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ObjectiveThe diagnosis of malignant mesothelioma (MM) can be devastating for both patients and caregivers, who may experience intense suffering from a physical, psychological, and interpersonal perspective. Despite the extensive literature on caregiver distress, there is a lack of validated measures to provide evidence of psychological distress of caregivers of MM patients. Therefore, in a previous study we developed the Mesothelioma Psychological Distress Tool–Caregivers (MPDT-C) to evaluate the specific profile of psychological distress in this population. This paper describes the item selection, factor analysis, and psychometric evaluation of the revised MPDT-C.MethodsThe analyses of this work first aimed to confirm the previous factorial structure. In the case of nonfit, it aimed to find an alternative structure and causes of nonfit in the model. Examination of the fit of the factorial model was conducted using a Bayesian approach.ResultsThe final version of the MPDT-C is a 7-item self-report questionnaire consisting of one factor (Burden for the caregiver).ConclusionHaving a short self-report questionnaire to assess the psychological distress experienced by caregivers of MM patients has several advantages. First, it is suited to epidemiological studies where multiple variables and measures are involved. Second, it is easy to administer and does not take much time to complete. Therefore, the MPDT-C can also be administered in clinical contexts, perhaps when MM patients attend follow-up medical evaluation. Lastly, short measures are less affected by cognitive fatigue, which is very common in a long battery of tests and could affect response reliability.

Previous studies indicated atypical Theory of Mind (ToM) abilities in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at different ages. However, research focused on adolescents with ASD is still rare. This study aims to fill the gaps in the literature, by investigating ToM abilities in adolescents with ASD and in a group of typically developing ones. We applied the Theory of Mind Assessment Scale (Th.o.m.a.s.), a semi-structured interview that allows a multi-dimensional measurement of ToM, including different perspectives (first/s-order, first/third-person, egocentric/allocentric), various mental states (emotions, desires, beliefs) and metacognitive abilities related with mental states (awareness, relation, and strategies). The results indicated that ToM develops atypically in ASD, with strengths and weaknesses. First, participants with ASD were comparable to controls in some specific ToM aspects, i.e., third-person ToM, both from an egocentric and an allocentric perspective. However, they were significantly weaker in attributing an understanding of the mental states of others, both in first- and second-order ToM scenarios. Second, they showed the same level of awareness about mental states as controls, but they were significantly weaker in conceptualizing the relationship between mental states and behavior. Also, they found it very difficult to think about possible strategies that they or others might employ to realize desires and needs. Finally, they performed similarly to controls in understanding emotions, while they poorly understood desires and beliefs. These results point out the distinctive characteristics of ToM development in individuals with ASD, with important implications for individualized interventions.

Background Post-traumatic growth (PTG) is defined as “positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with high-ly challenging life circumstances”. Diagnosis of cancer leads to many psychological challenges. The recent pandemic forced oncological patients to face other multiple stressors. Resilience is a target of interest for PTG. The aim of this study is to analyze relationships between cancer trauma, COVID-19 pandemic stress, PTG and resilience over time. Participants and procedure One hundred forty-six patients (124 females, 22 males) in active oncological treatment were enrolled from September 2020: 45.2% (n = 66) diagnosed with gynecological cancer, 23.3% (n = 34) with breast cancer, 15.1% (n = 22) with lung cancer, 16.5% (n = 24) with other cancers. We conducted a prospective longitudinal study on oncological patients evaluated at: diag-nosis (T0), 6 (T1) and 12 months (T2) by means of the following self-administered tests: Distress Thermometer (DT), Hospi-tal Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale Revised (IES-R), Post-traumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Results DT decreased over time (T0 vs. T2, p < .001). HADS decreased from T0 to T2 (p < .001). The PTG subscales regarding new possibilities and appreciating life improved comparing T0 vs. T2 (p = .029; p = .013), as well as the total index of PTG (p = .027). The IES avoidance subscale score decreased over time (T0 vs. T1, p = .035). Conclusions For some patients, the cancer experience is characterized not only by psychological distress but also by the presence and growth of positive aspects, such as the tendency to positively reconsider the value and importance of life, health and social relationships.

