Introduction: Women are twice as likely to suffer from depression as men. Discrimination based on female sex is a common stress factor. Previous literature has demonstrated that overt forms of sexism, such as physical violence, are associated with higher depression rates among women. However, little research has focused on everyday sexism and women’s depression. Everyday sexism refers to interpersonal experiences of sexism in daily life, which are not violent but nonetheless result in inequality in the relationship and chronic stress due to repeated exposure, primarily in workplaces and public environments. The present systematic review aimed to assess the relationship between everyday sexism and women’s depression. Method: Research articles indexed in PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus electronic databases were included based on keyword searches. The inclusion criteria for the present study were: research articles in English, published between 1 January 2004 and 31 August 2024, and studies addressing the relationship between sexism and women’s depression in the adult female population. Sixteen studies were included. Results: Exposure to sexist discrimination is associated with depressive symptomatology among adult women across age groups. Internalised sexist beliefs, on the other hand, vary regarding the ambivalent sexism approach. Internalised hostile sexist beliefs were related to depression, whereas internalised benevolent sexism did not show such a relationship with depressive symptomatology. Conclusion: Exposure to sexism and internalisation of hostile sexist beliefs are related to depressive symptoms among women.

Toxic romantic relationships, a popular term referring to intimate partner violence (IPV) characterized by psychological, physical, and sexual violence, are a growing concern among young people. This pilot study aimed to preliminarily validate the vignette task on IPV, the “Mind 4 partner abuse” task, and to investigate the cognitive patterns and emotional profiles concerning IPV. Our research involved 228 university students from the University of L’Aquila who participated in an online psychoeducational program to raise awareness of the risks of IPV. Participants completed the “Mind 4 partner abuse” task, which included five vignettes depicting escalating violence in relationships. The task assessed participants’ emotional responses (anger, anxiety/fear, sadness, shame/guilt) and cognitive responses (functional-assertive or dysfunctional) to each vignette. In addition, for convergent validation, the Interpersonal Reactivity Index (IRI) was administered to assess empathic abilities. Five distinct factors were identified: active coping and legal awareness (ACLA), emotional distress (ED), assertiveness and autonomy defense (AAD), assertive reaction and self-empowerment (ARSE), and refusal of public humiliation and dignity assertion (RDA). One factor out of the five, emotional distress (ED), identified a dysfunctional cognitive pattern. The instrument showed a good convergent validity with the IRI. The correlation analysis showed that the IRI personal distress scale was negatively associated with ACLA and positively associated with ED. The IRI Empathic Concern scale was positively associated with RDA. In the dysfunctional cognitive pattern, as measured by the “Mind 4 Partner Abuse” vignette task, the ED factor was positively correlated with anxiety, sadness, shame, and guilt. The potential of the vignette task to identify high-risk cognitive profiles is promising, but it has yet to be confirmed. Given the limitations of the study, the findings offer only preliminary indications of cognitive patterns in young adults and their perceptions of romantic relationships, as assessed through a psychoeducational intervention. Further research with larger and more diverse samples, as well as more robust task designs, is necessary before firm conclusions can be drawn.

BackgroundThe mental health of college students has been a significant concern in higher education, representing a priority for the institutions. Enhancing effective online interventions could represent excellent support for university counseling services that deal with students’ well-being. The present study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of two online interventions provided by the Counseling and Consultation Service for Students (SACS) of the University of L’Aquila (Italy), namely Videochat with Clinical Mental Health consultation (VCMH) and Therapist-supported Internet Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (Ts-iCBT), a 12-module asynchronous program for anxiety management. The primary outcome was focused on the emotional well-being of students (GHQ-12). The secondary academic outcome was represented by the attainment of their final degree.MethodsStudents requesting help from the SACS between March 2020 and March 2022 during different periods of the COVID-19 pandemic restrictions were asked to fill out a brief structured screening tool and access the PSYDIT.COM platform. Based on their personal preferences, students chose to access one of the two different online interventions: VCMH and Ts-iCBT.ResultsOver the two-year duration of this study, 379 students (267 women, 70.4%) contacted the service. Out of 334 students, 72.5% asked to be included in the Ts-iCBT group, whereas 27.5% expressed a preference for the VCMH group. A statistically significant decrease in emotional distress was obtained by both forms of online intervention, highlighting a better outcome for VCMH. In addition to clinical variables, 28.8% of students who completed online interventions attained their degree, with a statistically significantly higher percentage of graduated students in the Ts-iCBT compared to VCMH group. A high proportion of students (37.7% of total sample) dropped out (DO) of digital interventions, with a statistically significant lower rate of dropouts in the VCMH group.ConclusionsThe effectiveness of online interventions is extremely promising and yields a growing source of suggestions for use in providing more tailored interventions. Videochats and frequent therapist online contacts would be recommended for more severe psychopathological conditions. Students in conditions of moderate and non-severe emotional distress who feel more able to “manage the problem alone” could be addressed to asynchronous online interventions.

