Problem behaviors in adolescence: The opposite role played by insecure attachment and commitment strength.
In this study we examined the relations between insecure attachment styles, commitment and behavioral problems, focusing on the unique and common contribution that avoidant and anxious styles and commitment made to internalizing and externalizing problems. 535 adolescents, 267 boys and 268 girls, aged from 16 to 18 years, completed self-report measures of attachment, identity and problem behaviors. The data showed that both internalizing and externalizing problems were positively related to insecure attachment styles and negatively to commitment. Results supported a unique contribution of both insecure styles to the prediction of internalizing and externalizing problems, whereas commitment …
Negative eating attitudes and behaviors among adolescents: The role of parental control and perceived peer support.
In the present study, we examined from a longitudinal perspective the relationship between parental (both maternal and paternal) psychological control, perceived peer support, and negative eating attitudes and behaviors, focusing on the moderating role that perceived peer support may play in the relationship between parental psychological control in early adolescence and negative eating attitudes and behaviors in late adolescence. In Wave 1, participants were 507 adolescents (249 boys and 258 girls) aged from 14 to 15 years (M = 14.76; SD = 0.63). Three years later (Wave 2), the same adolescents participated again in the study (M = 17.88 years; SD = 0.57). Regression analyses displayed that…
Childhood Obesity: The Relationship Between Negative Emotionality, Emotion Regulation, and Parenting Styles
Objectives We aimed to compare obese children and their non-obese counterpart on children’s negative emotionality, emotion regulation and maternal parenting styles and to examine the joint contribution of children’s temperament and maternal styles to children’s obesity. Methods A total of 200 mothers were involved in this study, 100 with children diagnosed with obesity (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years), and 100 with children with a normal weight (49 boys, 51 girls; the age ranged from 6 to 12 years). Mothers completed self-report measures on children’s emotionality, emotion regulation, and parenting styles. Results The comparison between the two groups showed that obese…
The Relationship among Paternal and Maternal Psychological Control, Self-Esteem, and Indecisiveness across Adolescent Genders
The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship among adolescents’ indecisiveness, adolescents’ self-esteem, and maternal and paternal psychological control by focusing on the differences in the relationship among these variables across adolescent genders. A total of 381 Italian adolescents (215 boys and 166 girls), aged from 13 to 17 years, completed self-report measures of parental psychological control, self-esteem and indecisiveness. Since previous studies have highlighted indirect relations between family characteristics and indecisiveness, structural equation modeling (SEM) methods were used for testing self-esteem as a possible mediator. In particular, a multiple group anal…
Electronic surveillance in the couple: The role of self-efficacy and commitment
Abstract Researchers have shown a significant effect of using social networking sites (SNSs) on romantic relationships. Surveillance is one of the motives for social network use. Social networking surveillance is related to controlling a romantic partner's online behaviours. The purpose of the study was to search for antecedents of electronic surveillance (Study 1) and to examine their role in behaviours related to electronic surveillance among romantic couples (Study 2). Following the uses and gratification theory and technology acceptance model of using SNSs, antecedents of electronic surveillance in adult Facebook users were examined. In Study 1, the relationship between electronic surve…
Ethnic prejudice, resilience, and perception of inclusion of immigrant pupils among Italian and Catalan teachers
In the current study we investigated the relationship between ethnic prejudice and resilience and the perception of inclusion of immigrant students among primary and middle school teachers in two different countries (Italy and Spain). Participants were 315 teachers: 75 Catalan women, 25 Catalan men, 202 Italian women, and 13 Italian men. Participants completed the Classical and Modern Racial Prejudice Scale, the Resilience Process Questionnaire, and an ad hoc questionnaire evaluating teachers’ perceptions about immigrant students and their inclusive education process. The results showed two different models: The first one, referring to Italian teachers, suggested that the resilience compone…
Cross-Cultural Validity of the Emotion Matching Task
Objectives We aimed to provide evidence of the cross-cultural validity of the Emotion Matching Task (EMT), as a measure of emotion knowledge in preschool children in different cultures, namely, the United States, Italy, and Spain. In particular, we analyzed: (1) the psychometric properties of the scale in each of the three subsamples; (2) the relations between sex, age, verbal ability, and EK, in the overall sample and in the three different cultures; (3) the pattern of acquisition of the various dimensions of emotion knowledge in the overall sample and in the three different countries. Methods Participants were 500 children from Spain (N = 180), the United States (N = 158), and Italy (N = …
