Adult attachment style as a risk factor for maternal postnatal depression: a systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Postnatal depression (PND) is an important health problem of global relevance for maternal health and impacts on the health and wellbeing of the child over the life-course. Multinational data is hard to locate, the economic burden of PND on health care systems have been calculated in several countries, including Canada and in the UK. In Canada, health and social care costs for a mother with PND were found to be just over twice that of mothers with no mental illness. The extra community care cost for women with PND living in the UK was found to be £35.7 million per year. METHOD: We carried out a systematic search to the literature to investigate the associations between attachment style and PND, using meta-narrative analysis methods, reporting statistical data and life narratives. The following databases were searched: PsycInfo, PsycExtra Web of Science, The Cochrane Library and Pubmed. We focused on research papers that examined adult attachment styles and PND, and published between 1991 and 2013. We included any papers showing relationship between maternal adult attachment and PND. Out of 353 papers, 20 met the study inclusion criteria, representing a total of 2306 participants. Data from these 20 studies was extracted by means of a data extraction table. RESULTS: We found that attachment and PND share a common aetiology and that 'insecure adult attachment style' is an additional risk factor for PND. Of the insecure adult attachment styles, anxious styles were found to be associated with PND symptoms more frequently than avoidant or dismissing styles of attachment. CONCLUSION: More comprehensive longitudinal research would be crucial to examine possible cause-effect associations between adult attachment style (as an intergenerational construct and risk factor) and PND (as an important maternal mental health), with new screening and interventions being essential for alleviating the suffering and consequences of PND. If more is understood about the risk profile of a new or prospective mother, more can be done to prevent the illness trajectory (PND); as well as making existing screening measures and treatment options more widely available

The mediation of care and overprotection between parent-adolescent conflicts and adolescents’ psychological difficulties during the pandemic: which role for fathers?

Background: There is evidence of a significant raise in youths’ emotional and behavioral difficulties during the pandemic. Only a few studies have addressed parent-adolescent conflict, and none investigated the possible mediating effect of parenting in the association between conflicts with parents and adolescents’ symptoms. This study aimed at investigating youths’ psychological symptoms during the pandemic, focusing on the predicting effect of parent-adolescent conflict. The mediating role of care and overprotection was also explored, considering whether adolescent gender moderated this mediation. Methods: 195 adolescents aged 14–18 years participated in an online longitudinal study. Perceived conflict with parents and parenting dimensions (Parental Bonding Instrument; PBI) were assessed at baseline (2021). Self-reported psychological difficulties (Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire; SDQ) were collected at baseline and after one year (2022). Results: A significantly severer symptomatology was found in adolescents having a conflictual relationship with one or both parents. Major conflicts with parents correlated with lower care and greater overprotection in mothers and fathers. However, parental overprotection and maternal care were not mediators of the relationship between conflict and youths' difficulties. The only exception was represented by paternal care that fully mediated this relationship in both adolescent males and females. Conclusions: Although further investigations are needed to overcome limitations due to the small sample, findings extend our insight into the impact of parent-adolescent conflict, highlighting the role of fathers’ care and the need to maximize their involvement in clinical interventions

A portable X-ray fluorescence device for in situ analyses of mural paintings

Within the context of a research program for studying with nondestructive methods the preparation and realisation techniques of mural paintings used in the Roman age, a portable ED-XRF device for elemental analysis has been set up. Preliminary tests have been carried out on two Roman mural paintings belonging to the Baia Archaeological Complex (Naples). Datable to different periods, the two paintings show different manufacturing and conservation states, thus representing a good test for verifying the ED-XRF device capability. In situ and laboratory measurements, performed on materials of different origin and nature, have permitted the determination of the pigments and the recognition of pollution traces