AIM:Depression in young people is common and can lead to poor long-term outcomes. Digital therapies are a promising means of promoting access to care. Currently, among the digital treatments for depression in adolescents recognized by the NICE guidelines, there is SPARX (Smart, Positive, Active, Realistic, X-factor), based on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, CBT. This narrative review aimed to evaluate: 1) Who were the depressed young people who used SPARX and what was their experience with the treatment? 2) Were users satisfied with the SPARX treatment? Did the youth's perceived level of satisfaction with using SPARX impact completion rates? 3) What was the role of professionals (researchers, consultants, teachers) in the SPARX studies? Has their support in running SPARX affected completion rates? METHODS:A narrative review of the English literature was performed. The articles were searched in Pubmed, SCOPUS, and Web of Science databases (from 2012 to 2023) with keywords such as 'SPARX,' depression' and 'young adult'. RESULTS:Of 557 papers, 18 were included in our review. The young people who used SPARX were students or adolescents from special help-seeker populations at risk or with mild to moderate depression. The highest satisfaction levels were present in users of primary health services, such as general practice and counseling services. The support of the school counselor and experts in mental health clinicians was instrumental in impacting user satisfaction and completion rates. The personalization of the game in terms of user culture - symbols, language, norms, values, and artifacts; the customization of the avatar, the gender identity; the narrative structure; the presence of a guide character (virtual therapist); the CBT homework seemed to represent crucial SPARX characteristics related to satisfaction and completion rates. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS:Our narrative review provides an overview of the main results of using SPARX with interesting considerations that may suggest improvements for broader use and diffusion of this digital treatment.

To date, the role of family members in caring for relatives affected by schizophrenia has focused largely on the negative aspects of impact of the illness. The present study aimed to: (1) assess family functioning and burden of care in caregivers living in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy who looked after subjects affected by chronic schizophrenia; (2) evaluate the relationship between aspects of family functioning and burden of care, in particular personal growth (PG) of caregivers; and (3) identify variables capable of affecting PG of caregivers. A total of 136 caregivers (mean length of illness of family member more than 20 years) were recruited from 9 Italian research sites and evaluated in terms of "positive" family functioning-problem-solving, communication skills and personal goals Family Functioning Questionnaire (FFQ), burden of care, and PG Family Problems Questionnaire (FPQ). Caregivers reported an overall good family functioning with a relatively low objective and subjective burden of care. The latter was positively correlated with length of illness, with women showing a higher subjective burden than men. Reduced problem-solving skills and ability of each family member to pursue personal goals were both associated with reduced objective and subjective burden which, conversely, were both increased by inadequate support and scarce positive comments from relatives and friends. Approximately 50% of caregivers stated that "they had learned something positive from the situation," highlighting a statistically higher proportion of caregivers in southern Italy than in northern and central Italy. Caregivers' PG was associated with good family functioning, adequate professional support, and positive comments. PG also seemed to be positively influenced by support from relatives and friends (O.R. 14.306). The numerous challenges and positive aspects associated with caregiving should be duly acknowledged by mental health services and integrated into routine clinical assessment and intervention framework.

