Positive Effects of Videogame Use on Visuospatial Competencies: The Impact of Visualization Style in Preadolescents and Adolescents

Use of videogames (VGs) is almost ubiquitous in preadolescents’ and adolescents’ everyday life. One of the most intriguing research topics about positive effects of VG use is about the domain of visuospatial competencies. Previous research show that training with videogames enables children and adolescents to improve their scores in visuospatial tests (such as mental rotation of shapes and cubes), and that such training could overcome gender differences in these domains. Our study aimed at (1) verifying the positive effects of videogame use in the visuospatial domain both for male and female adolescents and preadolescents and (2) verifying whether the visualization style (2D or isometric 3D) of the VG has an influence about the positive effects of gaming. Six measures of visuospatial competency were administered to 318 preadolescents (mean of age = 13.94 years, range 10–18) prior and after a 3-day training with 2D and 3D Tetris. Results indicate that (1) gaming on the whole has slight positive effects both for males and females in enhancing visuospatial competencies, at least in the short term, and (2) it seems that participants who used the videogame with 2D graphics obtained greater improvements in the mental rotation domain while the participants who used the videogame with 3D graphics obtained greater improvements in the spatial visualization domain. However, a general learning effect between T1 and T2 was measured, which was found regardless of Experimental condition, indicating that the effect of training with videogames can be less relevant than expected

A Multi-method Assessment of Risk and Protective Factors in Family Violence:Comparing Italian and Migrant Families

Child maltreatment is a major public health issue, which threatens psychophysical well-being of almost 100.000 minors in Italy. The prevalence and social burden of this issue clearly indicate the need for preventive efforts, early identification of victimized children and a rapid risk assessment of families referred to Child Protection Services (CPS). The present chapter proposes an evidence-based multi-method assessment system, specific for highlighting risk and protective factors in family functioning. The assessment system is comprised of six modules: \u2022 one in-depth protocol for identifying proximate and distal risk and protective factors of maltreatment and recidivism against children; \u2022 one explorative tool for assessing the (residual) social capital in an at-risk family \u2022 four screening surveys for assessing parenting stress, parental child abuse potential, parents\u2019 resilience, and traumatic symptoms (in children). In our proposal, distal risk factors imply a condition of vulnerability but exert an indirect influence on the child\u2019s developmental trajectory, while proximate factors (both risk and protective) exert a direct influence on the adaptation of the child. Research foundations of the assessment system lie on several research carried out from 2008 to nowadays: the chapter proposes a brief review of main outcomes, focusing especially on the Factors of the Protocol of risk and protective factors (Di Blasio, 2005). A better comprehension of risk and protective factors in family violence may inform and guide preventive interventions on primary, secondary and tertiary level. Our assessment system is meant to assist professionals in both decision-making and protection of children in all of these levels

The Paternal Brain in Action: A Review of Human Fathers' fMRI Brain Responses to Child-Related Stimuli

As fathers are increasingly involved in childcare, understanding the neurological underpinnings of fathering has become a key research issue in developmental psychobiology research. This systematic review specifically focused on (1) highlighting methodological issues of paternal brain research using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) and (2) summarizing findings related to paternal brain responses to auditory and visual infant stimuli. Sixteen papers were included from 157 retrieved records. Sample characteristics (e.g., fathers' and infant's age, number of kids, and time spent caregiving), neuroimaging information (e.g., technique, task, stimuli, and processing), and main findings were synthesized by two independent authors. Most of the reviewed works used different stimuli and tasks to test fathers' responses to child visual and/or auditory stimuli. Pre-processing and first-level analyses were performed with standard pipelines. Greater heterogeneity emerged in second-level analyses. Three main cortical networks (mentalization, embodied simulation, and emotion regulation) and a subcortical network emerged linked with fathers' responses to infants' stimuli, but additional areas (e.g., frontal gyrus, posterior cingulate cortex) were also responsive to infants' visual or auditory stimuli. This review suggests that a distributed and complex brain network may be involved in facilitating fathers' sensitivity and responses to infant-related stimuli. Nonetheless, specific methodological caveats, the exploratory nature of large parts of the literature to date, and the presence of heterogeneous tasks and measures also demonstrate that systematic improvements in study designs are needed to further advance the field

