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Adolescence is a period of rapid physical, psychological, and neural maturation that makes youth vulnerable to emerging psychopathology, highlighting the need for improved identification of psychopathology risk indicators. Recently, a higher-order latent psychopathology factor (p-factor) was identified that explains latent liability for psychopathology beyond internalizing and externalizing difficulties. However, recent proposals suggest reconceptualizing the p-factor model in terms of impairments in personality encompassing difficulties in both self-regulation (borderline features) and self-esteem (narcissistic features), but this remains untested. To address this, this study examined the p-factor structure and the contribution of borderline and narcissistic features using two cross-sectional data collections. In Study 1, 974 cisgender adolescents (63% assigned females at birth; age range: 13–19; Mage = 16.68, SD = 1.40) reported on internalizing and externalizing problems (YSR) to test via structural equation models (SEM) different theoretical models for adolescent psychopathology. In Study 2, 725 cisgender adolescents (64.5% assigned females at birth; age range: 13–19; Mage = 16.22, SD = 1.32) reported internalizing and externalizing problems (YSR), borderline personality features (BPFSC-11), and narcissistic personality traits (PNI), to explore, via SEM, the contribution of borderline and narcissistic traits to the p-factor and accounting for gender differences. Results confirmed the utility of a bi-factor model in adolescence. Furthermore, findings highlighted the contribution of borderline features and narcissistic vulnerability to general psychopathology. The study provides the first evidence supporting a p-factor model reconceptualized in terms of personality impairments encompassing difficulties in self-regulation and self-esteem in adolescents.

The present study investigates the association between Fear of Missing Out (FoMO) and Problematic Internet Use (PIU) in a sample of 358 cisgender emerging adults (74.58% females assigned at birth; Mage = 25.02, SD = 2.60; age range: 18–29 years), with a specific focus on the roles of various stances of Epistemic Trust, including Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity. The aim is to explore the complexities of these relationships and their implications for the psychological well-being of this population. We computed a mediation model to examine the relationships among PIU as the dependent variable, FoMO as the predictor, and Epistemic Trust, Mistrust, and Credulity as the mediating factors. Covariates such as age, gender, and sexual orientation were also considered in the analysis. The results revealed significant indirect effects for both Mistrust and Credulity. Specifically, higher levels of FoMO were associated with increased Mistrust and Credulity, leading to greater PIU. In contrast, the indirect effect of Trust was not significant. Also, FoMO had a direct effect on PIU. The results highlight the importance of considering Mistrust and Credulity as potential risk factors for Internet addiction in emerging adults. These findings have practical implications for clinical practice, psychological assessment, and intervention strategies, emphasizing the need to address FoMO and its associated vulnerabilities within different therapeutic settings. By doing so, mental health professionals can better support the psychological well-being of emerging adults and assist them in navigating the challenges inherent to this crucial developmental stage.

The present study examined the contribution of different defense mechanisms (i.e., mature, mental inhibition and avoidance, immature-depressive), grandiose narcissism, and vulnerable narcissism to fear of missing out (FoMO). A non-clinical community sample of 436 white (97.24 % Italians) emerging adults (age range: 18–29 years; M = 24.90, SD = 2.52) participated in a cross-sectional, questionnaire-based online survey. All participants were cisgender (i.e., identified with the gender assigned at birth), of whom 72.2 % were assigned females at birth; 80.50 % reported a heterosexual orientation. Structural equation modeling indicated that mature defenses and mental inhibition and avoidance defenses did not significantly contribute to FoMO, while grandiose and vulnerable narcissism did. However, higher immature-depressive defenses were associated with increased FoMO over and beyond vulnerable narcissism, suggesting that immature-depressive defenses maladaptively hinder emerging adults from acknowledging and elaborating their own vulnerability, leading to feelings of anxiety and frustration when they perceive exclusion from rewarding activities. The results indicate potential intervention targets, such as grandiose narcissism and immature-depressive defenses, for emerging adults who struggle with FoMO, while also pointing to the need for replication in clinical samples to confirm the importance of including defense mechanisms for diagnosing and treating narcissistic individuals reporting FoMO.

Traumatic experiences may impair reflective functioning (RF), making it difficult for individuals to understand their own and others' mental states. Epistemic trust (ET), which enables evaluating social information as reliable and relevant, may vary in association with RF. In this study, we explored the implications of different ET stances (i.e., trust, mistrust, and credulity) in the relation between different childhood traumatic experiences (i.e., emotional abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional neglect, and physical neglect) and different types of RF impairments (uncertainty and certainty about mental states). A non-clinical community sample of 496 cisgender emerging adults (mage = 24.91, standard deviation = 2.66, 71.85% assigned female at birth, 63.63% heterosexual) reported on their childhood traumatic experiences, ET, and RF. We used structural equation models to examine direct and indirect associations. The results showed significant indirect effects between emotional abuse and uncertainty about mental states through credulity. We also observed significant indirect effects between emotional abuse and certainty about mental states through mistrust and credulity. The findings suggest that a lack of discrimination when evaluating knowledge from others (i.e., credulity) might promote increased uncertainty in RF when emerging adults have experienced emotional abuse in their childhood. Conversely, a tendency to view all information sources as unreliable or ill-intentioned (i.e., mistrust) may foster greater certainty in RF as a protective mechanism against an unreliable and potentially harmful world when combined with childhood emotional abuse. The implications for clinical practice and intervention are discussed.