Purpose: This study investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, quality of life, and family functioning in a sample of the general female population, exploring difficulties encountered in managing family and work responsibilities and burden of care when taking care of a loved one. This study was, moreover, aimed at investigating factors capable of influencing severe depressive symptomatology in the context of socio-demographics, traumatic events, individual vulnerability, and family functioning. Method: The sampling method used in this research was non-probability sampling. The survey took place during a Hospital Open Weekend (8–10 October 2021) organized by the National Gender Observatory on Women’s Health “Fondazione Onda” on the occasion of the World Mental Health Day. Results: A total of 211 women were interviewed (mean age = 35.6, 53% living alone, more than 15% with financial difficulties, 47% exposed to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake). More than 50% of the sample reported a higher complexity in managing their lives during the COVID-19 pandemic compared to their previous routine, with no statistically significant differences between working women and non-workers, although the latter obtained higher scores for depressive symptomatology and poorer quality of life. Compared to non-caregivers, female caregivers (22.3%) in charge of the care of loved ones affected by physical (10.9%) or psychiatric disabilities (11.4%) complained of a poorer quality of life, especially in general health perception (p = 0.002), physical function (p = 0.011), role limitations related to physical problems (p = 0.017), bodily pain (p = 0.015), mental health (p = 0.004), and social functioning (p = 0.007). Women caring for people affected by mental disorders seemed to experience a more significant worsening in vitality (p = 0.003) and social functioning (p = 0.005). Approximately 20% of the total sample reported severe depressive symptomatology. Previous access to mental health services (O.R. 10.923; p = 0.000), a low level of education (O.R. 5.410; p = 0.021), and difficulties in management of everyday lives during the COVID-19 pandemic (O.R. 3.598; p = 0.045) were found to be the main variables predictive of severe depressive psychopathology. Old age, good problem-solving skills, and ability to pursue personal goals were identified as protective factors. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the need for support amongst emotionally vulnerable women with pre-existing mental health conditions, partly reflecting the cumulative effects of traumas.

The present study aimed to evaluate the 12-month effectiveness of a real-world weight loss transdiagnostic intervention in overweight/obese participants affected by mental disorders under psychopharmacological treatment. We conducted a real-world, controlled, pragmatic outpatient trial. We allocated 58 overweight/obese adults under psychopharmacological treatment from a mental health outpatient unit and 48 overweight/obese adults from a cardiovascular prevention outpatient unit, and assigned them to an intervention or treatment usual as condition (TAU) enriched by life-style advice. Participants in both intervention groups took part in a diet programme (the modified OMNIHeart dietary protocol) and monitoring of regular aerobic activity. A brief group programme (“An Apple a Day” Metacognitive Training, Apple-MCT) was added in the intervention group of participants affected by mental disorders. The primary outcome was weight loss. Secondary outcomes included anthropometric, clinical, and metabolic variables. Psychopathology and health-related quality of life were also evaluated in the psychiatric sample. At 12 months, both intervention groups showed a more marked mean decrease in weight (6.7 kg, SD: 3.57) than the TAU group (0.32 kg, SD: 1.96), and a statistically significant improvement in metabolic variables compared with the control groups. Furthermore, the participants affected by mental disorders included in the intervention group reported improved health-related quality of life. Our findings suggest the need to implement integrated interventions based on a dietary protocol, physical activity, and modification of cognitive style in overweight/obese users with mental disorders.

