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Abstract: This study investigated the prevalence of emotional and behavioral symptoms in unaccompanied refugee adolescents living in Italy; an area which remains under-researched despite the relatively high number of asylum seekers registered in Italy compared to other industrialized countries. The Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL) for 6–18 year-olds was completed by a social worker or parent for each of the 120 participating adolescents; sixty male unaccompanied refugee adolescents and sixty male native Italian adolescents. The paper presents findings that illustrate high levels of emotional and behavioral problems in unaccompanied refugee youth living in Italy. On all components of the CBCL, unaccompanied refugee adolescents were found to present with significantly more problems, as reported by social workers, compared to the Italian group of adolescents. In the light of these results, the importance of interventions and culturally sensitive therapeutic programs for refugee youth is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Background: The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) is a social skills training program for autistic adolescents and those facing social challenges. Its efficacy has been established worldwide, including in Italy. Although booster interventions are a potentially valuable strategy to maintain improvements over time, there is currently no research on the efficacy of providing booster sessions of PEERS® following the traditional treatment., Aims: This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of PEERS® Booster sessions in a sample who had previously participated in a traditional PEERS® Adolescent program., Methods and Procedures: A longitudinal non-randomized study was conducted involving 21 autistic adolescents, divided into the treatment group undergoing PEERS® Booster sessions and the control group without it., Outcomes and Results: The study evaluated the primary outcomes (social abilities) and secondary outcomes (co-occurrences, executive functions) at two-time points (pre- and post-treatment). No significant differences were found between groups on baseline measures and primary outcomes. However, there were significant group differences between pre- and post-treatment on primary outcomes (social awareness and social communication) and secondary outcomes (externalizing problems)., Conclusions and Implications: The efficacy of the PEERS® Booster Sessions shows promise and clinical implications were also discussed., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

This study investigated the individual and contextual correlates of problematic alcohol use among young adults during COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Participants were 1533 young adults aged 18 to 26 ( M age  = 23.12, SD age  = 2.11; 73.2% women), who completed an online survey during national lockdown. Inclusion criteria for this study were the age-range (18-26 y. o.), and living in Italy during COVID-19 lockdown. Participants with low or very low socioeconomic levels (vs. higher levels) were more at risk for problematic alcohol use, as well as participants who lived alone or with roommates/friends during lockdown. Conversely, participants who spent the lockdown with their family or partner were less at risk for problematic alcohol use. Finally, participants who had their job suspended due to pandemic (vs. other job conditions) were more at risk for problematic alcohol use during lockdown. Implications for research and clinical practice are discussed.

Purpose Pragmatics is receiving much attention in both the fields of developmental and clinical psychology; however, there is a dearth of instruments to assess pragmatic abilities specifically among young toddler-age children. The aim of the current study was to test the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Language Use Inventory (LUI), named the LUI-Italian, a parent report measure assessing pragmatic language development in children 18-47 months of age. Method Parents of Italian-speaking children who ranged in age between 18 and 47 months completed the LUI-Italian at T1 ( N = 389) and 1 week later ( N = 53). At T1, children were also administered the First Language Test (Test del Primo Linguaggio [TPL]), a direct measure of pragmatics, vocabulary, and syntax. Results Cronbach's alpha values were at or above acceptable levels. Factor analysis and test-retest confirmed the strong structure and reliability of the LUI-Italian. Some evidence for concurrent validity was found, as shown by associations between the LUI-Italian and the TPL. Conclusions The LUI-Italian demonstrated good psychometric properties relating to reliability, thus providing a sound basis for proceeding to a standardization study, and supporting cross-cultural comparison of pragmatic development and further exploration of profiles of pragmatic competence for children displaying language impairments or delay. Future studies need to further test concurrent, divergent, and predictive validity of the LUI-Italian.

