Transition in the workplace: The experience of Italian transgender and gender non-conforming people through the lens of the minority stress theory

Transgender and gender non-conforming (TGNC) people are a highly stigmatized population experiencing high rates of minority stress and adverse health outcomes. Notwithstanding that, they are able to use adaptive coping strategies to buffer the effect of stigma on their health. Recently, vocational experiences of TGNC individuals were connected to minority stressors, highlighting the effects that stigma have on vocational outcomes. Through the lens of the minority stress theory, this study aimed at exploring the emotional and psychological implications of the gender transition process in the workplace in two male-to-female and six female-to-male Italian TGNC individuals taking part in the study “Reinterpreting organizations through transgender and gender non-conforming narratives”. Participants sent their narratives to the editorial board of the PuntOorg International Journal (PIJ). Narratives were analyzed through the thematic inductive analysis. Three macrocategories were identified, each containing core themes, as follows: 1) Minority stressors (a. Transphobia and rejection; b. Felt stigma and stigma anticipation; c. Internalized transphobia; d. Passing as an obstacle); 2) Protective factors (a. Passing as a resource; b. Coming out, visibility, and intimacy with colleagues; c. Resilience); 3) Effect of minority stress on health (a. Depression; b. Anger and suicide ideation). Results and organizational implications are discussed

Lo stigma anti-transgender da una prospettiva ecologico-sociale: Effetti sulla salute psico-fisica e strategie di intervento

The present study offers an overview on stigma against transgender people, analyzing its effects on physical and psychological well-being. We adopted a socio-ecological perspective, according to which antitransgender stigma may manifest at different levels: along the environment-individual spectrum, stigma may occur at the institutional, interpersonal and individual level. All these typologies make transgender people a very vulnerable group, at risk for several health problems. Authors will finally overview some specific psycho-social interventions aimed at reducing stress, by matching each level of stigma with internationally well-established good practices

Casimir effect in a wormhole spacetime

We consider the Casimir effect for quantized massive scalar field with non-conformal coupling $\xi$ in a spacetime of wormhole whose throat is rounded by a spherical shell. In the framework of zeta-regularization approach we calculate a zero point energy of scalar field. We found that depending on values of coupling $\xi$, a mass of field $m$, and/or the throat's radius $a$ the Casimir force may be both attractive and repulsive, and even equals to zero.Comment: 2 figures, 10 pages, added 2 reference

Digital media inhibit self-regulatory private speech use in preschool children: The “digital bubble effect”

Preschoolers spend much time with digital media and some are concerned about impacts on language development. Private speech (PS) is self-talk children use during play, representing a necessary form of self-regulation. This study examined whether modality (material vs. digital) matters for children's PS. Twenty-nine White 5-yr-olds (52% female) completed the Tower of London task twice - once as a material version and once on a tablet. Children used more PS on the material than digital version of the task (d=0.46). During the material task, the typical pattern of increased PS as difficulty increased appeared. However, during the digital task, PS declined as difficulty increased. Digital games may inhibit children's use of PS for self-regulation, having implications for executive function development

Group psychodynamic counselling with final-year undergraduates in clinical psychology: A clinical methodology to reinforce academic identity and psychological well-being

Educational institutions should ensure that students develop a professional identity, as well as safeguarding their well-being and activating awareness and change processes. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of group psychodynamic counselling as a means of reinforcing academic identity–considered the forerunner of professional identity–and psychological well-being in a group of final-year undergraduates studying clinical psychology. Thirty-three final-year-students of clinical psychology who participated in six group psychodynamic counselling sessions were compared with sixteen final-year students of clinical psychology who had never participated in an intervention of this kind. The results suggested that group psychodynamic counselling made students feel more capable of managing their lives and more open to new experiences as well as encouraging them to perceive their relationships as more positive and satisfying, to believe that their life is meaningful, and to achieve greater self-acceptance. The in-depth exploration also prompted students to consider their commitment to their choice of career. Group psychodynamic counselling also reinforced students’ educational choice, as the likelihood of students becoming less committed to this choice was reduced after the intervention. Thus, the study confirmed the efficacy of group psychodynamic counselling as a means of reinforcing both academic identity and promoting well-being and demonstrated that it is a tool clinical psychologists and university teachers could use to activate self-reflection and change within educational settings

A qualitative study on minority stress subjectively experienced by transgender and gender nonconforming people in Italy

