Sabrina Bonichini

Background/Objectives: The beliefs about a disease and its treatment determine how patients and caregivers manage and adapt to the illness. The study aimed to explore the QoL and mental health of children with food allergy (FA), and parental illness perception, analyzing influences of sociodemographic and clinical factors and associations between constructs. Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 79 parents of children (3–12 years) with FA, who completed the Food Allergy Quality of Life Questionnaire—Parent Form (FAQLQ_PF), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (B-IPQ). Pearson correlation coefficient and multiple linear regressions were performed. Results: FAQLQ score was positively associated (0.28) with SDQ score, particularly internalizing problems (0.33), and with B-IPQ score (0.64), consequences for the child and parents (0.66), timeline (0.43), and emotional representation (0.63). SDQ score was negatively associated with parental control (−0.27) and coherence (−0.24), while internalizing problems were negatively associated with parental control (−0.23) and positively associated with timeline (0.24). A greater number of allergens was associated with a worse QoL (p < 0.05). Previous anaphylaxis was associated with higher illness identity (p < 0.05). An age between 7 and 12 years was associated with lower control and coherence. In the final model, higher scores on internalizing problems, timeline, and emotional representation were associated with poorer child QoL (p < 0.001). Conclusions: It is crucial to understand and explore illness perception, as well as focus on psychosocial–emotional aspects of FA in both children and parents. A multidisciplinary approach addressing medical and psychological aspects of FA should be implemented to ensure optimal QoL.

Background: The use of technological devices by children has increased in recent years, as several Italian studies have shown, even if limited studies assessed the possible effects on sleep and psychological wellbeing in preschool and schoolchildren. Objectives: This cross-sectional study seeks to examine the prevalence and typology of usage, as well as the potential socio-demographic factors associated with it. Additionally, it aims to assess emotional behavior and sleeping difficulties, and their possible correlations with children’s attitudes towards technological devices. Methods: The study included 314 children (52.2% males), with an average age of 7.86 years (SD = 2.02) and mainly their mothers (80.2%). Participants were given a series of self- and proxy-report questionnaires about the digital age, type of activities, hours of sleep, and their behavioral/emotional difficulties (CBCL and SDQ questionnaires). The analyses were descriptive and correlational because of the explorative nature of this study. Results: Parents declared tablets as the device most used by children (49.8%), with an average daily use time of 22.86 min (SD = 33.62). Their digital starting age was on average 5.91 years (SD = 2.25) with mostly recreational activities (Mean = 3.15; SD = 0.72). Parents and children agreed on the time spent with the technological devices reports, while they discorded on the means of creative activities use (t₁₀₉ = −8.86; p < 0.001), with children reporting a higher frequency (M = 2.45; SD = 0.69) than their parents (M = 1.89; SD = 0.76). The tablet time was significantly different by gender (t₃₀₉ = −2.34; p = 0.02), with boys using tablets for a longer mean time than girls (27.8 versus 18.22) and having more ADHD problems (t₃₁₂ = −3.11; p = 0.002; 2.68 versus 1.74). Parents declared an average of 9.55 (SD = 0.55) hours of sleep per night for their children. A significant correlation was found between PC usage time and sleep hours duration (r = −0.13; p = 0.019). The frequency of tablet use was correlated with both the Behavioral Problems Scale (r = 0.15; p = 0.010) and the ADHD Scale (r = 0.11; p = 0.049). Conclusions: Based on these empirical results, preventive programmes and educational activities should be established.

