Gambling Disorders Among Young Women Regular Gamblers: The Unique and Common Contribution of Executive Thinking Style and Mindfulness

The aim of this study is to investigate the role played by mindfulness in the relationship between cognitive styles and gambling disorders in a sample of female young adults. Participants in this study (125 women; Mage = 18.64 years; SD = 1.7) were recruited in betting or bingo halls. They completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure, and Sternberg's questionnaire on thinking styles. The results from the mediation analyses revealed that the executive thinking style increases gambling and that the deficit in mindfulness ability mediates this relationship. Theoretical and clinical implications are discussed

Coping Strategies, Creativity, Social Self-Efficacy, and Hypercompetitiveness in Gambling Behaviors: A Study on Male Adolescent Regular Gamblers

The purpose of this research was to explore the cognitive and personality characteristics of male adolescent gamblers. Participants were 273 teenage males (M = 18.04, SD = 2.10) attending betting centers in Sicily, who completed self-report questionnaires on gambling, creativity, perceived social self-efficacy, hypercompetitiveness, and coping strategies. Pathological gamblers reported higher levels of avoidant coping strategies than occasional gamblers. They also scored higher on hypercompetitiveness than both occasional and problem gamblers. Further, problem gamblers scored higher than occasional gamblers on the complexity domain of creative personality. Finally, poor perceived social self-efficacy, higher levels of avoidant coping, and hypercompetitiveness predicted pathological gambling. Theoretical, psycho-educational, and clinical implications are discussed

Problematic Facebook use and anxiety concerning use of social media in mothers and their offspring: An actor–partner interdependence model

Previous research has shown significant and positive associations between social anxiety of parents and their adolescent offspring. The main aim of this study was to investigate this relationship in the social media (SM) context. We tested one hundred and fifty-two couples comprising mothers and their adolescent offspring (12–14 years old) on their levels of problematic Facebook use (PFU) and social anxiety concerning SM use. An actor–partner interdependence model highlighted the positive relationship between the PFU scores of mothers and their offspring on the levels of SM social anxiety in the offspring. We discuss the results in the context of intergenerational transfer of problematic technology use and social anxiety

Implications of SARS-COV-2 infection in the diagnosis and management of the pediatric gastrointestinal disease

Gastrointestinal diseases such as celiac disease, functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGIDs), inflammatory bowel disease (IBDs) and acute or chronic diarrhea are quite frequent in the pediatric population. The approach, the diagnosis and management can be changed in the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic era. This review has focused on: i) the current understanding of digestive involvement in severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infected children and adolescents and the clinical implications of COVID-19 for pediatric gastroenterologists, ii) the impact of COVID-19 on the clinical approach to patients with pre-existing or onset diseases, including diagnosis and treatment, and iii) the role and limited access to the instrumental diagnosis such as digestive endoscopy. To date, it is unclear if immunosuppression in patients with IBD and chronic liver disease represents a risk factor for adverse outcomes. Scheduled outpatient follow-up visits may be postponed, especially in patients in remission. Conversely, telemedicine services are strongly recommended. The introduction of new therapeutic regimens should be made on an individual basis, discussing the benefits and risks with each patient. Furthermore, psychological care in all children with chronic disease and their parents should be ensured. All non-urgent and elective endoscopic procedures may be postponed as they must be considered at high risk of viral transmission. Finally, until SARS-CoV-2 vaccination is not available, strict adherence to standard social distancing protocols and the use of personal protective equipment should continue to be recommended

Redefining Wildness: The Wilderness Idea and Eastern National Forests, 1964-1975

In 1975 Congress passed the Eastern Wilderness Areas Act (EWAA), which established wilderness preserves in national forests east of the hundredth meridian. The EWAA was an addendum to the original Wilderness Act passed in 1964. During the decade in question, roughly 1964-1975, wilderness advocates redefined a notion of wilderness associated with vast primeval nature typical of western landscapes and applied the wilderness concept to fragmented forests in the East that were transformed by generations of use and habitation. Changing social context altered the terms of wilderness advocacy. The debates over the original Wilderness Act reflect the optimism of post-war America. However, in the wake of Vietnam, Watergate, and an emerging environmental consciousness, the wilderness movement changed. The local politics of the EWAA reflect that change, and is a significant democratization of conservation. CHANGE The altered conception of wilderness trumpeted by eastern wilderness advocates represents a deeper environmental ethic - one that is more inclusive and ecologically complex. In recent decades, the wilderness debate -and by extension the wilderness historiography-has polarized. Often in a very heated fashion, academics and activists alike have questioned and defended the historical veracity of the wilderness idea. However, the as the controversies over the EWAA demonstrate, this polarization has been overstated. Nearly 25 years prior to the contemporary wilderness debate, eastern wilderness advocates articulated a subtle redefinition of the concept that accounts for many of the present-day critiques

The Role of Narcissism, Hyper-competitiveness and Maladaptive Coping Strategies on Male Adolescent Regular Gamblers: Two Mediation Models

