COVID-19 and Youth Psychopathological Distress in Umbria, Central Italy: A 2-Year Observational Study in a Real-World Setting.

Introduction: Adolescents and young adults represent a vulnerable population in the context of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The present retrospective study aims to investigate the pandemic's psychological impact on adolescents and young adults by analyzing data from an outpatient mental health service dedicated to youths in Umbria, central Italy. Materials and Methods: The clinical charts of subjects aged 14-24 who first accessed the service in the timeframe between March 1st, 2019, and February 28th, 2021, were reviewed. Subjects were divided into two subgroups according to the period of time when they accessed the service (pre-COVID-19 vs. during- COVID-19 outbreak). Bivariate analyses were performed using the Chi-square test and the Welch's t-test. A secondary analysis was performed considering only subjects suffering from psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, data concerning individuals who were already followed by the service before the pandemic were analyzed by the McNemar's test and the t-paired test to assess changes in treatment features. Results: The number of new accesses during the pandemic period remained stable. After the emergency onset, youths accessing the service showed a higher prevalence of anxiety disorders (p = 0.022). During the COVID-19 period, services were more frequently delivered by using a digital mental health approach (p = 0.001). Psychopharmacological treatment was more frequently prescribed among subjects that were referred to the service after the pandemic onset (p = 0.033). As for substance use, a highly significant reduction in opioid use was observed (p = 0.003). Family therapy was delivered less frequently in the during-COVID-19 subgroup, especially in the subpopulation of subjects suffering from psychiatric disorders (p = 0.013). When considering subjects referred to the service in the pre-COVID-19 period, the number of interventions provided to this population increased after the pandemic outbreak (p = 0.038). Conclusion: In the context of the COVID-19-related public health crisis, youths represent an at-risk population for which pathways to care should be reinforced, and targeted interventions, including psychosocial treatments, should be implemented.

Stress and coping in times of pandemic: Longitudinal follow-up of a group of medical patients / Estrés y afrontamiento en tiempos de pandemia: Seguimiento longitudinal de un grupo de pacientes médico

The Covid-19 pandemic has impacted the mental health and medical care of patients with pre-existing conditions. We longitudinally evaluated perceived stress, psychological distress, and coping strategies in 50 patients with medical diseases, finding that, 6 months after baseline evaluation, perceived stress and psychological distress were increased, and that less use was made of active coping strategies. Age (younger patients), previous psychological problems, and altered medical treatments emerge as risk factors. Proactive detection of psychopathological suffering is essential to prevent a parallel mental health pandemic from unfolding. Covid-19 has had an impact on patients with medical diseases, expressed in increased psychological vulnerability that may interfere in their disease course. While telematic monitoring is an important factor in reducing impact, early detection of psychopathological symptoms is crucial to ensuring adherence to treatments and to developing effective biopsychosocial approaches.

La pandemia de Covid-19 ha afectado la salud mental y la atención médica de pacientes con afecciones preexistentes. Se evaluó longitudinalmente la percepción de estrés, malestar psicológico y estrategias de afrontamiento en 50 pacientes con patologías médicas, encontrándose que, 6 meses después de la evaluación inicial, el estrés percibido y el malestar psicológico se incrementaron, mientras que se redujo el uso de estrategias de afrontamiento activas. La edad (pacientes más jóvenes), los problemas psicológicos previos y la alteración del tratamiento médico emergen como factores de riesgo. La detección proactiva del sufrimiento psicopatológico es esencial para evitar que se desarrolle una pandemia paralela de salud mental. La Covid-19 ha tenido un impacto en pacientes con enfermedades médicas, expresado en una mayor vulnerabilidad psicológica que puede interferir en el curso de su enfermedad. Si bien el monitoreo telemático es un factor importante para reducir el impacto, la detección temprana de los síntomas psicopatológicos es crucial para garantizar la adherencia a los tratamientos y para desarrollar enfoques biopsicosociales efectivos.

Psychopathogical status and personality correlates of problem gambling severity in sports bettors undergoing treatment for gambling disorder.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Sports betting has been barely explored independently from other gambling behaviors. Little evidence is available regarding the factors affecting its severity in a clinical sample. The current study explores new determinants for sports betting severity in Spain by the inclusion of psychopathological distress and personality factors. METHODS: A sample of 352 Spanish sports bettors undergoing treatment for gambling disorder was recruited. Multiple regression models were used to evaluate the effects of sociodemographic variables, the age of onset of gambling behavior, the global psychopathological distress (SCL-90R GSI) and the personality profile (TCI-R) on sports betting severity and their influence over frequency (bets per episode) and debts due to gambling. RESULTS: We found that older age, higher psychopathological distress, lower self-directedness level, and higher novelty seeking level were predictors of gambling severity in Spanish sports bettors. The highest betting frequency was found in men, with the lowest education levels but the highest social status, the highest psychopathological distress, reward dependence score, and self-transcendence trait and the lowest persistence score. Debts were also associated to higher score in cooperativeness as well as older age. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: Our findings call for further exploration of factors affecting sports betting severity regarded as a separate gambling entity subtype, as some of the traditional factors typically found in gamblers do not apply to sports bettors or apply inversely in our country. Consequently, sports bettors might deserve specific clinical approaches to tackle the singularities of their gambling behavior.