Time perspective is an important correlate of developmental outcomes in adolescence, and research has highlighted the importance of assessing the past, the present, and the future. However, there are few instruments that assess all three time periods. In the current study, we examined the responses of Italian and Albanian adolescents on the time frequency, time orientation, time relation, and time attitude subscales of the Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory. Participants consisted of two samples of adolescents-246 Italians and 312 Albanians-who completed translated versions of the Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory. Italian and Albanian adolescents had similar responses to time frequency and time attitudes but differed in time orientation and time relation. Additionally, psychometric evidence supported the internal consistency and structural validity of scores on five of the six time attitude subscales-Past Positive, Past Negative, Present Positive, Present Negative, and Future Positive-but provided less support for Future Negative subscale scores. Time attitude scores showed strong invariance across countries. Comparisons of time attitude mean scores in this study with time attitude means in samples from Germany, Japan, Italy, New Zealand, Turkey, and the United States revealed similarities and differences. Finally, time constructs did not have substantial associations with risky behaviors or seatbelt use. The findings suggest that the Adolescent and Adult Time Inventory can be used in cross-cultural research on time perspective and may help us understand adolescents in these contexts.

Primary immunodeficiencies (PIDs) are heterogeneous disorders, characterized by variable clinical and immunological features. National PID registries offer useful insights on the epidemiology, diagnosis, and natural history of these disorders. In 1999, the Italian network for primary immunodeficiencies (IPINet) was established. We report on data collected from the IPINet registry after 20 years of activity. A total of 3352 pediatric and adult patients affected with PIDs are registered in the database. In Italy, a regional distribution trend of PID diagnosis was observed. Based on the updated IUIS classification of 2019, PID distribution in Italy showed that predominantly antibody deficiencies account for the majority of cases (63%), followed by combined immunodeficiencies with associated or syndromic features (22.5%). The overall age at diagnosis was younger for male patients. The minimal prevalence of PIDs in Italy resulted in 5.1 per 100.000 habitants. Mortality was similar to other European registries (4.2%). Immunoglobulin replacement treatment was prescribed to less than one third of the patient cohort. Collectively, this is the first comprehensive description of the PID epidemiology in Italy.

Background: X-linked agammaglobulinemia (XLA) is the prototype of primary humoral immunodeficiencies. Long-term follow-up studies regarding disease-related complications and outcome are scarce., Objective: Our aim was to describe the natural history of XLA., Methods: A nationwide multicenter study based on the Italian Primary Immunodeficiency Network registry was established in 2000 in Italy. Affected patients were enrolled by documenting centers, and the patients' laboratory, clinical, and imaging data were recorded on an annual base., Results: Data on the patients (N = 168) were derived from a cumulative follow-up of 1370 patient-years, with a mean follow-up of 8.35 years per patient. The mean age at diagnosis decreased after establishment of the Italian Primary Immunodeficiency Network registry (84 months before vs 23 months after). Respiratory, skin, and gastrointestinal manifestations were the most frequent clinical symptoms at diagnosis and during long-term follow-up. Regular immunoglobulin replacement treatment reduced the incidence of invasive infections. Affected patients developed chronic lung disease over time (47% after 40 years of follow-up) in the presence of chronic sinusitis (84%). Malignancies were documented in a minority of cases (3.7%). Overall survival for affected patients was significantly reduced when compared with that for the healthy male Italian population, and it further deteriorated in the presence of chronic lung disease., Conclusions: This is the first detailed long-term follow-up study for patients with XLA, revealing that although immunoglobulin replacement treatment reduces the incidence of invasive infections, it does not appear to influence the development of chronic lung disease. The overall survival of affected patients is reduced. Further studies are warranted to improve patients' clinical management and increase awareness among physicians., (Copyright © 2020 American Academy of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Although metacognitive dysfunction has been associated with eating disorders, to our knowledge no study has yet explored the relation between metacognition and drunkorexia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the potential role of metacognitive processes in drunkorexia in a sample of adolescents. A total sample of 719 adolescents (353 females, 366 boys; age range 15-20) completed a self-report survey composed of Compensatory Eating and Behaviors in Response to Alcohol Consumption Scale, AUDIT-C, Metacognitions Questionnaire-30, and Positive Alcohol Metacognitions Scale. Our results showed that drunkorexia was associated with dysfunctional metacognitive processes; specifically, findings from logistic regression analysis revealed that the metacognitive beliefs in the need to control thoughts, the negative beliefs about the uncontrollability and danger of worrying and the positive metacognitions about alcohol use were significant predictors of drunkorexia. Our study suggests the relevance for prevention efforts to train adolescents to develop alternative self-regulation strategies and more adaptive ways of monitoring thoughts.

