Objective Worldwide, the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has generated significant worry, uncertainty, anxiety, sadness, and loneliness. In Italy, these effects have been particularly pronounced. While research on the COVID-19 outbreak has mainly focused on the clinical features of infected patients and the psychological impact on the general population and health professionals, no investigation has yet assessed the psychological impact of the pandemic on parents. In the present research, we conducted a web-based survey of Italian parents to examine the prevalence of parenting-related exhaustion-and to identify its associated risk and protective factors-4 weeks into the lockdown. Methods A total of 1,226 parents provided their consent to participate in the study and completed a demographic questionnaire, information relating to particular COVID-19 experiences, and measures of emotional exhaustion, parental resilience, social connections, and psychological distress during the lockdown. Results Seventeen percent of our sample experienced significant parenting-related exhaustion, with mothers more severely affected. Multiple regression analyses showed that greater parenting-related exhaustion was predicted by psychological distress, lower parental resilience, motherhood, fewer perceived social connections, and being single, as well as having a child with special needs, having a large number of children, and having younger children. Conclusion The findings add further support to the call for preventive programs to support parents throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Mental health professionals and social workers should be warned of the effects of lockdown and social distancing on parenting and, consequently, the well-being of children.

Parenting-Related Exhaustion During the Italian COVID-19 Lockdown.

Summary Background Previous studies on the pneumonia outbreak caused by the 2019 novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were based on information from the general population. Limited data are available for pregnant women with COVID-19 pneumonia. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 in pregnancy and the intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection. Methods Clinical records, laboratory results, and chest CT scans were retrospectively reviewed for nine pregnant women with laboratory-confirmed COVID-19 pneumonia (ie, with maternal throat swab samples that were positive for severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 [SARS-CoV-2]) who were admitted to Zhongnan Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China, from Jan 20 to Jan 31, 2020. Evidence of intrauterine vertical transmission was assessed by testing for the presence of SARS-CoV-2 in amniotic fluid, cord blood, and neonatal throat swab samples. Breastmilk samples were also collected and tested from patients after the first lactation. Findings All nine patients had a caesarean section in their third trimester. Seven patients presented with a fever. Other symptoms, including cough (in four of nine patients), myalgia (in three), sore throat (in two), and malaise (in two), were also observed. Fetal distress was monitored in two cases. Five of nine patients had lymphopenia ( Interpretation The clinical characteristics of COVID-19 pneumonia in pregnant women were similar to those reported for non-pregnant adult patients who developed COVID-19 pneumonia. Findings from this small group of cases suggest that there is currently no evidence for intrauterine infection caused by vertical transmission in women who develop COVID-19 pneumonia in late pregnancy. Funding Hubei Science and Technology Plan, Wuhan University Medical Development Plan.

Clinical characteristics and intrauterine vertical transmission potential of COVID-19 infection in nine pregnant women: a retrospective review of medical records

A year after the initial outbreak of Covid-19 pandemic, several Phase III clinical trials investigating vaccine safety and efficacy have been published. These vaccine candidates were developed by different research groups and pharmaceutical companies with various vaccine technologies including mRNA, recombinant protein, adenoviral vector and inactivated virus-based platforms. Despite numerous successful clinical trials, participants enrolled in these trials are limited by trial inclusion and exclusion criteria, geographic location and viral outbreak situation. Many questions still remain, especially for specific subgroups, including the elderly, females with pregnancy and breastfeeding status, and adolescents. At the same time, vaccine efficacy towards asymptomatic infection and specific viral variants are still largely unknown. This review will cover vaccine candidates with Phase III clinical trial data released and discuss the scientific data available so far for these vaccine candidates for different subgroups of people and different viral variants.

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Review of Covid-19 vaccine clinical trials - A puzzle with missing pieces.

Background Research during 2020 has been rapidly attending to the impact of COVID-19 on various dimensions of wellbeing (e.g., physical, psychological, lifestyle and routines) on adults and children around the world. However, less attention has focused on the psychoeducational impact on children and their families. To our knowledge, no currently available studies have looked specifically at the impact of COVID-19 on students with dyslexia and their families. Research on this topic is needed to offer greater support for this population of students and their families. Objective The main objective of this paper is to examine the psychoeducational impact of the required COVID-19 quarantine in Spain among children with dyslexia and their families. Method A sample of 32 children with dyslexia and their mothers participated in this study. Measures Children and adolescents with dyslexia and their mother completed several measures before the required national quarantine in Spain and again during the quarantine. Children completed measures of depression, state anxiety, reading activity, and reading motivation. Mothers provided demographic information and completed measures related to students' emotional and behavioral difficulties as well as parenting stress, parental distress, and a questionnaire about educational problems during quarantine. Results Major findings showed that during quarantine, children with dyslexia had increased levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, and parents perceived their children as having more emotional symptoms, hyperactivity-inattention, and conduct problems. During quarantine, children and adolescents with dyslexia also showed less reading activity and less reading motivation. Parents also reported significantly more stress, during quarantine compared to pre-quarantine conditions. Some demographic and psychological variables predicted children's state anxiety as well parental stress. The questionnaire related to impacts of quarantine also revealed several important findings. For example, nearly all parents of children with dyslexia reported (a) difficulties in establishing study routines, (b) that the quarantine negatively affected their child's learning, and (c) that they did not receive sufficient help from teachers on how to support their child's learning. Additionally, the vast majority of the parents were very worried about the child's learning and school success, the child's motivation and interest in reading, the child's peer relations, and the professional skills of the child's teacher. Conclusion This study offers a preliminary investigation into this topic and elucidates several psychoeducational challenges that children with dyslexia and their families have experienced during the quarantine in Spain. Study findings highlight the need to provide immediate support for children with dyslexia and emphasizes the importance of developing prevention programs to mitigate any future negative impacts of COVID-19 on children with dyslexia and their parents.

