Giulia Zucchetti

Azienda Ospedaliera Città della Salute e della Scienza, Ospedale Infantile Regina Margherita

Purpose of review Childhood, adolescent and young adult cancer (CAYAC) can impact on survivors’ physical but also psycho-social sphere, especially on educational and occupational outcomes. The purpose of this review is to identify the interventions that have been implemented to address these critical developmental stages, which are essential for su...

Children/adolescents with cancer can develop adverse effects impacting gross motor function. There is a lack of gross motor function assessment tools that have been validated for this population. The aim of this multicenter cross-sectional study was to preliminary validate the 88-item Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) for use in children/adole...

Introduction Experiences related to pediatric oncology diagnosis cause great imbalances within the family structure. Assessing the frailties and needs of families and children with cancer from a psychosocial perspective is an important step in providing appropriate pediatric psychology care. Methods The aim of this study was to develop an Italian...

Introduction This study examined the efficacy of eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing (EMDR) therapy compared with standard psychotherapy (SP) in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in paediatric oncology patients and their families in the early stage of cancer treatment. The secondary aim of this study was to assess whether EMD...

This article describes the oncology programs developed in Italy for adolescents and young adults with cancer, with a specific focus on the local projects created in pediatric oncology centers. A common feature of such projects is the emphasis on creative and artistic activities and laboratories (involving music, photography, novel writing, fashion...

Introduction Childhood cancer is rare, but it is the most frequent serious event with a high risk of traumatization for children, adolescents, parents and siblings. EMDR is widely studied as clinical intervention that addressed cancer-related stressors among cancer adult population, but to our knowledge, no researches have been conducted among chil...

Objectives Pediatric healthcare professionals (HCPs) working in a palliative setting may experience challenges during their clinical practice in addressing the complex end-of-life phase of children and their families. Nurses, especially, have a frontline role in providing assistance, thereby becoming at risk of physical and psychological burden. Pe...

Background: In adult oncology, the practice of tracking symptoms and toxicities using patient-reported outcomes (PROs) has increased and correlates with increased survival. In contrast, symptom monitoring using PROs is not common in pediatric oncology. Only in the last couple of years attention has also been paid to the patient’s perception in pedi...

Children and adolescents affected by brain tumors are at risk for neuropsychological sequelae that need to be evaluated in order to plan adequate rehabilitation programs, and to support their development and recovery. This work aims to describe an innovative prospective observational study protocol for the early evaluation and monitoring over time...

Purpose: This study set out to evaluate the psychosocial effects of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) among adolescents with cancer, and whether these effects are significantly different among adolescents who were undergoing therapy or had completed it. Materials and methods: The AIEOP Adolescents Working Group and the AIEOP Psychosocial Worki...

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) represents a curative option for pediatric patients affected by malignant and non-malignant disorders. Several complications may arise during the post-transplantation period, including immune-mediated disorders. Immune-mediated cytopenias (IMCs) account for up to 22% of pediatric HSCT complications, re...

The transition from pediatric to adult care poses several emotional and personal challenges to adolescents and young adult (AYA) childhood cancer survivors (CCSs), which need attention to avoid the risk of nonadherence and medical dropout. This brief report describes the condition of AYA-CCSs at the moment of transition in terms of emotional state,...

Simple Summary Beckwith–Wiedemann Syndrome (BWS) is one of the five most frequent syndromes predisposing to Wilms tumor (WT). BWS can be underdiagnosed if the phenotype is mild, and WT can be the presenting symptom. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available data in the current literature on the diagnosis, surveillance, treatment stra...

Background: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) was undoubtedly a stressful experience for everyone. General opinion believed that children with acute or chronic illness could experience additional burden, but this is not confirmed. The aim of this study is to understand how children and adolescents already suffering from acute or...

Objectives: The aim of this pilot trial is evaluating the preliminary effectiveness of two in-hospital interventions in the maintenance of motor performance in children/adolescents undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Secondary objectives investigated the interventions' feasibility, impact on fatigue and to what degree the su...

Late effects of cancer and its treatments during childhood or adolescence can impact work placement and increase the risk of unemployment. The aim of this study is to describe the work placement and the perceived job and economic satisfaction of long-term childhood cancer survivors (CCS). Jobs have been categorized according to the International St...

Due to the war in Ukraine, many children have been killed and those who suffer from severe diseases, such as oncological pathologies, are facing serious challenges as their treatment is interrupted. The objective of this report is to describe one of the first Italian humanitarian expeditions launched to rescue children and their families to provide...

