Contextual influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on pregnant women's emotional regulation abilities.

INTRODUCTION: Emotional regulation is a key factor that could determine the quality of becoming a parent. Since pregnancy is accompanied by changes in the emotional system, fluctuations in emotional regulation may also occur during this period. In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic had major psychological repercussions on the general population which could have also affected emotional regulation capacities. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine whether emotional regulation has characteristics during pregnancy and to evaluate the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the emotional regulation of pregnant women. METHOD: One hundred fifty-one women aged between 19 and 42 years old participated in this study. Their emotional regulation abilities were assessed using the Difficulties Emotion Regulation Scale before and during the pandemic. A two-factor multivariate analysis of covariance, "parental status" (pregnant vs. childless) and "time of data collection" (before vs. during COVID-19), was conducted to compare the emotional regulation abilities of pregnant women with those of childless women before and during the pandemic. RESULTS: (1) Prior to the pandemic, pregnant women exhibited better emotional regulation skills than childless women, characterized by greater acceptance and understanding of their emotions. (2) During the pandemic: (a) pregnant women's emotional regulation scores were comparable to those of women without children. (b) They also had more difficulty than pre-pandemic pregnant women in identifying their emotions. CONCLUSION: The lack of improvement in emotional regulation skills in pregnant women during the COVID-19 pandemic is a specific impact of COVID on this population. This could affect their mental health, as well as the emotional adjustment of the mother towards her baby.

[CONFAMI study: Effects of home confinement during the COVID-19 epidemic on the lives of children and their families]. / Étude CONFAMI : effets du confinement durant l'épidémie de la COVID-19 sur la vie des enfants et leur famille.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to understand the changes within families during confinement motivated by the COVID-19 pandemic and to explore the psycho-emotional experiences of children and their parents in this new situation. Confinement necessarily induced significant changes in daily family routines, particularly for work, education, leisure and social activities. In the more vulnerable pediatric population, several authors have warned of the need to consider the impact of lockdown measures during COVID-19 on the psychological impact and well-being. METHOD: This is an anonymous online survey with methodology combining quantitative and qualitative analyses. The questions targeted several themes such as life context, emotional experience and the impact on daily habits in children and adolescents, as perceived by parents. Participants are adults and parents of at least one child. They were recruited through social media and email. RESULTS: A total of 439 parents responded to the questionnaire. The families generally stayed in their usual place of residence and managed to adapt well. On average, the children's level of worry (as estimated by parents) was lower than the level of worry parents attributed to themselves. For the majority, the parents did not observe any change, the psychological state of the children and adolescents was generally stable, but for those who experienced more negative emotions than usual, it was an increase in boredom, irritability and anger. A decrease in the quality of sleep was also observed by a third of the respondents. On the other hand, an increase in autonomy was noted. Regarding the quality of family cohabitation, an important result showed that confinement had improved family relationships for 41% parents but at the expense of usual social ties inducing a feeling of deprivation. Indeed, the participants evoke a lack of "social link" and "social contact with friends". Lack became synonymous with absence, a feeling of loneliness and separation. CONCLUSION: Our results confirm European and international data collected in children in countries where strict lockdown measures have been applied. Despite the negative emotions felt in some children, confinement has helped develop new resources in most families. Families seem to have been successful in maintaining a stable and secure routine which has certainly been a protective factor against anxiety. Some reported factors, such as bonding, could be protective factors and constitute good leads in interventions to be offered to children and their families.

[Evaluation of the incidence of radiodermatitis lesions in interventional cardiology]. / Évaluation de l'incidence des lésions de radiodermite en cardiologie interventionnelle.

PURPOSE: The percutaneous coronary interventions use large doses of ionizing radiation, particularly when treating complex lesions. The incidence of radio-induced skin lesions is poorly known. Our goal was to evaluate the frequency of occurrence of such lesions, as well as the factors that may contribute to a high radiation dose. The recommended DAP (dose-area product) cutoff for skin monitoring after percutaneous coronary interventions is 500Gy cm2. PATIENTS AND METHOD: We prospectively studied the incidence of acute (after 5-7 days) and subacute (after 7 days to 6 months) skin lesions following angioplasty with a dose-area product (DAP) ≥200Gy cm2 in patients who underwent coronary angioplasty in our center in 2013. RESULTS: Nine hundred and thirty three consecutive procedures were analyzed, of which 102 with a DAP ≥200Gy cm2. Three patients presented an acute lesion. Two of these three patients also had subacute lesions. Another patient presented only a subacute lesion. 4.82% (95% CI: [0-10]) of the patients with a DAP ≥200Gy cm2 developed radiodermitis lesions, or 0.47% (95% CI: [0-0.9]) of all the patients who underwent angioplasty. The Body Mass Index and the elective (as opposed to energy) procedures were independently associated with a procedure with a DAP ≥200Gy cm2. CONCLUSION: Radiodermatitis lesions occur for 4.82% of patients benefiting from procedures with a DAP ≥200Gy cm2. We suggest the establishment of a DAP threshold for dermal monitoring of patients of 200Gy cm2 per procedure instead of 500Gy cm2.