1,721,045 research outputs found
Why we should focus more attention on uncertainty distress and intolerance of uncertainty in adolescents and emerging adults
No full textSivertsen et al. (2023) showed that adolescents endorsing high levels of internalizing and externalizing symptoms are at risk of increased mental health problems during emerging adulthood and suggested the existence of both homotypic and heterotypic continuities of mental disorders over time. Since adolescence and emerging adulthood are transition periods highly intertwined with uncertainty, the present perspective contextualizes the findings by Sivertsen et al. (2023) in relation to the extant literature on intolerance of uncertainty and the recently developed Uncertainty Distress Model. Moreover, it claims for further research addressing the way adolescents and emerging adults process and deal with uncertainty. Indeed, focusing more attention on the implications of trans-situational and trans-diagnostic constructs such as uncertainty distress and intolerance of uncertainty in these life stages may hold great promise to design and implement effective mental health prevention programs
Vulnerability to psychopathology in adolescence: Intolerance of uncertainty as transdiagnostic risk factor
No full textAdolescence is a transition period characterized by several uncertainties and elevated vulnerability to psychopathology. Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is the tendency to expe-rience negative cognitive, emotional, and behavioural reactions in the face of uncertain situations and it may be a risk factor for the development of psychopathology in this population. IU was originally conceptualized as a disorder-specific vulnerability factor, but its transdiagnostic nature is currently established. The present paper aims to review extant literature focused on the relation-ship between IU and psychopathological outcomes in adolescence
Should we worry about how we measure worry? Insights from an updated version of the Italian Penn State Worry Questionnaire
Full text linkBackground: Research indicates a rise in self-reported worry, highlighting the need for updated psychometric tools. The Penn State Worry Questionnaire (PSWQ) assesses excessive worry and there is debate over whether only its 11 positively worded items should be used. This study aimed to clarify the factor structure and psychometric properties of the PSWQ and to explore worry features in two diverse Italian community samples from the 2010s and 2020s. Methods: The 2020s sample included 674 participants (44.5 % female; Mage = 29.44 ± 13.20), while the 2010s sample comprised 411 individuals (61.6 % female; Mage = 36.64 ± 13.73). Methods from Classical Test Theory (CTT) were used to compare alternative PSWQ factor structures, assess the best-fitting model's reliability and validity, and evaluate measurement invariance (MI) across sexes in the 2020s sample. Item Response Theory (IRT) was applied to refine and confirm the best-fitting factor structure and to compare item and individual locations across samples. Results: The 11-item one-factor model was the best fit and it showed excellent reliability and concurrent validity. MI across sexes was supported. IRT analyses suggested that items were slightly more difficult for the 2010s sample. Conclusions: The PSWQ-11 is a valid and reliable tool for assessing worry in the Italian community. The findings suggest that societal issues as well as socio-demographic characteristics may contribute shaping differences in worry features across diverse historical contexts
Investigating stress in commuting university students
Full text linkCommuting can be considered as a chronic stressor, since it is often experienced as an unpleasant condition which negatively impacts on the individual psychological, physical and social well-being. Stress becomes dysfunctional and pathological when the individual negatively appraise specific situations. According to the National Institute for Statistics (ISTAT) commuters are people daily travelling out of their residence town for working or studying purposes irrespectively of the distance covered or the mean travel duration.
To date, the most studies have been focused on stress among commuting workers; however, it is noteworthy that students represent a wide proportion of commuting population in Italy (about the 23%, conforming to a survey carried out by CENSIS, Centro Studi Investimenti Sociali). In consideration of these data, it is important to cast light on the consequences of commuting on students’ skills and psycho-physical well-being. Present study was aimed at investigating stress among commuting university students, in order to provide answers for some important questions: does commuting affect students’ performance? Does commuting affect daily psychological and physical well-being? What are the commuting characteristics mainly involved in affecting student’s performance and well-being?
Three-thousand three-hundred and fifteen commuting students attending the University of Palermo enrolled the study. Non valid data (inconsistent answers) were excluded from the analyses and the final sample consisted of 2949 participants: 60.1% (N = 1773) were females and 39.9% (N = 1176) were males. All students provided socio-anagraphic data and completed an ad hoc self-report questionnaire comprising 20 items. A section of the questionnaire was aimed at collecting information concerning daily commuting, such as place of study (inside or outside the town of residence), estimated daily covered distance, etc. The other section was developed to investigate how commuting students appraise their commuting condition; it investigates three areas: perception of commuting, psycho-physical well-being and disease associated with commuting stressors.
