Adolescents who binge eat and drink: the role of emotion regulation

This cross-sectional study examined binge eating and binge drinking behaviors exploring their association with the strategies of Emotion Regulation, such as Cognitive Reappraisal (CR) and Expression Suppression (ES). The sample consisted of 1004 Italian students (395 males and 609 females) attending high school. The average age of the students was 17.9 years (SD =0.8; range: 16–21). They completed self-report measures assessing binge behaviors and Emotion Regulation strategies. No differences resulted between adolescents assuming binge behaviors and no bingers as regards CR; conversely, adolescents engaging in binge eating and in both binge behaviors reported the highest levels of ES. Furthermore, both Emotion Regulation strategies were significant predictors of binge eating. The present study suggested that binge behaviors were strongly associated with adolescent’s ability to evaluate and manage their emotions, so that adolescents may benefit from more precise and specific prevention and treatment approaches focused on training to use more adaptive and effective strategies to regulate their emotions

Identità in transizione. Il senso di sé personale e professionale in rapporto al cambiamento organizzativo

Il presente lavoro indaga come il cambiamento organizzativo produce delle conseguenze sul piano dell’identità professionale e personale dei lavoratori, oltre che sulla qualità della loro identificazione con l’organizzazione. Nello specifico, a 12 dipendenti di un piccolo presidio ospedaliero, colpito da un processo di ridimensionamento a causa di una rimodulazione del personale e dei posti letto, è stata somministrata un’intervista narrativa finalizzata a indagare l’impatto del cambiamento organizzativo in corso sulle identità personali e professionali. Le interviste, esplorate tramite procedure di analisi statistica del contenuto, hanno fatto emergere come i lavoratori che tendono a identificarsi maggiormente con il proprio ruolo professionale, patiscono ripercussioni negative sulla rappresentazione di sé, venendo meno l’identificazione con l’azienda, percepita come instabile e non in grado di offrire sicurezze. La precarietà percepita in questa fase di transizione mette in crisi l’identità professionale e i processi di metabolizzazione del cambiamento, condizionando le scelte personali e la vita quotidiana dei soggetti coinvolti

Using Focus Group in the Development of UNIPA Emotional Autonomy Inventory

Focus groups were used in order to develop a new measure of adolescents\u27 emotional autonomy from parents. The procedure started from an in depth analysis of the literature concerning the construct and a definition of the dimensions which characterize it. Following our idea of the construct, we developed a list of 60 items, getting some of them from existing instruments. Twenty-four adolescents participated in the focus group discussions about the adequacy of the items to measure emotional autonomy. Following their feedbacks a second version of the list with 59 items was presented in a focus group with experts in the field of developmental and clinical psychology, who were called to judge the ability of each item to evaluate the construct. Resulting from the indications emerged in this discussion, a final version of the scale with 66 items was developed and called UNIPA Adolescent Emotional Autonomy Inventory

Immuno-oncological treatment of Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) in advanced stage with Nivolumab

Immuno-oncology marked a therapeutic revolution in the treatment of cancer. Thanks to the new strategy that aims to awaken the immune system to fight cancer cells, there has been a change in the clinical course in the treatment of advanced Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC). Our study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of nivolumab monotherapy in the treatment of patients with advanced stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer beyond the second line. The results showed a progression-free survival of 7.35 months and an improvement in the quality of life of patients compared to other treatments. In addition, no type 3 and type 4 adverse reactions were detected in patients treated with Nivolumab. We hope that these results, already promising, will lead to an increase in overall survival in the future

Promoting Democratic and Intercultural Competences in the Primary School Context: The experience of “Children’s Voices for a new Human Space”

