1,721,025 research outputs found
The relationships of dispositional mindfulness with sexual prejudice and internalized sexual stigma among heterosexual and gay/bisexual men
No full textObjectives: A recently growing literature explored the effect of mindfulness on the reduction of stereotypes and prejudice. However, studies exploring the relationship between dispositional mindfulness and prejudice are very limited and contradictory. The current work focused on the associations of dispositional mindfulness with internalized sexual stigma, and sexual prejudice in gay/bisexual men and heterosexual men, respectively.
Methods: Participants were 180 Italian men, both heterosexual (N = 91, 50.6%) and gay/bisexual (N = 89, 49.4%), ranging between 18 and 40 years old (M = 28.23, SD = 5.59) that completed a questionnaire which contained demographic information and measures of mindfulness, need for cognitive closure, and adherence to traditional and stereotypical gender roles. In order to test the predictive power of mindfulness' dimensions on internalized sexual stigma and on sexual prejudice over and above the other predictors, we used dominance analysis.
Results: Analyses revealed that only the FFMQ-Nonjudging of inner experience explained a proportion of variance of internalized sexual stigma significantly larger than zero, whereas the variance of the score on the sexual prejudice was mostly accounted for by right-wing political orientation and FFMQ-Observing.
Conclusion: Having a mindful non-judging attitude toward one's inner experience would associate to less internalized sexual stigma in gay and bisexual men, whereas having a mindful observing disposition would help heterosexual men to have less sexual prejudice against gay men. Limitations and future directions are discussed
Emotional and Work-Related Factors in the Self-Assessment of Work Ability among Italian Healthcare Workers
No full textThe Work Ability Index (WAI) is the most commonly used tool for evaluating work capacity. Self-assessments made by workers can be influenced by various occupational and emotional factors. We wanted to study the association of work-related factors, such as work annoyance, stress, overcommitment, job satisfaction, social support, and emotional factors, such as anxiety, depression, and happiness, with work ability, in a sample of 490 healthcare workers from an Italian public health company. A principal component analysis indicated the presence of two components of the WAI questionnaire; the first expresses “subjectively estimated work ability” (SEWA), and the second refers to “ill-health-related work ability” (IHRWA). Using stepwise multiple hierarchical linear regression, we identified the factors that best predicted the total score on the WAI and on the two components. The total score was negatively predicted by anxiety, depression, a lack of happiness, low job satisfaction, overcommitment, and work annoyance. Age, being female, anxiety, and occupational stress were associated with a reduction in the IHRWA component score, while overcommitment, work annoyance, a lack of social support, depression, and a lack of happiness were negatively associated with the SEWA component. These results can help interpret those of epidemiological studies and provide guidance on ways to improve work ability
Do Not Judge Inner Experience, but Be Mindful: Dispositional Mindfulness, Internalized Sexual Stigma, and Positive Identity in Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual People
No full textIntroduction: Research showed that dispositional mindfulness has positive associations with LGB people’s well-being and is negatively associated with internalized sexual stigma. However, previous research has investigated the role of dispositional mindfulness in the development of LGB individuals’ positive acceptance of their own sexual identity is still limited. This study aims to investigate the association between dispositional mindfulness, internalized sexual stigma, and positive identity in LGB individuals. Methods: Three hundred fifty-six Italian cisgender LGB participants responded to a self-reported questionnaire from the end of 2022 to May 2023. We administered the Five-Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, the measure of internalized sexual stigma, and the Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Positive Identity Measure, as well as other background and socio-demographic variables. Results: Dominance analyses showed that the non-judging facet of dispositional mindfulness negatively predicted LGB people’s internalized sexual stigma and was strongly associated with the authenticity dimension of LGB people’s positive identity; no other mindful facets or variables were implied in this association. Conclusions: A mindful, non-judging attitude toward one’s inner experience might contribute to reducing LGB people’s internalized sexual stigma and favoring their positive acceptance of sexual identity, leading to a sense of authenticity. Policy Implications: Enhancing dispositional mindfulness might have important positive effects in order to alleviate adverse impacts of minority stress and improve LGB people’s well-being, contributing to helping them navigate stigmatizing contexts better
Validity of Space Responses: What Can We Learn from Rorschach Protocols of Divorcing Couples Fighting for Child Custody?
