Career Adapt-Abilities Scale–Short Form (CAAS-SF) : Construction and Validation

The Career Adapt-Abilities Scale (CAAS; Savickas & Porfeli, 2012) has become one of the most widely used questionnaires to assess career adaptability. To facilitate the integration of this instrument into large surveys, in varied settings with different populations, the aim of this article was to develop a briefer version consisting of 12 items, the CAAS-SF. A sample of 2,800 French and German-speaking adults living in Switzerland (Mage = 41.2, SD = 9.4) completed the 24-item version of the CAAS. On a first random subsample, item-reduction using principal component analyses highlighted a four-factor solution corresponding to the original CAAS. Confirmatory factor analyses, conducted on a second random subsample, confirmed the hierarchical factor structure of the short version. The CAAS-SF reached measurement equivalence across linguistic and gender groups. Furthermore, the 12 and 24-item versions were strongly associated. Overall, the results supported the CAAS-SF as pertinent and economical alternative to the 24-item version

Mesotherapy: From Historical Notes to Scientific Evidence and Future Prospects

Intradermal therapy, known as mesotherapy, is a technique used to inject a drug into the surface layer of the skin. In particular, it involves the use of a short needle to deposit the drug in the dermis. The intradermal microdeposit modulates the drug's kinetics, slowing absorption and prolonging the local mechanism of action. It is successfully applied in the treatment of some forms of localized pain syndromes and other local clinical conditions. It could be suggested when a systemic drug-sparing effect is useful, when other therapies have failed (or cannot be used), and when it can synergize with other pharmacological or nonpharmacological therapies. Despite the lack of randomized clinical trials in some fields of application, a general consensus is also reached in nonpharmacological mechanism of action, the technique execution modalities, the scientific rationale to apply it in some indications, and the usefulness of the informed consent. The Italian Mesotherapy Society proposes this position paper to apply intradermal therapy based on scientific evidence and no longer on personal bias

Life design and career counseling: contributions to social justice

The chapter begins with the presentation of LDC framework. In the second section, considerations are given on LDC possibilities for enhancing decent work and social justice. From this perspective of social exclusion, designated social integrationist, participation in paid work is viewed as the key to social inclusion (Watts, 2001). At the end of this section the relevance of contextual factors in career development of disadvantaged populations is referred to highlight the importance of these interventions not be exclusively focused on inter- and intrapersonal career development factors, but also take into consideration social action at the institutional, community, public policy and international/global levels (Cook, 2017). In the next section, the process of balancing the focus on the self-determination of the individual with a focus on a transformation of contextual factors that reinforce the disadvantaged position (Blustein, et al., 2005; Prilleltensky, 1997) is illustrated by presenting an intervention in which LDC was integrated into supported employment approach. Our proposal focuses exclusively on collaborative activities at the individual, institutional and communal level, with these being the tiers which the counselor can more easily influence as part of their more routine interaction with disadvantaged populations in general. The chapter concludes with an overview of the subject and a reference on LDC limitations for the intervention with disadvantaged populations in general