Search

Abstract This registered report evaluated the efficacy of an Italian adaptation of the "Identity Project," a school-based intervention promoting adolescents' cultural identity. Migration background and environmental sensitivity were explored as moderators. After adapting and piloting the intervention, a randomized controlled trial was conducted between October 2021 and January 2022 on 747 ethnically diverse adolescents (M[subscript age] = 15 years, 53% girls, 31% with migration background) attending 45 classrooms randomly assigned to the intervention or control condition. Bayesian analyses confirmed the efficacy of the Italian IP in enhancing exploration processes (Cohen's d = 0.18), whereas no cascading effect on resolution emerged. Youth with higher (vs. lower) levels of environmental sensitivity benefited more in terms of exploration. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Oral health care can be a difficult experience for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), for their family and for the dentist. The purpose of this study is to provide an understanding of the challenges experienced by the three aforementioned figures during oral care treatment. A cohort of 275 parents of typical development children (TD), 57 parents of children with ASD (3-15 years old) and by 61 dentists, completed two different multiple choices questionnaires. The data obtained show a great difficulty in the treatment of children with ASD as seen by the dentists and by the parents. This is due to: caregivers' demographic issues; difficulties encountered before and during the dental examination; scarce presence of experts in ASD treatment.

Cultural identity formation is a complex developmental task that influences adolescents' adjustment. However, less is known about individual variations in trajectories of cultural identity processes and how they relate to youth psychosocial outcomes. Using a person-centered approach, this study investigated patterns of change over a year in cultural identity exploration and resolution, respectively, among ethnically diverse adolescents in Italy. The sample included 173 high school students (Mage = 15 yrs, SD = 0.62, range = 14–17; 58.4% female; 26% immigrant background) who had participated in the Identity Project, a school-based intervention targeting ethnic-racial identity development. Longitudinal latent profile analysis revealed only one profile of change for exploration, whereas four unique profiles for resolution emerged ("stable low," "stable average," "increase low-to-average," "increase high-to-higher"). Overall, youth in the resolution-increase profiles reported the best outcomes. The findings highlight the heterogeneity of adolescents' resolution trajectories and the benefits of an increased sense of clarity concerning one's cultural identity for positive psychosocial functioning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aims to explore the forms of psychological parental control that are interconnected with dysfunctional emotional states (i.e., anxiety and depression), and how these internalizing problems may manifest as distorted behaviors (i.e., vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors) during adolescence. Participants included 403 Italian adolescent athletes (231 boys and 172 girls) aged 14 to 18 years. The participants completed self-report questionnaires designed to assess psychological parental control oriented towards dependence and achievement, anxiety and depression, and vigorexia and orthorexia. The results highlight how both forms of psychological parental control predict anxiety and depression. Furthermore, anxiety was found to be linked to both vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors, while depression is connected only to vigorexia. This study delves into the intricacies of parental influence on adolescents, revealing that both dependency-oriented and success-oriented psychological parental control have notable implications for the mental well-being of adolescents. The findings underscore the interconnectedness of these factors, demonstrating that anxiety can set off a chain reaction, leading to engagement in vigorexic and orthorexic behaviors. On the other hand, depression appears to be uniquely associated with vigorexia. These insights contribute to our understanding of the complex dynamics between parental control and adolescent mental health. The implications of this research extend to both theoretical frameworks and practical interventions, emphasizing the need for a nuanced approach to supporting adolescents in navigating these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study investigated the emergence of toddlers' regulatory strategies in aversive contexts. Forty-two toddlers were observed at 24 and 30 months of age using two paradigms designed to elicit fear and anger. We examined toddlers' use of regulatory strategies at these two stages of life regarding the frequency of self-versus other-oriented strategies and of reactive versus more controlled behaviors. Results showed that the type and level of control of strategies used in toddlerhood in managing negative emotions depend on emotion (e.g., fear versus anger) and age. Toddlers used self-oriented strategies to regulate fear and other-oriented strategies to regulate anger. To manage fear, when toddlers got older, they increased the use of reactive strategies (i.e., releasing tension) and decreased the use of more purposeful strategies (i.e., dealing with the aversive stimulus). In contrast, to regulate anger, toddlers utilized an intermediate level of control (i.e., drawing the mother's attention to themselves) and increased the use of this strategy with age. In addition, toddlers were able to select appropriate strategies for different stressors, and they increased with age the ability to adapt the strategies to the environmental conditions. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The lockdown imposed to contain the COVID‐19 pandemic brought deep changes in the daily life of Italian children and adolescents, increasing the time spent at home. This study aims to explore how activities that children and adolescents carried out at home during the lockdown were related to their emotional and behavioural well‐being. Method: Parents completed an anonymous online survey on how much time their children and adolescents dedicated to social networks, solitary screen time, play time and to a series of parent–child dyadic activities. They also reported on their offspring's emotional difficulties and behavioural problems. Results: The use of social networks had a negative impact on children's emotional difficulties, while it promoted well‐being in adolescents. Pertaining to solitary screen activities, these were associated with more behavioural problems in both children and adolescents. Regarding parent–child dyadic activities, get along with the parent was associated with less emotional difficulties and behavioural problems in children and with less behavioural problems in adolescents. Furthermore, for adolescents, the more they talked with the parent, the less behavioural problems they evidenced. Conclusion: The current study may help to identify activities that could be promoted and those that should be limited to effectively menage home time, in order to ultimately safeguard the emotional and behavioural well‐being of children and adolescents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID‐19 outbreak imposed to Italian families many changes in their daily life increasing the risk of developing psychological problems. The present study explored risk factors associated with parenting stress and implications for children's emotion regulation in families with different socioeconomic risks. Parents of 2–14 years old children completed a survey reporting difficulties experienced due to the lockdown, level of household chaos, parenting stress, parent involvement in the child's daily life, and children emotion regulation competences. The general mean levels of parenting stress and children emotion regulation abilities were not at clinical level compared with Italian norms. Household chaos predicted higher levels of parenting stress, which, in turn, was associated with less effective emotion regulation in children through the mediating role of parental involvement. More stressed parents were less involved in their children's activities, decreasing children's effective emotion regulation. Only for SES no‐risk families, the lockdown constraints increased parenting stress. For SES at‐risk families, the impact of parenting stress and involvement on children regulation strategies was stronger, with a protective role played by parental involvement on children's negativity not evident for SES no‐risk families. Dealing with the lockdown is a stressful experience for parents who have to balance personal life, work, and children upbringing, without other help. This situation potentially impairs their ability to be supportive caregivers and is consequently detrimental for children well‐being. Policies should take into consideration the implications of the lockdown for families' mental health and tailor supportive interventions according to family's risk factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although conscious aspects of attachment representations can be effectively assessed in middle childhood, the few available self-reports are based on different operationalizations of attachment and do not always show adequate psychometric properties. The current study aimed to develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Attachment in Middle Childhood Questionnaire (AMCQ). Using three independent samples of Italian children (M age = 10 years, 52% = girls), in three interrelated studies we (1) selected a pool of items from existing questionnaires, adapted them to the same response format, and subjected them to exploratory factor analysis; (2) performed confirmatory factor analyses on the retained items; and (3) used structural equation modeling to assess the factor structure, external validity, and invariance across gender and age groups. The final 15-item questionnaire comprised two dimensions (anxiety and avoidance) and a supplementary scale (security). Overall, results supported the reliability and validity of the AMCQ for Italian children. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We aimed to investigate the extent to which Environmental Sensitivity (ES), as captured by the Highly Sensitive Person, 12-item scale (HSP-12), is distinguishable from traditional personality traits, contributes to psychological adjustment over and above personality, and if this contribution depends on the rearing environment. We also explored the HSP-12 psychometric properties and invariance across countries (UK and Italy) and samples (university and general population). Across multiple adult samples (N = 4459), we provided evidence that ES can be reliably assessed with the HSP-12 across countries and groups. We also showed that ES is distinguishable from established personality traits and is associated with lower well-being and negative affect, beyond personality. An environment perceived as caring played a buffering role. • Environmental Sensitivity (ES) can be reliably assessed with the HSP-12 scale. • ES is distinguishable from traditional personality traits. • ES predicts psychological adjustment over and above personality. • Positive rearing environments buffer the ES association with anxiety and depression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Maternal–fetal attachment (MFA) is considered to be related to the quality of subsequent maternal care of the infant and maternal health behaviour during pregnancy. Objective: The aims of the present study were to investigate the internal structure of a questionnaire used for assessing MFA, the Prenatal Attachment Inventory (PAI), and to address the role of gestational age, couple adjustment and depressive symptomatology on MFA, on a sample of women from suburban areas. Method: A cross-sectional study using self-report questionnaires was conducted to address these two aims on 130 women attending prenatal care services. Results: A five-factor