The present study aims to understand the processes involved in misinformation among adolescents by examining the role of self-efficacy beliefs in dealing with misleading news. Specifically, we argue that the perceived capability to analyze and reflect critically on the reliability of online information sources should be stayed with the perceived self-regulatory capability to resist online social pressures to share unverifiable news. Moreover, we posited that specific online self-efficacies beliefs can be promoted by the capabilities related to regulating emotions and reflecting on new problems. In a sample of 273, we tested a path analysis model. The results attest that self-efficacy beliefs in dealing with online misinformation refer to specific capabilities: an active one, related to checking the sources of the news in order to validate their content, and an inhibitory one, related to the capability to refrain from sharing the news that seems unreliable. Moreover, self-efficacy beliefs in self-control during online interaction spreading misleading news are supported by cognitive reflective capability and self-efficacy in regulating negative emotion. The relationship between active self-efficacy related to fact-checking and sharing misleading news is not significant. The role of regulation in sharing misinformation during activated online dynamics is discussed.

This study investigates the linguistic processing and non-linguistic cognitive abilities of monolingual and bilingual children with and without reading difficulties and examines the relationship between these skills and reading. There were 72 Italian-speaking children: 18 monolingual good readers (MONO-GR, Mage = 10;4), 19 monolingual poor readers (MONO-PR, Mage = 10;3), 21 bilingual good readers (BI-GR, Mage = 10;6), and 16 bilingual poor readers (BI-PR, Mage = 10;6). All bilingual children spoke Italian as their L2. Children completed a battery of standardized Italian reading tests, language-dependent tasks: nonword repetition (NWR), sentence repetition (SR), and phonological awareness (PA), and language-independent tasks: timing anticipation, beat synchronization, inhibition control, auditory reaction time, and rapid automatized naming (RAN). Poor readers scored below good readers on the language-dependent tasks, including NWR, PA, and SR. Beat synchronization was the only language-independent task sensitive to reading ability, with poor readers showing greater variability than good readers in tapping to fast rhythms. SR was the only task influenced by language experience as bilinguals underperformed monolinguals on the task. Moreover, there were weak to moderate correlations between performance on some language-dependent tasks (NWR, PA), language-independent tasks (inhibition control, RAN), and reading measures. Performance on the experimental tasks (except for RAN) was not associated with the length of exposure to Italian. The results highlight the potential of NWR, PA, SR, and beat synchronization tasks in identifying the risk of dyslexia in bilingual populations. Future research is needed to validate these findings and to establish the tasks’ diagnostic accuracy.

The images that populate our memory, even those that belong to the personal sphere, have been filtered and manipulated by the process of reproduction. They are copies, in some cases copies of copies. Our collective imagination is based on the vision of fakes: multimedia, three-dimensional, virtual reproductions, augmented reality. The course of the research, initially, envisages the description of a theoretical reference framework that includes the declinations of the notion of copy and the related fruition rituals. In the second part the research exemplifies the theoretical framework, through one emblematic and iconic case study: Las Majas al Balcón. The case shares the notion of copying, in fact it has entered the collective imagination thanks to its reproductions and/or falsifications. It is now virtually invisible, because it belongs to a private collection, and it is one of Goya’s best known paintings.

It is widely recognized that body dissatisfaction is an important public health concern. In the past, being a fashion model was almost synonymous with anorexia/bulimia, and even today, there are cases of eating disorders in young women whose ambition is to become a top model. Moreover, stress can play a substantial role within ill health via related behaviors such as smoking, substance abuse, and inappropriate eating. In our study, we examined 112 aspiring fashion models aged between 15 and 24 years (M = 19.5, SD = 2.08) from 32 different countries of the world during an international contest, and 100 students (control group), aged between 16 and 22 years (M = 18.6, SD = 1.39). The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine whether stress mediated the relationship between body dissatisfaction and eating disorders. The study included the administration of stress and self-efficacy and the locus of control dimensions, body (image) dissatisfaction, and eating attitude disorder. Results indicated higher scores on body dissatisfaction, stress level, and eating attitudes disorder among the group of fashion models compared to the control. Mediational analyses showed that body dissatisfaction was partially mediated by stress level on eating disorders. Especially in the aspiring fashion models, there are often many possibilities that competitive stress causes candidates to exacerbate attempts to maintain their body weight below normal weight/height parameters. These results indicated that appropriate intervention for the management of stress level could possibly defend against the negative impact of body dissatisfaction on eating disorder symptoms. The presence of skilled health workers in the field of nutrition and psychology can be extremely important in the field of fashion to maintain an adequate quality of life.

