[Experiences and coping strategies of nurses in the face of death in pediatric hematology: qualitative study]. / Vissuti e strategie di coping di fronte alla morte in oncoematologia pediatrica: studio qualitativo.

INTRODUCTION:  The death of a pediatric patient causes personal, social and work-related repercussions on nursing staff who have witnessed it. The objective of this qualitative study is to investigate the experiences and the coping strategies of nurses working in pediatric oncoematology before the deaths of assisted children/adolescents. METHOD: It has been placed in the Pediatric Oncoematology Clinic - Padua Hospital. Nurses without considering sex, age, training or years of activity at the clinic were interview using a socio-demographic data collection board and a semi-structured interview. RESULTS:  36 (72%) nurses (between 24 and 57 years) were interviewed. The death of a patient causes emotions and feelings: impotence, anger, identification with parents, sadness and disorientation for the inability to find explanation for the death of the child. Among the coping strategies used prevail the will to vent. CONCLUSION:  Death in pediatric oncology is an event whose repercussions on nursing staff should not be underestimated as they are a source of emotional stress due to lack of adequate support and adequate training.

Freeing Oneself From Intimate Partner Violence: A Follow-Up of Women Who Contacted an Anti-violence Center in Italy.

This study examines the situation of women ( N = 124) who had presented themselves to an anti-violence center in Italy in the previous 3-5 years. At follow-up, 37.3% had no contact with the perpetrator, 22.7% had stayed with him, and 39.8% had "forced" contact. Almost half of the sample was still subjected to intimate partner violence (IPV). Compared to women with "no contact," the risk of IPV was 5.9 times higher for women who stayed with the perpetrator, and 10.5 times higher for women with "forced" contact. These results confirm that ending IPV does not depend exclusively on women's choices.

Levels of anxiety in parents in the 24 hr before and after their child's surgery: A descriptive study.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To (i) investigate pre- and postoperative anxiety levels in parents of surgical patients; (ii) identify factors that affect parental anxiety; and (iii) analyse assistance provided and overall parental satisfaction to assess whether and how this aspect can impact their anxiety level. BACKGROUND: Surgery as an event generates anxiety in children and their parents. Children who are anxious before surgery are likely to develop more postoperative psychological and physiological complications than those who are not. The role parents play in influencing emotional states of their children has been well demonstrated. However, specific national programmes aimed at helping parents develop new models for coping are relatively inexistent in Italy. STUDY DESIGN: Longitudinal study. METHODS: One hundred and one parents of children undergoing surgery at a healthcare facility in Padua, Italy, completed the Italian version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory Form Y questionnaire. They also answered questions about their parents' socio-demographic situation, the amount and quality of preoperative information received, assistance provided and their overall satisfaction with this information. RESULTS: The preoperative level of anxiety in parents who were interviewed was higher than Italian normative data, especially in Pediatric Cardiac Surgery and Pediatric Urology departments. Mothers had a significantly higher level of anxiety than fathers. Communicating possible complications of surgical procedures increased anxiety, while providing information about pre- and postsurgery nutrition and pain management and providing local anaesthetic on children decreased parental anxiety. Parents expressed a sufficiently high level of satisfaction although they defined the hospital environment as uncomfortable. CONCLUSIONS: Aspects of care that can make hospitalisation less traumatic for parents are as follows: greater support, involving them in the treatment process, improving hospital department admission procedures and providing thorough preoperative information. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Healthcare professionals are encouraged to pay attention to communication modalities providing detailed information to parents.

Violence in the lives of women in Italy who have an elective abortion.

BACKGROUND: Violence is an important health problem for pregnant women, with numerous studies showing that it may compromise maternal and infant health. Many women who seek an elective abortion (EA) live in difficult personal and social circumstances, in which violence often has a central role, yet few studies have analyzed the relationships between violence and having an EA. OBJECTIVES: To analyze the role of family and partner violence among women seeking an EA, exploring the role of women's age, and controlling for sociodemographic factors. METHODS: An unmatched, case-control study was carried out in the Trieste Public Hospital, including all consecutive EAs (n=445) and live births (n=438). With an anonymous questionnaire, we collected information on sociodemographic characteristics, current violence (psychological, physical, and sexual) perpetrated by a partner or by other family members, and past violence. RESULTS: Compared with postpartum women, EA women were significantly more likely to report any type of current and past violence. Among women younger than 30 years old, adjusting for relevant social factors, partner psychological violence and family violence were strongly associated with EA, whereas among women 30 years old or older, there was no association with partner and family violence after adjustment. CONCLUSION: These results highlight the role of violence in the lives of women, especially younger women, seeking an abortion, and the need for sensitive screening for partner and family violence among these women. Health professionals should be able to recognize violence among women seeking an EA and to support them.

The relationships between physical violence, verbal abuse and women's psychological distress during the postpartum period.

OBJECTIVE: To analyse the relationship between violence in the post-partum period and mothers' psychological distress. METHOD: Three hundred and fifty two women responded to a questionnaire after the birth, at the Trieste Hospital (Italy), and 292 of them responded to a telephone interview 8 months later. Psychological distress was evaluated with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ); partner and family violence were evaluated with a 28-item scale. RESULTS: Eight months post-partum, 10% of women were experiencing violence either from the partner or from another family member; 5% showed high psychological distress. Multivariate analyses show that, after adjustment for covariates, the OR for depressive symptoms was 19.17 for women experiencing partner or family violence. Being dissatisfied with their working situation, hospitalisation of the baby and pre-pregnancy mental health were also significantly associated with high GHQ scores. CONCLUSION: These results stress the relationship between violence in post-partum and maternal psychological distress. Measures aimed to identify and end violence against women around pregnancy could contribute to the improvement of women's mental health post-partum.

Violence and women's psychological distress after birth: an exploratory study in Italy.

Our aim in conducting this study was to analyze the relationships between violence and maternal psychological distress 8 months after a birth, taking into account other important psychosocial factors, known to be associated both with violence and with new mothers' mental health. A total of 352 women responded to a questionnaire after the birth at a maternity hospital in northern Italy, and 292 also participated in a telephone interview 8 months later. We evaluated psychological distress with the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and partner and family violence with a 28-item scale. Eight months postpartum, 5% of women showed high psychological distress; 10% were currently experiencing violence from the partner or another family member. After adjustment for covariates, the odds ratio for depressive symptoms was 13.74 for women experiencing violence. We believe that these results provide support for the important role of violence in postpartum maternal psychological distress.