Towards a better definition of nociplastic pain conditions: a psychological grounded study on fibromyalgia, chronic headache and vulvodynia.

This study investigates the psychological underpinnings of chronic pain conditions, specifically fibromyalgia, chronic headache, vulvodynia, and mixed condition (consisting of fibromyalgia in comorbidity with chronic headache and/or vulvodynia), with a focus on nociplastic pain mechanisms. The aim of the study is to better understand the psychological functioning of women with different chronic pain conditions to identify and discuss similarities and differences. In particular, we aim to explore any significant differences in the domain of traumatic experiences, in global defensive functioning, and in the domain of alexithymia among the evaluated groups.

To be aware or not to be aware of the prognosis in the terminal stage of cancer? A systematic review of the associations between prognostic awareness with anxiety, depression, and quality of life according to cancer stage.

Prognostic awareness (PA) has an important role in promoting informed care planning in cancer patients. However, studies in the literature showed discordant results regarding the impact of PA on psychological and quality of life outcomes. The present systematic review aimed to investigate the associations between PA with anxiety, depression, and quality of life in oncological patients according to early, advanced, and terminal cancer stages.

A Network Analysis of Perinatal Depression, Anxiety, and Temperaments in Women in the First, Second, and Third Trimesters of Pregnancy.

Although depression and anxiety are found to be affected by temperaments, little research has studied these relationships in pregnancy. The present study explored the associations among perinatal depression (PD), anxiety dimensions (state, trait, and generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)), and temperaments between women in the three trimesters of pregnancy through a network analysis approach. Moreover, differences in the severity of PD and anxiety between women in the three trimesters were evaluated.

Enhancing mental health and well-being in adults from lower-resource settings: A mixed-method evaluation of the impact of problem management plus.

Mental health conditions, recognised as a global crisis, were further exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Access to mental health services remains limited, particularly in low-income regions. Task-sharing interventions, exemplified by Problem Management Plus (PM+), have emerged as potential solutions to bridge this treatment gap.

Childhood traumatic experiences in people with obesity with and without eating disorders who are seeking bariatric surgery: the role of attachment relationships and family functioning.

Purpose: The present study examines the impact of traumatic childhood experiences in people with obesity seeking bariatric surgery. It considers the presence of eating disorders (ED) in the population with obesity and tests the role of attachment and family relationships as mediators of the relationship between traumatic events and ED.

Method: 110 participants with severe obesity and 98 participants of a healthy weight (control group) filled out The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) and the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scale (FACES IV).

Overcoming the civil wars: the role of attachment styles between the impact of war and psychological symptoms and post-traumatic growth among Libyan citizens.

Civil wars in Libya have impacted the mental health of the general population. The ways in which individuals cope with traumatic events are influenced by several psychological variables. The present study aimed to investigate how post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) are associated with psychological symptoms and post-traumatic growth (PTG), and to evaluate the role of avoidant and anxious attachment dimensions as mediators in these associations, among Libyan citizens.

Anxiety Symptoms, COVID-19-Related Stress Reactions in the Italian General Population, and Validation of the Italian COVID Stress Scales (CSS-I).

. The COVID Stress Scales (CSS) assess COVID-related stress experienced in the past week related to danger and contamination fears, socioeconomic consequences, xenophobia, compulsive checking, and reassurance seeking, and traumatic stress symptoms. Our objective was to provide a translation into Italian, replication, and psychometric validation of the CSS in the general population.

Facing the Shadow Pandemic: Correlation and Trend Analyses of Violence Reports from Women to the Italian National Anti-Violence Number during 2021.

Objectives: To help to tackle gender-based violence against women in the aftermath of COVID-19 or other potential crisis situations, as recommended by the European Institute for Gender Equality, the present study aims to investigate the relationship between calls to the National Anti-violence Number (NAN) and the socio-sanitary pandemic factors during 2021, a period in which the scenario changed due to containment measures that gradually allowed women to emerge from the condition of isolation. In addition, the present work aims to identify significant changes in the number of calls to NAN during the progression of the pandemic in 2021.

Methods: Using Italian Civil Protection Department data on the socio-sanitary pandemic factors (defined by daily number of cases, swabs, deaths, hospitalizations, dismissions, intensive care unit hospitalizations, people isolated at home, and quarantine after 15 and 30 days) and NAN data.

The role of family functioning, attachment style, and care setting on pre-loss grief symptoms and burden in caregivers of terminally cancer patients.

