1,720,989 research outputs found
Longitudinal and reciprocal relations between adolescents' prosocial behavior, peer acceptance, self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement
No full textA limited number of studies has found that Prosocial Behavior (PB; i.e. voluntary actions aimed to benefit others, like helping, consoling, donating; Eisenberg, et al., 2006) was associated with academic achievement across adolescence (e.g., Gerbino et al., 2018; Wentzel, 1993). It was hypothesized that prosocial adolescents may be more motivated and engaged with school, because they experience a supportive and accepting environment (e.g., Jennings & Greenberg 2009). Similarly, Self-efficacy in Self-Regulated learning (SE-SRL; perceived capacities in self-monitoring, in setting goals and using self-motivational strategies for learning) is crucial for students' motivation and persistence (Bandura, 1997). Our study is aimed to identify the unique role of PB and Peer Acceptance (PA) in supporting SE-SRL and School Grades (SG) across middle school. We hypothesized that positive benefits of PB in supporting PA and SG may be accumulated over time through the repetitive interactions with peers. We also expect that PA contribute to SE-SRL and SG.
We analyzed reciprocal relations between PB, PA and SE-SRL and Grades across middle school years. Participants were 450 adolescents (48.5% boys; mean age = 12) attending at T1 6th grade of junior high school. Participants were drawn from the Genzano Longitudinal Study. PB was assessed by peer nominations (Caprara & Pastorelli, 1993). SE-SRL was evaluated through 11 self-reported items (Caprara et al., 2008), peer acceptance was measured using peer nomination. School grades were reported by teachers.
We tested a full cross lagged model, using structural equation modelling. Main results showed that 6th and 7th grade Peer Acceptance sustained later Self-Efficacy beliefs and Academic Grades. Differently, PB contributed to social acceptance, academic self-efficacy and school grades, only from 7th to 8th grades. Our study underlined that being prosocial, as well as, being accepted by peers, have a unique role in supporting adolescents’ successful school experience
Diagnostic accuracy of liquid-based endometrial cytology in the evaluation of endometrial pathology in postmenopausal women
Full text linkC. Remondi, F. Sesti, E. Bonanno, A. Pietropolli and E. Piccione Diagnostic accuracy of liquid-based endometrial cytology cytology in the evaluation of endometrial pathology in postmenopausal women Objective: The aim of this study was to compare liquid-based endometrial cytology with hysteroscopy and endometrial biopsy regarding its diagnostic accuracy in a series of postmenopausal women with abnormal uterine bleeding (AUB) or asymptomatic women with thickened endometrium assessed by transvaginal ultrasound as a screening procedure. Methods: Inclusion criteria were: menopausal status; the presence of AUB and/or thickened endometrium assessed by ultrasound (cut-off 4 mm); a normal Papanicolaou (Pap) smear; and no adnexal pathology at ultrasound. Exclusion criteria were: previous endometrial pathology; and previous operative hysteroscopy. Of 768 postmenopausal women referred to our general gynaecology clinics, 121 fulfilled the inclusion criteria and were recruited to the trial. Twenty-one refused to participate. Cytological sampling was carried out by brushing the uterine cavity using the Endoflower device with no cervical dilation and the vial was processed using a ThinPrep® 2000 automated slide processor. The slides were stained using a Pap method. Results: In 98 cases with histological biopsies, endometrial cytology detected five cases of endometrial carcinoma, 10 of atypical hyperplasia and 47 of non-atypical hyperplasia; 36 cases were negative. In two cases cytology was inadequate because of uterine cervical stenosis. Taking atypical hyperplasia or worse as a positive test and outcome, the diagnostic accuracy of the endometrial cytology was 93.5%, with a sensitivity of 92% and specificity of 95%, a positive predictive value of 73% and a negative predictive value of 99%. All the carcinomas were detected by cytology. Only 42% of women with a positive diagnosis were symptomatic. The cytological sampling was well tolerated by all patients. No complication was registered. Conclusions: Liquid-based endometrial cytology can be considered an useful diagnostic method in the detection of endometrial pathology as a first-line approach, particularly if associated with transvaginal ultrasound
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe 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
Insecure attachment and technology addiction among young adults: the mediating role of impulsivity, alexithymia, and general psychological distress
