Noli Me Tangere: Social Touch, Tactile Defensiveness, and Communication in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Abstract: Tactile defensiveness is a common feature in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). Since the first studies, tactile defensiveness has been described as the result of an abnormal response to sensory stimulation. Moreover, it has been studied how the tactile system is closely linked to socio-communicative development and how the interoceptive sensory system supports both a discriminating touch and an aective touch. Therefore, several neurophysiological studies have been conducted to investigate the neurobiological basis of the development and functioning of the tactile system for a better understanding of the tactile defensiveness behavior and the social touch of NDDs. Given the lack of recent literature on tactile defensiveness, the current study provides a brief overview of the original contributions on this research topic in children with NDDs focusing attention on how this behavior has been considered over the years in the clinical setting

Adjunctive Clotiapine for the Management of Delusions in Two Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa

open7noClotiapine is an atypical antipsychotic indicated for the management of a series of acute psychotic disorders. The current literature lacks evidence concerning the tolerability and clinical use of this drug in the management of individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN). In this study, we report two cases of adolescents with AN, treated with clotiapine. The reason for the administration of clotiapine was, for both patients, the manifestation of bizarre delusions concerning food and calories. Patient 1 presented a presyncope after the first dose of clotiapine, and treatment was rapidly discontinued. Patient 2 was treated with clotiapine for 9 months; doses were titrated from 20 mg/day to 70 mg/day, with an improvement in the reported delusions, which also enhanced compliance with psychological and nutritional interventions. EKG, QTc, white blood count, and red blood count were not relevantly influenced by the introduction of clotiapine in either patient. No extrapyramidal effect was documented. These reports stress the need for further studies assessing the tolerability and potential effect of clotiapine in treating adolescents with AN and delusional symptomatology.openJacopo Pruccoli , Giulia Joy Leone, Cristina Di Sarno, Luigi Vetri , Giuseppe Quatrosi , Michele Roccella, Antonia ParmeggianiJacopo Pruccoli , Giulia Joy Leone, Cristina Di Sarno, Luigi Vetri , Giuseppe Quatrosi , Michele Roccella, Antonia Parmeggian

Parental Stress and Parental Ratings of Behavioral Problems of Enuretic Children

Background: Primary monosymptomatic nocturnal enuresis (PMNE) may have a stressful impact on the everyday life of children and parents, and it may represent a cumulative stress factor increasing feelings of “learned helplessness.” Methods: The current study investigated parental stress in a group of parents (n = 330) of children affected by PMNE, compared to a group of parents (n = 330) of typical developing children (TDC). In addition, the study evaluated whether parents of PMNE children experience more emotional, social, and behavioral problems in their children, compared to parents of TDC. Finally, the study correlated frequency of enuresis with stress values and Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) subscales and total stress with CBCL. Both groups were given The Parental Stress Inventory-Short Form (PSI-SF) and the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL). Results: Parents of PMNE children showed significantly higher stress level than parents of TDC. Nocturnal enuresis, as a demanding clinical condition difficult to control, represents a relevant stress factor. Mothers appeared as more vulnerable to stress than fathers. Parents of PMNE children reported higher behavioral and emotional problems, compared to reports of parents of TDC. PMNE children appeared to their parents as having lower competency in social activities, school performance, and social relationships than TDC. Moreover, they were rated as more withdrawn, anxious-depressed,more aggressive, inattentive, and withmore somatic complaints than healthy children. It was always the mother who rated a significantly higher number of emotional, social, and behavioral problems compared to fathers. Correlational analysis showed that the higher the frequency of enuresis, the greater the parental stress level, the lower the social activities, school performance and relational competencies and the higher the emotional, social and behavioral problems in children, according to the parents’ evaluations. The greater the parental stress level, the lower the competencies rated and the higher the behavioral problems detected by parents

Neuropsychological Profile, Emotional/Behavioral Problems, and Parental Stress in Children with Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Background: The aim of our study was to trace a specific neuropsychological profile, to investigate emotional-behavioral problems and parental stress in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder Level 1/High functioning (ASD-HF), Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) disorders and to highlight similarities and differences among the three groups. Methods: We retrospectively collected the data from a total of 62 subjects with ASD-HF (n = 19) ADHD (n = 21), SLD (n = 22) and 20 typical development. All the participants underwent neuropsychological standardized test for the evaluation of cognitive profile (Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Fourth Edition—WISC-IV), behavioral and emotional problems (Child Behavior CheckList CBCL), and parental stress (Parental Stress Index Short Form—PSI-SF). The scores of the ASD-HF, ADHD, and SLD groups were compared using non-parametric statistic methods (Kruskall–Wallis H test and U Mann–Whitney for post-hoc analysis). Results: The ASD-HF group were significantly higher in all areas of the WISC-IV than the other two clinical groups. The SLD group performed significantly lower than ASD-HF in Working Memory Index. The SLD group showed lower scores on the somatic problems subscale than the other two groups. In the Difficult Child subscale of the PSI-SF, parents of ADHD children scored lower than the mothers of SLD subjects and higher than the fathers of SLD subjects. In all three groups there are specific deficiencies compared to the control group in the cognitive profile, behavioral and emotional problems, and parental stress. Conclusions: Our comparative analysis highlighted similarities and differences in three groups of children with different neurodevelopmental disorders, helping to better define cognitive, behavioral, and emotional characteristics of these children and parental stress of their parents

Cerebellum and Prematurity: A Complex Interplay Between Disruptive and Dysmaturational Events

