Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic mixed studies review

Introduction: Given the vulnerability of children during the COVID-19 pandemic, paying close attention to their wellbeing at the time is warranted. The present protocol-based systematic mixed-studies review examines papers published during 2020–2022, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms and the determinants thereof. Method: PROSPERO: CRD42022385284. Five databases were searched and the PRISMA diagram was applied. The inclusion criteria were: papers published in English in peer-reviewed journals; papers published between January 2020 and October 2022 involving children aged 5–13 years; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed studies. The standardized Mixed Method Appraisal Tool protocol was used to appraise the quality of the studies. Results: Thirty-four studies involving 40,976 participants in total were analyzed. Their principal characteristics were tabulated. The results showed that children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms increased during the pandemic, largely as a result of disengagement from play activities and excessive use of the internet. Girls showed more internalizing symptoms and boys more externalizing symptoms. Distress was the strongest parental factor mediating children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms. The quality of the studies was appraised as low (n = 12), medium (n = 12), and high (n = 10). Conclusion: Gender-based interventions should be designed for children and parents. The studies reviewed were cross-sectional, so long-term patterns and outcomes could not be predicted. Future researchers might consider a longitudinal approach to determine the long-term effects of the pandemic on children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms

The Effect of Sports Activities on Motor and Social Skills in Autistic Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Narrative Review

BackgroundThe main traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are difficulties in social communication and interactions. Autism is frequently related to motor impairments. In the last decades, to develop and promote the social and motor skills of autistic people, several sports training programmes have been designed. In the present systematic narrative review, we aimed at providing an overview of studies evaluating the effectiveness of these sports training programmes to synthesize their strengths and weaknesses.MethodTo formulate the eligibility criteria for the systematic review, the PICO protocol was used. The PRISMA protocol was applied to four databases for the search strategy. 30 papers were reviewed, and their main features were tabulated and critically discussed.ResultsFindings highlighted that 8 types of sports were applied to autistic individuals and that the majority of them were focused on two individual sports (i.e., swimming and horseback riding). In sum, findings revealed that sports training programmes provided positive benefits both on motor/social skills as well as on autistic traits (e.g., repetitive behaviours) and individual functioning. The narrative synthesis revealed also that future studies should enroll more autistic females and preschoolers. To encourage the social inclusion of autistic individuals, a group of typically developing peers should be involved in future sports training programmes.DiscussionIn conclusion, professionals trained on autistic traits and knowledgeable in the target sport are required; consultations with the autistic community as guidance for designing novel sports training programmes are recommended

Parentification, distress, and relationship with parents as factors shaping the relationship between adult siblings and their brother/sister with disabilities

According to parentification theory, when the siblings of a brother/sister with disabilities assume parent-like duties, this role reversal is known as sibling-focused parentification. It has a significant impact on these siblings’ distress and the quality of their family relationships; 605 Italian adult siblings (19–26 years) of people with disabilities completed the online survey. Measures of siblings’ parentification, distress, quality of family relationships, social support, and perceived benefits of parentification were used. The hypothesized model aims to test, on the target sample, the distress and the quality of the relationship with parents as mediators on the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and their sibling relationship. Additionally, social support and perceived benefits of parentification as protective factors were considered. Results showed that the distress and the low quality of the relationship with parents negatively affected the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and the relationship with their own brother/sister with disabilities. Social support and the perceived benefits of parentification decreased the siblings’ distress levels; the perceived benefits of parentification served as a protective factor for the quality of the relationship with parents. Current findings extend the knowledge regarding the risk and protective factors of the siblings’ mental health when disability occurs in the family. Additionally, they inform family-based intervention programs, which should involve the whole family system for reducing distress and improving the wellbeing of siblings without disabilities

Parentification, distress, and relationship with parents as factors shaping the relationship between adult siblings and their brother/sister with disabilities

According to parentification theory, when the siblings of a brother/sister with disabilities assume parent-like duties, this role reversal is known as sibling-focused parentification. It has a significant impact on these siblings’ distress and the quality of their family relationships; 605 Italian adult siblings (19–26 years) of people with disabilities completed the online survey. Measures of siblings’ parentification, distress, quality of family relationships, social support, and perceived benefits of parentification were used. The hypothesized model aims to test, on the target sample, the distress and the quality of the relationship with parents as mediators on the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and their sibling relationship. Additionally, social support and perceived benefits of parentification as protective factors were considered. Results showed that the distress and the low quality of the relationship with parents negatively affected the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and the relationship with their own brother/sister with disabilities. Social support and the perceived benefits of parentification decreased the siblings’ distress levels; the perceived benefits of parentification served as a protective factor for the quality of the relationship with parents. Current findings extend the knowledge regarding the risk and protective factors of the siblings’ mental health when disability occurs in the family. Additionally, they inform family-based intervention programs, which should involve the whole family system for reducing distress and improving the wellbeing of siblings without disabilities

Short-term molecular consequences of chromosome mis-segregation for genome stability

Chromosome instability (CIN) is the most common form of genome instability and is a hallmark of cancer. CIN invariably leads to aneuploidy, a state of karyotype imbalance. Here, we show that aneuploidy can also trigger CIN. We found that aneuploid cells experience DNA replication stress in their first S-phase and precipitate in a state of continuous CIN. This generates a repertoire of genetically diverse cells with structural chromosomal abnormalities that can either continue proliferating or stop dividing. Cycling aneuploid cells display lower karyotype complexity compared to the arrested ones and increased expression of DNA repair signatures. Interestingly, the same signatures are upregulated in highly-proliferative cancer cells, which might enable them to proliferate despite the disadvantage conferred by aneuploidy-induced CIN. Altogether, our study reveals the short-term origins of CIN following aneuploidy and indicates the aneuploid state of cancer cells as a point mutation-independent source of genome instability, providing an explanation for aneuploidy occurrence in tumors

Asthma in patients admitted to emergency department for COVID-19: prevalence and risk of hospitalization

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