Detenzione parentale e comportamenti delinquenziali nella prole: quale possibile intervento*?

Research on the health of children after one of their parent’s imprisonment is relatively poor despite studies that link adverse experiences of childhood to a series of physical and mental health conditions. In this review, several clinical trials have been examined to examine the risks of child exposure to an unstable and dysfunctional family structure due to detention of one or both parents. Among the aspects related to detention, the one most concerning for prisoners is the separation from the family, and in particular from the children. From the offspring point of view, the detention of one parent translates to a loss of a stable reference point, which over the years leads to them taking less advisable choices that in turn make detention more likely. Studies have shown that, over the years, minor children of detainees develop acceptance towards parental detention, with normalization of event up to ignoring the socially shared concept of “detention” which morphs into the idea of what delinquency represents in micro and macro criminality contexts. It becomes important to foster relationships with children and with the prisoner’s family, but it becomes even more important that the prisoner embarks on a path that leads them to regain the parenting role, which allows them to feel like a person with resources to protect and with relationships to cultivate

Developing a brief tele-psychotherapy model for COVID-19 patients and their family members

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the mental health of COVID-19 patients and family members. Given the restrictions limiting in person contact to reduce the spread of the virus, a digital approach is needed to tackle the psychological aftermath of the pandemic. We present the development of a brief remote psychotherapy program for COVID-19 patients and/or their relatives. Methods: We first reviewed the literature on psychotherapeutic interventions for COVID-19 related symptoms. Based on this evidence, we leveraged ongoing clinical experiences with COVID-19 survivors and family members to design an intervention model that could be disseminated and integrated into the workflow of the mental health system. Results: This 8-session model -inspired by constructivist and hermeneutic-phenomenological therapies- serves COVID-19 patients during hospitalization, remission and recovery. This model can also be delivered to people dealing with the COVID-19 hospitalization/discharge of a family member, or the loss of a family member due to COVID-19. Conclusion: We described a remote psychotherapeutic approach to tackle the COVID-19 pandemic psychological aftermath. To date, the approach seems feasible and highly customizable to patients' needs. Studies are underway to test its preliminary efficacy. Once proven efficacious, this treatment model could provide a blueprint for future tele-psychology wide-scale interventions

Regolazione emotiva e metacognizione nei bambini e negli adolescenti

As literature indicates, people experience emotions following the evaluation of a real or perceived event (Frijda, 1986; Zajonc, 1998; Davidson, Scherer & Goldsmith, 2003; Barrett, 2006; Brackett, et al., 2006; Izard, 2007; Panksepp, 2007). These can cause difficulties in emotional regulatory mechanisms that cause distress in relationship to oneself, to other people and to the world, occasionally resulting in full-blown psychopathology (Stults- Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014; Extremera & Rey, 2015). Diverse theoretical currents report outcomes of altered metacognitive fuction both in learning (Flavell, 1979; Cottini, 2004), evaluating and monitoring thought (Wells & Matthews, 1995/2014), as well as in the expression of reasoning in terms of mental status on oneself and others behavior (Fonagy, 2000). The goal of this study is to examine whether disfunction of emotive regulation in children causes “metacognitive errors” that leads to development of severe psychopathological diseases.La letteratura riporta che, a seguito della valutazione di un evento reale o immaginato, le persone sperimentano delle emozioni (Frijda, 1986; Zajonc, 1998; Davidson, Scherer & Goldsmith, 2003; Barrett, 2006; Brackett, et al., 2006; Izard, 2007; Panksepp, 2007). Queste, se intense possono causare difficoltà di regolazione emotiva (Stults-Kolehmainen & Sinha, 2014; Extremera & Rey, 2015). Ne consegue disagio nel rapporto con se stessi e con il mondo e talvolta sofferenza psicopatologica (Cohen, Janicki- Deverts, & Miller, 2007). Diverse teorie a confronto registrano esiti di un alterato funzionamento metacognitivo sia nell’apprendimento (Flavell, 1979; Cottini, 2004) sia nella valutazione e monitoraggio del pensiero (Wells & Matthews, 1995/2014), nonchè nell’espressione della capacità di ragionare sul proprio e altrui comportamento in termini di stati mentali (Fonagy, 2000).Questo lavoro mira a esaminare fonti secondo cui la disfunzione della regolazione emotiva nei bambini comporta “errori metacognitivi” che conducono allo sviluppo di disturbi psicopatologiciimportanti. L’obiettivo di questo lavoro è quello di esaminare fonti a sostegno della tesi, già ampiamente documentata per gli adulti, secondo cui la disfunzione della regolazione emotiva nei bambini comporta “errori metacognitivi” che conducono allo sviluppo di disturbi psicopatologici importanti

Psychotherapeutic and Psychiatric Intervention in Patients With COVID-19 and Their Relatives: Protocol for the DigiCOVID Trial

