Attaccamento ai genitori e disagio emotivo in adolescenti appartenenti a famiglie italiane, miste e migranti: Un approccio multi-metodo

Una ricerca compiuta in italia con metodologia quantitativa e qualitativa per approfondire l'attaccamento ai genitori e il disagio emotivo in adolescenti appartenenti a famiglie italiane, miste e migranti.I partecipanti erano 509 adolescenti (55% maschi) che frequentavano varie scuole medie e superiori del centro-est Italia. La loro et\ue0 variava tra gli 11 e i 19 anni (M = 13.6, DS = 2.2). Il campione era composto da tre gruppi: 261 adolescenti provenivano da famiglie italiane; 100 da famiglie miste (in cui un solo genitore aveva la nazionalit\ue0 italiana); e 148 da famiglie migranti. I risultati hanno mostrato che gli adolescenti provenienti da famiglie migranti si differenziano dai loro coetanei provenienti da famiglie italiane o miste in quanto manifestano con minore frequenza un forte attaccamento a entrambi i genitori e con maggiore frequenza un debole attaccamento a entrambi. Inoltre, gli studenti di famiglie migranti riportano pi\uf9 sintomi ansiosi e depressivi dei coloro coetanei appartenenti alle famiglie italiane e miste. In generale, gli adolescenti con un forte attaccamento a entrambi i genitori manifestano i livelli pi\uf9 bassi di sintomi depressivi e ansiosi mentre un legame ambivalente o evitante sono associati a maggiori disagi emotivi. I risultati sono interpretabili in linea con la letteratura che vuole i compiti di sviluppo relazionali pi\uf9 complessi in adolescenti di famiglie migranti mentre nelle famiglie miste la coppia sarebbe gi\ue0 abituata a negoziare tra culture differenti rendendo meno complessa la costruzione dell\u2019identit\ue0 nei figli

A spatially distributed analysis of erosion susceptibility and sediment yield in a river basin by means of geomorphic parameters and regression relationships

International audienceIn the present work, an application of statistical regression relationships utilising geomorphic parameters is attempted in a spatially distributed mode, in order to predict the amount of river sediment supply at varying sections of the drainage network. Simple and multiple regression relationships utilising drainage density Dd and hierarchical anomaly index ?a as independent variables were applied to the Calvano watershed (Central Italy) at different degree of subdivision in tributary drainage basins, so as to assess their contribution to the whole watershed sediment yield balance. In the same way, the role of small hill-reservoirs as sediment-trap and that of areas affected by badlands and of tributary basins exposure were also investigated. Results were tested on the basis of sedimentation estimates from selected reservoirs. The relationships provided a yearly specific sediment yield (SSY) value for the Calvano stream which is according to the average observed SSY in river basins of central Italy flowing to the Adriatic Sea. The use of simple statistical relationships, such as those here adopted, can allow to recognise the sections along the main stream which are more critical in terms of sediment accumulation, which, on turn, can cause sudden water discharge increments and dangerous floods. This approach can provide a tool enabling to locate the hydraulic risk and to point out the areas where soil conservation practices or hydraulic works, such as periodic maintenance of riverbeds, are needed in order to reduce soil erosion and sediment accumulation

Rapporto con la famiglia e sviluppo del concetto di s\ue9 in adolescenza [family relationship and self concept development in adolescence]

The aim of this study was to investigate associations between family relationships and self-concept in adolescence. Specifically, we investigated how adolescent attachment (expressed by levels of trust, communication, and alienation; Armsden & Greenberg, 1987) to both parents is associated with self-concept clarity (Campbell, 1990), that indicates the extent to which self beliefs are clear, internally consistent and stable. Participants were 2113 Italian adolescents (979 boys and 1134 girls), with ages ranging between 11 and 18 years (1023 were attending junior high schools and 1090 were attending high schools). Participants filled out the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (Nada-Raja, McGee, & Stanton, 1992) and the Self-Concept Clarity Scale (Campbell, Trapnell, Heine, Katz, Lavalle, & Lehman, 1996). Main findings of the multivariate analyses of variance indicated that quality of paternal and maternal relationships worsened during adolescence: trust in both parents and quality of communication with them was lower among older adolescents, that reported also higher levels of alienation. Second, self-concept clarity varied as a function of both gender and age (i.e., self-concept clarity increased over time for male adolescents, whereas it decreased for female adolescents). Results of regression analyses pointed out that paternal and maternal trust were positively related to self-concept clarity, whereas paternal and maternal alienation and maternal communication were negatively linked to it. A further exploration of these associations within gender and age adolescent groups highlighted that within the younger adolescent category paternal and maternal relationships were related to self-concept clarity in both male and female groups. On the contrary, within the older adolescent category only paternal attachment was related to boys\u2019 self-concept clarity and only maternal attachment was linked to girls\u2019 self-concept clarity

Corrigendum to "Estimating the suspended sediment yield in a river network by means of geomorphic parameters and regression relationships" published in Hydrol. Earth Syst. Sci., 12, 177–191, 2008

No abstract available

PDE4 Inhibitors: Profiling Hits through the Multitude of Structural Classes

Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases 4 (PDE4) are a family of enzymes which specifically promote the hydrolysis and degradation of cAMP. The inhibition of PDE4 enzymes has been widely investigated as a possible alternative strategy for the treatment of a variety of respiratory diseases, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma, as well as psoriasis and other autoimmune disorders. In this context, the identification of new molecules as PDE4 inhibitors continues to be an active field of investigation within drug discovery. This review summarizes the medicinal chemistry journey in the design and development of effective PDE4 inhibitors, analyzed through chemical classes and taking into consideration structural aspects and binding properties, as well as inhibitory efficacy, PDE4 selectivity and the potential as therapeutic agents

The Utrecht-Management of IdentityCommitments Scale (U-MICS)Italian Validation and Cross-National Comparisons

The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Dutch and Italian versions of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) in large community samples of adolescents from Italy (N = 1,975) and The Netherlands (N = 1,521). Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the three-factor model, consisting of commitment, in-depth exploration, and reconsideration of commitment, provided a better fit to the data than alternative one- and two-factor models. The three-factor model fit equivalently across sex and across age groups (early and middle adolescents). Furthermore, we demonstrated cross-national equivalence of the factor structure of the U-MICS. Additionally, results indicated that the latent means for commitment were higher in the Dutch sample, while latent means for both in-depth exploration and reconsideration of commitment were substantially higher in the Italian sample. The three identity processes were found to be meaningfully related to measures of self-concept, psychosocial problems, and parent-adolescent relations in both countries. These findings suggest that the U-MICS is a reliable tool for assessing identity processes in Italian and Dutch adolescents