La comprensione e la produzione delle emozioni di base: un confronto tra bambini a sviluppo tipico e bambini con Disturbo dello Spettro dell'Autismo

La capacità di riconoscere e rispondere in maniera adeguata allo stato emotivo dall'altro rientra tra le competenze di Teoria della Mente (ToM; Allen, Fonagy, & Bateman, 2008), la cui imprescindibile funzione è quella di renderci dei partner sociali competenti. In psicologia dello sviluppo, le emozioni vengono intese come transazioni complesse con l'ambiente (Frijda, 1988) che permettono di dirigere l'azione del singolo individuo all'interno della società, dal momento che esse si dispiegano in un contesto di interazione. La prima interazione significativa del bambino è quella con la madre: nella diade, infatti, attraverso l'interazione vis-à-vis, la reciprocità e l'acquisizione di precursori di ToM, quali l'imitazione (Charman et al., 2000), il bambino impara a riconoscere e a riprodurre le emozioni (Ekman & Cordaro, 2011). Una situazione emblematica rispetto alla competenza di riconoscimento e produzione facciale delle emozioni è la sindrome autistica (ASD). La letteratura a riguardo (Uljarevic & Hamilton, 2013; Harms, Martin, & Wallace, 2010) ritrova risultati non omogenei rispetto alla capacità di riconoscimento delle emozioni di base: secondo alcuni studi tale competenza è intatta, secondo altri è deficitaria. Rispetto alla capacità di produzione facciale delle emozioni, sono presenti pochi studi (Lord et al., 2000) e questi sostengono le difficoltà di tale capacità nel bambino con ASD. Il presente lavoro intende fornire una rassegna della letteratura relativa alla competenza emotiva in età evolutiva, focalizzandosi sulla capacità di produzione facciale delle emozioni di base nello sviluppo tipico in confronto a bambini con ASD

Theory of Mind in deaf adults

Purpose: The present study analyzed the social-cognitive and social-perceptual components of Theory of Mind (ToM) comparing three groups of deaf adults to three matched hearing groups. The influence of verbal IQ was also investigated. Methods: The participants were 15 native signers, 15 late signers, 17 oral deaf adults paired by gender, age and mental age to 47 hearing adults. All participants completed the assessment of the two components of ToM and of the verbal IQ. Results: Late signers and oral deaf adults showed lower scores then hearing peers both in the social-perceptual and social-cognitive components of ToM. Native signers showed lower scores then hearing peers in the social-perceptual component. Verbal IQ was the predictor of the social-cognitive component for late signers and oral deaf adults, while it was not significant for the social-perceptual component. Conclusions: The findings yielded support for the two components of TOM and contributed to the extent of the existing literature on ToM in deafness

Teachers during the COVID-19 Era: The Mediation Role Played by Mentalizing Ability on the Relationship between Depressive Symptoms, Anxious Trait, and Job Burnout

Background: The COVID-19 outbreak caused severe changes in school activities over the past two years. Teachers underwent a re-planning of their teaching approaches, shifting from face-to-face teaching formats to remote ones. These challenges resulted in high levels of burnout. The identification of risk/protective factors contributing to burnout is crucial in order to inform intervention programs. Thus, we hypothesized a mediation role of teachers’ mentalizing ability (processing of emotions, a component of mentalized affectivity) on the relationship between depression, anxiety, and depersonalization (burnout dimension). Two reverse models were computed. Job satisfaction, teachers’ age and gender, school grade, and length of teaching experience served as covariates. Methods: 466 (M(sd) = 46.2 (10.4) years) online questionnaires were completed by Italian teachers of primary (n = 204) and middle (n = 242) schools. Measures of burnout, depression, anxiety, and mentalization were administered. Results: The findings corroborated our hypotheses: in all models, processing emotions served as a mediator on the relationship between depression, anxiety, and depersonalization, and on the reciprocal one. Job satisfaction positively impacted processing emotion, and negatively impacted depression and depersonalization; women teachers reported high levels of the anxious trait. Conclusions: Overall, it can be concluded that the ability to mentalize has a beneficial impact on teachers’ well-being. Policymaking, clinical, and research implications were discussed

Internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children during the COVID-19 pandemic: a systematic mixed studies review

