Family adjustment to hereditary cancer syndromes: a systematic review

Hereditary cancer syndromes are inherited pathogenic genetic variants that significantly increase the risk of developing cancer. When individuals become aware of their increased probability of having cancer, the whole family is affected by this new reality and needs to adjust. However, adjustment to hereditary cancer syndromes has been mainly studied at an individual level, and research about familial adjustment remains dispersed and disorganized. To overcome this gap, this review aims to understand how families adjust to genetic testing and risk management, and to what extent the family’s adjustment influences the psychological response and risk management behaviors of mutation carriers. We conducted searches on the PubMed/Med Line, PsycInfo, SCOPUS, and Google Scholar databases and used the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT-v2018) to assess the methodological quality of each selected study. Thirty studies met the inclusion criteria. Most results highlighted the interdependent nature of adjustment of pathogenic variant carriers and their families. The way carriers adjust to the syndrome is highly dependent on family functioning and related to how family members react to the new genetic information, particularly partners and siblings. Couples who share their worries and communicate openly about cancer risk present a better long-term adjustment than couples who use protective buffering (not talking about it to avoid disturbing the partner) or emotional distancing. Parents need help dealing with disclosing genetic information to their children. These findings reinforce the importance of adopting a family-centered approach in the context of genetic counseling and the necessity of involving family members in research

The ACTyourCHANGE in Teens Study Protocol: An Acceptance and Commitment Therapy-Based Intervention for Adolescents with Obesity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This Randomized Controlled Trial [(RCT) aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)-based intervention combined with treatment as usual (TAU) compared to TAU only in improving psychological conditions in a sample of adolescents with obesity (body mass index, BMI > 97th percentile for age and sex) within the context of a wider multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss. Fifty consecutive adolescents (12-17 years) of both genders with obesity will be recruited among the patients hospitalized in a clinical center for obesity rehabilitation and randomly allocated into two experimental conditions: ACT + TAU vs. TAU only. Both groups will attend a three-week in-hospital multidisciplinary rehabilitation program for weight loss. The ACT + TAU condition comprises a psychological intervention based on ACT combined with a standard psychological assessment and support to the hospitalization. The TAU comprises the standard psychological assessment and support to the hospitalization. At pre- to post-psychological intervention, participants will complete the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth, the Psychological Well-Being Scale, the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale, and the Emotional Eating subscale of the Dutch Eating Behavior Questionnaire to assess psychological well-being as the primary outcome and experiential avoidance, psychological distress, emotional dysregulation, and emotional eating as secondary outcomes. Repeated-measures ANOVAs (2 x 2) will be conducted. The study will assess the effectiveness of a brief ACT-based intervention for adolescents with obesity in improving their psychological conditions by targeting specific core processes of the ACT framework (openness, awareness, and engagement). Future directions of the study will assess whether these psychological processes will contribute to addressing long-term weight loss

RinasciMENTE: an online psychological self-help intervention for the general population