Research has underlined that moral disengagement processes, by which people switch off their moral values and act aggressively without experiencing guilt, are highly connected with contextual factors. However, research on situational variations in moral disengagement is limited, especially considering the associations with characteristics such as the ethnic origin of potential victims. The general aim of the present study was to develop a brief, specific measure of ethnic moral disengagement able to catch individual justification used in the case of ethnic bullying and cyberbullying, and test its validity and reliability. An eight items scale was developed and administered in study 1, in a sample of 961students attending several Italian high schools (53.5% female; Mage 15 years). Considering the results of the CFA, we modified one of the items and the scale was administered again, in a second sample of 1,229 students (49.9% female; Mage 15.62 years) in study 2. A one-factor model of ethnic moral disengagement fit the data well and internal consistency showed to be good. As an additional step, we found that the model was invariant across Italian adolescents and youths with a different ethnic or culture of origin (having at least one parent born abroad) strengthened our confidence regarding the factorial integrity of the scale. Last, the scale showed to be positively associated with ethnic bullying and cyberbullying. Generally, findings suggested that the Ethnic Moral Disengagement scale can be a useful tool for those interested in measuring moral disengagement and evaluating how it impacts bullying and cyberbullying of minority groups.

Interpersonal trust is a key element in the development and maintenance of positive social interactions and it has been positively associated with life satisfaction (Putnam, 2000). Specifically, it is a promoting factor of physical health and psychosocial functioning during infant and adolescence (Rotenberg, 2010). In spite of the importance of trust in everyday life, there is no consensus about its definition and, in turn, about its assessment. Moreover, the role of trust in an online setting is still unknown. It may be important to explore it, since nowadays adolescents spend more and more time on the Internet, an environment where many social relationships take place. Thus, online trust could be identified as an element that can guarantee the success of these interactions (Stratford, 2000). Starting from the theoretical perspective of Falcone and Castelfranchi (2001), who defined trust as complex and dynamic construct, the present pilot study aims to investigate adolescents’ online/offline trust and its influence on life satisfaction. In particular, we operationalized trust as theorized by the above-mentioned authors and based on two essential mental ingredients, which are the goals and beliefs about the trustor and trustee and the trustee’s behaviour. In addition, we took into account both offline and online social interactions. The research, carried out within a middle school in the province of Naples (Italy), involved 108 adolescents, aged between 11 and 14. The data were collected through an ad hoc questionnaire. In particular, trust in online and offline interactions was measured through a 5-point Likert scale composed of 30 items; life satisfaction was investigated through the Brief Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (BMSLSS; Huebner et al., 2004). Factorial analysis demonstrates that online and offline trust are distinct dimensions (24% and 18% of explained variance respectively). In addition, only offline trust is positively related to adolescents’ life satisfaction in different life domains (e.g. family, school and peer). In the overall, the results suggest the importance of distinguishing offline and online trust, and of exploring their relationships with adjustment indicators in order to understand how to promote adolescents’ wellbeing.

In line with the refugee agency recommendations (UNHCR, 2010) the present research recruited citizens in the general population with the aim of understanding whether positive media messages may foster acceptance towards refugee immigrants. The study has specifically considered the case of unaccompanied refugee minors verifying if and how specific affective and cognitive dimensions implicated in individual moral functioning were related to empathic or hostile emotions experienced while watching a documentary realized by refugee minors in a hosting centre in Italy. In addition, the relationship between different emotional responses and attitudes toward immigrations were examined. Fifty student were invited to complete pre-assessment questionnaire containing measures on empathic tendencies (e.g. perspective taking, Davis, 1990) personal values (self-enhancement values, Schwartz, 1992) and moral regulation (e.g. moral efficacy; Bandura, 1991). Then, voluntary participants were invited to watch the documentary film produced in the a European Project. After the presentation of the film, the students have to indicate their current emotional states and attitude toward immigration as spectators. Overall, the results showed that self-transcendence values, empathic concern and moral self-efficacy were positively related to sympathy, and negatively related to hostile emotions. Differently, moral disengagement was positively related to negative affect. Moreover, the presence of empathic affect during the film was associated with positive attitudes toward immigrations; on the contrary, the presence of hostile emotions was strongly related to negative attitudes toward hosting. Overall, results suggest the importance of considering citizens’ moral sensitivity, motivation and moral regulative capabilities together audio-visual contents to better understand people’s emotions in relation to immigration and hosting.

