Sonia Lorente

Background: In the context of reproductive health, women have the right to positive birth experiences that safeguard both physical integrity and emotional well-being. Within this framework, we conducted a systematic review aiming to synthesize evidence on women’s experiences -both positive and non-positive- during childbirth in formal healthcare settings across countries of the Schengen Area, classify these experiences, describe their prevalence, and assess their impact on women’s self-perceived health. Methods: The protocol was prior registered, and the review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. Searches were conducted in PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest Dissertations & Theses, and Google Scholar. The risk of bias was assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute tools. Results: A total of 43 studies from 17 countries were included, encompassing 81,169 women. Findings revealed a broad spectrum of birth experiences, ranging from high overall satisfaction levels to poor. Moreover, 8 of the 40 studies (n = 51, 010 women) documented instances of disrespectful and abusive care practices. Reported prevalence ranged from 2.4% to 83.4% for non-consensual procedures, 0.8% to 24.4% for non-dignified care, and 5.4% to 48% for abandonment of care. Conclusions: Our findings reveal that despite the presence of high-income settings and advanced clinical infrastructure, maternity units in Europe frequently fail to uphold maternal autonomy, dignity, and informed consent. Promoting positive birth experiences and sensitizing healthcare professionals to improve respectful maternity care are key priorities. In this regard, adopting a women centered model may represent a paradigm shift, empowering women to make informed decisions and enhancing maternal health outcomes.

Aim: Blood culture is the gold standard for diagnosing bloodstream infections and guiding antimicrobial therapy. However, the optimal blood volume for paediatric blood cultures remains uncertain. This study evaluated the effectiveness of a standardized paediatric blood culture collection protocol using age‐ and weight‐adjusted blood volumes to reduce contamination rates while maintaining diagnostic performance. Methods: A cross‐sectional study will be conducted in the paediatric emergency department of a tertiary hospital. All patients under 18 years of age undergoing blood culture collection were included. Data on blood collection practices, inoculated blood volume, contamination rates and culture positivity will be collected and analysed using STATA version 18. Results: Implementation of the protocol was expected to reduce blood culture contamination rates without compromising diagnostic yield. The study will assess the feasibility and effectiveness of using lower age‐ and weight‐adjusted blood volumes in routine paediatric emergency care. Conclusions: If effective, this protocol may support the adoption of less invasive blood culture collection strategies, improving sample quality, reducing contamination and enhancing the safety and quality of care for paediatric patients.

Background: Youth mental health is a pressing global concern, with depression and anxiety being prevalent disorders. The unique challenges of adolescents and youth are underrepresented in psychotherapy research, and existing transdiagnostic treatments target symptom mechanisms rather than identity processes. In response, we propose a novel treatment modality: Identity-Based Transdiagnostic Therapy (IBTT). This approach utilizes the repertory grid technique with Explore Your Meanings (EYME), a digital tool incorporating an automated interview to elicit the person’s construal about self and others, and a virtual reality (VR) scenario to explore their identity system. Methods: With a two-arm, parallel, assessor-blinded, multicenter, randomized clinical trial (RCT) with a three-month follow-up, we will examine the efficacy of IBTT compared to the Unified Protocol (a validated CBT treatment). To ensure enough statistical power, we target a sample of 128 participants aged 16-29 years to be randomly allocated (ratio 1:1) to receive a maximum of 16 sessions of either intervention. The primary outcome will be the between-group difference in symptom change from baseline to post-treatment and follow-up, as measured by the total score of the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scales (DASS-21). Discussion: Evidence supporting the efficacy of this innovative approach would likely have a substantial impact on clinical practice for young adults and enhance engagement throughout the psychotherapy process.

Background: Psychological science has developed a higher sensitivity towards inclusion and diversity. In this regard, researchers have analysed the effects that certain social categories, such as gender, can have on clinical and health psychology. Maladaptive cognitions can be affected by gender-related differences and their intersection with sociocultural aspects, especially when considering transgender and gender non-conforming people. Cognitive restructuring (CR) is a frequently employed technique for reframing cognitive schemas. However, it is also possible that it may be susceptible to influences linked to gender diversity factors. With the review projected in this protocol, we aim to evaluate the effectiveness of CR in reducing the severity of psychological symptoms, taking gender-related differences into account. Method: Systematic review. Databases will include PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science CORE, and Google Scholar for grey literature. Data will be screened by two reviewers and discrepancies will be resolved through discussion or a third reviewer if necessary. Extracted data will include general information, methodological data, and sample general and clinical characteristics. Conclusions: The forthcoming results will explore the role of gender identity in different outcomes following CR interventions, examining its contributions to provide more tailored and effective interventions.

