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sj-pdf-2-hpq-10.1177_13591053231168040 for Analysis of healthcare workers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from a Three-Wave Longitudinal Study by Gaia Perego, Federica Cugnata, Chiara Brombin, Francesca Milano, Martina Mazzetti, Paola Taranto, Emanuele Preti, Rossella Di Pierro, Chiara De Panfilis, Fabio Madeddu and Valentina E Di Mattei in Journal of Health Psychology

sj-pdf-3-hpq-10.1177_13591053231168040 for Analysis of healthcare workers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from a Three-Wave Longitudinal Study by Gaia Perego, Federica Cugnata, Chiara Brombin, Francesca Milano, Martina Mazzetti, Paola Taranto, Emanuele Preti, Rossella Di Pierro, Chiara De Panfilis, Fabio Madeddu and Valentina E Di Mattei in Journal of Health Psychology

Supplemental material, sj-docx-5-hpq-10.1177_13591053231168040 for Analysis of healthcare workers’ mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic: Evidence from a Three-Wave Longitudinal Study by Gaia Perego, Federica Cugnata, Chiara Brombin, Francesca Milano, Martina Mazzetti, Paola Taranto, Emanuele Preti, Rossella Di Pierro, Chiara De Panfilis, Fabio Madeddu and Valentina E Di Mattei in Journal of Health Psychology

Diagnosis and treatment of gynaecological cancer still entail significant impairment in quality of life. The present study aims at monitoring it during chemotherapy treatment and at identifying variables significantly associated with it. Methods. 87 patients who attended the San Raffaele Hospital completed the EORTC QLQ-C30 and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support before their first and third chemotherapy infusion. A self-report questionnaire was created in order to collect socio-demographic and medical information. Results. Social and emotional functioning and global quality of life show a significant improvement between the first and third chemotherapy infusion; age and perceived social support appear significantly associated with emotional functioning. A chemotherapy regimen with medium or high emetogenic potential and having a full-time job predict an improvement over time in global quality of life and role functioning, respectively. Discussion. These variables should be taken into consideration in patients care, in order to detect potential difficulties and promote a better adjustment to the disease and its treatment.

Purpose This research aimed to investigate the socio-demographic, clinical, and psychological variables predictive of a greater functioning and quality of life in patients with gynecological cancer after their first cycle of carboplatin and taxol-based chemotherapy. Methods The sample of the present research consisted of 104 patients. The European Organization on Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory-Form Y, and the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support were administered to each participant. Results The analyses showed that higher state anxiety levels predicted a lower role, emotional, and social functioning and a lower general quality of life. Higher trait anxiety levels and social support perceived from one’s friends predicted a greater role functioning. Similarly, having a relationship predicted a greater physical, cognitive, and social functioning. On the contrary, the presence of relapsed cancer was negatively associated with these patients’ quality of life. Conclusions The present study highlighted the importance of identifying patients at higher risk of experiencing lower levels of functioning and worse general quality of life to implement tailored interventions from the beginning of treatment, thus improving the quality of life of these patients throughout the chemotherapy treatment.

COVID-19 pandemic involved several psychosocial consequences. We aimed at monitoring the mental health of Italian adults during the lockdown imposed by the government. We present here results from the baseline assessment of the "EmotionalThermometer [TermometroEmotivo] project on a sample of 1548 Italian adults. We assessed the socio-demographic conditions of participants, individuals' perception of the COVID-19-situation, psychological distress, emotion regulation strategies, and perceived social support. Having a worse representation of COVID-19 and consulting news more frequently, with higher anxiety and less credibility of different sources of information, were positively associated with psychological distress and post-traumatic responses. Being female, younger age, living in high-risk regions, having symptoms of COVID-19, and having relatives/friends with such symptoms represented risk factors for a worse perception of COVID-19 and distress. Social support and cognitive reappraisal represented protective factors for mental health.

