Italian Health Care Providers' Self-Perception of Their Own Job Attitudes and Reflections on the Contraceptive Behaviors of Adolescent Patients

Using a qualitative method, our study aims to explore, identify, and describe Italian health care providers' reflections on the contraceptive behaviors of adolescents attending family health centers, and health care providers' self-perception of their own job attitudes toward these adolescent patients. Semi-structured interviews with 46 Italian health care providers were conducted and analyzed using thematic analysis. Two main themes emerged from the thematic data analysis regarding Italian health care providers' self-perceptions and reflections. The first main theme was labeled "adolescents' contraceptive behavior" and included two subthemes: "adolescents are confused and unprepared" and "contraception is a girls' responsibility." The second theme was labeled "job attitudes with adolescents," and included three subthemes: "to inform and to educate," "to build trustful relationships," and "to go beyond personal beliefs." The findings of this study showed that Italian health care providers perceive themselves as nonjudgmental and they interpret their own behavior as an attempt to answer adolescents' sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs in an open-minded way. Their work with adolescent patients with relation to contraceptive behaviors is led by the desire to educate through building a significant and long-term relationship that could sustain these patients

Da un modello assistenziale "centrato sul paziente" ad un "ecosistema di engagement": il modello ASUGI

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Medindo a Percepção dos Estilos Parentais de Adolescentes Durante a Infância:: As Propriedades Psicométricas do Estilo Parental e do Questionário de Dimensões

The paper analyzes the psychometric properties of the G1 version of the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire, a self-report instrument designed to investigate how adolescents or adults were parented during childhood. The sample included 1451 Italian adolescents in high school. Three studies tested the scale’s structure, invariance, and convergent validity. The first found slightly acceptable fit indexes for a 40-item scale measuring three factors (authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive styles); the factors presented good reliability (Ïc .62-.96). Multigroup confirmative analyses found factor loadings invariant in the father version, whereas 12 items resulted not invariant in the mother version (second study). Good convergent validity was found with the Parental Bonding Index and the Parental Monitoring Scale (third study). Discussion of results is provided within the parenting styles literature.Nos últimos 15 anos houve um interesse crescente na avaliação de estilos parentais de forma retrospectiva, especialmente com o Parenting Style and Dimensions Questionnaire (Questionário de Estilos Parentais). No entanto, poucos estudos efetuaram a análise psicométrica desta escala com análises fatoriais confirmatórias (AFC). O presente estudo analisou as características psicométricas do instrumento numa amostra de 1465 adolescentes italianos que avaliaram o estilo parental do pai e da mãe durante a sua infância. Foram utilizadas AFCs e análises multi-grupo para avaliar a estrutura e consistência da escala. Os resultados demonstram que 22 dos 62 itens não mediram bem a constructo. A versão final do instrumento, composto por 40 itens, apresenta propriedades psicométricas satisfatórias e validade convergente nas duas versões

Integrated MRI–Immune–Genomic Features Enclose a Risk Stratification Model in Patients Affected by Glioblastoma

Simple Summary: Despite crucial scientific advances, Glioblastoma (GB) remains a fatal disease with limited therapeutic options and a lack of suitable biomarkers. The unveiled competence of the brain immune system together with the breakthrough advent of immunotherapy has shifted the present translational research on GB towards an immune-focused perspective. Several clinical trials targeting the immunosuppressive GB background are ongoing. So far, results are inconclusive, underpinning our partial understanding of the complex cancer-immune interplay in brain tumors. High throughput Magnetic Resonance (MR) imaging has shown the potential to decipher GB heterogeneity, including pathologic and genomic clues. However, whether distinct GB immune contextures can be deciphered at an imaging scale is still elusive, leaving unattained the non-invasive achievement of prognostic and predictive biomarkers. Along these lines, we integrated genetic, immunopathologic and imaging features in a series of GB patients. Our results suggest that multiparametric approaches might offer new efficient risk stratification models, opening the possibility to intercept the critical events implicated in the dismal prognosis of GB. Abstract: Background: The aim of the present study was to dissect the clinical outcome of GB patients through the integration of molecular, immunophenotypic and MR imaging features. Methods: We enrolled 57 histologically proven and molecularly tested GB patients (5.3% IDH-1 mutant). Two- Dimensional Free ROI on the Biggest Enhancing Tumoral Diameter (TDFRBETD) acquired by MRI sequences were used to perform a manual evaluation of multiple quantitative variables, among which we selected: SD Fluid Attenuated Inversion Recovery (FLAIR), SD and mean Apparent Diffusion Coefficient (ADC). Characterization of the Tumor Immune Microenvironment (TIME) involved the immunohistochemical analysis of PD-L1, and number and distribution of CD3+, CD4+, CD8+ Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) and CD163+ Tumor Associated Macrophages (TAMs), focusing on immune-vascular localization. Genetic, MR imaging and TIME descriptors were correlated with overall survival (OS). Results: MGMT methylation was associated with a significantly prolonged OS (median OS = 20 months), while no impact of p53 and EGFR status was apparent. GB cases with high mean ADC at MRI, indicative of low cellularity and soft consistency, exhibited increased OS (median OS = 24 months). PD-L1 and the overall number of TILs and CD163+TAMs had a marginal impact on patient outcome. Conversely, the density of vascular-associated (V) CD4+ lymphocytes emerged as the most significant prognostic factor (median OS = 23 months in V-CD4high vs. 13 months in V-CD4low, p = 0.015). High V-CD4+TILs also characterized TIME of MGMTmeth GB, while p53mut appeared to condition a desert immune background. When individual genetic (MGMTunmeth), MR imaging (mean ADClow) and TIME (V-CD4+TILslow) negative predictors were combined, median OS was 21 months (95% CI, 0–47.37) in patients displaying 0–1 risk factor and 13 months (95% CI 7.22–19.22) in the presence of 2–3 risk factors (p = 0.010, HR = 3.39, 95% CI 1.26–9.09). Conclusion: Interlacing MRI–immune–genetic features may provide highly significant risk-stratification models in GB patients

