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Background This study investigated changes in the prevalence of insomnia in Italy during COVID-19, starting from the first lockdown period (8 March 2020). We hypothesized that lockdown precipitated increased prevalence of insomnia symptoms relative to the pre-pandemic period; b) the gradual relaxation of containment measures – post-lockdown period (Phase 2 and Phase 3) – reduced insomnia severity, leading to a relative recovery of pre-pandemic levels; and c) we tested age-related heterogeneity in sleep responses, with an expected higher increase in insomnia in younger and middle-age groups. Methods Analyses drew on a subsample ( N  = 883) of respondents to ITA.LI – Italian Lives, a recently established panel study on a probability sample of individuals aged 16 + living in Italy. To estimate patterns of change in insomnia, we first fitted a random-effects ordered logistic model on the whole sample. We then added an interaction term between policy phases and the respondent age to test whether the relationship between insomnia and policy phases differed across age groups. Analyses accounted for survey non-response weights. Results The fraction of respondents reporting moderate (“somewhat” + 0.159, S.E. 0.017) or severe (“very much” + 0.142, S.E. 0.030) sleep disturbances significantly increased during Phase 1. The prevalence of insomnia followed an inverted U-shaped curve across policy phases, with further increases from baseline levels (“somewhat” + 0.168, S.E. 0.015; “very much” + 0.187, S.E. 0.030) during Phase 2, followed by a relative reduction in Phase 3, although it remained significantly higher than in the pre-pandemic period (“somewhat”, + 0.084, S.E. 0.016; “very much”, + 0.045, S.E. 0.010). There were significant age-related differences in insomnia patterns, as the discrete change from pre-pandemic levels in the probability of not suffering from insomnia was negative and significant for the younger age group (− 0.269, S.E. 0.060) and for respondents aged 35–54 (− 0.163, S.E. 0.039). Conclusion There is reason to believe that the emergency policy response to the COVID-19 crisis may have had unintended and possibly scarring effects in terms of increased prevalence of insomnia. The hardest hit were young adults and, to a lesser extent, the middle-aged; however, older respondents (55 +) remained resilient, and their insomnia trajectory bounced back to pre-pandemic levels.

This study used a subsample of a household panel study in Italy to track changes in mental health before the onset of COVID-19 and into the first lockdown period, from late April to early September 2020. The results of the random-effects regression analyses fitted on a sample of respondents aged 16 years and older (N = 897) proved that there was a substantial and statistically significant short-term deterioration in mental health (from 78,5 to 67,9; β = -10.5, p < .001; Cohen’s d -.445), as measured by a composite index derived from the mental component of the 12-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-12). The findings also showed heterogeneity in the COVID-related effects. On the one hand, evidence has emerged that the pandemic acted as a great leveller of pre-existing differences in mental health across people of different ages: the decrease was most pronounced among those aged 16–34 (from 84,2 to 66,5; β = -17.7, p < .001; Cohen’s d -.744); however, the magnitude of change reduced as age increased and turned to be non-significant among individuals aged 70 and over. On the other hand, the COVID-19 emergency widened the mental health gender gap and created new inequalities, based on the age of the youngest child being taken care of within the household.

