Disentangling parental monitoring. The role of family communication in achieving parental knowledge

In this study, parental monitoring construct was disentangled through the introduction of the family communication variable. Two mediation models were tested: The model in which parental solicitation was significantly associated to youth disclosure, and in which both solicitation and youth disclosure fostered the development of positive family communication, fitted data better than the model in which family communication fostered parents' and children's monitoring behaviors. In the first model parental knowledge was achieved through two paths: (1) parental control was directly related to parental knowledge, and (2) family communication mediated the relation of parental solicitation and youth disclosure with parental knowledge, thereby highlighting more complex dynamics

Attitudes towards Interprofessional Education among Medical and Nursing Students: the Role of Professional Identification and Intergroup Contact

This research analyses the effect of professional identification and intergroup contact on attitudes towards interprofessional education (IPE) among medical and nursing students. Three hundred fifty-eight nursing and medical students were surveyed measuring attitudes towards IPE and professional identification. Moreover, students were asked to report the hours of practical training that they had already done, as measure of intergroup contact. Results indicated that ingroup identification increased attitude towards IPE among nursing students, while it decreased attitude among medical students. Intergroup contact, instead, had not significant effect. Results are discussed on the basis of social identity theory and status differences between professional groups

Personal and social aspects of professional identity.. An extension of Marcia's identity status model applied to a sample of university students

The study proposed an extension of Marcia's identity status model based on validation of the Professional Identity Status Questionnaire (PISQ-5d), a scale able to measure both intra-individual and intergroup processes connected with the development of a professional identity in university students. The aims were to prove the construct validity of the PISQ-5d, to determine the appropriate number of identity statuses, and to assess the concurrent validity of the identity statuses considering both job-related and academic factors. In this study, 477 university students completed a questionnaire with the PISQ-5d scale; 220 also completed the measures of work values; and 168 completed the measures of student self-esteem and self-efficacy, academic motivation, and grades. Results confirmed the expected five-dimensional structure of the PISQ-5d and the scale's effectiveness at differentiating five types of identity status. Relationship between professional identity status and job-related and academic factors showed that the students with achievement or foreclosure identities had higher scores on measures of academic self-esteem and intrinsic work value and had lower scores for intention to leave university. Implications in terms of considering the PISQ-5d scale a useful tool for the evaluation of professional identity construction processes in university students will be discussed

Cultivating practices of inclusion towards same-sex families in Italy: A comparison among educators, social workers, and healthcare professionals

AbstractLGB+ parented families in recent years are becoming more visible, but limited information exists about how professionals interact with people in these family forms. This study used the framework of intergroup contact theory to investigate whether contact with lesbians and gay men, same‐sex couples, and same‐sex parents respectively increase inclusive practices towards same‐sex families, and whether this association is mediated by professionals' prejudice and endorsement of same‐sex families' rights. A questionnaire with scales on: (a) intergroup contact, (b) professionals' orientation towards same‐sex families' inclusive practices, (c) professionals' prejudices, and (d) support of same‐sex couples' rights was administered to 460 professionals (9.8% males) working in social (N = 103), education (N = 156), and healthcare (N = 201) services in Italy. Path analysis was used to test the prediction that contact increases professionals' intention to embrace inclusive practices towards same‐sex families through the mediation of both prejudice and support to same‐sex couples' rights to have and raise children. Results showed that contact reduced prejudices towards same‐sex families and increased the endorsement of same‐sex families' rights, which in turn favoured professionals' willingness to modify their practices to include these family forms. Implications for the training and development of inclusive models are discussed. Please refer to the Supplementary Material section to find this article's Community and Social Impact Statement

Italian validation of Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale (FACES IV) short version for adolescents: SAD_FACES