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Psychoeducational Challenges in Spanish Children With Dyslexia and Their Parents' Stress During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: To further understandings of household food insecurity in First Nations communities in Canada and its relationship with obesity. Design:
 Analysis of a cross-sectional dataset from the First Nations Food, Nutrition and Environment Study representative of First Nations communities south of the 60th parallel. Multivariate logistic regression was used to assess associations between food insecurity and sociodemographic factors, as well as the odds of obesity among food-insecure households adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Setting:
 Western and Central Canada. Participants:
 First Nations peoples aged ≥19 years. Results:
 Forty-six percent of First Nations households experienced food insecurity. Food insecurity was highest for respondents who received social assistance; had ≤10 years of education; were female; had children in the household; were 19–30 years old; resided in Alberta; and had no year-round road access into the community. Rates of obesity were highest for respondents residing in marginally food-insecure households (female 56·6 %; male 54·6 %). In gender-specific analyses, the odds of obesity were highest among marginally food-insecure households in comparison with food-secure households, for both female (OR 1·57) and male (OR 1·57) respondents, adjusting for sociodemographic variables. For males only, those in severely food-insecure (compared with food-secure) households had lower odds of obesity after adjusting for confounding (OR 0·56). Conclusions:
 The interrelated challenges of food insecurity and obesity in First Nations communities emphasise the need for Indigenous-led, culturally appropriate and food sovereign approaches to food security and nutrition in support of holistic wellness and prevention of chronic disease.

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Predictors of household food insecurity and relationship with obesity in First Nations communities in British Columbia, Manitoba, Alberta and Ontario.

Background COVID-19 pandemic has affected the world from every aspect. Individuals are drained from social, financial, and emotional percussion of this pandemic. Psychosocial consequences are far greater than are being perceived. It is anticipated that once the pandemic is over the psycho-emotional turbulence would shake the whole populations of affected countries. Aims and objectives To review the psychological consequences of COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A literature search was conducted on major databases from January 2020 to April 2020 with the search terms of Covid-19, Corona virus, psychological, depression, anxiety, phobias, obsessive behaviors, paranoia, parental relationship, marital life and maternal and fetal bond. Conclusion Patients with COVID-19 infection are more likely to suffer from a myriad of psychological consequences, and this infection may have profound effect on parenting, relationships, marital life, elderly, and maternal-fetal bond.

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1111/jocd.13601

Psychological aspects of COVID-19

Dear Editor, COVID-19 has affected every walk of life. The psychological consequences of COVID-19 are far reaching in every relationship. There has been a profound impact of parents trying to explain to their children the drastic change in family routines. School closures with a total disruption of a child's sense of predictability and “world order” has abruptly pivoted. Many parents' work schedulesmay have changed. Childrenwho routinely spent time with extended family or friends have stopped or drastically reduced. Parents struggle to teach abstract concepts such as illnesses due to respiratory viruses, hand washing, and wearing masks. Regardless of age, all children are reassured by knowing that their parents will be there to care for and that they will be safe. Many parents themselves are struggling to deal with their own emotions dealing with a plethora of uncertainty in addition to being calm enough to support their child's feelings. Two major concerns upon parents that indirectly have a consequential outcome on a given individual's ability to parent and the wellbeing of their children are social isolation and economic loss. Parents are now spending more time doing activities with their children feeling a closer bond of warmth while during the same period more likely to punish, yell, and spank their children. Experts and child advocates are actively monitoring if this change in ability to parent children interactions trend towards healthy relationships or tendency towards child abuse. The reports of vertical transmission COVID19 positive maternal, perinatal, and neonatal outcomes have been inconsistent. There is an area of questions to prioritize for potential areas for research in Maternal-Fetal Medicine. What level of maternal stress (cortisol level) of a mother diagnosed with COVID19 on the fetus while making the decision to separate the neonate upon delivery to whether to co-habitat post-delivery? What would the mother's/partner's oxytocin level be when they reunite with the newborn? What duration of time of separation of 14 days disrupts maternal-fetal bond? If there is a partner to administer pumped breastmilk to the infant if the mother is sequestered due to being positive to COVID19 what is the experience/symptoms of the mother? What would be the fears of contamination of the child by the mother impacting their interactions in the future? How does a neonate eye tracking facial recognition change if her mother/caretaker is wearing a mask? Would a mother who has already been diagnosed with postpartum mood disorder (PMD) have higher symptoms? Would a woman who may not have PMD but rather postpartum blues convert to PMD? In conclusion, the humanitarian global health crisis has impacted the psychological states of all humankind. The second wave of this pandemic will be in mental health such that there is a monumental void of scientific data which needs to be prioritized. History repeats itself. As in 1918 to 1919, the field science of psychology/psychiatry/neurology/maternalfetal mental health was in its infancy so research in this area will be the first of its kind andmay help people now aswell as in 100 years from now.

Elizabeth Halvorsen

Papers

Psychological aspects of COVID-19

Psychological effects of COVID-19 on parenting and maternal-fetal mental health.