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IntroductionSurvey studies yield mixed results on the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance, with limited direct evidence available.MethodologyUsing the academic platform from the Italian university system, a large-scale archival study involving 30,731 students and 829 examiners encompassing a total of 246,416 exams (oral tests only) to scrutinize the influence of the COVID-19 pandemic on the likelihood of passing exams was conducted. Examination data were collected both in face-to-face and online formats during the pandemic. In the pre-pandemic period, only face-to-face data were accessible.ResultsIn face-to-face examination, we observed a lower probability of passing exams during the pandemic as opposed to pre-pandemic periods. Notably, during the pandemic we found an increased chance of passing exams conducted through online platforms compared to face-to-face assessments.Discussion and conclusionsThese findings provide the first direct evidence of an adverse impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on academic performance. Furthermore, the results align with prior survey studies underscoring that using telematics platforms to evaluate students' performance increases the probability of exam success. This research significantly contributes to ongoing efforts aimed to comprehend how lockdowns and the widespread use of online platforms impact academic assessment processes.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the association between psychiatric disease, climatic and seasonal factors in patients recorded to the Emergency Unit, in Messina Hospital (Italy). Method: A total of 6565 psychiatric patients were recorded to the Emergency Unit in Messina from January 2005 and December 2010. Each psychiatric visit in emergency, was categorized by date of appearance and admitting diagnosis according to diagnostic categories: Anxiety, Mood Disorders and Psychosis. Local weather data were obtained from the Metereological Instituted “Aereonautica Militare” station in Messina, Sicily, In addition, to gathering data on the state of the sky, temperature, atmosphericpressure with the normalized value at sea level, relative humidity, rainfall, wind direction and speed, the station is connected to a buoy located on the eastern sector of Tyrrhenian Sea. Results: In anxiety disorders we have found relevant results comparison between winter and spring (p=.007) and spring and fall (p=.001). In affective disorders the differences occur in relation to winter and fall (p=.002), spring and fall (p=001), spring and summer (p=002). The psychotic disorder presents significant differences between summer and fall (p=.001) and spring and fall (p=.002). Conclusions: We can observe a similarity of affective disorders, i.e. anxiety and mood disorders compared to psychosis, which have different influences and probably according to dissimilar etiopathogenetic ways. In our research, the distribution of anxiety disorders is higher than depressive disorders in terms of delivering emergency room visits. The major differences occur comparing spring and fall, the seasons when all pathological classes have significant differences. It follows that the most abrupt climate change, typical of these seasons, as a whole, cause psychopathological emergencies. The study is important for planning a more effective assistance for patients needing psychiatric support.

In the occidental world, feeding is not only a physiological need but it may become a compulsive behavior. In fact, the tendency to instant gratification may represent a way to escape from unpleasant moods and may lead to addictive behaviors. In this process, Metacognitions, defined as internal cognitive factors that control, monitor and evaluate thinking processes, have a central role. The aim of our study was to investigate the relationship between eating behavior, psychological needs and metacognitive processes. We evaluated 44 adults using the following instruments: Eating Disorders Inventory III (EDI-III), Metacognition Questionnaire 30 (MCQ-30) and Frontal Lobe Score. Data analysis was performed using SPSS for Windows applying correlational analysis (Spearman’s Rho). We found that negative beliefs about worry concerning uncontrollability and danger were positive correlated with general psychological maladjustment composite (0.61 p

This study evaluated the clinical efficacy of a time limited psychodynamic therapy for a group of young adult patients in terms of outcome and process. The results register a favourable outcome concerning not only the gravity of patients' initial symp-toms but also the structural personality changes and attachment style. In an exploratory perspective this study investigated the connection between the outcome of the tre-atment and therapeutic alliance measured by CALPAS-G in three different time intervals of therapy. A correlational analysis highlighted a strong connection between the Patient Commitment scale assessed at the beginning and the final outcome of the therapy. Work-ing Strategy Consensus and Group Understanding and Involvement assessed in the middle of the therapy course, show significant correlations with the final outcome of therapy.

Research in the field of emotions has highlighted that men and women differ as regards the perception and reaction to disgust. The aim of our study was to analyse, by means of a questionnaire on disgust, any gender differences regarding this feeling in its various dimensions, viewed both individually and globally. For this purpose a synthetic indicator was developed to evaluate the expression of disgust and identify any individual differences. The sample of 1587 subjects were given a questionnaire on disgust that contained items to elicit disgust. Statistical analysis was performed on the items and on the scores via a synthetic indicator, the Synthetic Disgust Index (SDI).The analysis revealed a different trend in different types of disgust for age and sex. In males. The oral disgust and contamination showed a reduction of SDI in the age group between 18 and 39 years (p