For medical and health professions, students learning to respond to others' distress with well-regulated empathy is an important developmental skill linked to positive health outcomes and professionalism. Our study aimed to investigate the sociodemographic, psychological, and psychosocial differences between medical (MS) and health professional (HPS) students and their empathic abilities, since both populations share common stressors, namely, dealing with suffering people. Additionally, we were interested in assessing the psychological and psychosocial predictors of empathy of MS compared to HPS. One hundred thirty MS and 86 HPS were administered the Patient Health Questionnaire-9, Interpersonal Reactivity Index, Integrative Hope Scale, and UCLA Loneliness Scale. The two groups showed differences in their contextual characteristics, with the HPS group having larger families, lower parents' education levels, and lower family income compared to the MS group. In both groups, ~15% of students reported previous contact for psychological problems. A higher proportion of HPS (23.3%) reported depressive symptoms than MS (10%), and female HPS reported more intense feelings of loneliness than other subgroups of students. No differences were found between the two groups in self-assessed cognitive and affective empathy. In both groups, women showed greater affective scores than men and, at the same time, seemed to be particularly prone to personal distress. The cognitive empathic dimension of “perspective taking” was predicted by young age (OR, 612; 95% CI, 1.395–15.242) and the overall socioeconomic status (OR, 3.175; 95% CI, 1.154–8.734) of the HPS. Self-assessed affective competence was predicted by female gender (OR, 3.112; 95% CI, 1.328–7.288), depressive symptomatology (OR, 2.777; 95% CI, 1.004–7.681), higher mother's level of education (OR, 2.764; 95% CI, 1.147–6.659), and feeling of hope related to social relationships (OR, 1.367; 95% CI, 1.152–1.622). Risk factors for poor self-assessed affective emphatic skills were previous contact for psychological problems (OR, 3.263; 95% CI, 1.238–8.601) and feelings of loneliness (OR, 1.18; 95% CI, 1.09–1.276). Our findings emphasize the need to test psychosocial models to better understand empathic skills.

This study assesses the effectiveness of our short Personal Recovery Training Program (PRTP) for mental health professionals. Fifty-two healthcare professionals from Italian mental health services and forty students in psychiatric rehabilitation completed the Recovery Knowledge Inventory (RKI) pre- and post-training, divided into two groups: the PRTP (N = 45) and the Family Psychoeducational Training Program (FPTP; N = 47). Participants’ understanding of personal recovery improved more significantly for those in the PRTP than for those in the FPTP group in two domains, “Roles and responsibilities” and “Non-linearity of the recovery process”; the FPTP group showed a significant improvement in the “Role of self-definition and peers in recovery” domain. Two consumers were involved in the PRTP and represented a resource to help participants understand the personal recovery process. Our findings indicate that a brief PRTP supported by consumers can improve staff and students' recovery orientation. The translation of the training into clinical practice remains unevaluated.

Few studies have been conducted on civil volunteers and their emotional conditions concerning the current COVID-19 pandemic. The present study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 emergency on the mental health (general well-being, depression level, and post-traumatic distress), coping strategies, and training needs in an Italian sample of 331 Civil Protection volunteers of the L’Aquila province, during the first nationwide “lockdown” (8 March–3 June 2020). The rate of respondents to the online survey was limited (11.5%), presumably because displaying distress would be considered a sign of “weakness”, making volunteers unable to do their jobs. More than 90% of the volunteers showed good mental health conditions and a wide utilization of positive coping strategies, with the less experienced displaying better emotional conditions compared to colleagues with 10 or more years of experience. The type of emergency, the relatively few cases of contagion and mortality in the territory compared to the rest of Italy, and the sense of helping the community, together with the awareness of their group identity, could have contributed to the reported well-being. These results may help to identify the needs of volunteers related to this new “urban” emergency to improve both their technical and emotional skills.