Introduction: Mentalization, operationalized as reflective functioning (RF), allows individuals to interpret actions as caused by intentional mental states. Previous research highlighted the gender-specific associations between adolescents' internalizing and externalizing difficulties and mentalizing impairments. In addition, research suggested that mentalizing facilitates the creation of epistemic trust (ET) to evaluate social information as accurate, reliable, and relevant. However, few investigations explored the concurrent associations between RF, ET, and adolescent psychopathology. Methods: A sample of 447 Italian cisgender adolescents (57% assigned females at birth; age range 12–19 years old; Mage = 15.54, SD = 1.98) self-reported RF (RFQY-5), ET towards mother, father, and peers (IPPA) and mental health problems (YSR-112). Gender-specific structural equation modeling explored the associations between RF, ET, and internalizing/externalizing problems. Results: Results suggested an excellent fit for the theoretical model and revealed gender-related associations. In females, findings suggest that ET mediates the association between RF and psychopathology, with indirect associations from RF through ET to lower internalizing and externalizing problems. However, in males, RF and ET display independent associations with psychopathology. Conclusion: Overall, findings suggest that ET might be a transdiagnostic factor playing different roles associated with adolescent psychopathology. Indeed, links between RF and ET might help to explore gender differences in mental health problems in this developmental phase.

Background: The prevalence of anxiety and depression disorders is surging worldwide, prompting a pressing demand for psychological interventions, especially in less severe cases. Responding to this need, the Italian government implemented the “Psychological Bonus” (PB) policy, allotting 25 million euros for mental health support. This policy entitles individuals to a minimum of four to twelve psychological sessions. In collaboration with the National Board of Italian Psychologists, our study assesses this policy’s effectiveness. Indeed, the PsyCARE study aims to examine the utilization of the Psychological Bonus, evaluate its impact on adult and adolescent participants’ psychological well-being through pre- and post-intervention assessments and six-month follow-up, and conduct a longitudinal cost-effectiveness analysis of this policy. A secondary aim is to investigate the influence of these interventions on transdiagnostic factors, including emotion regulation and epistemic trust. Methods: The study involves licensed psychotherapists and their patients, both adults and adolescents, benefiting from the Psychological Bonus. Data collection is underway and set to conclude in December 2023. Psychotherapists will provide diagnostic information and assess patient functioning. In addition, patients will be evaluated on mental health aspects such as clinical symptoms, emotion regulation, epistemic trust, and quality of life. We will employ linear mixed-effects models to analyze the outcomes, accounting for both fixed and random effects to capture the hierarchical structure of the data. Discussion: We anticipate the study’s findings will highlight reduced psychological distress and improved quality of life for participants and demonstrate the Psychological Bonus policy’s cost-effectiveness. The study will gather data on the role of specific versus nonspecific therapeutic factors in psychotherapy while adopting a patient-tailored approach to identify effective therapeuti

The increasing use of the Internet has raised concerns about its problematic use, particularly among emerging adults who grew up in a highly digitalized world. Helicopter parenting, characterized by excessive involvement, overcontrol, and developmentally inappropriate behavior, has been identified as a potential factor contributing to problematic Internet use (PIU). Under these circumstances, considering that emerging adults navigate their adult lives and strive to reduce their sense of being in-between, implicit emotion regulation strategies, such as defense mechanisms, may help comprehend PIU. The present questionnaire-based study investigated the associations between maternal and paternal helicopter parenting and PIU through defensive functioning among a community sample of 401 cisgender emerging adults (71.82% females; 82.04% heterosexuals; Mage=24.85, SD=2.52) living in Italy. About one-fourth (25.19%) reported PIU. Greater maternal, B=0.904, SE=0.235, p<.001, but not paternal, B=0.343, SE=0.188, p=.068, helicopter parenting was significantly associated with PIU through a less mature defensive functioning. Conversely, neither maternal, B=1.158, SE=0.722, p=.109, nor paternal, B=0.355, SE=0.731, p=.628, helicopter parenting had a direct association with PIU. The results suggest the importance for psychotherapists to incorporate individuals’ defense mechanisms and parent–child relationship history when designing tailored interventions for effective treatment of PIU. This emphasis is crucial because, in the context of a developmentally appropriate parenting style, relying on more mature defenses after psychotherapeutic intervention can lead to healthier adjustment among emerging adults.

