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.

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.

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. The 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: During a weekend devoted to Mental Health initiatives (October 8-10, 2021), 211 women were interviewed (47% exposed to the 2009 L’Aquila earthquake). Results: 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, women 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, with those caring for people affected by mental disorders seeming to experience a more significant worsening. Approximately 20% of the total sample reported severe depressive symptomatology. Previous access to mental health services (O.R. 10.923), low level of education (O.R. 5.410) and difficulties in management of their everyday lives during the COVID-19 pandemic (O.R. 3.598) 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 for emotionally vulnerable women with pre-existing mental health conditions, partly reflecting the cumulative effects of traumas.

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.