This multicenter study investigates the efficacy of the guided disclosure protocol in promoting post-traumatic growth, through meaning reconstruction, in cancer patients after adjuvant chemotherapy. ...Participants will be randomized to guided disclosure protocol or to an active control condition. Both conditions consist of three 20-minute writing sessions. Experimental participants verbalize emotions, describe events, and reflect on trauma effects. Control participants write about their past week’s daily routine. Patients, blinded to treatment assignment, will complete questionnaires at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 6-month follow-up. This study will improve knowledge concerning the effects of writing interventions on psychological health and well-being in cancer patients.
Harbor basins are strategically important and heavily impacted water bodies according to the water framework directive. Due to constant traffic, variety of activities, and low-energy hydrodynamics, ...these areas can have high degrees of water pollution. This study reports the results of the preliminary investigation of anthropogenic microlitter (AM) pollution in a semi-enclosed basin (Civitavecchia harbor; northern Tyrrhenian Sea, Italy) using the tubes built by the polychaete
Sabella spallanzanii.
The visual inspection showed AM particles within the tube structure as a result of its building process. The total average AM abundance was 20.8 ± 3.7 AM g
−1
. AM abundances and flushing time as the hydrodynamic parameter of water renewal highlight the homogeneity of the sampling area. The suitability of
S. spallanzanii
tubes as a potential tool to investigate the AM pollution level in sheltered and polluted environments is highlighted.
Health information concerns both individuals' engagement and the way services and professionals provide information to facilitate consumers' health decision making. Citizens' and patients' ...participation in the management of their own health is related to the availability of tools making health information accessible, thus promoting empowerment and making care more inclusive and fairer. A novel instrument was developed (Evaluation Tool of Health Information for Consumers-ETHIC) for assessing the formal quality of health information materials written in Italian language. This study reports ETHIC's content and face validity.
A convenience sample of 11 experts and 5 potential users was involved. The former were requested to evaluate relevance and exhaustiveness, the latter both readability and understandability of ETHIC. The Content Validity Index (CVI) was calculated for ETHIC's sections and items; experts and potential users' feedback were analyzed by the authors.
All sections and most items were evaluated as relevant. A new item was introduced. Potential users provided the researchers with comments that partly confirmed ETHIC's clarity and understandability.
Our findings strongly support the relevance of ETHIC's sections and items. An updated version of the instrument matching exhaustivity, readability, and understandability criteria was obtained, which will be assessed for further steps of the validation process.
Citizen science projects are an advantageous method to carry out research in the marine environmental field, especially concerning high mobile and often elusive species like cetaceans, allowing the ...collection of data in wide spatial-temporal scale. This project aims to validate the feasibility and accuracy of cetacean monitoring program through the citizen science approach and to test the efficiency of this method to large scale study area. In this work data obtained by researchers monitoring were compared with data coming from citizen, which followed specifically developed protocol. Data collected were used to investigate the presence and distribution of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) in the Sicilian Channel and to evaluate the contribution of citizen scientist to improve knowledge about species, in this case for bottlenose dolphin a vulnerable species listed in the Annex II of Habitat Directive (92/43 CE). The results show that citizen dataset contributes to increase the distribution map of the 22% more than only research data were considered. Citizen science programme results useful to gain information in small areas not monitored by scientific programs, such as in this study, and they would be very useful if applied at large-scale. The promotion of citizen science programs in specified small areas could be helpful to cover unmonitored zones, to gain preliminary results and bridge the gap of knowledge about species occurrence and distribution. For this reason, citizen support might help competent authorities to answer to the environmental policies as Habitat Directive and Marine Strategy Framework Directive. This study is a demonstration of how citizen can encourage scientists to start long-term research project in not regularly monitored areas.
•18 cetacean sightings were reported by citizen and 7 by research monitoring.•Recreational fishermen and pleasure boaters were the most participative.•Research dataset results in 1 dolphin core-area of 356 km 2 at 30–40 m depths.•Citizen dataset results in 3 dolphin core-areas of 98 km 2 inshore, at 20 m depths.•Citizen contributes to increase knowledge on dolphin distribution of the 22%.
Although it has been shown that mindfulness and emotion regulation are related, the nature of the relationship and the underlying processes are still not fully understood. The present study explored ...the relationship between mindfulness and emotion regulation at the facet level using both bivariate correlation analysis and canonical correlation analysis. A total of 211 adults (mean age = 56.4 years,
SD
= 15.3; 72.0% females) completed the short forms of the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire and the Heidelberg Questionnaire for the Assessment of Emotion Regulation Strategies. Three relationship clusters emerged between mindfulness facets and emotion regulation strategies: (1) a mindful emotion regulation cluster in which describing and nonreactivity were positively related with reappraisal and acceptance; (2) a suppression and nonreactivity cluster in which describing and nonreactivity were negatively and positively associated with both suppression of emotional expression and suppression of emotional experience, respectively; and (3) a negative self-monitoring cluster in which observing and nonjudging were positively and negatively related to rumination, respectively. These results suggest potential pathways through which mindfulness-based interventions might improve emotion regulation.
Background: The five facets mindfulness questionnaire-short form (FFMQ-SF) is a new, brief measure for the assessment of mindfulness skills in clinical and nonclinical samples. The construct validity ...of the FFMQ-SF has not been previously assessed in community samples.
