Michele Capurso

Antecedents and consequences of fear of childbirth in nulliparous and parous women.

The study aimed to explore the differences in the role of specific personal and interpersonal risk factors in predicting fear of childbirth (FOC) and to examine whether FOC predicts postnatal maternal adaptation in nulliparous and parous women. A prospective correlational design with two time periods (pre- and postnatal) was carried out with 158 women, 85 nulliparous and 73 parous. Women at Week 32 of gestation completed a demographic questionnaire, the Wijma Delivery Expectancy Questionnaire (K.Wijma, B. Wijma, & M. Zar, 1998), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (C.D. Spielberger, R.L. Gorsuch, & R.E. Lushene, 1970), the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (L.R. Derogatis, 1983), the Dyadic Adjustment Scale (G.B. Spanier, 1976), and the Reciprocal Attachment Questionnaire (M. West, A. Sheldon, & L. Reiffer, 1987). Three months after delivery, the women completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (J.L. Cox, J.M. Holden, & R. Sagovsky, 1987) and the Parenting Stress Index-Short Form (R. Abidin, 1986). Pearsons correlations and a series of multiple regressions were conducted. The results indicated that in the prenatal period, higher state anxiety, β = .35, p < .001, lower dyadic adjustment, β = -.26, p = .03, and higher insecurity in attachment relationships, β = .39, p < .001, predicted FOC in first-time mothers only. In the postnatal period, FOC predicted postnatal maternal risk for depression, β = .39, p = .02, and parenting stress, β = .42, p = .02, for nulliparous women only. The specific antecedents and consequences of FOC in nulliparous and parous women should be taken into consideration when developing specific interventions.

Psycho-educational preparation of children for anaesthesia: A review of intervention methods.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review the different methods available for the psycho-educational preparation of children for anaesthesia induction. METHODS Articles were searched in Academic Search Premier, OvidSP, Web of Science, and PsycINFO. Inclusion criteria were psychological and educational preparation of children for anaesthesia and anxiety reduction. The titles of papers and abstracts were reviewed and full copies of selected papers were scrutinized. RESULTS Forty-four empirical studies were identified. Twenty-one articles described preoperative preparation programmes, twelve examined the effects of distractive techniques and eleven reported the effect of parental presence during anaesthesias induction. Some general characteristics of the different interventions are discussed together with some key psychological and educational factors mediating anxiety in children undergoing anaesthesia. CONCLUSION The effectiveness of interventions were linked to several factors. Psychological and contextual aspects are discussed. Psycho-educational activities should be better described when reporting their effectiveness in childrens preparation for an anaesthesia. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS Patient and family characteristics together with organizational and systemic aspects are described in order to guide the choice of the most appropriate preparation method for diverse health care setting.

Play as a coping strategy?: A review of the relevant literature

ABSTRACT Despite the fact that coping and play are both considered essential elements of child development, their relationship has seldom been investigated. The present review examines the assessment of children’s coping skills in general and the specific use of play as a coping skill in studies involving children aged 5–12 years. Forty studies published between 2000 and 2013 were analyzed. The review shows that play is not incorporated in 40% of the children’s coping skills instruments. Even when a coping instrument recognized play, it was classified as either an avoidant or distracting activity. Future research should investigate children’s play as a coping strategy for managing difficult and stressful situations. Overlooking play as a coping strategy may lead to underestimating its developmental and social potential in pediatric health care.

Key Educational Factors in the education of students with a medical condition.

The education of children with a medical condition represents a unique educational context. The key educational factors that can help these children continue their education despite the burdens associated with their illness were discussed and analysed by a pool of experts for an EU funded project. In this context, relationships, making sense and constructing knowledge, assuming roles in front of others, metacognition, individualities and inter-institutional communication emerged as the 6 Key Educational Factors (KEF) that are crucial for the education of this vulnerable population. The implications of the KEFs for home and hospital education are discussed, with a particular focus on practices that meet the relational and communicational needs of these children. Specific recommendations for the practice, policy, and research regarding these KEF within this unique educational context are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Moodle my style: E-learning improves attributional style for cancer-diagnosed children

Metacognitive skills and a positive attributional style are extremely important for young cancer patients. The present research shows how attributional styles and metacognitive training via information and communication technologies (ICTs) can enhance a positive self-attributional style in young cancer patients. A quasi-experimental prospective study measured participant attribution style before and after metacognitive and attributional online training programs that last about six months. Results demonstrated a significant positive impact of training on metacognitive skills and attributional style. The program presented expands knowledge on the prevention of negative cognitive long-term side effects associated with the treatment of children with cancer.

Bridge Over Troubled Water: Perspective Connections between Coping and Play in Children

We propose that children’s play and coping strategies are connected. However, this connection has often been overlooked in the literature. To prove our hypothesis, the principal developmental functions of play are reviewed and compared with the different stages of the coping process. Our results show that coping and play are essential elements in child development, and indicate the presence of several overlapping areas where play and coping intersect. In spite of this, their interrelationship has seldom been examined. We explore the possible reasons for this omission with reference to the different natures of play and coping constructs, and also to the definitive psychometric and cognitive characteristics of most common coping measurement instruments. We conclude by proposing that play should be considered an elective form of coping in most aspects of children’s lives. We also propose that methods to measure coping in children should be improved and a more analogical approach should be adopted toward play to enable accurate recognition of coping.

