Adult Attachment, Differentiation of Self, and Relationship Satisfaction in Lesbians and Gay Men

AbstractWe examined adult attachment styles, differentiation of self, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of 298 Italian lesbians (48%) and gay men (52%), all of whom were ages 19–71 years (M = 36.1; SD = 11.8) and in a couple relationship for at least six months. Participants were recruited via the Internet and completed a web-based survey. We tested the hypotheses that attachment insecurity and differentiation of self would predict relationship satisfaction, as well as that differentiation of self would mediate the relationship between adult attachment and relationship satisfaction. Results supported the hypotheses, thus indicating that attachment insecurity and differentiation of self were correlated with and predicted relationship satisfaction. Furthermore, results supported the hypothesized mediating role of differentiation of self. Finally, results indicated that younger participants, lesbians, and participants in civil unions reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction. Implications for counselors and therapists working with LG populations are discussed

Escribir al padre en la adolescencia tardía: comparación entre italia y méxico

El presente trabajo tuvo como objetivo explorar y analizar mediante estrategias cualitativas y cuantitativas, el contenido y la modalidad narrativa con la cual una muestra de adolescentes tardíos se dirige a su padre. Participaron 202 sujetos (X=19.4 años de edad; DS= .98).), inscritos a tres diferentes carreras (Psicología, Medico Cirujano y Biología) de la UNAM, FES Iztacala. Los datos fueron analizados con el programa ALCESTE, el cual produjo cuatro mundos lexicales, en los cuales no se encontraron referencias a las funciones normativas paternales

Supporting Team Reflexivity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of Multi-Vision Groups In-Person and Online

Introduction: The professional self is often hindered by a lack of self-care and poor work-life balance, and cannot be considered an unlimited resource. Given this, the reflexive team is an important organizational tool for protecting workers’ well-being. The non-profit organization Maestri di Strada (MdS) (“Street Teachers”) conducts action research (AR) in the area of socio-education. The main tool used by the group to protect the well-being of its members is a guided reflexivity group, inspired by the Balint Group and termed the Multi-Vision Group (MG). In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the MdS team had to quickly revamp its working model, and MGs were held online for the first time. Aim: Through qualitative research that takes a longitudinal approach, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the MG in supporting the team’s reflexivity in this new online format. Methods: This article considers MGs during two different time periods: pre-pandemic (T1) and early pandemic (T2). During T1, the MdS team met 18 times in person, while during T2 the team met 12 times through an online platform (always under the guidance of a psychotherapist). During all sessions in both time periods, a silent observer was present in the meetings, and they subsequently compiled narrative reports. The textual corpora of the reports were submitted for a Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts through T-Lab Plus, in order to examine the main content of the groups’ discourse. Results: The results (five clusters in T1; and five in T2) show that, during T2, the group devoted considerable time to experiences tied to the pandemic (T21: schools facing the pandemic crisis; T2.2: the pandemic: death, inner worlds, and thought resistance; T2.3: kids’ stories involving physical distancing and emotional proximity). The group also came up with innovative educational initiatives that defied the lockdown (T2.4: fieldwork: the delivery of “packages of food for thought”; T2.5: the MdS group: identity and separation). Based on these findings, the MG most likely contributed to the emergence of MdS as a “resilient community,” capable of absorbing the shock of the pandemic and realizing a fast recovery response

Lockdown Young Adult Concerns Scale (LYACS): The Development and Validation Process

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic as well as the social, relational, and economic transformations of the lockdown had a strong traumatic impact on the mental health of the word population, even more so on specific targets such as young adults. The spread of what was an unknown virus and the lockdown experience have raised concerns for the preservation of people’s physical and mental health and their private, relational, and work life. Objectives: The current study presents the construction, development, and validation process of the Lockdown Young Adult Concerns Scale (LYACS), an instrument assessing the level of two principal concerns during the pandemic lockdown, i.e., Loss of Life Control (CLLC) and Infection/Contagion (CIF). Methods: After a pilot study that defined the dimensions, selected the items, and carried out Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) on a sample of 100 subjects (M = 24; DS = 3.9), a new sample of 259 Italian young adults (ages 18-35 yrs.; M = 24; SD = 3.8) was used to assess the psychometric validity of LYACS through Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA), reliability, convergent and divergent validity. Further descriptive analyses of the final version of scale as well as Two-way Analyses of Variance (ANOVA) on selected sociodemographic variables were conducted. Results: The outcome of Confirmatory Factor Analysis, which resulted in high goodness of fit (χ2/df = 2.0; GFI = .98; TLI = .98; RMSEA = .06; SRMR = .04), supports two identifiable factors reflecting the theoretically-based constructs of LYACS, thus supporting the EFA results. Furthermore, internal consistency as well as convergent and divergent validity analyses allow the scale to be considered a reliable and valid instrument for the present investigation. Finally, variance analysis shows that there are significant differences among the factor levels regarding gender, occupation, perception of the home space during lockdown, and having/not having worked on Concern about Loss of Life Control (CLLC), and between gender and confinement cohabitation on Concern about Infection/Contagion (CIF). Conclusion: Overall, the reported results show good psychometric proprieties for the scale and shed new light on how Italian young adults lived the COVID-19 pandemic

Discussione dei lavori di R. Gori e F. Lolli

L'autore discute i lavori di R. Gori e F. Lolli, nell'intento di sottolineare le convergenze, in particolare riferendosi alla nozione di incompiutezza. I principali punti di convergenza, nella cornice generale di una riflessione sul disagio contemporaneo, vertono sull'incompiutezza dell'analisi e sull'indomabilità della pulsion

The dead sibling: A family secret and its consequences

By referring to a clinical example of psychoanalytic family therapy, the author highlights the relevance of the dynamics of hate and rivalry that characterise sibling links. In particular the author analyses the rivalry identification of the daughter with her dead elder brother, and her hate relation-ship with her younger brother. The focus on the family’s common and shared psychic world allows these dimensions to be considered in greater dept