Families and Social Media Use: The Role of Parents' Perceptions about Social Media Impact on Family Systems in the Relationship between Family Collective Efficacy and Open Communication

Communication through social media characterizes modern lifestyles and relationships, including family interactions. The present study aims at deepening the role that parents’ perceptions about social media effects on family systems can exert within their family functioning, specifically referring to the relationship between collective family efficacy and open communications within family systems with adolescents. A questionnaire to detect the openness of family communications, thecollectivefamilyefficacyandtheperceptionsabouttheimpactsofsocialmediaonfamilysystems wasadministeredto227Italianparentswhohadoneormoreteenagechildren,andwhouseFacebook and WhatsApp to communicate with them. From the results, these perceptions emerge as a mediator in the relationship between the collective family efficacy and the openness of communications, suggestingthatitisnotonlytheactualimpactofsocialmediaonfamilysystemsthatmattersbutalso parents’ perceptions about it and how much they feel able to manage their and their children’s social media use without damaging their family relationships. Thus, the need to foster parents’ positive perceptions about social media’s potential impact on their family relationships emerges. A strategy could be the promotion of knowledge on how to functionally use social media

Violent dad in child shoes: a moment before : ViDaCS serious game in a multi-dimensional action research promoting awareness about gender-based violence perpetrators

[Italiano]:Il volume descrive obiettivi, strategie e azioni di ViDaCS (Padri nei panni di un figlio/a), il progetto (numero 810449) iscritto nel programma europeo REC (Diritti, Eguaglianza e Cittadinanza 2014-2020). Il sottotitolo, Un momento prima, pone l’attenzione su un protocollo innovativo per il controllo delle emozioni da parte di padri autori di violenza domestica. Esso risponde alla finalità di prevenire e contrastare la violenza di genere attraverso il “trattamento degli autori”, al fine di prevenire tale comportamento e la sua reiterazione. Il volume scaturisce da un'esperienza collettiva, volta a presentare il modello ecologico VidaCS insieme a interventi di formazione e di trattamento degli autori di violenza; è un'esperienza vissuta nei panni del bambino/a che assiste alla violenza del padre, proponendo scene domestiche alternative in cui il padre possa fermarsi un attimo prima di compierla. Peculiarità del volume è proporre all’autore di violenza la autoregolamentazione delle emozioni sottostanti ai suoi comportamenti attraverso un gioco immersivo con tecnologie 4.0 ./[English]: The volume describes the goals, strategies and actions of ViDaCS (Violent Dad in Child’s Shoes), a project framed in the European Programme REC (Rights, Equality and Citizenship Programme 2014-2020), namely project grant number 810449.Its subtitle is A Moment Before to focus on developing an innovative multi- agency protocol for the self-assessment of intimate violence by perpetrators; it addresses the EU call purpose of preventing and combating gender-based violence under the main priority of “Treatment of perpetrators”, in order to prevent reoffending.ViDaCS’ book is a collective experience presenting an ecological model explaining gender-based violence, training and intervention issues on this topic; it is an experience, in the shoes of the child witnessing domestic violence, proposing alternative “domestic scenes”where the father decides and assumes “new” behaviours that avoid violent behaviour. Moreover it present and discuss a self-assessment of emotional burden and violent behaviour based on exploratory and 4.0 CTS serious game

Young people's social agency and community action orientation: a partial least squares-path modeling approach using a self anchoring scale

In this paper we introduce the validation of a novel and specific indicator to measure social agency, namely Community Action Orientation (CAO). The study defines the CAO exploratory model as a second order Partial Least Squares-Path Model (PLSPM). The study identifies the latent variables of orientation toward the community selecting 14 items considered into three sets, suggesting how people invest in their local context on both a personal and collective level. Data have been collected through a self anchoring Cantril’s scale administered to 862 young people living in the administrative district of Naples. The exploratory analysis outcomes show a structure composed of three latent variables (dimensions), correlated with each other. We assumed that CAO is the endogenous variable in order to explain the agency of young individuals in their local context. To explain the interdependence among these latent variables, a theoretical model was hypothesized and constructed. Evidence of the use of the Cantril scale in conjunction with the PLS-PM corroborates the consistency of the approach

The Crystal Fortress: the world of children witnessing domestic violence in the words of health and welfare professionals

Witnessing Domestic Violence (WDV) is defined by The Child Welfare Information Gateway as a psychological violence that has dramatic consequences on the psychophysical health of children. In order to contribute to the taking charge of Domestic Violence (DV) and according to researchers who show the role of fatherhood in ending the phenomenon, ViDaCS project puts fathers in their children's shoes by making them witness a scene of strong family conflict through the virtual reality. In order to structure the scene of DV, 16 Neapolitan health professionals dealing with children WDV were selected through a theoretical intentional sampling and interviewed. Narrative focused interviews were carried out, transcribed verbatim and analyzed through the Grounded Theory Methodology, using the ATLAS.ti 8 software. 319 codes were assigned to the texts, then grouped in 10 categories and 4 macro-categories. The “Cristal Fortress” emerged as the core category, summarizing the world of the children WDV in the voice of Neapolitan professionals; a world where family that would protect like a fortress, is made fragile by the “inexplicable and senseless violence”. The analysis also allowed to investigate the experiences and suggestions of the participants with respect to the network of services. In fact, the core category also reflected a network that should protect like a fortress, but which is made fragile by the difficulty of communication among the services. It revealed the importance of offering children a solid space in which to be protected, and it helped to think about useful guidelines for services dealing with WDV

Drawingvoice 2.0: classroom joint designing and Facebook interactions to develop reflexivity and awareness

