Symptoms of mental health problems among Italian adolescents in 2017–2018 school year: a multicenter cross-sectional study

Background Identifying individual and contextual factors that influence adolescent well-being is a research priority. This study aimed to assess the prevalence of symptoms of mental health problems and some related factors in Italian adolescents in 2017–2018. Methods The present study was a cross-sectional survey among 3002 students aged 15–16 years who resided in two Italian provinces, in North and South Italy. Symptoms of mental health problems were assessed using the SDQ and CES-DC, and students’ risk-taking behaviors and school climate perception were assessed. All information was collected anonymously. Logistic regression models were used to assess the associations of tobacco and alcohol use, screen time, bullying, and school climate with symptoms of mental health problems. Results One student out of five reported symptoms of mental health problems, with a more than double proportion among girls than boys (28.7% vs 10.4% with depressive symptoms, respectively). Thirty percent and 40% of students smoked tobacco or drank alcoholic beverages at least once in the past month, and more than 40% reported being victims or authors of bullying in the past 6 months. Smoking behavior, alcohol consumption, screen time, bullying, and negative school climate had 1.2- to 3.3-fold increased odds of symptoms of mental health problems without substantial differences between sexes and geographical areas. Conclusions Tobacco and alcohol use, screen time, bullying, and school climate were independently associated with symptoms of mental health problems in a large sample of 15–16-year-old Italian adolescents without substantial gender and geographical differences

Clinical Judgment Skills Assessment in High Fidelity Simulation: A Comparison Study in Nursing Education

Background: In nursing education, self-assessment associated with effective feedback promotes reflective learning, which is crucial for the acquisition of complex skills such as clinical judgment. The Lasater Clinical Judgment Rubric (LCJR) is one of the most frequently used scales for the evaluation of self-assessment among nursing students and it can be used by students and instructors for providing shared clinical judgment feedback. However, too few studies have evaluated its applicability. Objective of the study was to compare the LCJR scores assigned by the instructors with those self-reported by the nursing students to evaluate the students’ self-assessment skills. Methods: A comparative study was conducted in a probabilistic sample of 80 students enrolled in the 3rd year of the Nursing Programme in an Italian University. At the end of the high-fidelity simulation, the students and two instructors completed the LCJR scale. Results: The mean scores reported by instructors and students in the 4 subscales of LCJR were similar. In the 3 subscales, “Interpreting”, “Responding” and “Reflecting”, no significant differences were observed; only in the cognitive domain “Noticing” was a difference at the limit of statistical significance (p = 0.049) observed, with a slightly higher scores reported by instructors. Finally, the mean score of Overall Clinical Judgment of the LCJR scale reported by the instructors was slightly higher than that of the students (p = 0.044). Conclusions: Our results suggest that LCJR provides a common language between students and teachers and increases the training effectiveness of high-fidelity simulation through self-directed and reflective learning