Purpose of Review We aim to provide quantitative evidence on the psychological impact of epidemic/pandemic outbreaks (i.e., SARS, MERS, COVID-19, ebola, and influenza A) on healthcare workers (HCWs). Recent Findings Forty-four studies are included in this review. Between 11 and 73.4% of HCWs, mainly including physicians, nurses, and auxiliary staff, reported post-traumatic stress symptoms during outbreaks, with symptoms lasting after 1–3 years in 10–40%. Depressive symptoms are reported in 27.5–50.7%, insomnia symptoms in 34–36.1%, and severe anxiety symptoms in 45%. General psychiatric symptoms during outbreaks have a range comprised between 17.3 and 75.3%; high levels of stress related to working are reported in 18.1 to 80.1%. Several individual and work-related features can be considered risk or protective factors, such as personality characteristics, the level of exposure to affected patients, and organizational support. Summary Empirical evidence underlines the need to address the detrimental effects of epidemic/pandemic outbreaks on HCWs’ mental health. Recommendations should include the assessment and promotion of coping strategies and resilience, special attention to frontline HCWs, provision of adequate protective supplies, and organization of online support services. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s11920-020-01166-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Breast cancer and its pharmacological treatment often induce an impairment in women's sexual functioning and couple relationships, as a consequence of physiological changes and psychosocial issues that may arise and persist long after treatment. This study aims to evaluate the sexual functioning, the quality of the couple relationship, and the overall health status of breast cancer survivors. A further objective is to determine the predictive role of specific clinical and sociodemographic variables for sexual functioning and the couple relationship. Sixty-four breast cancer survivors completed the following questionnaires: the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (DAS), the Short Form Health Survey-12 (SF-12), and a self-report questionnaire to collect sociodemographic characteristics. Clinical information was retrieved from medical records. Compared to normative data, our sample reported significantly (p .01) lower mean scores in the FSFI, DAS, and Physical Component (PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS) of the SF-12. Multiple regression analyses show a significant effect of age, hormonal therapy, and psychological well-being on sexual functioning and a significant effect of physical and mental well-being on the quality of the couple relationship. Additionally, 75% of patients qualified for sexual dysfunction as measured by the FSFI global scale, and 71.9% declared they were not adequately informed about the side effects of treatments on sexuality. The high prevalence of sexual dysfunction in breast cancer survivors underlines the need for specific attention to this problem, starting from a complete and targeted communication between patients and health providers regarding these side effects.El cáncer de mama y su tratamiento farmacológico frecuentemente producen un deterioro del funcionamiento sexual de las mujeres y de las relaciones de pareja como consecuencia de los cambios fisiológicos y los problemas psicosociales que pueden surgir y continuar mucho después del tratamiento. Este estudio tiene como finalidad evaluar el funcionamiento sexual, la calidad de la relación de pareja y el estado de salud general de las sobrevivientes de cáncer de mama. Otro objetivo es determinar el papel predictivo que desempeñan las variables clínicas y sociodemográficas específicas para el funcionamiento sexual y la relación de pareja. Sesenta y cuatro sobrevivientes de cáncer de mama contestaron los siguientes cuestionarios: el Índice de la Función Sexual Femenina (Female Sexual Function Index, FSFI), la Escala de Ajuste Diádico (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, DAS), la Encuesta Breve sobre la Salud-12 (Short Form Health Survey-12, SF-12) y un cuestionario de autoinforme para recopilar características sociodemográficas. Se obtuvo información clínica de expedientes médicos. En comparación con los datos normativos, nuestra muestra informó puntajes de la media significativamente más bajos (p0.01) en el FSFI, en la DAS y en el Resumen del Componente Físico (PCS) y del Componente Mental (MCS) de la SF-12. Los análisis de regresión múltiple indican un efecto significativo de la edad, la terapia hormonal y el bienestar psicológico en el funcionamiento sexual, y un efecto significativo del bienestar físico y mental en la calidad de la relación de pareja. Además, el 75 % de las pacientes reunió los requisitos de disfunción sexual según la medición de la escala global del FSFI, y el 71.9 % declaró que no estaba adecuadamente informado acerca de los efectos secundarios de los tratamientos en la sexualidad. La alta prevalencia de disfunción sexual en las sobrevivientes de cáncer de mama subraya la necesidad de atender este problema de manera específica, partiendo de una comunicación completa y dirigida entre pacientes y profesionales de la salud con respecto a estos efectos secundarios.乳腺癌及其药物治疗往往会对妇女的性功能和夫妻关系造成损害，这是由生理变化和社会心理问题引起的，并在治疗后长期存在。本研究旨在评估乳腺癌幸存者的性功能、夫妻关系的质量和整体健康状况。另一个目标是确定特定临床和社会人口学变量对性功能和夫妻关系的预测作用。 对64名乳腺癌幸存者进行调查。他们完成了以下问卷：女性性功能指数(FSFI)、二元调整量表(DAS)、健康调查简表-12(SF-12)，以及一份收集社会人口特征的自我报告问卷。临床资料则从病历中提取。 与常模数据相比，我们的样本报告的FSFI、DAS、SF-12的生理成分（PCS）和心理成分总结（MCS）的平均得分显著降低（P0.01）。多元回归分析显示，年龄、激素治疗和心理健康对性功能有显著影响，身心健康对夫妻关系质量有显著影响。此外，75%的患者符合FSFI全局量表测量的性功能障碍，71.9%的患者宣称没有充分了解乳腺癌治疗对性欲方面的副作用。性功能障碍的发病率高。乳腺癌幸存者中性功能障碍的高发率凸显了对这一问题给予特别关注的必要性，从患者和医疗服务提供者之间就这些副作用进行全面和有针对性的沟通开始。.

Background: The introduction of aesthetic care programs for cancer patients inside hospitals could help patients cope with the side effects of both disease and treatment. The specific objective of this study is to evaluate whether a complementary and supportive program, called "Health in the Mirror," has a positive effect on participants by analyzing certain psychological variables. Methods: Eighty-eight female cancer patients were included in this analysis. The support program is composed of three group aesthetic interventions that address both physical and psychological aspects that accompany cancer and its treatment. Patients were asked to complete a battery of tests in order to measure the impact of the program on certain psychological variables including anxiety, depression, body image, self-esteem, and quality of life. Outcome variables were measured at three different time-points: prior to participation, on the last day of the program, and after a 3-month follow-up. Results: Participating in the psychosocial support program "Health in the Mirror" determines an improvement in the psychological variables measured. Results revealed a significant reduction in depressive symptoms, anxiety and body image issues, as well as an improvement in self-esteem levels; this suggests that participating in this program could facilitate better adjustment to disease and treatment. Discussion: This study legitimizes the importance of implementing supportive and complementary therapies together with conventional therapies; the therapeutic approach to cancer cannot be restricted solely to medical care, but it must consider the patient as a whole person with needs that are not only physical or medical, but also psychological, social, and existential.