Background: Most studies suggest that immigrant youth are more likely to be victimized than their non-immigrant counterparts. In Italy, a country in which the number of foreign migrants has grown exponentially over recent decades, this line of research is particularly interesting. Thus, the main objective of the present study was to examine the relationship between peer victimization, gender, and immigrant status in a large sample of students., Method: The research used data from a cross-sectional Italian survey on the "Integration of Second Generations", which was administered to 68,127 students in grades 6 through 13 (49% female; 47% immigrant). Multinomial logistic regression analyses were used to examine the association between immigrant status and gender with verbal, physical, and relational victimization, after adjusting for socio-demographic variables., Results: Immigrant and male participants were more likely to be classified as frequently victimized. The significant interaction effect between immigrant status and gender revealed that male immigrant students were more likely to belong to the frequently relationally victimized category compared to their counterparts., Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of including immigrant status disparities in peer victimization research. Prevention efforts and intervention strategies should be implemented to create safe environments in Italy.

There is an increasing need for effective services and strategies to favor the transition from school to post-school/working experience for individuals with disabilities and specifically with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Post-school options are still limited, and most adults with ASD struggle in finding adequate and stable job opportunities. This work analyzes the increasing number of laws issued in Italy in the last decades in order to improve social and working inclusion. The central role of the individual educational planning (IEP) as part of the broader individual project is discussed. Also the potential of pathways for transversal skills and orientation for future employment outcomes is taken into consideration. Good practices promoting autonomy and supporting transition to work starting from school years are reviewed. The international literature shows different models and tools, which could be applied to the Italian school. The COMPASS consultancy model could favor the achievement of individualized transition IEP goals. Peer mediated intervention could improve social skills, a core weakness in ASD, though a central element for success in the workplace. Another key element is the parental involvement in the construction of the future of their children with ASD.

Multidimensional Perceived Self-Efficacy Scale for Children has been developed as an important tool to measure Self-Efficacy in school contexts. The present study assesses the measurement invariance of the MSPSE across two samples of Italian and Colombian adolescents using Multi-sample Confirmatory Factor Analysis. Participants were Italian (N = 564) and Colombian (N = 645) students attending the 7th grade (age 12-13) drawn from a residential community near Rome and three Colombian cities: Medellin, Manizales and Santa Marta. Findings from gender invariance provide high support for full and partial invariance among Colombian and Italian adolescents respectively. Cross-national comparison showed partial scalar invariance between Italy and Colombia, with Italian students perceiving themselves as more efficacious on Academic, Social and Self-Regulatory dimensions. MSPSE's structural validity has been confirmed, along with its three-factor-structure across gender, for the Italian and Colombian samples. The findings support the invariance and the validity of this scale to measure Self-Efficacy in school contexts from a cross-cultural perspective., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Heavy episodic drinking (HED) implies severe consequences for health, both in the short and long term. Peer conformity has shown contradictory relationships with HED, suggesting the presence of a complex interaction between social and individual factors., Objective: This study investigated the moderation role of conformity in the relationship between theory of mind (ToM) and HED., Method: Participants were 170 Italian adolescents (M age  = 18.71, SD age  = 0.77) recruited in public high schools. Self-report measures were administered for evaluating drunkenness and HED. The Drinking Motives Questionnaire was used to assess three drinking motives, namely coping with negative emotions, enhancement of positive feelings, and the need for peer conformity, whereas the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test was adopted to test advanced theory of mind skills. ANOVAs, MANOVAs and regression moderation analyses were performed., Results: Drunkenness, HED and drinking motives did not vary with gender. Only social motives were higher in boys (vs. girls). HED was positively related to drunkenness and to social, coping and enhancement motives. However, only enhancement significantly predicted HED. Finally, conformity moderated the relationship between ToM and HED. In the presence of high conformity, adolescents with impaired ToM reported significantly more HED than adolescents with high ToM., Conclusions: In the presence of conformity needs, social cognition impairment appeared to be a risk factor for HED, whereas good socio-cognitive skills were protective. Implications for research, clinical assessment and prevention are discussed., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The purpose of the current study was to identify demographic, social, and psychological variables associated with suicidal ideation in an Italian sample and a Spanish sample, taking into account the relevance of sexual orientation as a risk factor for suicide. Three hundred twenty gay and bisexual men, 396 heterosexual men, 281 lesbians and bisexual women, and 835 heterosexual women were recruited. In chi-square and multivariable logistic regression analyses we identified several consistent cross-national risk factors for suicidal ideation: having lower education, not being religious, being homosexual or bisexual, not being engaged in a stable relationship, having lower level of peer and parental attachment, and having depressive symptoms. Interestingly, the strongest risk factor in both samples, after depression symptoms, was sexual orientation.

