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In this article, we reply to Jost et al.'s (Citation2023) rejoinder to our article reviewing evidence for the social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA; Rubin et al., Citation2023). We argue that (1) SIMSA treats system justification as the outcome of an interaction between general social psychological process and specific historical, political, cultural, and ideological environments; (2) it does not conflate perceived intergroup status differences with the perceived stability and legitimacy of those differences, (3) it is not fatalistic, because it assumes that people may engage in social change when they perceive an opportunity to do so; (4) it adopts a non-reductionist, social psychological explanation of system justification, rather than an individualist explanation based on individual differences; (5) it presupposes “existing social arrangements”, including their existing legitimacy and stability, and assumes that these social arrangements are either passively acknowledged or actively supported; and (6) it is not reliant on minimal group experiments in its evidence base.

Why do poorer and less educated Asians trust their institutions of governance more than their richer and well educated counterparts, despite their disadvantaged position within society? System justification theory (SJT) assumes that this trust is driven by a system-level motivation that operates independently from social identity needs. In two nationally representative surveys spanning several years (Ntotal = 221,297), we compared SJT's explanation with a newer social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA): that system justification amongst disadvantaged Asians is driven by a group norm for harmony, especially amongst those who are strongly invested in their national ingroup. The results supported SIMSA more than SJT. Specifically, a strong sense of national identification boosted trust in systems of governance amongst poorer and less-educated Asians, both when societal norms for harmony (Study 1), and personal endorsement of this norm (Study 2) were strong. Hence, social identity needs help to explain stronger system justification among objectively disadvantaged Asians.

The article describes results of a study on the factor structure of a further Italian adaptation of the Perceived Stigma Scale in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (PSS-IBD). The scale consists of 10 items measuring general perceived stigmatization that can be declined in 5 domains of life. The translated scale was administered to a sample of 162 patients who were affected by ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease. Explorative and confirmatory bi-factor analysis revealed that the scale adequately measured one single dimension of stigma along with 5 domain-specific scores. Perceived stigma was generally low, albeit about 20% of the sample reported moderate to strong levels stigma, especially in the domain of friendship and workplace. Levels of general stigma were influenced neither by type of disease nor by gender, although women reported higher stigmatization in the household context than men. Moreover, stigma was negatively correlated with resilience and self-esteem, thus supporting the validity of the scale. In sum, the present results seem to confirm the hypothesis that the PSS-IBD Italian version (IV) is a reliable and valid instrument to measure perceived stigma in patients with IBD. By virtue of its reduced length, PSS-IBD also appears to be an instrument that can easily be administered in diverse contexts.

System justification theory (SJT) assumes that social identity theory (SIT) cannot fully account for system justification by members of low-status (disadvantaged) groups. Contrary to this claim, we provide several elaborations of SIT that explain when and why members of low-status groups show system justification independent from any separate system justification motive. According to the social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA), the needs for social accuracy and a positively distinct social identity fully account for system justification by members of low-status groups. In the present article, we (a) explain SIMSA’s accounts of system justification, (b) develop associated hypotheses, (c) summarise evidence that supports each hypothesis, and (d) highlight issues to be addressed in future research. We conclude that SIMSA provides a more parsimonious explanation of system justification by the disadvantaged than SJT, because it does not refer to an additional separate system justification motive.

The Goldsmiths Musical Sophistication Index (Gold-MSI) measures a wide range of self-reported musical abilities and behaviors in the Western adult general population, regardless of musical expertise. This instrument has been validated in various languages, but an Italian version is lacking. The present study describes the Italian validation and adaptation of the Gold-MSI (Gold-MSI-IT) and investigates the effects of socio-demographic variables on scores of musical sophistication. Analyses of factor structure and internal reliability on an Italian sample (N = 429; mean age = 31.08; SD = 11.68; 75.5% female) and analyses of test-retest reliability on a smaller sample (N = 57; mean age = 34.68; SD = 10.80; 75% female) show that the Gold-MSI-IT confirms the bi-factor model of the original version, including an underlying General Musical Sophistication factor and five subfactors, and that our instrument has good internal consistency and good test-retest reliability. Additional tests showed gender differences in musical sophistication and that musical sophistication correlated with education but not with age. The study provides a reliable and stable tool to investigate individual differences in the Italian context and adds to our knowledge of musicality in the general population across countries.

