Sports as a risk environment: homophobia and bullying in a sample of gay and heterosexual men

Research on bullying and homophobic bullying has mainly focused on school contexts, with little research in sports-related contexts. This study used a sample of 88 gay males and 120 heterosexual males between 18 and 36 years of age to examine the frequency of bullying experiences in Italian sports-related contexts. The results showed that gay men reported more frequent bullying and homophobic bullying than heterosexual men. Gay men reported dropping out of sports more frequently, namely due to a fear of being bullied and greater familial pressure to conform to masculine-type sports. It is necessary to promote safer sports-related contexts for people who self-identify as a sexual minority

Interpersonal and intrapersonal differences among adolescent nonsmokers, ex-smokers, and smokers

Background: A large body of research has traced tobacco dependence among adolescents to a series of intrapersonal and interpersonal factors. However, there are remaining questions regarding the differences on these factors related to tobacco use. Objectives: We sought to investigate intrapersonal and interpersonal differences among adolescent nonsmokers, ex-smokers, and smokers. Methods: We used data from a 3-year project designed to investigate and address tobacco dependence among 1071 students (Mage = 15.76, SD = 1.52; girls = 51.54%) who were recruited from 11 high schools. Participants, filling out a survey, provided information on tobacco use (nonsmoker, ex-smoker, and smoker), tobacco-related experiences (smoking-related risk perception, parental smoking, number of friends who smoke, resisting peer pressure to smoke), cognitive variables (metacognitive skills), and personality traits (disinhibition and impulsivity). Results: Results from a discriminant function analysis showed that smokers and ex-smokers reported more disinhibition, impulsivity, number of friends who smoke and less self-control under peer pressure to smoke compared to nonsmokers. Ex-smokers reported less metacognitive processes, more smoking-related risk perception and were less likely to have parents who smoke. Conclusions/Importance: Interventions and campaigns aimed to persuade adolescents to stop smoking should work to develop adaptive metacognitive skills and an accurate risk perception of tobacco use. © 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LL

How HEXACO personality traits predict different selfie-posting behaviors among adolescents and young adults

Selfies are usually defined as self-portrait photos shared on social networks. Recent studies investigated how personality traits, and specifically narcissism, can be associated to different kinds of selfies. The HEXACO model, a new theory on personality structure, investigates personality on six dimensions, among which there is the Honesty/Humility trait, found strongly and negatively associated to narcissism. Thus, this study aims to investigate how different kinds of selfies could be predicted by HEXACO personality traits, controlling for age, gender and sexual orientation. Participants were 750 adolescents and young adults (59.1% girls, N = 443) from 13 to 30 years (Mage = 20.96; SDage = 4.23) who completed an online survey composed by the Kinsey scale, three questions about the frequency of different kinds of selfies (i.e. own selfies, group selfies and selfies with partner) and 60-item Hexaco Personality Inventory-Revised. Results showed that females, adolescents and not- exclusively heterosexuals posted more own selfies, and that adolescents posted also more group selfies and selfies with partner. Moreover lower Honesty/Humility, lower Conscientiousness, higher Emotionality and higher Extraversion significantly predict both own selfies and group selfies. Finally, only lower Honesty/Humility and higher Emotionality predict selfies with partner. Results suggested a common pattern of personality traits that can explain selfies behaviors according to literature on HEXACO model. Specifically, these findings enlightened that Honesty/Humility and Emotionality traits seem to be relevant in understanding selfies. People who post more selfies are lower in Honesty/Humility, showing a strong sense of self-importance and feeling superior. Moreover, they show higher Emotionality that is related to looking for social reinforcement on social networks. Only for own and group selfies, people high in Extraversion probably feel self-confident in groups, also in the online dimension, and low extraverted people probably posted less frequently because they feel uncomfortable being at the center of attention. Finally, people with high Conscientiousness spend less time online because they consider social networks as a distraction from their tasks. Thus, HEXACO model allows to better understand which personality traits can predict different kinds of selfies. Limitations and implications for future research are discussed

Attaccamento a Dio, attaccamento ai genitori e ai pari e atteggiamento religioso in un gruppo di adolescenti italiani

