To Chase or not to Chase: A Study on the Role of Mentalization and Alcohol Consumption in Chasing Behavior

Background and aims: Chasing is a behavioral marker and a diagnostic criterion for gambling disorder. Although chasing has been recognized to play a central role in gambling disorder, research on this topic is relatively scarce. This study investigated the association between chasing, alcohol consumption, and mentalization among habitual gamblers. Method: A total of 132 adults took part in the study. Participants were administered the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test, the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and a laboratory task assessing chasing behavior. Participants were randomly assigned to three experimental conditions (Control, Loss, and Win). To deeply investigate chasing behavior, participants were requested to indicate the reasons for stopping or continuing playing at the end of the experimental session. Results: Logistic regression analysis showed that the choice to stop or continue playing depended on experimental condition and alcohol use. Hierarchical linear regression indicated that chasing propensity was affected by experimental condition, alcohol consumption, and deficit in mentalization. The results of path analysis showed that hypermentalizing predicts chasing not only directly, but also indirectly via alcohol consumption. Conclusions: Overall, these results for the first time showed that hypermentalization plays a key role in chasing behavior over and above gambling severity. Since these findings support the idea that chasers and non-chasers are different subtypes of gamblers, clinical interventions should consider the additive role of chasing in gambling disorder

The Potential Immunonutritional Role of Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese in Children with Food Allergy

Parmigiano Reggiano (PR) is a ripened cheese with high nutritional value. Throughout ripening the bacteria contained in PR promote an extensive hydrolysis of cow’s milk proteins resulting in peptides that exhibit positive immunoregulatory activities. Additional modulatory activities on immune system are induced by butyrate, a short chain fatty acid widely expressed in PR. These findings suggest a possible immunonutritional role for PR able to stimulate oral tolerance in children with food allergy (FA)

Attachment dimensions and adolescent gambling: The mediating role of mentalization

Background: Several studies demonstrated that insecure attachment style represents a risk factor for gambling behavior. The recent literature strongly argues that attachment could be better described as a dimensional construct, in as much as variations in attachment seem to exist on a graded continuum rather than in categories, better grasped by dimensional models. However, only a few studies have investigated the role of specific attachment dimensions in adolescent gambling. Moreover, even if the role of attachment style on mentalization abilities and their influence on gambling are well established, no studies have so far investigated how attachment dimensions and mentalization interact each other in influencing gambling behavior. The present study was aimed to clarify the role of specific dimensions of attachment in adolescent gambling and to explore, for the first time, the causal relationships between attachment, mentalization, and adolescent gambling. Methods: Four hundred and eighty-two adolescents aged 16-20 years were administered the South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), the Attachment Style Questionnaire (ASQ), and the Reflective Functioning Questionnaire (RFQ-8). Results: The results of the hierarchical linear regression analysis showed that high scores on Uncertainty about mental states (RFQ-8) and Preoccupation with relationships (ASQ) were significant predictors of gambling severity. Moreover, mediational analysis revealed that the effect of Preoccupation with relationships on gambling severity was totally mediated by Uncertainty about mental states. Conclusion: The present study provided, for the first time, insight into the interrelationships between attachment dimensions, mentalization, and gambling severity, and suggested that preoccupation with relationships may be an important precursor to gambling and support the hypothesis that adolescents preoccupied with relationships have more severe gambling involvement due to poor mentalization abilities. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed

Impact of sleep disorders on behavioral issues in preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder

BackgroundSleep disorders are one of the most common problems in children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, they often tend to be underdiagnosed and incorrectly treated in clinical practice. This study aims to identify sleep disorders in preschool children with ASD and to explore their relationship with the core symptoms of autism, the child's developmental and cognitive level as well as the psychiatric comorbidities. MethodsWe recruited 163 preschool children with a diagnosis of ASD. The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) assessed sleep conditions. Multiple standardized tests were used to evaluate intellectual abilities, the presence of repetitive behaviors (through the Repetitive Behavior Scale-Revised), as well as the emotional-behavioral problems and the psychiatric comorbidities (through the Child Behavior Checklist -CBCL 1(1/2)-5). ResultsThe results showed that poor disorders had consistently higher scores in all areas assessed by the CSHQ and on the CBCL across all domains. The correlational analysis showed that severe sleep disorders were associated with higher scores in internalizing, externalizing, and total problems at the CBCL syndromic scales, and in all DSM-oriented CBCL subscales. Moreover, we found that the association between sleep disorders and restricted and repetitive behaviors (RRBs) is explained by the anxiety-related symptoms. ConclusionBased on these findings, the study recommends that screening for sleep problems followed by early intervention should constitute a routine part of clinical practice for children with ASD

The role of loneliness, negative affectivity, mentalization, and alcohol use in adolescent gambling

