Binge eating disorder In adolescence: the role of alexithymia and impulsivity

Binge Eating Disorder (BED) is a disorder, recently included in DSM-5, often present in adolescence. Several studies highlight that adolescents with BED had high levels of impulsivity and alexithymia. Even though studies have underlined the importance of these variables, no studies have investigated their role on adolescents’ emotional-behavioral functioning. This study proposes to verify if adolescents affected by BED show higher levels of alexithymia and impulsivity than adolescents without diagnosis, and what is their role on adolescents’ emotional-behavioral functioning. Thanks to the collaboration with clinical centers for eating disorders, a group composed by 60 adolescents diagnosed with BED was paired to a 60 healthy controls. Participants completed validated self-report questionnaires investigating levels of alexithymia, impulsivity and emotional-behavioral functioning. Adolescents diagnosed with BED showed higher scores on alexithymia, impulsivity and maladaptive emotional-behavioral functioning than healthy controls. Moreover, alexithymia had a mediating effect on the relationship between impulsivity and emotional-behavioral functioning. These results show that alexithymia is a key variable influencing the emotional-behavioral functioning of adolescents affected by BED. Further studies are needed to also check other variables that might lead to the onset of BED. On the other hand, our findings can help clinicians suggesting the importance of promoting prevention and treatment polices focused on alexithymia

Parent-Child Interactions in Families with Mothers who had Experienced Early Relational Traumas.

Early maternal relational traumas can have an impact on mothers’ psychopathological risk and mother-infant interactions. Research has suggested the importance of fathers’ role as protection or risk factors for child’s development. Few studies had considered fathers in the assessment of the quality of parent-infants interactions during daily routines (e.g. feeding) and there is a lack of research on non-referred samples. This paper aims to assess the quality of parent-infant interactions during feeding in families with mothers who have experienced early relational traumas, such as emotional abuse and neglect or sexual/physical abuse, considering parental psychopathological risks. N= 98 families were recruited and divided into three groups: families with mothers who lived through early sexual/physical abuse (Group A); families with mothers who lived through early emotional abuse or neglect (Group B); healthy controls (Group C). Families were assessed at 6 months of the children with a protocol that included an observation of parent-infant interactions during feeding and a self-report assessing psychopathological risk. Group B showed more maladaptive mother-infants and father-infant interactions with their children. Results show that the interaction of maternal depression and early traumatic experiences of neglect and emotional abuse predicted more maladaptive scores on the affective state of the dyad subscale. Furthermore, paternal anxiety predicted higher scores of child’s food refusal subscales. These results are very important for the planning of prevention and / or treatment , which take into account of the whole family

Psychopathological risk in parentally bereaved adolescents

For a child, the death of a parent is a traumatic experience and can give rise to several difficulties during the child’s development. International literature in this field has focused on clinical populations; evaluations of the psychological difficulties in adulthood have rarely been aimed at non-referred samples. The present study assessed the psychological functioning of a non-referred sample of adolescents, with consideration given to the impact of the loss of a caregiver during childhood on their psychological profiles. It also evaluated the association between the adolescents’ psychological profiles and possible psychopathological risk in the surviving parents. Three groups of subjects (N=96) were considered: adolescents who had suffered the loss before 3 years of age (Group A); adolescents who had experienced loss between 3 and 10 years of age (Group B); and adolescents who had experienced no loss (Group C). Psychological profiles, eating difficulties, and dissociative symptoms were evaluated during adolescence (14-16 years of age). Also assessed were the psychological profiles of the surviving caregivers. Group A had higher scores than Group B and C, indicating that there had not been an improvement in their psychological well-being. In addition, it was found that the psychological profiles of the surviving caregivers may have had an influence on the adolescents’ psychological difficulties. This result is important for prevention, and it could direct clinical work and early intervention in this specific field by taking into account the influence of the surviving parent

Adolescent internet abuse. A study on the role of attachment to parents and peers in a large community sample

Adolescents are the main users of new technologies and theirmain purpose of use is social interaction. Although new technologies are useful to teenagers, in addressing their developmental tasks, recent studies have shown that they may be an obstacle in their growth. Research shows that teenagers with Internet addiction experience lower quality in their relationships with parents and more individual difficulties. However, limited research is available on the role played by adolescents' attachment to parents and peers, considering their psychological profiles.We evaluated in a large community sample of adolescents (N= 1105) the Internet use/abuse, the adolescents' attachment to parents and peers, and their psychological profiles. Hierarchical regression analyses were conducted to verify the influence of parental and peer attachment on Internet use/abuse, considering the moderating effect of adolescents' psychopathological risk. Results showed that adolescents' attachment to parents had a significant effect on Internet use. Adolescents' psychopathological risk had a moderating effect on the relationship between attachment to mothers and Internet use. Our study shows that further research is needed, taking into account both individual and family variables