The social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA) suggests that system justification among low-status groups can be explained by ingroup identification and the hope for a collective future improvement. In this report, we summarize the results of a cross-sectional investigation concerning the relationship between system justification, hope and identification based on a sample of 200 LGBTQIA+ individuals (identifying themselves as non-normative with respect to gender identity and sexual orientation). The results were supportive of SIMSA expectations and showed that system justification was positively linked to hope for future advancement. Importantly, hope played a key role influencing the relations between ingroup identification and perceived ingroup status: for low-status individuals who had high hope, ingroup identification was positively associated with system justification. Limits are acknowledged.

Do extreme rightists criticize the system, or do rightwing extremists exhibit the higher system justification? These competing alternatives were tested across three studies. In Study 1 (N =...

This research analyzed the effect of professional, organizational and care-unit identifications on both healthcare professionals' quality of professional life and mental health. This research was done in a local hospital in a region of northern Italy which was one of the first regions to be impacted by the first wave of the pandemic. Using a cross-sectional research, a web-based questionnaire was sent to the healthcare professionals. Professional quality of life, professional identifications as well as emotional maladjustment in terms of stress, anxiety and depression were measured. Results indicated that professional and care unit identification were positively linked to increased compassion satisfaction and reduced burnout. Professional identification was negatively associated with secondary traumatic stress as well, while care unit identification was positively associated with vicarious trauma. The negative dimension of the professional quality of life had positive relations with emotional maladjustment. Professional and care unit identifications appeared to have an indirect effect via professional quality of life on maladjustment.

Since Allport’s optimal conditions for reducing prejudice by interpersonal contact were defined, numerous empirical studies have confirmed the efficacy of intergroup contact in reducing prejudice towards outgroups. Given that the Internet is changing the way people communicate and interact daily, it is very possible that the Web plays an important role in reducing prejudice. Assuming that the virtual environment fits Allport boundary conditions for effective contact that reduces prejudice, we undertook this meta-analysis. Our aim was to demonstrate that online intergroup contact is a successful means of improving intergroup relations. Results from 23 studies (20 journal articles and 3 unpublished records) showed that the effect is significant. Effect size was independent of the characteristics of samples, including their countries. There were stronger effects when the induced contact focused on cooperation but not for support of the interaction by an authority figure or the presence of common goals.

Right-wing people usually justify the system more than left-wing people. The social identity approach suggests that system justification may be an ingroup bias at overarching national levels and th...

Based on Social Dominance Theory (SDT), this study investigates the relationships between ideologically conservative attitudes (social dominance orientation, SDO; right-wing authoritarianism, RWA), legitimizing myths (false belief in asylum seekers as bogus; perception of in-group threats), and citizens' support for restricted reception and rejection of asylum policies. A sample of 539 people living in Italy filled in an anonymous questionnaire administered using a cross-sectional design. The results support the expectations, showing that people high in SDO and RWA were more likely to hold the belief that asylum seekers are making false claims and to perceive that the latter pose a threat to the in-group, which in turn increased support for both of restrictive policies. Findings suggest that conservative ideologies can positively affect citizens' support for restrictive asylum seeker policies based on both rejection and restricted reception by supplying ideological justification for not accommodating them in the host society.

Why do women support social and economic arrangements that disadvantage them? System justification theory (SJT) proposes that an autonomous system-level motive is responsible for this tendency, beyond any group-interested considerations (e.g., hope of future group advancement). The social identity model of system attitudes (SIMSA) disputes the existence of a unique system-level motive and instead argues that hope of future group advancement can explain women's system-justifying attitudes. Meta-analyzed results from three experiments (Studies 1, N = 200; 2, N = 200; & 3, N = 700 women) revealed, consistent with SIMSA's social identity-based explanation, that strongly identified women supported socio-economic systems that historically favor men over women, mostly when they were hopeful about future gender equity. Contrary to SJT's system motive explanation, we did not find consistent evidence across the studies represented in our meta-analysis that women were more supportive of socio-economic realities that undercuts their group's interests when group motives were nonsalient.

