The Dissociative Nature of Sexual Addiction the Role of Traumatic Emotions

AbstractThe term addiction applies to a morbid form characterized by substance abuse, an object or a behaviour; it defines a dysfunctional mental state characterized by a feeling of irrepressible desire and uncontrollable need to be repeated in a compulsive manner; it is an invasive condition marked by the phenomena of craving in a frame of uncontrollable habit that causes clinically significant distress. The authors propose a new interpretation of sexual addiction as a dissociative mechanism to regulate not-modulated emotions that were not mentalized (traumatic emotions) in early relationships with primary caregivers. To start from this theoretical model, this article suggests a treatment of sex addiction focused on the identifying and regulation of traumatic emotions implicated in sexual compulsion

The relationships between early trauma, dissociation, and alexithymia in alcohol addiction

Objective Addiction is often considered a dissociative behavior that is related to alexithymia and developmental trauma. The study aims were to explore the relationships between early trauma, alexithymia, and dissociation. Methods A total of 117 (males=60; females=57) alcohol-addicted individuals and 117 healthy individuals (males=60; females=57) were administered a series of self-report questionnaires that assess traumatic experiences, alexithymia, and pathological dissociation. Results Correlation analyses indicated significant correlations between alexithymia, dissociation, and trauma and a significant difference between the target and control groups, with higher alexithymia and dissociation scores in the target group. Conclusion These findings suggest that trauma, alexithymia, and dissociation are predictors of alcohol addiction

Comparing Main, Goldwyn, and Hesse (Berkeley) and Crittenden (DMM) coding systems for classifying Adult Attachment Interview transcripts: an empirical report.

ABSTRACT Few studies have compared different systems in classifying Adult Attachment Interview (AAI) transcripts. In this study, the AAI was administered to 90 Italian parents (45 couples), and the AAI transcripts were independently classified according to Main, Goldwyn, and Hesse’s (Berkeley) and Crittenden’s (Dynamic-Maturational Model [DMM]) criteria. The two classification systems were not significantly associated, with some limited convergent results only when the interviews resulted in organized (Berkeley) and normative (DMM) attachment classifications. Otherwise, the Berkeley system identified more secure individuals than the DMM system, and many texts judged secure on the Berkeley system were identified as insecure on the DMM system. Since the Berkeley and the DMM systems rest on remarkably different conceptualizations of the nature and functioning of the attachment behavioral system (e.g. fear is conceived as organizing in the DMM and as potentially disorganizing in the Berkeley), the attachment classifications resulting from their applications should not be considered measurements of the same phenomena

DMM and ABC+D-AAI coding systems compared: a study on an Italian sample

The assessment of adult attachment is a complex process that could be influenced in its results by both the theoretical model and the method. The aim of this research is to compare two different systems of AAI coding: the DMM (Crittenden, Landini, 2011) and the ABC+D model (Main, Goldwyn, Hesse 1982-2008). Recent studies in high-risk and clinical samples (Crittenden, Claussen & Kozlowska, 2007; Crittenden & Spieker, 2009; Crittenden & Newman, 2010; Shah, Fonagy & Strathearn, 2010) have suggested that the DMM may discriminate clinical population cases better than the ABC+D model. In particular, the ABC+D Disoriented/disorganised pattern (U/D), corresponds in the DMM to different and specific organized high-risk patterns (A+, C+, A/C), which are complex, extreme patterns with indicators of rapid shifts in arousal, useful for clinical practice (Crittenden, 2015). The aim of this study was to compare the DMM and the ABC+D model in the AAI coding process, and to explore their differences in discriminating low- and high-risk subjects. The results could be a boon for the use of the AAI as a guide in the organization of a tailored and effective treatmen

Alexithymia, Attachment styles and Dissociative experiences in a sample of drug addicts

Background: Many studies demonstrate that early trauma affects the development of cognitive and affective processing, the integration between thoughts and feelings and the ability to understand and regulate emotional experiences. Some researchers emphasize the role of dissociation. Methods: In our study, we involved 62 participants that have completed the following questionnaires:  TAS-20, TEC, DES-II, PBI, and RQ. The aim was to evaluate, through descriptive statistics, univariate variant analysis and hierarchical regression analysis, the correlation between alexithymia, traumatic, dissociative experiences, parenting style, and adult relational style in two groups. Results: The results of our research have partially confirmed the significant differences between clinical group and control group. In the clinical group we observed dysfunctional parenting and relationship style in rapport with an alexithymic condition. In addition, alexithymia would also represent a risk factor for the development of an addictive behavior. Regarding to the relationship between dissociation and trauma, our data confirm a significant relationship between these two variables. Conclusions: Our study underlines the importance to consider the role of emotional experiences linked to early traumatic experiences and dissociative defensive reactions.

INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH Resilience and emotional Intelligence

In the framework of Positive Organizational Behavior, the construct of Psychological Capital identifies four psychological capacities that affect motivation and performance in the workplace: self-efficacy, hope, optimism and resilience. Emotional Intelligence, then, addresses self-regulatory processes of emotions and motivation that enable people to make adjustments to achieve individual, group, and organizational goals; Emotional Intelligence is strongly correlated with individual advancement and success in an organizational setting and with individual performance. Moreover, Emotional Intelligence is considered an antecedent to resilience. The present study aims to investigate the role of resilience and emotional intelligence in achievement motivation, verifying if emotional intelligence mediates the relationship among resilience and achievement motivation. Participants are 488 Italian workers, aged between 18 and 55 years. The findings confirm the significant role played by emotional intelligence on resilience and on motivation to achievement. RESUMEN Palabras clave: Comportamiento positivo organizacional, capital psicológico, inteligencia emocional, resiliencia, motivación al logro. En el marco del Comportamiento Positivo Organizacional, el constructo de Capital Psicológico identifica cuatro capacidades psicológicas que afectan la motivación y el desempeño en el trabajo: autoeficia, esperanza, optimismo y resiliencia. La inteligencia emocional entonces, se dirige a los procesos de autorregulación emocional y la motivación habilita a las personas realizar ajustes para alcanzar metas individuales, grupales y organizacionales; la Inteligencia emocional está fuertemente correlacionada con el progreso individual y el éxito en un entorno organizacional, y el rendimiento individual. Por otra parte, la inteligencia emocional se considera un antecedente de la resiliencia. El presente estudio tiene como objetivo investigar el papel de la resiliencia y la inteligencia emocional en la motivación al logro, verificando si la inteligencia emocional media la relación entre la resiliencia y la motivación al logro. Los participantes fueron 488 trabajadores italianos, con edades entre 18 y 55 años. Los resultados confirman el rol significativo que juegan la inteligencia emocional en la resiliencia y en la motivación al logro. Resilience and Emotional Intelligence: which role in achievement motivation Resiliencia e Inteligencia Emocional: qué rol tienen en la motivación al logro R e s e a r c

Assessing Social Anxiety Disorder : Psychometric Properties of the Italian Social Phobia Inventory (I-SPIN)

Social Phobia, one of the most common psychological disorders, can cause serious discomfort and impairment in a person’s life. The importance of assessing the specific features of this disorder is well-known. This paper assesses the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Social Phobia Inventory (I-SPIN)

Hippocampal and Amygdalar Volumes Changes in Drug Addicts: A Preliminary Study

Oral comunication for American Society of Neuroradiology 45th Annual Meeting. Chicago, June 9-14 200

Flow Diversion for Acutely Ruptured Intracranial Aneurysms Treatment: A Retrospective Study and Literature Review

Objective: Flow diversion is becoming an increasingly established practice for the treatment of acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms. In this study the authors present a literature review and meta-analysis, adding a retrospective review of institutional registry on emergency treatment of aRIA with flow diverter stent. Materials and methods: A systematic search of PubMed, SCOPUS, Ovid MEDLINE, and Ovid EMBASE was performed on April 20th, 2021, extrapolating 35 articles. R language 'meta' and 'metafor' packages were used for data pooling. The DerSimonian-Laird model was used to calculate the pooled effect. The I2 value and Q statistic evaluated study heterogeneity. Additionally, the authors retrospectively reviewed their institutional database for the treatment and outcomes of all patients with acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms treated with flow diverter stent placement from May 2010 to November 2020 was performed. Results: From the systematic literature review and meta-analysis, the pooled proportion of complete aneurysm occlusion was 78%, with a pooled rate of 79%, 71%, 80%, and 50% for dissecting, saccular, fusiform, and mycotic aneurysms, respectively. The pooled proportion of aneurysm rebleeding and intrastent stenosis was 12% and 15% respectively, for a total of 27% rate. The analysis of authors retrospective register showed an overall mortality rate of 16.7% (3/18), with a low but not negligible post procedural rebleeding and intrastent thrombosis rates (5.6% and 11.1% respectively). Conclusion: Although increasingly utilized in the management of selected patients with acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms, flow diversion for acutely ruptured intracranial aneurysms treatment presents rebleeding and intrastent stenosis rates not negligible