No full textPrevious studies have emphasized the effect of insecurity attachment on youth's Internet and smartphone addiction. In this study, we examine the mediating role of alexithymia, impulsivity, and general psychological distress in the relationship between insecure attachment dimensions and technology addiction. Data were collected from 539 adolescents and young adults, mostly women (N = 378; 70.1 percent), aged 19.76 +/- 1.99 years. Participants completed self-report measures of attachment insecurity, psychological risk factors (i.e., impulsivity, psychological distress, and alexithymia), and technology addiction (i.e., problematic Internet use, smartphone, and Internet addiction). The gender-related (i.e., multi-group) mediation model was tested through a path analysis with both observed and latent variables. Attachment anxiety had no direct effect on technology addiction, whereas attachment avoidance had a small negative direct effect, but only among women. Insecure attachment dimensions were significantly associated with psychological risk factors, whereas the latter had a significant, direct association with technology addiction. Psychological risk factors significantly mediated the association between insecure attachment dimensions and technology addiction. Finally, the tested model was gender-invariant. Findings suggest that insecure attachment dimensions have an indirect effect on the development of technology addiction mediated almost entirely by higher levels of psychological risk factors. Such findings might have relevant implications to inform any treatment plan for young adults who are overinvolved with technology activities and so to deliver patient-tailored interventions
L’emergenza COVID-19 nei giovani adulti e adulti in Italia: il ruolo delle risorse e vulnerabilità individuali secondo un approccio orientato alla persona
No full textIntroduzione Il presente studio si propone di esaminare il ruolo delle differenze individuali in una varietà di indicatori connessi all’adattamento psicosociale nei giovani adulti e adulti nel corso della quarantena in Italia a causa del COVID-19. In particolare, adottando un approccio orientato alla persona (AOP), all’interno di una prospettiva personologica che considera il funzionamento individuale come configurazione di tratti e convinzioni, ci siamo proposti un duplice obiettivo: (1) identificare profili individuali rispetto alle caratteristiche di personalità (tratti e convinzioni di autoefficacia), e (2) esplorare l’associazione tra profili emersi ed esiti (dis)adattivi nel corso della quarantena. Metodo Attraverso una survey online, lo studio ha coinvolto 1229 partecipanti, suddivisi in due gruppi: 703 giovani adulti di età 18-35 anni (M=27,05, DS=4,07) e 526 adulti di età 36-59 anni (M=48,57; DS=6,93). Sono state raccolte misure di: disposizioni individuali (Positività,P; Irritabilità,IR; Ruminazione Ostile, RO), di autoefficacia nell’espressione delle emozioni positive (AEP) e gestione della rabbia (AER) nel corso della quarantena, e indicatori di esiti esperiti durante la quarantena: percezione del supporto amicale (SUP), prosocialità (PRO), depressione (D), ansia (AN), e aggressività verbale (AV). Per identificare i profili è stata utilizzata l’analisi dei profili latenti (LPA), testando l’invarianza di misura tra giovani adulti e adulti. Per esplorare le associazioni tra i profili emersi ed esiti durante la quarantena sono state implementate una serie di regressioni gerarchiche a due step, inserendo le seguenti variabili indipendenti: (1) genere e fascia d’età e (2) profilo di appartenenza. Risultati Dalla LPA sono emersi 3 profili: uno ‘Resiliente’, ossia con maggiori risorse individuali (R; 23%; elevati livelli di P, AEP, AER e bassi livelli di IR, RO), uno ‘Vulnerabile’ (V; 17%; bassi livelli di P, AEP, AER e alti livelli di IR, RO), e uno medio (60%; livelli medi in tutte le variabili). I profili sono risultati invarianti a livello di similarità distributiva (giovani adulti vs adulti), mostrando una maggiore disregolazione nel profilo vulnerabile dei giovani adulti rispetto agli adulti (livelli significativamente minori di P, AEP, AER, e maggiori di RO). I risultati delle regressioni hanno mostrato che l’appartenenza al profilo R si associa a SUP (β=.069, p<.05) a carico delle donne giovani adulte, e a PRO (β=.141, p<.001) nelle donne adulte. Diversamente, il profilo V risulta associato a maggiori livelli di D (β=.310, p<.001) e AN (β=.502, p<.001) a carico delle donne giovani adulte, e ad AV (β=.527, p<.001) nei giovani adulti uomini. Conclusioni I risultati di questo studio mettono in luce l’importanza delle differenze individuali analizzate secondo un AOP rispetto a differenti esiti (dis)adattivi nel corso quarantena. Il profilo V versus R, soprattutto nella fascia di giovani adulti, include coloro i quali hanno presentato maggiori esiti disadattivi durante la quarantena. Le implicazioni pratiche verranno discusse
Uncovering latent profiles of internet, smartphone and gaming use among young adults and their relationships with psychosocial risk factors
No full textThe present study examined Internet users aged 18-24 years based on their generalized (i.e., internet and smartphone) and specific (i.e., gaming, frequency of gaming, time spent in video game sessions) problematic internet use behaviors, and their relations with sociodemographic variables and psychosocial risk factors. The sample included 851 Italian young adults (51.9% females; Mage = 21.62). Latent profile analyses indicated a best-fitting five-class solution, with profiles labeled as follows: (1) non-problematic internet users, (2) normative internet and gaming users, (3) non-problematic gamers, (4) problematic internet users, and (5) problematic gamers. Significant differences were observed among profiles, with problematic internet users and problematic gamers displaying higher levels of psychological distress, emotion dysregulation, dissociative experiences, attachment insecurity and loneliness, as well as lower levels of satisfaction of basic psychological needs, self-esteem, and perceived social support. The study findings support the view that a relatively small subgroup of Internet users may need tailored intervention to reduce their maladaptive use of Internet services and improve their psychological wellbeing