Background Crisis Resolution Home Treatment (CRHT) is an alternative to inpatient treatment for acute psychiatric crises management. However, evidence on CRHT effectiveness is still limited. In the Canton of Ticino (Southern Switzerland), in 2016 the regional public psychiatric hospital replaced one acute ward with a CRHT. The current study was designed within this evaluation setting to assess the effectiveness of CRHT compared to standard inpatient treatment. Methods CRHT was offered to patients aged 18 to 65 with an acute psychiatric crisis that would have required hospitalization. We used a natural experiment based on geography, where intervention and control groups were formed according to the place of residence. Primary endpoints were reduction of psychiatric symptoms at discharge measured using the Health of the Nation Outcome Scales, treatment duration in days, and rate and length of readmissions during a two-year follow-up period after discharge. Safety during the treatment period was measured with the number of serious adverse events (suicide/suicide attempts, major self-harm episodes, acute alcohol/drug intoxications, aggressions to caregivers or family members). We used linear, log-linear and logistic regression models with propensity scores for the main analysis. Results We enrolled 321 patients; 67 were excluded because the treatment period was too short and 17 because they were transferred before the end of the treatment. Two hundred thirty-seven patients were available for data analysis, 93 in the intervention group and 144 in the control group. No serious adverse event was observed during the treatment period in both groups. Reduction of psychiatric symptoms at discharge ( p -value = 0.359), readmission rates ( p -value = 0.563) and length of readmissions ( p -value = 0.770) during the two-year follow-up period did not differ significantly between the two groups. Treatment duration was significantly higher in the treatment group (+ 29.6% on average, p -value = 0.002). Conclusions CRHT was comparable to standard hospitalization in terms of psychiatric symptoms reduction, readmission rates and length of readmissions, but it was also characterized by a longer first treatment period. However, observational evidence following the study indicated that CRHT duration constantly lowered over time since its introduction in 2016 and became comparable to hospitalization, showing therefore to be an effective alternative also in terms of treatment length. Trial registration ISRCTN38472626 (17/11/2020, retrospectively registered).

This study draws on the Swiss Household Panel and employs specific panel data methods to investigate whether work-life conflict – decomposed into time-, and strain-based conflicts – and lack of recovery during off-job time (i. e. psychological detachment from work) cause insomnia. The findings indicate that, when adequately accounting for individual hetero geneity and the relative importance of multiple causal factors, recovery and recuperation processes appear crucial to the experience of insomnia, while the significance of perceived work-life conflict recede, for both men and women.

Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) teams represent a community-based mental health service offering a valid alternative to hospitalization. CRHT teams have been widely implemented in various mental health systems worldwide, and their goal is to provide care for people with severe acute mental disorders who would be considered for admission to acute psychiatric wards. The evaluation of several home-treatment experiences shows promising results; however, it remains unclear which specific elements and characteristics of CRHT are more effective and acceptable. This study aims to assess the acceptability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of a new CRHT intervention in Ticino, Southern Switzerland. This study includes an interventional, nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study combined with a qualitative study and an economic evaluation to be conducted over a 48-month period. The quasi-experimental evaluation involves two groups: patients in the northern area of the region who were offered the CRHT service (ie, intervention group) and patients in the southern area of the region who received care as usual (ie, control group). Individual interviews will be conducted with patients receiving the home treatment intervention and their family members. CRHT members will also be asked to participate in a focus group. The economic evaluation will include a cost-effectiveness analysis. The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of the National Research Program NRP74 for a period of 48 months starting from January 2017. As of October 2021, data for the nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study and the qualitative study have been collected, and the results are expected to be published by the end of the year. Data are currently being collected for the economic evaluation. Compared to other Swiss CRHT experiences, the CRHT intervention in Ticino represents a unique case, as the introduction of the service is backed by the closing of one of its acute wards. The proposed study will address several areas where there are evidence gaps or contradictory findings relating to the home treatment of acute mental crisis. Findings from this study will allow local services to improve their effectiveness in a challenging domain of public health and contribute to improving access to more effective care for people with severe mental disorders. ISRCTN registry ISRCTN38472626; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN38472626. DERR1-10.2196/28191.

The relationship between income and health has been widely established. However, there are some issues which need to be addressed in order to study accurately the socio-economic gradient in health. Firstly, there is a specific issue linked to the dynamic nature of health. The current health status is closely linked to past health circumstances and is a good predictor of future health status. Hence we should implement models which are able to take into account the dynamic nature of health. Secondly, the study of health can be affected by a more general problem that often plagues sociological models aimed at estimating causal effects, that of non-observed heterogeneity leading to endogeneity. Both genetic factors and psychological predispositions that are important predictors of health may easily be correlated with one’s socio-economic status, thus creating endogeneity. If analyzed with the appropriate methods, panel data help us tackle these issues. In this work we study the effect of income on self-assessed health in Switzerland using 13 waves (from 1999 to 2012) of the Swiss Household Panel. We apply a fixed effects model, a random effect model and a dynamic panel model (more precisely, the Mundlak–Chamberlain model). Whereas in both the fixed and the random effects models income appears to be significantly related to health, in the Mundlak–Chamberlain model this effect disappears. Results show that models based on different assumptions and including a different set of controls give quite different results.

