A high rate of women wish to give birth by cesarean section. This is probably an expression of the changes in society's attitudes. However, more careful attention to the psychological aspects and more personalized information about pregnancy and delivery could reduce this maternal demand.

Dental anxiety in the general population is more prevalent in females than in males. The presence of dental anxiety was studied in a group of 189 females and 176 males using the following scales: the Dental Anxiety Scale (divided into DAS 1 containing 6 items, which explores a patient's dental anxiety and DAS 2 containing 13 items, which looks at dental anxiety concerning dentist-patient relations), the Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS), and the Quality of Life Index (QL-Index). The results obtained showed significant differences only in relation to dental anxiety regarding the use of instruments (such as needles and handpieces) and the tilted-back position of the chair (DAS 1). No significant gender differences emerged between the two groups in relation to dental anxiety regarding dentist-patient relations (DAS 2), depression (SDS), and the quality of life (QL-Index). The results may explain why women avoid dental care and indicate new designs to make the chair position more comfortable would be useful.

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Telephone interviews have been used extensively as a tool to explore and assess sleep disorders and psychopathological conditions. The aim of this study was to set up and validate a telephone interview aimed at assessing the correlation between mood and sleep variables in adolescents. The study included 16-18 years subjects. A total of approximately 4,000 calls were made; 529 adolescents were finally enrolled. The questionnaire was divided into two parts: the first one focused on affective variables, the second one explored sleep variables. A factorial analysis was carried out to explore the structure of the questionnaire according to two factors: the first, which we labeled "affective factor", and the second, "quality of sleep". A positive correlation was found regarding the feeling of wellbeing on awakening. A negative correlation was found between feeling of wellbeing on awakening and daytime drowsiness. In adolescence, increased daytime sleepiness seemed to correlate with worsening mood.

We aimed to evaluate regional differences in women's motivations and in obstetricians' attitudes re 'caesarean section on request' between obstetricians practicing in Southern and Northern Italy. An anonymous questionnaire was sent to 70 randomly selected specialists practicing in the Veneto region and Sicily. Demographic characteristics, percentage of caesarean section, increase of caesarean section on demand, maternal motivations and the role played by anxiety, relatives and instrumental examinations were analysed. Moreover, obstetricians' opinion and their behaviour in fulfilling, or not, the maternal request were evaluated. Among the emotional reasons, fear of pain was more frequently reported in Sicily (p = 0.045), and previous negative experiences and gestational anxiety in the Veneto region (p = 0.009; p = 0.001). As regards instrumental examinations influencing maternal request, a significant difference was found for ultrasonography (28% in Sicily vs 60% in Veneto, p = 0.002). The husband's role was more frequently reported in the Veneto region (p = 0.006). Obstetricians of both regions noticed a rising rate of caesarean section on maternal request. The reasons for this upward trend are complex, vary from one region to another and are influenced by local socio-cultural and healthcare background.