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Adolescence is a central phase for the development of a person's identity, involving complex multidimensional changes and increasing vulnerability to distress. This study aimed to investigate the psychological well-being of adolescent students in Brescia (Northern Italy), two years after the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. An online survey investigated the extent and the reasons reported by high school students (13–21 years) for their emotional distress (ED), also considering other factors such as physical activity, nutrition, sleep and smartphone overuse. The main reasons for ED were classified through a qualitative analysis of the free-text answers. A total of 1686 students agreed to participate, and 50% showed a presence of ED. According to a multiple logistic analysis, adolescents were more at risk of ED if they were female (AdjOR 2.3), older (AdjOR 1.6), slept less than 8 h (AdjOR 1.5), perceived increased anxiety (AdjOR 3.4), and adopted certain eating behaviors, e.g., comfort food consumption (AdjOR 2.0). According to free-text answers, the main reasons for ED were "school pressure", "relationships with family and peers", "negative emotional states" and "the pandemic". The results show a high level of ED among adolescents, and the reported reasons may help to better address their psychological needs after the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To report on the rates of misinterpretation, confusion, and attribution of the anhedonia question in the PHQ-4 and Whooley questions by pregnant women. The NICE Perinatal Mental Health guidelines recommend the use of the anhedonia question for depression screening, yet evidence suggests it may be misinterpreted or not be related to mood. Women attending a public hospital's antenatal clinic, communicating in English as their language of choice, completed either the PHQ-4 or the Whooley questions. Following comments to general evaluation questions in the first sample, women were asked a targeted anhedonia interpretation question, an anhedonia attribution question, and an ease of understanding question (PHQ-4: N = 37–119; Whooley: N = 31–100). Across the PHQ-4 and Whooley formats around 15% of participants completely misinterpreted the anhedonia question, with a further 17% finding it difficult to understand. Around two-thirds of those experiencing the symptom said it was due to normal symptoms of pregnancy, and not related to their mood. In the PHQ-4 format, which included all three questions, 48% of the women had one or more of these issues. While CALD women appear to have greater difficulty understanding the question, there were no meaningful associations with whether English was spoken at home. Almost half of the women incorrectly interpreted the anhedonia question, or said that it was confusing, or that it did not reflect low mood. These data indicate that the anhedonia question should not be used in screening women in the antenatal period, whether in the PHQ-4 or Whooley formats. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the context of Italian aging population, clinical psychology can play a crucial role in enabling older adults to cope with the multiple challenges associated with the aging process and disease-related issues. This manifesto was written by the 'Clinical Psychology of Aging' working group, which is part of the Italian Association of Psychology (AIP) consisting of academic experts in this field who collaborated to elaborate the contents highlighting the most relevant dimensions of the clinical psychology of aging. Specifically, the aging process was addressed from multiple points of view (i.e., theoretical perspectives, multidimensional assessment, interventions), and the role of the clinical psychologists in the National Health System along with training issues were discussed in the attempt to specify the unique contribution of the clinical psychology in aging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depression and anxiety are the most prevalent emotional difficulties in the perinatal period and there is agreement that early intervention is an important strategy to prevent long-lasting effects on mother and child. Literature has recently shown that the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) is able to measure not only depression but also anxiety. To investigate the factorial structure of the EPDS in Italian-speaking new mothers. 416 women attending vaccination services between 2 and 4 months postpartum filled in the EPDS. Exploratory (EFA) and Confirmatory (CFA) analyses were carried out. The EFA on the first part of the sample (n = 208) showed a two-factor structure. The CFAs on the second sample of mothers (n = 208) provided support for the 'EPDS-4A', with items 3,4,5,6 belonging to the Anxiety factor and items 1,2,7,8,9,10 to the Depression factor. The fit for the model was good: χ2/df = 1.41, p <.001; GFI =.99; CFI =.99; TLI =.88; RMSEA =.04. A two-factor structure of the EPDS was confirmed suggesting that the EPDS can be used to screen for both depression and anxiety for Italian mothers in the postnatal period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Calls to screen for men's emotional health during the perinatal period have been increasing in recent times, given that emotional health screening for women is now well embedded in many clinical services. Although the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) has been used for women, and also validated for men, a recent examination of this measure showed that it may not be ideal for men (or women). This study screened expectant fathers with the EPDS and a more recent measure, the Matthey Generic Mood Questionnaire, which has been designed to overcome some of the limitations of the EPDS. Expectant fathers in Italy (N = 145) and Australia (N = 185) were recruited from community antenatal clinics or classes, and these fathers completed the 2 measures. Results showed that on both measures, a meaningfully higher rate (2–8 times higher) of men in the Australian sample than men in the Italian sample screened positive for mood difficulties. The Matthey Generic Mood Questionnaire's ability to detect a variety of negative emotions, coupled with its clinically useful questions of allowing men to express why they feel distressed, and whether they would like to speak to a health professional about this, indicates that it could be a useful measure for health services wishing to screen men for emotional difficulties in the perinatal period. Public Significance Statement: With the increasing recognition that men's mental health needs during pregnancy and postpartum are important, this study provides health services evidence for a new resource when deciding how best to screen for men's emotional health. This study found that a new self-report measure of mood that does not depend on the endorsement of a select set of symptoms was suitable for the expectant fathers in Italy and Australia. On this new measure, both sets of expectant fathers were open to expressing what their difficulties were, and some also openly expressed a wish to talk about their issues further with a health professional. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]