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Psychopathology is a process: it unfolds over time and involves several different factors. To extend our knowledge of such process, it is vital to understand the trajectories that lead to developing and maintaining a specific disorder. The construct of continuity appears very useful to this aim. It refers to the consistency, similarity, and predictability of behaviors or internal states across different developmental phases. This paper aims to present a narrative review of the literature on homotypic and heterotypic continuity of psychopathology across the lifespan. A detailed search of the published literature was conducted using the PsycINFO Record and Medline (PubMed) databases. Articles were included in the review based on the following criteria: (1) publication dates ranging from January 1970 to October 2022; and (2) articles being written in the English language. To ensure a thorough investigation, multiple combinations of keywords such as “continuity,” “psychopathology,” “infancy,” “childhood,” “adolescence,” “adulthood,” “homotypic,” and “heterotypic” were used. Articles were excluded if exclusively focused on epidemiologic data and if not specifically addressing the topic of psychopathology continuity. The literature yielded a total of 36 longitudinal studies and an additional 190 articles, spanning the research published between 1970 and 2022. Studies on continuity focus on the etiology of different forms of mental disorders and may represent a fundamental resource from both a theoretical and clinical perspective. Enhancing our understanding of the different trajectories beneath psychopathology may allow clinicians to implement more effective strategies, focusing both on prevention and intervention. Since literature highlights the importance of early detection of clinical signs of psychopathology, future research should focus more on infancy and pre-scholar age.

IntroductionUniversity counseling centers represent important resources for personal development, and students are increasingly turning to them for help. The present study aimed at, first, evaluating changing in psychological functioning before and after a university counseling intervention and, second, exploring which psychological variables predicted the intervention outcome.MethodsFor this purpose, 122 students who attended university counseling services were administered measures to assess personality traits, and measures to assess state variables - intended as contextual, rather than stable, alterations in functioning - such as anxiety, hopelessness and depression. Several Linear Mixed Models were performed to measure the differences between OQ-45 scores before and after the intervention (one for each OQ dimension and OQ total score); then, two steps of multiple regression analyses were performed.ResultsSignificative reductions between pre-test and post-test OQ-45 scores were found, highlighting increased levels of well-being; personality traits seem not to be predictive of the intervention outcome, while state variables significantly contribute to the psychological wellbeing improvement after counseling intervention.DiscussionOur findings highlight the importance of paying attention to the role of affective difficulties in predicting the counseling effectiveness.

ObjectiveEven if the relationship between adverse childhood experiences and intimate partner violence (IPV) has already been established, there are no sufficient studies examining the relationships between these factors and attachment representations, specifically attachment disorganization. Thus, this study aimed to explore, in a sample of women who experienced IPV (a) the presence of interpersonal adversities during childhood, and (b) attachment representations, with a particular focus on disorganization.MethodsWomen’s representations of attachment experiences were investigated through the Adult Attachment Interview, while the presence of various forms of interpersonal adversities during childhood was assessed using the Complex Trauma Questionnaire. The results of the IPV group (n = 98) were compared with those of women with no history of IPV (control group, n = 81).ResultsWomen in the IPV group showed higher values of multiple forms of adverse experiences within their caregiving system. They presented significantly higher rates of disorganized states of mind regarding attachment, indicative of a lack of resolution regarding traumatic experiences, and of disorganized working models resulting from complex trauma. Our results highlighted that, more than the presence of traumatic experiences, it is their irresolution – reflected in the disorganized states of mind regarding attachment at the Adult Attachment Interview – to be a significant predictor of IPV.ConclusionThese results suggest underline the significance of offering a trauma- and attachment-informed therapy to those who experience IPV. Such results could help both clinicians and researchers in formulating clearer guidelines for IPV interventions.

By employing the transactional model of development and focusing on the multifactorial nature of parenting, this study aimed to (1) examine whether important risk factors, particularly mothers’ insecure attachment styles and parenting stress contribute to the perception of their infants’ characteristics and (2) explore whether maternal attachment styles moderate the relationship between parenting stress and perceived infants’ characteristics. We recruited 357 mothers (age: 34.23; ± 5.38) who had 1-year-old infants (161 males and 196 females; age: 12.70; ± 1.60 months). All the mothers completed three self-report instruments: Parenting Stress Index–Short Form (PSI-SF), Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and 1st-Year Inventory (FYI). Although the latter was originally developed to determine the risk for autism in 1-year-olds, it was employed in this study to measure infant’s characteristics within two domains: social communication and sensory regulatory functions. Multiple regression analyses revealed that one of the PSI-SF dimensions - specifically the Parent–Child Dysfunctional Interaction - contributed to mothers’ perceptions of their children’s social communication abilities, whereas the attachment style did not. Other multiple regression analyses showed that all the dimensions of parenting stress - that is, Parenting Distress (PD), Parent-Child Dysfunctional Interaction (PCDI), and Difficult Child (DC) - contributed to mothers’ perceptions of their sensory regulatory abilities. The attachment styles, particularly anxious attachment, contributed significantly to a biased perception of these abilities controlled for parenting stress. Mothers reporting high levels of avoidance and high levels of PD viewed their children as less able in the social communicative domain (SC Dom) than if they had low levels of PD. By contrast, when levels of avoidance were low, mothers with high PD perceived their children as less difficult in the SC Dom than those with low levels of PD. Moreover, high avoidance levels influenced how mothers who considered the interaction with their children as difficult perceived them as having greater difficulties in relation to sensory regulatory domain (SR Dom). By contrast, mothers with high levels of anxiety high levels of PD view their children as less able in the SC Dom than if they had low levels of PD. When mothers’ levels of anxiety were very low, those with high PD viewed their children as less difficult in the SC Dom in comparison to those with low levels of PD.

The current study investigated attachment representations and complex trauma in a sample of gender dysphoric adults. Although it has been proven that the psychological wellbeing of gender diverse persons is largely mediated by family acceptance and support, research on their relationships with parental figures is scarce. A total of 95 adults took part in the study. The attachment distribution was as follows: 27% secure, 27% insecure and 46% disorganized. Regarding early traumas, 56% experienced four or more traumatic forms. Further, gender dysphoric adults showed significantly higher levels of attachment disorganization and polyvictimisation, relative to controls. Comparisons of subgroups, defined by natal gender, showed that trans women, compared to control males, had more involving and physically and psychologically abusive fathers, and were more often separated from their mothers; trans men, relative to female controls, had more involving mothers and were more frequently separated from and neglected by their fathers. The research has several implications for treatment, clinical health psychology, family support and education.