Objective: Research has shown the importance of delving into the variables associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors in adolescence, highlighting gender-related differences in their presentations. This two-wave longitudinal study aims to address gaps in understanding the concurrent contribution of borderline and narcissistic personality traits to the presence and maintenance of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescence. Method: We recruited 705 adolescents (65% females; age range 13-19 years old; Mage = 15.84, SD = 1.31) to self-report on behavioral problems (YSR-112), borderline (BPFSC-11) and narcissistic traits (PNI) at baseline and again on behavioral problems after 12 months. Results: Data highlighted significant differences between males and females for all variables except externalizing problems. Hierarchical regression models showed that borderline traits are a prominent risk factor for all behavioral problems in males and females at baseline and after 12 months. Moreover, regardless of gender, higher grandiose narcissism contributes to lower internalizing problems only when the direct contribution of vulnerable presentations of narcissism is considered. Grandiose narcissism is also a risk factor for externalizing problems after 12 months in females, whereas vulnerable narcissism significantly increases the likelihood of internalizing trajectories improving over 12 months. Conclusions: This study provides more evidence of the associations between maladaptive personality traits and adolescent internalizing and externalizing problems: (1) confirming that borderline traits are crucial beyond gender, (2) stressing the importance of considering both grandiose and vulnerable narcissistic traits, and (3) highlighting the adaptive value of narcissistic vulnerability in capturing the adolescent crisis. The implications for clinical practice and intervention are also discussed.

Introduction: Identifying longitudinal trajectories of emerging personality (EP) is crucial to highlight developmental patterns that might foster personality pathology in adolescence and early adulthood. Research on the exacerbation of personality pathology in adolescence identifies the significant contribution of internalizing and externalizing problems and suggests the importance of considering aspects such as mentalization, while accounting for gender differences. Methods: In our study, we adopted a mixed-model approach to (1) explore longitudinally EP (Adolescent Personality Structure Questionnaire; APS-Q) over 12 months in a sample of adolescents (N = 178, 62% females, mAGE = 15.04, SD = 1.27), accounting for gender effects. Moreover, (2) we assessed the longitudinal effect of internalizing and externalizing problems (Youth Self-Report; YSR-112) on EP. Finally, (3) we addressed the moderating role of mentalization (Movie Assessment for Social Cognition; MASC) in this developmental pathway. Results: Results highlighted a two-way pattern of EP. No changes were found in the level of difficulties in Self-acceptance, Investments and Goals, and Relationships with family dimensions. However, significant changes were found in personality functioning in the dimensions of Sense of Self, Aggression, and Relationships with friends. More, changes in difficulties in Sexuality emerged only in females. Also, gender differences emerged in the level of severity of EP. In addition, Internalizing and Externalizing problems differentially predicted difficulties in personality dimensions. Finally, mentalizing features moderated the relationship between Internalizing problems and Sense of Self and Internalizing problems and Self-acceptance, respectively. Conclusions: Our contribution aligns with recent developmental models of personality pathology, suggesting that different personality dimensions develop at different paces. More, it highlights the predictive power of externalizing an

The present study explores the concurrent contribution to sleep problems of individual-related, family-related, and school-related factors in adolescence. Gathering from the Italian 2018 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) data collection, we used hierarchical logistic regression on a sample of 3397 adolescents (51% females, Mage = 13.99, SD = 1.62) to explore the contribution to sleep problems of the individual (Model 1: alcohol use, smoking, screen time, physical activity), familial (Model 2: parental communication, parental support), and school-related (Model 3: peer support, schoolmates/students support, teacher support and school pressure) variables. 28.3 percent of adolescents reported having sleep difficulties. Overall, Model 3 significantly improved over Model 2 and Model 1. Data showed that increasing smoking (OR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03–1.20) and screen time (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02–1.08) were associated with sleep difficulties but not alcohol use and physical activity. Also, impaired communication with both parents and increasing parental support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.78–0.90) were associated with decreased odds of sleep problems. Finally, both increases in school pressure (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.26–1.56) and lack of student support (OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.10–1.42) were associated with a higher likelihood of sleep problems, while peer support and teacher support were not. Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of an integrated approach to the study of sleep difficulties in adolescence that includes specific psychosocial contributors such as the quality of parental communication and perceived parental support and considers the quality of the day-to-day relationship with schoolmates and the school level of demands.What is Known:• Adolescents' are at-risk of more significant sleep difficulties, and recent literature highlights the importance of an integrated approach to understanding this phenomenon, including biological, psychosocial, and cont

