Adattamento psicologico e socio-culturale del bambino immigrato

2006/2007The aim of this doctoral thesis was to deepen the knowledge of psychological and socio-cultural adjustment patterns in immigrant school-aged children in Italy. More specifically, the research was aimed at assessing whether the expression of emotional instability, prosocial behavior, aggression and depressive symptoms, differed between immigrant and native Italian and Slovene children. Special attention is dedicated to the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, accounting for different community facets and integration approaches adopted by the main ethnic communities of immigrants (i.e Albanian and Serbian). This area has been investigated because it presents distinctive characteristics due to the presence of two native communities - the Italian and the Slovene one which is an ethnic minority, possessing a particular minority status. The theoretical background of psychological and socio-cultural adjustment domains is conceptualised within a framework of immigrant communities developed by Ward and colleagues (Ward & Kennedy, 1999; Searle & Ward, 1990). Accordingly, psychological adjustment studied here concerns mental health aspects such as depressive symptoms, mood disturbances and general well-being, whereas socio-cultural adjustment refers to social competence and ability to interact adequately within the host society. Furthermore, the issues of psychological and socio-cultural adjustment are integrated into two conceptual models on development for children with immigrant and multicultural backgrounds. The first one is the model of Garcia Coll and Szalacha (2004), which examines the interaction of culture, ethnicity and immigration in relation to children’s developmental competencies. A key assumption is that immigrant children’s psychological, socio-cultural and cognitive development is influenced by their social position within a stratified society and by how developmental outcomes are promoted or inhibited by schools. The second model developed by Brody et al. (2002) provides an additional means to examine the relation between parental psychological well-being and children’s psychological and socio-cultural adjustment. In particular, parental psychological well-being such as higher self-esteem, greater optimism and lower depressive symptoms promotes supportive parent-child relationships that together facilitate the development of children’s competence in enabling them to cope effectively with stressful experiences. Based on these considerations, the present studies were guided by four hypotheses. First, it was expected that immigrant children due to their disadvantaged social position and migration-related life experiences would show more psychological and socio-cultural adjustment difficulties than their native peers. Second, we hypothesized that children’s psychological and socio-cultural outcomes would be linked to both language and cognitive skills, and that the association between these variables would be strongest for the immigrant group. Third, we explored adaptation processes through indicators of psychological and socio-cultural outcomes as reported by teachers. We expected to find higher levels of adjustment difficulties in immigrant than in non-immigrant children. Finally, negative parental immigration experiences including less positive sense of self, less optimism, more depressive symptoms and parenting distress were expected to predict compromised psychological functioning in children. The investigation was based on three different multiethnic samples of immigrant (Albanian, Russian and Serb) and non-immigrant (Italian and Slovene) school-aged children. They were tested with the Childhood Social Adjustment Capacity Indicators Questionnaire (Caprara et al., 1992), the Children’s Depression Inventory (Kovacs, 1988), the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test - Revised (Dunn & Dunn, 2000) and the Raven Coloured Progressive Matrices (Raven, 1984). Teachers were requested to complete the Childhood Social Adjustment Capacity Indicators Questionnaire (Caprara et al., 1992) and the Teacher Report Form (Achenbach, 1991). In addition, both parents were administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (Rosenberg, 1979), the Life Orientation Test (Scheier & Carver, 1992), the Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale (Radloff, 1977) and the Parent Stress Index-Short Form (Abidin, 1993). The results confirmed previous conclusions that immigrant and non-immigrant group mean levels of adjustment differed significantly (Leavey et al., 2004; Atzaba-Poria et al., 2004; Stevens et al., 2003), pointing to psychological and socio-cultural difficulties that immigrant children experience in adjusting to the Italian host culture. There were four major findings. First, immigrant children showed more adjustment problems due to higher levels emotional instability, aggressive behavior, and depression, and lower levels of pro-social behavior than non-immigrant children. Second, there was a strong association between psychological and socio-cultural adjustment problems and lower cognitive capacities in the immigrant group of children who scored lower on both language and cognitive tests compared to the two non-immigrant groups. Third, children’s adjustment difficulties in response to the migration process were confirmed by their teachers’ reports indicating higher scores on emotional instability, aggression, internalizing, withdrawal, anxiety and depression. Finally, both immigrant parents showed lower levels of psychological well-being due to lower self-esteem and higher depressive symptoms, higher parenting distress and parent-child dysfunctional interaction. The results of this thesis add to the findings (e.g Leavey et al., 2004; Atzaba-Poria et al., 2004), that children involved in immigration transition display more problematic psychological and socio-cultural adjustment patterns compared to native-born children. The relevance of these findings can be seen in both theoretical and applied research contexts. On the one hand, future investigations into the field of immigration may utilize these outcomes to gain an insight into the problems experienced by immigrant children in adjusting to a new Italian culture. On the other hand, the results indicate ways to enhance support programs in order to assist immigrant children’s successful psychological and socio-cultural adjustment. This thesis is composed by seven chapters starting with theoretical introduction to the theme of psychological and socio-cultural adjustment domains (Chapter 1), and an overview of recent immigration phenomena in Italy (Chapter 2). The following chapters present four empirical studies (Chapters 3 to 6). Chapter 3 aimed at investigating psychological (depressive symptoms) and socio-cultural adjustment (emotional instability, pro-social, and aggressive behavior) in Albanian and Serbian immigrant in comparison to Italian non-immigrant children. In addition, adjustment correlates of immigrant children’s cognitive skills (Chapter 4) and teachers’ reports on immigrant children’s psychological and socio-cultural problems (Chapter 5) were also investigated. Chapter 6 examines parental psychological well-being and children’s adjustment. Conclusions, suggestions for future research and practical interventions with immigrant children are discussed in the seventh and final chapter.XX Cicl