The use of technological devices by children has increased in recent years. This study aims to: Investigate the frequency and typology of its use and the possible socio-demographic factors associated; screen emotional behavior and sleeping difficulties and their possible associations with children’s attitudes towards technological devices. The study involved 134 children (52.2% males), with an average age of 7.86 years (SD = 2.02) and mainly their mothers (80.2%). Participants were given a series of self- and proxy-report questionnaires about the digital age, type of activities, hours of sleep, and their behavioral/emotional difficulties. Parents declared tablet as the device most used by children (49.8%), with average daily use time of 22.86 min (SD=33.62). Their digital starting age was on average 5.91 years (SD = 2.25) with mostly recreative activities (Mean=3.15; SD=0.72). The tablet time was significantly different by gender (t307.08 = -2.36; p = 0.019), with boys using longer mean time tanh girls (27.8 versus 18.22) and having more ADHD problems (t309.49 = - 3.13 p = 0.002; 2.68 versus 1.74). Parents declared on average 9.55 (SD = 0.55) hours of sleep per night for their children. A significant correlation was found between PC usage time and sleep hours (r = -0.13 p = 0.019). The frequency of tablet use was correlated with both the Behavioral Problems scale (r = 0.15 p = 0.010) and the ADHD scale (r = 0.11 p = 0.049). Based on these empirical results, preventive programmes and educational activities should be set up.

The purpose was to contribute to the validation of the TFPI, a new tool to assess the phonetic development of Italian-speaking children aged 18–47 months. Since currently norm-referenced instruments for Italian are lacking, the TFPI would fill this gap. We recruited 52 monolingual children aged 24–47 months with typical development. They were administered the complete TFPI, i.e., a naming task and repetition task; however, only their performances from the naming task were analyzed. The sessions were audio-recorded, in order to be later segmented and annotated in Praat, then manually transcribed with IPA. These data were then imported into Phon, an extremely suitable software for conducting analyses of phonological and speech data. We compiled the Phonetic Inventory (PhI) and calculated the Percentage of Consonants Correct (PCC) for each child, taking into consideration the allophones of Italian, in order to not compute them as errors. Both the PhI and the PCC improve with age, while intersubjective variability progressively decreases. Additionally, we investigated the age of the acquisition of each phone, since this domain lacks robust scientific data. Finally, our results align with previous findings, which proves the reliability and validity of the TFPI, and provides new information about the PCC, for which there are no reference values for the Italian language.

Social networks have become an ubiquitous aspect of adolescents' life, providing new ways to connect and communicate with peers. However, little is known about the impact of social net-works on adolescents' emotional intelligence (EI), a crucial skill for social and identity development. The aim of the present study is to explore the time spent and reasons for using social net-works and their relationship with emotional intelligence in adolescents and young adults (15-19 years). After signing informed consent, participants completed a battery of questionnaires offered via secure online form. The results showed that teenagers spend more than 3 h/day on Whatsapp, more than 2 h/day on Instagram and less on Facebook (26m per day); girls prefer to use Whatsapp and Instagram, boys opt for Facebook. Most participants use social media when bored and/or to communicate with friends. Moreover, time spent on social media has a relationship with stress management with some aspects of EI (assertiveness, self-actualization, optimism, etc.). EI and social desirability have a significant relationship, especially in the sphere of adaptability. Based on the results obtained, future perspectives and training are suggested with the aim of adapting to the constant changes in the new technological reality.

Good management of diabetes requires at the same time self-regulation behaviour and a balanced involvement of family components. This cross-sectional study’s aims were: understanding fear of injections and perceptions of family conflicts in preadolescents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their mothers, comparing their perceptions, and identifying the risk factors impacting patients’ quality of life. Eligibility criteria were: treatment for diabetes mellitus type I, currently aged 10–18 years, attending the hospital for annual hospital follow-ups. Exclusion criteria were: intellectual disabilities, inability to complete questionnaires alone and neuropsychiatric illness with active pharmacotherapy. The study design was cross-sectional. Participants were one hundred and two patients (Mean age = 14.6, SD = 2.4; age range = 10–19 years; Females = 52 and Males = 50) and their mothers (Mean age = 46.9, SD = 6.2, age range = 27–63 years), who filled in self and proxy-report questionnaires (N total= 204). The results showed that 20% of patients and 14.7% of their mothers reported clinical scores for fear of self-injection and blood testing. The mothers reported lower fear of injecting and higher family conflicts compared with the patients. Age, fear of injecting and family conflicts were significantly associated with patients’ quality of life perceptions. Clinical considerations and recommendations are given based on the empirical results.

