Childhood Emotional Abuse, Neuroticism, Perfectionism, and Workaholism in an Italian Sample of Young Workers.

The literature has linked childhood emotional abuse (CEA) to severe negative outcomes such as the development of several maladaptive personality traits and coping mechanisms. Nonetheless, its concurrent connection with neuroticism, perfectionism, and workaholism has not been explored. For the above reasons, the present study sought to investigate whether neuroticism and perfectionism mediate the relationship between CEA and workaholism, as well as evaluate the gender invariance of the model. The sample of the present research comprised 1176 young workers (50% women), aged 18-25, who completed validated self-report questionnaires. The findings highlighted significant positive direct and indirect paths, suggesting a complex interplay between CEA, neuroticism, perfectionism, and workaholism. Furthermore, the model exhibited no significant differences between genders, suggesting that the identified relationships are consistent across both women and men. The findings highlight the importance of identifying CEA and considering the adoption of trauma-informed approaches to manage its adverse effects, thereby potentially averting the onset of workaholism. Moreover, the results underline the necessity for customized preventive measures, aiming to mitigate traits associated with neuroticism and perfectionism as potential paths for successful therapeutic interventions.

The mediating role of trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse and problematic internet use in Italian adolescents.

There is clear evidence linking trauma, mindfulness, dissociation and problematic internet use (PIU). Nonetheless, little is known about the role trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences may have in the relationship between childhood emotional abuse (CEA) and PIU, as well as the role that gender may have in such relationships. In the current research, self-report questionnaires on CEA, trait mindfulness, dissociative experiences and PIU were administered to 1074 Italian adolescents (50% females) aged 14-17 years old, to test whether trait mindfulness and dissociative experiences mediated the relationship between CEA and PIU, and whether the proposed mediation was invariant across genders. Furthermore, the main analyses were controlled for background variables. The findings highlighted significant associations between all direct and indirect paths and invariance of the mediation model across boys and girls. The results of this study highlight that emotionally abused boys and girls with high levels of dissociation and inadequate mindful skills may be more exposed to dysfunctional online activities. Hence, developing dissociation-focused and mindfulness-based interventions for emotionally abused adolescents may be clinically effective when building tailored approaches for the prevention and management of PIU. Further implications are discussed.

The Dark Triad and Trait Emotional Intelligence as Predictors of Problematic Social Media use and Engagement: The Mediating Role of the Fear of Missing Out.

Objective: Problematic social media use is becoming a significant social and clinical concern, and there is growing research interest in the psychological factors involved, such as personality predispositions and the fear of missing out (FOMO). The present study investigated both the dark triad (DT, namely, narcissism, Machiavellianism, and psychopathy) and trait emotion intelligence (trait EI) in relation to the problematic use of technology and social media engagement and the mediating role of FOMO. Method: A total of 788 people between 18 and 35 years old (M = 24.22; SD = 3.91; 75% women) were surveyed. Results: The results showed that social media engagement was positively related to problematic social media use and negatively related to trait EI. In addition, problematic social media use was positively related to DT and negatively related to trait EI. Fear of missing out was positively related to social media engagement, problematic social media use, and DT, and negatively related to trait EI. Fear of missing out had a mediating effect on the relationship between personality dimensions, problematic social media use, and social media engagement. Conclusions: The extent to which personality traits may underpin problematic use of social media and the practical implications of the findings are discussed.

Trait emotional intelligence and quality of life in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: Dysmorphic concerns and general distress as mediators.

OBJECTIVE: Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) is the most common endocrine disorder among women. It is characterised by a variety of symptoms that can seriously impair one's health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Dysmorphic concerns and general distress appear to be related to the development of HRQoL issues, whilst trait emotional intelligence (trait EI) has been significantly linked to better adaptability to chronic conditions. The present study sought to test the hypothesis that an association between trait EI and HRQoL in individuals with PCOS would be mediated by dysmorphic concerns and to examine their relationship with general distress (depression, anxiety, and stress). METHODS: Questionnaires were administered to 478 individuals with PCOS to analyse trait EI, dysmorphic concerns, general distress, and HRQoL. RESULTS: The results indicated that trait EI was negatively associated with dysmorphic concerns and general distress; dysmorphic concerns were positively related to general distress; dysmorphic concerns and general distress were negatively related to HRQoL; and dysmorphic concerns and general distress had a mediating role in the relationship between trait EI and HRQoL. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that individuals with PCOS may have a lower HRQoL and high levels of trait EI may represent a protective factor against poor HRQoL. The implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Reflective functioning and Alexithymia as mediators between attachment and psychopathology symptoms: cross-sectional evidence in a community sample.

This study sought to examine the role of Reflective Functioning and Alexithymia as mediators in the association between Attachment and Psychopathology. Questionnaires were administered to 1099 adults aged between 18 and 30 years. Results showed relations between Attachment Anxiety, Reflective Functioning, Alexithymia and Psychopathology. Moreover, Alexithymia was a mediator between Attachment, Reflective Functioning and Psychopathology.Current results provided evidence of the role of both Reflective Functioning and Alexithymia in the relationship between Attachment and Psychopathology. Implications are discussed.

Body mass index and quality of life in individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome: Dysmorphic concerns and eating disorders as mediators.

Objective: Weight issues, dysmorphic concerns and eating disorders are common among individuals with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) and are linked to poor quality of life (QoL). The goal of the current study was to examine whether the association between body mass index (BMI) and QoL was mediated by dysmorphic concerns, examining also the relations with eating disorder symptomatology. Methods: Questionnaires were administered to 435 individuals with PCOS aged between 18 and 40 years (M = 27.62; SD = 4.83) to measure dysmorphic concerns, eating disorder symptoms and QoL. Participants were also asked to report their height and weight to compute their BMI. Results: Structural equation modeling was used to observe the relationship between the variables. The results revealed a direct relationship between QoL, BMI, dysmorphic concerns and eating disorder symptomatology. In addition, dysmorphic concerns were related to BMI and eating disorder symptomatology. Furthermore, the results showed the mediating role of dysmorphic concerns and eating disorder symptoms in the relationship between BMI and QoL. Conclusion: The current results highlight the potential importance of harmful relationships with one's own body and food, explaining why weight issues may be linked to different levels of QoL in PCOS individuals. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Relationships among Trait EI, Need Fulfilment, and Performance Strategies.

Performance strategies used in sport have been the focus of many sport enhancement interventions, and are considered important factors for describing behavior in sport. Several studies have shown that both trait emotion intelligence (trait EI) and satisfaction of basic needs in sport are relevant aspects of performance strategies used by athletes; however, it seems these two aspects were never tested concurrently, in an integrated framework. The aim of this study was to test a mediational model of psychological basic needs in the relationship between trait EI and performance strategies in sports. In a sample of 187 participants, aged between 16 and 25 years old (Mage = 20.55; SD = 3.39), instruments were administered to measure trait EI, satisfaction of basic needs, and performance strategies in sport. Results of this study showed that trait EI was related to performance strategies in sport and to satisfaction of basic needs, as well as that satisfaction of basic needs was related to performance strategies in sport. Furthermore, satisfaction of basic needs has shown a mediational role in the relation between trait EI and performance strategies in sport.