The present study investigates the personal factors underlying online sharing of moral misleading news by observing the interaction between personal values, communication bias, credibility evaluations, and moral emotions. Specifically, we hypothesized that self-transcendence and conservation values may differently influence the sharing of misleading news depending on which moral domain is activated and that these are more likely to be shared when moral emotions and perceived credibility increase. In a sample of 132 participants (65% female), we tested SEMs on misleading news regarding violations in five different moral domains. The results suggest that self-transcendence values hinder online sharing of misleading news, while conservation values promote it; moreover, news written with a less blatantly biased linguistic frame are consistently rated as more credible. Lastly, more credible and emotionally activating news is more likely to be shared online.

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory and neurodegenerative disease, which not only affects physical functioning, but is also associated with cognitive impairments and great psychological distress. The combination of those symptoms may have negative consequences on the family functioning of patients with MS, with detrimental effects on both marital relationships and parental bonding. Furthermore, the presence of individual characteristics and of an adequate social support may also contribute to the quality and endurance of family relationships. Particularly, high levels of alexithymia, a personality trait that affects the recognition of a person's own emotions, have been associated with reduced interpersonal communication skills and enhanced anxiety/depressive symptoms. Therefore, the main aim of the present study is to provide an in-depth evaluation of family functioning and related factors in patients with MS and their families. In order to reach this goal, the perceived quality of family functioning, dyadic relationships, and parental bonding will be first investigated. Secondly, the possible associations between the quality of family relationships and the presence of alexithymia, psychological distress, and perceived social support will be examined. Patients with MS and their families who will consent to take part in the study will be asked to provide sociodemographic and clinical information, and to complete a series of questionnaires, presented and uploaded on an online dedicated platform. The final sample will be made up of 300 families, consecutively recruited from the Italian medical centers involved in the project. The results of the present study will shed light on the family functioning of patients with MS, through a comprehensive assessment of the main factors that are associated with family dynamics. A holistic evaluation of those aspects can help clinicians and researchers understand family dynamics in MS population better.

The evolution of the foot and the attainment of the bipedia represent a distinctive characteristic of the human species. The force of gravity is dissipated through the tibial astragalic joints, and the movement of the ankle is manifested on a sagittal plane. However, this is in contrast with other studies that analyze the straight station in bipodalic support of the body. According to these studies, the oscillations of the body dissipated by the articulation of the ankle are greater on a frontal plane than on a sagittal plane. Probably, this can be deduced by analyzing the concept of “cone of economy (COE) and equilibrium;” a cone that has its base with the oscillations described by the 360° movement performed by the head and has its apex that supports polygon defined by the tibio-astragalic articulation. The purpose of this study was to evaluate a kind of communication between the oscillations of the COE and equilibrium and the main sphere of somatic dysfunction (structural, visceral, or cranial sacral), assessing the reliability of the “fascial compression test.” The implications of this connection have been considered, while grounding the hypothesis in the ability of the human body to maintain its center of mass (COM) with minimum energy expenditure and with minimum postural influence. At the same time, the fascial compression test provides a dominant direction of fascial compartments in restriction of mobility.

Recent studies have highlighted the increased risk of exposure to PTSD among military personnel who are faced with extreme stressor events, the stress related to the peacekeeping mission, indicates that even peacekeepers could be at risk of developing PTSD independently of war attacks or wounds. The resilience’s construct has a strong theoretical background, and in a pragmatic way has been shown to be a significant stress resistance resource in multiple groups, like those involved in military and security operations. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of resilience on the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (measured through the Davidson trauma scale) and professional quality of life. Our sample included 399 (138 females, 261 males) military who carried out peacekeeping operations between 2017 and 2019. In order to test the moderation hypothesis, a hierarchical regression analysis was performed, and a three-step regression model was carried out. The results that emerged in our study reveal that the moderating effect of resilience is evident in all the effects of on the professional quality of life.