Study of the gingival health in children with crown restorations

Introduction: Prosthetic treatment with fixed constructions is an effective method for recovering severely destroyed teeth. The purpose of this study is to track the changes in the gingival tissues around teeth, which are prosthetically treated with different aesthetic crowns.Materials and Methods: Eighty-two teeth were studied with 46 of them being restored with CAD/CAM composite crowns and 36 with ready-made zirconia crowns. The assessment of the condition of the surrounding soft tissues was performed using the modified gingival index (MGI).Results: Slight gingival inflammation of the severely destroyed natural teeth (MGI - 1,25 ÷ 2,13) was reported, whereas after their restoration with crown constructions, healing processes and decreasing of the gingival index during the follow-up period occurred. The MGI, one year after placing the constructions, was 0 ÷ 1.44.Conclusion: CAD/CAM and ready-made zirconia crowns have excellent compatibility with surrounding soft tissues and do not disturb gingival health

Measurement invariance of the satisfaction with life scale in Argentina, Mexico and Nicaragua

The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS; Diener, Emmons, Larsen, & Griffin, 1985) is one of the most widely used scales for the measurement of well-being. Nevertheless, its measurement invariance and factor structure have not been investigated simultaneously across culturally diverse samples in Latin America. The current paper evaluates the factorial structure and measurement invariance of SWLS (the degree to which the scale measurements conducted across different populations exhibit identical psychometric properties) as to provide solid and accurate basis for cultural group comparisons. We apply measurement invariance testing procedures using multigroup confirmatory factor analysis (MGCFA) to investigate the factorial structure and invariance of the scale across three cultural groups from Argentina, Mexico and Nicaragua. We also estimate and compare latent means of life satisfaction across groups. Participants were 921 adults (mean age 29.66, SD = 11.48) from Argentina (n = 192), Mexico (n = 421) and Nicaragua (n = 302). First, confirmatory factor analyzes (CFA) conducted separately for each cultural group provided support for the one-factor structure of the instrument. Second, the MGCFA showed good configural, metric and scalar invariance models, indicating similar patterns and strengths in factor loadings, means and intercepts across cultural samples. Third, latent mean comparisons did not show group differences in life satisfaction. We conclude that the SWLS is a brief and valid measure of life satisfaction that can be used for cross-cultural comparison with samples from Argentina, Mexico and Nicaragua

