Pandemics are natural disasters with possible traumatic impact on children and adolescents’ development (Raccanello et al., 2021). It is important to create instruments promoting their resilience (Masten, 2021) concerning both emotional and behavioral preparedness. For this reason, we developed and tested a pilot version of the web-application PandHEMOT. We explored the ease of use of the first unit of PandHEMOT, focusing on age differences. The unit provides knowledge about pandemics and safety measures; the other two units concern knowledge of emotions and coping strategies. To develop the content of the first unit, we involved 21 experts (11 primary/secondary school teachers, two experts from a civil protection agency, two psychologists, two health sociologists, two pediatricians, a doctor of public health, and a security officer) using semi-structured interviews on the main characteristics of pandemics and safety measures. After content analysis, a pool of experts in developmental psychology and health sociology identified the content of 48 dichotomous items, 12 correct and 12 incorrect for each level. We then involved 42 third-graders and 49 seventh-graders as pilot users of the first unit. We used the R-software to run a generalized linear mixed model with participants as the random effect; class, gender, level (first/second), and item correctness (correct/incorrect) as the fixed effects; and item score as the dependent variable. Scores were lower for third-graders vs. seventh-graders, χ2(1) = 6.051, p = 0.014, and for level 1 vs. 2, χ2(1) = 19.259, p < 0.001, indicating that users know better how to behave compared to what pandemics are. Notwithstanding limitations (e.g., reduced sample size), our findings indicated that the content of PandHEMOT can be used by children and pre-adolescents taking into account developmental differences. Future research is needed to test the other units, exploring developmental differences, and the efficacy of the web-application through an evidence-based design.
Preliminary data on PandHEMOT: An evidence-based web-application to promote children and adolescents’ resilience during pandemics
Raccanello D.;Vicentini G.;Rocca E.;Lonardi C.;Carradore M.;Hall R.;Burro, R.
2022-01-01
Abstract
Pandemics are natural disasters with possible traumatic impact on children and adolescents’ development (Raccanello et al., 2021). It is important to create instruments promoting their resilience (Masten, 2021) concerning both emotional and behavioral preparedness. For this reason, we developed and tested a pilot version of the web-application PandHEMOT. We explored the ease of use of the first unit of PandHEMOT, focusing on age differences. The unit provides knowledge about pandemics and safety measures; the other two units concern knowledge of emotions and coping strategies. To develop the content of the first unit, we involved 21 experts (11 primary/secondary school teachers, two experts from a civil protection agency, two psychologists, two health sociologists, two pediatricians, a doctor of public health, and a security officer) using semi-structured interviews on the main characteristics of pandemics and safety measures. After content analysis, a pool of experts in developmental psychology and health sociology identified the content of 48 dichotomous items, 12 correct and 12 incorrect for each level. We then involved 42 third-graders and 49 seventh-graders as pilot users of the first unit. We used the R-software to run a generalized linear mixed model with participants as the random effect; class, gender, level (first/second), and item correctness (correct/incorrect) as the fixed effects; and item score as the dependent variable. Scores were lower for third-graders vs. seventh-graders, χ2(1) = 6.051, p = 0.014, and for level 1 vs. 2, χ2(1) = 19.259, p < 0.001, indicating that users know better how to behave compared to what pandemics are. Notwithstanding limitations (e.g., reduced sample size), our findings indicated that the content of PandHEMOT can be used by children and pre-adolescents taking into account developmental differences. Future research is needed to test the other units, exploring developmental differences, and the efficacy of the web-application through an evidence-based design.
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