Living a romantic relationship as an LGB+ person: Individual, relational, and socio-cultural dimensions

Historically, psychological and relationship research has mainly focused on investigating the functioning and well-being of heterosexual individuals and their relationships. But, in recent years, an ever-growing body of research has been concerned with exploring the functioning of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals functioning and their relationships. Results seem to suggest that relationships between lesbian, gay, bisexual, and other sexual minority individuals (LGB+) are quite similar to those between heterosexual individuals in terms of general functioning and satisfaction and that even in sexual minorities, romantic relationships can promote better health. The understanding of the links between relationship functioning and health is essential to the development of couple-based intervention: pinpointing the predictors of relationship functioning is pivotal to improving individuals’ and relationships’ well-being. On the one hand, relationships between LGB+ individuals seem to be similar to those between heterosexual individuals, but on the other hand, the development of intervention and prevention programs aimed at enhancing and strengthening LGB+ individuals’ relationships based exclusively on heterosexual models can be detrimental to their relevance and effectiveness. Indeed, is extremely important to consider the social context and each partner’s intrapersonal experiences, which are very critical for LGB+ individuals and couples. Therefore, a better comprehension of LGB+ relationships’ functioning is pivotal to promoting both individual and relational well-being. The present work aims to investigate the relationships between couples, individuals, and contextual factors and dimensions in lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals involved in romantic relationships. It investigates how stressors external from the couples and relational dimensions contribute to individual and relationship well-being, and how romantic relationship quality can help them with their individual well-being. This dissertation is divided into four chapters. Chapter 1 presented the theoretical frameworks outlining the studies included in this thesis. Moreover, it explores in depth the main dimensions investigated, seeking to make clear their role and importance in influencing the individual and relational well-being of sexual minority people. Chapter 2 contains the first study of this doctoral thesis which aim to investigate the psychophysical impact of the COVID-19 pandemic as a predictor of same-sex couples’ conflicts and the role of internalized sexual stigma in this relation in a sample of 232 Italian lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals involved in same-sex relationships. Chapter 3 contains the second study, which aims to assess the role of dyadic adjustment (the set of couple satisfaction, dyadic consensus, couple cohesion, and affective expressions) as a predictor of perceived social support in a sample of 242 Italian lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals involved in same-sex relationships. This is an exploratory study that investigates if dyadic adjustment could be considered a stronger predictor of perceived social support than minority stressors. Chapter 4 contains the third study, which aims to investigate the role of coming out as a predictor of interiorized binegativity in a sample of 157 Italian bisexual women involved in same-gender and different-gender relationships. It assessed how relationship type according to partners’ gender (different/same-gender couples) could moderate this relation and the role of relationship commitment as a moderator of this moderation

Helicopter mothers and helicopter fathers : Italian adaptation and validation of the Helicopter Parenting Instrument

The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI), a self-report instrument that evaluate adolescents’ and young adults’ perception of parenting behaviors. The term helicopter parenting describes a style of child-rearing characterized by parents who are over-involved in every aspect of their children’s lives in inappropriate ways, compromising their autonomy. The HPI (maternal and paternal version) was administered to 602 adolescents (356 females), between 14 and 18 years of age (Mfemales = 16.56; SD = 1.43; Mmales = 16.63; SD = 1.41). The factorial analysis confirmed the original one-factor structure for both versions. The two versions of the instrument demonstrated good concurrent and divergent validity and the reliability was high. In general, our participants perceived mothers with higher levels of helicopter parenting than fathers, regardless of gender and age of the participants. In conclusion, the instrument demonstrated good psychometric properties, indicating that it may be a valid measure for evaluating parental overparenting in the Italian context

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Violence and controlling behaviors in same-sex couples: a preliminary analysis in a sample of Italian sexual minorities

