0000000000054241
AUTHOR
Massimo Pettoello-mantovani
The Health Risks of Electronic Cigarettes Use in Adolescents
The evidence to date suggests that vaping is not a safe alternative to smoking tobacco. This, coupled with the worrying trend of young nonsmokers being attracted to vaping, raises fears of yet another generation suffering from chronic lung disease and other acute and chronic health conditions. Finally, due to the insufficient regulations in several countries, up-to-date data on the prevalence of e-cigarette use and studies on the health's implications of their use are urgently needed to inform policy at a national and international level (ie, European Union). Pediatricians are typically on the front line for identifying emerging risks for children and adolescents ; therefore, they may effec…
The Economic Burden of Child Maltreatment in High Income Countries.
Maltreatment is a common cause of children’s functional and emotional impairment. Costs for the society are high, as a substantial amount of resources have been allocated for various types of services connected to maltreatment of children. These include acute treatment, long-termcare, family rehabilitation programs, and judiciary activities.There is a long-lasting debate on how child abuse could be prevented or reduced. How can the costs of related services be contained? What is the role of pediatricians in such efforts? This article raises these important questions within the framework of the debate opened by the article by Gerber-Grote et al regarding the role of health economics in impro…
Impact of Distressing Media Imagery on Children
Children are particularly fragile and vulnerable to the impact of traumatic events or their mediated representation because they lack the skills and experience in the management of difficult information. Children have different concepts of health and disaster than adults and institutions, depending mainly on their cognitive, emotional, social, psychological, and physical development. If left alone with threatening messages, children are less able to fully understand the information to which they had been exposed. Therefore, they may fail to integrate the external data into their psychological schema of coping strategies. Children usually count on caregivers to deal with stressors, and they …
The Role of Pediatricians in Caring for the Well-Being of Children Living in New Types of Families.
Pediatricians are on the front line of child care and advocacy, and it is their role to promote children's well-being and to help parents raise healthy children, independent of the configuration of their families. This report aims to draw attention to the evolving social scenarios and to emphasize that pediatricians must be trained to coordinate new challenges that may arise from differently configured families, particularly single-parent and same-sex–parent families.
Children Witnessing Domestic and Family Violence: A Widespread Occurrence during the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic
Across the world, children and adolescents are exposed daily to toxic levels of violent behaviors, including domestic and family violence. Violence increasingly has permeated and profoundly affected the lives of children, who are the most vulnerable members of society.1 Pediatric societies in Europe and North America have raised great concern over the effect that abusive experiences will have on present and future generations.1, 2, 3, 4 The global spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) during the past year has dramatically worsened the situation, contributing to a further increase in violence and aggression within households. Reports of domestic abuse and family violence have increas…
Prevention and contrast of child abuse and neglect in the practice of European paediatricians: a multi-national pilot study
AbstractBackgroundChild abuse and neglect, or maltreatment, is a serious public health problem, which may cause long-term effects on children’s health and wellbeing and expose them to further adulthood vulnerabilities. Studies on child maltreatment performed in Europe are scarce, and the number of participants enrolled relatively small. The aim of this multi-national European pilot study, was to evaluate the level of understanding and perception of the concepts of child abuse and neglect by European paediatricians working in different medical settings, and the attitude toward these forms of maltreatment in their practice.MethodsThe study was performed by a cross-sectional, descriptive, onli…
The "Invisible Children": Uncertain Future of Unaccompanied Minor Migrants in Europe.
Because of their particular helpless condition, the unaccompanied minor migrants are at serious risk to be further deprived of their rights, and to become de facto “invisible” to the authorities, to the public health services, and in general to the public opinion. Furthermore, when they arrive at a destination, or during their journey through Europe, many children often vanish. The full dimension of such phenomenon that further hits the unaccompanied minors along their European migration routes currently is unknown. However, the intense migration that has affected the south Mediterranean borders of the EU over the last 10 years has allowed the collection of sufficient data to raise the high…
Increased Exposure to Violence and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Children
Exposure of children and adolescents to violence has significant short and long-term consequences in terms of academic, social, physical, and psychological functioning.1,2 The relationship of exposure to traumatic events, including various forms of violence, with depression, anger, anxiety, dissociation, posttraumatic stress, and total trauma symptoms has been widely debated.1-3 It is largely accepted that adverse early life experiences and abusive events suffered during childhood can cause profound effects on the development and function of the nervous system and increase the risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.4 Studies investigating the relationship between various types of neurodevelop…
Internet Addiction: Starting the Debate on Health and Well-Being of Children Overexposed to Digital Media.
Previous articles published in the European Paediatric Association (EPA) pages have discussed the importance of children's well-being and its role in different areas of children's health, such as well-child care and child-friendly health care. The goal of this commentary is to raise pediatricians' awareness on the risks of children's overexposure to digital media. It is important to protect the psychological and emotional health of children from uncontrolled external influences to preserve their well-being. We also emphasize the importance of alerting parents and tutors to the risks related to the unrefrained use of the Internet.
Adequate Training and Multidisciplinary Support May Assist Pediatricians in Properly Handling and Managing Gender Incongruence and Dysphoria.
