Publications by authors named "Cristina Vincenzo"

The physical, psychological and social changes that occur during adolescence constitute a physiological crisis that is necessary for development and growth. The establishment of a suitable "self-image" is important for facilitating harmonious psychophysical development during this time. In the current era, digital technology (DT) serves as an extraordinary means of communication for young people, who make significant use of images as a mode of expression.

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Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a leading cause of death worldwide, emerging from a combination of several factors. The aim of this review is to define the psychological factors that are significant in the development and progression of these disorders.

Methods: Studies published through 2023 concerning adults with psychological vulnerability factors and/or cardiovascular disease were selected through searches of PubMed, PsychINFO, Science Direct, and Google Scholar.

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Background: The developmental age, comprising childhood and adolescence, constitutes an extremely important phase of neurodevelopment during which various psychiatric disorders can emerge. Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and Eating Disorders (ED) often manifest during this critical developmental period sharing similarities but also differences in psychopathology, neurobiology, and etiopathogenesis. The aim of this study is to focus on clinical, genetic and neurobiological similarities and differences in OCD and ED.

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The aim of the study was to explore the clinical significance of school refusal behavior, its negative impact on psychological well-being of children and adolescents and its relationship with the most common psychopathological conditions during childhood and adolescence (e.g. neurodevelopmental disorders, psychiatric disorders).

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), characterized by socio-communicative abnormalities and restricted, repetitive, and stereotyped behaviors, is part of Neurodevelopmental Disorders (NDDs), a diagnostic category distinctly in accordance with the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition, (DSM-5), clearly separated from Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder (SSD) (schizophrenia, schizophreniform disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizotypal personality disorder). Over the last four decades, this clear distinction is gradually being replaced, describing ASD and SSD as two heterogeneous conditions but with neurodevelopmental origins and overlaps. Referring to the proposal of a neurodevelopmental continuum model, the current research's aim is to provide an update of the knowledge to date on the course of clinical symptoms and their overlaps among ASD and SSD.

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Article Synopsis
  • - Very early-onset schizophrenia (VEOS) occurs in children under 13, featuring a mix of positive, negative, and disorganized symptoms, but studies on it are quite limited and the condition is rare.
  • - A systematic review of literature found only 18 relevant studies after filtering through 384 initial articles, indicating a significant gap in research on VEOS.
  • - Findings suggest VEOS has similarities to other forms of schizophrenia, yet it has unique traits such as more severe symptoms in females, frequent visual hallucinations, and high rates of comorbid neurodevelopmental disorders, which can aid in early diagnosis and treatment planning.
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Mental health plays a crucial role in an individual's overall well-being, and it is widely recognized that many adult mental health disorders originate during childhood and adolescence. It is imperative to promptly recognize signs of psychological distress and clinically significant symptoms that can affect an individual's functioning from an early age. The growing prevalence of psychiatric disorders in children and adolescents indeed highlights the significance of identifying both risk and protective factors.

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Despite significant scientific advances in research on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the psychological and behavioral symptoms of this pathological condition remain hard to understand, until they seem paradoxical. The present work seeks to consider the significance and potential contribution of a phenomenological reading of OCD and how phenomenalism has influenced some cognitive models of this disorder. Transcendental phenomenology is a philosophical approach that attaches primary importance to intuitive experience and considers all phenomena intrinsically associated with the subject's inner world.

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Organ donation has a crucial impact on patient care and survival, of which the worldwide gap between organ demand and supply is currently one of the most challenging issues. Brain-dead patients are the main source of organs that can be donated, but donation requires the consent of family members-a choice that is often complex and stressful and leads to refusal of consent. This mini-review aims to provide an overview of the current knowledge on the impact of certain psychosocial factors on the decision-making process with regard to organ donation by family members.

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Background: Anxiety Disorder (AD) is among the most common psychiatric comorbidity in children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Likewise, parental psychological distress (PPD) was linked to anxiety symptoms in children and adolescents with ASD. The aim of this study was to characterise, in a sample of children and adolescents with ASD, anxiety symptoms, the functional impairment associated and the presence of PPD.

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Background: Although the COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on the general population, health care workers (HCWs) constituted one of the groups that were most adversely affected by the associated risks, owing to the significant consequences on their mental health. This study examined these psychological effects on HCWs who cared for COVID-19 patients who were admitted to the intensive care unit in an Italian hospital.

Methods: Subjects were administered several self-reported questionnaires: Kessler 10 Psychological Distress Scale (K10), Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS), Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R), and Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), as well as two open-ended questions oriented toward understanding their positive and negative emotional experience and differentiating between two phases of the emergency.

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Background And Hypothesis: "Ultra-high risk" for psychosis young adults are assumed to be at higher risk of developing a psychotic spectrum disorder. Predominantly, the ultrahigh-risk population is aged 18-35 years, but it may also include younger children and adolescents. Individuals in this population experience psychosis prodromes in the form of attenuated or brief psychotic symptoms (particularly perceptual abnormalities).

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Article Synopsis
  • Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is characterized by an unhealthy obsession with healthy eating, raising questions about whether it's a lifestyle choice or a psychiatric disorder.
  • The study reviewed literature from 2015 to 2022, finding mixed evidence about ON's classification and its links to eating disorders (EDs) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
  • Overall, the relationship between ON, EDs, and OCD remains complicated, highlighting the need for future research to clarify its clinical significance and progression.
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Along with physical changes, psychological changes are detectable in patients with COVID-19. In these patients, the stressful experience of intensive care unit (ICU) hospitalization may aggravate psychological conditions. Our study examines the short- and long-term psychological consequences of COVID-19 in ICU patients.

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KBG syndrome (KBGS; OMIM #148050) is a rare disease characterized by short stature, facial dysmorphism, macrodontia of the upper central incisors, skeletal anomalies, and neurodevelopmental disorder/intellectual disability. It is caused by a heterozygous variant or 16q24.3 microdeletions of the ANKRD11 gene (OMIM #611192), which plays a primary role in neuronal development.

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The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a profound impact on the lifestyles and mental health of young people. It has been hypothesized that the focus on hygiene and the fear of contamination/infection during the pandemic may have exacerbated obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms in this population. OC symptoms are widespread in the general population, with varying degrees of intensity.

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