V. BERTINO, Italy
Ospedale San Paolo Mental HealthPresenter of 2 Presentations
EPV0214 - Telework during COVID-19 outbreak: impact on mental health among Italian workers
ABSTRACT
Introduction
Since February 2020, the outbreak of COVID-19 has spread to several countries worldwide, including Italy, leading to an uptake of telework.
Objectives
we aim to evaluate the psychopathological impact of teleworking during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, identifying mental health determinants among home-based workers.
Methods
804 participants completed an online survey, including the psychometric scales “Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale – 21 items” (DASS-21) and the “Insomnia Severity Index” (ISI). Teleworkers were also asked to provide information about their current work routine, home environment and clinical history.
Results
At the DASS-21, 30% of the participants presented pathological levels of depression, 20.8% of anxiety and 30.7% of stress. At the ISI, 5% appeared to suffer from insomnia. Respondents with psychological and physical frailties, greater social isolation or inadequate working spaces manifested higher levels of psychiatric symptoms. Moreover, we also find a correlation of these symptoms with occupations in education. Telework was broadly appreciated and 87% of respondents expressed a willingness to maintain access to this arrangement.
Conclusions
Our results document that about a third of our sample manifested psychopathological symptoms while teleworking during the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy. However, telework itself does not seem to be directly associated with increased psychiatric symptoms, which were instead exacerbated by COVID-19-related stressful circumstances, as well as by constitutional and social determinants of health. Going forward, authorities should promote adequate measures in order to guarantee a healthy approach to teleworking.
O120 - Eating disturbances in subjects with autism spectrum disorder without intellectual disabilities
ABSTRACT
Introduction
There is a growing interest in the relationship between Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and Eating Disorders (ED), two relatively common conditions lying on a spectrum from mild to severe clinical features. However, only limited data are available about pathological eating behaviours throughout adults on the autistic spectrum.
Objectives
The aim of the present study is to assess dysfunctional eating behaviours, including ED manifestations and ASD-related eating disturbances, in a population of adults with ASD with no intellectual disabilities.
Methods
We recruited 115 adults on the autistic spectrum, with no intellectual disability and 114 neurotypical adults (NA). Participants completed the “Eating Attitude Test” (EAT-26), to measure symptoms and concerns characteristic of ED, and the “Swedish Eating Assessment for Autism Spectrum Disorders” (SWEAA), to assess eating behaviours frequently seen within the autistic spectrum.
Results
Subjects with ASD scored significantly higher than NA at the EAT-26 and at the SWEAA. Women reported higher scores than men. Moreover, an interaction effect Group*Gender emerged at the EAT-26 only, with women with ASD scoring higher than men with and than NA overall. ASD
subjects scored higher than NA at the EAT-26 subscales Dieting and Bulimia. Furthermore, the higher the SWEAA total score was, the more likely it was that a subject on the autistic spectrum would score above the cut-off of 20 at the EAT-26.
Conclusions
These results indicate that adults with ASD without intellectual disability presented not only a higher prevalence of eating disturbances typical of autistic spectrum, but also other ED symptoms in comparison to NA.