Objectives: The aim of the present cross-sectional study was to investigate the associations between caregivers' attachment styles, family functioning, the care setting and pre-loss grief symptoms, the burden, and the caregivers' belief of patients' awareness of the terminal cancer diagnosis.

Methods: A total of 101 caregivers of patients with terminal cancer in residential hospice care and home care were interviewed and completed self-report questionnaires.

Results: Insecure attachment style and home care setting were associated with worse psychological effects in caregivers of patients with terminal cancer.

How attachment style, mentalization and preparedness for death are associated with pre-loss grief symptoms' severity: A network analysis study in caregivers of terminally ill cancer patients.

Several psychological dimensions influence the psychological adjustment of terminally ill cancer patients' caregivers, during the end-of-life phase. The present study explored the associations between attachment styles, mentalization, preparedness for death, and the severity of pre-loss grief symptoms in 102 caregivers of terminal cancer patients. The results of the network analysis showed that insecure attachment dimensions were positively associated with several central pre-loss grief symptoms.

Resilience and Attachment in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder.

Background: Resilience represents one of the fundamental elements of attachment and has often been investigated in mood disorders. This study aims to investigate possible correlations between attachment and resilience in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD).

Methods: 106 patients (51 MDD, 55 BD) and 60 healthy controls (HCs) were administered the 21-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D-21), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), the Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale (SHAPS), the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 (BIS-11), the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS), the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and Experiences in Close Relationship (ECR).

Sexual Satisfaction Mediates the Effects of the Quality of Dyadic Sexual Communication on the Degree of Perceived Sexual Desire Discrepancy.

Difficulties related to sexual desire discrepancy are among the most common complaints in people seeking help in therapy. The aims of the current study were to test a mediation model using a bootstrapping procedure where the quality of the dyadic sexual communication plays a key role in increasing or diminishing the degree of perceived sexual desire discrepancy through sexual satisfaction. An online survey was administered through social media to N = 369 participants involved in a romantic relationship, measuring the quality of dyadic sexual communication, sexual satisfaction, the degree of the perceived sexual desire discrepancy, and a series of relevant covariates.

Relationship between Middle Cerebral Artery Pulsatility Index and Delayed Neurocognitive Recovery in Patients undergoing Robot-Assisted Laparoscopic Prostatectomy.

A steep Trendelenburg (ST) position combined with pneumoperitoneum may cause alterations in cerebral blood flow with the possible occurrence of postoperative cognitive disorders. No studies have yet investigated if these alterations may be associated with the occurrence of postoperative cognitive disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate the association between an increased middle cerebral artery pulsatility index (Pi), measured by transcranial doppler (TCD) 1 h after ST combined with pneumoperitoneum, and delayed neurocognitive recovery (dNCR) in 60 elderly patients undergoing robotic-assisted laparoscopic prostatectomy (RALP).

Safety at high altitude: the importance of emotional dysregulation on pilots' risk attitudes during flight.

Introduction: Aviation psychology is very interested in understanding how personological and psychological variables influence flight performances. Indeed, risk attitudes have been considered as a risk factor for aviation accidents. In this context, emotions and coping style are key variables which could influence concentration by affecting cognition and attention.

Therapist reactions to patient personality: A pilot study of clinicians' emotional and neural responses using three clinical vignettes from in treatment series.

Introduction: Therapists' responses to patients play a crucial role in psychotherapy and are considered a key component of the patient-clinician relationship, which promotes successful treatment outcomes. To date, no empirical research has ever investigated therapist response patterns to patients with different personality disorders from a neuroscience perspective.

Methods: In the present study, psychodynamic therapists ( = 14) were asked to complete a battery of instruments (including the Therapist Response Questionnaire) after watching three videos showing clinical interactions between a therapist and three patients with narcissistic, histrionic/borderline, and depressive personality disorders, respectively.

Viscoelastic versus conventional coagulation tests to reduce blood product transfusion in patients undergoing liver transplantation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Recent literature suggests viscoelastic test (VET)-guided transfusion management could be associated with reduced blood product administration in patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of coagulation management guided by VETs compared with conventional coagulation tests (CCTs) in reducing blood product transfusion in patients undergoing liver transplantation.

Design: Systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised (RCTs) and nonrandomised clinical trials performed according to PRISMA guidelines.

Pandemic experiences and psychopathological aspects in individuals with mood disorders and other mental disorders.