Studies have shown that children vary in the trajectories of their language development after cochlear implant (CI) activation. The aim of the present study is to assess the preverbal and lexical development of a group of 20 Italian-speaking children observed longitudinally before CI activation and at three, 6 and 12 months after CI surgery (mean age at the first session: 17.5 months; SD: 8.3; and range: 10–35). The group of children with CIs (G-CI) was compared with two groups of normally-hearing (NH) children, one age-matched (G-NHA; mean age at the first session: 17.4 months; SD: 8.0; and range: 10–34) and one language-matched (G-NHL; n = 20; mean age at the first session: 11.2 months; SD: 0.4; and range: 11–12). The spontaneous interactions between children and their mothers during free-play were transcribed. Preverbal babbling production and first words were considered for each child. Data analysis showed significant differences in babbling and word production between groups, with a lower production of words in children with CIs compared to the G-NHA group and a higher production of babbling compared to the G-NHL children. Word production 1 year after activation was significantly lower for the children with CIs than for language-matched children only when maternal education was controlled for. Furthermore, latent class growth analysis showed that children with CIs belonged mainly to classes that exhibited a low level of initial production but also progressive increases over time. Babbling production had a statistically significant effect on lexical growth but not on class membership, and only for groups showing slower and constant increases. Results highlight the importance of preverbal vocal patterns for later lexical development and may support families and speech therapists in the early identification of risk and protective factors for language delay in children with CIs.

The present study was carried out among 20 healthy young male athletes to determine whether aerobic exercise performed at two different intensities is able to affect executive functions. For this purpose, we used the Stroop Color Word Test (SCWT) to evaluate the ability to inhibit cognitive interference and the Trail Making Test (TMT) to assess organized visual search, set shifting, and cognitive flexibility. Simple Reaction Time (RT), as a measure of perception and response execution, was also evaluated. The experimental protocol included the measure of blood lactate levels with the aim of assessing possible relations between lactate blood values and selected executive functions after a 30-min steady-state test performed at 60% and at 80% of VO2max. The results showed that a 30-min aerobic exercise is not associated with a worsening of executive functions as long as the blood lactate levels stay within the 4 mmol/l threshold.

IntroductionThe Psychosocial Cardiological Schedule (PCS) was developed as a screening tool for patients undergoing cardiac rehabilitation (CR) to detect clinically relevant psychosocial/cognitive problems requiring psychological assessment/intervention. Filled out by a trained nurse, it classifies patients according to their need or not for a psychological interview and intervention provided by the psychologist (PCS-Yes vs. PCS-No).AimsThe main aim was to compare PCS data collected, respectively, in 2010 and 2017, regarding patients’ socio-demographic characteristics, clinical variables, and the inclusion criteria for psychological counseling. Subsequently, the original Italian PCS was revised and an English version of the schedule was provided [PCS-Revised (PCS-R)].Results28 patients (aged 53.5 + 12.6 years, M = 20) of the 87 recruited in 2010 vs. 35 (aged 64.9 + 12.7 years, M = 28) of the 83 recruited in 2017 met the criteria for PCS-Yes: age < 55 years, social problems (living alone, no social support), manifest psychological/behavioral problems, suspected neuropsychological disorders, low prescription adherence, inadequate disease awareness. Comparing the two samples (2010 vs. 2017), clinical variables were similar, and the need for a psychological interview did not differ substantially (32.2 vs. 42.2%), but age increased significantly (PCS-Yes: 53.5 ± 12.6 vs. 64.9 ± 12.7 years, p = 0.001; PCS-No: 68.3 ± 8.0 vs. 75.0 ± 7.7 years, p = 0.0001). A significant increase was observed in the recommendation for neuropsychological assessment (3.6 vs. 25.7%, p = 0.02) to confirm eventual cognitive deficits. These results, the clinical experience, and the recent evidences from literature led to the PCS-R, incorporating a psychosocial screening, a psychological/neuropsychological deeper assessment, and a recommendation for a specific intervention to be carried out either during rehabilitation or in outpatient services.ConclusionThe data comparison highlight changes in the cardiac population, which is aging and more frequently requires neuropsychological assessment. The PCS-R could be considered in clinical practice as a useful screening tool to implement a timely coordinated interdisciplinary intervention, comprehensive of specific and tailored psychotherapeutic techniques.