Perceived COVID-19-related stigmatizations have a strong impact on healthcare workers' wellbeing and quality of professional life, decreasing satisfaction and increasing fatigue. This work aims to investigate the role of professional identification in moderating the impact of COVID-19-related stigma on quality of professional life in a sample of healthcare professionals working in hospital.A cross-sectional design in which a web-based questionnaire was sent to professionals was used to collect answers from 174 participants, most of whom women and nurses.Perceived stigma was negatively related with compassion satisfaction and positively related with an increase in both burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Professional identification had a positive correlation with satisfaction and a negative correlation with burnout, but this was not directly related with secondary traumatic stress. Importantly, stigma and identification interacted so that stigma decreased compassion satisfaction only when identification was low, and increased secondary traumatic stress only when identification was high. No interaction effect appeared with respect to burnout.Experience of stigmatization has the potential to decrease the quality of professional life of healthcare professionals. Professional identification seems to help professional to maintain higher level of compassion satisfaction and reduced burnout. However, professional identification seems also be associated with vicarious trauma experienced following stigma. (www.actabiomedica.it).

Background and aim: The study aims at identifying the antecedents and consequences of emotional exhaustion in health professionals and, particularly, examining the process that leads from a hindrance demand, like role ambiguity, to exhaustion and job satisfaction. Emotional exhaustion is a phenomenon that affect health professionals with negative consequence on job satisfaction, and literature has underlined that job demands could be may be a cause of this chronic stress. However, the relationship among job demands, work engagement and exhaustion has produced results not always converging. Method: A self-report questionnaire was administered to 66 health professionals. Results: The results showed that the effect of role ambiguity on emotional exhaustion was mediated by work engagement and the emotional exhaustion impairs job satisfaction when workers are not committed to their profession. Conclusions: Role ambiguity represents a psychosocial risk factor that influence workers’ wellbeing diminishing the level of motivation and this process leads to emotional exhaustion. However, professional commitment appears to be a resource that can protect professionals preventing a decrease in satisfaction. These findings suggest that human resource management should remove hindrance stressors and enhance the mission of Healthcare Professionals in order to increase employees’ work engagement and prevent exhaustion. (www.actabiomedica.it)

Identity diffusion is a core element of the borderline personality organization. A valid and reliable assessment tool is needed to identify at-risk adolescents in the Italian context. In this study...

This study validated the Italian short version of FACES-IV (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale) for adolescents, namely SAD_FACES. The scale assessed adolescents’ perceptions of their families’ adaptive and maladaptive functioning along the six dimensions of cohesion, flexibility, disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity and chaos as defined by the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. SAD_FACES was administrated to a sample of secondary school students (Age = 14–16 years; N = 446). The Family Communication Scale (FCS), measuring positive communication skills used in the family system, was also administered to assess external validity. ESEM was performed and evaluation of model fit was based on values of the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The scores that were computed as the sum of the intended items and latent traits were both considered for each dimension. Results showed that SAD_FACES (24 items) has the same structure and internal consistency of the Italian version of FACES IV validated with adolescent samples. Implications for the validity and usage of a short scale for the assessment of adolescents’ perception of family functioning and their wellbeing are discussed. Future research should validate SAD_FACES with different age cohorts of adolescents and belonging to different cultural contexts as well as consider clinical samples of adolescents. The agility of SAD_FACES could facilitate investigations with clinical samples of adolescents. Future research is needed in this area.

For the past 25 years, the field of social and political psychology has embraced the idea that humans possess a special system justification motivation which causes even members of disadvantaged groups to support societal systems that ostensibly operate against their personal and group interests. Recently, this system justification motive explanation has been challenged, based on mounting empirical evidence to the contrary. However, the potential demise of this dominant perspective invites explanations for the system justification phenomenon, especially amongst the disadvantaged. Existing interest-based accounts, such as the social identity model of system attitudes have tried to fill this gap, but have generally focused on system rationalisation processes within dyadic systems that pitch disadvantaged groups against their privileged counterparts alone. The current contribution extends the existing interest-based accounts by explaining system justification effects in multi-stratified social systems. Based on the triadic social stratification theory, we propose that system justification among the disadvantaged may result from favourable inter-status comparisons within a multi-stratified social system.

