Maternal cancer and perception of child psychological adjustment: The role of mother’s anxiety, depression, and parenting stress

A mother’s cancer diagnosis may have consequences for all family members, particularly for children, since it makes a parent less physically and emotionally available, with effects on the relationship with the child and his/her development. The main aim of this study was to analyze children’s psychological adjustment in the context of maternal cancer by considering factors related to the child (i.e., age and sex), the mother (psychological adjustment), and cancer (i.e., time elapsed from the diagnosis and current oncological treatment). Self-report questionnaires investigating mothers’ parenting stress, depression, anxiety, and children’s emotional and behavioral problems were administered to 124 mothers (mean age = 44.52 years; SD = 7.22) diagnosed with cancer. A hierarchical regression analysis highlighted that time since diagnosis and mothers’ anxiety and parenting stress accounted for almost 44% of the variance of the children’s difficulties. Maternal depression, current oncological treatment, and the child’s age and sex were not statistically significant. Higher mothers’ parenting stress and anxiety and a longer time elapsed since the first diagnosis predicted higher levels of children’s emotional and behavioral problems. These findings highlight the need to identify precursors of childhood distress in the context of maternal cancer and to develop structured programs to support both mothers and children.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Neuropsychological deficits in young drug addicts

Background: Adolescence is a highly vulnerable age for experimenting with drugs; increasing evidence attests that several substances might have detrimental effects on cognitive functioning in this developmental phase, when prefrontal brain areas are still immature and may actually be the main target of the neurotoxic effects of drugs. There are still, in any case, too few studies that specifically address early adulthood. Aim: The present study aims to investigate neuropsychological performance in young drug addicts in residential treatment (aged 18-24). Methods: 41 young drug addicts, after admission to residential treatment, were compared with 27 subjects in the control group. A battery of neuropsychological tests (Brief Neuropsychological Exam-2) was administered to detect possible cognitive impairments. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics (Pearson’s chi square test) were performed. Results and conclusions: Findings suggest that drug dependence in youth is distinguished by neuropsychological deficits, in particular, attention and executive function impairments – issues that now call for tailored and innovative treatment approaches

The COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Families' Mental Health: The Role Played by Parenting Stress, Parents' Past Trauma, and Resilience

International research has evidenced the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families, and the key role played by parenting stress levels. Although significant associations with parents' past trauma and resilience have been shown, this study aimed to explore their complex interplay on the relationship between parents' peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19, parenting stress, and children's psychopathological difficulties. We recruited 353 parents with children aged two to 16 years via an online survey during the Italian second wave of COVID-19. Parents' peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19, parenting stress, past trauma and resilience, and children's psychological difficulties were assessed through self-report and report-form questionnaires. Parents' past traumas significantly predicted peritraumatic distress due to COVID-19 and children's psychological difficulties. The relationship between past traumas and children's psychological difficulties was serial mediated by parents' peritraumatic distress and parenting stress. Direct and total effects of parent's resilience on parent's peritraumatic distress were not significant, but there were significant indirect effects via parenting stress and via parents' peritraumatic distress and parenting stress, indicating inconsistent mediation. This study evidenced the key risk and protective role played by, respectively, parents' past traumas exposure and resilience on the relationship between parents' psychological difficulties due to COVID-19, parenting stress, and children's psychological difficulties, with important clinical implications

Transition to Motherhood: A Study on the Association between Somatic Symptoms during Pregnancy and Post-Partum Anxiety and Depression Symptoms

Several authors found that somatic symptoms during pregnancy such as nausea, vomiting, and levels of sleep, and fear of childbirth were associated with women’s post-partum psychopathological difficulties. The present study aimed to verify whether fear of childbirth can mediate the relationship between some somatic symptoms experienced during pregnancy (i.e., nausea, vomiting, and daily sleep duration) and the post-partum depressive and anxious symptoms. N = 258 mothers of children between 3 and 6 months of age filled out self-report questionnaires assessing somatic symptoms during pregnancy, fear of childbirth, and anxious and depressive symptoms during post-partum. Results showed that levels of vomiting during pregnancy (but not nausea and daily sleep duration) was associated with post-partum depression and anxiety. Furthermore, findings showed that fear of childbirth partially mediated the relationships between the levels of vomiting during pregnancy and post-partum state anxiety and depression. These results can have several clinical implications, allowing to implement preventive programs for post-partum depression, considering vomiting and fear of childbirth as important risk factors

Maternal Cancer and Perception of Child Psychological Adjustment: The Role of Mother’s Anxiety, Depression, and Parenting Stress