Mental imagery is a fully immersive multi-sensory procedure that associates as numerous senses to create a mental image and process it without the presence of external stimuli. In the sport situation, imagery has been designated as the state in which people imagine themselves while effecting abilities to deal with the forthcoming duty or improve performance. Methodical analyses have revealed that imagery increases performance in motor tasks. This study aims at observing not the vividness of image but the cognitive abilities useful for the inspection, maintenance, generation, and manipulation of dissimilar classes of images, investigating modifications in mental imagery skills in competitive athletes and non-athletes. Participants were competitive athletes (n = 48) and non-athletes (n = 48) between the ages of 8 and 13 years (Mage = 10.50, SD = 1.73). The athletes had a minimum of 5 years of training skill in the sport. They completed the Mental Imagery Test (MIT). Competitive athletes showed higher scores on mental imagery skills than non-athletes. The study contributed to increase the exploration in the definite area of mental imagery, supplying an added support for the pluridimensional nature of mental imagery and for its practicality in motor and sport sciences.

BackgroundFamily functioning relies on different factors that are related to the individual characteristics of each member, the social context in which the family nucleus is integrated, and the internal and interpersonal family factors. The Short Version of the Family Assessment Measure-III, Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment, Twenty-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support are among the most commonly employed self-report measures for the assessment of family functioning and related factors. Traditionally, these scales have been administered using paper-and-pencil versions. However, with increased access to the Internet, online administration of questionnaires has become more common. The present study aimed to validate an online version of each of the above-mentioned questionnaires in a heterogeneous sample of Italian healthy individuals.MethodsOne-hundred participants were recruited for each questionnaire. A crossover design was used in each validation. The minimum important difference (MID) was applied to evaluate the differences in the variances of the paper-and-pencil and online format scores. A MID >0.5 is a reasonable first approximation of a threshold of important change. Taking into account the cross over design, mean difference between pencil-and-paper and online versions, and Intraclass Correlation Coefficient were also estimated by mixed models.ResultsThe MID was

Nitrogen gas (N2), present in the normal atmospheric air, is a potential source of risk for scuba divers. It seems probable that myelin can represent, in hyperbaric conditions, a preferential site for the accumulation of N2 in central nervous system (CNS). The purpose of this study is to verify whether the practice of the scuba diving is capable to determine a damage of the brain white matter (WM) in a dose dependent manner and, consequently, possible deficiency of their cognitive abilities. For this purpose, 54 professional scuba divers (35 men and 19 women), with at least 2,000 dives in their careers, were studied. Possible alterations of brain WM were evaluated in terms of Fractional anisotropy (FA) by using Diffusion Tensor Imaging, whereas possible cognitive impairments were verified by means of neuropsychological testing, by studying: (1) General mental capability (2) Executive functioning; (3) Visuospatial construction such as Rey Complex Figure; (4) Attention and orientation: (5) Selective attention capacity and processing speed ability; (6) Memory. The results showed alteration of the WM in terms of changes in FA; these alterations, statistically significant but quantitatively quite modest, were mainly observed in the WM of the anterior part of the brain, whereas no differences were observed between left and right hemisphere. The alterations of the WM were associated with changes, also in this case statistically significant but quantitatively quite modest, of the cognitive functions, in particular of those dependent on the prefrontal cortex, such as attention and memory function. The present study leads to the conclusion that repeated dives, even performed in compliance with the current decompression tables, can progressively lead in the CNS to the formation of micro-lesions in the myelin sheet capable of altering the functioning of the neuron.

The present article deals with the relation between the concept of mask and some dynamics of fiction and revelation related to it. Each person, in the sense of individual, wears more masks, according to the roles and contexts of the society in which they live. The mask hides and, at the same time, reveals parts of the subject's personality. Even in the dynamic "victim-executioner" the roles, although apparently opposed, can sometimes be confused and overturned, and the masks can be exchanged. Among the figures of Greek mythology, Clytemnestra, the uxoricide who witnessed the murder of her first husband and newborn son, who saw the beloved daughter Iphigenia sacrificed for her husband Agamemnon's cravings for power, embodies the double role of victim and executioner. Clytemnestra has no other way to claim her role as a wounded mother and betrayed queen, if not to take power and exercise it in a bloody way: from being a victim she becomes an executioner, manifesting in her actions the primitive, cruel and murderous part she despised in the husband and in the world that surrounds her.

Bipedal walking is a composite task requiring integration of many control circuitries in the brain and spinal cord. The present study was carried out to verify whether an increase in blood lactate, such as that associated with a high intensity exercise, is able to significantly modify the qualitative and/or quantitative aspects of human walking. Eighteen healthy physically male participants, aged between 20 and 24 years (M = 21.8, SD = 1.22), were recruited for the study. For this purpose, the experimental protocol included the measure of blood lactate levels with the aim of assessing possible relations between lactate blood values and different aspect of walking after an exhaustive exercise. An exhaustive exercise was associated with a strong increase of blood lactate levels and produced a significant worsening in the ability to maintain the bipodalic upright posture as well as the fluidity of walking. Our results suggest that exhausting bouts impose greater challenges on postural control.