Introduction: Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is considered any behavior within a couple that involves behaviors of physical, sexual, emotional and/or psychological abuse, and controlling behavior. Research has focused primarily on the study of IPV in heterosexual couples. Although there have been many efforts to investigate these dynamics in non-heterosexual couples in recent years, there is still a need to investigate IPV in same-sex couples to fill this gap. Method: Participants have been recruited through a snowball sampling and have completed an online-based survey. We reached 40 Italian same-sex couples (n=80) aged from 18 and 58 years (M=28.01; SD=7.41). To verify our hypotheses, we used measures to assess sexism, internalized homophobia, couple satisfaction, social support, economic control, and isolating control. Therefore, physical violence, psychological violence, sexual coercion, and the presence of injury due to a fight with a partner were assessed through a self-report measure. Paired-samples T-test and Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) have been used for our preliminary investigation. Correlation analysis has been conducted to evaluate the association between IPV and other individual and dyadic variables. Results: ANOVA results suggest that there are no differences in total IPV perpetration between male and female same-sex couples. Paired-sample T-test showed no differences between partners’ IPV perpetration mean scores for physical violence, sexual coercion, and injury. Significant differences have been shown for psychological IPV perpetration t(39)=-2.683; p<.05. Correlation analyses showed a significant negative correlation of couple satisfaction with physical IPV (r=-.271, p=<.01) and psychological IPV (r=-.461, p=<.001) and a significative positive correlation of economic control towards the partner with physical IPV (r=.184, p=<.05) and psychological IPV (r=.332, p=<.001). Finally, sexual coercion has a significant positive correlation with malevolent sexism towards females (r=.204; p=<.05) and with internalized homophobia (r=.217, p=<.05). Conclusions: These preliminary analyses seem to confirm the relation between IPV and some both individual and dyadic variables such as relationship satisfaction, sexism, and internalized homophobia and with other forms of violence such as controlling behavior. Moreover, it seems that both partners perpetrate the same amount of psychological IPV, sexual coercion, and injury within the couples, but different amount of physical IPV

Unity is strength: dyadic adjustment as a protective factor for social support against minority stressors in sale-sex couples

Research has highlighted the relevance of investigating perceived social support (PSS) in sexual minorities because they are at risk of isolation, marginalization, and additional specific stressors related to their minority status. The present work aims to analyze the role of dyadic adjustment as a protective factor for PSS against minority stressors in a sample of Italian lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people involved in a relationship with a same-sex partner. We reached 242 participants (50% bisexual; 57% females) aged from 18 and 58 years (M=28.75; DS=7.44). A hierarchical analysis has been conducted to assess the influence of minority stressors and dyadic adjustment on PSS. Hierarchical regression results were significant (R2=.29,F=7.75,p<.001): Internalized sexual stigma (β=-.27,t=-4.71, p<.001), coming out (β=.29,t=4.33,p<.001), received discrimination (β=-.16,t=-2.22,p<.05) and dyadic adjustment (β=.14,t=2.40,p<.05) seems to significantly impact on PSS. Analyses confirmed dyadic adjustments' role as a protective factor for PSS against minority stressors. It is pivotal to extend our knowledge about sexual minorities to understand better how individuals and dyadic dimensions contribute to LGB peoples' well-being

Focus on emotion to cope stress in romantic couples

Romantic partners can experience stress that originates outside (external) or within (internal) their relationship in a form which could be acute (within the last 7 days) or chronic (within the last 12 months). External stressors are those that typically affect one partner (e.g., a bad day at work) and this stress could spillover into the relationship causing internal stress. In this direction, stress can be considered a dyadic phenomenon that affects both partners within a romantic relationship. Subjects completed the Multidimensional Stress Scale for Couples (MSF-P; Bodenmann, 2007) measuring the stressors connected to their partner, the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI; Bodenmann, 2008) assessing individual and partners’ perceptions of the dyadic coping and the Chronic and Acute Stress Index (CASI), a 16-items measure, designed to evaluate internal and external, acute and chronic stressors. Eligibility criteria for joining the study were: age over 18 years old, marriage or cohabitation with the current romantic partner for at least two years. Data has been collected from 827 individuals (390 = women, 437 = men). Mean age of participants was Mmen = 43.44 (SD =11.85), Mwomen = 40.55 (SD =11.65) and mean relationship duration was Mmen = 17.21 (SD =12.43), Mwomen=16.81 (SD =12.16). Correlational analysis showed a significant negative correlation between MSF-P and supportive dyadic coping both emotion-focused and problem-focused, both self-related and partner-related scales (r values between -.10 and -.563); significant negative correlation between crossover factor both chronic and acute and supportive dyadic coping (r values between -.079 and -.225). Partners who reports to focus on emotion to cope with stress report a minor level of stress from everyday life situation. So, results suggest that utilize higher skills of supportive dyadic coping emotion-focused, could be a protective factor and help to cope with everyday stress, both chronic and acute