Search

The COVID-19 pandemic has created profound upheavals in today's society, accompanied by psychological effects. The discomfort experienced during the pandemic accompanied by the increased availability of time has offered many people the chance to reconnect with their spiritual dimension, which is considered a vital resource in managing the stress produced by the perception of risk to their health. This study addresses the motivations that led research participants to choose to receive spiritual support via a 10-week training. The work also explores the changes perceived by the participants as they overcame the difficulties resulting from the pandemic. The research involved nine people between the ages of 19 and 59 who took part in an online experience focused on the spiritual dimension. Almost all the participants came from an area in Northern Italy most affected by the pandemic. A qualitative research design was used, with semistructured interviews designed to understand participants' views on the topic under investigation. The areas that emerged from the interviews concerned the motivations that led the participants to choose a spiritual support process, the role of spirituality in daily life, and the changes participants experienced after the conclusion of the experience related to managing the stress caused by the pandemic. In agreement with the existing literature, the results show that spiritual support can be useful in counteracting the negative effects of the pandemic, producing improvements in the quality of life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spirituality has ascendant value during times of adversity. Religious activities have beenfound to increase spirituality, and therefore might be considered a coping resource for the individual. The present research aims to explore participants' experience in an online Catholic prayer group in northern Italy that was held throughout the period of COVID-19 social restrictions. The group comprised 16 Catholic individuals aged 34 to 85, who were interviewed in writing following a protocol of four open-ended questions. The results reported four main thematic areas: (1) the benefits of the spiritual journey while coping with the pandemic; (2) the potential of the online setting; (3) the challenges of the online setting; and (4) the bond with God and how it evolved during the pandemic. The findings confirm the valuable contribution of the on-line group religious activity to the participants' wellbeing, particularly during the time of social distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic severely strained the already unprepared Italian healthcare system. This had repercussions on healthcare workers, stemming, in particular, from a lack of clear guidelines, adequate protective equipment, and professional preparedness. Such conditions were especially prevalent in Northern Italy. Objectives: This study aimed to examine COVID-19-related professional and psychoemotional stress among nurses and doctors in two hospitals in Northern Italy, along with the worst critical incidents affecting healthcare personnel. A parallel objective was to elicit healthcare professionals' opinions about what changes are needed in the healthcare system's operations, as well as about the relational/emotional skills that are needed to better manage relationships with patients in emergency situations. Participants: Snowball sampling was used to recruit participants and yielded 17 hospital professionals: six nurses (five female and one male) and 11 doctors (seven male and four female). Three of these professionals worked in intensive care and the others in different wards. All had close contact with COVID-19 patients. Methods: The study employed a qualitative research design, using in-depth interviews of ~60 min each that were conducted via Skype video calls. The interviews were recorded and transcribed, then analysed. The qualitative analysis employed mixed methods to identify the most relevant and recursive themes from the interviews. Results: Four fundamental themes emerged from our analysis of the interview texts: (1) disorganisation and psychoemotional stress; (2) urgency and critical incidents; (3) everything surreal; and (4) disruptions in empathetic relationships with patients. Conclusions: Through our analysis of the interview narratives, we found that systematic and in-depth psychological training is needed to prepare professionals for (1) altered relationships with patients in emergencies; (2) use of exceptional medical equipment; (3) elaboration of new bioethical models suitable for disasters and pandemics; and (4) engagement with the themes of death and dying. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Psychodrama is an effective technique in the treatment of drug-addicted offenders. • Psychodrama helps drug-addicted offenders to decrease their psychological distress. • Psychodrama helps offenders to increase in their emotional and social functioning. • Psychodrama allowed the offenders to get in touch with their emotions. • Psychodrama empowers the area of the self and of personal resources. This paper presents the results of a six-month psychodrama intervention for the prison-based treatment of people with substance dependence , held in an attenuated custody institution in Northern Italy (Istituto a Custodia Attenuata per il Trattamento delle Tossicodipendenze – ICATT). Seven patients participated in the psychodrama intervention (21 weekly sessions) and were monitored through an idiographic change process using a mixed methods design. The longitudinal quantitative assessment employed the Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation − Outcome Measure (CORE-OM), the Revised Spontaneity Assessment Inventory (SAI-R), the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSE), and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). The qualitative assessment was based on the Client Change Interview Schedule (CCS) and the Helpful Aspects of Therapy Form (HAT). The quantitative and qualitative results supported the effectiveness of psychodrama as a treatment method for this group of patients, showing a decrease in psychological distress; a related decrease in depressive, anxious, physical, and/or traumatic symptoms; and a relative increase in the patients' general emotional and social functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]