Credenze Epistemologiche e Disimpegno Morale Durante il COVID-19
No full textIntroduzione Durante la pandemia da COVID-19, si è assistito alla diffusione di informazioni scientifiche a volte contraddittorie o errate. A fronte di tali incertezze, esaminare le credenze epistemologiche individuali, ovvero il modo in cui si costruisce la propria conoscenza in merito all’attuale pandemia, in adulti di diverse età, può essere importante. Alcuni studi riportano che la cognizione epistemica, influenzata dall’educazione e dal contesto di vita, si modifica nel passaggio dall’adolescenza all’età adulta da una conoscenza unitaria ad una più complessa e plurale. In questa situazione di incertezza, è utile considerare anche i meccanismi cognitivi di disimpegno morale che attraverso il ricorso a rappresentazioni distorte della propria condotta o delle sue conseguenze possono rendere accettabili violazioni delle norme di prevenzione raccomandate. Su queste premesse, questo studio mira a esaminare in differenti momenti dell’età adulta: a) le differenze di genere e di età in due tipologie di credenze epistemologiche relative alla pandemia da COVID-19: pluralità della conoscenza (Relativismo dinamico) e superficialità nell’acquisizione delle informazioni (Semplicismo); b) la relazione tra credenze epistemologiche e meccanismi di disimpegno morale (costruzione della condotta riprovevole, spostamento della responsabilità e distorsione delle conseguenze) relativi all’emergenza sanitaria. Metodo Allo studio hanno partecipato 1513 soggetti: 67% femmine e 33% maschi; il 21,5% di età compresa tra i 18 e i 25 anni (adultità emergente), il 40,8% tra i 26 e i 39 anni (prima età adulta) e il 37,7% tra i 40 e i 60 anni. Le credenze epistemologiche riguardanti il fenomeno COVID-19 sono state misurate attraverso l’adattamento di item tratti dal questionario Come Conosco, il disimpegno morale rispetto all’adozione di misure di prevenzione e gestione dell'emergenza sanitaria attraverso l’adattamento di item tratti dalla scala di Disimpegno Morale. Risultati L’ANCOVA ha evidenziato che, controllando per il livello di educazione, gli adulti di età superiore ai 40 anni mostravano un maggiore semplicismo (F= 4.51; p=.011) e un minore relativismo dinamico (F= 8.33; p=.001), rispetto agli adulti più giovani, mentre non sono emerse differenze di genere. Le regressioni gerarchiche multiple hanno evidenziato che al di là del genere e del titolo di studio, il semplicismo (ma non il relativismo dinamico) prediceva significativamente un maggiore uso dei meccanismi di disimpegno morale in tutte le fasce di età ( compreso tra .11 e .20). Conclusioni Lo studio evidenzia come durante la media età adulta l’acquisizione delle informazioni e la conoscenza relativa al COVID-19 risulta essere più superficiale e meno pluralista, contrariamente alle aspettative. Tuttavia, a tutte le età, una maggiore superficialità nell’acquisizione delle informazioni sembra favorire il ricorso a meccanismi di disimpegno morale, che possono facilitare la mancata adozione di misure preventive
Longitudinal and reciprocal relations between adolescents' prosocial behavior, peer acceptance, self-efficacy beliefs and academic achievement
No full textA limited number of studies has found that Prosocial Behavior (PB; i.e. voluntary actions aimed to benefit others, like helping, consoling, donating; Eisenberg, et al., 2006) was associated with academic achievement across adolescence (e.g., Gerbino et al., 2018; Wentzel, 1993). It was hypothesized that prosocial adolescents may be more motivated and engaged with school, because they experience a supportive and accepting environment (e.g., Jennings & Greenberg 2009). Similarly, Self-efficacy in Self-Regulated learning (SE-SRL; perceived capacities in self-monitoring, in setting goals and using self-motivational strategies for learning) is crucial for students' motivation and persistence (Bandura, 1997). Our study is aimed to identify the unique role of PB and Peer Acceptance (PA) in supporting SE-SRL and School Grades (SG) across middle school. We hypothesized that positive benefits of PB in supporting PA and SG may be accumulated over time through the repetitive interactions with peers. We also expect that PA contribute to SE-SRL and SG. We analyzed reciprocal relations between PB, PA and SE-SRL and Grades across middle school years. Participants were 450 adolescents (48.5% boys; mean age = 12) attending at T1 6th grade of junior high school. Participants were drawn from the Genzano Longitudinal Study. PB was assessed by peer nominations (Caprara & Pastorelli, 1993). SE-SRL was evaluated through 11 self-reported items (Caprara et al., 2008), peer acceptance was measured using peer nomination. School grades were reported by teachers. We tested a full cross lagged model, using structural equation modelling. Main results showed that 6th and 7th grade Peer Acceptance sustained later Self-Efficacy beliefs and Academic Grades. Differently, PB contributed to social acceptance, academic self-efficacy and school grades, only from 7th to 8th grades. Our study underlined that being prosocial, as well as, being accepted by peers, have a unique role in supporting adolescents’ successful school experience
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
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