Social networks and eating disorders during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Impact of Anorexia Nervosa and the Basis for Non-Pharmacological Interventions

Anorexia nervosa is a psychiatric disorder with an unknown etiology that is characterized by an individual's preoccupation with their weight and body structure while denying the severity of their low body weight. Due to the fact that anorexia nervosa is multifaceted and may indicate the coexistence of genetic, social, hormonal, and psychiatric disorders, a description of non-pharmacological interventions can be used to ameliorate or reduce the symptoms of this condition. Consequently, the purpose of the present narrative review is to describe the profile's context in the anorexic person as well as the support they would require from their family and environment. In addition, it is aimed at examining preventative and non-pharmacological interventions, such as nutritional interventions, physical activity interventions, psychological interventions, psychosocial interventions, and physical therapy interventions. To reach the narrative review aims, a critical review was conducted utilizing both primary sources, such as scientific publications, and secondary sources, such as bibliographic indexes, web pages, and databases. Nutritional interventions include nutritional education and an individualized treatment for each patient, physical activity interventions include allowing patients to perform controlled physical activity, psychological interventions include family therapy and evaluation of the existence of other psychological disorders, psychosocial interventions include management of the relationship between the patient and social media and physical therapy interventions include relaxation massages and exercises to relieve pain. All these non-pharmacological interventions need to be individualized based on each patient's needs.

Drawing a pandemic vulnerabilities' map: The SoNAR-global Vulnerabilities Assessment digital and its output

This paper describes the process, advantages and limitations of a qualitative methodology for defining and analyzing vulnerabilities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Implemented in Italy in two sites (Rome and outside Rome, in some small-medium sized municipalities in Latium) in 2021, this investigation employed a mixed digital research tool that was also used simultaneously in four other European countries. Its digital nature encompasses both processes of data collection. Among the most salient is that the pandemic catalyzed new vulnerabilities in addition to exacerbating old ones, particularly economic. Many of the vulnerabilities detected, in fact, are linked to previous situations, such as the uncertainties of labor markets, having in COVID-19 to the greatest negative effects on the most precarious workers (non-regular, part-time, and seasonal). The consequences of the pandemic are also reflected in other forms of vulnerability that appear less obvious, having exacerbated social isolation, not only out of fear of contagion, but because of the psychological challenges posed by containment measures themselves. These measures created not mere discomfort, but behavioral changes characterized by anxiety, fearfulness, and disorientation. More generally, this investigation reveals the strong influence of social determinants throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, creating new forms of vulnerability, as the effects of social, economic, and biological risk factors were compounded, in particular, among already marginalized populations.

The Thin Ideal and Attitudes towards Appearance as Correlates of Exercise Addiction among Sporty People during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The stress and anxiety caused by the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) have exacerbated body image concerns. A society that perpetuates the attempt for a perfect and thin appearance represents a fertile ground for the development of exercise addiction (EA). This cross-sectional study aims to explore EA during the second wave of the pandemic (October−December 2020) and to examine the independent influence of both time spent on moderate and vigorous physical activities and body image variables (i.e., drive for leanness and sociocultural attitudes toward appearance) on EA. A sample of Italian sporty people (N = 194; 48.5% females; Mage = 25.91 ± 6.32) was surveyed using the Exercise Addiction Inventory, the Drive for Leanness Scale, the Sociocultural Attitudes Towards Appearance Questionnaire, and the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire. A total of 82% of the sample were symptomatic of and 11.3% were at risk of EA. Hierarchical regressions revealed an association between the time spent on vigorous physical activities and levels of EA (p < 0.05). Moreover, body image variables were positively related to EA, explaining an additional 11% of variance (p < 0.05). Results showed the importance of considering and addressing body image factors to investigate and dampen the risk of EA among sporty people.