Mentalization is the ability to understand behaviors as underlying mental states such as thoughts, emotions, and motivations. Mentalization development is considered complete between 8 to 12 years old. The possibility to work on this competence may have a substantial role in preventing or intervening in child psychopathology. Mentalizing Skills (MS) are activated in a relational context. This contribution's main objective is to suggest developing a Virtual Reality (VR) tool to assess socio-emotional abilities in children and train mentalization skills (MS) in an immersive environment. More specifically, we aim to test longitudinal variations (before and after intervention) of (1) socio-emotional problems and (2) emotion regulation strategies (expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal). Participants will be assessed with the Roberts-2 test using a VR app to assess MS using a head-tracked Head Mounted Display (HMD). The new app will assess the participants' ability to make inferential thoughts about others' states of mind, and a validated device will record Heart Rate Variability as a measure of emotion regulation. This new protocol will provide a reliable and engaging way to assess and train MS in an ecological environment via an agile technology-based approach, offering clinicians valuable insights into the children's skills/deficiencies, useful for prevention and clinical intervention.

Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of personality and its dysfunctions. In this regard, it is essential to evaluate the nature and degree of maladaptive personality functioning. However, measures currently available present some limitations, mainly being adaptations from adult’s tailored instruments and length. Moreover, no instrument considers the crucial dimensions related to body development and sexuality. This contribution presents data on the Adolescent Personality Structure Questionnaire (APS-Q) development, a self-report measure to capture core aspects of personality functioning in adolescence while being agile and reliable. On two large samples of adolescents (total N = 1,664), we investigated the psychometric properties of the APS-Q. We explored its factor structure and construct and incremental validity in the first sample, testing specific associations with existing measures of severity of personality pathology, maladaptive personality traits, and psychological distress. In the second sample, we confirmed its factor structure, assessing gender and age invariance. Overall, our findings support the APS-Q’s validity as a reliable and useful measure to assess personality functioning. Moreover, the APS-Q highlighted developmentally vital dimensions such as self-functioning (encompassing mental and bodily changes and considering the dimension of sexuality), interpersonal functioning (discriminating the dimensions of family and peers), and emotion regulation.

Recently, researchers from developmental and clinical psychology highlighted epistemic trust (ET) as a key factor for personality disorders. ET is intended as the mental openness to information coming from others during social exchanges. ET develops from signals called ostensive cues, delivered through facial expressions during interactions in a secure attachment context. Similarly, interpersonal trust (IT) refers to the perception of others as not harmful, which is also developed through secure attachment relationships. Our purpose was to suggest a conceptualization of ET as a specific facet of IT. We hypothesize that positive experiences of caregiving promote IT development that includes a specific sense of trust toward others’ knowledge. Moreover, we suggest that the early ability to infer a judgment of trustworthiness from facial cues is the starting point for developing both IT and ET. This conceptualization supports the role of considering both IT and ET in the development of borderline pathology.

The present study explores the concurrent contribution to sleep problems of individual-related, family-related, and school-related factors in adolescence. Gathering from the Italian 2018 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children (HBSC) data collection, we used hierarchical logistic regression on a sample of 3397 adolescents (51% females, Mage = 13.99, SD = 1.62) to explore the contribution to sleep problems of the individual (Model 1: alcohol use, smoking, screen time, physical activity), familial (Model 2: parental communication, parental support), and school-related (Model 3: peer support, schoolmates/students support, teacher support and school pressure) variables. 28.3 percent of adolescents reported having sleep difficulties. Overall, Model 3 significantly improved over Model 2 and Model 1. Data showed that increasing smoking (OR = 1.11; 95% CI: 1.03-1.20) and screen time (OR = 1.05; 95% CI: 1.02-1.08) were associated with sleep difficulties but not alcohol use and physical activity. Also, impaired communication with both parents and increasing parental support (OR = 0.84; 95% CI: 0.78-0.90) were associated with decreased odds of sleep problems. Finally, both increases in school pressure (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.26-1.56) and lack of student support (OR = 1.25; 95% CI: 1.10-1.42) were associated with a higher likelihood of sleep problems, while peer support and teacher support were not.Conclusion: Our findings highlight the importance of an integrated approach to the study of sleep difficulties in adolescence that includes specific psychosocial contributors such as the quality of parental communication and perceived parental support and considers the quality of the day-to-day relationship with schoolmates and the school level of demands.

Borderline Personality Disorder is a severe condition that affects self and interpersonal dimensions and emotional and behavioral regulation. Since the last decades of the 20th century, an impressive amount of research and clinical contributions on BPD came from specific fields such as psychiatry, clinical psychology, psychopharmacology, and, more recently, cognitive neuroscience. All contributions tackled the challenges of finding reliable diagnostic categories, highlighting detailed developmental trajectories, and fostering effective treatment protocols. However, as results come from different areas, it is often challenging to depict a coherent and yet multifaceted framework on this topic. In this study, we conducted a scientometric analysis of the available literature on BPD to provide a systematic and comprehensive overview of research on BPD and emphasize historical changes, intertwining between fields and new areas of investigation. Results clearly show the evolution of research on BPD starting from the initial development of the construct, passing through the studies on treatment efficacy, the results of longitudinal studies, the advances in cognitive neurosciences, and the recent dimensional conceptualization in DSM-5. Moreover, it emphasizes promising areas of investigation, such as the relations of BPD with NSSI, ADHD, and vulnerable features of narcissism.