The Transition from Middle School to High School: The Mediating Role of Perceived Peer Support in the Relationship between Family Functioning and School Satisfaction
The study focused on the transition from middle school to high school and aimed to verify the mediating role that perceived peer support may play in the relationship between family functioning in middle school and school satisfaction in high school. In middle school (Wave 1), participants were 208 adolescents (106 boys and 102 girls) aged 12–13 years (M = 12.56; SD = .61), attending the last classes of two middle public schools located in Italy. One year later (Wave 2), 155 adolescents (76 boys and 79 girls) participated again in the study when they attended the first classes of high school (M = 13.91; SD = .75). Participants completed the Italian Version of Family Assessment Device and the…
Parental Psychological Control, Quality of Family Context and Life Satisfaction Among Italian Adolescents
The aim of the study was to explore the unique and common contributions of parental psychological control and family functioning to global life satisfaction among Italian adolescents while considering the type of parental psychological control: dependencyoriented and achievement-oriented. Two hundred fifty-five adolescents (104 boys and 151 girls) from 15 to 17 years of age (mean age = 15.98, SD = .76) completed self-report measures on perceived parental psychological control, dependency- and achievement-oriented, family functioning and global life satisfaction. Correlation analyses indicated that parental psychological control oriented to both dependency and achievement was negatively rela…
Are there similar or divergent transitions to adulthood in a Mediterranean context? A cross-national comparison of Italy and Spain
The purpose of this study was to examine the differences and similarities between Italy and Spain in regard to emerging adults’ perceptions of identity status, autonomy, attachment, and life satisfaction. The goal was to verify whether a Mediterranean model of transitions from adolescence to adulthood exists. Three hundred and forty undergraduate students (171 Italians and 169 Spanish) ranging in age from 19 to 22 completed measures of identity status, emotional autonomy, attachment style, and life satisfaction. Multiple correspondence analyses provided a graphic synthesis of results. The results indicate that no common model of young adult development exists in Spain and Italy and that Ita…
Detachment From Parents, Problem Behaviors, and the Moderating Role of Parental Support Among Italian Adolescents
This study examined the relationship of emotional detachment from parents, parental support, and problem behaviors and focused on the unique and common contribution that detachment and parental support made to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. A total of 461 young adolescents, 13 to 14 years old ( M = 13.4; SD = 0.44), 234 boys and 227 girls, completed self-reporting measures of detachment, parental support, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Data showed that detachment was related positively to internalizing problem behaviors. Results revealed that parental support played a moderating role in the relationship between detachment and internalizing problems, suc…
The mediating role of perceived peer support in the relation between quality of attachment and internalizing problems in adolescence: a longitudinal perspective
The study was aimed to verify, from a longitudinal perspective, whether perceived peer support would mediate the relationship between attachment and internalizing problems. Longitudinal participants included 482 adolescents (245 boys) aged 14–15 years in Wave 1 and 17–18 years in Wave 2. Participants in Wave 1 completed the Relationship Questionnaire, and those in Wave 2 completed the Social Support Questionnaire and the Youth Self-Report. Results showed that secure attachment positively predicted high levels of 15 perceived peer support and negatively predicted internalizing problems, whereas fearful and preoccupied attachment negatively predicted perceived peer support and positively pred…
Does a Mediterranean Model of Family Functioning in the Perception of Italian and Spanish Adolescents Exist? A Cross-National Study
The current study explored the influence of belonging to a different areas, South of Italy and Spain, on perception of parenting and family functioning adolescents in order to highlight the similarities and differences among two samples and verify if Mediterranean model of family exists”. Empirical evidence of the existence of a Mediterranean family model has been conducted to verify which common and differentiating features exist in the perception of family ties among adolescents. Data highlighted that adolescents belonging to these areas report similar levels in different component of familial ties that can be defined as “Links and Roles”: On the contrary, important differences were under…
Adopting the Emotions Course in the Italian context: A pilot study to test effects on social-emotional competence in preschool children.