A great amount of quantitative research has largely demonstrated that transgender and gender nonconforming (TGNC) people experience high rates of minority stress, against which they are able to exercise resilience and to use adaptive strategies buffering the negative effects of stress on health. Notwithstanding, qualitative investigations on how TGNC people subjectively experience minority stress are still scarce. This study aims at exploring the subjective experiences of minority stress through a focus group with 8 Italian TGNC individuals (5 male-to-female, 2 female-to-male, and 1 genderqueer; M = 25; SD = 5). Narratives were analyzed through the deductive thematic analysis. The analysis generated four main categories: (1) family rejection; (2) visibility of the body; (3) negative effects of family violence on health; and (4) integration of TGNC identity. Results offer an in-depth exploration of minority stress processes in TGNC people, as well as the impact of stress on health and adaptive strategies to face with stigma. Suggestions for clinical practice are discussed

Effect of sunlight exposure on anthocyanin and non-anthocyanin phenolic levels in pomegranate juices by high resolution mass spectrometry approach

Quali-quantitative analyses of anthocyanins and non-anthocyanin phenolic compounds performed with the use of liquid chromatography coupled with high resolution mass spectrometry, were evaluated in juice of pomegranate fruits (‘Dente di Cavallo’), in relation to different light exposures (North, South, West and East). A total of 16 compounds were identified, including phenolic acids, flavonoids, hydrolysable tannins, and anthocyanins, known for their health-promoting effects. Striking differences were observed about the total phenolic content, which was high in juices from fruits with east- and north-facing position, while it was lower in juices facing south. The greatest contents of total flavonoids and anthocyanins were recorded in fruit juices with southern exposure; however, there are no great differences in the content in phenolic acids. Tannins were mainly synthesized in fruit juices with West exposure. The results showed that the position within the tree had no significant effects on color juice, however, it significantly (p < 0.05) affected data on fruit weight, soluble sugars and juice yield. Remarkable synergies existed among polyphenols and phytochemicals in pomegranate juice, but collecting fruits with different solar exposure could enhance different health benefits, i.e., the juices with higher polyphenols content could have more anticancer effect or those with higher tannins content could have more antimicrobial effect

“Soccer is a matter of real men?” Sexist and homophobic attitudes in three Italian soccer teams differentiated by sexual orientation and gender identity

During the 1980s and early 1990s, homophobia and sexism were pervasive in sport contexts due to their sex-segregation, male-domination, and heteronormative culture. In the last two decades, a change in attitudes toward gender and sexuality, in particular within typically masculine sports, has been observed. Notwithstanding that, no research assessing if this change also occurred in Italy was conducted. Using semi-structured focus groups and adopting the framework of Inclusive Masculinity Theory, the current study explored sexist and homophobic attitudes in three Italian soccer teams differentiated by gender and sexual orientation. Team 1 comprised openly gay male athletes, Team 2 comprised both lesbian and heterosexual women, and Team 3 comprised heterosexual men. Narratives were analysed through constant comparison analysis. Specific macro-categories were identified in each team, as follows: Team 1: need for affiliation, in/visibility, perceived homophobia, and perceived institutionalised homophobia; Team 2: need for affiliation, masculine dominance, equal opportunities, and crossing gender boundaries; and Team 3: presumption of heterosexuality, female inferiority, and tendency toward a homosocial law. The results suggest that soccer, in Italy, still represents a context organised around men’s dominance over women and the stigmatisation of gay men. Notwithstanding, they suggest also that we are witnessing an interlocutory phase where some heterosexual soccer players are starting to challenge homophobia but, at the same time, women and openly gay players still perceive a homohysteric culture. The discussion is contextualised in the social context where discourses arose

Vacuum energy in the presence of a magnetic string with delta function profile

We present a calculation of the ground state energy of massive spinor fields and massive scalar fields in the background of an inhomogeneous magnetic string with potential given by a delta function. The zeta functional regularization is used and the lowest heat kernel coefficients are calculated. The rest of the analytical calculation adopts the Jost function formalism. In the numerical part of the work the renormalized vacuum energy as a function of the radius $R$ of the string is calculated and plotted for various values of the strength of the potential. The sign of the energy is found to change with the radius. For both scalar and spinor fields the renormalized energy shows no logarithmic behaviour in the limit $R\to 0$, as was expected from the vanishing of the heat kernel coefficient $A_2$, which is not zero for other types of profiles.Comment: 30 pages, 10 figure