Academic cheating has become a pervasive practice from primary schools to university. This study aims at investigating this phenomenon through a nomological network which integrates different theoretical frameworks and models, such as trait and social-cognitive theories and models regarding the approaches to learning and contextual/normative environment. Results on a sample of more than 200 Italian university students show that the Amoral Manipulation facet of Machiavellianism, Academic Moral Disengagement, Deep Approach to Learning, and Normative Academic Cheating are significantly associated with Individual Academic Cheating. Moreover, results show a significant latent interaction effect between Normative Academic Cheating and Amoral Manipulation Machiavellianism: “amoral Machiavellians” students are more prone to resort to Academic Cheating in contexts where Academic Cheating is adopted as a practice by their peers, while this effect is not significant in contexts where Academic Cheating is not normative. Results also show that Academic Moral Disengagement and Deep Approach to learning partially mediate the relationship between Amoral Manipulation and Academic Cheating. Practical implications of these results are discussed.

Workplace aggression is a critical phenomenon particularly in the healthcare sector, where nurses are especially at risk of bullying and third-party aggression. While workplace aggression has been frequently examined in relation to health problems, less is known about the possible negative impact such aggression may have on the (un)ethical behavior of victims. Our research aims to fill this gap. Drawing on literature on counterproductive work behavior (CWB) and the social-cognitive literature on aggression we investigated in two independent studies (NStudy1 = 439; NStudy2 = 416), the role of negative emotions – in particular anger, fear, and sadness, – and of moral disengagement (MD) in the paths between workplace aggression, CWB and health symptoms. The focus on these relationships is rooted in two reasons. First, misbehavior at work is a pervasive phenomenon worldwide and second, little research has been conducted in the healthcare sector on this type of behavior despite the potential importance of the issue in this context. We empirically tested our hypotheses considering a specific form of workplace aggression in each study: workplace bullying or third-party aggression. Results from the two empirical studies confirm the hypotheses that being target of workplace aggression (bullying or third-party aggression) is not only associated with health symptoms but also with misbehavior. In addition, the results of structural equation modeling attest the importance of examining specific discrete negative emotions and MD for better understanding misbehavior at work. In particular, this research shows for the first time that anger, fear, and sadness, generally aggregated into a single dimension, are indeed differently associated with MD, misbehavior and health symptoms. Specifically, in line with the literature on discrete emotions, while sadness is only associated with health symptoms, anger and fear are related to both health and misbehavior.

This work, in a similar form, was presented at an Eranos seminar organized by the CIPA (Centro Italiano Psicologia Analitica) in april 2017, titled "AT ERANOS ON JUNG FOOTSTEPS". I was proud and very stimulated to deal with something that links different aspects of my life: math and analytic psychology. I find very interesting the analogies, not just linguistic but also structural, between these disciplines, both products of the human mind.

This paper adds to the growing research on moral judgment by considering whether Theory of Mind (ToM) might foster children's autonomous moral judgment achievement. A group of 30 children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) was compared in moral judgment (MJ) and ToM with 30 typically developing (TD) children. Participants were tested for moral judgment with a classical Piaget’s task and for ToM with a second order False Belief task. In the moral task, children were told two versions of a story: in one version the protagonist acted according to a moral intention but the action resulted in a harmful consequence; in the other version the protagonist acted according to an immoral intention, but the action resulted in a harmless consequence. Children were asked which of the two protagonists was the naughtier. In line with previous studies, the results indicated that, while the majority of TD participants succeeded in the second order False Belief task, only few individuals with ASD showed intact perspective taking abilities. The analysis of the MJ in relation to ToM showed that children with ASD lacking ToM abilities judged guilty the protagonists of the two versions of the story in the moral task because both of them violated a moral rule or because they considered the consequences of the actions, ignoring any psychological information. These results indicate a heteronomous morality in individuals with ASD, based on the respect of learned moral rules and outcomes rather than others’ subjective states.