Purpose: The purpose of the study was to create in Italian a transition protocol survey to monitor the readiness of childhood, adolescent, and young adult (CAYA) cancer survivors who are undergoing transition from pediatric to adult health care. A protocol could support clinical practice through the proposal of individualized transition care pathwa...

Objective The original Pediatric Quality of Life–Multidimensional Fatigue Scale (PedsQL-MFS) developed in 2002 in the English language is a frequently used tool in paediatric oncology. It has been translated into several languages, and the aim of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the Italian version of this scale in paediatric p...

Background: An assessment of the supportive care needs that parents whose children are suffering from cancer is crucial to providing maximum quality care in pediatric oncology. Objective: To examine the psychometric properties of the Cancer Patient Needs Questionnaire (CPNQ) and validate the revised version (rCPNQ) of this multidimensional tool...

Background The burnout phenomenon has been extensively investigated among health care professionals, particularly focusing on physicians and nurses. However, literature concerning burnout in clinical research is poor and often neglects the other professional categories involved. Methods In March 2019, all members of Italian Group of Clinical Resea...

Purpose: Oncological diseases, especially if experienced in the first 3 years of life, expose young children to conditions of serious physical and emotional stress causing delays in their physical development, cognitive acquisitioning and issues related to their emotional and social functioning. This study examines the effects of the participation...

Aim To compare the efficacy of a high-intensity psychosocial intervention with standardized usual care in countering psychosocial complexity among child–parent units in a pediatric oncology setting. Methods Two hundred pediatric oncology patients and their parents were recruited from Italian hospitals. A total of 81 child–parent units were assigne...

Introduction Pediatric oncology integrative medicine is a growing field which needs further dedicated studies to expand the general awareness about the role of integrative therapies in mitigating the pediatric oncology experience. The present study intends to discover the potential of an innovative approach as Freestyle Motocross Therapy (FMX Thera...

Purpose: In Italy, most children and adolescents affected by oncological diseases are treated in one of the centers within the Italian Association of Pediatric Hematology and Oncology (AIEOP). AIEOP relies on groups of experts; each of them develops interventions in their specific field of expertise to improve the diagnostic, therapeutic, and assi...

Purpose: Reiki is a growing complementary therapy in pediatric oncology that needs evidence to become more credible among the health community. A within-subject design experiment was conducted to pilot testing the feasibility and efficacy of Reiki to provide pain relief among pediatric patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (H...

Background To provide successful transfer from childhood to adult-oriented healthcare is one of the priorities of survivorship care plans. Purpose This study describes adolescent and young adult childhood cancer survivors’ conditions at the moment of the transition to adult care deepening their biological, psychological, social and assistant state...

Purpose: This study intends to translate and make any necessary cultural adaptations of the Pediatric PRO-CTCAE version for Italian oncological patients aged 7-18 years and their caregivers. Methods: The questionnaire has been forward/backward translated into Italian and subjected to detailed verification by fluent Italian speakers, children and...

An exercise program (EP) during cancer treatment seems to be a valid strategy against physiological and quality-of-life impairments, but scientific evidence of benefits among pediatric patients is still limited. This review summarizes the literature focused on randomized controlled trials of EP offered to patients during leukemia and lymphoma treat...

Purpose: The hub-and-spoke is a new innovation model in healthcare that has been adopted in some countries to manage rare pathologies. We developed a set of indicators to assess current quality practices of the hub-and-spoke model adopted in the Interregional Pediatric Oncology Network in Northwest Italy and to promote patient, family, and profess...

The oncological illness of a child puts the whole family in front of important physical and emotional stress often resulting in imbalances and changes both on the emotional and social family aspects. In order to make a proper screening of patients and families and to make a proper sending to the specialist from the professional team (as well as to...

La malattia oncologica di un bambino espone l’intera famiglia a condizioni di forte stress fisico ed emotivo comportando spesso disequilibri e cambiamenti sia sul versante affettivo sia sociale. Al fine di effettuare un corretto screening dei pazienti oncologici e delle famiglie e un appropriato invio allo specialista da parte dell’equipe professio...

This study focuses on body image discomfort (BID) of 50 adolescent and young adult (AYA) hematologic cancer survivors (age range 15-23; 52% males). The study results were obtained through data from a self-report questionnaire: the Body Uneasiness Test. Findings differed according to gender: a greater proportion of females were in the Risk category...

Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation is a therapeutic strategy for several oncohematological diseases. It increases survival rates but leads to a high incidence of related effects. The objective of this paper was to examine the existing literature on physical exercise interventions among pediatric HSCT recipients to explore the most often utiliz...