Parents’ attitudes and practices may support the children’s reactions to treatments for leukaemia and their general adjustment. This study has two aims: to explore parenting depending on the child’s age and to develop and test a model on how family processes influence the psycho-social development of children with leukaemia. Patients were 118 leukemic children and their parents recruited at the Haematology–Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Paediatrics, University of Padua. All parents were Caucasian with a mean age of 37.39 years (SD = 6.03). Children’s mean age was 5.89 years (SD = 4.21). After the signature of the informed consent, the parents were interviewed using the EFI-C from which we derived Parenting dimension and three parental perceptions on the child’s factors. One year later, the clinical psychologist interviewed again parents using the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS). The analyses revealed the presence of a significant difference in parenting by the child’s age: Infants required a higher and more intensive parenting. The child’s coping with medical procedures at the second week after the diagnosis, controlled for parenting effect, impacted upon the child’s adaptation one-year post diagnosis. Specific intervention programmes are proposed in order to help children more at risk just after the diagnosis of developmental delays.

A good management of diabetes requires at the same time self-regulation behaviour and a balanced involvement of family components. This study’s aims were: understanding fear of injections and perceptions of family conflicts in preadolescents and adolescents with type 1 diabetes mellitus and their mothers, comparing their perceptions, and identifying the risk factors impacting patients’ quality of life. Participants were one hundred and two patients (Mean age = 14.63, SD = 2.43; age range = 10-19 years; Females = 52) and their mothers (Mean age = 46.94, SD = 6.2, age range = 27-63 years), who filled in self and proxy-report questionnaires. Twenty % of patients and 14.7% of their mothers reported clinical score for fear of self-injection and blood testing. Mothers reported higher fear of injecting and family conflicts compared with the patients. Age, fear of injecting and family conflicts impacted significantly on patients’ quality of life perceptions. Clinical consideration and recommendations are given basing on the empirical results.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a complete lockdown in many countries and Italy was the first country interested in Europe, as the cases spread very quickly with a high rate of mortality. While the lockdown strategy is an essential step to curb the exponential rise of COVID-19 cases, it can have a significative impact on mental health on the population involved, that is still not well known and must be explored. The objective of the present research is to investigate the Quality of Life (QoL) and Symptoms of PTSD (PTSS) encountered during the quarantine period (April 2020) due to the spread of COVID-19 in Italy. Participants (N = 1839; 1430 females and 409 males), who were volunteers and anonymous, adults (18–73 years), were drawn from a convenience sample of the general population and asked to fill out an online questionnaire, after giving an informed written consent. The General Health Questionnaire (GH12), used to assess health related QoL, identified 24.5% of respondents as problematic, and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), used to assess PTSS, identified the 23.5% with clinical scores. Results showed that married people/cohabitants, non-workers, and those with a lower level of education perceived a better QoL and less PTSS. The most frequent emotions felt during the first month of quarantine and referred to by participants were sadness (72%), boredom (54.5%), impotence (52%), and anxiety (50%). The COVID-19 pandemic represents one of the most stressful events in recent times worldwide and poses a major challenge for social, economic, and, above all, psychological resources of the population that must be assessed and supported if insufficient.

Parents’ attitudes and practices may support the children’s reactions to treatments for leukemia and their general adjustment. This study has two aims: to explore parenting depending on child's age and to develop and test a model on how family processes influence the psycho-social development of children with leukemia. Patients were 118 leukemic children and their parents recruited at the Haematology-Oncologic Clinic of the Department of Pediatrics, University of Padua. All parents were Caucasian with a mean age of 37.39 years (SD = 6.03). Children’s mean age was 5.89 years (SD = 4.21). After the signature of the informed consent, the parents were interviewed using the EFI-C from which we derived Parenting dimension and 3 parental perceptions on child’s factors. One year later, the clinical psychologist interviewed again parents using the VABS scales. The analyses revealed the presence of a significant difference in parenting by child’s age: Infants required a higher and more intensive parenting. Child’s coping to medical procedures at the second week after the diagnosis, controlled for parenting effect, impacted upon child’s adaptation one-year post diagnosis. Specific intervention programmes are proposed in order to help children more at risk just after the diagnosis for developmental delays.