Italy has experienced a recent surge in immigration, which has led to an increase in the country's birth rate. Many immigrant mothers are adolescent parents. 30 adolescent mothers (17 recent immigrants and 13 adolescents of Italian descent) completed measures of adolescent self-development and motherhood, perceived availability and satisfaction with social support, and emotional and behavioral characteristic of their children. Findings suggest that immigrant teen mothers show more difficulties related to parenting than do Italian born teen mothers. In particular, immigrant teen mothers report lower levels of social support satisfaction and availability, higher levels of parent-child dysfunction, and experience motherhood and child behavior as more problematic. The findings highlight and confirm the need for well-designed, specific supportive services for adolescent immigrant mothers.

Considering the significant negative consequences that are directly related to binge eating and drinking behaviors, many studies have explored the reasons why adolescents engage in them. This study examined the differences in the development, maintenance, and co-occurrence of "binge" behaviors associated with adolescent's identity style and the level of commitment. One thousand four hundred Italian adolescents completed self-report measures assessing binge behaviors and identity styles. Overall, results show that diffused adolescents were more likely to be engaged in binge eating and binge drinking behaviors than others, validating the idea that the achievement of a consolidated ego identity is important for enhancing well-being.

This study examined the relationship between 'theory of mind' and attachment-related anxiety and avoidance in adolescence. The "Reading the Mind in the Eyes" test and the "Experiences in Close Relationships - Relationship Structures" questionnaires were administered to 402 14-19 year-old adolescents. Contrary to expectations, anxiety but not avoidance with mother was associated with less accurate mindreading, and this effect was stronger in younger than in older adolescents. Results might be explained in terms of the inconsistency of caregiver behavior that is supposed to cause anxious strategies, and thus illustrate the need to consider not only the effects, but also the causes of different types of insecure strategies., (Copyright © 2013 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The main aim of this study was to explore the relationship between identity statuses and alcohol use and misuse in adolescence. A sample of 440 Italian students completed the Extended Objective Measure of Ego Identity Status-Version 2 (EOM-EIS-II) and the Alcohol Addiction Scale of the Shorter Promise Questionnaire (SPQ-ALC). The results suggested that problematic alcohol use during early and middle adolescence is associated with developmentally less sophisticated identity development. Foreclosed and diffused adolescents were classified as binge drinkers and heavy drinkers. The latter reported a higher mean dependence score than other identity groups. The risk and mediating factors about alcohol misuse and dependence are provided.

Limited studies have sought to describe binge drinking among adolescents and even fewer studies have attempted to examine whether family functioning, family communication and satisfaction could be associated with alcohol abuse. Our sample was made up of 726 Italian adolescents between the ages of 16 and 18. According to previous research, adolescents were categorized into non-drinkers, social, binge and heavy drinkers. Results showed that social, binge and heavy drinkers differ in terms of some drinking variables, family functioning, family communication and satisfaction.

This study is the first contribution to the understanding of gender differences in best friendship patterns of adolescents sexual minorities. We explored friendship patterns, self-disclosure, and internalized sexual stigma in an Italian sample of lesbian (N = 202) and gay (N = 201) adolescents (aged 14-22 years). We found gender differences in cross-sex and cross-orientation patterns of best friendship. Gay men (52%) reported more cross-sex friendships than lesbians (20%). The 52% of participants had cross-orientation friendships, and no differences were found between lesbians and gay men. Lesbian and gay men with a cross-orientation best friend showed a lower level of internalized sexual stigma. Gay men with cross-orientation friendship showed a low level of internalized sexual stigma and less conflict with a best friend. For gay men and lesbian participants, self-disclosure to the best friend was better predicted by internalized sexual stigma and self-disclosure. Future studies may provide direct comparisons between heterosexual and sexual minority individuals., (Copyright © 2011 The Foundation for Professionals in Services for Adolescents. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The goal of the present study was to explore patterns of communication between adolescents and their friends across both "online" and "in-person" contexts. The participants were adolescents (n = 727) aged 11-16 years attending middle schools in urban and rural areas of Italy. Participants completed daily logs of their in-person and online contacts with friends for 20 consecutive school days. Girls reported more total contacts with their friends than did boys as well as friendships that were closer and more intimate. However, boys indicated more contact than girls via electronic communication and online. Contacts with peers in general were less frequent among the older participants, perhaps because of increasing academic demands. Participants who complemented in-person contact with friends with electronic contact were less lonely than their counterparts who were less versatile in accessing different modalities of making contact with friends.

