Binge-Eating Symptoms, emotional-behavioral problems and gender differences among adolescents: A brief report

We investigated relationships between binge-eating symptoms and emotional-behavioral problems in 382 community-adolescents (aged 13-18 years, M = 15, SD = 1; 61% girls), analyzing gender differences. Few studies have investigated binge eating in community-adolescents and none have explored gender differences in Italy. Participants completed the Binge Eating Scale (BES) and the Youth Self Report (YSR 11/18), which measures internalizing, externalizing and other problems (e.g. binge-drinking, substance abuse). 6% of adolescents (99% girls) were at-risk of binge-eating symptoms. In both gender, binge-eating symptoms were correlated with internalizing and other problems (all p < .001), but unexpectedly they were correlated with externalizing problems only in girls. The set of internalizing, externalizing and other problems predicted 23% of variance in BES among girls; only other problems predicted 12% of variance in BES among boys. Results identified gender-specific and non-specific risk factors for binge eating in Italian community-adolescents, that should be further investigated

Attachment and alexithymia predict emotional–behavioural problems of institutionalized, late-adopted and community adolescents: An explorative multi-informant mixed-method study

Objective: Compared to community adolescents (COM), adolescents placed in residential care (RC) or late adopted (LA) appear to show more emotional–behavioural problems. They also appear vulnerable in variables linked to emotional–behavioural problems, such as insecure–disorganized attachment and alexithymia. This study employs a mixed-method multi-informant approach to (1) compare adolescents placed in RC, LA and COM in emotional–behavioural problems, attachment and alexithymia and (2) investigate relationships and interplay of attachment and alexithymia concerning emotional–behavioural problems in these three groups. Method: Participants were 174 adolescents (50 RC, 33 LA and 91 COM; Mage = 15, 53% boys and 47% girls). Adolescents' internalizing and externalizing problems were assessed through both caregiver-reported and self-reported questionnaires, while attachment and alexithymia were assessed with a mixed method, using interviews and self-report questionnaires. Results: The results showed RC adolescents as more vulnerable in all variables, while LA and COM did not differ. Accounting for the group, attachment and alexithymia cumulatively predicted 25–43% of internalizing problems, and 19–43% of externalizing problems depending on the method of assessment or problems' informant (all p < 0.01). Alexithymia was both an independent predictor and interacted with preoccupied attachment in predicting internalizing problems, while no predictors were isolated for externalizing ones, and the group never indicate an effect on problems' rates. Conclusions: The authors discuss the utility to maintain a research focus on attachment and alexithymia, also suggesting future directions of research. A need to determine potential distortions of results because of problems' informant and method of assessment is also highlighted

Attachment Stability and Longitudinal Prediction of Psychotic-like Symptoms in Community Adolescents over Four Months of COVID-19 Pandemic

Background: The Friends and Family Interview (FFI) is assumed to be a valid method to study attachment stability and attachment-related psychopathological processes in adolescence, but no studies have yet tested the test–retest reliability of this interview or the longitudinal association of attachment patterns in response to the FFI from adolescents with symptoms such as psychotic-like experiences (e.g., hallucinations, bizarre behavior, dissociation, self-harm) that are known to have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: This study involved 102 community adolescents (M = 14.64, SD = 1.63, 46% males) assessed twice: during a severe COVID-19-related lockdown (in Italy) (T1) and four months later (T2). Measures were the FFI (assessing attachment patterns: secure-autonomous, insecure-dismissing, insecure-preoccupied, and insecure-disorganized) and the thought problems scale of the Youth Self-Report to assess psychotic-like symptoms. Results: revealed high stability of four-way attachment classifications over four months (93.5%), with a modest yet significant link between higher disorganization at T1 and higher scores of thought problems at T2, p = 0.010. Conclusions: The FFI shows high test–retest reliability and can be a valid, age-adapted option to assess adolescents’ attachment. Attachment disorganization should be further investigated as possibly related to psychotic-like experiences in community adolescents

Can alexithymia be assessed through an interview in adolescents? The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia: Reliability, concurrent validity, discriminant validity, and relationships with emotional-behavioral symptoms