Atteggiamenti e comportamenti degli adolescenti in relazione a sessualità, gravidanza e genitorialità

Il presente progetto di tesi si articola in due parti: una prima, composta da due capitoli, fornisce la cornice teorica che fa da sfondo alla seconda parte, che vede la presentazione di tre contributi empirici. Nel primo capitolo vengono presentati i concetti chiave della Developmental Psychopathology, soffermandosi sull’analisi delle traiettorie evolutive adolescenziali e sul ruolo che giocano i “comportamenti a rischio. Nel secondo capitolo viene trattata la tematica della sessualità in adolescenza e sono delineate le funzioni a cui essa assolve. Il Primo studio è volto ad esplorare gli atteggiamenti e i comportamenti che gli adolescenti italiani hanno nei confronti della sessualità, della gravidanza e della genitorialità. Nel secondo studio viene presentata una ricerca condotta su un campione di adolescenti inglesi sessualmente attivi volta ad approfondire l’indagine sui fattori di rischio o di protezione rispetto alla messa in atto di comportamenti sicuri vs a rischio. Nel terzo studio ci si è stato preso in esame il ruolo della processazione cognitiva maschile e femminile a fronte dell’evento gravidanza non pianificata.My dissertation is composed of two different parts. The first one presents the theoretical framework of the second part, which comprises three different empirical studies. In the first chapter I introduce the key concepts of Developmental Psychopathology. The second chapter focuses on adolescent sexuality and its meanings. The first study is aimed at exploring Italian adolescent attitudes and behaviours toward sexuality, pregnancy and parenthood. The purpose of the second study is to deepen the analysis of risk and protective factors concerning English adolescent sexual behaviours. The third study examines female and male adolescent decision making concerning an hypothetical unplanned pregnancy

Promuovere \ue8 meglio che curare. Buone pratiche negli interventi sulla sessualit\ue0 e l'affettivit\ue0

Il capitolo esamina i principali approcci di educazione affettiva e sessual

"Genitori a 16 anni?" La prevenzione dei comportamenti sessuali a rischio e della gravidanza in adolescenza

Le esperienze sessuali in adolescenza possono essere vissute in modo positivo, aiutando l\u2019adolescente nel suo percorso di crescita, o, al contrario, legarsi a traiettorie maggiormente a rischio, quali quelle dei comportamenti sessuali non protetti e della gravidanza precoce. Diventare genitore in adolescenza \ue8 un evento difficile che comporta il complessificarsi del percorso evolutivo, accelerando e forzando l\u2019entrata nel mondo adulto. Il volume, attraverso una trattazione teorica aggiornata sul tema, presenta i principali fattori di rischio e di protezione che influenzano il comportamento sessuale dell\u2019adolescente e il suo processo decisionale nel caso di una gravidanza precoce. Accanto a tali aspetti viene proposta una rassegna dei pi\uf9 recenti modelli di intervento di educazione sessuale. Il testo si rivolge agli operatori che lavorano a stretto contatto con preadolescenti e adolescenti, presentando, nella seconda parte del volume, metodologie e strumenti utili per la pianificazione e la realizzazione di interventi di prevenzione e di educazione sessuale

Recensione del volume di Vincenzo Caretti, Giuseppe Craparo, Adriano Schimmenti (a cura di). Memorie traumatiche e mentalizzazione. Teoria, ricerca e clinica, Roma: Astrolabio, (2013)

Il volume curato da Vincenzo Caretti, Giuseppe Craparo e Adriano Schimmenti, ricco di presentazioni di casi ed esemplificazioni cliniche, rappresenta un importante contribuito alla letteratura sul trauma, sia per i contributi teorici originali e recenti, sia per gli interessanti spunti clinici

La gravidanza e la genitorialit\ue0 in adolescenza. Esiti evolutivi incerti

Il presente capitolo si concentra sul tema della gravidanza e della genitorialit\ue0 adolescenziale, considerando il ruolo svolto dai diversi attori che risultano coinvolti quando un\u2019adolescente affronta tale evento, cos\uec come le occasioni di opportunit\ue0 e di rischio ad esso legate

Prevalence, Gender and Age Differences of Dating Aggression Among Italian Adolescents

The present study represents an effort to expand and deepen the scant literature on Adolescent Dating Aggression (ADA) within the Italian context; adolescent dating aggression is a public health issue of interest due to its increasing frequency among adolescents. The prevalence of verbal-emotional and physical ADA was examined as well as gender and age differences in a sample of Italian adolescents. Participants included 436 adolescents (47.7% males; 52.3% females) living in northern Italy, aged 16 to 18 years (M = 17.11). Participants completed the Conflict in Adolescent Dating Relationships Inventory measuring abusive behaviors between adolescent dating partners. Non-parametric analyses were computed. Verbal-emotional ADA perpetration and victimization were much more common than physical ADA perpetration and victimization. Females reported higher levels of verbal-emotional and physical ADA perpetration than males. To fully investigate gender differences single behaviors were analyzed and described. Finally, age differences emerged only for perpetrated verbal-emotional abuse with such aggression being highest at age 18. This research suggests that in order to prevent the onset of dating aggression in teens in northern Italy, prevention programs may need to begin earlier than previously provided in junior high school. Another core conclusion is that physical aggression against partners is a problem for both males and females, thus intervention for the empowerment of interpersonal skills are needed