Three studies have tested the hypothesis that intermediate-status groups are more oriented to ally with outgroups when their social position is under threat. In study 1, participants believed that their ingroup was intermediate in status and social stratification was manipulated as either stable or status-detrimental unstable. Results indicated that participants were more likely to seek alliances a) with a high-status group and b) when social stratification was status-detrimental unstable. Study 2 showed that participants were more likely to seek alliances with a lower status group when social stratification was status-detrimental unstable rather than stable, while they were supportive of policies helping disadvantaged groups regardless of the stability of social stratification. Study 3 showed that when social stratification was status-detrimental unstable, intermediate-status group members were more oriented to ally with a low-status group, equally supportive of policies helping disadvantaged groups, but less oriented to supplying direct help to a low-status group.

Hypotheses derived from intergroup threat theory and social identity theory were tested by analyzing cross-national data about national identity and attitude toward immigrants. National identification, perceived threat and support for irregular immigrant exclusion were considered as variables at the individual level. Gross domestic product, Gini index and individualism–collectivism index were used as national descriptors. Results indicated that, across 33 nations worldwide, intergroup threat mediated the relationship between national identification and support for immigrant exclusion. Moreover, the level of national wealth moderated this mediation so that perceived threat was a stronger mediator in rich than in poor nations. On the other hand, Gini index and individualism did not affect this mediation. Present findings are supportive for intergroup threat theory and social identity theory.

Based on the Dual Process Model (DPM), this study investigates the relationship among the perception of in-group threats, conservative ideologies (social dominance orientation, SDO, and right-wing authoritarianism, RWA), prejudice, and prosocial behavioural intentions (PBI) towards asylum seekers. A sample of 200 people living in Italy answered an anonymous questionnaire administered using a cross-sectional design. The results partially supported the DPM’s expectations while also showing, however, some unexpected effects with respect to behavioural intentions to help asylum seekers. As predicted by the DPM, the perception of in-group threats, whether realistic or symbolic, directly and indirectly (via SDO and RWA) affected prejudice against asylum seekers. SDO and RWA did not have a direct effect on behavioural intentions but their effects were totally mediated by prejudice. This is a novel finding and suggests that conservative ideologies can positively affect people’s behaviour but only through a decreased attitudinal disposition towards asylum seekers. The theoretical and practical implications derived from the data are discussed.

Three experiments tested two competing hypotheses about the legitimacy of social systems among disadvantaged groups. The first hypothesis was derived from social identity theory, and assumes that perceived legitimacy is positively linked to group interest. The second hypothesis was drawn from system justification theory and states that perceived legitimacy is negatively linked to group interests. In Studies 1 (79 nursing students) and 2 (49 psychology students) participants believed that their in-group had either intermediate status (i.e., a disadvantaged group who might experience some advantages from the hierarchy) or low status in the hierarchy. They rated the legitimacy of general, national health, and intergroup hierarchy systems. Study 3 considered in-group threat, and involved 101 nursing students. The results indicate that perceived legitimacy was generally higher in the intermediate-status condition than in the low-status condition. In-group threat was higher in the low-status condition, and partially mediated the effect of status on system justification. This paper contributes to knowledge about the mechanisms of legitimization of social hierarchies and social systems and suggests that disadvantaged groups are more likely to justify the social hierarchy if they derive some advantages from it. One way in which disadvantaged groups may derive social advantages from the hierarchy is by performing positive downward social comparisons, for example, an intermediate group comparing itself with a group lower in the hierarchy. It is argued that system justification may be used as an identity management strategy to avoid social identity threat.

The tendency to keep secrets in adolescents has been studied in particular in their relationships with their parents and associated with psychosocial disadvantages. The current study focused on peer relationships and investigated the effects of friendship quality, loneliness in a multidimensional perspective, and self-esteem on secrecy from friends. Italian adolescents (N = 457; 47% male; 100% white) aged between 13 and 19 years (M = 16.11; SD = 1.53) reported their secrecy from friends, peer and parent-related loneliness, aversion and affinity for aloneness, their self-esteem and the quality of their relationships with their friends. The results showed that peer-related loneliness, affinity for aloneness and self-esteem in particular affect keeping secrets from friends, independent of the participant's gender. Moreover, peer-related loneliness and affinity for aloneness mediated the relationship between self-esteem and secrecy. The data were discussed in the light of adolescence developmental tasks.