Satisfaction Of The Children With Fixed Prosthetic Treatment

Оценката на удовлетвореността на децата след възстановяване с коронкови конструкции може да бъде отличенизточник на допълнителна информация, която да бъде използвана с цел повишаване качеството на протетичното лечение на малките пациенти.Цел на изследването е да се проучи удовлетвореността на децата след неснемаемо коронково протезиране.Материали методи: Обект на изследване са 34 деца(19 момчета и 15 момичета) на средна възраст6.8±1.9, протезирани с 36 фабрични циркониеви и 46 композитни CAD/CAM корони. Всички конструкции са поставени върху млечни зъби в период на временно и смесено съзъбие. По време на контролния преглед - 2 седмици след лечението децата попълват специално разработена анонимна анкетна карта, съдържаща 7 въпроса, разглеждащи основните аспекти на протетичното лечение - функционален, естетичен, профилактичен, психо-профилактичен. Оценката на отговорите се извършва по 3-точкова скала на Likert (положителен, неутрален и отрицателен отговор). Резултатите са обработени статистически като са използвани вариационен и сравнителен анализ.Резултати: Резултатите от изследването на субективната оценка на децата за проведеното протетично възстановяване показаха, че няма съществена разлика в мнението между децата. Всички изследвани обекти показват висока удовлетвореност от проведеното протетичнолечение (индекс на удовлетвореност = 2,77, при максимален 3,00).Заключение: Протетичното възстановяване с композитни CAD/CAM корони и циркониеви коронив детска възраст осигурява не само висока функционалност, но и възстановява адекватно естетичните параметри на съзъбието, което оказва влияние върху правилното физическо, психо-емоционално и социално развитие на детето.The assessment of child satisfaction after treatment with crowns can be an excellent source of additional information which can be used to improve the quality of prosthetic treatment of young patients. Aim: The aim of the study is to evaluate the satisfaction of children after fixed prosthetic treatment. Materials and Methods: The subject of study were 34 children (19 boys and 15 girls) at an average age 6.8±1.9, who had gone through prosthetic treatment with 36 fabric zirconia and 46 composite CAD/CAM crowns. All of the prosthetic constructions were placed during the primary and mixed dentition stage. During the subsequent examination, 2 weeks after treatment, the children completed a specially developed anonymous questionnaire containing 7 questions examining the main aspects of prosthetic treatment - functional, aesthetic, prophylactic, psychoprophylactic. The evaluation of the answers is done on a 3-point scale of Likert (positive, neutral and negative response). The results were statistically processed using variation and comparative analysis. The results of the subjective assessment of children for the prosthetic restoration showed that there was no significant difference in the opinions among the children. All subjects showed high satisfaction with the prosthetic treatment (Satisfaction Index = 2.77, maximum 3.00). Conclusion: The prosthetic treatment with composite CAD/CAM crowns and zirconium crowns in children provides not only high functionality but also restores adequately the aesthetic parameters of the dentition, which affects the proper physical, psycho-emotional and social development of the child

Application of aesthetic crowns in children patients

Неснемаемото коронково протезиране се приема за сигурен и успешен метод за възстановяване увредените млечни и постоянни зъби. Цел на изследването е да се проучи приложението на естетичните корони в ежедневната практика на лекарите по дентална медицина в България. Източник на информация беше специално разработена за целта анкетна карта. Обект на изследване са 767 лекари по дентална медицина от цялата страна. Резултатите са обработени статистически, като са използвани методите на вариационен, сравнителен и корелационен анализ. От изследваните дентални лекари само 10.70% (82 души) са посочили, че използват естетични корони при деца. Значима разлика в при-ложението на естетичното протезиране с корони има по отношение на наличието на специалност, вида на съзъбието и използвания материал. Предимство при възстановяването с естетични корони е подобряването не само на функционалната ефективност, но и на естетическите показатели и психоемоционалното състояние на децата.Fixed prosthetic treatment is considered a safe and successful method for restoration of damaged primary and permanent teeth.Aim: The aim of the study is to investigate the application of aesthetic crowns in the daily practice of dentists in Bulgaria.Materials and Methods: The source of information was a questionnaire specifically designed for the purpose of the survey. Seven hundred sixty-seven dentists from all over the country were the subject of the research. The results were statistically processed using the methods of variation, comparison and correlation analysis.Results: Of the all respondents, only 10.70% (82 people) reported that they were using aesthetic crowns as a method of restoration of the teeth of children. A significant difference in the application of aesthetic crowns was the presence of the specialty, the type of dentition and the used material. Conclusion: The advantage of using aesthetic crowns as a method of restoration is the improvement not only of functional efficiency, but also of the aesthetic appearance and the psycho-emotional state of the children

Ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, life satisfaction and school achievement of Roma ethnic minority youth

This article is part of a Special Issue entitled Explaining Positive Adaptation of Immigrant Youth across Cultures. This study tested a mediation model of ethnic socialization (i.e., parental practices that promote children's knowledge about their history, heritage culture, cultural authenticity, and ethnic bias management) in Roma youth. Roma are the largest ethnic minority group in Europe subjected to severe discrimination, both currently and historically. Participants were 202 Roma youth aged 14 to 19 years old (M = 16.25, 53% females), who provided self-reports on their experience of ethnic socialization, ethnic identity, school achievement, and life satisfaction. Cultural pride reinforcement was related to better school achievement, whereas cultural coping with antagonism was positively related to life satisfaction. The study confirmed the model in that ethnic socialization was positively related to life satisfaction through effects on ethnic identity but negatively associated with school achievement. Findings have implications for adaptive cultural mechanisms promoting positive developmental outcomes among historically disadvantaged groups including those intersecting immigrant and multigenerational ethnic minority group categories

Positive development of immigrant youth: Why bother?

It is in the best interest of Europe and other receiving countries to have successful adaptations among their immigrant populations. International research suggests that well-informed policies and practices are necessary for the successful incorporation of immigrants into new societies. This evidence shows that: Children's positive adaptations and well being provide the foundation for healthy and productive adult lives; providing immigrant families with economic opportunities and reducing barriers to obtain adequate employment equips parents to raise well-adjusted and productive citizens; policies toward immigrants are important for the successful adaptation of immigrant youth; immigrant youth adopting the host cultures and languages while also maintaining the heritage culture and language, do better and contribute more to society than youth who learn only one language or cultural orientation; discrimination, racism and exclusion have deleterious effects for positive youth development. We therefore recommend that immigration policies and practices in receiving countries should be informed by previous research and interventions; promote non-segregated environments, welcoming environments; provide economic opportunities; provide early childcare, education, and health-related prevention and intervention programs; create public campaigns; and incorporate these considerations in the resettlement of refugees

Ingredients of good PhD supervision - evidence from a student survey at Stockholm university

Doktorandhandledning är en relevant fråga för en pedagogisk forskarutbildning vid universitet vilket har betydande implikationer inom rad sammanhang, såväl inom industrin som för grupper av arbetsgivare, studentföreningar och akademiker. Denna studie undersöker centrala aspekter av handledning utifrån doktoranders perspektiv vid Stockholms universitet baserat på en undersökning med 761 forskarstuderande. En konfirmatorisk faktoranalys genomförd med strukturell ekvationsmodellering visade sig ge stöd åt en endimensionell modell för handledning som exemplifieras av givandet av konstruktiv kritik till studenter, handledarens tillgänglighet, tillräckligt med tid för handledning, möjlighet till självständigt arbete och en kreativ miljö för forskarutbildningen. Handledningsindikatorerna var även signifikant och positivt korrelerade. Att studera dessa indikatorer spelar stor roll för riktlinjerinom utbildning och metoder för undervisning i avsikt att kunna förbättra forskarutbildningen. Studenter skulle kunna bli tydligt informerade om viktiga faktorer att överväga när de väljer samt påbörjar sina studier. Universitetsledning och handledare kan upprätthållas i sin roll att säkerställa en fullgod doktorandupplevelse för deras studenter.Utbildning och lärande. Tidskrift</p