Numerosi contributi in letteratura descrivono il rapporto che un credente cattolico ha con Dio facendo riferimento ai concetti della teoria dell’attaccamento di Bowlby. In questa prospettiva le principali caratteristiche degli stili di attaccamento ai genitori e ai pari possono riproporsi nella relazione con Dio. Nel presente lavoro è stata indagata in un gruppo di 992 adolescenti cattolici la relazione tra gli stili di attaccamento ai genitori, ai pari e a Dio e il grado di influenza di questi stili sull’atteggiamento religioso. Dai risultati emerge che le dimensioni insicure dell’attaccamento con i genitori e con i pari sono predittive di un attaccamento altrettanto insicuro e ansioso con Dio. Bassi livelli di attaccamento evitante o ansioso con Dio si riflettono in atteggiamenti positivi verso la religione e una maggiore partecipazione ai riti religiosi. I dati tendono a confermare l’ipotesi che il legame con Dio è influenzato dallo stile di attaccamento che il credente ha instaurato con i genitori e i pari. Tuttavia, dai risultati emerge che bassi livelli in alcune dimensioni dell’attaccamento (Comunicazione e Fiducia) tendono ad essere compensate nella relazione con Dio

Binge Drinking and Internalised Sexual Stigma among Italian Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Young Adults

BACKGROUND - Literature has studied the relation between youth alcohol consumption and sexual orientation, showing that lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) young people are at increased risk to develop alcohol-related problems compared to heterosexuals. AIM - Our study aims to describe alcohol use patterns in relation to alcohol expectancies, internalised sexual stigma and sensation seeking and to highlight the specific risk factors that sexual minority subgroups face. DESIGN - A survey was administered in order to examine drinking habits, background information and levels of internalised sexual stigma and of sensation seeking in 468 LGB youths. According to the alcohol consumption, the sample was divided into three groups: social, binge and heavy drinkers. RESULTS - Data showed that bisexual youths were at most risk of heavy drinking compared to lesbian and gay participants. Moreover, LGB heavy drinkers reported higher levels of sensation seeking, earlier age of first alcohol consumption and more positive drinking expectancies compared to binge and social drinkers. Bisexual male heavy drinkers also showed more social confidence alcohol expectancies while bisexual female heavy drinkers showed more sensation seeking. CONCLUSION - Bisexual youths are at most risk of alcohol abuse. It is conceivable that these findings are related to the peculiar discrimination to which bisexual people are subject. Practical implications for the present study are discussed. \ua9 2016 Valera Verrastro et al., published by De Gruyter Open 2016

Helicopter mothers and helicopter fathers : Italian adaptation and validation of the Helicopter Parenting Instrument

The aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Helicopter Parenting Instrument (HPI), a self-report instrument that evaluate adolescents’ and young adults’ perception of parenting behaviors. The term helicopter parenting describes a style of child-rearing characterized by parents who are over-involved in every aspect of their children’s lives in inappropriate ways, compromising their autonomy. The HPI (maternal and paternal version) was administered to 602 adolescents (356 females), between 14 and 18 years of age (Mfemales = 16.56; SD = 1.43; Mmales = 16.63; SD = 1.41). The factorial analysis confirmed the original one-factor structure for both versions. The two versions of the instrument demonstrated good concurrent and divergent validity and the reliability was high. In general, our participants perceived mothers with higher levels of helicopter parenting than fathers, regardless of gender and age of the participants. In conclusion, the instrument demonstrated good psychometric properties, indicating that it may be a valid measure for evaluating parental overparenting in the Italian context

Minority stress, resilience, and health in Italian and Taiwanese LGB+ people : a cross-cultural comparison

The present study, using a moderated mediational model, explored levels of distal/proximal stressors, rumination, resilience, and health in a group of Italian and Taiwanese LGB+ people. The study also examined the role of internalized sexual stigma (ISS) and rumination as mediators between discrimination and health, and resilience as a moderator of the relationship between discrimination and ISS, rumination, and health, respectively. An online survey was administered to 508 LGB+ participants (270 Italian and 238 Taiwanese) whose age ranged from 18 to 70 years (M = 37.93, SD = 13.53). The moderated mediation model was tested through a series of path analyses stratified by group nationality. Italian participants reported higher discrimination and resilience, but lower ISS, rumination, and health problems compared to their Taiwanese counterparts. The only common path between groups was the direct effect of discrimination on health problems. The mediating role of ISS and rumination in the relationship between discrimination and health, as well as the moderating role of resilience, were partly significant only for the Italian group. Conclusions: The findings suggest that mediators and moderators used to evaluate the effects of minority stress on health may differ between groups; further culturally sensitive research in the field of LGB+ health is needed

