Prenatal Attachment, Personality, and Depression in High-Risk Pregnancies During Pandemic Emergencies.

The observational study investigates how personality factors influence depression, prenatal attachment, and fear of COVID-19 in women with high-risk pregnancies. Women experiencing a high-risk pregnancy between the 20th and 24th weeks of gestation (N = 84) were selected. The Personality Inventory (PI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), and Fear of COVID (FCV-19S) were used for data collection.

The Impact of Maternal Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Minipuberty in Boys.

Background/objectives: Minipuberty is thought to play an important role in the sexual maturation of infants. Maternal disorders during pregnancy were found to have an impact on the activity of the reproductive axis in the first year of life. This prospective, matched, cohort study was aimed at investigating whether the course of minipuberty in boys is affected by maternal gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM).

Personality Traits and Sociodemographic Variables' Effects on Parental Burnout During the Second and Fourth COVID-19 Waves in Italian Parents.

(1) Background: Since the COVID-19 pandemic was a source of stress for families, this study aimed to investigate the influence of dispositional factors, such as personality traits and sociodemographic variables, on parental burnout among Italian parents during two waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Therefore, the study assessed personality traits and sociodemographic variables as protective or risk factors for parental burnout levels. (2) Methods: The study consisted of two cross-sectional samples collected during the second and fourth waves of the Italian pandemic.

The Impact of Gestational Diabetes Mellitus on Minipuberty in Girls.

Minipuberty is the second phase of physiological activation of the reproductive axis, playing a role in the postnatal development of sexual organs. The course of female minipuberty was found to be affected by low maternal vitamin D status and hypothyroidism during pregnancy. The aim of the current study was to assess the hormonal profile and the size of sexual organs in daughters of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.

COVID-19 and Female Fertility: An Observational Prospective Multicenter Cohort Study: Upholding Reproductive Rights in Emergency Circumstances.

Objectives: Currently available research data points to COVID-19-related multi-organ system damage. This study aims to evaluate the impact of SARS-CoV-2 on the reproductive health, that is, plasma levels of FSH, LH, estradiol, AMH, and antral follicular count, of women undergoing level II ART techniques.

Methods: This is a multicenter, prospective, and observational study by the reproductive medicine centers of Palermo's Ospedali Riuniti Villa Sofia-Cervello Hospital and Vanvitelli University.

Effectiveness of Psychological Counseling Intervention in High-Risk Pregnancies in Italy.

Background: The longitudinal study examines the effectiveness of a psychological support treatment for high-risk pregnancies using a between-groups design. It assesses the treatment's impact on depression and fear of COVID-19 at three time points, and on prenatal attachment between the 20th and 24th weeks of gestation (T0), postnatal attachment 15-20 days after birth (T1), and three months after birth (T2). Additionally, the study evaluates the treatment's effectiveness on PTSD related to childbirth and parental distress at T1 and T2.

Personality Traits and Depression in Infertile Couples during the COVID-19.

: The study presented in this paper seeks to examine how personality traits and depressive symptoms, influenced by the fear of COVID-19, interact in infertile couples, who are on the verge of commencing treatments with assisted reproductive technology (ART). The purpose of this observational study was to explore the relationship between personality traits in infertile couples and the occurrence of depressive symptoms, taking into account the mediating effect of COVID-19 fear. : The study sample consisted of 108 women and 71 men (N = 179), all of whom had received an infertility diagnosis and expressed a desire to begin ART treatment at a Sicilian ART center; they were subsequently recruited.

Parental Resources in Parents of Children with Special Needs (SNs) at the Time of COVID-19.

Background. The limitations imposed by governments for containing the spread of COVID-19 have affected familial relationships, especially those of families dealing with children with special needs or chronic illness conditions. The current study aims to better understand what pathological/disability condition has impacted parental resources, sense of competence, and perception of children’s executive functioning the most.

Maternal Competence, Maternal Burnout and Personality Traits in Italian Mothers after the First COVID-19 Lockdown.

