Effects of Pet Therapy in Elderly Patients with Neurocognitive Disorders: A Brief Review.

Neurocognitive disorders (NCDs) are disturbances highly related to age. This means that, with the increasing trend in life expectancy, there is also an increase in this diagnosis, although NCDs are not exclusively found in the population over 65 years old. Likely, they will increase in the coming years together with improvements in diagnosis. In addition to the use of medicines and rehabilitative techniques, pet therapy is also used. Pet therapy makes use of animals with therapeutic, rehabilitative, educational, and recreational purposes for people affected by physical, neuromotor, and psychiatric disorders. Pet therapy seems to be functional for increasing social and communication competencies, facilitating verbal and body language, increasing self-esteem, improving quality of life, and reducing anxiety/stress. This study was based on scientific papers and publications obtained from the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. Moreover, other articles from further cross-references were included. Specific database research criteria were (a) articles published in 2018 or later, (b) samples containing only adults over 65 years old, (c) written in English or Italian, and (d) on the topic of animal-assisted intervention. Uncertain results were obtained. Although a positive effect was found, the included articles were of insufficient methodological rigor. Although many studies reported positive results, these could not be generalized because of the numerous biases present (e.g., small sample size, lack of methodological rigor, lack of protocol, etc.). Future studies, therefore, should seek to address the limitations found in the analyzed studies. [Abstract copyright: Copyright © 2021 by S. Karger AG, Basel.

Treatment of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder: a systematic review

Objective: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review on the effects of available treatments for avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID). Methods: Literature searches, study selection, method development, and quality appraisal were performed independently by one author, and data were synthesized using a narrative approach. Studies published in English and in peer-reviewed journals that evaluated the outcomes of ARFID treatments in at least three participants were taken into consideration, while non-original studies, editorials and letters to the editor were excluded. Results: The review had three main findings. First, in all of the studies by the end of the treatment there was a significant weight gain in the ARFID participants. Second, weight recovery was maintained at follow-up in a good percentage of participants with an associated improvement of eating behavior and a reduction in anxiety, depression, and fear for the adverse consequences of eating. Third, there was weak or missing evidence regarding the treatment of ARFID in adults and the difference in outcome in the three different ARFID profiles. Eighteen studies were selected and eleven were included. Conclusion: The treatments for ARFID, although promising, have focused only on young participants and addressed the normalization of eating with behavioral procedures, but not the underlying psychopathology. Moreover, the lack of randomized controlled trials with adequate statistical power does not allow to draw conclusions on the difference in the effectiveness of the interventions tested

Functional Characteristics and Coping Strategies among Rugby Athletes: A Cluster Analysis Approach

The developing domain of mental health in sports has gained much interest, acknowledging its pivotal role in athlete performance and well-being. The aim of this research is to provide a quantitative description concerning the levels of mental health, physical activity, cognitive fusion, cognitive flexibility, and coping strategies that characterize rugby athletes by using a data-driven approach. A total of 92 rugby athletes took part in this study and filled out a set of self-administered questionnaires. A correlational analysis showed that general well-being was positively associated with years spent playing rugby (r = 0.23) and coping mechanisms (r = 0.29). Athletes’ well-being was also negatively correlated with cognitive inflexibility (r = −0.41) and cognitive fusion (r = −0.39). A k-means cluster analysis identified two unique groups: group 1, characterized by higher levels of psychological well-being, lower levels of physical activity, greater cognitive flexibility, improved coping techniques, and reduced cognitive fusion, and group 2, which exhibits opposite characteristics. The discrepancies observed in psychological characteristics such as coping strategies, cognitive fusion, and cognitive inflexibility highlight their potential impact on the general health of rugby players. To comprehend the complex interplay between psychological and physical elements in rugby athletes, long-term studies with larger samples are crucial

L’Alleanza Terapeutica nelle psicoterapie psicodinamiche e cognitivo-comportamentali: teorie, problematiche e strumenti di valutazione

L’Alleanza Terapeutica è considerata, sia in ambito psicodinamico che cognitivo-comportamentale, un importante predittore dell’outcome della psicoterapia. L’attenzione sempre maggiore alla relazione tra terapeuta e paziente, intesa come processo continuamente in fieri, impone però una riflessione sulla capacità del terapeuta di identificare, affrontare e riparare le rotture dell’alleanza che, in tale ottica, si configurano come importanti fattori di cambiamento sui quali intervenire per modellare credenze patogene interpersonali (Semerari, 2000; Safran, Muran, 2000; Lingiardi, 2002; Farina, Liotti, 2011). Tuttavia, recenti studi (Martin et al., 2000; Kazdin & Nock, 2003; Elvins, Green, 2008) hanno rivolto la loro attenzione all’analisi delle problematiche riguardanti la concettualizzazione e la misurazione del costrutto stesso di Alleanza Terapeutica - e del suo rapporto con gli esiti della terapia - riscontrando molteplici lacune metodologiche (Dunn, Bentall, 2007). Il presente lavoro si propone di descrivere i principali strumenti, qualitativi e quantitativi, utilizzati per valutare l’Alleanza Terapeutica e di analizzare le recenti prospettive teoriche e metodologiche di applicazione clinica di tale costrutto

Dissociazione e alessitimia in un campione di pazienti con Disturbo del Comportamento Alimentare

The aim of this study has been to investigate the dissociative phenomena and the difficulties related to perceive, understand and describe the proper ones and other people's emotional states in a sample of 53 patients with Eating Disorders. The recruited sample is made by 14 Anorexia Nervosa (AN) patients, 15 with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 12 with Eating Disorder Non Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and 12 with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). To all subjects was administred the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Scala Alessitimica Romana. In according with literature, we confirme the relationships among Eating Disorders, the dissociative phenomena and Alexithymia

Dissociation and alexithymia in a sample of patients with eating disorders

The aim of this study has been to investigate the dissociative phenomena and the difficulties related to perceive, understand and describe the proper ones and other people's emotional states in a sample of 53 patients with Eating Disorders. The recruited sample is made by 14 Anorexia Nervosa (AN) patients, 15 with Bulimia Nervosa (BN), 12 with Eating Disorder Non Otherwise Specified (EDNOS) and 12 with Binge Eating Disorder (BED). To all subjects was administred the Eating Disorder Inventory-2, the Dissociative Experiences Scale and the Scala Alessitimica Romana. In according with literature, we confirme the relationships among Eating Disorders, the dissociative phenomena and Alexithymia