Background This study aimed to investigate the impact of distance education (DE) on mental health, social cognition, and memory abilities in a sample of university students during the national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy and to identify the predictors of academic performance. Methods Two hundred and three students (76.4% women, mean age 24.3, SD ± 4.9) responded to an anonymous online cross-sectional survey between July 15 and September 30, 2020, on DE experience and cognitive and social-cognitive variables. A short version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II, ten images from the Eyes Task, and five memory vignette stimuli were included in the survey. Descriptive, one-way ANOVA, correlation, and logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results Half of the student sample reported significant impairment in concentration and learning abilities during DE. Regarding psychological health, 19.7%, 27.1%, and 23.6% of the sample reported mild, moderate, and severe depressive symptoms, respectively. Correlation analyses showed a statistically significant negative association between depression and the overall subjective evaluation of DE (r = − 0.359; p < 0.000). Changes in one’s study context and habits, i.e., studying alone at one’s parents’ home instead of studying with colleagues or alone in a university “social place” (e.g., the university library), seemed to increase the likelihood of poor academic performance by almost 3 times (O.R. 3.918; p = 0.032). This predictor was no longer statistically significant in the subsequent step when the individual impairment predictors were entered. Learning concentration impairment during DE (O.R. 8.350; p = 0.014), anxiety about COVID-19 contagion for oneself or others (O.R. 3.363; p = 0.022), female gender (O.R. 3.141; p = 0.045), and depressive symptomatology (O.R. 1.093; p = 0.047) were ultimately determined to be the strongest predictors of poor academic performance, whereas the appreciation of DE represented a protective variable (O.R. 0.610; p < 0.000). Conclusions The study showed a negative impact of DE on the mental health of students presenting depressive symptoms and impairment in concentration and learning, the latter identified as the strongest predictors of poor academic performances. The study confirms the emerging need to monitor the impact of DE, which occurred during the 2019/2020 academic year and will continue in the coming months, to refine educational offerings and meet students' psychological needs by implementing psychological interventions based on the modifiable variables that seem to compromise students’ psychological well-being and academic outcomes.

Background Following the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education (DE) replaced traditional “face-to-face” teaching and has become the main method of teaching. The aim of this study was to 1) evaluate the impact of DE by teachers in our department during the second semester of the 2019–20 academic year following the March–May 2020 Italian national lockdown and 2) evaluate the relationship between DE and the emotional well-being of teachers during the period of home confinement. Methods Ninety-seven university teachers (51.5% women; most represented age group 60–69 years range, 40.2%) responded to an anonymous online cross-sectional survey between July 15 – September 30, 2020, on the advantages and disadvantages of DE, developed by one online teacher focus group. The emotional conditions were assessed by a short version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The internal consistency reliability survey and the 10-item BDI-II were measured by Cronbach’s alpha. A correlation analysis (r-Pearson) was conducted between the overall evaluation of the experience of DE and the variables included in the study. Results Teachers reported difficulties in technical aspects, and in psychological factors, as the discomfort of “speaking in the void” (64.7%). The absence of “face-to-face” eye contact with the students was complained by 81% of teachers. Significant impairments in sleep patterns and loss of energy were reported, with female teachers having greater difficulty concentrating than their male colleagues. A quarter of teachers showed depressive symptoms of varying severity. The most satisfied teachers were those most stimulated by DE (r = 0.752, p < 0.000), who showed a lower impact of depressive symptoms (r = − 0.289, p = 0.005). The teaching load in hours influenced the perception of disadvantages (r = 0.214, p = 0.035) and contributed to a lower appreciation of the challenges of DE. The more significant the manifestation of depressive symptoms during the lockdown was, the greater the subjective recovery of a good emotional condition once the domestic confinement was over (r = 0.344, p = 0.001), despite maintaining DE. Conclusions Our study highlights the impact of technical, didactic, and psychological difficulties of DE, reported by our teachers. The appreciation of their new learning promoted by DE seemed related to better emotional well-being of university teachers accepting this “challenge” in their important role in the high-education system, influencing good learning and promoting students’ professional success.

Computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (cCBT) appears to be a therapeutic strategy that is as effective as person-to-person CBT in the treatment of adults and young people with anxiety disorders. The aim of our controlled study was to evaluate the following in young adult users affected by anxiety disorders: (1) the feasibility of our simple "prototype" of a therapist-assisted computerized cognitive behavioral therapy (TacCBT); and (2) the effectiveness of two different interventions-group CBT and TacCBT-in an "enriched" format for anxiety management and reasoning bias modification as compared to a control group. Psychopathology, global functioning, and cognitive flexibility were examined in 13 users undergoing TacCBT and compared to those receiving "person-to-person" group CBT (CBT Group, n = 25), which controlled for their psychopharmacological treatment. Users were included in the arms of our real-word study on the basis of their treatment preferences. Twelve subjects were included in a Treatment as Usual (TAU) group. Following the intervention, all groups showed a significant improvement in symptoms. Both CBT groups showed an improvement in cognitive flexibility with respect to TAU, in addition to a reduction of their reasoning overconfidence. Our preliminary results show the benefits of the TacCBT program and highlight its advantages.