The online socio-relational skills have important functions for those adolescents who harm themselves (Baker e Fortune, 2008). However, it is not clear which are the mechanisms that explains this association. This study examines the role of social self-efficacy as mediator in the relation between a positive online friendship quality and self-injury...

This study examined the longitudinal relationship between friendship quality (positive and negative) and school achievement among 228 school-age children (51% girls, M = 8.09, SD = 0.41). A three-wave cross-lagged analysis was used to determine the direction of influence between these domains across school years. Findings revealed that: (a) school...

This study investigated the association between physical functioning and activities of daily living (ADL) of elderly people, taking into account the role of cognitive, psychological, and social factors. We administered physical, cognitive, psychological, and social instruments to investigate the level of basic and instrumental activities of daily l...

The study aims to evaluate the effects of a physical activity program and a cognitive training program on the long-term memory and selective attention of older adults by comparing the effects of the activities. Twenty-four older adults participated in a physical activity program, 24 in a cognitive training program, and 24 were considered the contro...

This study investigated the association between negative peer functioning and social/familial risk factors with the occurrence of symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) among Italian primary school children. We hypothesized that negative peer functioning and the cumulative number of indexes of adversity would be independently a...

Background This study aims to identify the main psychological and social correlates of doping attitudes among Italian athletes. It is well recognized that athlete disposition and attitude towards doping is one of the factors responsible for doping behavior. Less is known, however, about the factors that sustain the level of athletes’ attitudes towa...

Candela, F., Zucchetti, G., & Villosio, C. (2014). Preliminary validation of the Italian version of the original Sport Motivation Scale. J. Hum. Sport Exerc., 9(1), pp.136-147. This study aims at develop and validate a preliminary Italian version of the original Sport Motivation Scale. The original scale was translated into Italian following transc...

This study examined the direct association between Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) symptoms (i.e. inattention and hyperactivity symptoms) and children’s experience of best friend conflicts, and the mediating role of aggression, emotional and behavioural instability, exploring possible gender differences. The sample consisted of 334...

This study aimed to identify the key physical abilities (aerobic endurance, gait speed, balance, strength) and psychological variables associated with the level of basic (BADL) and instrumental (IADL) activities of daily living in an autonomous community-dwelling elderly population in Italy. 135 elderly people (63% women; mean age = 73.3, SD = 5.5)...

Questo lavoro indaga il contributo della collocazione spaziale in classe dei bambini nei confronti dei loro legami amicali e della loro condizione di popolarità o isolamento da parte dei pari. I risultati possono porsi come aiuto per insegnanti e educatori a riflettere sulla disposizione spaziale in classe degli allievi quale fattore facilitante p...

Background: Studies have shown that childhood friendships are important for healthy social development and well-being. The purpose of this study was to investigate which friendship practices were associated with the development of pro-social behaviors, emotional instability, and aggressiveness among a sample of Italian children. Methods: The sample...

Using self-determination theory (SDT), this study simultaneously investigated the relationships between intrinsic motivation, psychological factors (sport enjoyment, social self-efficacy), and sociorelational factors (perceived coaching behaviors) by subsequently testing whether psychological factors mediate the relationships between social-relatio...

This study aimed at identifying the individual correlates of autonomy in activities of daily living (ADL) of 40 institutionalized elderly individuals. Results showed that balance skill and perception of physical functioning were significantly associated with ADL. Interventions on the physical functioning, both perceived and real, might have positiv...

psicologia dello sport Il Giornale Italiano di psicologia dello sport Organo ufficiale dell'ASSOCIAZIONE ITALIANA PSICOLOGIA DELLO SPORT NUMERO 18 -Settembre/Dicembre -2013 summary sommario Opinioni Esperienze Esperienze Rassegne Ricerche 3 9 17 23 29 37 Lo psicologo dello sport: considerazioni sulla professionalità Famiglia, società sportiva e atl...

Background: There is still a question of whether online friendship predicts changes in face-to-face friendship (Reduction Hypothesis) or face-to-face friendship predicts changes in online friendship (Compensation Hypothesis) during adolescence. Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare these two hypotheses to determine which comes first:...

This study aimed to investigate the follow-up effects of certain characteristics of children’s friendships, such as similarity and cohesion with friends as represented by the children through drawing, as well as the breadth of their friendship networks as perceived by children. Participants were 115 children who were 6 to 9 years old (M = 7.09.14,...

This study aimed to contribute at exploring friendship in children from two different countries, Italy and Bolivia, focusing on the association between specific characteristics of children’s friendships, such as similarity, cohesion and distance with friends as represented by the children through drawing, and the perception of their friendship qual...