A portable X-ray fluorescence device for in situ analyses of mural paintings

Within the context of a research program for studying with nondestructive methods the preparation and realisation techniques of mural paintings used in the Roman age, a portable ED-XRF device for elemental analysis has been set up. Preliminary tests have been carried out on two Roman mural paintings belonging to the Baia Archaeological Complex (Naples). Datable to different periods, the two paintings show different manufacturing and conservation states, thus representing a good test for verifying the ED-XRF device capability. In situ and laboratory measurements, performed on materials of different origin and nature, have permitted the determination of the pigments and the recognition of pollution traces

Neural processing of emotions in traumatized children treated with eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy: a hdEEG study

Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy has been proven efficacious in restoring affective regulation in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) patients. However, its effectiveness on emotion processing in children with complex trauma has yet to be explored. High density Electroencephalography (hdEEG) was used to investigate the effects of EMDR on brain responses to adults\u27 emotions on children with histories of early maltreatment. Ten school-aged children were examined before (T0) and within one month after the conclusion of EMDR (T1). hdEEGs were recorded while children passively viewed angry, afraid, happy, and neutral faces. Clinical scales were administered at the same time. Correlation analyses were performed to detect brain regions whose activity was linked to children\u27s traumatic symptom-related and emotional-adaptive problem scores. In all four conditions, hdEEG showed similar significantly higher activity on the right medial prefrontal and fronto-temporal limbic regions at T0, shifting towards the left medial and superior temporal regions at T1. Moreover, significant correlations were found between clinical scales and the same regions whose activity significantly differed between pre- and post-treatment. These preliminary results demonstrate that, after EMDR, children suffering from complex trauma show increased activity in areas implicated in high-order cognitive processing when passively viewing pictures of emotional expressions. These changes are associated with the decrease of depressive and traumatic symptoms, and with the improvement of emotional-adaptive functioning over time

A smart multifunctional polymer nanocomposites layer for the estimation of low-velocity impact damage in composite structures

A new smart polymer nanocomposite layer, based on semiconductor Cu2S nanoparticles embedded into an amorphous polystyrene matrix, was developed for the detection of low-velocity impact damage on composite structures. This material exhibits a combination of optical and electro-magnetic properties, in way that it can be employed to visualize in quick and effective manner barely visible impact damage (BVID). In particular, based on the phenomenon of the photoluminescence, this layer showed specific light emission in the visible range of the electromagnetic spectrum under UV-light excitation at different wavelength. The results of a series of low-velocity impact tests illustrated a visible contrast colour on the damaged area, representing the flaw. In fact, the study of the optical characteristics of this smart material is of particular benefit for fast, cost-effective and in situ damage identification. Hence, once the impact location has been determined, the detailed information of the damage can be further investigated by others non-destructive techniques

Nutritional characterization of Cicer arietinum L. cultivars with respect to morphological and agronomic parameters

Chickpea (Cicer arietinum L.) is one of the grain legumes more interesting for its nutritional value and genetic improvement in order to resistance to Aschochyta rabiei, seeds weight and adaptation to mechanical harvesting. The aim of this research was the agronomic and qualitative characterization of 15 cultivars of chickpea. During the cultural cycle resistance and sensitiveness to Aschochyta rabiei were analyzed. At harvesting, grain yield and yields components were registered. Moreover, proximate composition, fatty acids content and saturated/unsaturated ratio of grain samples were determined. Cultivars with high 1000 seeds weight showed a more favourable oleic acid content and unsaturated/saturated ratio but those with smooth seeds had a higher content in linolenic acid. All cultivars showed high values of polyunsaturated fatty acids (42.9-56.2%), inferior of monounsaturated (29.5-36.1%) and low of saturated (10.0-22.9%). Black chickpea (2.9) had the lowest unsaturated/saturated ratio, while the highest was noticed for cv. Visir (7.46). Cultivars with small and smooth seeds showed a better proteins content. These results showed availability of seeds with favourable characteristics useful for different utilization. In particular, the cultivars with small and smooth seeds, usually not preferred by consumers, seem to be interesting for processing in nutritional foods and dietetics