Papers by Valentina Meuti
Rivista Di Psichiatria, Mar 1, 2011
Background. To assess personality characteristics of women who develop perinatal depression. Meth... more Background. To assess personality characteristics of women who develop perinatal depression. Methods. The study started with a screening of a sample of 453 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, to which was administered a survey data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2). A clinical group of subjects with perinatal depression (PND, 55 subjects) was selected; clinical and validity scales of MMPI-2 were used as predictors in hierarchical cluster analysis carried out. Results. The analysis identified three clusters of personality profile: two "clinical" clusters (1 and 3) and an "apparently common" one (cluster 2). The first cluster (39.5%) collects structures of personality with prevalent obsessive or dependent functioning tending to develop a "psychasthenic" depression; the third cluster (13.95%) includes women with prevalent borderline functioning tending to develop &q...
Official Journal of the Italian Society of Psychopathology, 2012
Objectives The perinatal period is associated with an increased risk for affective disorders, wit... more Objectives The perinatal period is associated with an increased risk for affective disorders, with consequences on mother’s interaction with the newborn baby and on child development. The prevalence of postpartum depression (PPD) ranges between 10 and 20% in the general population. This study investigates the prevalence of perinatal depression and the role of sociodemographic variables, personality structure and maternal attachment style in PPD in order to identify potential primary and secondary prevention strategies. Methods Data were collected in two phases. During the third trimester, a sample of 253 women completed a Socio-demographic Data Sheet and the Edinburgh Post-natal Depression Scale (EPDS). Among patients scoring 12 or more at EPDS, 22 entered the second phase of the study and were compared with healthy controls. Diagnosis of PPD was confirmed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), and both groups completed the Experience in Close Rel...
Rivista di psichiatria, 2019
Several studies focused on mothers' psychopathological and environmental risk factors linked ... more Several studies focused on mothers' psychopathological and environmental risk factors linked to filicide, to understand the genesis of this violent act. Considering the transition to motherhood a critical period for any woman, requiring the activation of deep personality resources, the aim of this study was to detect, in a sample of 16 filicide women hospitalized in Italian Forensic Psychiatric Hospitals, the recurrent characteristics with a specific focus on personality traits. Women were assessed using Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I), Big Five Inventory (BFI) and Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). The BFI and TCI profiles seem to overlap showing a personality profile characterized by a rigid control of aggressive impulses, the avoiding of unconscious fears and the masking of feelings of negativity. Examining the mother's mental state with respect to personality traits, could help clinicians to detect specific temperament patterns ...
Rivista Di Psichiatria, 2010
AIM The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disord... more AIM The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disorder not otherwise specified, with globus pharyngeus, is reported. The purpose is to show how an articulated diagnosis and treatment of individuals with mental retardation and comorbid psychopathology may produce syndromal and functional recovery. METHODS Psychometric testing of the patient was performed, in order to monitor the prescribed, duloxetine-based, treatment. RESULTS After six weeks of treatment the patient underwent full remission. DISCUSSION The correct identification of psychiatric comorbidity is the prerequisite for an appropriate complementary pharmacological intervention, aimed at improving the quality of life.
AIM The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disord... more AIM The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disorder not otherwise specified, with globus pharyngeus, is reported. The purpose is to show how an articulated diagnosis and treatment of individuals with mental retardation and comorbid psychopathology may produce syndromal and functional recovery. METHODS Psychometric testing of the patient was performed, in order to monitor the prescribed, duloxetine-based, treatment. RESULTS After six weeks of treatment the patient underwent full remission. DISCUSSION The correct identification of psychiatric comorbidity is the prerequisite for an appropriate complementary pharmacological intervention, aimed at improving the quality of life.
Rivista di psichiatria, 2020
INTRODUCTION Filicide is an act of terrible violence that generates dismay and astonishment and i... more INTRODUCTION Filicide is an act of terrible violence that generates dismay and astonishment and invites everybody to ask: why? AIM As the transition to motherhood is a critical period for any woman, requiring the activation of deep personality resources, the aim of this study was to deepen our knowledge of the personality profiles of new mothers by comparing a sample of 16 women who had killed their own child ("filicide mothers") with women who had murdered someone outside of their family ("non-family homicide women"). METHOD All of the women had a similar psychiatric diagnosis, as assessed by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders (SCID-I). All were assessed by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2) 2 to 4 years after the court's judgment. A Kruskal-Wallis test and two-step cluster analysis were performed to determine whether a specific personality profile could distinguish filicide mothers from non-family homicide ...
