0000000000002734
AUTHOR
Omar Carlo Gioacchino Gelo
Self‐concept of relational skills in psychotherapy trainees: A pilot study
Background: Personal characteristics and relational skills represent central aspects of the psychotherapist's work, and yet, little is still known about them in the context of psychotherapy training. Objective: This paper presents a preliminary exploration of the self-concepts of relational skills in psychotherapy trainees. Changes in the self-concept in N = 131 psychotherapy trainees were explored through analysis of self-image ideal-self and self/ ideal-self discrepancy in two stages (beginning vs. advanced). Method: Data were collected with a modified version of the self-rated instruments Trainee Background Information Form and Trainee Current Practice Report (Orlinsky et al., 2015), and…
A three-wave panel study on longitudinal relations between problematic social media use and psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic
Background: It still remains unclear whether problematic social media use (PSMU) is a cause or a consequence of psychological distress. The present study aimed to investigate the temporal relationships between PSMU and psychological distress through a three-wave panel study (between April and July 2020, with an interval of 1 month between each period of time). Methods: 3,912 adult Italian participants were surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic for psychological distress (Depression, Anxiety and Stress Scale) and PSMU (Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale). Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Models were applied to disaggregate between-person from within-person associations as regards PSMU an…
Trainees' self-evaluation of their development as psychotherapists: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training
This study presents a pilot contribution to the new collaborative, multinational study of psychotherapy trainee development that was undertaken by the Society for Psychotherapy Research Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development (see Orlinsky, Strauss, Rønnestad, et al., ). Although the main project is longitudinal in design, this preliminary study investigated cross-sectional differences between trainees in different years of training and explored the influence of core training experiences-including supervision and personal therapy-on their perceived development as therapists. Using the trainee current-progress report that was designed for the Society for Psychotherapy Research…
Personal background, motivation and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees having different theoretical orientations: An Italian contribution to an international collaborative study on psychotherapy training
Background: Therapist characteristics seem to be a key factor in clinical effectiveness. Trainees’ personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style have been shown to deserve attention in previous research concerning therapist development and warrant further study due to their potential implications for psychotherapy training outcomes. Aim: To explore personal and professional background, motivation, and interpersonal style of psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches. Findings: In the present study, 135 post-graduate psychotherapy trainees with different theoretical approaches (psychodynamic, systemic, and cognitive-behavioral) completed the Trai…
The role of emotion regulation and intolerance to uncertainty on the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and distress
AbstractThe COVID-19 pandemic is increasing negative consequences on mental health around the globe. To date, research on what psychological factors could influence individuals’ distress is still scarce. The current study aims to test a multiple mediation model to examine the role of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) and emotional regulation (i.e., expressive suppression and cognitive reappraisal) as joint factors, which can increase understanding of psychological distress due to the COVID-19 outbreak. An online survey measuring fear of COVID-19, IU, emotional regulation, and psychological distress was administered to 3863 Italian adults (females 73.3%; Mage = 36.44; SD = 14.74) during lockdo…
Psychological distress associated with the COVID-19 lockdown: A two-wave network analysis
Abstract Background Although preliminary research has evidenced negative psychological consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among the general population, little research has been carried out examining the interplay among the broader dimensions and correlates of individual distress. Via network analysis, the current study investigated the pathways that underlie some components of psychological distress and their changes over time (during and post COVID-19-related lockdown). Methods 1,129 adult participants (79.1% women) completed a two-wave online survey during and after the lockdown, and reported on variables such as depression, anxiety, stress, fear of COVID, intolerance of uncertainty, e…
Factors Related to Women’s Psychological Distress during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from a Two-Wave Longitudinal Study
Background. A growing body of research has highlighted the negative effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on women’s mental health. Previous studies showed that women have higher levels of depression, anxiety and PTSD, and worse psychological adjustment than men, which also persisted after the earlier phase of the pandemic. This study aimed to evaluate changes in women’s psychological distress during the pandemic and to evaluate the factors that have a more significant impact in predicting women’s psychological distress. Methods. This two-wave longitudinal study (T1 = Italian first lockdown, and T2 = second phase, when the restrictive measures were eased) involved 893 women (Mage = 36.45, SD = 1…
An overview of the Italian contribution to the international multisite SPRISTAD study on psychotherapy training
The Interest Section on Therapist Training and Development of the Society for Psychotherapy Research (SPRISTAD) has launched a multisite collaborative longitudinal study of psychotherapy trainees’ development, a large-scale study involving a number of countries all over the world. In the present article, we present an overview of the early Italian contribution to the SPRISTAD study, based on preliminary paper-and-pencil data collection. Our preliminary findings showed cross-sectional differences at different years of training and two-years longitudinal changes in trainees’ perceived development. Moreover, trainees’ characteristics such as their motivation, relational manner, current life, a…