Alexithymia is connected to adolescents' psychopathology, but the current methods of assessment present limitations. The Toronto Structured Interview for Alexithymia (TSIA) was developed to overcome the limits of the main used self-rating scale in adults, but no studies investigated its feasibility with adolescents. This study involved 95 community adolescents aged 12-19 years. Adolescents were assessed with the TSIA, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Verbal Comprehension Index of the WISC-IV for verbal skills, and the Child Behavior Checklist and Youth Self Report for emotional-behavioral symptoms. The aims were to investigate the TSIA internal consistency, concurrent validity with the TAS-20, discriminant validity with participants' verbal skills, and relationships with emotional-behavioral symptoms. TSIA showed good internal consistency, concurrent validity with the TAS-20 (except for factor DDF), and independence by participants' verbal skills, but few relationships with emotional-behavioral symptoms. In conclusion, TSIA showed some good psychometric proprieties but little convergence with research findings obtained with the TAS-20, suggesting the need for further research to check the feasibility of using the TSIA with adolescents. Meanwhile, a precautionary multi-method assessment of alexithymia is recommended

Open ventral hernia repair with a composite ventral patch : final results of a multicenter prospective study

Background: This study assessed clinical outcomes, including safety and recurrence, from the two-year follow-up of patients who underwent open ventral primary hernia repair with the use of the Parietex (TM) Composite Ventral Patch (PCO-VP). Methods: A prospective single-arm, multicenter study of 126 patients undergoing open ventral hernia repair for umbilical and epigastric hernias with the PCO-VP was performed. Results: One hundred twenty-six subjects (110 with umbilical hernia and 16 with epigastric hernia) with a mean hernia diameter of 1.8cm (0.4-4.0) were treated with PCO-VP. One hundred subjects completed the two-year study. Cumulative hernia recurrence was 3.0% (3/101; 95%CI: 0.0-6.3%) within 24months. Median Numeric Rating Scale pain scores improved from 2 [0-10] at baseline to 0 [0-3] at 1 month (P<0.001) and remained low at 24months 0 [0-6] (P<0.001). 99% (102/103) of the patients were satisfied with their repair at 24months postoperative. Conclusions: The use of PCO-VP to repair primary umbilical and epigastric defects yielded a low recurrence rate, low postoperative and chronic pain, and high satisfaction ratings, confirming that PCO-VP is effective for small ventral hernia repair in the two-year term after implantation. Trial registration: The study was registered publically at clinicaltrials.gov (NCT01848184 registered May 7, 2013)

\u201cOld Wine in a New Bottle\u201d. Depression and Romantic Relationships in Italian Emerging Adulthood: The Moderating Effect of Gender

Intimate partner violence is an important social issue all over the world, and human sciences, in particular, are working to reduce it. Despite this, the topic is a little recognized phenomenon. Understanding the origins and the variables that have an impact on manic-style romantic relationships, as defined by John Alan Lee, is of primary importance, in particular in Italy where the data reveal alarming statistics. Most studies have not controlled for earlier depressive symptoms as a cause of successive depression or as an antecedent of romantic styles. In our study, we investigate the association between depression and romantic style, trying to test the moderating role of the gender variable in 283 Italian emerging adults (139 women and 144 men). In order to achieve this aim, we performed a multigroup structural equation model analysis. The hypothesis that gender moderates the relationship between depression and romantic styles is still yet to be confirmed. Men with high levels of depression do not seem to be able to establish relationships based on commitment, as required by the eros style. Women with high levels of depression are more frequently involved in possessive and demanding relationships or in pragmatic ones, confirming their need for dependence

Binge eating attitudes in community adolescent sample and relationships with interview-assessed attachment representations in girls: a multi-center study from North Italy

Purpose: To compare community girls at risk and not at risk for binge eating (BE) in attachment representations through a narrative interview and to test the predictive role of attachment pattern(s) on the risk of binge eating among community girls. Methods: From 772 community adolescents of both sexes (33% boys) screened through the Binge Eating Scale (BES), 112 girls between 14 and 18&nbsp;years, 56 placed in a group at risk for binge eating (BEG), and 56 matched peers, not at risk (NBEG), were assessed in attachment representations through the Friends and Family Interview (FFI). Results: (1) Compared to NBEG, girls in the BEG showed more insecure-preoccupied classifications and scores, together with lower narrative coherence, mother\u2019s representation as a secure base/safe haven, reflective functioning, adaptive response, and more anger toward mother. (2) Both insecure-dismissing and preoccupied patterns predicted 15% more binge-eating symptoms in the whole sample of community girls. Conclusions: Insecure attachment representations are confirmed risk factors for more binge eating, affecting emotional regulation and leading to \u201cemotional eating\u201d, thus a dimensional assessment of attachment could be helpful for prevention and intervention. Implications and limits are discussed. Level of evidence: III. Evidence obtained from cohort or case\u2013control analytic studie