The present study aimed to explore the unique and common role that some cognitive, personality and relational characteristics play in male adolescents’ regular gambling behavior. Participants were 273 male adolescents and young adults aged 15–19 recruited in sports betting centers. They completed the South Oaks Gambling Screen, the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire, the Hypercompetitive Attitude scale, and The Coping Strategy Indicator. The relationship between narcissistic rivalry and gambling was mediated by hyper-competitiveness and avoidant coping strategy. These findings suggest that narcissistic features and maladaptive coping strategies might be involved in the development of disordered gambling in youth, supporting a compensatory model of this addictive behavior and claiming for preventative actions that take into account the psychological vulnerabilities of adolescents and young adults

Electronic surveillance in the couple: The role of self-efficacy and commitment

Researchers have shown a significant effect of using social networking sites (SNSs) on romantic relationships. Surveillance is one of the motives for social network use. Social networking surveillance is related to controlling a romantic partner's online behaviours. The purpose of the study was to search for antecedents of electronic surveillance (Study 1) and to examine their role in behaviours related to electronic surveillance among romantic couples (Study 2). Following the uses and gratification theory and technology acceptance model of using SNSs, antecedents of electronic surveillance in adult Facebook users were examined. In Study 1, the relationship between electronic surveillance and intimacy, commitment, marital satisfaction, interpersonal interaction, self-efficacy on SNSs, perceived usefulness, and perceived ease of use were tested in a group of 360 adults. Commitment and self-efficacy on SNSs were the best predictors of surveillance. In Study 2, an actor–partner interdependence model was used to test whether self-efficacy on SNSs predicted surveillance behaviours in 122 couples. Findings showed that electronic surveillance is a feature of a couple and not exclusively of the individual and suggest that self-efficacy on SNSs has a relevant role in predicting electronic surveillance

Muscle Dysmorphia in Adolescence: The Role of Parental Psychological Control on a Potential Behavioral Addiction

Objective The study investigated the relationship between psychological parental control and muscle dysmorphia in adolescence, as form of exercise dependence, focusing also on the role of pathological worry. Methods Participants were 312 adolescents (140 boys and 172 girls) aged 16 to 18 years (M= 17.05; SD = 0.85) and completed the Muscle Dysmorphia Disorder Inventory, the Dependency-oriented and Achievement-oriented Parental Psychological Control, and the Penn State Worry Questionnaire. Results The results highlighted that boys showed higher level than girls in dependency-oriented and achievement-oriented parental psychological control and muscle dysmorphia. Furthermore, girls showed higher levels of pathological worry than boys. Pathological worry partially mediated the relationship between dependency-oriented parental psychological control and muscle dysmorphia as well as between achievement-oriented parental psychological and muscle dysmorphia. Psychological parental control predicted muscle dysmorphia, and pathological worry seemed to act as a partial mediator in this relationship. Conclusions Psychology parental control and pathological worry are linked to muscle dysmorphia, but psychological parental control seems to frustrate the need for autonomy of adolescents and, therefore, muscle dysmorphia may become the maladaptive answer to react to the excessive control of their parents. It seems that body of adolescents may become the scenario towards which they play a sort of power of control to counteract anxiety deriving from the excessive psychological control played by parents

Anticancer activity of Salvia officinalis essential oil and its principal constituents against hormone-dependent tumour cells

Objective: To investigate the in vitro antiproliferative action of essential oil from Salvia officinalis L. (S. officinalis) grown in Sicily (Italy), and its main components on hormone-dependent cancer cell lines. Methods: S. officinalis essential oil was prepared by hydrodistillation. The actions of the S. officinalis essential oil and its three principal components ( α -thujone, 1,8-cineole and camphor) were evaluated in LNCaP cells (prostate carcinoma), MCF7 cells (breast carcinoma) and HeLa cells (cervical carcinoma) at various dosages and diverse time points. Cell viability and proliferation were estimated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Results: S. officinalis essential oil at doses of 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL induced a significant reduction of cell viability in MCF7, LNCaP and HeLa cell lines after a 48-hour incubation. The same cell lines also showed decreased cell viability when they were treated with a mixture of three major components of the essential oil, at doses of 100 μg/mL and 200 μg/mL, after a 48-hour incubation. Conclusions: These preliminary results could shed light on the formulation of new therapeutic agents with antiproliferative activity. Thus supplementary investigations are fundamental to examine the molecular mechanisms of the anticancer effects of this species of Salvia in cancer cells and to achieve confirmation of its in vivo anticancer activity

Minimally invasive percutaneous anterior odontoid screw fixation: institutional experience with a simple and effective technique

Background: To show a novel modified technique to perform minimally invasive anterior odontoid screw fixation. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with a mean age of 45 years were treated with a modified percutaneous anterior odontoid screw fixation. All patients were affected by Type II or rostral shallow Type III odontoid fractures. A modified guide tube was used in all these patients, with reduction of soft tissue dissection for percutaneous approach. Results: There were no complications related to the modified technique. Good results and optimal screw placement were achieved in 28 out of 29 patients. Only in 1 patient we observed, after mobilization, screw displacement, probably due to severe osteoporosis. Conclusions: In our opinion, this modified percutaneous minimally invasive technique for anterior odontoid screw fixation, along with the use of a soft tissue dilator not fixed to the spine, has not yet been reported in literature and is strongly recommended to reduce invasiveness of odontoid screw placement