La presente tesi di dottorato ruota attorno alla strutturazione di una piattaforma online per il supporto della popolazione generale italiana dagli effetti psicologici che la pandemia da COVID-19 ha comportato. I primi capitoli consistono di una panoramica sul COVID-19, la Telemedicina e la Terapia Cognitivo-Comportamentale, i 3 elementi basi su cui si è costruita la presente tesi. Con il quarto capitolo ci si concentra sulla revisione sistematica della letteratura effettuata sull’argomento degli interventi di supporto psicologico per gli operatori sanitari e i caregiver informali durante la pandemia da COVID-19. Per rimanere ancorati alla dimensione italiana, il quinto capitolo descrive una mappatura dei servizi italiani digitali di supporto psicologico per la popolazione generale. Il sesto capitolo si sposta invece nella dimensione degli stakeholders, in quanto l’obiettivo era quello di sintetizzare le loro prospettive riguardo gli interventi psicologici online. Il settimo capitolo si è concentrato su un’analisi dell’usabilità della piattaforma RinasciMENTE. Infine, nel capitolo otto, viene riportato uno studio di fattibilità ed efficacia dell’intervento RinasciMENTE realizzato su una piccola porzione di popolazione. Il presente lavoro è servito per dimostrare quanto lavoro ci sia ancora da fare per la diffusione e l’accettazione degli interventi digitali per il supporto psicologico.This PhD thesis revolves around the structuring of an online platform to support the Italian general population from the psychological effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has entailed. The first chapters consist of an overview on COVID-19, Telemedicine and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy, the 3 basic elements on which this thesis is built. With the fourth chapter we focus on the systematic literature review carried out on the topic of psychological support interventions for health workers and informal carers during the COVID-19 pandemic. To remain anchored to the Italian dimension, the fifth chapter describes a mapping of the Italian digital services of psychological support for the general population. The sixth chapter instead moves to the dimension of the stakeholders, as the objective was to summarize their perspectives regarding online psychological interventions. The seventh chapter focused on an analysis of the usability of the RinasciMENTE platform. Finally, in chapter eight, a study of the feasibility and effectiveness of the RinasciMENTE intervention carried out on a small portion of the population is reported. This work has served to demonstrate how much work there is still to be done for the dissemination and acceptance of digital interventions for psychological support

Synthesizing Stakeholders Perspectives on Online Psychological Interventions to Improve the Mental Health of the Italian Population during the COVID-19 Pandemic : An Online Survey Study

The COVID-19 pandemic is expected to significantly increase the prevalence of mental health problems, thus raising the need for psychological support interventions around the world. Online psychological interventions have already been shown to be an effective solution to promote psychological treatments. Nevertheless, planning and developing an online intervention, involving possible stakeholders, might facilitate the dissemination of, willingness to use, and success of the future intervention. This study aims to explore and compare the experiences that Italians living in Italy and abroad had with available support services during the COVID-19 pandemic, their needs, and attitudes, as well as possible barriers to online psychological interventions. A sample of 1024 Italians (F = 69.8%; mean age = 41.3; SD = 15.3) was recruited through social media platforms and personal contacts and they were asked to complete an online survey. Results showed that perceived psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic improved. In Europe, psychological support was delivered mainly in person (69.0%), while online interventions were primarily used in extra-European countries (57%). Then, only 44% of the total sample was interested in trying an online psychological intervention. Various advantages and disadvantages were defined by stakeholders: The main advantages were the reduction in geographical distances, economic reasons, and the reduction in the waiting list; The main disadvantages were problems with technology, low motivation of users, and privacy/safety reasons. These data made it possible to improve the knowledge regarding the views and attitudes that Italians have about online psychological interventions, and shed light on how to increase the uptake of digital health

Applying dyadic digital psychological interventions for reducing caregiver burden in the illness context: a systematic review and a meta-analysis protocol

IntroductionProviding informal care to ones romantic partner who is ill may become a highly distressing and demanding task. Based on the innovative dyadic coping model, several support interventions have been developed to alleviate informal caregivers burden, including both caregivers and care receivers needs. Considering the unique challenges characterising the caregiving phenomenon, such as geographical barriers and time restrictions, digital solutions should be considered. However, there is a lack of research examining the effectiveness of dyadic digital solutions. Thus, this review aims to examine the existing literature on the efficacy of dyadic digital psychological interventions designed for caregivers and their care-receivers couples within the illness context.Methods and analysisRandomised controlled trials targeting caregivers burden among dyads of informal caregivers and care receivers will be identified via an electronic search of the following databases: PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library, Cinhal, Scopus, PsycINFO, MEDLINE and supplemented by hand searching of previous systematic reviews. The search will be undertaken following the PICO (population, intervention, comparison and outcome) elements. If possible, a meta-analysis will be conducted to examine: (1) the effectiveness of dyadic digital psychological interventions for reducing caregivers burden (primary outcome) among caregivers who are in a romantic relationship with the care receivers; (2) the effectiveness of dyadic digital psychological interventions on secondary outcomes such as anxiety, depression, stress, quality of life, well-being and self-efficacy among caregivers and care receivers; and (3) moderating effects of clinical and methodological factors on caregivers burden. Prior to inclusion in the review, retrieved papers will be critically appraised by two independent reviewers. The Cochrane Risk of Bias tool will assess the risk of bias for randomised controlled trials.Ethics and disseminationEthical approval is not required as no primary data will be collected. Findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at academic conferences and lay summaries for various stakeholders.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42022299125.Funding Agencies|European Union [814072]</p

