Health-related quality of life in children and adolescents with celiac disease: survey of a population from central Italy.

BACKGROUND: Celiac Disease (CD) is an increasingly common autoimmune disorder. It requires a strict lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD) which can influence health-related quality of life (HRQOL). This study assesses HRQOL in children and adolescents with CD and explores how several demographic and clinical characteristics and GFD adherence affect their perceived health status. METHODS: We recruited 140 consecutive children and adolescents with CD confirmed by small bowel biopsy. HRQOL was assessed using the SF-12 questionnaire plus some CD-specific questions exploring wellbeing and lifestyle. Patients, aged 10 to 18 years, were identified by pediatric gastroenterologists and guided in filling out the questionnaire by trained psychologists. Parametric or non-parametric tests were applied to analyze continuous variables and frequencies as appropriate. RESULTS: The SF-12 mean mental component summary score (MCS12) was lower than in the general Italian population (p < 0.001), whereas differences in terms of physical health were not significant (p = 0.220). More than one third of those interviewed reported feeling angry "always" or "most of the time" about having to follow the GFD, and nearly 20% reported feeling different from others and misunderstood because of CD "always" or "most of the time". CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the need for health professionals to identify adolescents with major disease-related problems. The food industry should improve its range of gluten-free food products and public bodies and institutions should promote informative campaigns and help promote the overall quality of life of children and adolescents with CD.

The relationship between anger and heterosexual behavior. An investigation in a nonclinical sample of urban Italian undergraduates.

INTRODUCTION: The relationship between anger and sexual behavior has never been thoroughly addressed, although it may deserve special attention because of its theoretical and practical consequences. AIM: We were interested in determining the extent in which trait anger was associated with dysfunctional sexual behavior, taking into account possible gender differences. METHOD: In this correlational study, 410 volunteers (199 men and 211 women) recruited from the students of the University of Messina, Italy, participated in the study. Median age of participants was 24 years. Men and women did not differ significantly in age (U = 18996, P = 0.606). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The individuals' sexual behavior was assessed using the Sex and the Average Woman (or Man) questionnaire. RESULTS: We found no association between trait anger and either measure of sexual motivation: sexual excitement, r (396) = 0.11, P = 0.016, and sexual fulfillment, r (396) = -0.06, P = 0.134. Also, gender had no effect on either of these two variables. Trait anger had a positive significant correlation with neurotic sex, r (396) = 0.29, P < 0.002, impersonal sex, r (396) = 0.20, P < 0.002, and aggressive sex, r (396) = 0.28, P < 0.002. As we predicted, the associations between trait anger and these last three variables were stronger for men than for women (although only aggressive sex had a significant result). In multivariate analyses, impersonal sex ceased to be a significant correlate of trait anger. CONCLUSIONS: Trait anger has a negative effect on sexual behavior. It seems to exert its worst effects on the nature of sexual interpersonal behavior rather than on sexual motivation. We found no effect of gender on sexual motivation. However, the positive correlation between anger and relational sexual behavior was stronger for men than for women.