The purpose of this study was to adopt the Emotions Course (EC) in the Italian context and to examine preliminarily its effectiveness in accelerating the social-emotional competence and reducing maladaptive behaviors in preschool children. The study involved 143 children (73 males and 70 females) aged 3–5 years (M = 4.4 years, SD = .74), divided into two groups: 1) an experimental group (N = 69; 34 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers realized the EC, integrating it in their usual educational plan; 2) a control group (N = 74; 39 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers exclusively followed their usual educational plan that did not include the …
Characteristics of regular gamblers in Italy: The role of control and emotion regulation
Objective: the main purpose of this study is to investigate the emotional and temperamental characteristics associated with gambling in Italy and to compare different groups of people on the basis of their risk of gambling: low-risk gamblers, problem gamblers, and pathological gamblers. Particularly, we examined the possible discriminant functions of perception of control, locus of control (whether internal or chance-based; that is, devoted to fate), and emotion-regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression). Method: a total of 251 adult regular gamblers (142 males and 109 females) recruited from different betting and bingo halls completed self-report questionnaire…
Internet addiction, temperament, and the moderator role of family emotional involvement
This study examined the relationship between internet addiction, temperament, and family functioning focusing on the unique and common contribution that temperament and family functioning made to internet addiction. A total of 320 adolescents (164 boys and 156 girls), from 15 to 17 years (M = 16.06, SD = 0.59), completed measures of internet addiction, temperament, and family functioning. Data showed that salience, as the ability of internet to change negatively person’s life, was predicted positively by temperament linked to lack of control and by the perception of low level of familial emotional involvement. Results also revealed that family affective involvement played a moderating role …
The Role of Individual and Relational Characteristics on Alcohol Consumption among Italian Adolescents: A Discriminant Function Analysis
The aim of the present study was to explore the association between family functioning, coping strategies, peer influences and alcohol use among Italian adolescents. Nine hundred and sixty-three Italian adolescents, aged from 14 to 17 years, completed self-report measures assessing alcohol use, family functioning, and coping strategies. According to previous research, adolescents were categorized into non-drinkers, social, binge and heavy drinkers. Results showed that adolescents belonging to groups characterized by alcohol misuse differ in terms of coping strategies, family functioning dimensions, and typology of friends. In particular, heavy drinkers appeared to have more friends who drin…
The role of moral disengagement and cognitive distortions toward children among sex offenders
This study investigated the individual and social characteristics, moral disengagement strategies and cognitive distortions toward children among 120 sex offenders in Italian jails. A semistructured interview was administered to collect data about family, social and medical histories, utilizing the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Hanson Sex Attitude Questionnaire. Results showed that sex offenders with sexual abuse trauma in their past had higher scores of moral disengagement and cognitive distortion toward children than sex offenders without sexual abuse trauma. In particular, the highest levels of moral disengagement, cognitive distortions related to children as sexual objects and sexua…
The relation between workload and personal well-being among university professors
The aim of the present study was to explore the level of perceived workload of university professors and to evaluate related psychosocial risks, such as addiction to work, psychological distress, and work–life conflicts. A total of 252 professors, balanced for gender (Mean age = 48.1; DS: 5.1) from 10 different universities across Europe participated in the research. Participants completed the University’s Work Environment Survey, the Dutch Workaholism Scale, and The General Health Questionnaire. The results showed that workload, when linked to bureaucratic university practices, is a predisposing factor to a negative perception of work-related well-being among university professors.