This study validated the Italian short version of FACES-IV (Family Adaptability and Cohesion Scale) for adolescents, namely SAD_FACES. The scale assessed adolescents’ perceptions of their families’ adaptive and maladaptive functioning along the six dimensions of cohesion, flexibility, disengagement, enmeshment, rigidity and chaos as defined by the Circumplex Model of Marital and Family Systems. SAD_FACES was administrated to a sample of secondary school students (Age = 14–16 years; N = 446). The Family Communication Scale (FCS), measuring positive communication skills used in the family system, was also administered to assess external validity. ESEM was performed and evaluation of model fit was based on values of the comparative fit index (CFI), the Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and the root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA). The scores that were computed as the sum of the intended items and latent traits were both considered for each dimension. Results showed that SAD_FACES (24 items) has the same structure and internal consistency of the Italian version of FACES IV validated with adolescent samples. Implications for the validity and usage of a short scale for the assessment of adolescents’ perception of family functioning and their wellbeing are discussed. Future research should validate SAD_FACES with different age cohorts of adolescents and belonging to different cultural contexts as well as consider clinical samples of adolescents. The agility of SAD_FACES could facilitate investigations with clinical samples of adolescents. Future research is needed in this area

Harmonious and obsessive involvement, self-esteem, and well-being. A longitudinal study on MMORPG players

Starting from the dualistic model of passion by Vallerand and colleagues (2003), this study aimed to identify "obsessive" and "harmonious" involvements in MMORPGs and to verify their relationships with players' self-esteem and well-being. An international sample of 147 MMORPG players participated in a longitudinal design filling out for 3 times an online questionnaire measuring game involvement (in terms of Internet Gaming Disorder [IGD] symptoms, time spent playing the video game, sense of presence while playing, and avatar identification), global self-esteem, and well-being (i.e., meaningful life, engaged life, and pleasant life). Results supported the presence of these two different types of involvement: Obsessive involvement, characterized by a close association between IGD symptoms and playing time; Harmonious involvement, characterized by a close association between presence, avatar identification, and IGD symptoms. Cross-lagged effects showed that, over time, low self-esteem and low meaningful life predicted obsessive involvement, which in turn predicted engaged life. The present study contributes to a better understanding of the effects between video games use and the users' self-esteem and well-being. Furthermore, it contributes to the theoretical debate about problematic involvement in videogames, also providing some indications about problematic gaming assessment and prevention

Improvement of Caciotta-like cheese nutritional value by means of enrichment with blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) and Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas)

Introduction: In this study, we supplemented models of Caciotta-like cheese with blackcurrant (Ribes nigrum) and Cornelian cherry (Cornus mas), as they have a high content of polyphenols, known as phytochemicals associated with health benefits. We evaluated the microbial composition, organoleptic aspects, total phenolic content, and chemical composition of model cheeses enriched with blackcurrant and Cornelian cherry. Methods: Two different suppliers have been tested: a conventional and an organic one. Two different conditions of preparation (freeze-dried and not freeze-dried) were tested in two different amounts (0.3 and 0.6% dry weight w/v milk volume). Polyphenols were determined using Folin–Ciocalteu reaction and spectrometry; microbial community was determined with selective 24 media and plate counts; composition was determined using nuclear magnetic resonance spectrometry. Organoleptic tests with an untrained panel have been performed. Results: The enrichments with blackcurrant and Cornelian cherry increased the total polyphenol content in model cheeses, in particular, when blackcurrant and Cornelian cherry were from conventional farming. Blackcurrant-enriched cheeses showed higher counts of lactic acid bacteria, higher levels of organic acids, amino acids, gamma-aminobutyric acid, histamine, and lower amount of monosaccharides deriving from bacterial lactose fermentation in cheese, suggesting a positive effect of blackcurrant compounds on the growth and activity of lactic acid bacteria. The enrichments did not affect the acceptance of the cheese, neither by blackcurrant nor by Cornelian cherry incorporation, with the exception of the appearance. Discussion: Overall, we showed that cheeses enriched with blackcurrant or Cornelian cherry from conventional farming increased the bioactive potential of the dairy product without having an adverse effect on the microbial community, physiochemical properties, or organoleptic propertie

Intermittent theta-burst stimulation rescues dopamine-dependent corticostriatal synaptic plasticity and motor behavior in experimental parkinsonism. Possible role of glial activity.