Case report: KETOLAND the psychoeducation program for ketogenic diet

Glucose transporter type 1 deficiency syndrome (GLUT1DS) is a rare neurological disorder characterized by a wide spectrum of symptoms: epilepsy, movement disorders and neurocognitive impairment. The gold standard treatment for GLUT1DS are ketogenic dietary therapies (KDTs), specifically classical ketogenic diet (CKD). Despite the benefits, CKD often represents a challenge for patients and their families since meal preparation is extremely demanding and deviates a lot from normal diet. To assure an optimal compliance to CKD a psychological support for parents and patients with GLUT1DS is highly recommended. Specifically, a psychoeducational intervention that ameliorates the knowledge about the illness and its therapy improves treatment' s adherence and efficacy. The aim of this case report is to investigate the effectiveness of a psychoeducational program, partially implemented through telepsychology, based on the theoretical model of Cognitive Behavioral Play Therapy (CBPT) to support KDT knowledge and adherence in a patient with GLUT1DS who presented a worsening of her clinical picture due to a sparse knowledge of KDTs principles which determined a low adherence. Thus, with this case report we propose a model of intervention with psychoeducation in a patient with a complex chronic disease

PARENTING SKILLS AND MOTHER-CHILD RELATIONSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF INTIMATE PARTNER VIOLENCE

L’obiettivo generale del presente progetto di ricerca era trattare i specifici e problematici casi in cui violenza domestica e violenza assistita coesistono. Tali situazioni infatti richiedono di “vedere doppio” per identificare adeguate e integrate strategie di protezione e sostegno di madri e minori. Considerando che la protezione dei minori è strettamente connessa alla valutazione delle competenze genitoriali, una miglior comprensione dell’impatto esercitato dalla violenza sulle pratiche di parenting è cruciale. Il primo capitolo teorico tratta lo scenario internazionale circa l’Intimate Partner Violence, esplorando dati di prevalenza, l’impatto su donne e bambini e le principali teorie sul processo di uscita dalla violenza. Il secondo capitolo tratta la valutazione da parte degli operatori della Tutela Minori delle competenze genitoriali sia materne che paterne di nuclei famigliari segnalati per violenza assistita, esplorando quali fattori di rischio e protezione sono associati all’intervento di allontanamento del minore. Il terzo capitolo presenta una rassegna sistematica con meta-analisi che esplora l’associazione tra IPV e tre dimensioni di parentig: parenting positivo, punizioni severe, stress genitoriale. Il quarto capitolo presenta i risultati preliminari di uno studio quantitativo diretto a investigare fattori di rischio e protezione circa le competenze genitoriali in contesti di IPV.The general aim of the present research project was to address problematic situations where domestic and witnessed violence co-occurs. These cases require to “see double” and to identify integrated strategies to foster resilience of both mothers and minors. Considering that child protection is closely linked to the parenting skills assessment, a better comprehension of the IPV impact on parenting is crucial. The first theoretical chapter deepens the knowledge about the domestic violence scenario, exploring the international prevalence, negative impact for women and children and theories about the violence interruption process. The second chapter addresses the CPS workers’ assessment of both mothers and fathers of minors referred for witnessed violence. The study adopted the judgment analysis approach and aimed to explore risk and protective factors that influence the CPS workers’ child removal intervention. The third chapter presents a systematic review and meta-analysis which aimed to get a consistent overview about the relationships between IPV and positive parenting, harsh discipline and parenting stress. The fourth chapter presents the preliminary analyses about a national research directed to investigate the determinants of parenting in context of domestic and witnessed violence from an ecological point of view

Francesco Montecchi (2014). I figli nelle separazioni conflittuali e nella (cosiddetta) PAS (Sindrome di Alienazione Genitoriale). Massacro psicologico e possibilità di riparazione. Milano: FrancoAngeli.

Il libro di Francesco Montecchi comprende i contributi di diversi autori ed offre un’interessante rilettura del fenomeno della (cosiddetta) PAS con particolare attenzione alle conseguenze patite dal minore nelle separazioni conflittuali ed alle strategie di presa in carico ed intervento. Questo si rivolge a professionisti dell’infanzia di area psicologica, medica, sociale e legale impegnati nelle separazioni coniugali

Decision-making e safety assessment in famiglie italiane ed immigrate segnalate ai Servizi Tutela Minori