A mother’s cancer diagnosis may have consequences for all family members, particularly for children, since it makes a parent less physically and emotionally available, with effects on the relationship with the child and his/her development. The main aim of this study was to analyze children’s psychological adjustment in the context of maternal cancer by considering factors related to the child (i.e., age and sex), the mother (psychological adjustment), and cancer (i.e., time elapsed from the diagnosis and current oncological treatment). Self-report questionnaires investigating mothers’ parenting stress, depression, anxiety, and children’s emotional and behavioral problems were administered to 124 mothers (mean age = 44.52 years; SD = 7.22) diagnosed with cancer. A hierarchical regression analysis highlighted that time since diagnosis and mothers’ anxiety and parenting stress accounted for almost 44% of the variance of the children’s difficulties. Maternal depression, current oncological treatment, and the child’s age and sex were not statistically significant. Higher mothers’ parenting stress and anxiety and a longer time elapsed since the first diagnosis predicted higher levels of children’s emotional and behavioral problems. These findings highlight the need to identify precursors of childhood distress in the context of maternal cancer and to develop structured programs to support both mothers and children

Relationship with Parents, Emotion Regulation, and Callous-Unemotional Traits in Adolescents’ Internet Addiction

The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of relationship with parents, emotion regulation, and callous-unemotional traits with Internet addiction in a community sample of adolescents. Self-report measures of relationship with parents (both mothers and fathers), emotion regulation (in its two dimensions: cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), callous- unemotional traits (in its three dimensions: callousness, uncaring, and unemotional), and Internet addiction were completed by 743 adolescents aged 10 to 21 years. Results showed that a low perceived maternal availability, high cognitive reappraisal, and high callousness appeared to be predictors of Internet addiction. The implications of these findings are then discussed

DAT1 and Its Psychological Correlates in Children with Avoidant/Restrictive Food Intake Disorder: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

International research has underlined the role played by children’s and maternal psychopathological symptoms on the onset of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in early childhood. No study has considered the possible interplay between children’s dopamine transporter (DAT1) genotype and methylation, dysregulation problems and maternal psychopathological risk. This study aimed to investigate the complex relationship between these variables, considering the possible mediation role played by children’s DAT1 methylation on the relationship between mothers’ psychopathological risk and children’s dysregulation problems, moderated by children’s DAT1 genotype. Our sample consisted of 94 early children and their mothers, divided into four subgroups, based on children’s ARFID subtypes (irritable/impulsive (I/I), sensory food aversions (SFA), post-traumatic feeding disorders subtypes (PTFD), and a non-clinical group (NC)). We addressed children’s dysregulation problems and maternal psychopathological risk, and collected children’s DNA through buccal swabs. Results showed that children’s 9/x genotype was associated with PTFD and NC groups, whereas the 10/10 genotype was associated with the SFA group, with large effect size. There were significant large differences in the study groups on children’s DAT1 total methylation, children’s dysregulation problems, and maternal psychopathological risk. Children’s DAT1 methylation did not mediate the relationship between mother’s psychopathological risk and children’s dysregulation problems, but there was a significant large direct effect. Children’s 9/x genotype moderated the relationship between maternal psychopathological risk and children’s DAT1 methylation but, respectively, with a large and small effect. Our pilot study suggested that the relationship between children’s DAT1 genotype and methylation, dysregulation problems, and maternal psychopathological risk has a crucial contribution to ARFID

Aggressive behaviour in adolescence: Links with self-esteem and parental emotional availability

Aggressive behaviours during adolescence may be predictive of later conduct disorders, hence it is important to early detect their signals and deepen the study of their possible risk factors. In order to address these issues, our study pursued two main objectives: to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the Aggression Questionnaire Short-Form (AQ-SF), a form never previously used among Italian adolescents; and to investigate the relation among aggressiveness, emotional relationship with both parents and self-esteem in a sample of adolescents. Our results highlighted that psychometric properties of the Italian AQ-SF are satisfactory and encourage a wider use of this tool; in addition, we found that self-esteem plays a mediation role between parental emotional availability and aggression. Prevention efforts should focus on improving the relationship with both parents and strengthening adolescent's self-esteem

Overexpression of CD90 in the stroma of pancreatic adenocarcinoma (PDAC).

<p>In both early (I and II) and late stages (III and IV) of PDACs, CD90 expression was highly increased, which was abundantly present in the activated stroma, including fibroblasts and vascular endothelial cells. The positive CD90⁺ stromal cells were clustered around the malignant ducts. The circle insert in 3I showed a single layer of CD90⁺ fibroblasts closely localized around tumor duct. The square inserts in 3I–3IV showed strong CD90 expression on vascular endothelial cells in PDAC stage I, II, III and IV, respectively.</p

Neuropsychological deficits in young drug addicts

Background: Adolescence is a highly vulnerable age for experimenting with drugs; increasing evidence attests that several substances might have detrimental effects on cognitive functioning in this developmental phase, when prefrontal brain areas are still immature and may actually be the main target of the neurotoxic effects of drugs. There are still, in any case, too few studies that specifically address early adulthood. Aim: The present study aims to investigate neuropsychological performance in young drug addicts in residential treatment (aged 18-24). Methods: 41 young drug addicts, after admission to residential treatment, were compared with 27 subjects in the control group. A battery of neuropsychological tests (Brief Neuropsychological Exam-2) was administered to detect possible cognitive impairments. Descriptive and non-parametric statistics (Pearson’s chi square test) were performed. Results and conclusions: Findings suggest that drug dependence in youth is distinguished by neuropsychological deficits, in particular, attention and executive function impairments – issues that now call for tailored and innovative treatment approaches