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…
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…
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…
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.
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…
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…
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…
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 …