Recentemente un crescente numero di studi ha cercato di approfondire il processo decisionale degli operatori dei Servizi Tutela Minori rispetto alla valutazione del livello di sicurezza dei minori segnalati e al loro conseguente allontanamento dal nucleo famigliare. Meno esplorati sono invece i fattori associati a tale processo decisionale per le famiglie che hanno attraversato un viaggio migratorio. Il presente studio si pone l\u2019obiettivo di comprendere quali specifici fattori di rischio e fattori di protezione predicono il collocamento del minore, considerando sia famiglie italiane che immigrate. Metodo. Sulla base del Protocollo sui Fattori di Rischio e Fattori Protettivi (Di Blasio, 2005), sono state analizzate in modo retrospettivo 163 cartelle psicosociali relative a famiglie italiane e 177 cartelle di famiglie immigrate segnalate a Servizi di Tutela Minori Territoriali. Al fine di individuare tra i 36 fattori rilevati quelli maggiormente predittivi della decisione adottata dai servizi in merito al collocamento dei minori, sono stati calcolati due alberi decisionali (CHAID algorithm), uno per i nuclei italiani e uno per quelli immigrati. I fattori emersi come predittivi negli alberi decisionali sono stati successivamente testati mediante due modelli di regressione logistica. Risultati. Nel gruppo delle famiglie italiane, il fattore di rischio distale carenza di relazioni interpersonali, il fattore di rischio prossimale impulsivit\ue0 e i fattori prossimali di protezione autonomia personale e desiderio di migliorarsi emergono come fattori discriminanti tra i nuclei per i quali \ue8 stato adottato un provvedimento di allontanamento del minore e quelli in cui sono state adottate misure alternative di sostegno e/o monitoraggio. Tra le famiglie straniere invece sono emersi come discriminanti i fattori di rischio distali scarse conoscenze e disinteresse per lo sviluppo del bambino, giovane et\ue0 della madre, il fattore di rischio prossimale impulsivit\ue0 e il fattore prossimale di protezione buon livello di autostima. Tali fattori significativi sono stati selezionati per costruire due modelli testati tramite regressione logistica (Italiani: \u3c72= 61.67; p<.001; R2 Nagelkerke=.43; Immigrati: \u3c72= 58.48; p<.001 R2 Nagelkerke=.39). Conclusioni. Dai risultati emergono due diversi pattern di fattori per le famiglie italiane e le famiglie straniere che paiono guidare il safety assessment e la conseguente raccomandazione di collocamento del minore. I fattori analizzati, ad eccezione del fattore di rischio impulsivit\ue0, vengono probabilmente percepiti con un diverso \u201cpeso\u201d da parte dei professionisti della Tutela Minori nel processo di valutazione di famiglie con diverso background socio-culturale. Tuttavia fattori di rischio (es. povert\ue0 cronica e scarsa integrazione sociale) che in letteratura emergono come caratterizzanti una situazione di svantaggio e vulnerabilit\ue0 delle famiglie immigrate non sono predittori dell\u2019intervento di allontanamento del minore

A systematic review of human paternal oxytocin: Insights into the methodology and what we know so far

With the consolidation of fathers’ engagement in caregiving, understanding the neuroendocrine and hormonal mechanisms underlying fatherhood becomes a relevant topic. Oxytocin (OT) has been linked with maternal bonding and caregiving, but less is known about the role of OT in human fatherhood and paternal caregiving. A systematic review of methods and findings of previous OT research in human fathers was carried. The literature search on PubMed and Scopus yielded 133 records. Twenty‐four studies were included and analyzed. Significant variability emerged in OT methodology, including laboratory tasks, assessment methods, and outcome measures. Fathers’ OT levels appear to increase after childbirth. OT was significantly correlated with less hostility and with the quality of paternal physical stimulation in play interactions, but not with paternal sensitivity. Fathers’ and children’s OT levels were significantly correlated in a limited subset of studies, intriguingly suggesting that cross‐generational OT regulation may occur during the early years of life. This study highlights relevant issues and limitations of peripheral OT assessment in human subjects, especially in fathers. Although the study of paternal neuroendocrinology appears promising, coping with these issues requires dedicated efforts and methodological suggestions are provided to guide future advances in this field.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169347/1/dev22116_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/169347/2/dev22116.pd

The effects of Ketogenic dietary therapies on sleep: a scoping review protocol

The present scoping review aimed to identify and map available evidence of Ketogenic dietary therapies on sleep quality and structure and inform research and clinical practice in the field