This study aimed to investigate the maternal sense of competence and maternal burnout in Italian mothers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The sample was composed of 278 mothers of children/adolescents aged 4 to 17 years old. Participants were recruited after the end of the first spring total Italian lockdown (June-October 2020) through online advertisements on websites and social media.

Psychological variables in medically assisted reproduction: a systematic review.

Introduction: The paths of medically assisted reproduction represent the most important scientific progress to cope with the inability to achieve spontaneous conception (SC) and to reach desired parenthood. Couples undergoing assisted reproductive technology (ART) and couples not facing ovulation induction and artificial fertilization show sufficient levels of well-being and psychological adjustment. However, in some cases couples undergoing ART show lower perceived quality of life than couples with SC.

Parental Distress and Perception of Children's Executive Functioning after the First COVID-19 Lockdown in Italy.

The spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), and the consequential first italian lockdown to minimize viral transmission, have resulted in many significant changes in the every-day lives of families, with an increased risk of parental burnout. This study explores the impact of the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy on parental distress and parental perceptions of children's executive functions (EFs). Participants were 308 Italian parents with children between 4 and 17 years of age; they were recruited through online advertisements on websites and social media, and they were given an online survey.

A Study of Maternal Competence in Preterm Birth Condition, during the Transition from Hospital to Home: An Early Intervention Program's Proposal.

The study was conducted with 104 mothers (average age 32.5 years, SD 6.1) of preterm infants (very and moderately preterm but still healthy) to monitor the perceived maternal role competence from the time of hospitalisation to post-discharge, in order to define an intervention program to support mothers during this transition.

Psychosis, symbol, affectivity 2: another perspective on the treatment of psychotic disorder.

This is the second of two papers concerning our study into an integrated approach to psychotic disorders conducted at the University Psychiatry Unit of Palermo's Polyclinic over approximately 15 years; this paper concentrates on the clinical phenomena. The study aimed to find the best possible treatment and to improve the prognosis of this patient group. We have explored the efficacy of a range of psycho-therapeutic (cognitive-behavioural, systemic-relational, psychodynamic, group and others), psycho-pharmaceutical, psychiatric rehabilitative and psycho-educational treatments, with a hermeneutic approach instead of a systematic one.

The relation between maternal locus of control and coping styles of pediatric leukemia patients during treatment.

The present study focuses on the relation between coping strategies of children with leukemia during treatment and locus of control of their mothers. In particular, the study aims to determine whether maternal locus of control can influence sick children's coping styles, and if this relation can be used to predict maladjustments. The study analyzed a cohort of 60 pediatric leukemia patients undergoing treatment and a group formed by their mothers.

Sibship and Self-esteem in Children with Asthma.

This study has explored the valence of sibship that may empower the self-esteem of children with asthma at the interpersonal, environmental control competence, emotionality management, and body-image levels. It has been assumed that the relationship between siblings may have a moderating effect on the negative impact that asthma has on child's development. Seventy children suffering from chronic asthma have been involved: 40 children with siblings (experimental group) and 30 sibling-free children (control group).

Coping Strategies and Locus of Control in Childhood Leukemia: A Multi-Center Research.

Acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is a very distressing experience for children and requires a special effort of adjustment. Therefore, it seems to be crucial to explore coping resources for the experienced risk condition. In this sense, the study focuses on coping strategies and locus of control in children with ALL during the treatment phase, and on their possible relation.

Sibling relationships as a resource for coping with traumatic events.

The study investigated the correlation between the perception of sibling relationship to cope an adverse occurrence - the partial collapse of a primary school - and the indicators related to the traumatic impact set off by the event, by soliciting the child's reminiscence of the catastrophic experience. One hundred trauma-exposed children were recruited from a Sicilian primary school and were administered the following research instruments: the Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children (TSCC-A), to investigate the traumatized response that can be triggered in the children involved; the Brother as a Resource Questionnaire (BRQ), to delve into the perception of sibling relationship as a resource. The outcomes showed statistically significant negative correlations between the Anxiety scale of the TSCC-A and the Scaffolding factors (r = -.