Background: the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic brought disruptive changes in everyone's everyday life, among which pervasive anxiety about the risk of infection, the fear of worsening physical symptoms, and the experience of isolation and loneliness due to lockdowns and other strict governments' rules. These kinds of repercussions of pandemic situations impact individuals' psychological wellbeing resulting in heightened perceived stress, anxiety, and depression. "Italia Ti Ascolto" (ITA) has been developed as an internet-based intervention to offer an online solution for psychological support needs. Methods: ITA is an app available on iOS and Android systems. Users complete a baseline assessment on emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), psychological stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. Participants select between several one-hour long clinical groups held by expert psychotherapists. After every session, people are asked to complete a quick users' satisfaction survey. Discussion: Our contribution presents ITA's intervention protocol and discusses preliminary data on psychological variables collected at baseline. Data showed significant associations between emotion regulation strategies and depressive, anxious symptoms, and level of stress. Moreover, the role of perceived psychological support is considered. Future developments and implications for clinical practice and treatment are discussed.

The onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic impacted individuals' psychological wellbeing resulting in heightened perceived stress, anxiety, and depression. However, a significant issue in accessing psychological care during a lockdown is the lack of access to in-person interventions. In this regard, research has shown the efficacy and utility of psychological app-based interventions. 'Italia Ti Ascolto' (ITA) has been developed as a population tailored internet-based intervention to offer an online professional solution for psychological support needs. The ITA app is available on iOS and Android systems. Users completed a baseline assessment on emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression), psychological stress, anxiety, depression, and perceived social support. Participants could select among several one-hour long clinical groups held by expert psychotherapists. After every session, people were asked to complete a quick users' satisfaction survey. Our contribution presents ITA's intervention protocol and discusses preliminary data on psychological variables collected at baseline. Data showed significant associations between emotion regulation strategies, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and level of stress. Moreover, the role of perceived social support is considered. Future developments and implications for clinical practice and treatment are discussed.

The concept of the unconscious in psychology (or unconscious mind) summarizes the com- plexity of the dynamics that characterize most of human’s mental functioning. Since the par- adigmatic revolution of the late nineteenth cen- tury, questions such as how the unconscious world is structured, how it influences cogni- tion, emotion, motivation, and behaviors have pushed theoretical reflections and scientific research forward, always suggesting new rein- terpretations of the concept itself. In particular, its impact on psychotherapy fostered the crea- tion of different models and conceptualizations for treatment about the dynamics of the thera- peutic relationship and the individual’s mental functioning. Focusing on the realm of the unconscious mind inevitably opens the gates to the possible, encouraging the formulation of new vocabularies and taxonomies. This contri- bution offers a definition and a historical framework for the idea of the unconscious in the field of psychology. Then, from a brief review of the leading scientific research ques- tions related to this concept, it reflects on the implications for clinical work and its associa- tions with the possible in the therapeutic rela- tionship. Insight and “aha” moments, creativity, nonlinear dynamics, and approaches that combine the advancements of neurosci- ence and psychoanalytical contributions are just some of the theoretical and applicative branches that boldly ventured to “think the unthinkable.”

Adolescence is a crucial period for the development of personality and its dysfunctions. In this regard, it is essential to evaluate the nature and degree of maladaptive personality functioning. However, measures currently available present some limitations, mainly being adaptations from adult’s tailored instruments and length. Moreover, no instrument considers the crucial dimensions related to body development and sexuality. This contribution presents data on the Adolescent Personality Structure Questionnaire (APS-Q) development, a self-report measure to capture core aspects of personality functioning in adolescence while being agile and reliable. On two large samples of adolescents (total N = 1,664), we investigated the psychometric properties of the APS-Q. We explored its factor structure and construct and incremental validity in the first sample, testing specific associations with existing measures of severity of personality pathology, maladaptive personality traits, and psychological distress. In the second sample, we confirmed its factor structure, assessing gender and age invariance. Overall, our findings support the APS-Q’s validity as a reliable and useful measure to assess personality functioning. Moreover, the APS-Q highlighted developmentally vital dimensions such as self-functioning (encompassing mental and bodily changes and considering the dimension of sexuality), interpersonal functioning (discriminating the dimensions of family and peers), and emotion regulation.

