Francesca is a Research Fellow within the NIHR ARC Wessex Mental Health Hub, based in the School of Health Sciences, University of Southampton (UK). She is working on a mixed-methods project aimed at identifying knowledge gaps among paramedics in managing patients with mental health issues to enhance the quality of mental health care provided to patients, improve patient experiences, and offer better support for paramedics. She has recently completed her PhD programme at the Centre for Innovation in Mental Health, University of Southampton (UK), funded by the ESRC South Coast DTP and focused on the risk posed by parental anxiety to child emotional and behavioural development and on strategies to promote the mental health of at-risk children. Francesca also qualified as a Clinical Psychologist in Italy.
In her latest blog, Francesca Zecchinato summarises findings from a recent pragmatic, partially randomised, patient preference trial on two forms of guided self-help for anxiety.
Francesca Zecchinato summarises a new study which suggests that children of parents with experience of mental illness comorbidities represent a vulnerable population and should be prioritised in prevention and intervention efforts.
In her debut blog, Francesca Zecchinato explores a recent systematic review which finds that physical activity may help address anxiety symptoms in children and young people, but more research is needed to confirm it is a safe and effective treatment for anxiety disorders.