\u201cWhat is more important than love?\u201d. Parental attachment and romantic relationship in Italian emerging adulthood

Previous researches suggest that individuals with different attachment styles practice different styles of love, but these do not consider the role of trust, communication, and closeness to the father and mother separately. The main aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship and the impact of parental attachment, through the analysis of the participants\u2019 self-reported account and 1. Department of Education, Cultural Heritage and Tourism, University of Macerata. Postbox: Piazzale Luigi Bertelli (Contrada Vallebona) 62100, Macerata, Italy 2. Psychology of Communication department, University of Macerata, Angelo Carrieri. 3. University of Pablo de Olavide, (ES), Health Plus Parish Priest Mifsud Str. Hamrun, Malta 4. Health Plus Parish Priest Mifsud Str. Hamrun, Malta Accepted Manuscript 4 romantic styles in Italians emerging adulthood by using a multidimensional approach (trust, communication, closeness to father and mother). The 296 participants (19\u201329 years; 50.7% males) rated items of information on a questionnaire, regarding their perspective of their attachment to their mother/father and attitude toward love. Using a variable-centred approach and a person-centred approach, the results suggest that the respondents differed in levels of parental attachment or love styles and that the present parental attachment has a positive impact on their romantic relationship. It is possible to estimate romantic relationships and prevent manic relationships based on the individual\u2019s current perceptions of their attachment to the father or mother. The role of parents and paternal attachment, are still fundamental in Italian young adults. The role of communication with the mother, in particular, is controversial and should be further investigated

How to improve compliance with protective health measures during the covid-19 outbreak. Testing a moderated mediation model and machine learning algorithms

In the wake of the sudden spread of COVID-19, a large amount of the Italian population practiced incongruous behaviors with the protective health measures. The present study aimed at examining psychological and psychosocial variables that could predict behavioral compliance. An online survey was administered from 18–22 March 2020 to 2766 participants. Paired sample t-tests were run to compare efficacy perception with behavioral compliance. Mediation and moderated mediation models were constructed to explore the association between perceived efficacy and compliance, mediated by self-efficacy and moderated by risk perception and civic attitudes. Machine learning algorithms were trained to predict which individuals would be more likely to comply with protective measures. Results indicated significantly lower scores in behavioral compliance than efficacy perception. Risk perception and civic attitudes as moderators rendered the mediating effect of self-efficacy insignificant. Perceived efficacy on the adoption of recommended behaviors varied in accordance with risk perception and civic engagement. The 14 collected variables, entered as predictors in machine learning models, produced an ROC area in the range of 0.82–0.91 classifying individuals as high versus low compliance. Overall, these findings could be helpful in guiding age-tailored information/advertising campaigns in countries affected by COVID-19 and directing further research on behavioral compliance

Emotional dysregulation and eating symptoms in gender dysphoria and eating disorders: the mediating role of body uneasiness

Emotional dysregulation is a key transdiagnostic dimension of several clinical conditions, including eating disorders (EDs) and gender dysphoria (GD). Not only is there frequent comorbidity between EDs and GD, but GD individuals also commonly experience ED symptoms and body-image disturbances. However, more research is needed to understand how specific body-related experiences may differently interact with difficulties in emotion regulation and dysfunctional eating behaviors in EDs and GD. Thus, the present study aimed at exploring potential associations between emotional dysregulation and ED symptomatology in individuals diagnosed with anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), or gender dysphoria (GD), also considering the mediating role of specific dimensions of body uneasiness. A national sample of N = 96 help-seekers assigned female at birth (n = 32 with AN, n = 32 with BN, n = 32 with GD) was recruited from two specialized care centers. Participants completed the Eating Disorder Inventory-3 (EDI-3) and the Body Uneasiness Test (BUT), while the Shedler-Westen Assessment Procedure-200 (SWAP-200) was used to evaluate emotional dysregulation. Findings showed that several body uneasiness dimensions mediated the relationship between emotional dysregulation and ED symptoms, in both AN-BN and GD participants. In GD individuals, body avoidance emerged as a significant mediator of the relationship between emotional dysregulation and ED symptoms, whereas in both AN-BN patients and GD individuals, depersonalization toward the body emerged as a significant mediator. The results suggest that the interplay between emotional dysregulation, body uneasiness, and ED symptoms may be crucial for the development of comprehensive and tailored prevention strategies