Pathological narcissism and relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms: Exploring the role of vulnerable narcissism.

Objective: Relationship obsessive-compulsive disorder (ROCD) symptoms, which include obsessive preoccupation, doubts, and compulsive behaviors focusing on the suitability of the relationship and/or partner, have been receiving increasing clinical, theoretical, and empirical attention. This clinical variant of OCD is associated with significant functional, personal, and dyadic consequences. ROCD symptoms have also been linked to several cognitive vulnerability factors, such as maladaptive relationship catastrophization.

Impacts of an advance care planning intervention on close relationships.

Objectives: To examine how an advance care planning (ACP) intervention based on structured conversations impacts the relationship between patients with advanced cancer and their nominated Personal Representatives (PRs).

Methods: Within the ACTION research project, a qualitative study was carried out in 4 countries (Italy, United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and Slovenia) to explore the lived experience of engagement with the ACTION Respecting Choices ACP intervention from the perspectives of patients and their PRs. A phenomenological approach was undertaken.

How can advance care planning support hope in patients with advanced cancer and their families: A qualitative study as part of the international ACTION trial.

Objective: Clinicians' fears of taking away patients' hope is one of the barriers to advance care planning (ACP). Research on how ACP supports hope is scarce. We have taken up the challenge to specify ways in which ACP conversations may potentially support hope.

Functional impairment, symptom severity, and overall quality of life in patients with advanced lung or colorectal cancer in six European countries: baseline findings from the ACTION study.

Background: People with advanced cancer often suffer from various symptoms, which can arise from the cancer itself and its treatment, the illness experience, and/or co-morbid conditions. Important patient-reported outcomes such as functional status, symptom severity, and quality of life (QoL) might differ between countries, as countries vary with regard to contextual factors such as their healthcare system.

Purpose: To assess self-reported emotional functioning, physical functioning, symptoms, and overall QoL in patients with advanced lung or colorectal cancer from six European countries, particularly in relation to their country of residence.

Advance care planning in patients with advanced cancer: A 6-country, cluster-randomised clinical trial.

Background: Advance care planning (ACP) supports individuals to define, discuss, and record goals and preferences for future medical treatment and care. Despite being internationally recommended, randomised clinical trials of ACP in patients with advanced cancer are scarce.

Methods And Findings: To test the implementation of ACP in patients with advanced cancer, we conducted a cluster-randomised trial in 23 hospitals across Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Netherlands, Slovenia, and United Kingdom in 2015-2018.

Development and validation of a new Italian short measure of disgust propensity: The Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ).

Unlabelled: Although a few measures of disgust propensity are available in Italy, most of them take a long time to administer and/or have not shown replicable and sound psychometric properties. In the current study, the authors developed an Italian nine-item self-report measure of disgust propensity (particularly of pathogen disgust)-the Disgust Propensity Questionnaire (DPQ)-to address the limitations of currently available measures. In Study 1, the DPQ was developed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses from an initial pool of 33 items that were administered to 784 nonclinical participants.

The differential relationship between mental contamination and the core dimensions of contact contamination fear.

Two types of contamination fear are recognized: contact and mental contamination. Contact contamination appears to be motivated both by harm avoidance and disgust avoidance. This study aimed to examine the relationships between disgust propensity, mental contamination and contact contamination while differentiating between harm avoidance and disgust avoidance in contact contamination.

Advance care planning--a multi-centre cluster randomised clinical trial: the research protocol of the ACTION study.

Background: Awareness of preferences regarding medical care should be a central component of the care of patients with advanced cancer. Open communication can facilitate this but can occur in an ad hoc or variable manner. Advance care planning (ACP) is a formalized process of communication between patients, relatives and professional caregivers about patients' values and care preferences.

Psychological distress and health-related quality of life among head and neck cancer patients during the first year after treatment.

Purpose: Patients treated for head and neck cancer present some of the most significant posttreatment morbidity of any group of patients with cancer. Our aim is to describe quality of life and psychological distress after different treatments among head and neck cancer patients during the first year after treatment.

Methods: A total of 86 patients treated for head and neck cancer were evaluated within 1 year of the end of treatment by means of the Distress Thermometer (DT) and EORTC C30 and H&N35 questionnaires.

'Less ticking the boxes, more providing support': A qualitative study on health professionals' concerns towards the Liverpool Care of the Dying Pathway.

Background: Despite being widely used, research into the effectiveness of the Liverpool Care of the Dying Pathway (LCP) and associated cases of malpractice does not match dissemination. No study exists focusing on concerns voiced by professionals.

Aim: To explore the views of professionals who, during the hospital implementation of the Italian version of the Liverpool Care of the Dying Pathway (LCP-I), voiced or showed concerns towards it.

Factor structure and temporal stability of the Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Mental Contamination Scale (VOCI-MC) and psychometric properties of its Italian version.

Objective: The Vancouver Obsessional Compulsive Inventory-Mental Contamination Scale (VOCI-MC) is a self-report instrument that assesses symptoms of mental contamination. The aim of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the VOCI-MC in non-clinical and clinical samples.

Method: Factor structure, internal consistency, temporal stability, construct and criterion validity were investigated in 541 participants from the general population, 120 participants diagnosed with OCD and 31 participants diagnosed with other anxiety disorders (OAD).

Liverpool Care Pathway for patients with cancer in hospital: a cluster randomised trial.

Background: The quality of care provided to patients with cancer who are dying in hospital and their families is suboptimum. The UK Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) for patients who are dying was developed with the aim of transferring the best practice of hospices to hospitals. We therefore assessed the effectiveness of LCP in the Italian context (LCP-I) in improving the quality of end-of-life care for patients with cancer in hospitals and for their family.

Impact of a psycho-oncological rehabilitation intervention on psychological distress: the experience of CeRiOn (Oncological Rehabilitation Centre) Florence 2007-2010.

Background: Combining medical and psychological knowledge and accompanying patients in an individualised path, the Oncological Rehabilitation Centre of Florence (CeRiOn) aims at offering effective integrated rehabilitation interventions and at reducing psychological distress in cancer patients. In the present observational study, we measured the psychological distress at baseline and at the end of the completed rehabilitation processes.

Methods: A total number of 627 cancer patients were treated by the psycho-oncological service at CeRiOn in 2007-2010.

Hoarding behaviour in an Italian non-clinical sample.

Background: Hoarding is associated with significant impairment. Although traditionally considered as a symptom of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), some authors have proposed that pathological hoarding could be considered as a stand alone condition. The prevalence of pathological hoarding behaviour has been shown to be high in some countries, but little is known about the prevalence and correlates of hoarding in the non-clinical population in Italy.

Prospective observational Italian study on palliative sedation in two hospice settings: differences in casemixes and clinical care.

Purpose: Palliative sedation (PS) has been defined as the use of sedative medications to relieve intolerable suffering from refractory symptoms by a reduction in patient consciousness. It is sometimes necessary in end-of-life care when patients present refractory symptoms. We investigated PS for refractory symptoms in different hospice casemixes in order to (1) assess clinical decision-making, (2) monitor the practice of PS, and (3) examine the impact of PS on survival.

The measure of psychological distress in cancer patients: the use of Distress Thermometer in the Oncological Rehabilitation Center of Florence.

Goals Of Work: Distress in cancer patients is common. In the last years, several studies have used the single-item Distress Thermometer (DT) as a screening tool for psychological distress in cancer patients. The primary objective of this study was to determine the optimal cutoff score on the DT for detecting psychological distress in cancer patients attending a rehabilitation center, by comparing the DT's scores with those of the Psychological Distress Inventory (PDI).