Individuals with different personality traits, temperaments, and psychological symptoms have different attitudes toward the pandemic experiences and restrictive measures. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations between the psychological factors and the attitudes toward COVID-19, experienced during the third pandemic wave in Italy, in a sample of individuals with psychiatric disorders. Between March and September 2021, 53 patients with mood disorders and other mental disorders completed a survey composed of self-report questionnaires that assessed sleep quality, depressive and hypomanic symptoms, and temperament and personality traits.

Body Image and Body Mass Index Influence on Psychophysical Well-Being in Bariatric Patients: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Psychophysical factors may have an impact on the disease of obesity, and it is important to explore which aspects may play an important role on the well-being of obese patients undergoing bariatric surgery. The purpose of this study was to assess the associations of a high body mass index (BMI) and greater dissatisfaction with body image with higher levels of psychopathological aspects, feelings of hopelessness, and psychological and physical health in patients undergoing evaluation for bariatric surgery.

Methods: Fifty-nine patients undergoing bariatric surgery filled out the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, the Body Uneasiness Test, the 12-item Short Form Survey, the Beck Inventory Scale II, and the Beck Hopelessness Scale.

Effectiveness of the expressive writing on the psychological distress and traumatic symptoms of the migrants: A prospective study multiarm randomized controlled trial.

Objective: Migration is a phenomenon related to adverse impacts, including higher risk for psychological distress and trauma symptoms, highlighting the strong need for effective psychological treatments to help migrants. However, the use of expressive writing intervention (EW) has not been examined in this population. The aims of the study were to evaluate: (a) the effectiveness of a trauma-focused EW on psychological distress, trauma symptoms, alexithymia, and hope for the future in migrants, and (b) the role of alexithymia and hope for the future in the association with the EW and the psychological symptoms.

Telerehabilitation proposal of mind-body technique for physical and psychological outcomes in patients with fibromyalgia.

Fibromyalgia (FM) syndrome is characterized by the close correlation of chronic widespread pain and other non-pain related symptoms. Aim of this study was to investigate whether telerehabilitation that provides physical and psychological support services of the mind-body techniques can affect the clinical profile and pain relief of FM patients. The study included twenty-eight female FM patients, mean aged 56.

Escaping the Reality of the Pandemic: The Role of Hopelessness and Dissociation in COVID-19 Denialism.

Background: Denialism of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) severely affected governments' attempts to contain the spread of the virus. Indeed, groups of deniers showed scepticism and misinformation toward the causes of the virus, leading to less adherence to official guidelines and vaccination campaigns. The present study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic and psychological factors associated with COVID-19 denialism, expressed in the forms of scepticism, nonadherence to guidelines, and negative attitudes toward vaccination.

Effectiveness of Expressive Writing in Kidney Transplanted Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial Study.

The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of an expressive writing (EW) intervention on psychological and physiological variables after kidney transplant. The final sample of 26 were randomly assigned to an expressive writing group (EWG) and control group (CG). Outcomes were focused on depression, anxiety, alexithymia, empathy, resilience, locus of control, creatinine, CDK-EPI, and azotemia.

Attachment style dimensions are associated with neural activation during projection of mental states.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between attachment dimensions and neural correlates in response to the Rorschach inkblots. Twenty-seven healthy volunteers were recruited for the electroencephalographic registration during a visual presentation of the Rorschach inkblots and polygonal shapes. The Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ) was administered to participants.

Calls to the anti-violence number in Italy during COVID-19 pandemic: correlation and trend analyses of violence reports during 2020.

Purpose: We hypothesized that during the 2020 pandemic there has been a significant change along the year, depending on the SARS-CoV-2 impact on the population and varying difficulties implied in the norms that were adopted to embank the pandemic. Our objectives were to verify how the phenomenon of domestic violence has evolved and changed along 2020, and to clarify if these changes were correlated to the evolution of the pandemic.

Methods: Though the analysis of the number of daily calls from women to the national anti-violence number and the parameters related to COVID-19 pandemic (daily cases, deaths, hospitalizations, and admissions in ICU), a positive correlation was found between daily deaths due to COVID-19 and the number of calls to the anti-violence number, while daily hospitalizations and admissions in ICU negatively correlated with calls of women reporting at the national anti-violence number.

Motherhood in Alternative Detention Conditions: A Preliminary Case-Control Study.

Many women in detention are mothers and often the sole caregivers of their children. Italy, as most European countries, allows mothers to keep their children with them in detention, with the aim of preserving the fundamental bond between mother and child. Since prison does not seem to provide a good environment for the child's growth, there are different alternative residential solutions, such as Group Homes.