Anxiety and self-esteem as mediators of the relation between family communication and indecisiveness in adolescence
Abstract In this study, we explored the unique and common contributions of anxiety, self-esteem, and family communication on indecisiveness among adolescents. Three hundred and fifty pupils from 13 to 16 years of age completed selfreport measures on indecisiveness, quality of family communication, trait anxiety, and self-esteem. The findings in this study showed that students’ indecisiveness is predicted by family communication mediated by anxiety and self-esteem. These results have important implications for practice as it stresses the importance of anxiety and self-esteem. Nevertheless, the counselors could also focus on enhancing relationship-building skills by introducing the adolescent…
Psychological predictors of homophobic bullying among adolescents and young adults: The role of parental psychological control and sensation seeking
AbstractWe aimed to investigate the relationship between homophobic bullying, parental psychological control and sensation seeking among adolescents and young adults and to examine the mediating role of sensation seeking. The participants included 394 adolescents and young adults aged 15 to 20 years attending the 3rd, 4th and 5th years of two public high schools in Italian cities. Participants completed the Homophobic Bullying Scale, the Dependency—oriented and Achievement—oriented Parental Psychological Control, and the Sensation—Seeking Scale. The results showed that parental psychological control predicted bullying toward gay and lesbian people. However, the two dimensions of sensation s…
Internalizing problems as a mediator in the relationship between low effortful control and internet abuse in adolescence: A three-wave longitudinal study
Abstract The aim of the study is to examine the relationships between early adolescents' low effortful control, middle adolescents' internalizing problems and late adolescents' Internet abuse, focusing on the mediating role that middle adolescents' internalizing problems may play in the relationship between early adolescents' low effortful control and late adolescents' Internet abuse. The study followed a sample of 482 adolescents (245 boys and 237 girls) from early adolescence (wave 1; mean age = 14.76, SD = 0.63), through middle adolescence (wave 2; mean age = 15.77, SD = 0.61), to late adolescence (wave 3; mean age = 17.88, SD = 0.57). The participants completed self-report questionnaire…
Identity processes and quality of emotional autonomy: The contribution of two developmental tasks on middle-adolescents’ subjective well-being
This study examined the concurrent and predictive relationships between identity-related processes of commitment and exploration, emotional autonomy quality-related constructs of separation and detachment, and subjective well-being, measured through life satisfaction. Four hundred and sixty-one middle-adolescents (227 boys, 234 girls) completed measures of identity, emotional autonomy quality, and satisfaction within different domains. Results showed concurrent and predictive positive relations between commitment, separation and satisfaction with self, and negative relations between exploration, detachment, and satisfaction with self. Results also showed that the relation between satisfacti…
Hating Adolescents Test (HAT): a preliminary development of a measure to assess hating among adolescents
The phenomenon of haters is becoming common among adolescents. The aims of the present research were to evaluate the preliminary psychometric properties of the Hating Adolescents Test (HAT), an ad hoc questionnaire created to evaluate online and offline hate (Study 1), and possible risk factors connected with hate (Study 2). Participants (202 female and 200 male) of this study completed the HAT, the How I Think Questionnaire, the Buss–Perry Aggression Questionnaire, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Descriptive statistics were calculated, and exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis were applied. Preliminary data suggest how males reported higher level of hate than…
Sovraccarico e rischi da dipendenza da lavoro negli accademici italiani: un'indagine conoscitiva
Negli ultimi anni in Italia si è assistito ad un cambiamento nel lavoro del docente universitario, che ha spinto ad aumentare la quota di tempo da dedicare alle diverse attività (molte delle quali inattese all'atto della assunzione) e che ha prodotto una sorta di giustificazione "culturale" di comportamenti che possono essere configurabili a margine del rischio workaholism. Esiste una ampia letteratura relativa al peso del sovraccarico lavorativo dei lavoratori del sistema dell'educazione, ed in particolare connessi al peso delle attività d'aula ed all'aumento del lavoro burocratico; le ricerche che si sono occupate della "higher education" hanno però perlopiù connesso il sovraccarico lavor…
Relations Between Suicidal Ideation, Depression, and Emotional Autonomy from Parents in Adolescence
We examined the relations between depression, emotional autonomy quality-related constructs of separation and detachment, and suicidal ideation, focusing on the unique and common contribution that depression, separation and detachment made to suicidal ideation. We also examined gender differences. 403 adolescents, 196 boys and 207 girls, completed self-report measures of depression, separation and detachment, and suicidal ideation. The data showed a significant relation between depression and suicidal ideation both for boys and girls, and between detachment and suicidal ideation only for boys. Results for boys supported an additive model such that depression and detachment each contributed …
