1,720,968 research outputs found

    Dall’istituto alla famiglia adottiva: traiettorie psicoeducative di sviluppo tra fattori di protezione e di rischio

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    I dati della ricerca internazionale attestano di come l’esperienza dell’istituzionalizzazione costituisca un importante fattore di rischio per lo sviluppo fisico, emotivo, cognitivo e neurofisiologico del bambino. Tuttavia, recenti evidenze empiriche individuano la possibilità di un recupero significativo a seguito dell’ingresso del minore nella famiglia adottiva. Obiettivo del presente contributo è fornire una rassegna aggiornata dei più recenti contributi di ricerca riguardo ai fattori di rischio e protezione nello sviluppo del bambino adottato esaminando le caratteristiche della vita in istituto, e la crescita del bambino lungo parametri fisiologici, socio-emotivi e cognitivi in riferimento all’istituzionalizzazione e all’adozione. Nella rassegna particolare evidenza verrà data agli studi longitudinali e meta-analitici. Chiude l’articolo una riflessione sui risvolti applicativi nell’ambito del sostegno alla famiglia adottiv

    The Influence of Insecure Romantic Attachment on Generativity

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    Existing research concerning the development of generativity, the capacity to provide care and guidance to future generations, has primarily focused on the role of sociodemographic variables. However, one important feature that might be of importance for the study of generativity is insecure romantic attachment, given its influence on how people establish relationships with others. Still, the role of the two dimensions of insecure romantic attachment (i.e., anxiety and avoidance) on the most studied aspects of generativity (i.e., generative concern and generative acts) remains largely underexplored. Therefore, the present study investigates what contributes to generativity by exploring the role of sociodemographic features (i.e., age, gender, having children, years of education) and above all the two dimensions of insecure romantic attachment on generative concern and acts. A sample of 427 adults (age range: 25–65 years old) completed an online survey including romantic attachment and generativity measures. Afterwards, correlational and regression analyses were conducted to explore the data. Results showed that years of education positively predicted generative concern, whereas both anxiety and avoidance negatively predicted it. Yet, no sociodemographic feature nor dimension of insecure romantic attachment predicted generative acts. Thus, insecure romantic attachment could be a useful key to understanding generative concern

    Using Item Response Theory to Explore the Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM)

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    The Child and Adolescent Mindfulness Measure (CAMM) was specifically developed to assess mindfulness in children and adolescents. This study’s main aim was to explore the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the CAMM using item response theory (IRT). We investigated how well each item of the CAMM concurred in measuring mindfulness in children and adolescents, the reliability of the scale in measuring different levels of a trait, and whether items showed gender and age differential item functioning (DIF). The scale’s validity was tested by investigating the relationships of CAMM scores with emotion regulation, life satisfaction, and attention and depression problems. Our results confirmed the unidimensional structure of the scale and generated evidence that with a few exceptions, the items were able to discriminate well among respondents with different levels of the trait being measured and adequately covered the spectrum of the latent trait. Satisfactory information values were obtained for a substantial range of the trait, indicating that the Italian version of the CAMM is adequately reliable across the continuum of the trait. The entire scale appeared to be gender and age invariant and evidence of validity was provided. Using IRT, the current study provides information about the psychometric adequacy of the Italian version of the CAMM in measuring mindfulness in young people

    The Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire: Identification of sleep dimensions, normative values, and associations with behavioral problems in Italian preschoolers

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    Objective: To study the use of the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to evaluate sleep problems dimensions, norm values, and association of sleep problems with behavioral problems in Italian preschoolers. Design: Sleep dimensions in CSHQ were investigated via parallel and principal component analyses, norm and at-risk values were investigated by exploring the association between CSHQ and the CBCL sleep problems scale, and bivariate associations between CSHQ and internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems were computed. Participants: A total of 725 mothers of preschool children (mean age = 4.59 years; SD = 0.97 years; range: 3-6 years) from 10 kindergartens in Central Italy. Measurements: CSHQ together with the Child Behavior Checklist 1 1⁄2-5 (CBCL). Results: The analyses suggested the existence of 7 sleep dimensions, which were meaningfully interpretable. The CSHQ total score had good internal consistency and showed strong associations with the sleep problems scale of the CBCL. Children scoring in the normative range of the CBCL sleep problems scale had a mean value at the CSHQ total score of 47.03 (6.42), children scoring in the borderline and clinical range (4.4%) of 57.13 (5.11). Moderate associations were found between CSHQ total score and internalizing and CBCL externalizing behavioral problems. Conclusions: CSHQ values were higher than those reported in other countries and with school-age children, but only a small number of children belonged to the at-risk group based on CBCL norms for the sleep problems scale. CSHQ moderately and comparably correlated with internalizing and externalizing problems. The CSHQ is a meaningful tool for the investigation of sleep problems in Italian preschoolers. Given the heterogeneity of item frequencies at a dimension level, considering scores along items and dimensions might be more informative at a clinical and applied level

    Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis

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    The present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed

    The contribution of Sensory Processing Sensitivity and internalized attachment representations on emotion regulation competencies in school-age children

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    Introduction: As captured by the individual trait of Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS), highly sensitive children perceive, process, and responds more strongly to stimuli. This increased sensitivity may make more demanding the process of regulating and managing emotions. Yet, developmental psychology literature also showed that other variables, as those related to the rearing environment, are likely to contribute to the process of regulating emotions. With the current contribution, we aim to bridge two lines of research, that of attachment studies and that of SPS, by investigating the additive and interactive contribution of SPS and internal working models of attachment representations on emotion regulation competencies in school-aged children. Method: Participants were N = 118 Italian children (mean age: 6.5, SD = 0.58 years, and 51.8% female) with their mothers. Children’s positive attachment representations were rated observationally through the Manchester Child Attachment Story Task procedure during an individual session at school. Mothers reported on children SPS trait and emotion regulation competencies completing the Highly Sensitive Child Scale-parent report and the Emotion Regulation Checklist. We performed and compared a series of main and interaction effect models. Results: SPS was not directly associated with emotion regulation but it was significantly associated with positive attachment representations in predicting emotion regulation. Highly sensitive children showed poorer emotion regulation when the internalized representations were low in maternal warmth and responsiveness. When driven by sensitive and empathic attachment representation, highly sensitive children showed better emotion regulation than less-sensitive peers, suggesting a for better and for worse effect. Discussion: Highly sensitive children are not only more vulnerable to adversities but also show better emotion regulation competencies when supported by positive internal working models of attachment relationships. Overall, findings shed light on the link between SPS and attachment and suggest that working for promoting secure attachment relationships in parent–child dyads may promote better emotion regulation competences, particularly in highly sensitive children

    Is premature birth an environmental sensitivity factor? A scoping review protocol

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    Globally, around 10% of children are born preterm and are more at risk of negative developmental outcomes. However, empirical evidences and theoretical reasoning also suggest that premature birth can be a susceptibility factor, increasing sensitivity to the environment for better and for worse. Because available findings are controversial, with the current scoping review we will explore if, based on the available literature, preterm birth can be seen as an environmental sensitivity (ES) factor. In doing so, we will consider a series of moderating variables, including the level of prematurity, the type of environment and the outcome investigated. Methodological aspects, as the type of measures used and study design, will be considered. The scoping review will be conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute Methodology guidelines. The report will follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews checklist. We will perform the search between 15 January 2022 and 1 February 2022. Data will be chartered by independent reviewers. Ethical approval is not required, as primary data will not be collected. This scoping review will be the first to explore whether prematurity is associated with an increased ES. This review can have important implications for tailoring prevention and intervention programmes. Results will be published in a peer-reviewed journal
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