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The large-scale diffusion of tablets and smartphones in the last decades offered new opportunities to broaden educational strategies. In particular, the Mobile-Assisted Language Learning (MALL) emerged as a promising approach leveraging the widespread availability of portable devices. In this study we investigated the feasibility and efficacy of a self-administered MALL homework training based on immersive 360° videos, compared to a training based on not-immersive standard videos showing the same visual content and enriched by an auditory description of the environment. The knowledge of target words was assessed before and after the training. In addition, students' attitudes toward the technology were assessed before the training. Results indicated that students with a more positive attitude toward technology watched the videos more than those with a less positive attitude. Furthermore, students who underwent the training with 360°videos learned more words than students belonging to the control group, even after controlling for the number of videos views.

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) and Metaverse applications are gaining attention in the educational field, showing potentials in transforming traditional learning methods by supporting active and experiential forms of learning. Our study, conducted within the context of an Italian university course, employs the Extended Expectation-Confirmation Model (EECM) as a theoretical framework to explore the key aspects of students' acceptance and continued intention to use IVR and Metaverse integrated learning environments in educational settings. The EECM, which bridges the gap between pre-adoption expectations and post-adoption experiences, provides a comprehensive perspective for exploring technology adoption in education. Students' attitudes were assessed before and after they completed an elective course offered by the university that delved into IVR and Metaverse applications. During the course, students explored the theoretical and practical applications of these technologies, engaging in a variety of experiences, from immersive relaxation exercises to immersive educational platforms in the emerging Metaverse. Contrary to common assumptions, pre-adoption factors like performance and effort expectancy had limited impact on expectancy confirmation. However, when students' initial expectations matched their experiences, their perceptions of the technology's usefulness, satisfaction, and confidence in its use were positively enhanced, influencing their continued intention to integrate these tools in education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Immersive virtual reality (IVR) technology provides several educational affordances that make it a valuable tool for learning, especially from a constructivist learning perspective. Combined with the increasing availability of Metaverse social platforms, such as ENGAGE and AltSpace VR, where students and teachers can meet and work together, IVR may transform how students learn and interact with educational content. However, little is known about students' attitudes toward IVR in education. To address this gap, we surveyed 329 undergraduate students from different universities in Italy. We used the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) to predict students' intention to adopt IVR for learning. We further explored the role that different individual factors, including students' learning styles, affordances perceptions, and personal innovativeness, have on their attitudes toward IVR. A hierarchical multiple regression analysis revealed that the four constructs of the UTAUT, namely performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, and facilitating conditions were the strongest predictors of students' intention to use IVR in education and that individual factors only had little impact on it. Based on these results, this study provides helpful indications for researchers and educators who wish to introduce IVR effectively in educational contexts. Given the new possibilities provided by Metaverse applications based on IVR technology for learning, it is indeed crucial to fully understand the attitudes different stakeholders in education have toward adopting this technology in educational contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present study aimed at investigating which sources of social support best account for pregnant women's levels of psychological distress and mental well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. 274 Italian and Canadian expectant mothers completed an online-based survey including measures of perceived social support (from family, significant other and friends), state anxiety, depressive symptoms, and satisfaction with life. Correlation analyses and amultivariate analysis of covariance were performed to explore how social support from different sources was related to depressive symptoms, state anxiety and satisfaction with life. Different sources of social support contributed to explaining women's psychological distress and mental well-being. Social support both from family and friends was significantly related to women's state anxiety and depressive symptoms. Social support from friends was specifically related to women's satisfaction with life. Our findings endorse the crucial role of perceived social support as a protective factor for pregnant women's mental health. In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, our results suggest that support from family seems important in preventing psychological distress, whereas support from friends is also associated with mental well-being. These results may help designing future interventions aimed at improving women's perinatal mental health in life-threatening conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The investigation of emerging adults' expectations of development of the next generation of robots is a fundamental challenge to narrow the gap between expectations and real technological advances, which can potentially impact the effectiveness of future interactions between humans and robots. Furthermore, the literature highlights the important role played by negative attitudes toward robots in setting people's expectations. To better explore these expectations, we administered the Scale for Robotic Needs and performed a latent profile analysis to describe different expectation profiles about the development of future robots. The profiles identified through this methodology can be placed along a continuum