Hating among adolescents: Common contributions of cognitive distortions and maladaptive personality traits
The phenomenon of hating is becoming common in adolescence, but it has been rarely investigated. The study aimed to examine the relationships between hating behaviors, maladaptive personality traits, and cognitive distortions, and to explore whether cognitive distortions might intervene in the relationship between personality traits and hating. Method: Participants (200 boys and 202 girls) completed the Hating Adolescents Test (HAT), the Personality Inventory for DSM-5-Brief Form-Children (PID-5), and the How I Think Questionnaire (HITQ). Results: Preliminary results showed significant gender differences in the study’s variables: boys reported higher scores than girls on hating and on cogni…
Factor Structure and Convergent Validity of the Long and Abbreviated Versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale in an Italian Sample
We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) in the Italian contexts. In study 1 we assessed the factorial validity and reliability of the long and abbreviated versions of the MSLSS among Italian adolescents, while in study 2 we assessed the convergent validity of the abbreviated Italian version of the MSLSS by examining the associations between life satisfaction and well-established measures of adjustment. Furthermore, we explored the effect of adolescent gender and age on life satisfaction. Participants in the study 1 were 996 adolescents (48 % males) from 14 to 18 years of age (M = 16.0…
Muscle Dysmorphia in Adolescence: The Role of Parental Psychological Control on a Potential Behavioral Addiction
Objective The study investigated the relationship between psychological parental control and muscle dysmorphia in adolescence, as form of exercise dependence, focusing also on the role of pathological worry. Methods Participants were 312 adolescents (140 boys and 172 girls) aged 16 to 18 years (M= 17.05; SD = 0.85) and completed the Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory, the Dependency-oriented and Achievement-oriented Parental Psychological Control, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Results The results highlighted that boys showed higher level than girls in dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented parental psychological control and muscle dysmorphia. Furthermore, girls showed high…
Adolescent Effortful Control as Moderator of Father's Psychological Control in Externalizing Problems: A Longitudinal Study.
This longitudinal study investigates the moderating role of a temperamental trait, the effortful control, in the relation between father's psychological control and externalizing problems. In Wave 1, the participants included 507 adolescents attending the second classes of two public schools situated in two Italian cities; in Wave 2, 482 adolescents attending the fifth classes of high school participated again in the study. The results demonstrated a positive contribution of paternal achievement-oriented psychological control to externalizing problems and a moderator effect of effortful control in the relationship between the father's psychological control and externalizing problems. These …
Psychological variables characterizing different types of adolescent gamblers: A discriminant function analysis
Objective: The study examined the effects of attachment attitudes, social support, and psychological and behavioral problems on pathological gambling among adolescents. Method: A total of 268 male adolescents, from 15 to 17 years of age (M = 16.23, SD = .39) completed self-report measures on gambling behaviors, attachment styles, social support, and internalizing and externalizing problems. Results and Conclusions. At-risk and pathological gamblers reported lower level of social support and higher level of fearful attachment and internalizing problems than non problematic-gamblers. Results from a discriminant function analysis, in which two discriminant functions emerged, were consistent wi…
Psychometric Properties and Convergent Validity of the Dependency-Oriented and Achievement-Oriented Psychological Control Scale (DAPCS) with Italian Adolescents
This study is aimed to validate the Italian version of the dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented psychological control scale (DAPCS), a self-report questionnaire designed to assess the adolescent’s perception of the two dimensions of psychological control. In Study 1, we assessed factorial validity and reliability of the Italian version of DAPCS with a sample of adolescents. In Study 2, we examined the convergent validity of the Italian version of the DAPCS analyzing the associations between the two domains of psychological control and well-established measures related to them such as strictness/supervision, overprotection, non dependency on parents, and family functioning. Confirmat…
The Relationship Between Attachment and Psychopathy: A Study with a Sample of Violent Offenders
This study used a mixed quantitative-qualitative methodology to investigate the relationship between attachment and psychopathy. The Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R; Hare 2003) was administered to 139 Italian offenders who were convicted of violent crimes (murder, rape, child sexual abuse, armed robbery, assault causing bodily harm). First, we explored whether the two PCL-R items theoretically denoting devaluation of attachment bonds (promiscuous sexual behavior and many marital relationships) were able to predict PCL-R total, factor and facet scores. Subse- quently, we analyzed the transcripts of the 10 participants who obtained the highest PCL-R scores in the sample, assessing their…