Background: Older people’s deficits in executive functions (EF) have been shown to lead to higher fall risk, postural sway, and reduced speed. Crucially, EF impairments are even more pronounced in individuals with chronic cerebrovascular disease (CVD), namely vascular cognitive impairment. Methods: In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we used a complete neuropsychological battery, including the Trail Making Test (TMT) and physical measures, such as the Morse fall and EQUI scales, to assess 66 individuals with chronic CVD. Linear regressions, Bayesian analyses, and model selection were performed to see the impact of EF, global cognition, and vascular parkinsonism/hemiplegia on physical measures (fall risk and balance). Results: The TMT part B and BA correlated (r = 0.44 and r = 0.45) with Morse fall scale. Only EF significantly explained fall risk, whereas global cognition and vascular parkinsonism/hemiplegia did not. These findings were confirmed by Bayesian evidence and parsimony model selection. Balance was not significantly correlated with any of the neuropsychological tests. Conclusions: This is the first study investigating the relationship between cognitive and physical measures in a sample of older people with chronic CVD. The results are consistent with previous findings that link EF with fall risk in CVD.

Research on personality in adolescence underlined the importance of adopting a dimensional approach to personality pathology rather than a categorical one. In this regard, the association between maladaptive versions of personality traits and pathological outcomes has been studied, neglecting the study of the severity of personality functioning. The aim of the current study is to investigate the interactions between maladaptive personality traits as conceptualized in DSM-5 Alternative Model for Personality Disorders and personality functioning in a large sample of non-clinical adolescents. Maladaptive personality traits, severity of personality functioning and psychological distress were evaluated in 562 adolescents (62.5% females, M = 16.24, SD = 1.69) recruited from middle and secondary schools in Northern Italy. Results showed that internalizing maladaptive personality traits and psychoticism were associated with psychological distress, whilst externalizing traits were not. Moreover, dimensions of personality functioning (self and interpersonal related) moderated the strength of these associations. These findings suggest the importance of taking into account the level of personality functioning in order to deeper understand the association between maladaptive personality traits and psychological distress. In particular, our results indicate that internalizing features might be highly influenced by personality dimensions in adolescence.

Questo contributo si propone di esplorare dimensioni, processi e traiettorie di sviluppo che sono specificamente legate alla struttura di personalità emergente in adolescenza adottando un approccio dimensionale. In linea con gli sviluppi contemporanei sulla concettualizzazione dei disturbi di personalità, la patologia di personalità "cresce" durante l'adolescenza, che è in effetti un terreno particolarmente "sensibile" e fertile perché ciò avvenga. Perciò, il capitolo 1 ("Investigating emerging personality pathology") presenta una panoramica dello stato dell'arte sulla struttura della personalità (mal)adattiva in adolescenza, preparando il terreno per gli argomenti che saranno ulteriormente sviluppati nelle sezioni seguenti. Il capitolo 2 ("Development of personality pathology") continua l'esplorazione teorica, approfondendo il dibattito attuale su quali siano le dimensioni fondamentali che definiscono lo sviluppo della patologia di personalità (cioè la formazione dell'identità e gli aspetti self e interpersonal del funzionamento), così come su come formulare una descrizione clinicamente rilevante dei disturbi di personalità. Il capitolo 3 ("A dimensional approach to personality functioning") indaga la complessa ma cruciale relazione tra funzionamento e tratti maladattivi di personalità, così come i potenziali outcomes clinici della personalità patologica interpretata secondo una prospettiva dimensionale (Studio 1). Inoltre, poiché è stato adottato un approccio esclusivamente categoriale per studiare un tema importante e clinicamente rilevante come la presenza di comportamenti autolesivi non suicidari (NSSI) e la sua associazione con la personalità patologica, lo Studio 2 considera se e quali dimensioni del funzionamento disadattivo sono associate alla presenza di NSSI in un campione non clinico di adolescenti. Inoltre, per riconoscere la necessità di adottare strumenti che identifichino le dimensioni e i processi specifici della strutturazione d, This contribution aims at exploring dimensions, processes and developmental trajectories that are specifically related to emerging personality structure in adolescence adopting a dimensional approach. In line with contemporary developments on the conceptualization of personality disorders, the pathology of personality "grows up" during adolescence, which is indeed a particularly "sensitive" and fertile ground for this to happen. Thus, Chapter 1 (“Investigating emerging personality pathology”) presents an overview of the current state of the art on emerging (mal)adaptive personality structure in adolescence, setting the ground ready for the topics that will be further developed in the following sections. Chapter 2 (“Development of personality pathology”) continues the theoretical exploration, deepening the current debate on what the core dimensions are that define the development of personality pathology (i.e., identity formation and self and interpersonal aspects of personality functioning), as well as on how to formulate a clinically relevant description of PDs. Chapter 3 (“A dimensional approach to personality functioning”) investigate the complex yet crucial relation between maladaptive personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits, as well as potential pathological outcomes of personality pathology interpreted from a dimensional perspective (Study 1). Furthermore, as an exclusively categorical approach has been adopted to study a crucial and clinically relevant topic as is the presence of non-suicidal self-injury behaviors (NSSI) and its association with personality pathology, Study 2 considers whether and which dimensions of maladaptive personality functioning are associated with the presence of NSSI in a community sample of adolescents. Moreover, to acknowledge the need to adopt tools that identify the dimensions and processes that are specific to emerging personality structuring in adolescence and that are sufficiently sensitive to detect sub-thr