Prevalence of antibodies against bovine leukemia virus in dairy cattle of Toledo, Paraná, Brazil

A leucose enzoótica bovina é uma infecção viral causada pelo vírus da leucose bovina (BLV), um retrovírus oncogênico. A doença é amplamente disseminada em rebanhos, sendo que os bovinos leiteiros, devido ao manejo intensivo, são os mais afetados. A importância crescente do comércio internacional de bovinos, sêmen e embriões tem exigido a certificação sanitária para o BLV e a gravidade econômica da leucose enzoótica bovina dá se principalmente com a redução na produção de leite. O objetivo do presente estudo foi detectar a soroprevalência de anticorpos em fêmeas de bovinos leiteiros do município de Toledo, Paraná, Brasil. Foram visitadas 58 propriedades rurais e coletado sangue de 390 fêmeas de bovinos leiteiros no município. Para detecção de anticorpos contra o agente viral, foi utilizada a técnica de imunodifusão em gel de Ágar (IDGA). Do total de animais testados, 34,4% (134/390) apresentaram anticorpos contra o vírus da leucose bovina, estes se encontravam distribuídas em 63,85 das (37/58) propriedades. A infecção pelo vírus é considerada disseminada no Brasil e amplamente em bovinos leiteiros do município segundo a pesquisa. Existe assim a necessidade de adequada aplicação de medidas de controle e prevenção para a leucose enzoótica bovina. Exames sorológicos e um constante acompanhamento veterinário, visando o saneamento gradativo dos rebanhos, compõem uma adequada ferramenta ao controle e/ou erradicação da enfermidade.The enzootic bovine leukosis is a viral disease caused by the bovine leukemia virus (BLV), an oncogenic retrovirus. The disease is widespread in herds, and dairy cattle, due to the intensive management, are the most affected. The growing importance of the international cattle trade, semen, and embryos has required the sanitary certification for the BLV, and the economic impact of the enzootic bovine leukosis is mainly due to the reduction of the milk production. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of antibody antiBLV in dairy cattle from Toledo municipality. Fifty-eight rural properties were visited, and blood samples were collected from 390 dairy cattle. The agar gel immunodiffusion (AGID) was used to detect the antibodies against the viral agent. Of the samples analyzed, 34.4% (134/390) showed antibodies against the bovine leukosis. Positive animals were distributed in 63.9% (37/58) of the visited properties. The viral infection is widespread in dairy cattle from Toledo. Therefore, there is a need for adequate control and prevention measures for enzootic bovine leukosis. Serological tests and a constant veterinary follow-up, aiming at the gradual sanitary control of the herds, are a good tool for the control and/or eradication of the disease

Psychological Support Interventions for Healthcare Providers and Informal Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare providers and informal caregivers were at an increased risk of adverse mental health effects. This systematic review provides a summary of the available evidence on the content and efficacy of the psychological support interventions in increasing mental health among healthcare providers and informal caregivers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: PubMed, Google Scholar, PsychINFO, and Scopus databases were systematically searched for relevant articles, and the methodological quality of selected articles was assessed using the Quality Assessment Tool for Quantitative Studies. Results: A search of electronic databases identified five reports based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. All psychological support interventions for caregivers were delivered digitally. Despite the large heterogeneity of the selected studies, the findings support the efficacy of mental health interventions in reducing distress and burnout, while promoting self-efficacy and well-being in both healthcare providers and informal caregivers. Conclusion: Since mental health problems are expected to increase during, and as a result of, the COVID-19 pandemic, and digital tools might offer a range of mental health treatments to meet the unique and immediate needs of people, further research is needed to test the cost-effectiveness of digital psychological interventions