This research analyses the effect of professional identification and intergroup contact on attitudes towards interprofessional education (IPE) among medical and nursing students. Three hundred fifty-eight nursing and medical students were surveyed measuring attitudes towards IPE and professional identification. Moreover, students were asked to report the hours of practical training that they had already done, as measure of intergroup contact. Results indicated that ingroup identification increased attitude towards IPE among nursing students, while it decreased attitude among medical students. Intergroup contact, instead, had not significant effect. Results are discussed on the basis of social identity theory and status differences between professional groups.

In two experiments, the effect of (in)stability of status differences on the perception of perspective legitimacy and in-group threat among intermediate-status group members (i.e., nurses students or nurses) was analysed. Both studies indicated that in downwardly unstable condition, legitimacy was lower and in-group threat was higher than in stable condition. In upwardly unstable condition, perceived legitimacy was higher and in-group threat was lower than in stable condition. The indirect effects of (in)stability via in-group threat on perceived legitimacy were significant.

The status-legitimacy hypothesis was tested by analyzing cross-national data about social inequality. Several indicators were used as indexes of social advantage: social class, personal income, and self-position in the social hierarchy. Moreover, inequality and freedom in nations, as indexed by Gini and by the human freedom index, were considered. Results from 36 nations worldwide showed no support for the status-legitimacy hypothesis. The perception that income distribution was fair tended to increase as social advantage increased. Moreover, national context increased the difference between advantaged and disadvantaged people in the perception of social fairness: Contrary to the status-legitimacy hypothesis, disadvantaged people were more likely than advantaged people to perceive income distribution as too large, and this difference increased in nations with greater freedom and equality. The implications for the status-legitimacy hypothesis are discussed.

This research investigated the relationship among perception of ingroup threats (realistic and symbolic), conservative ideologies (social dominance orientation [SDO] and right-wing authoritarianism [RWA]), and prejudice against immigrants. Data were collected with a cross-sectional design in two samples: non-student Italian adults (n = 223) and healthcare professionals (n = 679). Results were similar in both samples and indicated that symbolic and realistic threats, as well as SDO and RWA, positively and significantly predicted anti-immigrant prejudice. Moreover, the model considering SDO and RWA as mediators of threats' effects on prejudice showed a better fit than the model in which ingroup threats mediated the effects of SDO and RWA on prejudice against immigrants. Accordingly, SDO and RWA partially mediated the effect of both symbolic and realistic threats, which maintained a significant effect on prejudice against immigrants, however.

The study proposed an extension of Marcia's identity status model based on validation of the Professional Identity Status Questionnaire (PISQ-5d), a scale able to measure both intra-individual and intergroup processes connected with the development of a professional identity in university students. The aims were to prove the construct validity of the PISQ-5d, to determine the appropriate number of identity statuses, and to assess the concurrent validity of the identity statuses considering both job-related and academic factors. In this study, 477 university students completed a questionnaire with the PISQ-5d scale; 220 also completed the measures of work values; and 168 completed the measures of student self-esteem and self-efficacy, academic motivation, and grades. Results confirmed the expected five-dimensional structure of the PISQ-5d and the scale's effectiveness at differentiating five types of identity status. Relationship between professional identity status and job-related and academic factors showed that the students with achievement or foreclosure identities had higher scores on measures of academic self-esteem and intrinsic work value and had lower scores for intention to leave university. Implications in terms of considering the PISQ-5d scale a useful tool for the evaluation of professional identity construction processes in university students will be discussed. Personal and social aspects of professional identity. An extension of Marcia's identity status model applied to a sample of university students.

