Amelia Rizzo

Caregiver's Burden and Quality of Life: Caring for Physical and Mental Illness

Several studies have been focused on the quality of life of caregivers caring for patients with exclusively physical or mental diseases, but little is known about the differences related to the burden experienced. This study had as its subject the burden of caregivers and their quality of life involved in helping patients with diseases (1) physical, (2) mental and (3) both pathological conditions. We interviewed 294 caregivers of outpatients undergoing physiotherapic, psychiatric and neuroriabilitative treatment. The evaluation was carried out with three instruments: an informative questionnaire, the Caregiver Burden Inventory (CBI) and the Quality of Life Index (QoL -I). Results show that both the burden and the quality of life are significantly worse for caregivers who care for patients with both physical and mental diseases. Caregivers most disadvantaged are those who indicate as a reason of care the sense of duty rather than the affection. Finally, the sons and daughters, differently from the parents, showed a greater burden of required time and a lower quality of life. The investigation of the motivational aspects of the caregivers and the increased knowledge of the differences between the emotional experience of parents and children can contribute to the definition of more specific psycho-educational interventions and support.

BMI at early puerperium: Body image, eating attitudes and mood states

Abstract The present study was aimed to verify if body weight could influence self-perception, in terms of body image, mood states, dissatisfaction with physical appearance and risk of eating disorders. In particular, we evaluated the differences between women of normal weight vs. overweight and obese during the delicate phase of puerperium to verify if there were different emotional structures, linked to BMI. Thirty-two women, 16 normal-weight and 16 overweight or obese, belonging to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology of the University Hospital, were individually interviewed. The Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) were used for the evaluation. Findings showed that the BMI in puerperium is significantly correlated to mood states and body perception. Furthermore, significant differences emerged in eating attitudes and behaviours, in specific aspects related to the weight gain phobia and the body shape perception, symptoms classically associated with the risk of developing an eating disorder.

TEMPERAMENT AND GENERATIVITY DURING THE LIFE SPAN

This review aimed to collect and discuss a variety of studies that utilized the Temperament and Chatacter Inventory (TCI), an instrument developed by Cloninger in 1993, based on his psychobiological model of temperament and character. Searching on PubMed, 26 from 828 researches has been selected on the basis of four criteria: (a) articles published in English between 1993 and 2013 and identified as empirical or longitudinal studies; (b) reaserches conducted in non pathological sample; (c) measuring temperamental traits or dimensions with the TCI; (d) regarding relevant topics to generativity. Implication for Temperament and character of couples and about the transmission of temperament from parents to children are pointed out. In conlcusion it can be said that TCI is a valid instrument that can describe and predict couples relationship and child temperament and character, until the late adulthood.

Affective Control and Life Satisfaction in Thalassemics

Background. Thalassemia is a chronic disease that can lead to an impact on psychological functioning and social behavior of patients. However, still little is known about the specific psychological aspects of the disease, such as the degree of tension, life satisfaction and affective control, especially in adult patients.Aim. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether patients with thalassemia have specific psychological pattern relating to the dimensions of tension, satisfaction and quality of life, management of affection.Method. We evaluated 31 patients with thalassemia major and intermedia (19 women and 12 men) aged between 18 and 50 years (M = 34 + 16), belonging to the Complex Unit of Medical Genetics. For the evaluation were used the Profile of Mood States (POMS), the Quality of Life Enjoyment and Satisfaction Questionnaire (Q-LES-Q) and the Rorschach test.Results. The findings show an inverse relationship between the levels of self-reported tension and the affective control indicators at Rorschach. Life satisfaction, instead, seems to vary according to the severity of the disease - major vs. intermediate - and the type of therapy.Conclusions. An understanding of the psychological mechanisms involved in thalassemia, both self-reported and projective, can contribute to a wider patient take-over, by considering the subjective aspects related to the psychological and socio-emotional well-being, fundamental in the care compliance.

Dental aesthetics perception and eating behavior in adolescence

Abstract Background: This correlational study explored the psychosocial aspects related to eating behavior in different age samples of adolescents in treatment from 0 to 60 months at the Clinic of Orthodontics and Dentistry of Messina, Messina, Italy. The aim of the study was to investigate the relationship between psychosocial impact, levels of self-esteem, and the possible connection with eating habits of adolescents under orthodontic treatment. Methods: Sixty-one adolescents, aged between 12 and 22 years (mean=15.6±2.8) participated to the study. Each adolescents was interviewed with the Eating Attitudes Test, the Rosenberg Self Esteem Scale, and the Psychosocial Impact of Dental Aesthetics Questionnaire. Results: Data did not show a direct connection between eating disorder and dental aesthetics, nevertheless, adolescents under orthodontic treatment, especially in the earliest phase of wearing braces, showed peculiar eating habits and underwent a higher psychological impact of dental aesthetics. Eating behaviors are strictly linked to global self-esteem. The processing of the results was made through the Student’s t-test and using Pearson’s correlation analysis. Conclusion: Increased knowledge of the psychological aspects involved in orthodontic treatment compliance may have positive effects in the relationship between adolescent patients and orthodontists. More attention should be paid to aspects that are often underestimated in clinical practice, thus, influencing the outcome of treatment and patient satisfaction, not only in terms of dental health, but also of mental health.