È come avere delle catene alle ginocchia: la creazione di un libretto per spiegare l’Artrite Idiopatica Giovanile secondo un approccio socio-costruttivista

Questo articolo presenta una metodologia socio-costruttivista usata nella realizzazione di un libretto destinato a bambini e ragazzi con Artrite Idiopatica Giovanile, da usare come mediatore della relazione medico paziente al momento della comunicazione della diagnosi e durante il successivo processo di cura. Tale metodologia ha coinvolto attivamente alcuni bambini e ragazzi con questa patologia e si e svolta attraverso fasi diverse che hanno compreso: (1) la creazione di un libretto operativo basato su fumetti; (2) lo svolgimento di un laboratorio didattico-creativo con bambini malati e gia consapevoli della diagnosi; (3) la raccolta e l’organizzazione delle narrazioni prodotte dai bambini in un libretto finale; (4) La revisione di quanto prodotto dai bambini da parte di genitori e personale sanitario. Ciascuna fase di lavoro ha contribuito alla costruzione del libretto finale. L’approccio socio-costruttivista adottato e il clima accogliente creato durante il workshop hanno facilitato i partecipanti nell’espressione dei loro vissuti e nell’ascolto dei loro coetanei. Il personale pediatrico consultato ha fornito indicazioni scientifiche per far si che i contenuti trasmessi fossero corretti e aggiornati dal punto di vista medico-terapeutico. Il presente progetto dimostra come sia possibile fornire informazioni scritte che riguardano la malattia e la sua gestione terapeutica a bambini con AIG. Le narrazioni di altri bambini affetti da questa patologia hanno fornito informazioni che altrimenti sarebbero probabilmente rimaste trascurate da adulti e personale sanitario. La metodologia presentata in questo lavoro puo essere testata e verificata in futuro con pazienti affetti da altre patologie per valutarne l’efficacia e l’estendibilita.

Constructing an Explanation of Illness with Children: A Sample Case Study of Juvenile Arthritis

ABSTRACT This study aimed to create a book to explain juvenile arthritis to newly diagnosed children, starting with the narratives of currently ill children. The development of the book followed a socio-constructivist approach and occurred over several stages, including: design of a comic-based workbook; conducting a workshop with ill children to listen to their experiences; collecting and organising the narratives into a childrens book; adding physician explanations; consulting with parents and medical practitioners; and design of the final product. All stages led to meaningful enhancements to the book. The socio-constructivist approach and the workshops open and friendly climate allowed children to express their conception of the illness, and to listen to and understand their peers’ points of view. Paediatric practitioners contributed to the project, providing clarity to the book and ensuring it would be scientifically sound and usable within the paediatric setting. In conclusion, written material addressed to children needs to be developed with a systematic methodology which takes a proper account of childrens voices. This can be achieved using a socio-constructivist approach and through an appropriate listening setting.

Paure verso la scuola, coping e relazione di aiuto nei bambini italiani: una ricerca proiettiva

Partendo dalle ricerche che identificano una serie di paure infantili ritenute normali in eta evolutiva, il presente studio indaga in modo specifico le paure generate dal contesto scolastico, la relazione di aiuto e le strategie di coping in un campione di 1931 bambini di diverse regioni italiane. Le paure sono state indagate attraverso uno strumento proiettivo costruito ad hoc e le risposte sono poi state analizzate con una procedura induttiva. Il test del ?2 e stato utilizzato per evidenziare le frequenze di risposte significativamente diverse dal caso. Lo scopo e stato quello di determinare se le paure scolastiche ricalcassero, come ipotizzato, le paure normative piu generali, valutando allo stesso tempo in che modo il coping e la relazione di aiuto si configurano nel contesto scolastico italiano. I risultati mostrano che nella maggior parte dei casi le paure espresse riguardano eventi direttamente connessi al contesto scolastico, in particolare il timore di prendere un brutto voto o di subire aggressioni. I coetanei vengono indicati in misura maggiore dei genitori quali figura di supporto in grado di aiutare i soggetti a superare le paure. Le forme di coping piu indicate sono quelle attive o cognitive e la ricerca di supporto emotivo o di comunicazione. Emerge anche, con una incidenza significativa nei piu piccoli una strategia di coping precedentemente non documentata, il gioco. Questi risultati ci consentono di affermare che le paure scolastiche possono declinarsi in due sotto-categorie specifiche (brutto voto e aggressioni) che sono tendenzialmente in linea con quanto rilevato a proposito delle paure normative. Altre forme di paure normative, come le paure ancestrali, sono comunque presenti, soprattutto nelle indicazioni dei piu piccoli. Le strategie di coping indicate e la scelta dei coetanei quali attori principali nella relazione di aiuto consente di conclude- re che i bambini italiani appaiono dotati di strategie funzionali per affrontare le difficolta quotidiane a scuola.