The aim of this study was to assess the relation between the experience of being alone and identity processes analysing the mediation role of adolescents’ age and gender. The Ego Identity Process Questionnaire – EIPQ (Balistrieri, Busch-Rossnagel, & Geisinger, 1995) and the Louvain Loneliness Questionnaire for Children and Adolescents – LLCA (Marcoen, Goossens, & Caes, 1987) were administered to 181 high school adolescents and 141 university students, classed as late adolescents. Data revealed that, both in the interpersonal and ideological domains, exploration was positively related both with affinity for aloneness and with peer and parent-related loneliness, while in the interpersonal domains commitment was negatively related to these dimensions. Moreover, exploration was associated with a positive attitude to being alone, but not with peer-related loneliness in older individuals. Results supported the hypothesis proposed by Buchholz (1997), who defined “alonetime”, or the time spent in solitude, as an opportunity for exploration.

The topic of this study is flexibility in gender stereotyping linked to attribution of toys, socio-cognitive traits, and occupations in 160 Italian children aged 6 to 12 years. We used the Gender Toys Choice, the Gender Traits Choice, and the Gender Jobs Choice, a selected set of colored cards containing masculine and feminine stimuli to assign to a male or female or both male and female silhouette (the flexible-choice technique). In order to verify the change of flexibility in gender stereotyping, we made use of four cartoon stories with male and female characters with typical or atypical traits and performing gender-consistent or gender-inconsistent activities. Results indicated that the exposure to cartoon stories with gender-inconsistent information rather than cartoon stories with gender-consistent information increased flexibility in gender stereotyping, showing age differences in favor of children aged 11-12. Implications in relation to the developmental-constructivist approach were noted.

Quantity skills have been extensively studied in terms of their development and pathological decline. Recently, numerosity discrimination has been shown to be remarkably resilient to healthy ageing, but whether processing continuous quantities such as time and space is equally well maintained in ageing participants is not known. Longer exposure to quantity-related problems may progressively refine proficiency in quantity tasks, or alternatively quantity skills may decline with age. In addition, is not known whether the tight relationship between quantity dimensions, as illustrated by interactions between dimensions in discrimination tasks, is preserved in ageing. To address these questions, two experimental paradigms were used in 38 younger and 32 older healthy adults who showed typical age-related decline in attention, executive function and memory tasks. In both groups we first assessed time and space discrimination independently using a two-choice task (i.e. ‘Which of two horizontal lines is longer in duration or extension?’), and found that time and space processing were equally accurate in younger and older participants. In a second paradigm, we assessed the relation between different quantity dimensions which were presented as a dynamic pattern of dots independently changing in duration, spatial extension and numerosity. Younger and older participants again showed a similar profile of interaction between number, surface and duration with some subtle differences in the surface and duration discrimination tasks: older adults showed a greater sensitivity to task-irrelevant information than younger adults in the surface task but lower sensitivity in the duration task. Continuous quantity processing seems therefore resilient to ageing similar to numerosity and to other non-quantity skills like vocabulary or implicit memory; however ageing might affect quantities differently from one another.

To test whether atypical number development may affect other types of quantity processing, we investigated temporal discrimination in adults with developmental dyscalculia (DD). This also allowed us to test whether (1) number and time may be sub-served by a common quantity system or decision mechanisms –in which case they may both be impaired, or (2) whether number and time are distinct –and therefore they may dissociate. Participants judged which of two successively presented horizontal lines was longer in duration, the first line being preceded by either a small or a large number prime (‘1’ or ‘9’) or by a neutral symbol (‘#’), or in third task decide which of two Arabic numbers (either ‘1’, ‘5’, ’9’) lasted longer. Results showed that (i) DD’s temporal discriminability was normal as long as numbers were not part of the experimental design even as task-irrelevant stimuli; however (ii) task-irrelevant numbers dramatically disrupted DD’s temporal discriminability, the more their salience increased, though the actual magnitude of the numbers had no effect; and in contrast (iii) controls’ time perception was robust to the presence of numbers but modulated by numerical quantity such that small number primes or numerical stimuli made durations appear shorter than veridical and the opposite for larger numerical prime or numerical stimuli. This study is the first to investigate continuous quantity as time in a population with a congenital number impairment and to show that atypical development of numerical competence leaves continuous quantity processing spared. Our data support the idea of a partially shared quantity system across numerical and temporal dimensions, which allows dissociations and interactions among dimensions; furthermore, they suggest that impaired number in DD is unlikely to originate from systems initially dedicated to continuous quantity processing like time.