138 research outputs found

    Exploring the link among state of mind concerning childhood attachment, attachment in close relationships, parental bonding, and psychopathological symptoms in substance users

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    In the present study, we have explored the link among styles of attachment and psychopathology in drug users. We know that insecure attachment predisposes the individuals the development of drug-addiction and psychopathological symptoms. However, we do not know which attachment is more frequent in drug users and which is related to particular psychopathological symptoms. The aim of the present work is to explore the relationship between childhood attachment state of mind, attachment in close relationships, parental bonding and psychopathology in sample of Italian substance users

    Social Relationships, Self-Esteem, And Loneliness In Adolescents With Learning Disabilities

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    Objective: many studies have underlined that students with learning disabilities (lds) feel that school is their main factor of frustration and reflects on their social reputations, isolation, and sociorelational discomfort. However, the role of LDs in psychosocial outcomes in adolescence is still unclear. In the present study, we explore the differences among three groups of adolescents (adolescents without LDs, adolescents with LDs, and adolescents with LDs who have the support of psychosocial educational intervention) in self-esteem, friendship quality, loneliness, and secrecy. Method: The sample comprised 93 adolescents, 49 males (53%) and 44 females (47%), in the 11–16 age range (M = 13.73; SD = 1.66). Participants completed measures on self-esteem (Multidimensional Self-Concept Scale), friendship quality (Friendship Quality Scale), loneliness (Loneliness and Aloneness Scale for Children and Adolescents), and secrecy (Self-Concealment Scale). Results: Our findings showed that students with LDs who underwent psychosocial educational intervention felt less parent-related loneliness and showed higher self-esteem than other adolescents regarding interpersonal relationships, their duties, their families, and their bodies. Conclusions: The study suggests that having the support of a psychosocial educational intervention could have a role in adolescent psychosocial adjustment

    Attachment relationships and internalization and externalization problems in a group of adolescents with pathological gambling disorder

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    Objective: The evidence accumulated in the relevant literature suggests that the presence and evolution of gambling could be correlated with the internalizing and externalizing problems and with the attachment style. This paper aims at exploring this perspective further. In particular, it analyses how such risk factors interact within the specific context of adolescent gambling disorder. Method: The sample comprises 91 adolescents, 61 male and 30 female, in the 17-22 age range (M = 17.77; SD = 0.98). A structural equation model was used to examine the relationship between the Youth Self-Report latent factors and pathological gambling, and the mode of attachment was assumed to act as a moderator. Results: Our results suggest that in the group characterized by a fearful attachment style there was a positive relationship between somatization and propensity to risk (p = 0.008), whereas in the dismissing attachment group there was a positive relationship between a greater tendency to delinquent behaviour and gambling risk (p = 0.042). Conclusions: The various insecure attachment stylespatterns may contribute in different ways to the development of oppositional-provocative behaviour and problems of conduct in adolescents

    Failure in reflective functioning as a key factor in the association between problematic social networking sites use, attachment and childhood maltreatment: A network analysis approach on gender differences

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    Following a network analysis approach, the present study aims to explore the pattern of mutual relationships between failure in reflective functioning (RF) - defined as hypomentalization - problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU), attachment anxiety and avoidance, and childhood maltreatment among emerging adults, with a focus on gender differences. The study sample comprises N = 1,614 emerging adults (Mage = 23.84; SD = 3.21; 50% identified themselves as women) who completed online self-assessment measures. Results showed significantly greater PSNSU, hypomentalization, childhood emotional abuse, and both attachment avoidance and anxiety among women. Indeed, within the network analysis, performed separately for men and women, network-specific associative patterns were observed; yet also similarities have emerged. Within the women's network, differently from males, attachment avoidance connects, through attachment anxiety, to emotional abuse, mood modification related to PSNSU, and hypomentalization. Nonetheless, hypomentalization was central in both networks, functioning as a hub between attachment anxiety, the PSNSU cluster, and the childhood maltreatment cluster. These results shed light on the use of social network sites as a potential maladaptive emotion regulation strategy, particularly among women. In this regard, the role of RF should be considered as a key treatment target to reduce PSNSU and support the use of adaptive emotion regulation strategies

    Depression and mania symptoms mediate the relationship between insomnia and psychotic-like experiences in the general population