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic is negatively impacting the mental health of both patients with COVID-19 and the general population. As current guidelines are limiting in-person contacts to reduce the spread of the virus, the development of a digital approach to implement in psychiatric and psychological consultations is needed. In this paper, we present the DigiCOVID protocol, a digital approach to offer remote, personalized psychological and psychiatric support to former or current patients with COVID-19 and their relatives. ObjectiveThe main goal of this project is to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and usability of the DigiCOVID protocol. Furthermore, we also aim to assess the impact of the abovementioned protocol by means of pre-post changes in psychological clinical variables. MethodsParticipants undergo an initial telephonic screening to ensure inclusion criteria are met. Secondly, participants complete a video-assisted neuropsychological IQ test as well as web-based self-reports of health and general well-being. Participants are then assigned to a psychotherapist who offers 8 teletherapy sessions. At the end of the therapy cycle, the web-based questionnaires are administered for a posttreatment evaluation. ResultsAs of April 2022, we enrolled a total of 122 participants, of which 94 have completed neuropsychological tests and web-based questionnaires. ConclusionsOur study aims at testing the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of DigiCOVID, a remote telemedicine protocol for the improvement of psychological and psychiatric health in patients with COVID-19 and their relatives. To date, the approach used seems to be feasible and highly customizable to patients’ needs, and therefore, the DigiCOVID protocol might pave the way for future telepsychiatry-based interventions. Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT05231018; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT05231018?term=NCT05231018 &draw=2&rank=1 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/3908

Pathological Complete Response to Neoadjuvant Chemoimmunotherapy for Early Triple-Negative Breast Cancer: An Updated Meta-Analysis

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have made a breakthrough in the systemic treatment for metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) patients. However, results of phase II and III clinical trials assessing ICIs plus chemotherapy as neoadjuvant treatment were controversial and conflicting. We performed a meta-analysis aimed at assessing the Odds Ratio (OR) of the pathological complete response (pCR) rate in trials assessing neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy in TNBC. According to our results, the use of neoadjuvant chemoimmunotherapy was associated with higher pCR (OR 1.95; 95% Confidence Intervals, 1.27–2.99). In addition, we highlighted that this benefit was observed regardless of PD-L1 status since the analysis reported a statistically significant and clinically meaningful benefit in both PD-L1 positive and PD-L1 negative patients. These findings further support the exploration of the role of ICIs plus chemotherapy in early-stage TNBC, given the potentially meaningful clinical impact of these agents. Further studies aimed at more deeply investigating this emerging topic in breast cancer immunotherapy are warranted

Feasibility and preliminary efficacy of brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives

Background: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic compromised the mental health of COVID-19 patients and their family members. Due to social distancing and lockdown measures, a remote, tele-psychotherapy program for former or current COVID-19 patients and their relatives was implemented. Objective: The primary goal of this project was to evaluate intervention feasibility. The secondary aim was to assess the impact of the intervention by means of pre-post psychological changes. Methods: After a phone-based eligibility screening and remote neuropsychological testing, participants completed online self-reports assessing baseline COVID-related psychopathology. Next, participants attended eight tele-psychotherapy sessions. After treatment, the online self-reports were completed again. Results: Of 104 enrolled participants, 88 completed the intervention (84.6 % completion rate). Significant pre-post improvements were observed for generalized anxiety (d = 0.38), depression (d = 0.37), insomnia (d = 0.43), post-traumatic psychopathology (d = 0.54), and general malaise (d = 0.31). Baseline cluster analysis revealed a subgroup of 41 subjects (47.6 %) with no psychopathology, and a second subgroup of 45 subject (52.3 %) with moderate severity. Thirty-three percent of the second group reached full symptom remission, while 66 % remained symptomatic after treatment. Conclusions: Remote brief tele-psychotherapy for COVID-19 patients and their first-degree relatives is feasible and preliminary efficacious at reducing COVID-related psychopathology in a subgroup of patients. Further research is needed to investigate distinct profiles of treatment response

Timing and Outcomes of Noninvasive Ventilation in 307 ARDS COVID-19 Patients: An Observational Study in an Italian Third Level COVID-19 Hospital

Background and Objectives: Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a novel cause of Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS). Noninvasive ventilation (NIV) is widely used in patients with ARDS across several etiologies. Indeed, with the increase of ARDS cases due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its use has grown significantly in hospital wards. However, there is a lack of evidence to support the efficacy of NIV in patients with COVID-19 ARDS. Materials and Methods: We conducted an observational cohort study including adult ARDS COVID-19 patients admitted in a third level COVID-center in Rome, Italy. The study analyzed the rate of NIV failure defined by the occurrence of orotracheal intubation and/or death within 28 days from starting NIV, its effectiveness, and the associated relative risk of death. The factors associated with the outcomes were identified through logistic regression analysis. Results: During the study period, a total of 942 COVID-19 patients were admitted to our hospital, of which 307 (32.5%) presented with ARDS at hospitalization. During hospitalization 224 (23.8%) were treated with NIV. NIV failure occurred in 84 (37.5%) patients. At 28 days from starting NIV, moderate and severe ARDS had five-fold and twenty-fold independent increased risk of NIV failure (adjusted odds ratio, aOR = 5.01, 95% CI 2.08–12.09, and 19.95, 95% CI 5.31–74.94), respectively, compared to patients with mild ARDS. A total of 128 patients (13.5%) were admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). At 28-day from ICU admission, intubated COVID-19 patients treated with early NIV had 40% lower mortality (aOR 0.60, 95% CI 0.25–1.46, p = 0.010) compared with patients that underwent orotracheal intubation without prior NIV. Conclusions: These findings show that NIV failure was independently correlated with the severity category of COVID-19 ARDS. The start of NIV in COVID-19 patients with mild ARDS (P/F > 200 mmHg) appears to increase NIV effectiveness and reduce the risk of orotracheal intubation and/or death. Moreover, early NIV (P/F > 200 mmHg) treatment seems to reduce the risk of ICU mortality at 28 days from ICU admission