of robots' humanization: from a group that desires mainly the technical features to a group that imagines a humanized robot in the future. Finally, the analysis of emerging adults' knowledge about robots and their negative attitudes toward robots allowed us to understand how these affect their expectations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The tablet PC represents a very popular mobile computing device, and together with other technologies it is changing the world of education. This study aimed to explore the acceptance of tablet PC of Italian high school students in order to outline the typical students' profiles and to compare the acceptance conveyed in two types of use (learning and communicative activities at school). Data were collected using an online survey that was filled out by students at home. Two hundred and ninety‐six students from six public high schools in Milan and surrounding suburbs voluntarily accepted to participate in the study. The results show a varied situation in the Italian schools despite the availability of and funding for the technology. Three clusters were identified with high, moderate and low acceptance of tablet PC and a comparison between such clusters revealed significant differences in gender, grade level and usage frequency. The groups showed also significant differences in relation to the uses of tablet PC at school that appeared coherent with their level of acceptance: students who have higher level of acceptance are those who use the tool more both for learning and communicative purposes. To conclude, students with lower acceptance probably need to better understand the opportunities offered by this technology and how to use it. Based on examining the data from the survey, preliminary recommendations are made. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The assessment of body image in adolescence plays a key role in investigating self-esteem development and social adjustment. In particular, these days, adolescents use more and more online tools to communicate with other people, and virtual body image represents a critical aspect for understanding the avatar development. This study aims at investigating the virtual body representation by using the 'Drawing Me' graphical test with a group of Italian adolescents. Specifically, we compared body image representation in real (drawings) and virtual (avatar) life by taking gender differences into consideration. Results show that virtual body representation is more characterized by the sexual features related to body, face, and clothes and by a major number of context elements than real body representation. Gender differences confirm that girls tend to represent themselves in greater detail than boys and their avatars are rich with sexual characters. To conclude, our study illustrates that the Drawing Me test is an effective tool that analyzes the virtual body representation in an unobtrusive way, and intervention implications are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many people had to shift their social and work life online. A few researchers and journalists described a new form of fatigue associated with a massive use of technology, including videoconferencing platforms. In this study, this type of fatigue was referred to as Online Fatigue. A new tool (the Online Fatigue Scale) was developed, and its psychometric properties were evaluated. This tool was used to assess Online Fatigue among Italian academics and to examine its associations with psychological and physical health., Methods: An online survey was conducted in December 2020 on a sample of Italian academics. Besides the Online Fatigue Scale (11 items) used to assess Online Fatigue, the survey was composed of questionnaires (including validated measures) focused on sociodemographic and job-related information, technostress creators, health status, psychological well-being, and COVID-related perceived distress. The psychometric properties of the Online Fatigue Scale were evaluated, and statistical analyses were conducted to examine the associations between Online Fatigue and all the other variables., Results: Participants were 307 academics aged 24-70 years old (mean age = 40.7; SD = 10.1). The Online Fatigue Scale showed good psychometric properties. Two subscales were identified: Off-Balance Fatigue and Virtual Relations Fatigue. High levels of Off-Balance Fatigue were associated with a greater use of technology, female gender, and presence of minor children. Participants with high scores on both subscales reported a greater frequency of psychosomatic symptoms, unhealthy habits, poorer psychological well-being, and greater Covid-related perceived distress., Conclusions: The Online Fatigue Scale can be considered a reliable tool to assess Online Fatigue, which was significantly detected in our sample of Italian academics, along with its negative effects on physical and psychological health. Being a woman and having young children represent important risk factors. Universities should promote the separation between work and private life by encouraging self-care activities., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Values have been defined as trans-situational goals that serve as guiding principles in people's life to select modes, means, and actions. Despite values being relevant predictors of behaviors, their role in shaping adolescents' gambling ones has been under investigated. Specifically, the present study aimed at exploring whether and which values may be protective or risk factors for gambling behaviors, this also considering gender differences. Respondents were 237 adolescents (aged from 14 to 19; 58.2% female), recruited from three Italian high schools, who were asked to fill in a self-report and anonymous online questionnaire investigating their values and gambling behaviors. Specifically, the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the South Oaks Gambling Screen: Revised for Adolescents were used. Results showed that males were keener to adopt more frequently gambling behaviors, this also being more problematic, compared to their female counterparts. Despite conservation and openness to change values seem not to influence gambling behaviors, self-transcendence and self-enhancement values respectively negatively and positively predict gambling problems. More interestingly, self-transcendence values seem to work better as protective factors toward the severity of this risk behavior especially for the male subsample. Implications for preventive and promotional interventions with adolescents are discussed.