There is ongoing debate about the structure of pathological narcissism. Adopting a network approach, we investigate the core features of pathological narcissism and the nature of traits interconnections in a community sample (N = 944), considering also the effect of personality structure. Results suggest that grandiose fantasies, contingent self-esteem, and entitlement rage have a central role in defining pathological narcissism. Also, differences in interconnections between traits are found when considering individuals with different levels of personality structure. Our findings shed light on the structure and nature of pathological narcissism by showing the existence of both core and peripheral features, as well as their differential role in defining narcissistic manifestations at different levels of personality functioning.

Objectives. Adolescence is a crucial phase for the development and consolidation of personality, as youths face critical psychological changes in the perception of their self in relations with family members and peers, as well as with evolving romantic and sexual relations. Significant deviations in personality structuring can result in the emergence of pathological personality features. In this contribution, we investigated the relationship between emerging personality structure in adolescence and borderline and narcissistic personality aspects. Specifically, we aimed at underlining which dimensions of emerging personality structure were related to borderline and narcissistic characteristics. Methods. A community sample of 709 adolescents (age 13-19) was tested for personality dimensions (Self, Self-acceptance, Relationship with Family and Friends, Aggression, Sexuality, Investments and goals) using the Adolescent Personality Structure Questionnaire (APS-Q) and for borderline (Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children – BPFSC-11) and narcissistic features (Pathological Narcissism Inventory – PNI). Results. Data suggest significant associations between specific personality dimensions and pathological personality features. In particular, results showed strong associations between borderline features and impairments in self and interpersonal related personality dimensions as well as with difficulties in aggression regulation. Likewise, data indicated significant relations between vulnerable narcissistic features and self-related aspects of personality. Finally, results showed impairments in Self, Self-acceptance dimensions, difficulties in aggression regulation and sexuality, related to more severe grandiose narcissistic characteristics. Discussions. These preliminary data suggest that impairments in specific dimensions of emerging personality structure in adolescence might be related explicitly to borderline and narcissistic features. In particular, both eme

Objective. Adolescence is a crucial period for the development and consolidation of personality. As adolescents deal with changes related to both body and neurophysiological development, they also face psychological changes in the perception of their self and interpersonal functioning. According to the object relations theoretical framework, this contribution aims at presenting data on the development of the Adolescent Personality Questionnaire (APS-Q) an agile but reliable measure to evaluate pathological personality functioning in adolescence. Indeed, there is a lack of self-report instruments to assess pathological personality functioning in adolescence directly aimed for the adolescent population and shaped according to the core aspects of (mal)adaptive personality acknowledging features related to self (identity) and interpersonal (object relations) dimensions and affect regulation. Methods. The study involved overall 1557 participants, recruited from middle and secondary schools in Northern Italy. A first sample compiled a pilot version of the APS-Q to run Principal Component Analysis (PCS) and test for construct and test-retest validity. A second sample compiled the final version of the APS-Q to run Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and check for relationships with borderline and narcissistic traits as also for psychological problems. Results. Data suggest a strong factorial structure for the APS-Q, encompassing seven dimensions of personality functioning related to self and interpersonal aspects as well as affect regulation. Furthermore, impairments in personality functioning measured with the APS-Q were significantly associated with specific pathological personality traits and psychological problems. Conclusions. Our results suggest that the APS-Q is a quick and reliable measure to assess emerging personality functioning in adolescence. Moreover, significant relations with maladaptive features (i.e., personality traits and internalizing/externalizing probl

Objective: although a large number of studies have investigated the association between non-suicidal self-injury (nssi) and personality pathology, they have adopted exclusively a categorical approach, neglecting the study of maladaptive personality functioning. the aim of the current study is to investigate whether and which dimensions of maladaptive personality functioning are mainly associated with the presence of nssi in a community sample of adolescents. Method: severity of maladaptive personality functioning and nssi were evaluated in 247 adolescents (68.8% females, M = 15.57, sd = 2.24) recruited from middle and secondary schools in northern italy. Results: Results showed that lifetime self-injurers reported more difficulties in domains of Social Concordance, self-control, identity integration and responsibility than adolescents with no lifetime nssi. on the contrary, no significant differences were found in the Relation domain between participants with and without lifetime NSSI. Conclusions: These findings suggest the importance of taking into account a dimensional approach that consider the level of personality functioning in order to deeper understand the association between maladaptive personality and nssi. in particular, our results indicate that intrapersonal aspects of maladaptive personality functioning, rather than interpersonal ones, have a key role in the presence of NSSI during adolescence