SummaryAim To analyse the effect of both professional and care unit commitments on attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration between nurses and physicians. Background The effects of both professional and care unit commitment on inter-professional collaboration have not been taken into account together, and previous research has analysed only one profession at a time, neglecting the nurse–physician comparison. Method A cross-sectional survey of 138 physicians and 359 nurses was used. Results For physicians, professional commitment decreased attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration whereas care unit commitment had a positive influence. Conversely, for nurses, the professional commitment had a significant positive effect on attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration whereas care unit commitment had no significant effect. Conclusion Intergroup relations affect the extent to which nurses and physicians are inclined to engage in interprofessional collaboration. Professional and care unit commitments had different effects on attitude toward the inter-professional collaboration of nurses and physicians. Implication for Nursing Management Inter-professional collaboration is affected by the relationship between physicians and nurse at the professional group level. Managers who want to change and improve inter-professional collaboration should pay close attention to the interplay between changes they are introducing and well-established identities and practices between professionals.

Lo scopo del presente lavoro e la validazione di una versione ridotta a 25 item del COPE- NVI, uno strumento largamente utilizzato in ambito italiano per la misurazione degli stili di coping. Lo strumento e stato somministrato a 824 partecipanti adulti suddivisi in due gruppi: persone che hanno avuto un infarto del miocardio (N = 371) e persone che non hanno, e non hanno avuto, gravi problemi di salute (N = 453). L’analisi fattoriale confermativa mostra che la struttura fattoriale del COPE-NVI-25 ricalca quella dello strumento originario e che le dimensioni misurate presentano una buona validita di costrutto e una buona attendibilita. L’analisi multi-gruppo evidenzia che la scala e metricamente invariante fra i due campioni considerati. L’analisi delle differenze nei punteggi medi fra persone infartuate e non infartuate mostra una buona validita discriminante della scala. In sintesi, il COPE-NVI- 25 si dimostra uno strumento altrettanto valido, ma di piu agevole somministrazione, rispetto allo strumento originale. In virtu della ridotta estensione, il COPE-NVI-25 puo essere somministrato facilmente anche a persone che presentano gravi problemi di salute.

Background Interprofessional education is an important factor in facilitating subsequent interprofessional collaboration. Therefore, implementing this teaching strategy is important to increase the chances that future professionals will work effectively together. Group membership, status and the power differential among professional groups are factors that can hinder both interprofessional education and collaboration. From a psychosocial point of view, interprofessional education may be described as an intergroup context in which members of different status groups interact. It involves at least two main psychosocial processes: commitment to the profession and acceptance or challenge of interprofessional hierarchy. Objectives The purpose of this research was to analyse the effects of professional commitment and social dominance orientation on attitudes toward interprofessional education. Design A cross-sectional design was conducted. Participants A total of 137 nursing science students from an Italian university were enrolled in this research. Methods Participants were surveyed using a questionnaire measuring attitudes toward interprofessional education, professional commitment and social dominance orientation. Results The more that students showed social dominance orientation, the less they were willing to engage in interprofessional education. This effect was qualified by an interaction with professional commitment. When professional commitment was higher, social dominance orientation was weakly related to attitude toward interprofessional learning. Conclusions These results suggest that there is a belief that professional hierarchy is deserved and that this may decrease a nursing student's engagement in interprofessional education; however, this may be contrasted by an increased professional commitment.

This article reports on two studies investigating the role of intergroup contact on the reduction of prejudice against migrants and on organizational and health outcomes. Study 1 enrolled 624 native healthcare professionals and showed that frequent and positive contact with non-native co-workers was associated with a decrease in the professionals' prejudice and an increase in the professionals' perception of team functioning. These effects were mediated by reduced in-group threat perception. Study 2 enrolled 201 native patients and showed that frequent and positive contact with non-native healthcare providers was associated with a decrease in patients' prejudice and an increase in patients' satisfaction for the care received. These effects were mediated by reduced in-group threat perception. These novel findings showed that frequent and positive contact with non-native individuals can improve health and organizational outcomes along with facilitating positive intergroup relations.

This meta-analysis investigated differences between nurses and physicians in interprofessional collaboration (IPC) ratings. Fifty-one surveys, representing a total of 18 782 professionals and students (13 132 nurses and nursing students, and 5650 physicians and medical students), were meta-analyzed, considering several moderating variables. Overall, nurses scored higher on IPC than physicians. Sensitivity analysis revealed that while physicians perceived more existing collaboration than nurses, nurses had a more positive attitude toward collaboration than physicians. Moreover, IPC ratings of nursing and medical students did not differ from those of practitioners. Finally, it appeared that interprofessional education interventions were able to reduce the difference in IPC between nurses and physicians.