Introduction: Given the vulnerability of children during the COVID-19 pandemic, paying close attention to their wellbeing at the time is warranted. The present protocol-based systematic mixed-studies review examines papers published during 2020–2022, focusing on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms and the determinants thereof. Method: PROSPERO: CRD42022385284. Five databases were searched and the PRISMA diagram was applied. The inclusion criteria were: papers published in English in peer-reviewed journals; papers published between January 2020 and October 2022 involving children aged 5–13 years; qualitative, quantitative, and mixed studies. The standardized Mixed Method Appraisal Tool protocol was used to appraise the quality of the studies. Results: Thirty-four studies involving 40,976 participants in total were analyzed. Their principal characteristics were tabulated. The results showed that children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms increased during the pandemic, largely as a result of disengagement from play activities and excessive use of the internet. Girls showed more internalizing symptoms and boys more externalizing symptoms. Distress was the strongest parental factor mediating children's internalizing/externalizing symptoms. The quality of the studies was appraised as low (n = 12), medium (n = 12), and high (n = 10). Conclusion: Gender-based interventions should be designed for children and parents. The studies reviewed were cross-sectional, so long-term patterns and outcomes could not be predicted. Future researchers might consider a longitudinal approach to determine the long-term effects of the pandemic on children's internalizing and externalizing symptoms

Parentification, distress, and relationship with parents as factors shaping the relationship between adult siblings and their brother/sister with disabilities

According to parentification theory, when the siblings of a brother/sister with disabilities assume parent-like duties, this role reversal is known as sibling-focused parentification. It has a significant impact on these siblings’ distress and the quality of their family relationships; 605 Italian adult siblings (19–26 years) of people with disabilities completed the online survey. Measures of siblings’ parentification, distress, quality of family relationships, social support, and perceived benefits of parentification were used. The hypothesized model aims to test, on the target sample, the distress and the quality of the relationship with parents as mediators on the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and their sibling relationship. Additionally, social support and perceived benefits of parentification as protective factors were considered. Results showed that the distress and the low quality of the relationship with parents negatively affected the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and the relationship with their own brother/sister with disabilities. Social support and the perceived benefits of parentification decreased the siblings’ distress levels; the perceived benefits of parentification served as a protective factor for the quality of the relationship with parents. Current findings extend the knowledge regarding the risk and protective factors of the siblings’ mental health when disability occurs in the family. Additionally, they inform family-based intervention programs, which should involve the whole family system for reducing distress and improving the wellbeing of siblings without disabilities

The Effect of Sports Activities on Motor and Social Skills in Autistic Children and Adolescents: a Systematic Narrative Review

BackgroundThe main traits of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) are difficulties in social communication and interactions. Autism is frequently related to motor impairments. In the last decades, to develop and promote the social and motor skills of autistic people, several sports training programmes have been designed. In the present systematic narrative review, we aimed at providing an overview of studies evaluating the effectiveness of these sports training programmes to synthesize their strengths and weaknesses.MethodTo formulate the eligibility criteria for the systematic review, the PICO protocol was used. The PRISMA protocol was applied to four databases for the search strategy. 30 papers were reviewed, and their main features were tabulated and critically discussed.ResultsFindings highlighted that 8 types of sports were applied to autistic individuals and that the majority of them were focused on two individual sports (i.e., swimming and horseback riding). In sum, findings revealed that sports training programmes provided positive benefits both on motor/social skills as well as on autistic traits (e.g., repetitive behaviours) and individual functioning. The narrative synthesis revealed also that future studies should enroll more autistic females and preschoolers. To encourage the social inclusion of autistic individuals, a group of typically developing peers should be involved in future sports training programmes.DiscussionIn conclusion, professionals trained on autistic traits and knowledgeable in the target sport are required; consultations with the autistic community as guidance for designing novel sports training programmes are recommended

Parentification, distress, and relationship with parents as factors shaping the relationship between adult siblings and their brother/sister with disabilities

According to parentification theory, when the siblings of a brother/sister with disabilities assume parent-like duties, this role reversal is known as sibling-focused parentification. It has a significant impact on these siblings’ distress and the quality of their family relationships; 605 Italian adult siblings (19–26 years) of people with disabilities completed the online survey. Measures of siblings’ parentification, distress, quality of family relationships, social support, and perceived benefits of parentification were used. The hypothesized model aims to test, on the target sample, the distress and the quality of the relationship with parents as mediators on the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and their sibling relationship. Additionally, social support and perceived benefits of parentification as protective factors were considered. Results showed that the distress and the low quality of the relationship with parents negatively affected the interplay between the siblings’ parentification and the relationship with their own brother/sister with disabilities. Social support and the perceived benefits of parentification decreased the siblings’ distress levels; the perceived benefits of parentification served as a protective factor for the quality of the relationship with parents. Current findings extend the knowledge regarding the risk and protective factors of the siblings’ mental health when disability occurs in the family. Additionally, they inform family-based intervention programs, which should involve the whole family system for reducing distress and improving the wellbeing of siblings without disabilities

Automobiles and Auto Manufacturing

In several important respects the automobile and automobile manufacturing proved to be at the heart of North American life during the 1950s. The decade was one characterized as the age of tail fins and chrome, and the automobile was recognized as something far more than ordinary transportation