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
International Journal of Methods in Psychiatric Research
Objectives: A previous individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) identified differences i... more Objectives: A previous individual participant data meta-analysis (IPDMA) identified differences in major depression classification rates between different diagnostic interviews, controlling for depressive symptoms on the basis of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9. We aimed to determine whether similar results would be seen in a different population, using studies that administered the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) in pregnancy or postpartum.
Rivista Di Psichiatria, May 1, 2012
Rivista Di Psichiatria, 2010
The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disorder n... more The case study of a young woman affected by moderate mental retardation and somatoform disorder not otherwise specified, with globus pharyngeus, is reported. The purpose is to show how an articulated diagnosis and treatment of individuals with mental retardation and comorbid psychopathology may produce syndromal and functional recovery. Psychometric testing of the patient was performed, in order to monitor the prescribed, duloxetine-based, treatment. After six weeks of treatment the patient underwent full remission. The correct identification of psychiatric comorbidity is the prerequisite for an appropriate complementary pharmacological intervention, aimed at improving the quality of life.
Rivista Di Psichiatria, Sep 1, 2010
Depression Research and Treatment, 2015
Background. This study aims to verify if the presence and severity of perinatal depression are re... more Background. This study aims to verify if the presence and severity of perinatal depression are related to any particular pattern of attachment.Methods. The study started with a screening of a sample of 453 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, who were administered a survey data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR). A clinical group of subjects with perinatal depression (PND, 89 subjects) was selected and compared with a control group (C), regarding psychopathological variables and attachment patterns.Results. The ECR showed a prevalence of “Fearful-Avoidant” attachment style in PND group (29.2% versus 1.1%,p<0.001); additionally, the EPDS average score increases with the increasing of ECR dimensions (Avoidance and Anxiety).Conclusion. The severity of depression increases proportionally to attachment disorganization; therefore, we consider attachment as both an important risk factor as well as a focus for earl...
Depression Research and Treatment, 2015
Background. This study aims to verify if the presence and severity of perinatal depression are re... more Background. This study aims to verify if the presence and severity of perinatal depression are related to any particular pattern of attachment. Methods. The study started with a screening of a sample of 453 women in their third trimester of pregnancy, who were administered a survey data form, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the Experience in Close Relationship (ECR). A clinical group of subjects with perinatal depression (PND, 89 subjects) was selected and compared with a control group (C), regarding psychopathological variables and attachment patterns. Results. The ECR showed a prevalence of "Fearful-Avoidant" attachment style in PND group (29.2% versus 1.1%, < 0.001); additionally, the EPDS average score increases with the increasing of ECR dimensions (Avoidance and Anxiety). Conclusion. The severity of depression increases proportionally to attachment disorganization; therefore, we consider attachment as both an important risk factor as well as a focus for early psychotherapeutic intervention.
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Rivista di psichiatria
This study investigates the prevalence of post partum depression (PPD) in a sample of Roman women... more This study investigates the prevalence of post partum depression (PPD) in a sample of Roman women, and the role of socio-demographic variables, personality structure and maternal attachment patterns, in order to identify primary and secondary prevention strategies. Data were collected in two phases. During the third trimester of pregnancy, a sample of 453 women completed a socio-demographic data sheet and the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Among the patients scoring 12 or more at EPDS, 15 entered the second phase of the study and completed SCID-II and Adult Attachment Interview. PPD diagnosis was confirmed by the SCID-I. The study group was compared with a control group. Among the 453 women who were evaluated, 92 (20.3%) scored ≥12 at EPDS, 39 has been enrolled and 15 entered the study. Presence of depressive symptoms was associated with: complications in pregnancy, previous psychiatric disorders, family and marital conflicts. 66.6% of depressed mothers showed more tha...
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Papers by Valentina Meuti