Assumendo la prospettiva della teoria degli stati d’identita di Marcia, l’obiettivo del presente studio e di analizzare i processi di ridefinizione dell’identita professionale di un gruppo di infermieri della Regione Emilia Romagna esaminandone la connessione da un lato con alcune variabili organizzative (percezione del cambiamento normativo), dall’altro con la motivazione e con la soddisfazione lavorativa. Attraverso uno studio correlazionale su un campione di 838 infermieri reclutati da 5 ospedali della Regione Emilia Romagna e realizzato mediante un questionario, sono stati misurati: 1) gli stati d’identita professionale, 2) le motivazioni alla professione, 3) il grado di soddisfazione lavorativa, 4) la percezione dell’importanza del cambiamento normativo. I risultati mostrano che sono gli infermieri in stato di identita acquisita a mostrare maggior soddisfazione lavorativa, maggiore motivazione e a considerare piu importanti i cambiamenti normativi. Dai risultati si evince che le organizzazioni sanitarie dovrebbero promuovere azioni formative orientate non solo alle conoscenze (knowing) e al "saper fare" (doing), ma anche al miglioramento della pratica professionale intesa come "saper essere" (being).

Aim To investigate the effect of some psychosocial variables on nurses’ job satisfaction. Background Nurses’ job satisfaction is one of the most important factors in determining individuals’ intention to stay or leave a health-care organisation. Literature shows a predictive role of work climate, professional commitment and work values on job satisfaction, but their conjoint effect has rarely been considered. Methods A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was adopted. Participants were hospital nurses and data were collected in 2011. Results Professional commitment and work climate positively predicted nurses’ job satisfaction. The effect of intrinsic vs. extrinsic work value orientation on job satisfaction was completely mediated by professional commitment. Conclusions Nurses’ job satisfaction is influenced by both contextual and personal variables, in particular work climate and professional commitment. According to a more recent theoretical framework, work climate, work values and professional commitment interact with each other in determining nurses’ job satisfaction. Implications for nursing management Nursing management must be careful to keep the context of work tuned to individuals’ attitude and vice versa. Improving the work climate can have a positive effect on job satisfaction, but its effect may be enhanced by favouring strong professional commitment and by promoting intrinsic more than extrinsic work values.

The peripherally inserted central catheters (PICC) have become an alternative to the traditional CVC. PICCs are usually inserted by trained nurses who decided to attend and complete a special training on PICC insertion and management. The present work aimed to investigate the intention of using PICC in a sample of hospital-based nurses using the theory of planned behavior as theoretical framework.A cross-sectional design was used in which a questionnaire was delivered to 199 nurses.According to the theory of planned behavior, the attitude toward the use of PICC, subjective norms and perceived self-efficacy predicted the intention to use PICC. Contrary to the expectations, the effect of subjective norms on intention to use PICC was mediated by attitude and self-efficacy. Finally, age of participants was negatively related to the intention to use the PICC.The theory of planned behavior offers a useful framework to explain nurses' intention to use PICC. Shared norms favoring the use of PICC seem to increase both nurse's positive attitudes and self-efficacy whit respect to the use of these devices. Thus, it appears that to train professionals individually does not necessarily results in an increased use of PICC.

The research undertaken for this article aims to analyse the correspondence between perceived employability and the actual national employment rate among Italian students and graduates undertaking different courses in a large Italian university. Data were collected through a cross-sectional survey of 2087 students in 19 faculties, and compared with the national indicators of employment rate for each faculty. Using faculty as unit of analysis, the results indicated a significant correlation between participants’ perceived employability and national employment rate. This trend was similar for both genders. However, the results showed a difference between bachelor’s and master’s degrees: the correlation between perceived and actual employability was not significant among bachelor’s participants while it remained significant among master’s participants. The results suggest that graduates are only partially aware of their possibility to enter the labour market and this, in turn, highlights that universities have only partially met the goal to increase awareness about the chances of finding a job among students and graduates.