The cerebellum plays a critical regulatory role in motor coordination, cognition, behavior, language, memory, and learning, hence overseeing a multiplicity of functions. Cerebellar development begins during early embryonic development, lasting until the first postnatal years. Particularly, the greatest increase of its volume occurs during the third trimester of pregnancy, which represents a critical period for cerebellar maturation. Preterm birth and all the related prenatal and perinatal contingencies may determine both dysmaturative and lesional events, potentially involving the developing cerebellum, and contributing to the constellation of the neuropsychiatric outcomes with several implications in setting-up clinical follow-up and early intervention

Italian gay fathers for surrogacy and research visibility

Homoparenting is now a widespread reality that requires continuous investigations and in-depth studies. It is also an area of psychosocial interest in Italy, where, howev er, the analysis of homosexual parental and coparenting constructs tends to be very difficult. This, although gay families with children make an essential contribution to the pluralization of family-related meaning

The Quality of Life among Siblings of Autistic Individuals: A Scoping Review

Autism spectrum disorders are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders presenting at a tender age, defined by qualitative deficits in social interactions and communication, thus having a substantial influence on the subject’s family unit. Quality of life (QoL) refers to a person’s perspective of their life situation, cultural and value background, objectives, expectations, and standards. When focusing on childhood and adolescence, age-related changes should be considered. For this scoping review, the authors used three peer-review literature database sources (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and ERIC) to delve deeper into components of the QoL of non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals. At the completion of the eligibility phase, 9 studies were included out of the 96 initial records. A total of 4/9 articles (45%) compared the non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals to the siblings of non-autistic people, while 3/9 articles (33%) compared the first group to the non-autistic siblings of patients with other chronic diseases. A total of 5/9 studies adopted specific questionnaires to evaluate QoL. Results from 6/9 articles revealed that the autism condition has varying effects on non-autistic siblings’ QoL. According to the considered research, non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals experienced decreased psychological well-being, less perceived social support, increased aggressiveness and conflict-proneness, and higher levels of anxiety and stress impacting their QoL. The present findings provide important implications for additional and more punctual studies in this sector. Furthermore, as being a non-autistic sibling of an autistic individual is commonly undervalued, this review advocates the need to organize and improve support services for siblings

The Quality of Life among Siblings of Autistic Individuals: A Scoping Review

: Autism spectrum disorders are a heterogeneous group of neurodevelopmental disorders presenting at a tender age, defined by qualitative deficits in social interactions and communication, thus having a substantial influence on the subject's family unit. Quality of life (QoL) refers to a person's perspective of their life situation, cultural and value background, objectives, expectations, and standards. When focusing on childhood and adolescence, age-related changes should be considered. For this scoping review, the authors used three peer-review literature database sources (PubMed/MEDLINE, Scopus, and ERIC) to delve deeper into components of the QoL of non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals. At the completion of the eligibility phase, 9 studies were included out of the 96 initial records. A total of 4/9 articles (45%) compared the non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals to the siblings of non-autistic people, while 3/9 articles (33%) compared the first group to the non-autistic siblings of patients with other chronic diseases. A total of 5/9 studies adopted specific questionnaires to evaluate QoL. Results from 6/9 articles revealed that the autism condition has varying effects on non-autistic siblings' QoL. According to the considered research, non-autistic siblings of autistic individuals experienced decreased psychological well-being, less perceived social support, increased aggressiveness and conflict-proneness, and higher levels of anxiety and stress impacting their QoL. The present findings provide important implications for additional and more punctual studies in this sector. Furthermore, as being a non-autistic sibling of an autistic individual is commonly undervalued, this review advocates the need to organize and improve support services for siblings

Do Mental Health and Vitality Mediate the Relationship between Perceived Control over Time and Fear of COVID-19? A Survey in an Italian Sample

Several studies evidenced increased elevated symptomatology levels in anxiety, general stress, depression, and post-traumatic stress related to COVID-19. Real difficulties in the effective control of time that could be responsible for mental health issues and loss of vitality were also reported. Prior literature highlighted how perceived control over time significantly modulates anxiety disorders and promotes psychological well-being. To verify the hypothesis that perceived control over time predicts fear of COVID-19 and mental health and vitality mediate this relationship, we performed an online survey on a sample of 301 subjects (female = 68%; Mage = 22.12, SD = 6.29; age range = 18–57 years), testing a parallel mediation model using PROCESS macro (model 4). All participants responded to self-report measures of perceived control over time, COVID-19 fear, mental health, and vitality subscales of the Short-Form-36 Health Survey. Results corroborate the hypotheses of direct relationships between all the study variables and partially validate the mediation’s indirect effect. Indeed, mental health (a1b1 = −0.06; CI: LL = −0.11; UL = −0.01; p < 0.001) rather than vitality (a2b2 = −0.06; CI: LL = −0.09; UL = 0.03; n.s.) emerges as a significant mediator between perceived control over time and fear of COVID-19. Practical implications of the study about treatment programs based on perceived control over time and emotional coping to prevent fear and anxiety toward the COVID-19 pandemic are discussed

Ethnocentrism Effects on Consumers’ Behavior during COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has upset everyone’s normal daily activities, generating psychiatric disorders and changing consumers’ preferences. Among others, the agri-food sector has experienced strong changes and, during the lockdown period, Italian consumers modified their purchasing habits in response to the fear and uncertainty generated by the spread of the virus. In order to find out the main consequences of the shock suffered during the period and to understand which factors have affected purchasing choices, an online survey was conducted on 286 Italian consumers. The results show that ethnocentrism has been the factor that most has influenced consumers’ behavior during the lockdown period and that consumers will continue to prefer national agri-food products when pandemic will be over, constituting a deep change to future eating habits