No full textDivorcing couples who require the intervention of the court system to resolve their child custody disputes usually exhibit intense anger and experience strong resentment. The Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM) is one of the most commonly used tests in child custody evaluations, in which one crucial issue is affectivity and its regulation, and, specifically, negative emotions such as anger and resentment. White Space (S) is one of the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS) variables usually taken into account to assess anger and resentment, but to date the construct validity of S responses for this purpose is far from established. Our study addresses this issue by exploring the association between S responses (coded on the basis of the following classifications: the CS, the Rorschach Performance Assessment System, and Rosso, Chiorri, and Denevi, 2015) and the motor, emotional, and cognitive components of aggression reported by clinicians in a sample of divorcing couples engaged in child custody litigation (n = 85). Our findings support the hypothesis that Space fusion responses may be a marker of separation and emptiness anxiety, whereas no support is provided by this study for the hypothesis that Space reversal and Space integration responses are indicative of anger
Neuropsychological assessment in cognitively healthy nonagenarians and centenarians: an updated systematic review and meta-analysis
No full textThe assessment of cognitive impairment in individuals aged 90 years and older is based on normative data estimated in the younger elderly. A first systematic review had provided the reference values in the oldest population for a few neuropsychological tests. Robust estimations on additional cohorts are needed. We designed a systematic review update (PROSPERO: CRD42022347327) encompassing the literature published from 2015 to June 2024, to include studies reporting raw neuropsychological test scores from at least ten individuals aged >90 without dementia. All types of cohort studies were eligible. The data set from the previously published systematic review and the studies retrieved in the update process were pooled. Random effect meta-analysis was applied to estimate the updated mean and cut-off values. The systematic workflow provided 11 articles eligible for data abstraction. Based on the pooled data we estimated the updated reference scores for MMSE, BNT-SF, Semantic Fluency, TMT-A, TMT-B, Digit span forward and Digit span backward. Moreover, we estimated for the first time the reference values for the Word List Immediate and Word List Delayed tasks. The systematic review provided an updated set of norms for the neuropsychological test that are frequently used to assess the cognitive profile in individuals aged >90 years. The heterogeneity of the assessments limited the quantitative synthesis. Further studies on large cohorts are needed to stratify the normative values by age, gender and education. The identification of country- and population-specific values would help clinicians and researchers to characterise the cognitive profile in the oldest old individuals
Visual attentional load affects the frequency of involuntary autobiographical memories and their level of meta-awareness
No full textInvoluntary autobiographical memories (IAMs) are memories of past events that come to mind without deliberate retrieval attempts. Common in everyday life, IAMs have recently become a topic of experimental investigations with laboratory procedures. In the present study, we build on the recent methodological advancements in the study of IAMs, and we investigate the effects of manipulating the attentional load on the incidence of IAMs, as well as on the level of meta-awareness of these memories. In two experiments, attentional load was manipulated by varying the demands of the focal vigilance task, and reports of IAMs were collected. In Experiment 1, participants were instructed to stop the vigilance task whenever mental contents unrelated to the task came to their minds (self-caught method). In Experiment 2, participants were intermittently interrupted and probed regarding the contents of their experience (probe-caught method) and the level of meta-awareness for these contents. In both experiments, we found a reduction in the frequency of reported IAMs under increased attentional load. Moreover, in Experiment 2, IAMs were characterized by varied levels of meta-awareness, which was reduced by increased attentional load. These results indicate that allocation of attentional resources toward a focal task reduces reporting of IAMs experienced while performing this task because attentional resources play a role in both retrieval of IAMs and the realization that one is experiencing a memory
Dispositional Mindfulness in Heterosexual and Lesbian/Bisexual Women: Associations with Sexual Prejudice and Internalized Sexual Stigma
No full textThis research investigated the effect of dispositional mindful- ness on the reduction of sexual prejudice and internalized sex- ual stigma in heterosexual and lesbian/bisexual women, who still represent a population that is under-represented in the scientific literature. Participants were 203 Italian women, both heterosexual (N = 104, 51.2%) and lesbian/bisexual (N= 99, 48.8%), ranging between 18 and 68 years old. They responded to a questionnaire containing demographic information and measures of dispositional mindfulness, need for cognitive clo- sure, and adherence to traditional gender roles. Dominance analyses were run to test the predictive power of mindfulness’ dimensions on internalized sexual stigma and on sexual preju- dice over and above the other predictors. Results showed that having a mindful nonjudging attitude toward one’s inner experience is associated with less internalized sexual stigma in lesbian and bisexual women. On the contrary, dispositional mindfulness was not associated with heterosexual women’s sexual prejudice against gay and lesbian individuals
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