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    Psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) are subclinical forms of psychosis commonly experienced in the general population. The nature of PLEs has yet to be clearly defined, yet mood and sleep disturbances may be two predictors. Sleep disturbance increases paranoia and hallucinations in experimental studies, and insomnia is considered a longitudinal precursor of psychosis. Mood disturbances including depression and mania, which can be induced by insomnia, can also result in psychotic symptoms. However, whether insomnia may predict PLEs via the mediation of mood disturbance has yet to be fully clarified. To advance this field, the aim of this study was to investigate the mediation role of depression and mania symptoms on the relationship between insomnia and PLEs. 1.086 community members (28.32±9.04 years, 58.1% females) cross-sectionally completed self-reported measures of insomnia severity, depression/mania symptoms, and PLEs. Bivariate correlations, hierarchical multiple regressions and mediation analyses with bootstrap approach were performed. Insomnia and mood disturbances (depression/mania) were significantly associated with PLEs (β = 0.06, p < .05; β = 0.225, p < .001, respectively). Mediation analysis revealed a significant indirect effect between insomnia and PLEs mediated by mood disturbance through bootstrap approach (β=0.13, se= 0.02, 95% CI: 0.10 - 0.17). Our results support the view of insomnia and mood disturbances as predictors of PLEs in the general population and foster the replication of these findings using longitudinal designs

    Changes in Physiological and Agronomical Parameters of Barley (Hordeum vulgare) Exposed to Cerium and Titanium Dioxide Nanoparticles

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    The aims of our experiment were to evaluate the uptake and translocation of cerium and titaniumoxide nanoparticles and to verify their effects on the growth cycle of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.). Barley plants were grown to physiological maturity in soil enriched with either 0, 500 or 1000 mg kg1 cerium oxide nanoparticles (nCeO2) or titanium oxide nanoparticles (nTiO2) and their combination. The growth cycle of nCeO2 and nTiO2 treated plants was about 10 days longer than the controls. In nCeO2 treated plants the number of tillers, leaf area and the number of spikes per plant were reduced respectively by 35.5%, 28.3% and 30% (p \ua4 0.05). nTiO2 stimulated plant growth and compensated for the adverse effects of nCeO2. Concentrations of Ce and Ti in aboveground plant fractions were minute. The fate of nanomaterials within the plant tissues was different. Crystalline nTiO2 aggregates were detected within the leaf tissues of barley, whereas nCeO2 was not present in the form of nanoclusters

    Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: Current Paths in the Management of Obesity

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    The treatment of obesity and its related chronic symptoms is one of the major issues that world healthcare systems are facing today. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) is one of the most effective therapies in the treatment of dysfunctional eating behaviors. In the first part of the chapter, the phenomenon of obesity will be introduced; subsequently, the role of CBT into obesity treatment will be underlined. CBT’s core strategies will be presented and analyzed: goal setting, self-monitoring, stimulus control, problem solving technique, and cognitive restructuring technique. The use of these strategies and related results is a major issue, emphasizing the need for further studies on the phenomenon of obesity, given the excellent results available in the short term, with significant weight loss, but the difficulties in keeping the results achieved in the long run. Since obesity is a chronic condition, CBT treatments must focus on different outcomes, considering weight loss as a consequence of a change in the individual’s eating style rather than as a major and only result to be pursued. Finally, we will take into account the topic of motivation in the psychological treatment of obesity since patient’s motivation assessment seems to be a major prerequisite for successful weight loss therapy

    Exploring Addictive Online Behaviors in Patients with Narcolepsy Type 1

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    Background: Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a rare neurological sleep disorder caused by the loss of neurons that produce hypocretin—a peptide that plays a crucial role in addictive behaviors. We aimed to compare, for the first time, levels of problematic online gaming, problematic social media use, and compulsive Internet use between NT1 patients and healthy controls (HC), and to evaluate the association between anxiety, depression, and emotion dysregulation with addictive online behaviors in NT1 patients. Methods: A total of 43 patients with NT1 and 86 sex- and age-matched HC participated in an online cross-sectional survey. Results: NT1 patients did not differ from HC in terms of problematic social media use and compulsive Internet use but displayed higher levels of problematic online gaming compared to HC. Higher levels of emotion dysregulation were significantly associated with higher levels of problematic social media use and compulsive Internet use, while none of the tested factors were associated with problematic online gaming. Conclusion: NT1 patients and HC had similar levels of problematic social media use and compulsive Internet use, but NT1 patients showed higher levels of problematic online gaming. Emotion dysregulation might be an intervention target for reducing compulsive Internet use and problematic social media use
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