The promotion of citizen’s democratic and intercultural competence is one of the main actions that European societies may take against some of the most significant challenges they are facing nowadays. The paper is aimed at briefly describing the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture, some actions that can be taken to promote democratic and intercultural competences and a case of implementation of this framework in the context of primary school, that is the Erasmus+ Project “Children’s Voices for a new Human Space” (CVS). The paper also aims at illustrating the intellectual outputs produced by CVS project consisting in a training course for teachers, a curriculum for children, an app assisting trainers and teachers during the implementation of the training and the curriculum, and a scientific study aimed at investigating the efficacy of the educational processes in which teachers and children have been involved. Keywords: Democratic Competence; Intercultural Competence; Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture; Teacher Training; Curriculu

The role of late adolescents' emotion regulation in the experience of COVID-19 lockdown: A longitudinal study

The COVID-19 pandemic may be considered a unique mass-trauma experience. This study examined the relations between Italian late adolescents' emotion regulation strategies, their anxiety states, and their experience of the lockdown (in terms of discomfort related to restrictions, capacities to create new functional daily routines, and to find positive changes in one's own life) during the first wave of this pandemic. We analysed how participants' reports of cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression were associated with anxiety states during the 2020 Italian COVID-19 lockdown (large scale physical distancing and movement restrictions) and one month after the lockdown restrictions had been removed. We also examined how cognitive reappraisal, expressive suppression, and anxiety states were linked to late adolescents' experience of lockdown. The participants were 497 Italian adolescents, aged from 17 to 24 years (Mage  = 21.11, SD = 1.83). A longitudinal structural equation modelling showed that emotion regulation strategies and anxiety states were not associated across time. Cognitive reappraisal was positively associated with routine reorganization and positive changes. In contrast, participants' expressive suppression was negatively related to their discomfort related to restrictions, ability to functionally reorganise their daily routine, and ability to find positive changes related to the COVID-19 emergency. Anxiety was positively linked to discomfort related to restrictions. The findings are discussed in light of the current literature related to emotion regulation and anxiety. Limitations and implications for practice are presented

Can we increase children’s rights endorsement and knowledge?: A pilot study based on the reference framework of competences for democratic culture

This pilot study is the first to examine whether a novel curriculum based on the Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture (RFCDC) could increase children’s endorsement and knowledge of children’s rights. We conducted a pre-test-post-test design with an intervention and a comparison school. Pupils (n = 172) from Bulgaria, Italy, Norway, Romania, and Spain attended schools in which the curriculum was taught, whereas pupils in the comparison group (n = 120) attended schools in the same city where the curriculum was not taught. Both groups were tested on their endorsement and knowledge of rights before and at the end of the intervention. Children in the intervention group increased in endorsing children’s rights at post-test more than did children in the intervention group. Most children believed that children had rights. Children in the intervention group showed modest increases in their knowledge of rights. Future ways of implementing the RFCDC are suggested.publishedVersio

The role of valuing cultural diversity in children's endorsements of rights

Support for children’s rights is greater among children raised in democratic environments. The present two studies examined children’s endorsements and predictors of children’s rights. Five democratic competences taken from the Council of Europe’s Reference Framework of Competences for Democratic Culture served as predictors. We tested the models in a sample of children raised in five European countries and a sample raised in an African country, seeking to extend our model beyond the Global North. In Study 1, we found four of these five competences, namely, higher valuing of cultural diversity, civic-mindedness, cultural openness and empathy significantly predicted higher endorsements of rights in children from Bulgaria, Italy,Norway, Romania and Spain (7–11-year-olds; N = 292). In Study 2, we found higher valuing of cultural diversity significantly predicted higher endorsements of rights inNigerian children (7– 14-year-olds; N = 84). Supporting Social Cognitive Domain Theory, children in both studies endorsed nurturance rights more than self-determination rights. Inclusion of children from the Global North and South enabled us to determine whether patterns of rights endorsementswere similar for children from both samples. Overall, this research presents novel findings on the salience of valuing cultural diversity in support for children’s rights

Psychometric evaluation of the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) in Italy

Two studies were conducted to adapt the Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction and Frustration Scale (BPNSFS) to the Italian context. Results suggest that the BPNSFS can be considered a promising instrument in the context of SDT-based research for investigating satisfaction and frustration of the three basic needs in Italy