On March 10, 2020, Italy announced its lockdown caused by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and home confinement exposed individuals to a stressful situation of unknown duration. Our study aimed to analyze the emotional and cognitive experiences and the psychopathological symptoms of young Italian University students seeking help from our University student Counseling and Consultation Service during the COVID-19 lockdown. Also, our study aimed to identify the predictors of traumatic psychological distress, investigating variables that could influence the students' well-being, related to their socio-demographic and clinical condition, to the “exposition” to the social distancing, and related to their cognitive thinking style. One-hundred and three University students were included in our study. The traumatic impact was assessed by the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R). A digital platform was used in our study, focused on narrative dimensions analyses. Our results showed that 21.4% of our help-seeking students experienced lockdown as a traumatic experience. The main stressful factors reported by students were: adjustment to the new academic activities (23.3 %), lack of autonomy (19.4%), and conflicts with family members (6.8%). The three main areas impaired were: changes in the sleeping pattern (68%), difficulty in concentration (67%), and loss of energy (58.6%). Furthermore, 36% of our student sample reported being suffering from anxiety symptoms, whereas 26% showed depressive symptomatology. Students having previous psychological and psychiatric contacts with mental health services (23%) showed a more severe traumatic and depressive symptomatology. The problematic thinking style “all or nothing” was predominantly associated with psychological distress, anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic symptoms. “Everything Will Be Fine” could be identified by the “optimistic style” (27.2%), inversely correlated with the psychopathological measures and concentration problems. The results of the logistic regression analysis indicated that the length of home confinement (second month) seemed to increase by over 3 times the likelihood of experience posttraumatic symptomatology, and a thinking style “all or nothing” was the final strongest predictor increasing the risk by over 5 times. The implementation of psychological interventions to improve the mental health of vulnerable young subgroups to contain the structuring of psychopathological profiles represent a fundamental challenge.

This study aimed to investigate attitudes toward personal recovery in a sample of 436 healthcare professionals and students of psychiatric rehabilitation techniques through the Italian version of the recovery knowledge inventory (RKI). The sample in our study showed a good global orientation toward recovery. Statistically significant differences were found among mental health professionals based on gender difference, professional role, and level of experience. Women seemed more inclined to accept users’ decision-making processes, including therapeutic risk-taking. Nurses seemed more cautious in considering the users able to “live beyond their illness”. Professionals with fewer than 15 years of experience had more favorable attitudes and expectations than the more experienced respondents. Students had more optimistic expectations regarding recovery than nurses and social workers. Academic curriculum development for students and training courses for mental health professionals could further improve the homogeneity in attitudes and skills in the support of users’ “unique” recovery processes.

Background People with anxiety disorders tend to focus on unpleasant and threatening stimuli. Our aims were to evaluate: (1) the presence of paranoid ideation, and the jumping to conclusions ( JTC ) bias in young suffering from an anxiety disorder and (2) the effectiveness of a cognitive‐behavioural intervention ( CBT ) to manage anxiety combined with 2 modules to reduce the JTC bias. Methods Psychopathology, social functioning, metacognition and the JTC bias were investigated in 60 subjects, randomly assigned to the experimental CBT group + treatment‐as‐usual ( TAU ) (n = 35) or to a wait‐list group (n = 25) receiving only TAU . Each group was divided into 2 subgroups based on the score of the SCL ‐90 subscale paranoid ideation (high paranoid ideation, HP ; low paranoid ideation, LP ). The experimental group received a weekly session of a CBT for a 3‐month period. Results At baseline, 46.7% of our sample showed a HP and 38% showed a JTC biasAt the end of the intervention, greater effectiveness in improving anxious symptoms, paranoid ideation, interpersonal sensitivity and interpersonal relationship was reported in the experimental CBT + TAU group, with a statistically significant reduction of the JTC bias, displayed by 14.3% of the experimental group versus the 36% of the TAU group. In the same variables, greater benefits were reported for the HP experimental subgroup. Conclusions Our study suggests the gains to integrate an anxiety CBT with modules to reduce the JTC bias in subjects with paranoid ideation, which may negatively impact the course of the disease.