What we call “sexual identity” refers to the complex relationship between biological sex, gender identity and role, and sexual orientation.1 “Gender identity” means the unified and persistent perception of oneself as belonging to the male or the female gender or ambivalent. For many, gender identity coincides with sexual identity; traditional culture has long provided for the definition of only 2 genders, corresponding to the 2 biological sexes. The person with gender incongruence experiences a disharmony between biological aspects and gender identity, with the constant awareness that he or she belongs to the opposite gender and is imprisoned in a body that does not represent him or her. Ge…
The Child Health Care System in Italy
Pediatric care in Italy has been based during the last 40 years on the increased awareness of the importance of meeting the psychosocial and developmental needs of children and of the role of families in promoting the health and well-being of their children. The pediatric health care system in Italy is part of the national health system. It is made up of 3 main levels of intervention: first access/primary care, secondary care/hospital care, and tertiary care based on specialty hospital care. This overview will also include a brief report on neonatal care, pediatric preventive health care, health service accreditation programs, and postgraduate training in pediatrics. The quality of the Ital…
The Hikikomori Phenomenon of Social Withdrawal: An Emerging Condition Involving Youth's Mental Health and Social Participation.
The objective of this editorial is to raise awareness on the burden and risks faced by adolescents developing this emerging form of social withdrawal. The hikikomori phenomenon is part of the group of new morbidities causing children and adolescents to limit their activity owing to a chronic health condition with attendant psychological problems. We further emphasize the importance of including new morbidities involving mental health and social participation in formal pediatric training, to enable new generations of pediatricians to identify and properly manage these disorders.
An Appeal for Implementing Social Assistance and Welfare Programs for European Children Challenged by Parental Loss
The authors of this commentary, many of whom are part of a working group on social pediatrics supported by some of the European national pediatric societies member of EPA-UNEPSA, conclude that more studies are needed to cross the boundaries between disciplines, for example, looking at the inter-relationship of family life and child health and how parental loss is affecting the micro and macro level of child healthcare service systems. Therefore, this article aims to alert pediatricians to the impact of parental loss on child health and wellbeing. It emphasizes the importance of implementing preventive and social support programs for achieving health promotion and health-protective effects.
Effects of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on Family Functioning
More than a year and a half after the first clinical manifestations of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) were reported in Wuhan, China,1 , 2 the magnitude of the pandemic across the globe and its related clinical and social effects3 remain unclear.4 The pandemic has affected lives and sparked concerns about everything from health to job security. In high–Gross Domestic Product (GDP) countries, despite trillions in coronavirus aid released by governments, many families still struggle to pay for basic necessities like food and rent, and these difficulties worsened during the pandemic.5 , 6 The general social uncertainty caused by the pandemic seems to have also affected family resilience, w…
Caring for Infants and Children Following Alternative Dietary Patterns
The number of people that refrain from eating meat has apparently increased. This is due to a variety of factors other than economic constraints or religious concerns, which have long been reasons for such dietetic conduct. Several reasons for adopting diets excluding meat include improved health, concerns regarding animal welfare, the use of antibiotics and hormones in livestock, and the excessive exploitation of environmental resource. Consequently, the number of children whose parents decide to follow alternative diets, such as vegetarian, vegan, macrobiotic, or fruitarian, is also growing. Clinical research regarding adults adopting such diets has expanded, and their nutritional impact …
Femicide and murdered women’s children: which future for these children orphans of a living parent?
Background: To assess the prevalence of femicides in Italy over the last three years and the potential long lasting effects of these traumatic events for the children of a woman who dies a violent death. Methods: The data used in this study come from an internet search for the number of femicides occurring in Italy between 1st January, 2012 and 31st October, 2014. Results: The total number of femicides was 319; the average age of murdered women was 47.50∈±∈19.26. Cold arms in the form of sharp object -mostly knives- have caused the death of 102/319 women; firearms were used in 87/319 cases; asphyxiation was the chosen method in 52/319 cases. About the place where the femicides occurred, 209…
Foster Care: A Fragile Reality Needing Social Attention, and Economic Investments.
The combination of psychosocial, medical, and educational care usually leads to immediate and long-term extra cost, which may pay out only decades later. This social and economic investment may be regarded by economists as being hardly affordable, especially during recession periods. However, we strongly believe that there are alternatives allowing adequate care even in times of economic turmoil. The aim of this report is to raise the awareness of the pediatric community and the public opinion toward the importance of investing in health programs offering adequate protection, prevention, and provision of care for orphan, abandoned, maltreated, and neglected children.
The Dark Side of the Web—A Risk for Children and Adolescents Challenged by Isolation during the Novel Coronavirus 2019 Pandemic
In response to the global novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, many countries around the world adopted social isolation measures to contain the spread of the virus.1 For children and adolescents, limitations in faceto-face activities and interactions with their traditional peer groups has been a frustrating experience. After disease containment measures, which included school closures, social distancing, and home quarantine, children and adolescents faced a prolonged state of physical isolation from their peers, teachers, extended family, and community networks that affects their emotional and behavioral health.2 Parents and pediatricians are reporting signs of mental distres…