Drawingvoice 2.0 is an instructional method of collaborative pencil and paper drawing to use in the school classroom, followed by Facebook interaction on the drawing produced in class. It is based on a participatory and meta reflective approach, explicitly aimed at deconstructing, negotiating, and reconstructing the meaning that students attribute to themselves regarding their professional expectations and educational pathways. In particular, the collaborative pencil and paper drawing allows for the student’s emotional symbolisation processes underlying their educational pathway. Drawingvoice 2.0 induces a multidimensional cognitive and meta-cognitive process further supported by the following interaction on Facebook. Therefore, the World Wide Web is the added resource for sharing and deepening the classmates’ discussion. Finally, Drawingvoice 2.0 supported structural group interaction and was an important supportive and instructional method to bring about transformational and developmental training practices. As the main result, in our experience, psychology students increased their reflectivity about their strengths and threats in being psychologists within their cultural contexts and potential positive resources underlying their choice. Drawingvoice 2.0 thus enhanced their self-awareness about the lights and shadows of their training and future professional career.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Helpless Mothers Dropping Out of the Workplace: The Italian Case of Voluntary Resignation

In the Italian social context difficulties in remaining in the labor market characterizes working mothers, leading them sometimes to resign from their jobs. The aim of this research is to explore narratives of those women dropping out of the workforce during pregnancy and soon after childbirth and their experiences in these circumstances. The study analysed 30 interviews with working mothers with an average age of 35.4 years, living in Naples, Italy, who “spontaneously” left their jobs. Grounded Theory Methodology allowed a deeper understanding of these women’s thoughts, feelings, and experiences. The content of the interviews was categorized into 4 macro-areas: (1) The role of the family and of the working contexts, (2) Mothering and caregiving (3) Identity conflicts, and (4) The consequences of resignation. A sense of helplessness towards fulfilling maternal expectations, role assignments, and employers’ requests ultimately led to the individuals’ response to the requirements of motherhood. The narratives highlighted how respondents feel powerless and oppressed by the burden of guilt and feelings of ambivalence towards both work and motherhood and how all these subjective feelings were supported and had been induced by external social factors (discriminatory business strategies, organizational time management, lack of support services, familial cultural models idealizing maternity)

Women and Domestic violence in the professional experience of Italian General Practitioners

A number of studies have investigated the roots of the destructive power acting within the couple (Welzer Lang, 1991; Walker, 1979, 2000). Danis and Lockhart (2003) highlighted how social workers’ best practices, are not frequently used, especially in regards to contact with the victims of intimate-partner violence. We investigated how Italian general practitioners (IGPs) deal with this issue within their professional practice. A snowball sample of 268 IGPs was taken, in order to collect their beliefs concerning the victim, the aggressor and the violent couple’s relationship. Furthermore the experience in coping with both suspected and actual cases of domestic violence, as well as the GP’s needs and expectations was taken in consideration

The I COPPE Scale Short Form for measuring multidimensional well-being: Construct validity and reliability from US, Argentinian, and Italian large samples

The aim of this study is to present a short form of the I COPPE scale of multidimensional well‐being. We conducted two studies, which include four samples collected across three countries, namely United States, Argentina, and Italy. In the pilot study we tested during the data analysis phase whether it was feasible to reduce the full I COPPE scale by omitting the items dealing with past well‐being. Prompted by the positive results of the pilot study, we launched a final validation study with a sample of 2682 Italian people who completed the I COPPE scale short form, which is designed without items referring to past well‐being. Results from a series of confirmatory factor analyses show that the I COPPE scale short form presents acceptable levels of construct validity and reliability. Moreover, the 7‐factor correlated‐trait model proved to be the best fit for the data. We discuss advantaged of using the I COPPE scale short form along with limitations and future recommendations

Healthcare Professionals’ Perceptions and Concerns towards Domestic Violence during Pregnancy in Southern Italy

Background: Literature on pregnancy highlighted a large number of women abused by their partners, especially among low-income teenagers attending hospital for pregnancy check-ups. Pregnancy represents a key moment for diagnosing domestic violence. Method: This study explores health professionals’ perceptions and concerns about domestic violence against women in services dealing with pregnant women. The twenty-four interviewees were from an Obstetrical-Gynecological walk-in Clinic in the south of Italy. The textual data has been complementarily analyzed by means of two dierent procedures: Symbolic-structural semiotic analysis and Thematic content analysis. Results: What emerges is that the interviewees of the clinic do not regard the issue of domestic violence as a matter of direct interest for the health service. The clinic is seen as a place for urgent contact, but one where there is not enough time to dedicate to this kind of patient, nor an adequate space to care for and listen to them. Obstetricians and health personnel expressed a negative attitude when it comes to including questions regarding violence and abuse in pre-natal reports. Training for health and social professionals and the empowering of institutional support and networking practices are needed to increase awareness of the phenomenon among the gynecological personnel

Ending Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) and Locating Men at Stake: An Ecological Approach

Interventions for ending intimate partner violence (IPV) have not usually provided integrated approaches. Legal and social policies have the duty to protect, assist and empower women and to bring offenders to justice. Men have mainly been considered in their role as perpetrators to be subjected to judicial measures, while child witnesses of violence have not been viewed as a direct target for services. Currently, there is a need for an integrated and holistic theoretical and operational model to understand IPV as gender-based violence and to intervene with the goal of ending the fragmentation of existing measures. The EU project ViDaCS—Violent Dads in Child Shoes—which worked towards the deconstruction and reconstruction of violence’s effects on child witnesses, has given us the opportunity to collect the opinions of social workers and child witnesses regarding violence. Therefore, the article describes measures to deal with IPV, proposing functional connections among different services and specific preventative initiatives. Subsequently, this study will examine intimate partner violence and provide special consideration to interventions at the individual, relational, organizational and community levels. The final goal will be to present a short set of guidelines that take into account the four levels considered by operationalizing the aforementioned ecological principles