Most individuals yearn to experience interpersonal closeness and connection to others at work. Would those experiences be related to lower work-family conflict (WFC), which in turn would be related to enhanced wellbeing? In the current study we build on job demands-resources (J-DR) and self-determination (SDT) theories to investigate differences across the life course in the effect of communion job resources (employee involvement and supportive leadership) and job hindrance demands (surface acting) on important dimensions of employee wellbeing (namely mental health, sleep quality and work-engagement). Moreover, we study the proportion of the total effect of job demands and resources on individual outcomes that is mediated by the subjective assessment of WFC. Structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis, which draws on the 6 th European Working Conditions Survey (N = 35,377 employees in 35 countries), reveals that communion job resources are associated with lower WFC, which in turn is associated with enhanced wellbeing. Conversely, communion job hindrance demands and structural demands (long working hours) are related to heightened WFC, which is translated into diminished wellbeing. The model is significant for both men and women from all age groups, but parameter estimates magnitude are stronger for women aged 50 + . Implications of the findings are discussed.

This paper uses data from four waves of the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE) and investigates the effect of job quality on CASP-12, which is a measure of quality of life and wellbeing, on a large and longitudinal sample (30,473 observations nested within 21,278 individuals) of workers aged 50-64 years in 14 European countries. Building on the different theoretical models of work-related stress and wellbeing and using Self-Organizing Map, sampled workers were grouped into different job quality clusters. Then, multilevel and growth curve modelling was used to examine: i ) the effect of cluster membership on CASP-12; ii ) whether protracted membership in different job quality clusters could produce cumulative effects on CASP-12; and iii ) the moderating effect of the national unemployment rate. Findings indicate that a wellbeing gradient exists in which higher CASP-12 scores result from membership in the better job quality cluster; however, there is no evidence of cumulative effects of job quality on CASP-12. Finally, analyses confirm country-specific relationships between job quality and quality of life and wellbeing; namely, they indicate that the wellbeing gradient associated with better job quality is steeper in countries with higher unemployment rates.

The name of our village within The Economy of Francesco, “CO2 of Inequalities”, showcases a tension: as much as it is meaningless to conceptualize nature (or the creation thereof) without carbon dioxide, thus it is unrealistic to conceptualize humanity without diversity, the great wealth of humanity. In this paper, we showcase some of the activities and reflections made within our village. First, we offer a theoretical reflection on the issue of inequalities by looking at Pope Francis’ magisterium and Nobel prize-winner Amartya Sen’s capabilities approach. Second, we reflect on the issue of meritocracy and its relationship with inequalities. Third, we present the state of the art on inequalities across the globe by resorting to an innovative statistical tool, a self-organizing map. Fourth, we reflect on diversity (equity) and inequality in the business world.

This study investigates the relationship between perceived work–life fit and subjective well-being in a large and cross-national sample (N = 15,835) of male and female employees taken from the 2012 European Quality of Life Survey. Subjective well-being is conceptualized and operationalized through a multiple-item construct, measuring flourishing and mental health, experience of positive and negative affect, and cognitive evaluations of satisfaction with life and specific life domains. Adopting a multilevel framework, we also examine whether societal gender inequality, measured with the Gender Equality Index, moderates the relationship differently for men and women. The analyses provide robust empirical evidence that, after controlling for a broad set of confounding variables at the micro and macro levels, for both men and women: (1) perceived work–life fit is associated with greater subjective well-being; (2) higher levels of gender inequality at country level result in a weaker relationship between perceived work–life fit and subjective well-being. Based on the capability and agency framework, a plausible explanation for these findings is that when gender inequality is acute perceived work–life fit may not be a key determinant of subjective well-being; for both men and women the control over material resources may matter more for subjective well-being than the possibility of combining work with engagement in other life domains. Implications for both theory and practice are discussed.