solution emerged for the PAI questionnaire. MFA levels were comparable to those found in previous studies using PAI, whereas depressive symptoms were higher than those reported in previous studies with normative pregnant women. Couple adjustment and gestational age significantly increased MFA. Among the MFA dimensions, Affect and Interaction were mainly affected by gestational age; Maternal–fetal differentiation was associated with gestational age and couple adjustment. Depressive symptoms were associated with an increase in Fantasy and Sensitivity factor scores.Conclusion: Prenatal attachment increased as gestational age advanced and as mothers perceived greater levels of couple adjustment, which promoted MFA strength, positive affect and MFA interaction and differentiation. The internal structure of PAI and its association with specific correlates are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Manchester Child Attachment Story Task (MCAST) is a story stem method suitable for children aged about 4 to 8, aimed at assessing children's attachment representations with a doll-play format that is evaluated with a series of dimensional scales and classifications. Although this instrument has already been validated in previous studies, not all of the findings have been conclusive. The aims of the present study were (1) to examine the factor structure of the MCAST scales, and (2) to test the association between children's dichotomized MCAST classifications and factors with social competence, using the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation Scale (SCBE) with a normative group of Italian preschoolers (age range 4.4 to 6.1). Results obtained from a sample of 64 children confirm the association of MCAST attachment classifications (security vs. insecurity and organization vs. disorganization) with both social skills and behavioral problems. Further independent studies on the variables analyzed are recommended for corroborating the findings obtained. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Investigating the role of individual differences in Environmental Sensitivity for well-being and stress at work is an emerging area of research with significant potential for practical implications in organizational management and human resources. Recent studies have begun to explore how individuals with high sensory-processing sensitivity (SPS) may be more vulnerable to work-related stress than their less sensitive peers, but may also derive greater benefits from positive job resources when available. The present study aims to investigate the role of leadership style in the complex interplay between individual differences in sensitivity, stress at work, and general well-being. A questionnaire was administered through Qualtrics to a total of 317 workers from two medium-large-sized Italian companies, across two waves between May and July 2022. Findings provided support for a three-way interaction effect, with job stressors exerting an adverse effect on participants' well-being, mitigated by democratic and let-it-be leadership styles at the team level, particularly among highly sensitive individuals. Thus, our findings suggest a vantage sensitivity effect and underscore the importance of cultivating positive work climates to enhance workers' ability to cope with stressors and improve their global well-being, with particular relevance for highly sensitive individuals., (© 2024. The Author(s).)

Self-report questionnaires based on Harter's response format ("Some kids . . . but other kids . . . ") are commonly used in developmental and clinical research settings, but the reliability and validity of this format in middle childhood are still under debate. The current study aimed to test the psychometric proprieties of Harter versus Likert response formats as applied to two attachment questionnaires in a sample of 410 Italian children aged 8 to 10 years. Participants completed the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised Child version ( n = 102, 4-point Likert-type scale; n = 104, adapted Harter version) and the Security Scale ( n = 95, Harter's format; n = 109 adapted 4-point Likert version). Results of multigroup confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the two response formats exhibited comparable reliability and factorial validity, although a slight superiority of Harter's format emerged for the Security Scale. External validity was supported for both answer formats. Implications for developmental theory and practice are discussed.

Objective: Cognitive inflexibility and over-attention to detail are two cognitive styles common to eating disorders (ED) and other psychopathologies characterized by rigid perfectionism. Despite many options to assess the above styles, the only self-report tool that simultaneously permits their specific assessment is the Detail and Flexibility Questionnaire (DFlex), originally developed to investigate the ED domain. The aim of this study was to validate the Italian version of the DFlex., Method: 170 patients (149 females) with ED and 148 controls (100 females) completed the Italian version of the DFlex., Results: A Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the two-factor model originally proposed in the literature was a good fit to the data. Item factor loadings were largely equivalent across clinical and control groups, with intercept distributions showing higher values for the clinical group compared to controls. Both DFlex subscales showed good internal reliability and were able to predict membership to the group condition., Conclusions: The DFlex is a reliable tool for investigation in the ED population. However, because DFlex items do not explicitly assess food and body shape domains, it is possible to extend its use to other psychopathologies characterized by rigid perfectionism. We propose the use of the DFlex in research and clinical practice as a useful tool for better understanding patients' cognitive functioning and in order to support treatment planning., (© 2020 Eating Disorders Association and John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)