Early maternal relational traumatic experiences and psychopathological symptoms: a longitudinal study on mother-infant and father-infant interactions

Early maternal relational traumas and psychopathological risk can have an impact on mother-infant interactions. Research has suggested the study of fathers and of their psychological profiles as protection or risk factors. The aim of the paper is to assess the quality of parental interactions during feeding in families with mothers with early traumatic experiences. One hundred thirty-six (N = 136) families were recruited in gynecological clinics: Group A included families with mothers who experienced early sexual/physical abuse; Group B was composed of families with mothers who experienced early emotional abuse or neglect; and Group C comprised healthy controls. The subjects participated in a 10-month longitudinal protocol [at the fourth month of pregnancy (T0), 3 months after child birth (T1), and 6 months after child birth (T2)] that included an observation of mother-infant and father-infant interactions during feeding (Scala di Valutazione dell'Interazione Alimentare [SVIA]) and a self-reporting 90-item Symptom Checklist-Revised (SCL-90-R). Maternal higher rates of depression and early traumatic experiences of neglect and emotional abuse predicted more maladaptive scores on the affective state of the dyad SVIA subscale. Paternal anxiety predicted more severe levels of food refusal in the child during feeding

Sincronicità e rispecchiamento emotivo nelle relazioni genitore-bambino

Il secondo anno di vita rappresenta un periodo critico nello sviluppo del bambino, nel quale vi sono molte spinte verso l’autonomia, fondamentali per un sano sviluppo di un senso di Sé. In questa fase i ritmi diadici precedentemente raggiunti cambiano e numerosi studi evidenziano la presenza di conflitti, soprattutto nel passaggio all’alimentazione autonoma, dove si evidenzia la necessità per il genitore e il figlio di ridefinire i propri ruoli nella relazione diadica, al fine di ricercare un nuovo equilibrio. A partire dalle teorizzazioni di Mary Ainsworth, diversi autori hanno indagato il ruolo di un genitore “sensibile” nello sviluppo di un bambino. Il presente elaborato si è posto l’obiettivo di poter indagare maggiormente il costrutto della sensibilità genitoriale ai segnali del bambino. Nello specifico, si è voluto indagare se la sensibilità del genitore potesse non essere vista come un costrutto unitario, ma possa differenziarsi in base alle richieste e ai bisogni del bambino. Si ipotizza che la sensibilità genitoriale possa essere un costrutto relazionale, influenzato da caratteristiche del genitore, del bambino e della relazione. In collaborazione con la Professoressa Lynne Murray, è stato messo a punto uno schema di codifica, al fine di valutare la sensibilità del genitore a differenti segnali (segnali del bambino di voler interrompere l’interazione, richieste di maggiore autonomia, richieste di rassicurazione e di cooperazione). Sono stati svolti due studi empirici. Nel primo studio sono state valutate le interazioni alimentari madre-bambino e padre-bambino di N= 60 nuclei familiari in un campione non referred, con bambini di età compresa fra i 12 ed i 24 mesi. I risultati hanno mostrato che non vi erano differenze nella qualità interattiva materna e paterna durante l’alimentazione e che sia le madri che i padri mostravano una sensibilità maggiore ai segnali di cooperazione dei bambini, rispetto alle richieste di maggiore autonomia o di interrompere l’interazione. 1 Nel secondo studio sono state valutate le interazioni alimentari e ludiche genitore-bambino di N= 38 nuclei familiari non referred, con bambini nel secondo anno di vita. In questo studio si è voluta verificare la presenza di eventuali differenze nella sensibilità genitoriale a differenti segnali del bambino sia durante interazioni alimentari che durante le interazioni ludiche, tenendo in considerazione i profili psicologici e lo stress genitoriali, il temperamento del bambino e l’adattamento di coppia. Sono state evidenziate differenze fra la sensibilità materna ai differenti segnali del bambino, sia nel contesto alimentare, che in quello ludico. Nei padri questa differenza è stata riscontrata solamente nelle interazioni ludiche. Inoltre, uno dei fattori che è risultato essere maggiormente associato alla qualità delle interazioni materne e paterne in entrambi i contesti è il temperamento del bambino e, nello specifico, l’emozionalità negativa e l’attività motoria del bambino. I risultati confermano le ipotesi iniziali, evidenziando che la sensibilità genitoriale può essere differente in base ai bisogni del bambino. Si ipotizza che la minore sensibilità dei genitori riscontrata alle richieste di maggiore autonomia e di interruzione delle interazioni, sia legata a questa specifica fascia d’età, dove la spinta verso l’autonomia del bambino modifica i precedenti ruoli della diade. Ciononostante, questo risultato mette in evidenza che un genitore può mostrare una sensibilità differente in base ai bisogni del bambino e sarebbero necessarie ulteriori indagini in differenti fasce d’età

