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Introduction: Studies on large samples agree on the negative impact of maternal perinatal depression (PD) on child's cognitive development. Early experience with insensitive maternal interactions appears to be predictive of poorer cognitive functioning. These children present a higher risk for the onset of socioemotional development, nutrition, growth and sleep disorders. Research on Covid-19 pandemic suggests that families, particularly mothers, may be at increased risk of psychological distress. Objectives: This study evaluates the effect of perinatal depression on child development and the impact of distress caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. Methods: We designed a case-control study comparing, during Covid-19 pandemic, a group-A of children of mothers with PD (n=19), with a group-B of children of healthy mothers (n=21). The age of the children recruited was 4-35 months. Participating mothers underwent DP3-Interview and the socioemotional and adaptive-behavior Bayley's scales by telephone and completed an online survey (IES-R). Results:We found significantly lower scores on the Bayley socioemotional scale and in all the DP3-scales, in group-A. There is an inversely proportional correlation between the age of these children and overall development score of the DP3. On the IES-R scale, the medium scores in both groups show no psychological distress as a consequence of the Covid-19 pandemic, although mothers with PD show borderline total scores and higher hyperarousal scale values. Conclusions: This study confirms that PD is a risk factor for the onset of disorders in all areas of the child's development. Mothers with PD are less likely to manage psychological distress secondary to the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The benthic communities of the soft seabed inside and outside the Cesano–Senigallia artificial reef (central Adriatic Sea) were investigated seasonally for 2 years (spring 1997 to winter 1999) to evaluate the effects of the reef on the surrounding bottom. The community living close to the reef is typical for the coastal area. Mean species richness and densities over the entire sampling period were comparable inside and outside the reef, while higher values were recorded at the control site. However, the Shannon–Wiener diversity index was higher close to the reef than at the control. Physical factors associated with the presence of the artificial structures appear to affect composition and abundance of the infauna community more than biological factors do (predation). The area inside the reef was characterized by fine mud favouring the settlement of deposit and suspension feeders, mainly polychaetes. Outside the reef, molluscs were numerically dominant, with an increasing proportion of sandy-bottom species with increasing distance from the structures. These differences were more marked in spring and autumn, while in the other seasons the reef effect appeared to be reduced to a narrow area close to the structures. Copyright 2002 International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. Published by Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]