The main finding of present study highlights the existence of important differences between commuting students on the basis of means of transportation. It emerged that those using public transports (train, bus, metro) reported a more negative evaluation of their commuting and lower psycho-physical well-being levels than those travelling by private transports. In particular, students travelling by motorcycle described their daily commuting as positive and reported good psycho-physical conditions when arriving at university. This result is in line with previous literature indicating that control and predictability are important subjective factors which mediate the relationship between commuting and stress. People using public transports usually face with uncontrollable events (for example delays or crowding) which facilitate a negative appraisal of commuting. When this is chronically experienced, it may lead to stress and thus lack of energy, irritability, negative mood and difficulties in concentration. All these factors can negatively impact on student’ performance
LO STATO PSICO - FISICO NEGLI STUDENTI UNIVERSITARI PENDOLARI
Full text linkLo stress è un insieme di modificazioni fisiologiche, cognitive, emotive e comportamentali di
cui l’individuo ha esperienza nel momento in cui è richiesto un adattamento alle circostanze
ambientali presenti: si configura pertanto come una reazione generale a situazioni specifiche e,
non ha una connotazione positiva o negativa, svolgendo primariamente una funzione di tipo
adattivo. Ciò che rende disfunzionale e “patologico” lo stress è il modo in cui l’individuo
valuta la situazione con la quale si trova a rapportarsi: in questi casi si parla pertanto di distress,
ovvero “stress negativo” (Selye, 1956). Gli stimoli e le situazioni che, valutate negativamente,
determinano una reazione di distress sono definiti stressors; questi possono essere acuti (si
verificano una sola volta e per un periodo limitato di tempo) oppure cronici (di lunga durata).
A loro volta, gli stressors cronici possono essere intermittenti o propriamente cronici. Nel
primo caso, si presentano a intervalli di tempo regolari, hanno una durata limitata e perciò sono
più o meno prevedibili; nel secondo, invece, sono rappresentati da situazioni di lunga durata,
che permeano la vita dell’individuo e che diventano stressanti nel momento in cui ostacolano in
maniera persistente il perseguimento degli obiettivi della persona. Due sono le reazioni
fisiologiche principali che caratterizzano la risposta di stress: muscolari (tensione muscolare o
immobilizzazione) e neurovegetative (dovute a un’eccessiva stimolazione del Sistema Nervoso
Autonomo simpatico). Gli effetti di queste reazioni fisiologiche, andando a combinarsi con
quella che è l’interpretazione che la persona da della situazione e la propria esperienza
emotiva, determinano alcuni dei principali sintomi riferiti legati allo stress: emicrania,
tachicardia, iperventilazione, difficoltà di concentrazione, umore depresso, irritabilità,
stanchezza, affaticamento
The Trap of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Italian Adolescents Fare Well at First, Maybe Thanks to Protective Trait Expression
No full text: Abundant research indicates that the COVID-19 pandemic has been negatively affecting mental health in adolescence. Few works, however, benefit from data from the same sample before and after the onset of the pandemic. The present longitudinal study involved a non-clinical group of 136 Italian adolescents (Mage = 16.3 years ± 1.08, 67% girls) to investigate their psychological response to the first lockdown and explore the role of a protective trait (i.e., Positivity) in moderating the effect of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) on internalizing symptoms before and during the COVID-19 outbreak. Participants completed self-report questionnaires assessing psychopathological symptoms, psychological well-being, IU, and Positivity on three separate occasions: October 2019 (T1), January 2020 (T2), and April 2020 (T3). The results showed that internalizing and externalizing symptoms as well as psychological well-being did not vary significantly over time. Positivity was found to significantly moderate the relationship between IU and internalizing symptoms at T3 (i.e., during the COVID-19 lockdown) only. Overall, our findings suggest that the teenagers' good adjustment to the initial phase of the pandemic might have been associated with the enhanced weight of the Positivity trait, which may have encouraged a positive attitude towards self, life, and the future
What is the internal structure of intolerance of uncertainty? A network analysis approach
Full text linkIntolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor spanning psychological disorders. Although IU has been extensively studied, its internal structure is still not fully understood. In the current study, we applied network analysis to investigate IU – as measured by the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised (IUS-R) - in two large non-clinical samples, consisting of undergraduates (N = 1172) and community individuals (N = 1759). Network analysis revealed that feeling a general internal uncertainty aversion and the belief that things have to be planned in advance are the most central nodes in both samples. Moreover, the community analysis revealed that, in both samples, the network of IU consists of three communities referring to negative beliefs about uncertainty, behavioral reactions to uncertainty, and emotional reactions to uncertainty. Lastly, the network was highly similar in undergraduates and community individuals in terms of network similarity, global connectivity, and structure and items mean levels; only minimal-to-negligible differences were found. The way current findings expand our knowledge of the internal structure of IU, along with theoretical and clinical implications, are discussed
Uncertainty distress: Theoretical underpinnings and clinical implications
No full textUncertainty distress is a psychological state defined as the set of negative emotions elicited by the unknown aspects of a given situation. The Uncertainty Distress Model (UDM; Freeston et al., 2020) highlights the role of threat, uncertainty, and intolerance of uncertainty in determining such distress in everyday life. Theoretically, the formulation of the UDM was inspired by three different research backgrounds, referring to threat models of anxiety and the concepts of «perceived uncertainty» and «intolerance of uncertainty». In addition, clinical experiences in contexts characterized by high levels of uncertainty and threat (i.e., chronic diseases, dementia) and clinical considerations related to the current Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic have significantly contributed to this conceptualization. The current manuscript reviews the theoretical underpinnings and the clinical implications of the UDM. The main implications are not exclusively related to the field of psychopathology, since this model aims to provide an explanation for the «normal» responses to events that can impact people’s lives. Future studies should empirically test its conceptual and applicative validity
- …