Importance: At the beginning of a public health crisis, such as the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is important to collect information about people's knowledge, worries, and behaviors to examine their influence on quality of life and to understand individual characteristics associated with these reactions. Such information could help to guide health authorities in providing informed interventions and clear communications., Objectives: To document the initial knowledge about COVID-19 and recommended health behaviors; to assess worries (ie, one's perception of the influence of the worries of others on oneself), social appraisal, and preventive behaviors, comparing respondents from areas under different movement restrictions during the first week after the outbreak; and to understand how worries, perceived risk, and preventive behaviors were associated with quality of life and individual characteristics among Italian adults., Design, Setting, and Participants: This convenience sample, nonprobablistic survey study recruited adult participants with a snowballing sampling method in any Italian region during the first week of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy from February 26, 2020, to March 4, 2020. Data were analyzed from March 5 to 12, 2020., Exposures: Information was collected from citizens living in the quarantine zone (ie, red zone), area with restricted movements (ie, yellow zone), and COVID-19-free regions (ie, green zone)., Main Outcomes and Measures: Levels of knowledge on the virus, contagion-related worries, social appraisal, and preventive behaviors were assessed with ratings of quality of life (measured using the Short Form Health Survey). Additionally, some individual characteristics that may be associated with worries and behaviors were assessed, including demographic characteristics, personality traits (measured using Big Five Inventory-10), perceived health control (measured using the internal control measure in the Health Locus of Control scale), optimism (measured using the Revised Life Orientation Test), and the need for cognitive closure (measured using the Need for Closure Scale)., Results: A total of 3109 individuals accessed the online questionnaire, and 2886 individuals responded to the questionnaire at least partially (mean [SD] age, 30.7 [13.2] years; 2203 [76.3%] women). Most participants were well informed about the virus characteristics and suggested behaviors, with a mean (SD) score of 77.4% (17.3%) correct answers. Quality of life was similar across the 3 zones (effect size = 0.02), but mental health was negatively associated with contagion-related worries (β = -0.066), social appraisal (β = -0.221), and preventive behaviors (β = -0.066) in the yellow zone (R2 = 0.108). Social appraisal was also associated with reduced psychological well-being in the green zone (β = -0.205; R2 = 0.121). In the yellow zone, higher worries were negatively correlated with emotional stability (β = -0.165; R2 = 0.047). Emotional stability was also negatively associated with perceived susceptibility in the yellow (β = -0.108; R2 = 0.040) and green (β = -0.170; R2 = 0.087) zones. Preventative behaviors and social appraisal were also associated with the need for cognitive closure in both yellow (preventive behavior: β = 0.110; R2 = 0.023; social appraisal β = 0.115; R2 = 0.104) and green (preventive behavior: β = 0.174; R2 = 0.022; social appraisal: 0.261; R2 = 0.137) zones., Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that during the first week of the COVID-19 outbreak in Italy, people were well informed and had a relatively stable level of worries. Quality of life did not vary across the areas, although mental well-being was challenged by the social appraisal and worries related to the contagion. Increased scores for worries and concerns were associated with more cognitive rigidity and emotional instability.

