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ObjectiveThe diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma (MM) can be devastating for both patients and caregivers, who may experience intense suffering from a physical, psychological, and interpersonal perspective. Despite the extensive literature on caregiver distress, there is a lack of validated measures to provide evidence of psychological distress of caregivers of MM patients. Therefore, in a previous study we developed the Mesothelioma Psychological Distress Tool–Caregivers (MPDT-C) to evaluate the specific profile of psychological distress in this population. This paper describes the item selection, factor analysis, and psychometric evaluation of the revised MPDT-C.MethodsThe analyses of this work first aimed to confirm the previous factorial structure. In the case of nonfit, it aimed to find an alternative structure and causes of nonfit in the model. Examination of the fit of the factorial model was conducted using a Bayesian approach.ResultsThe final version of the MPDT-C is a 7-item self-report questionnaire consisting of one factor (Burden for the caregiver).ConclusionHaving a short self-report questionnaire to assess the psychological distress experienced by caregivers of MM patients has several advantages. First, it is suited to epidemiological studies where multiple variables and measures are involved. Second, it is easy to administer and does not take much time to complete. Therefore, the MPDT-C can also be administered in clinical contexts, perhaps when MM patients attend follow-up medical evaluation. Lastly, short measures are less affected by cognitive fatigue, which is very common in a long battery of tests and could affect response reliability.

During tertiary education, students embark on a journey of role exploration and decision-making about their future, to define who they want to be in their adult lives. Psychological services for students may be needed to help students gain better awareness of their mental health. The purpose of this systematic literature review is to analyze psychological interventions for university students in Europe. The review was conducted per the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Studies were identified using the Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed, ProQuest Psychology Journals, PsycINFO, and PsycARTICLES databases. The results were classified into seven categories: counseling and group counseling (eight papers); psychodynamic interventions (six papers); cognitive–behavioral interventions (fifteen papers); other psychological interventions (eighteen papers); mindfulness (nine papers); online interventions (seventeen papers); and app and mobile interventions (ten papers). Student psychological services are becoming one of the most important sources of support for students, and the number of approaches offered is expanding. Our results suggest the need to further investigate and promote the provision of psychological care for university students, explore long-term treatment options, and invest in professionally trained staff.

ObjectiveTertiary education can be stressful for many young people, who consistently report high levels of distress. The issue has major implications for campus health services and mental health policymaking more widely. The present study proposes to map student counseling services in Europe.MethodsThe sample of institutions was sourced, using standardized data extraction, from the European Tertiary Education Register (ETER). Then, each institution’s website was analyzed for information about the availability of student counseling centers and the services provided. Data extracted from the ETER database were: ETER ID, national identifier, institution name, English institution name, number of students, legal status (in English), institution category (in English), and institutional website. Data extracted from institutions’ websites concerned the availability of students’ psychological centers and the services provided. Analyses were carried out using the SPSS Statistics software package (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, United States), version 26.ResultsOverall, it was found that most institutions do not provide mental health counseling services for their students. Institutions of medium dimensions showed a higher probability of reporting students’ psychological centers than small institutions. Moreover, private institutions and public institutions were more likely to report having such centers, while private government-dependent institutions were less likely. Universities of applied sciences and universities were more likely to report having them, while other institutions were less likely. Regarding provision according to geographic area, compared to Northern Europe, every other European region was less likely to report featuring such centers. Most institutions reported offering counseling, career counseling, or not otherwise specified psychological services, but only a small number reported providing services such as psychotherapy, psychiatric services, or counseling for learning-specific disabilities.ConclusionIt is critically important to catalog European data on student counseling centers and services, to encourage tertiary education institutions to invest in such services as key sites for mental health promotion. Indeed, professionally trained staff and the possibility of long-term treatment options would go a long way in supporting students who might not otherwise have access to treatment.

Background The COVID-19 pandemic caused drastic changes in healthcare and severe social restrictions. Healthcare workers (HCWs) are on the front line against the virus and have been highly exposed to pandemic-related stressors, but there are limited data on their psychological involvement for a large sample in Italy. Aims To investigate the prevalence of anxiety, distress and burnout in HCWs of North-West Italy during the COVID-19 pandemic, and to detect potential psychosocial factors associated with their emotional response. Method This cross-sectional, survey-based study enrolled 797 HCWs. Participants completed the Impact of Event Scale – Revised, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory – Form Y and the Maslach Burnout Inventory; demographic, family and work characteristics were also collected. Global psychological outcome, differences among professions and independent factors associated with worst psychological outcome were assessed. Results Almost a third of the sample had severe state anxiety and distress, high emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation, and low personal accomplishment. Distress was higher in women and nurses, whereas depersonalisation was higher in men. Family division, increased workload, job changes and frequent contact with COVID-19 were associated with worst psychological outcome. Trait anxiety was associated with significantly higher risk for developing state anxiety, distress and burnout. Conclusions An elevated psychological burden related to the COVID-19 pandemic was observed in HCWs of North-West Italy. The identification of family and work characteristics and a psychological pre-existing condition as factors associated with worst psychological outcome may help provide a tailored, preventive, organisational and psychological approach in counteracting the psychological effects of future pandemics.

ObjectiveStarting university education is a crucial period for the mental health of students, who report higher levels of distress compared to the general population. This study sought to better understand the distress experienced by students by considering contextual facets (e.g., housing conditions) as well as stable clinical variables (e.g., negative affectivity, emotion regulation, and anxiety).MethodsA total of 177 University students (71.2% females) aged 18-29 were administered the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Y, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Suicidal History Self-Rating Screening Scale, the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form, and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20.ResultsUniversity students showed concerning levels of distress, particularly concerning anxiety, and depression. We found that the relationship between negative affectivity and both state and trait anxiety was mediated by alexithymia but housing conditions did not act as a moderator for the indirect effect of negative affectivity on state or trait anxiety through alexithymia.ConclusionUndoubtedly, university lifestyle can be demanding, but experiencing distress is not inevitable nor inexplicable. The present study sought to gain insight into the anxiety experienced by Italian University students while taking into account the importance of personality and clinical characteristics that have previously been widely underestimated. We found that these characteristics can be of extreme importance for developing preventative and therapeutic interventions tailored to the clinical characteristics of students, as well taking into account their living environment.

The psychological impact of the pandemic on healthcare workers has been assessed worldwide, but there are limited data on how mental health professionals (MHPs) have been affected. Thus, this paper aims to investigate anxiety, post-traumatic stress, and burnout in a sample of MHPs. We conducted a descriptive, cross-sectional study on 167 participants: 56 MHPs, 57 physicians working closely with COVID-19 patients, and 54 physicians not working closely with such patients. MHPs reported good overall mental health. Most MHPs reported no post-traumatic stress, and their scores were significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients. MHPs’ hyperarousal scores were also significantly lower compared to HPs working closely with COVID-19 patients, while their intrusion scores were statistically significantly lower than those of all other professionals. Multivariable logistic regressions showed that MHPs had lower odds of exhibiting state anxiety and low personal accomplishment compared to HPs not working closely with COVID-19 patients. In sum, MHPs seem to show almost preserved mental health. Thus, given the high mental healthcare demand during a pandemic, it would be useful to rely on these professionals, especially for structuring interventions to improve and support the mental health of the general population and other healthcare workers.