Study protocol for a randomized controlled trial evaluating the effectiveness of an internet-based self-help intervention to cope with psychological distress due to COVID-19 in the Italian general population: the RinasciMENTE project

ingles

Psychological Aspects of Treatment with Intragastric Balloon for Management of Obesity: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Introduction: Optimizing maintenance of weight loss for people with obesity following intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy hinges on the degree to which health care providers can recognize both the impact of emotional problems and mood difficulties on their capacity to self-manage, and requirements for additional support. However, there is limited research on the psychological correlates of IGB therapy. This systematic review, for the first time, attempts to identify and synthesize the empirical evidence for the reciprocal influence between psychological variables and IGB outcomes. Methods: A literature search was performed in the PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed using rigorous inclusion criteria and screening by at least 2 reviewers. The selected articles were assessed for quality using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Data were extracted to address the review aims and presented as a narrative synthesis. The review protocol was preregistered (Prospero CRD42019121291). Results: A total of 16,179 titles, 14,369 abstracts, and 51 full-text articles were screened, of which 16 studies were included. Findings suggest that female gender, older age, basic educational level, and single/divorced civil status, together with lower levels of depression, binge eating, higher perceived quality of life, and motivation to change were predictors of enhanced IGB treatment outcomes. Dissatisfaction with treatment was higher in those with impaired obesity-related social-life difficulties. The IGB treatment was effective in reducing weight and improving depression, anxiety, eating disorder symptoms, and the overall life quality of patients with obesity - mainly within 6 months from the device positioning and in conjunction with conventional therapies. Discussion/Conclusion: In line with the available literature on obesity and bariatric surgery interventions, poor mental health appears to be an important barrier for successful weight loss among patients with obesity undergoing IGB treatment. In order to improve the efficacy and effectiveness of the IGB therapy, more comprehensive and standardized studies are needed to provide insight into the psychological mechanisms maintaining weight management issues.&amp; nbsp;(c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Base

Psychological Aspects of Treatment with Intragastric Balloon for Management of Obesity: A Systematic Review of the Literature

Introduction: Optimizing maintenance of weight loss for people with obesity following intragastric balloon (IGB) therapy hinges on the degree to which health care providers can recognize both the impact of emotional problems and mood difficulties on their capacity to self-manage, and requirements for additional support. However, there is limited research on the psychological correlates of IGB therapy. This systematic review, for the first time, attempts to identify and synthesize the empirical evidence for the reciprocal influence between psychological variables and IGB outcomes.Methods: A literature search was performed in the PubMed, SCOPUS, MEDLINE, and Google Scholar databases. Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines were followed using rigorous inclusion criteria and screening by at least 2 reviewers. The selected articles were assessed for quality using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies Epidemiology (STROBE) checklist. Data were extracted to address the review aims and presented as a narrative synthesis. The review protocol was preregistered (Prospero CRD42019121291).Results: A total of 16,179 titles, 14,369 abstracts, and 51 full-text articles were screened, of which 16 studies were included. Findings suggest that female gender, older age, basic educational level, and single/divorced civil status, together with lower levels of depression, binge eating, higher perceived quality of life, and motivation to change were predictors of enhanced IGB treatment outcomes. Dissatisfaction with treatment was higher in those with impaired obesity-related social-life difficulties. The IGB treatment was effective in reducing weight and improving depression, anxiety, eating disorder symptoms, and the overall life quality of patients with obesity - mainly within 6 months from the device positioning and in conjunction with conventional therapies.Discussion/Conclusion: In line with the available literature on obesity and bariatric surgery interventions, poor mental health appears to be an important barrier for successful weight loss among patients with obesity undergoing IGB treatment. In order to improve the efficacy and effectiveness of the IGB therapy, more comprehensive and standardized studies are needed to provide insight into the psychological mechanisms maintaining weight management issues.(c) 2021 The Author(s). Published by S. Karger AG, Base