The role of temperament in traumatic hearing loss: a single case study of a cochlear-implanted patient.

Abstract Introduction: The majority of existing research regarding cochlear-implanted patients focuses on acoustic perception and language skills in children and adolescents, or on the postoperative quality of life in adults. Purpose: We hypothesized that a patient’s psychological reaction to a cochlear implant (CI) may be influenced by the temperament of the implanted subject. This case study aims to assess whether temperament plays a role in the adaptation to CIs and if certain temperamental and character traits may be risk or protective factors for surgery and rehabilitation outcomes. Method: We evaluated a 21-year-old male patient presenting a history of traumatic hearing loss. The Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was employed to obtain a psychological evaluation. Results: The findings suggest a connection between the scores obtained on the TCI questionnaire and the patient’s behavior toward the CI. The effects of the operation may be mediated by some temperamental and character traits. Conclusion: In the field of clinical psychology and hearing rehabilitation, psychological evaluation may contribute a more profound understanding of the personality dynamics that influence the patient’s reaction toward traumatic hearing loss, compliance, and CI surgery outcomes.

Can the Problematic Internet Use evolve in a pre-psychotic state? A single case study with the Wartegg

Wartegg test and Crisi Wartegg System effectively assessed personality organization.Cyber dependence disappeared with antipsychotics (clozapine).Problematic Internet Use acted as a symptom and not as a distinct disorder. This study consists in a single case report. A 17year old boy was hospitalized for 80days at the Psychiatric Service of Diagnosis and Treatment (SPDC), due to his overwhelming anxiety of going mad. From the anamnesis results that around the age of 13 begun a slow but progressive retirement in the virtual world. For his psychological evaluation, during hospitalization, were used: the Social Adaptation Self-evaluation Scale (SASS), the Scale for rapid dimensional assessment (SVARAD), the Base-Symptom Questionnaire (FBF), the Kleinian Psychoanalytic Diagnostic Scale (KPDS) and the Wartegg projective method, analyzed with the Crisis Wartegg System (CWS). The analysis of the questionnaires and the psychological interpretations - in the light of the individual clinical history - suggest that the withdrawal in cyber dependence could have represent a first sign of the pre-psychotic state. The implications for clinical practice and research are discussed.

Clinical Psychology of Oral Health: The Link Between Teeth and Emotions

The effects of oral health conditions on physical and psychosocial dimensions have been a matter of interest for several authors over the last decades. Nevertheless, literature lacks studies that address the relationship between the oral health–related quality of life (OHRQoL) and emotions. The present study aimed to investigate the psychological impact of oral disorders on people’s emotional well-being, with a particular attention to gender and age differences. Two hundred twenty-nine dental patients in care at private dental clinics were individually tested. One hundred thirty of them were females (56.8%) and 99 males (43.2%), aged between 18 and 83 years (M = 38.11; SD = 16.7). For the evaluation, the Profile of Mood States (POMS) and the Oral Health Impact Profile (OHIP-14) were used. Data were analyzed using Pearson’s correlations, the ANOVA, and the Kruskal–Wallis test. OHRQoL showed several correlations with all the emotions explored, overcoming the well-known relationship with anxiety and depression (p < .05). The degree of OHRQoL produced differences on mood states, which could appear normal, moderately altered, or psychopathological (p < .03). Furthermore, in different life stages, patients showed specific OHRQoL and emotions.

To the origins of psychosis. Study paths between clinic and culture

The volume, edited by Daniele La Barbera, Luigi Baldari and Lucia Sideli, deals with the extended contributions of the Italian Society of Medical Psychotherapy Congress, wich took place in April 2015 in Messina. The papers exposed have been focused on various topic related to psychosis, analysed from several scientific point of view with a common thread.

Type D Personality in infarcted patients a study with the Rorschach projective technique

Background: The Type D personality is a vulnerability factor associated with the psychological suffering that affects the physical and mental health state. Literature shows that the Type D personality is defined by a combination of two independent constructs: the negative affectivity (NA) which refers to the tendency to experience negative emotions over time and in several situations; and the social inhibition (SI) or the tendency to inhibit emotions and behaviors in social interactions. Objective: The present study aims to explore the emotions of a group of patients with heart disease, through the use of the Rorschach projective tecnique. Method: Fourty subjects with an history of heart attack, aged between 32 and 76 years, were evaluated in order to find some possible indicators of Type D personality such as the quality of contents, movements response, popular responses and Erlebnistypus. Results: Findings shows that the majority of patients present a prevalence of responses belonging to Animal and Anatomy contents and the Erlebnistypus is mostly introversive. Conclusions: The study points out some scientific element useful both in research and in clinical practice, confirming the Rorschach potential in the assessment and identification of specific personality traits, involved in the Type D personality, that characterizes the majority of cardiac impared patients.