University of Teacher Education Lucerne

Loneliness is associated with adverse physical and mental health outcomes. It affects individuals across all age groups and geographical regions. To characterise the extent that WHO Member States address loneliness, social isolation and social connection through national policies. We searched government websites using key terms. A matrix was used to extract data, followed by in-depth document analysis. By February 2025, only eight WHO Member States (Denmark, UK (England, Scotland, Wales), Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Japan, USA) had policies directly addressing loneliness, social isolation or social connection. Policymakers validated the findings. Common policy aims included building a more connected society, addressing loneliness as a wider societal challenge rather than just an individual issue, and supporting both individuals and organisations to manage loneliness. Key recommendations in these policies often highlighted the need to increase knowledge through research, raise public awareness to reduce stigma, promote cross-sectoral collaboration, integrate loneliness into government policy and implement community-based approaches. National policies emerged following societal activism, initiatives from government departments or a large-scale research project. Various policies are in place to help address loneliness at the national level. To maximise impact, policies require adequate funding. To date, none of the national policies had undergone rigorous evaluation concerning their effectiveness. This review highlights the growing political focus on loneliness and provides a starting point for those seeking to understand, develop or strengthen national strategies to address loneliness, social isolation or social connection.

Abstract This exploratory study examined the interplay between self‐regulation, uncertainty in mentalizing, and pedagogical competence in novice special education teachers. Drawing on conceptual frameworks highlighting the importance of adaptive self‐regulation for effective teaching, the study also investigated whether impaired mentalizing independently affects pedagogical performance. A sample of 707 novice teachers in special needs education completed self‐report measures assessing self‐regulation, uncertainty in mentalizing, and pedagogical competence. According to their self-regulatory capacities, participants were assigned to four groups. Multivariate analyses of covariance and univariate tests revealed that special education teachers with adaptive self‐regulatory patterns demonstrated higher pedagogical competence in teaching, educating, and assessing. In contrast, uncertainty in mentalizing was associated with lower overall pedagogical competence, with the most substantial negative effects observed in the domains of assessing and innovating. The findings suggest that both adaptive self‐regulation and effective mentalizing might reflect important determinants of effective pedagogical practice. Practical implications are discussed.

1975 publizierte eine Expert:innenkommission im Auftrag der Erziehungsdirektorenkonferenz den Bericht «Lehrerbildung von morgen» (LEMO-Bericht). Mit diesem Bericht war eine inhaltliche Koordination der Grundausbildung von Lehrpersonen beabsichtigt. Überlegungen zum Curriculum nehmen denn auch den grössten Umfang des Berichts ein. Explizit wurde eine Gleichwertigkeit von seminaristischem und maturitätsgebundenem Weg in den Lehrberuf postuliert und so die umstrittene Strukturfrage offengelassen. Der Beitrag erinnert an die Entstehungsgeschichte des LEMO-Berichts, verweist auf wichtige Vorarbeiten und hält zentrale Inhalte und Empfehlungen fest. Der LEMO-Bericht blieb auch später ein wichtiges Referenzdokument, was sich nicht zuletzt in expliziten Bezügen in fast 100 BzL-Beiträgen dokumentiert.

ObjectivesInflammatory bowel disease (IBD) constitutes a challenging and long‐lasting burden for pediatric patients. The management of IBD is multifaceted involving conventional medication but also dietary measures. An increasing number of patients are turning to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) in their quest to alleviate IBD‐related symptoms and improve their overall well‐being. We therefore investigated the patterns of CAM use and associated patients' and disease characteristics to identify indicators of CAM use in pediatric IBD patients in Switzerland.MethodsPediatric and adolescent patients enrolled in the Swiss IBD Cohort Study, a nationwide prospective cohort study, completed a questionnaire about CAM and supplementation use as well as dietary restrictions. Associations of CAM use with disease characteristics including conventional medication and patient‐recorded outcomes were analyzed.ResultsA total of 111 pediatric IBD patients (59 Crohn′s disease, 41 ulcerative colitis, 11 IBD unclassified) answered the questionnaire. Sixty‐five percent (72/111) of patients used at least one CAM since diagnosis, 73% (81/110) took vitamins and micronutrient supplements and 53% (59/111) followed dietary restrictions. The latter was in 68% self‐imposed and significantly associated with CAM use in multivariable models (odds ratio [OR]: 4.48; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.84–10.92). CAM use was not associated with IBD subtype, need for biologicals or extraintestinal manifestations. Health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) and disease activity did not differ between CAM and no‐CAM users.ConclusionCAM use as well as self‐imposed dietary restrictions are frequent in IBD patients, whereby both are closely interrelated. While CAM users do not have higher HRQOL compared to no‐CAM users, they subjectively report an improvement in health associated with CAM use.