Negative parental responses to coming out and family functioning in a sample of lesbian and gay young adults

Parental responses to youths' coming out (CO) are crucial to the subsequent adjustment of children and family. The present study investigated the negative parental reaction to the disclosure of same-sex attraction and the differences between maternal and paternal responses, as reported by their homosexual daughters and sons. Participants' perceptions of their parents' reactions (evaluated through the Perceived Parental Reactions Scale, PPRS), age at coming out, gender, parental political orientation, and religiosity involvement, the family functioning (assessed through the Family Adaptability and Cohesion Evaluation Scales, FACES IV), were assessed in 164 Italian gay and lesbian young adults. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to assess the relation between family functioning and parental reaction to CO. The paired sample t-test was used to compare mothers and fathers' scores on the PPRS. Hierarchical multiple regression was conducted to analyze the relevance of each variable. No differences were found between mothers and fathers in their reaction to the disclosure. The analysis showed that a negative reaction to coming out was predicted by parents' right-wing political conservatism, strong religious beliefs, and higher scores in the scales Rigid and Enmeshed. Findings confirm that a negative parental reaction is the result of poor family resources to face a stressful situation and a strong belief in traditional values. These results have important implications in both clinical and social fields

Inclusive National Educational Policies as Protective Factors for LGBTI Youth Adjustment: An European Cross-National Study

Purpose: To evaluate whether the presence of inclusive national educational policies is associated with more positive adjustment, better school experiences, and less harassment among lesbian, gay, Methods: A total of 66,851 LGBTI youth aged 15-24 from 30 EU countries completed the EU-LGBTI II survey in 2019. Participants reported on feelings of sadness/depression, life satisfaction, lack of safety at school, being out at school as LGBTI, experiences of bias-based school violence, and experiences of general and bias-based harassment. Individual-level data were linked to countrylevel data on the presence of LGBTI-inclusive school policies obtained from the International reviewed existing European educational measures. The inclusiveness of each policy was assessed by the inclusion of the following grounds as protected: Variation in sexual characteristics, gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation. National policies were categorized into (1) antiResults: LGBTI youth with more inclusive school policies in their countries had lower odds of lack of school safety, and concealment, and higher odds of life satisfaction. Inclusive teacher training based violence. Moreover, whereas teacher training was associated with more visibility and less Discussion: A multipronged national approach that includes teacher training and inclusive (c) 2023 Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine. All rights reserved

Omogenitorialità e Minority Stress: Pregiudizi e Competenze Genitoriali in Famiglie Composte Da Genitori dello stesso sesso

Ancora oggi in Italia i nuclei omogenitoriali non vengono definiti famiglie davanti alla legge e non godono degli stessi diritti delle famiglie tradizionali. Nonostante questo vuoto giuridico il numero delle persone GL italiane che dichiarano di avere almeno un figlio non è trascurabile . Questo mancato riconoscimento giuridico che contribuisce a svalutare questa realtà, tende a comunicare indirettamente il messaggio che queste famiglie non sono moralmente e legalmente accettabili favorendo dinamiche di emarginazione non solo per le coppie GL ma anche per i loro figli (Meyer, 2003). Il presente lavoro si focalizza sullo studio dei nuclei omogenitoriali adottando un’ottica multidimensionale. Le ipotesi di ricerca sono state inquadrate all’interno della cornice teorica del minority stress (Meyer, 1995). A tal fine sono stati portati avanti due studi. Il primo studio indaga i predittori di atteggiamenti negativi verso l'omogenitorialità su un campione di quasi 4000 partecipanti con un'età media di 25 anni. I risultati indicano che l'ideologia tradizionale rispetto ai ruoli di genere ha un effetto significativo su atteggiamenti negativi e media gli effetti della religiosità e del conservatorismo politico. Il secondo studio compara 40 genitori gay e lesbiche con 40 genitori eterosessuali in termini di funzionamento familiare e diadica e benessere del bambino. I risultati non riportano differenze significative rispetto al benessere del bambino ma mostrano delle differenze rispetto alla flessibilità e alla comunicazione familiare e rispetto al funzionamento diadico. Le implicazione applicative e le prospettive per ricerce future vengono discusse