Università della Svizzera italiana

Psychological impact of COVID-19 outbreak on families of children with autism spectrum disorder and typically developing peers : an online survey

Levante, Annalisa ; Petrocchi, Serena ; Bianco, Federica ; Castelli, Ilaria ; Colombi, Costanza ; Keller, Roberto ; Narzisi, Antonio ; Masi, Gabriele ; Lecciso, Flavia

In: Brain sciences, 2021, vol. 11, no. 6, p. 16

When COVID-19 was declared as a pandemic, many countries imposed severe lockdowns that changed families’ routines and negatively impacted on parents’ and children’s mental health. Several studies on families with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) revealed that lockdown increased the difficulties faced by individuals with ASD, as well as parental distress. No studies have...

Università della Svizzera italiana

Maternal psychological distress and children’s internalizing/externalizing problems during the COVID-19 pandemic : the moderating role played by hypermentalization

Bianco, Federica ; Levante, Annalisa ; Petrocchi, Serena ; Lecciso, Flavia ; Castelli, Ilaria

In: International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021, vol. 18, no. 19, p. 17

In order to explore the psychological impact of the COVID‐19 outbreak on the caregiver–child relationship, we investigated the interplay among COVID‐19 exposure and children’s internalizing/externalizing problems during the Italian lockdown, hypothesizing a mediation effect played by maternal distress. Additionally, we included maternal reflective functioning (i.e., hypermentalization)...