The interplay between acute post-traumatic stress, depressive and anxiety symptoms on healthcare workers functioning during the COVID-19 emergency: A multicenter study comparing regions with increasing pandemic incidence.

Background: Healthcare workers (HCWs) deployed to the frontline during the COVID-19 pandemic are at risk for developing mental disorders, with a possible impact on their wellbeing and functioning. The present study aimed at investigating post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSS), anxiety and depressive symptoms and their relationships with impairment in the functioning impairment among frontline HCWs from three Italian regions differently exposed to the first wave of the COVID-19 emergency: Tuscany (low), Emilia-Romagna (medium) and Lombardy (high).

Methods: 514 frontline HCWs were consecutively enrolled in hospital units devoted to the treatment of COVID-19 patients.

Post-traumatic stress disorder, burnout and their impact on global functioning in Italian emergency healthcare workers.

Background: Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and burnout are severe and frequent conditions among emergency healthcare workers exposed to repeated work-related traumatic experiences. The aim of the present study was to investigate PTSD, burnout and global functioning in a sample of emergency healthcare workers (HCWs) of a major university hospital in Italy, exploring possible correlations between the two constructs.

Methods: The study sample included 137 medical and nursing Emergency Room and Intensive Care Unit staff members of a major University Hospital in Italy (Pisa), all assessed by means of the Trauma and Loss Spectrum - Self Report (TALS-SR), for post-traumatic stress spectrum, the Professional Quality of Life Scale - Revision IV (ProQOL R-IV), for burnout related to work activities, and the Work and Social Adjustment Scale (WSAS), for global functioning.

Post-Traumatic Stress Reactions in Caregivers of Children and Adolescents/Young Adults with Severe Diseases: A Systematic Review of Risk and Protective Factors.

Severe illnesses in children and adolescents/young adults (AYAs) may represent a complex burden for patients and their caregivers, including a wide range of mental disorders, particularly post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Few events are as potentially traumatizing as having a son or a daughter diagnosed with a severe, life-threatening, or disabling disease. The presence of PTSD symptoms in caregivers may compromise their efficacy as caregivers and negatively affect the child's well-being.

Adult Autism Subthreshold spectrum correlates to Post-traumatic Stress Disorder spectrum in patients with fibromyalgia.

Objectives: Fibromyalgia (FM) is an increasingly prevalent disorder that usually shows a chronic course and a disappointing therapeutic response in which psychiatric features seem to play a relevant role. Most recently, the relationship between FM and Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) has gained interest since several studies demonstrated a higher rate of PTSD, both full blown and partial, and Post-traumatic Stress spectrum symptoms. While the relationship between higher burden of autistic symptoms and PTSD is reported in literature, the relationship between FM and autism spectrum symptoms is still unexplored.

Naturalistic 6-month antidepressants follow-up in patients with fibromyalgia: impact on somatic and mood spectrum symptoms.

Objectives: Literature shows high rates of comorbidity between fibromyalgia (FM) and mood disorders, especially major depressive disorder (MMD), reported in more than half of the cases. Consistently, patients with FM also present high rates of mood spectrum symptoms, despite scant data are still available on the relationship with antidepressant treatment outcomes. The present study was aimed at exploring the clinical outcome of patients with FM-MDD comorbidity naturalistically treated with antidepressant drugs, besides the relationships between mood spectrum symptoms and the treatment response.

Disrupted Rhythmicity and Vegetative Functions Relate to PTSD and Gender in Earthquake Survivors.

Increasing evidence indicates that survivors to traumatic events may show disruption of sleep pattern, eating and sexual behaviors, and somatic symptoms suggestive of alterations of biorhythmicity and vegetative functions. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate these possible alterations in a sample of survivors in the aftermath of earthquake exposure, with particular attention to gender differences and impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). High school senior students, who had been exposed to the 2009 L'Aquila earthquake, were enrolled 21 months after the traumatic event and evaluated by the Trauma and Loss Spectrum Self-Report to investigate PTSD rates and by a domain of the Mood Spectrum Self-Report-Lifetime Version (MOODS-SR), to explore alterations in circadian/seasonal rhythms and vegetative functions.

Risk and Protective Factors for PTSD in Caregivers of Adult Patients with Severe Medical Illnesses: A Systematic Review.

Caregivers of severely ill individuals often struggle to adjust to new responsibilities and roles while experiencing negative psychological outcomes that include depression, anxiety and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This systematic review aims to outline potential risk and protective factors for the development of PTSD in caregivers of adult subjects affected by severe somatic, potentially life-threatening illnesses. Twenty-nine studies on caregivers of adult patients affected by severe, acute, or chronic somatic diseases have been included.

PTSD symptoms in healthcare workers facing the three coronavirus outbreaks: What can we expect after the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COronaVIrus Disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has highlighted the critical need to focus on its impact on the mental health of Healthcare Workers (HCWs) involved in the response to this emergency. It has been consistently shown that a high proportion of HCWs is at greater risk for developing Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms (PTSS). The present study systematic reviewed studies conducted in the context of the three major Coronavirus outbreaks of the last two decades to investigate risk and resilience factors for PTSD and PTSS in HCWs.