The treatment program ‘Metacognitive training for patients with schizophrenia’ (MCT) addresses cognitive biases assumed to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of delusions (e.g., jumping to conclusions, theory of mind deficits). The aim of our study was to examine the effectiveness and the feasibility of this intervention targeted to early phases of psychosis (MCT young version). An experimental design included two groups of subjects on the basis of their duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) ‘short’ (less or equal than 12 months) and ‘long’ DUP (longer than 12 months), assessed at baseline and after the 4-month intervention. Fifty-six young subjects affected by early psychosis were assessed on psychopathology, social functioning, neurocognitive, and metacognitive measures. The primary outcome was the reduction of psychopathology. Secondary outcomes included reduction of cognitive and emotional dysfunction and improvement of social functioning. At the end of the 4-month MCT, both groups showed significant improvements in many variables: positive symptoms, cognitive functions, as verbal memory, attention and mental flexibility, and metacognitive functions, as cognitive insight. Significant and positive changes were found in theory of mind abilities and social perception. The difference in DUP between the two groups of young subjects of our sample did not seem to influence the intervention outcomes, still taking into account that the average difference between the two groups in terms of DUP is 12.6 months.

ObjectivesThe treatment program ‘Metacognitive training for patients with schizophrenia’ (MCT) addresses cognitive biases assumed to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of delusions (e.g., jumping to conclusions, theory of mind deficits). The aim of our study was to examine the effectiveness and the feasibility of this intervention targeted to early phases of psychosis (MCT young version).DesignAn experimental design included two groups of subjects on the basis of their duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) ‘short’ (less or equal than 12 months) and ‘long’ DUP (longer than 12 months), assessed at baseline and after the 4‐month intervention.MethodsFifty‐six young subjects affected by early psychosis were assessed on psychopathology, social functioning, neurocognitive, and metacognitive measures. The primary outcome was the reduction of psychopathology. Secondary outcomes included reduction of cognitive and emotional dysfunction and improvement of social functioning.ResultsAt the end of the 4‐month MCT, both groups showed significant improvements in many variables: positive symptoms, cognitive functions, as verbal memory, attention and mental flexibility, and metacognitive functions, as cognitive insight. Significant and positive changes were found in theory of mind abilities and social perception.ConclusionsThe difference in DUP between the two groups of young subjects of our sample did not seem to influence the intervention outcomes, still taking into account that the average difference between the two groups in terms of DUP is 12.6 months.Practitioner points Metacognition refers to the general ability ‘to think about thinking,’ that is, the ability to think about one's mental state and the mental states of others. Persons with schizophrenia experience different metacognitive impairments. The metacognitive training for patients with schizophrenia – young version can be applied to young people affected by psychosis and seems to improve symptomatology, social functioning, cognitive, and metacognitive abilities, independently by their Duration of Untreated Psychosis over a 2‐year period.

OBJECTIVES. In compliance with the Decree-Law 179/2009, the sixth year of Dentistry was established for the first time in Italy, in the academic year 2014-2015.Each university considered this year in different ways in terms of teaching and learning, since neither the Ministry of Education nor the University set a standardized model. The aim of this work is to report the student satisfaction about the sixth year of Dentistry studies at the University of L'Aquila, which is focused on practical clinical training.MATERIALS AND METHODS. At the end of the sixth year experience, it was decided to ask the students participate in evaluation by filling in a questionnaire; they expressed their opinion about organization of activities, availability of tutors and acquired skills.RESULTS. The results indicated the students' largely positive opinion with regard to the organization in the various departments and availability of tutors; however, they expressed a lesser degree of satisfaction concerning professional skills, which had already been acquired in previous years.CONCLUSIONS. Based on the experience and suggestions of students and on observations of mentors and teachers involved, the Board of Degree, together with the students' representatives, will consider the problems that emerged, with a view to improving the quality of teaching.