Aims: The present study investigated the factor structure of the Italian version of the FFMQ-SF.
Method: Structured equation modeling was used to test the fit of three alternative models in a sample of highly educated adults (n = 211).
Results: A hierarchical model with a single second-order factor loaded by observing, describing, and acting with awareness (i.e. the mindfulness "what" skills) performed slightly better than both a five-factor model with correlated factors and a hierarchical model with a general second-order factor. The FFMQ-SF scores were significantly higher than those reported in both Dutch depressed patients and Australian undergraduate students for all facets (but nonreactivity for the Australian sample).
Conclusions: Data support the multifaceted nature of mindfulness skills. Because of its brevity and simplicity of use, the FFMQ-SF is a promising questionnaire in longitudinal and clinical research. This questionnaire can serve as a guideline to help clinicians assess and monitor mindfulness skills acquisition, strengthening, and generalization, and prioritize mindfulness skills that need immediate attention.
In this study we examined whether differences in the habitual use of mindfulness skills were associated with specific well-being and neuroticism aspects. Two hundred eleven volunteers aged ...21–84 years completed measures of mindfulness, neuroticism, psychological well-being (PWB), and subjective well-being (SWB). Describing, observing, and acting with awareness (i.e., the mindfulness “what” skills) were positively correlated with personal growth, purpose in life, and autonomy (i.e., the “core” eudaimonic components of PWB). Nonreactivity and nonjudging (i.e., the mindfulness “how” skills) were negatively associated with neuroticism aspects, such as withdrawal (e.g., depression) and volatility (e.g., anger). Describing and nonreactivity were the only mindfulness skills significantly correlated with the SWB measures. Acting with awareness mediated the effect of both withdrawal and volatility on eudaimonic well-being outcomes. Describing had consistent mediation effects across all well-being measures, but only for the withdrawal aspect. Nonreactivity and nonjudging did not mediated withdrawal when considering eudaimonic well-being as outcomes. Mediation effects for nonjudging and nonreactivity were found between volatility and SWB markers as well as between volatility and self-acceptance, environmental mastery, and positive relations with others (i.e., the “other” eudaimonic PWB components). In sum, the mindfulness “what” skills were important for eudaimonic well-being, especially for internalizing individuals. Authors discuss the usefulness of a facet-level analysis of mindfulness for examining incremental validity of some facets over others in accounting for different well-being outcomes measures. Clinical implications are also discussed.
Abstract Context Patient-reported outcomes (PRO) data from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) are increasingly used to inform patient-centred care as well as clinical and health policy decisions. ...Objective The main objective of this study was to investigate the methodological quality of PRO assessment in RCTs of prostate cancer (PCa) and to estimate the likely impact of these studies on clinical decision making. Evidence acquisition A systematic literature search of studies was undertaken on main electronic databases to retrieve articles published between January 2004 and March 2012. RCTs were evaluated on a predetermined extraction form, including (1) basic trial demographics and clinical and PRO characteristics; (2) level of PRO reporting based on the recently published recommendations by the International Society for Quality of Life Research; and (3) bias, assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool. Studies were systematically analysed to evaluate their relevance for supporting clinical decision making. Evidence synthesis Sixty-five RCTs enrolling a total of 22 071 patients were evaluated, with 31 (48%) in patients with nonmetastatic disease. When a PRO difference between treatments was found, it related in most cases to symptoms only ( n = 29, 58%). Although the extent of missing data was generally documented (72% of RCTs), few reported details on statistical handling of this data (18%) and reasons for dropout (35%). Improvements in key methodological aspects over time were found. Thirteen (20%) RCTs were judged as likely to be robust in informing clinical decision making. Higher-quality PRO studies were generally associated with those RCTs that had higher internal validity. Conclusions Including PRO in RCTs of PCa patients is critical for better evaluating the treatment effectiveness of new therapeutic approaches. Marked improvements in PRO quality reporting over time were found, and it is estimated that at least one-fifth of PRO RCTs have provided sufficient details to allow health policy makers and physicians to make critical appraisals of results. Patient summary In this report, we have investigated the methodological quality of PCa trials that have included a PRO assessment. We conclude that including PRO is critical to better evaluating the treatment effectiveness of new therapeutic approaches from the patient's perspective. Also, at least one-fifth of PRO RCTs in PCa have provided sufficient details to allow health policy makers and physicians to make a critical appraisal of results.
Underwater noise assessment is particularly important in coastal areas where a wide range of natural and anthropogenic sounds generate complex and variable soundscapes. In the last century, the ...number and size of noise sources has increased significantly, thereby increasing the ocean's background noise. Shipping is the main source of lower-frequency underwater noises (<500 Hz). This research aimed to provide an initial assessment of underwater noise levels in a coastal area of the northern Tyrrhenian Sea (Italy) using short-term recordings. Spatial and temporal variations in the noise level, and the type and number of ships sailing through the port were recorded. A significant correlation was found between ferry boats and sound pressure levels, indicating their role as a prevalent source of low frequency underwater noise in the project area. This research could provide the baseline for implementation of distribution and point-source underwater noise models that are required for sustainable coastal management.
•Sound pressure levels show a high variation because of marine traffic in the area.•Ferry boats presence significantly influence the measured sound pressure levels.•Cluster analysis results show geographical differences in noise levels.•Short-term recordings are useful for baseline noise pollution assessment.
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