Background: Recent research on Ehlers-Danlos syndromes (EDS) highlights a high frequency of disordered eating behaviors and Body Mass Index (BMI), especially in the hypermobile subtype. These problems might be secondary to EDS symptoms and comorbidities such as gastrointestinal (GI) problems, food allergies and oral pain, but also to psychological factors. To test this hypothesis, we explored the above-mentioned somatic and psychological features and their connexions with eating behavioural outcomes and BMI. Method: Women with self-reported EDS (n = 121) completed an online survey assessing GI problems, food allergies, oral pain, somatosensory amplification, painful and fearful eating, eating avoidance and restriction, body satisfaction, and BMI. Path Analysis model was performed to examine the relationships among the variables. Results: Significant relationships between GI problems and food allergies (B = 2.36, p = 0.035), fearful eating (B = 0.10, p = 0.043), painful eating (B = 0.02, p = 0.001) and somatosensory amplification (B = 1.01, p < 0.001) were observed. Also, positive relationships between painful and fearful eating (B = 0.76, p < 0.001), and fearful and avoidant eating (B = 0.78, p < 0.001). Conclusions: These results support the idea that certain somatic symptoms common in EDS would lead to fear and avoidant responses to food. Further research is needed to better understand the link and directionality between abnormal connective tissue and disordered eating behaviors. Level of evidence IV: Evidence obtained from observational-descriptive studies, such as case series, individual case reports, and descriptive cross-sectional studies.

Background: Poor quality in research reporting is a persistent issue that has hindered the advancement of scientific knowledge across all health science disciplines. Similarly, the progress of evidence-based practice has been hampered, as the replication of interventions is often impeded by the incomplete reporting of implementation details. Objective: To map how reports of psychological interventions describe implementation at both the whole intervention level and the level of recipients’ behaviours or actions (BeA), and to examine whether reporting quality varies by field, guideline use, or indicators of intervention complexity. Methods: This scoping review followed PRISMA-ScR. Searches were conducted on PsycINFO (ProQuest) and Web of Science (Clarivate) for publications (2014-2024) describing the development and/or implementation of psychological interventions in clinical, public health, social/organizational or educational fields. A random sample of 200 publications per field was screened for inclusion. Following a two-stage selection process involving double screening and consensus resolution, 80 studies were included. Data were extracted using a Delphi-based instrument and analysed using descriptive statistics and χ² tests to compare different aspects of reporting across fields, guideline use, and complexity features. Results: Only 11.3% reported development-only objectives, while most combined development with effectiveness (40%) and feasibility (48.8%). Reporting quality tools were seldom used (13.8%). Interventions typically targeted a single recipient category (87.5%); multilevel targeting was rare (6.3%). Implementation sequence was often replicable (73.8%), but structured aids were underused (tables/lists 38.8%; diagrams 16.3%). Costs were rarely reported (3.8%). At the BeA level, structural features were usually replicable (e.g., type/form of administration, periodicity, place, timing), whereas content/materials (36.3% and 47.5%), adaptation/customization (35%), and fidelity/adherence (27.5%) were frequently incomplete. Few significant between field differences emerged. Reporting tended to improve as the number of BeA increased. Conclusions: Psychological intervention reports commonly omit critical replicability details, especially provider/evaluator prerequisites, content/materials, adaptation rules, fidelity, and costs, despite available guidance. Routine use of structured representations (e.g., flow diagrams, BeA tables) and established reporting tools (e.g., TIDieR, CONSORT-SPI) could close the most consequential gaps and facilitate replication and implementation at scale. Registration: INPLASY 2025.7.0098.

INPLASY202570098 Reporting quality in psychological interventions. Implications for cumulative science and evidence-based practice. A scoping review protocol Keywords: replicability; reporting qual…

This scoping review systematically analyses and synthesises empirical evidence on measures and intervention programmes aimed at promoting socio-emotional competencies (SECs) in university students in socio-educational and healthcare fields. A comprehensive literature search was conducted of the Scopus, PubMed, ERIC and PsycINFO databases, and a narrative synthesis approach was employed to analyse the findings from a total of 288 studies. The results highlight a general consensus on the importance of fostering SECs in university students in both fields, while revealing a significant lack of research in the socio-educational sector. Regarding both populations, a notable heterogeneity was found in the measurement of SECs and in the wide variety of tools used, which were based on different theoretical approaches, and were often not standardised or not exclusively designed to measure this type of competencies. In the intervention programmes reviewed, the SECs most frequently promoted were empathy and interpersonal emotional perception, communication, and identification, understanding, and regulation of one’s own emotions. Nonetheless, many studies lacked detailed reporting on the theoretical frameworks and intervention procedures applied, therefore limiting their replicability. Future intervention programmes should align targeted competencies with students’ profiles, future roles and professional needs, using standardised, profile-adapted measures to better evaluate their effectiveness.