; SD = 5.00), Male = 20 (33.3%). In Study 1, 30 adults living in nursing homes were compared with 30 community-dwellers using the following measures: Satisfaction with Life Scale, Psychological Well-being Scale, Social Well-being Scale, Geriatric Depression Scale, and sleep quality. In Study 2, the same 30 adults living in nursing homes were allocated to a positive narrative intervention group (N = 20) or to a control group (N = 10) and assessed at post-intervention. RESULTS: In Study 1, older adults in nursing homes presented more depression and impairments in well-being, compared to community-dwellers. In Study 2, at post-treatment, individuals assigned to the narrative intervention reported significantly increased well-being and sleep quality. CONCLUSIONS: Although preliminary, results showed that older adults living in nursing homes are more vulnerable than community-dwellers. These patients experienced improvement when given a short group positive narrative intervention applicable in nursing homes. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: A brief group intervention based on fairy tales yielded improvements in well-being and sleep quality in nursing home residents, who enjoyed and appreciated its content. These promising results need to be confirmed by future randomized controlled trials.

Psychological well-being and depression from pregnancy to postpartum among primiparous and multiparous women.

BACKGROUND: The bulk of research on motherhood has focused on perinatal depression, largely overlooking indicators of women's positive mental health which can likewise have pervasive consequences on family functioning. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to address this issue by exploring the impact of parity and childbirth on both women's perinatal depression and psychological well-being. METHODS: A convenience sample of 81 women was followed during pregnancy (Time 1) and postpartum (Time 2). At both times, participants completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the Psychological Well-being Scales, measuring perceived autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, positive relations, purpose in life, and self-acceptance. RESULTS: Significant negative correlations were observed between depression and psychological well-being dimensions. ANCOVA and mixed ANOVA analyses showed that depression levels did not differ between primiparous and multiparous women, or between pre- and postpartum assessments. By contrast, after childbirth, primiparous women reported higher values of environmental mastery and self-acceptance than multiparous women. In addition, levels of self-acceptance and personal growth increased from pregnancy to postpartum among primiparous women, while no differences were detected over time in the scores of all the psychological well-being dimensions among multiparous women. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted some dimensions of positive psychological functioning that specifically contribute to women's well-being in the transition to motherhood, and their different relevance for primiparous and multiparous mothers. Future trials are needed to integrate this information in tailored intervention for the promotion of mothers' complete mental health.

Self-rated and observer-rated measures of well-being and distress in adolescence: an exploratory study.

The evaluation of eudaimonic well-being in adolescence is hampered by the lack of specific assessment tools. Moreover, with younger populations, the assessment of positive functioning may be biased by self-report data only, and may be more accurate by adding significant adults' evaluations. The objective of this research was to measure adolescents' well-being and prosocial behaviours using self-rated and observer-rated instruments, and their pattern of associations. The sample included 150 Italian high school adolescents. Observed-evaluation was performed by their school teachers using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. Adolescents completed Ryff's Psychological Well-being Scales and Symptom Questionnaire. Pearson' r correlations and Linear regression were performed. Self-rated dimensions of psychological well-being significantly correlated with all observer-rated dimensions, but Strengths and Difficulties Emotional symptom scale. Multiple linear regression showed that the self-rated dimensions Environmental Mastery and Personal Growth, and surprisingly not Positive Relations, are related to the observer-rated dimension Prosocial Behaviour. Adolescents with higher levels of well-being in specific dimensions tend to be perceived as less problematic by their teachers. However, some dimensions of positive functioning present discrepancies between self and observer-rated instruments. Thus, the conjunct use of self-reports and observer-rated tools for a more comprehensive assessment of students' eudaimonic well-being is recommended.

Post-traumatic growth in breast cancer survivors: new insights into its relationships with well-being and distress.

Research investigating possible relations between Post-traumatic growth (PTG) and clinical indexes--such as psychosocial distress, physical and psychological well-being--is lacking in medical settings. The aim of this study was to look into such relationships in breast cancer survivors (Bcs) and in healthy control subjects who experienced other stressful events. Sixty Bcs and 60 healthy women reporting other stressful events were compared according to the following scales: Post-traumatic Growth Inventory, Psychological Well-being Scales (PWB), Symptom Questionnaire and Psychosocial Index. Bcs reported significantly higher levels of PTG and distress, and lower levels of PWB compared to healthy women. Bcs with high levels of PTG showed increased levels of physical well-being and decreased distress. Healthy women under stressful circumstances reporting high levels of PTG showed increased levels of PWB. PTG levels were higher in Bcs and associated with decreased psychological distress and somatisation. These results carry important implications for clinical assessment, as well as for planning interventions to improve well-being and resilience in oncology.

[The use of Well-Being Therapy in childhood: clinical cases]. / L'applicazione della Well-Being Therapy nell'infanzia: esemplificazioni cliniche.

Anxiety, mood and somatoform disorders are among the most prevalent forms of psychological suffering during childhood and adolescence. If untreated, these problems can be predictors of more severe disorders in adulthood. New trends in clinical psychology suggest the relevance of focusing on child's competencies and developing optimal functioning in youth. A specific psychotherapeutic strategy for enhancing well-being (Well-Being Therapy; WBT) has been developed for adult patients and it was found to be effective in determining remission from affective symptoms, in improving psychological well-being and in preventing relapses. In this article we describe a modified form of WBT which has been applied for the first time to children suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders in order to test its feasibility and potential effects in reducing symptoms and in improving new skills. Four cases particularly interesting by a clinical point of view are reported. This new therapeutic approach, based on the promotion of psychological well-being seems to be a very promising intervention: children improved at post treatment and during 1 year follow-up, both in symptomatology and in social skills. The promotion of psychological well-being and optimal functioning is an innovative and relevant ingredient and could play an important role in the treatment of somatic and psychosocial symptoms in paediatric settings.