Surgical site infections (SSIs) are a common cause of morbidity and mortality in both adults and children. In paediatric surgery, evidence on specific prevention measures is lacking, and practices mainly depend on local guidelines and the preferences of the treating team. To investigate current practices for children undergoing surgery with respect to SSI prevention using a standardized surveillance tool. Nine Swiss paediatric surgery centres participated in a standard period prevalence study. SSI prevention measures were recorded in these hospitals over 7 consecutive days in October 2022 for any paediatric surgical procedure resulting in a surgical wound. The SSI prevention measures of interest were drawn from the most recent World Health Organization guidelines. In total, 351 procedures were included. All Swiss language regions were represented. Traumatologic/orthopaedic surgeries were most common. Surgical antibiotic prophylaxis was administered in 161/351 (46%) cases, although in 33/161 (21%) cases, there was no indication for the administration of antibiotics. Alcohol-based or iodine-based solutions were most often used for surgical skin preparation. Antimicrobial-coated sutures were only used in 84/351 (24%) cases. Regional differences in prevention measures were noted between participating centres for skin preparation solution, suture material, wound dressing, and implementation of warming devices. This study provides an overview of current SSI prevention practices in Swiss paediatric surgery centres, identifies targets for improvement, and highlights areas of clinical uncertainty requiring further investigation. The findings underscore the need for standardized guidelines to ensure consistent and evidence-based SSI prevention strategies in paediatric surgery.

ABSTRACTBackgroundFood allergies are a major health concern with rising prevalence. Dietary habits are changing, and information about cashew‐induced anaphylaxis is limited.MethodsCases of tree nut‐induced anaphylaxis (TIA) registered from 2007 until April 2024 were extracted from the European Anaphylaxis Registry and analyzed.Results1389 cases of TIA out of 5945 registered food‐induced reactions (23%) were identified. 1,083 cases with confirmed elicitor status, including 845 children (median age 4 years, 61% male) and 238 adults (38 years, 40% male), were selected for further analysis. The most frequent elicitors among children were cashew (n = 334), hazelnut (n = 211) and walnut (n = 146). The proportion of cashew‐induced anaphylaxis increased from 2007 to 2024, and reactions were frequently caused by small amounts (< 1 teaspoon). Adults reacted frequently to hazelnut (n = 105), walnut (n = 47) but also almond (n = 35) and to higher amounts. Potential cofactors were present in 50% of the adult patients and 17% of children. The reaction severity was age‐independent, and only a minority of patients was previously aware of their allergy (children 23%, adults 21%). The use of adrenaline was low in lay treatment (children 13%, adults 3%) and reached approximately 40% upon professional treatment.ConclusionCashew is an increasing, relevant allergen leading to anaphylaxis and is now the most frequent cause of TIA among children. These findings highlight the need for effective prevention and treatment measures. Almond was a frequent elicitor among adults and should be further monitored. The acute management requires improvement to comply with current guidelines.

Sepsis is defined as a dysregulated host response to infection leading to organ dysfunction. It represents a major global health concern, particularly in childhood. The precise underlying pathophysiological mechanisms remain poorly understood. Using samples and clinical data from 650 children enrolled in the Swiss Pediatric Sepsis Study, a national multicenter cohort study for culture-proven bacterial sepsis, and from 1395 controls, we explored the human genetic determinants of inter-individual variability in sepsis-related outcomes. We used a case-control study design to search for associations between genome-wide polymorphisms and susceptibility to sepsis, and case-only analysis for specific characteristics of the disease. We identified one locus significantly associated with sepsis susceptibility, encompassing the CTNNAL1 and ELP1 genes. Our results suggest a genetic modulator of sepsis susceptibility in children.

Mentalizing is linked to mental health development and psychosocial functioning. Identifying and understanding the factors that may be associated with ineffective mentalizing is crucial for creating targeted psychosocial or psychotherapeutic interventions. This exploratory study assesses whether experiences of childhood maltreatment, along with attachment insecurity and epistemic mistrust, are associated with limitations in mentalizing abilities. A total of 382 primarily young adults from different universities completed questionnaires about their childhood maltreatment experiences (retrospectively assessed), attachment insecurity, epistemic mistrust, and ineffective mentalizing, using a cross-sectional study design. All participants were pursuing a degree in educational fields. Structural equation modeling was applied to test the hypothesized framework. There were significant positive associations between experiences of childhood maltreatment, epistemic mistrust (β=0.32 [0.17-0.46], p=.001), and attachment insecurity (β=0.29 [0.18-0.40], p<.001). Epistemic mistrust fully mediated the relationship between childhood maltreatment and ineffective mentalizing (β=0.17 [0.08-0.28], p=.001). However, attachment insecurity did not mediate this link. This exploratory study sheds light on the development of mentalizing impairments, though it is limited by its cross-sectional nature, reliance on self-reporting, and the uniformity of the sample with mainly female, primarily young adults from different universities. The preliminary findings suggest the role of attachment insecurity might have been overemphasized previously. Moreover, the link between childhood maltreatment and mentalizing deficits appears more intricate, as it was fully mediated by epistemic mistrust in this study. The findings support the notion of addressing epistemic mistrust in psychosocial interventions designed to improve mentalizing abilities that have been compromised.