Background: The causes and consequences of youth problem gambling have become an area of increasing research interest. The present study investigated the role of loneliness, negative affective states, mentalization, and alcohol use among adolescent gamblers, exploring the relationships between the study variables utilizing path analysis. Methods: A sample of 352 adolescents aged between 16-19 years were administered the (i) South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents, (ii) Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents, (iii) Depression Anxiety Stress Scales, (iv) Reflective Functioning Questionnaire, and (v) Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test to assess gambling severity, loneliness, negative affectivity, mentalization, and alcohol consumption. Results: The regression analysis indicated that male gender, affinity for loneliness, hypomentalizing, and alcohol use significantly predicted adolescent gambling severity. Path analysis showed that stress contributed to gambling severity directly as well as indirectly (via hypomentalizing). Analysis of direct and indirect effects showed that unbalanced mentalizing strengthened the effect of stress on gambling severity. Conclusions: Given that adolescent problematic gambling is associated with high levels of stress and inability to reflect on the self, clinical interventions should enhance adolescent gamblers’ ability to process mental states content and to reduce emotional distress associated with gambling involvement

Gut Microbiota as a Target for Preventive and Therapeutic Intervention against Food Allergy

The gut microbiota plays a pivotal role in immune system development and function. Modification in the gut microbiota composition (dysbiosis) early in life is a critical factor affecting the development of food allergy. Many environmental factors including caesarean delivery, lack of breast milk, drugs, antiseptic agents, and a low-fiber/high-fat diet can induce gut microbiota dysbiosis, and have been associated with the occurrence of food allergy. New technologies and experimental tools have provided information regarding the importance of select bacteria on immune tolerance mechanisms. Short-chain fatty acids are crucial metabolic products of gut microbiota responsible for many protective effects against food allergy. These compounds are involved in epigenetic regulation of the immune system. These evidences provide a foundation for developing innovative strategies to prevent and treat food allergy. Here, we present an overview on the potential role of gut microbiota as the target of intervention against food allergy

Decision-making, cognitive distortions and alcohol use in adolescent problem and non-problem gamblers: an experimental study

In the psychological literature, many studies have investigated the neuropsychological and behavioral changes that occur developmentally during adolescence. These studies have consistently observed a deficit in the decision-making ability of children and adolescents. This deficit has been ascribed to incomplete brain development. The same deficit has also been observed in adult problem and pathological gamblers. However, to date, no study has examined decision-making in adolescents with and without gambling problems. Furthermore, no study has ever examined associations between problem gambling, decision-making, cognitive distortions and alcohol use in youth. To address these issues, 104 male adolescents participated in this study. They were equally divided in two groups, problem gamblers and non-problem gamblers, based on South Oaks Gambling Screen Revised for Adolescents scores. All participants performed the Iowa Gambling Task and completed the Gambling Related Cognitions Scale and the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test. Adolescent problem gamblers displayed impaired decision-making, reported high cognitive distortions, and had more problematic alcohol use compared to non-problem gamblers. Strong correlations between problem gambling, alcohol use, and cognitive distortions were observed. Decision-making correlated with interpretative bias. This study demonstrated that adolescent problem gamblers appear to have the same psychological profile as adult problem gamblers and that gambling involvement can negatively impact on decision-making ability that, in adolescence, is still developing. The correlations between interpretative bias and decision-making suggested that the beliefs in the ability to influence gambling outcomes may facilitate decision-making impairment

Risk-taking, delay discounting, and time perspective in adolescent gamblers: an experimental study

Previous research has demonstrated that adult pathological gamblers (compared to controls) show risk-proneness, foreshortened time horizon, and preference for immediate rewards. No study has ever examined the interplay of these factors in adolescent gambling. A total of 104 adolescents took part in the research. Two equal-number groups of adolescent non-problem and problem gamblers, defined using the South Oaks Gambling Screen-Revised for Adolescents (SOGS-RA), were administered the Balloon Analogue Risk Task (BART), the Consideration of Future Consequences (CFC-14) Scale, and the Monetary Choice Questionnaire (MCQ). Adolescent problem gamblers were found to be more risk-prone, more oriented to the present, and to discount delay rewards more steeply than adolescent non-problem gamblers. Results of logistic regression analysis revealed that BART, MCQ, and CFC scores predicted gambling severity. These novel finding provides the first evidence of an association among problematic gambling, high risk-taking proneness, steep delay discounting, and foreshortened time horizon among adolescents. It may be that excessive gambling induces shortsighted behaviors that, in turn, facilitate gambling involvement

Eco: dal Medioevo al mondo digitale

L'articolo illustra il rapporto teorico, intellettuale e personale che Umberto Eco intrattenne per tutta la vita con i nuovi media e il mondo digitale, dimostrando nei confronti delle innovazioni tecnologiche una costante apertura e curiosit\ue0, nonostante, negli ultimi anni della sua vita, alcune sue dichiarazioni provocatorie sull'uso sconsiderato di Internet e dei social media avessero agitato intorno a lui il sospetto \u2013 del tutto infondato, a parere dell'autrice \u2013 che si collocasse su posizioni tendenzialmente di retroguardia e demonizzazione dei nuovi media. In realt\ue0 Umberto Eco fu per tutta la vita quello che oggi si chiamerebbe un "tecnoentusiasta" e un pioniere, non solo nell'usare personalmente tutte le tecnologie digirali per la scrittura, l'informazione, la comunicazione, ma nel promuoverne l'introduzione sistematica, fin dalla prima met\ue0 degli anni Novanta, nel mondo della ricerca umanistica e nella didattica universitaria