Adolescents’ psychological functioning and unintentional injuries: motor vehicles and sports accidents

Adolescence represents a crucial period for psychological development. Adolescents have been shown more prone to injuries than adults have and they are frequently involved in motor vehicle and sports accident. Although adolescents’ injuries have been widely investigated in international literature, victims’ psychological profiles associated with different types of accidents have been scarcely addressed. The present study aimed to identify adolescents’ psychological functioning associated with different types of injuries among a population of Italian adolescents who visited an emergency department. Moreover, the present paper intended to compare psychological profiles of adolescents who have had road and sports accidents. The sample was composed by N= 60 adolescents who attended an emergency department in central Italy. Subjects completed self-report measures assessing emotional and behavioural functioning and the use of defence mechanisms. Both road and sport accidents were associated with adolescents’ maladaptive psychological functioning. Adolescents involved in motor vehicle accidents showed a problematic emotional and behavioural functioning in general and a massive use of defense strategies; their peers who had sport accidents also show various difficulties in internalizing and externalizing functioning. Several adolescents’ emotional-behavioural variables are associated with injuries rates. Risk taking behaviours and other victims’ psychological profiles should be considered to have an exhaustive picture of individual factors that can impair a healthy development

Family profiles in eating disorders: family functioning and psychopathology

Research has studied family functioning in families of patients suffering from eating disorders (EDs), particularly investigating the associations between mothers’ and daughters’ psychopathological symptoms, but limited studies have examined whether there are specific maladaptive psychological profiles characterizing the family as a whole when it includes adolescents with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), and binge eating disorder (BED). Through the collaboration of a network of public and private consultants, we recruited n=181 adolescents diagnosed for EDs (n=61 with AN, n=60 with BN, and n=60 with BEDs) and their parents. Mothers, fathers, and youths were assessed through a self-report measure evaluating family functioning, and adolescents completed a self-report questionnaire assessing psychopathological symptoms. Results showed specific family functioning and psychopathological profiles based on adolescents’ diagnosis. Regression analyses also showed that family functioning characterized by rigidity predicted higher psychopathological symptoms. Our study underlines the importance of involving all members of the family in assessment and intervention programs when adolescent offspring suffer from EDs

Emotional availability, neuropsychological functioning, and psychopathology. The context of parental substance use disorder

Parental Substance Use Disorder (SUD) constitutes a high-risk condition for parent-child interactions and child development. Empirical evidence indicates high rates of psychopathology and neuropsychological impairments in individuals with SUD. Despite research indicating that parenting skills are related to psychological well-being and cognitive/neuropsychological functioning, prior studies have not examined the associations between these areas of parental functioning and the quality of parent-child interactions in the context of SUD. Aim(s). The present study adopts an integrated perspective to investigate the way in which maternal neuropsychological functioning and psychopathology are associated with mother-child emotional availability (EA), in the context of parental Substance Use Disorder. Methods. Twenty-nine mothers with SUD were assessed in interaction with their children, as well as with respect to their neuropsychological functioning and psychopathology. Results. In this group, high rates of maternal neuropsychological impairments and psychopathology, as well as generally low levels of EA, were uncovered. Regression analyses showed that maternal neuropsychological functioning was significantly associated with mother-child EA, specifically sensitivity; the role of maternal psychopathology, however, was only marginally significant. Conclusion. In the context of SUD, maternal neuropsychological impairments are significantly associated with mother-child EA. Clinical implications of the findings are discussed

Predictive values of early parental loss and psychopathological risk for physical problems in early adolescents

Background: Several studies have suggested that the early loss of parents is a potentially traumatic experience, exposing adolescents to a higher risk for the onset of psychopathological symptoms. Furthermore, research has shown an association between the loss of a parent in childhood and subsequent physical illnesses, but much less attention has been given to the predictive role of loss in the development of physical illness in adolescence. Methods: From a larger normative sample, we selected 418 early adolescents (and their surviving parents) each of whom had lost a parent in their first 3 years of life. We evaluate the offspring's and parents' psychopathological symptoms, dissociation, and physical problems over a 6-year period. Univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazard regression analyses with time-dependent variables were used to examine the predictive values of the adolescents' and surviving parents' psychopathological symptoms, and youths' demographic characteristics (sex and age) for the occurrence of physical illness during a 6-year period of follow-up. Results: Independently of sex, the psychopathological risk of the surviving parents' and adolescents' affective problems and dissociation has been found to predict the occurrence of physical illnesses. Furthermore, dissociation was the most significant predictor of significant physical problems. Conclusion: These results may be relevant and an addition to the previous literature, opening up new possibilities for prevention and intervention that are oriented toward greater support for children who have experienced the loss of one parent and for surviving parents