We argue that clinical information related to an object-relations model of personality pathology can be used by untrained and clinically inexperienced students to rate personality-disordered patients on the Level of Personality Functioning Scale (LPFS). To do so, 73 clinically inexperienced undergraduate students were asked to assess personality functioning of 10 female inpatients using the LPFS from audio recordings of the Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO). LPFS ratings showed acceptable interrater reliability. Moreover, LPFS ratings were significantly associated with external measures of severity of personality pathology (number of DSM–IV–TR personality disorders) as assessed by experienced clinicians. Finally, the students' ratings were also associated with the level of personality organization as measured by experienced clinicians using the STIPO. Our findings confirm that untrained raters can reliably assess personality pathology by rating the LPFS based on material from the STIPO. Implications related to the use of the STIPO as a tool for the assessment of personality pathology according to the DSM–5 Alternative model are discussed

Currently, researchers and clinicians are conducting a wide-ranging re ection on personality disorders (PDs): signi cant aspects on this topic are the need to delineate the core domains that de ne personality pathology, as well as the demand to formulate a clinically relevant description of PDs. Within a dimensional perspective, given the evidence of a strong relationship between identity pathology and PDs, identity emerges as a key process, considering both the subjective experience (integration vs. di usion) and the social-cognitive perspectives (degrees of development of identity processes), in unravelling aspects of the self and interpersonal impairment in personality pathology

Adolescence is a crucial developmental stage in which the need to upgrade and integrate personality aspects such as identity integration, interpersonal relations, and a!ect regulation emerges. This contribution aims at presenting a new self-report screening tool for personality structure pathology, the Adolescence Personality Structure Questionnaire (APS-Q; Study I); this instrument assesses personality pathology within an object relations model of personality development. Moreover, we aim at investigating the relationship between personality functioning and Non-Suicidal Self Injury in adolescence (Study II). Study I - A pilot version of the APS-Q was tested in a sample of adolescents (N=907,age 13-21) to investigate factorial structure (112 item). Convergent validity was tested on a sub-sample (N=601, age 13-19), accounting for maladaptive personality traits, severity of personality functioning and clinical symptoms, as well as re-test validity (1 month) (N=451, age 13-19). Study II - A sample of 250 adolescents (age 12-19) completed the APS-Q and a self-report on NSSI behaviours. A 10 dimensions’ factor structure emerged: Identity (stability of self-image, mentalization, self- acceptance), object relations (family, peers), sexuality, aggression, risky behaviors, and investments (stability, satisfaction). These dimensions showed a good convergent validity in terms of associations with maladaptive traits, severity of personality functioning and clinical symptoms and good re-test validity. The personality structure profile of adolescents with NSSI, compared to those who did not report such behaviors, was significantly more severe in terms of identity (stability of self-image, mentalization), object relations (family), aggression, and investments (satisfaction). Furthermore, several relations between personality dimensions and NSSI functions (intrapersonal and interpersonal) were found. Preliminary data suggest a factor structure for the APS-Q that is coherent with th

Objective: Although the relationship between Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) and emotion regulation is a topic of great scientific interest, little is still known about the nature of this association. The aim of the present study is to clarify which specific difficulties in emotion regulation describe SUD inpatients, studying whether this relationship is mediated by the use of defense mechanisms. Method: Difficulties in emotion regulation and defense mechanisms were evaluated in 58 SUDs inpatients and 73 community participants. Results: Results showed that SUDs are associated with limited access to emotion regulation strategies when negative emotions are experienced. This relationship between difficulty in accessing emotion regulation strategies and the presence of SUDs was mediated by mature defenses. The more difficulties in accessing such strategies were, the less mature defenses were used; the less mature defenses were used, the more likely the presence of SUDs was. Conclusions: These findings suggest the importance of considering mature defense mechanisms in understanding difficulties in emotion regulation among SUD inpatients. Research and Clinical implications are discussed.

The study aims to compare psychometric properties and clinical utility of Kennedy Axis V (K Axis) and 12-items version of the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS 2.0), a comparable version of the 36-items one included in DSM-5, comparing them with other significant instruments for the assessment of personality. A sample of 25 clinical inpatients of a therapeutic community in Northern Italy was assessed with different tools: K Axis, WHODAS 2.0, IPO, SCL-90-R and SIPP-118. K Axis showed low internal consistency, unlike WHODAS 2.0. Moreover, significant correlations were found between both WHODAS 2.0 and K Axis and IPO and SIPP-118. However, no significant correlations emerged between K Axis and WHODAS 2.0. Even if further investigation will be needed, such as the increase of the sample and the update of the WHODAS version, K Axis and WHODAS 2.0 has proven to be useful tools for the evaluation of global functioning; however, while WHODAS is more consistent from a psychometric point of view, K Axis presents a multidimensional view of the functioning of the patient.