Background: Recent studies support the therapeutic utility of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in Parkinson's disease (PD), whose progression is correlated with loss of corticostriatal long-term potentiation and long-term depression. Glial cell activation is also a feature of PD that is gaining increasing attention in the field because astrocytes play a role in chronic neuroinflammatory responses but are also able to manage dopamine (DA) levels. Methods: Intermittent theta-burst stimulation protocol was applied to study the effect of therapeutic neuromodulation on striatal DA levels measured by means of in vivo microdialysis in 6-hydroxydopamine-hemilesioned rats. Effects on corticostriatal synaptic plasticity were studied through in vitro intracellular and whole-cell patch clamp recordings while stepping test and CatWalk were used to test motor behavior. Immunohistochemical analyses were performed to analyze morphological changes in neurons and glial cells. Results: Acute theta-burst stimulation induced an increase in striatal DA levels in hemiparkinsonian rats, 80 minutes post-treatment, correlated with full recovery of plasticity and amelioration of motor performances. With the same timing, immediate early gene activation was restricted to striatal spiny neurons. Intense astrocytic and microglial responses were also significantly reduced 80 minutes following theta-burst stimulation. Conclusion: Taken together, these results provide a first glimpse on physiological adaptations that occur in the parkinsonian striatum following intermittent theta-burst stimulation and may help to disclose the real potential of this technique in treating PD and preventing DA replacement therapy-associated disturbances

Secondary Structures of MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 Spike Proteins Revealed by Infrared Vibrational Spectroscopy

All coronaviruses are characterized by spike glycoproteins whose S1 subunits contain the receptor binding domain (RBD). The RBD anchors the virus to the host cellular membrane to regulate the virus transmissibility and infectious process. Although the protein/receptor interaction mainly depends on the spike’s conformation, particularly on its S1 unit, their secondary structures are poorly known. In this paper, the S1 conformation was investigated for MERS-CoV, SARS-CoV, and SARS-CoV-2 at serological pH by measuring their Amide I infrared absorption bands. The SARS-CoV-2 S1 secondary structure revealed a strong difference compared to those of MERS-CoV and SARS-CoV, with a significant presence of extended β-sheets. Furthermore, the conformation of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 showed a significant change by moving from serological pH to mild acidic and alkaline pH conditions. Both results suggest the capability of infrared spectroscopy to follow the secondary structure adaptation of the SARS-CoV-2 S1 to different environments

Early life adversity affecting the attachment bond alters ventral tegmental area transcriptomic patterning and behavior almost exclusively in female mice

Early life experiences that affect the attachment bond formation can alter developmental trajectories and result in pathological outcomes in a sex-related manner. However, the molecular basis of sex differences is quite unknown. The dopaminergic system originating from the ventral tegmental area has been proposed to be a key mediator of this process.Here we exploited a murine model of early adversity (Repeated Cross Fostering, RCF) to test how interfering with the attachment bond formation affects the VTA-related functions in a sex-specific manner.Through a comprehensive behavioral screening, within the NiH RDoC framework, and by next-generation RNA-Seq experiments, we analyzed the long-lasting effect of RCF on behavioral and transcriptional profiles related to the VTA, across two different inbred strains of mouse in both sexes.We found that RCF impacted to an extremely greater extent VTA-related behaviors in females than in males and this result mirrored the transcriptional alterations in the VTA that were almost exclusively observed in females. The sexual dimorphism was conserved across two different inbred strains in spite of their divergent long lasting consequences of RCF exposure.Our data suggest that to be female primes a sub-set of genes to respond to early environmental perturbations.This is, to the best of our knowledge, the first evidence of an almost exclusive effect of early life experiences on females, thus mirroring the extremely stronger impact of precocious aversive events reported in clinical studies in women