We examined the prevalence of binge drinking among lesbian and gay (LG) youths, and evaluated whether experiences such as internalized sexual stigma, the experience of "coming out" to family and friends, and the individuals' sense of "connectedness" to the gay community could be associated with alcohol abuse. The research involved 119 gay (58.9%) and 83 lesbian (41.1%) Italian youths (18 to 24 years old). According to previous research, youths were categorized in non-drinkers, social, binge and heavy drinkers. Results showed that the estimated percentage of binge drinking among gay and lesbian youths is 43.6%. The survey revealed that social, binge, and heavy drinkers differ in terms of some drinking variables, internalized sexual stigma, family and peer self-disclosure, and connectedness gay community. Implications for the prevention of binge drinking in LG youths are currently under discussion even if further investigation is urgently needed., (2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

The principal aim of the study was to examine the psychometric properties and construct validity of the General Decision-Making Scale (GDMS) in a sample of 700 adolescents (aged 15-19 years). Confirmatory and exploratory factor analyses provide evidence for a solid five-dimension structure reflecting the theorized construct: rational, intuitive, dependent, avoidant and spontaneous. No differences were found with respect to gender; however older adolescents used more rational decision-making style than younger ones and had lower mean scores on intuitive, avoidant and spontaneous scales. Correlations between GDMS and both Sensation Seeking and Locus of Control scales provided substantiation for the convergent validity. Higher school achievements were positively associated with a rational decision-making style while the number of absences from school was positively related to spontaneous and avoidant styles. Data encourage the use of GDMS not only in the research of personality but for educational and counseling purposes.

Objective: Many studies have enlightened the relevance of deepening our knowledge of suicidal ideation among adolescents. However, research has given insufficient attention to the impact of time perspective on suicidal ideation: the present study confirms this relationship in a large sample of adolescents., Method: A survey was conducted on a sample of 3700 Italian adolescents. We obtained data using a structured questionnaire addressing suicidal ideation, mental health status, self-esteem, individual and family characteristics, and time perspective (ZTPI) in three temporal frames: the past, present and future, and the attitude related to each one of them. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate analyses., Results: Overall, 9.2% of the sample reported severe suicidal ideation during the past two weeks; 7.6% reported moderate suicidal ideation. Female adolescents were more likely to report severe suicidal ideation when compared to males (chi((2))(2)=13.38, P=.001). There were no differences regarding age (chi((1))(2)=2.81, P=.245) and SES (chi((2))(2)=8.67, P=.08). The first discriminant function was mostly explained by psychopathological symptoms (General Global Index), self-esteem and two dimensions of the ZTPI (Negative Past and Fatalistic Present)., Conclusions: Differences in time perspective dimensions between moderate and severe ideators suggest that these groups should be considered and analyzed as two discrete groups in further research.

Although binge drinking and excessive alcohol consumption are relevant public health problems in Italy, no research has been carried out on those topics for years. In the first months of the year 2005, 1000 undergraduates in a number of Italian universities were administered a survey regarding their attitudes in alcohol consumption. Participants were to complete a questionnaire including demographic and alcohol variables, the Sensation-Seeking Scale (SSSV) and the Positive Drinking Expectancy Scale (PDMS). According to previous research, students were categorized in non-drinkers, social, binge, and heavy drinkers. Results showed that the estimated percentage of binge drinking among university students is 32.9%. The survey revealed-by means of univariate and multivariate analysis-that social, binge, and heavy drinkers differ in terms of some drinking variables, in their expectancies about alcohol and in sensation-seeking dimensions. Implications for the prevention of binge drinking in young adults are currently under discussion even if further investigation into the Italian context is urgently needed.