The Impact of Music Therapy in a Pediatric Oncology Setting: An Italian Observational Network Study.

Background: Music Therapy (MT) is a non-pharmacological, art-based intervention that employs music experiences within a therapeutic alliance to attend to clients' physical, emotional, cognitive, and social requirements. This is the first study aiming at investigating the impact of MT on the psychological facets of children suffering from cancer.

Methods: The study, combining the AQR and m-YPAS assessment tools, evaluated behavioral, sound-musical, and interactive parameters in pediatric oncology patients undergoing MT sessions during hospitalization.

University counseling service for improving students' mental health.

The main aims of this study were to provide an initial sociodemographic and clinical characterization of university students' academic and psychological functioning and to investigate and compare the feasibility and clinical utility of psychotherapies (cognitive behavior vs. psychodynamic) delivered at a large University in Northern Italy for improving university students' mental health, using self and observer-report measures. One hundred forty-9 students (102 women; MAge = 24.

Effectiveness of psychological treatments delivered at a counseling service for students.

This study adds to the international literature on the assessment of the effectiveness of psychotherapies delivered by university counseling centers. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of psychotherapy in 226 students (179 women, 47 men; M age = 24.8 yr.

Psychological factors associated with medication adherence following renal transplantation.

Background: A relationship exists between non-adherence and clinical outcomes in health care, including renal transplantation. The aim of this study was to identify the psychological variables associated with non-adherence to medication after renal transplantation.

Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 34 patients, 38% male, with a mean age of 49 yr (range 26-70) and a mean of six yr post-transplantation.

Patient education in Parkinson's disease: Formative evaluation of a standardized programme in seven European countries.

Objective: To evaluate a newly developed education programme for Parkinson's disease (PD) patients.

Methods: The programme consisted of eight sessions and aimed at improving knowledge and skills related to self-monitoring, health promotion, stress management, depression, anxiety, social competence, and social support, all with special reference to PD. The programme was formatively evaluated in seven European countries (Spain, Finland, Italy, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Estonia, Germany) with 151 patients diagnosed with idiopathic PD.

Psychological impact of testing for thrombophilic alterations.

We investigated the psychological impact of testing for the presence of thrombophilic alterations. The enrolled subjects received counseling from a physician before blood sampling and after receiving results, with a view to provide clear information about the aim of thrombophilia screening (TS). Participants were requested to complete a pre-test questionnaire during this interview and a post-test questionnaire 20 days after receiving the TS results.