Objective: To carry out and investigate the effectiveness of an emotional intelligence (EI) training based on the EI ability model, using videogames as experience-based learning tools to increase EI abilities in adolescents. Materials and Methods: A pre-/post-test/follow-up quasi-experimental design was used with an experimental and a control group (121 adolescents, 15.7% boys, mean age of 14.1 years). The training called "EmotivaMente" consisted of eight sessions lasting 1.5 hours each, conducted with six first-year classes of two Italian senior high schools. Data on emotional competences were collected at baseline, at the end of the training and 3 months later. Data were analyzed by repeated measures analysis of variance. Results: Students who participated in the EI training reported an improvement in the evaluation and expression of emotions in relation to the self (own emotions) compared with the control group, immediately after the training, but this difference did not persist at the follow-up (3 months later). Furthermore, EmotivaMente found an increase in the use of cognitive revaluation as a strategy of emotion regulation in the experimental group over time. Conclusions: EmotivaMente helped adolescents to improve emotional skills. Results confirmed that videogames can be useful to promote EI in adolescents at school, if integrated with a guided and assisted framework. Implication of the findings and recommendations for future research are made.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Dispositional Flow Scale-2 (DFS-2), for use with Italian adults, young adults and adolescents., Method: In accordance with the guidelines for test adaptation, the scale has been translated with the method of back translation. The understanding of the item has been checked according to the latest standards on the culturally sensitive translation. The scale thus produced was administered to 843 individuals (of which 60.69% female), between the ages of 15 and 74. The sample is balanced between workers and students. The main activities defined by the subjects allow the sample to be divided into three categories: students, workers, athletes (professionals and semi-professionals)., Results: The confirmatory factor analysis, conducted using the Maximum Likelihood Estimator (MLM), showed acceptable fit indexes. Reliability and validity have been verified, and structural invariance has been verified on 6 categories of Flow experience and for 3 subsamples with different with different fields of action. Correlational analysis shows significant high values between the nine dimensions., Conclusions: Our data confirmed the validity and reliability of the Italian DFS-2 in measuring Flow experiences. The scale is reliable for use with Italian adults, young adults and adolescents. The Italian version of the scale is suitable for the evaluation of the subjective tendency to experience Flow trait characteristic in different contest, as sport, study and work.

The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of a specific stress management protocol, based on immersive Virtual Reality (VR), to be used as part of a multidisciplinary inpatient program for the treatment of obesity. The stress management protocol included imagery, relaxation and different cognitive behavioral approaches -- emotion focused coping, self-monitoring and record keeping. Forty (40) participants, all female, were recruited for the study at the San Giuseppe Hospital, Istituto Auxologico Italiano, Piancavallo (VB), Italy. Participants were chosen among the obese patients without a specific Binge Eating diagnosis but with high level of anxiety and a history of emotional eating. The sample was randomly distributed in three conditions as follows: (a) VR stress Management Protocol; (b) DVD based stress management protocol; (c) no treatment (control condition). Data show that the VR condition produced a significantly higher reduction in anxiety, as compared both to DVD and control groups. More, we found a significant correlation between changes in the emotional state and the level of presence: the more present the users felt, the higher the reduction in anxiety. This datum suggests the possible role of presence in mediating the effects of a stress management protocol.

In the past decade, the use of virtual reality for clinical and research applications has become more widespread. However, the diffusion of this approach is still limited by three main issues: poor usability, lack of technical expertise among clinical professionals, and high costs. To address these challenges, we introduce NeuroVR (http://www.neurovr.org--http://www.neurotiv.org), a cost-free virtual reality platform based on open-source software, that allows non-expert users to adapt the content of a pre-designed virtual environment to meet the specific needs of the clinical or experimental setting. Using the NeuroVR Editor, the user can choose the appropriate psychological stimuli/stressors from a database of objects (both 2D and 3D) and videos, and easily place them into the virtual environment. The edited scene can then be visualized in the NeuroVR Player using either immersive or non-immersive displays. Currently, the NeuroVR library includes different virtual scenes (apartment, office, square, supermarket, park, classroom, etc.), covering two of the most studied clinical applications of VR: specific phobias and eating disorders. The NeuroVR Editor is based on Blender (http://www.blender.org), the open source, cross-platform suite of tools for 3D creation, and is available as a completely free resource. An interesting feature of the NeuroVR Editor is the possibility to add new objects to the database. This feature allows the therapist to enhance the patient's feeling of familiarity and intimacy with the virtual scene, i.e., by using photos or movies of objects/people that are part of the patient's daily life, thereby improving the efficacy of the exposure. The NeuroVR platform runs on standard personal computers with Microsoft Windows; the only requirement for the hardware is related to the graphics card, which must support OpenGL.