Psychometric Properties of the Detachment and Compartmentalization Inventory (DCI) in an Italian Community Sample.

The Detachment and Compartmentalization Inventory (DCI) is a valid and reliable self-report instrument that assesses these two distinct forms of dissociative symptoms. However, there is limited research on the cross-cultural validation of the DCI. Therefore, this study aimed to develop an Italian translation of the DCI and examine its internal structure and psychometric properties (including internal consistency, convergent validity, and test-retest reliability) within an Italian-speaking community sample. The sample consisted of 1276 adults (887 females; mean age: 29.57 ± 10.96 years), who completed the DCI and other self-report measures evaluating dissociative experiences and childhood trauma. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the original two-factor model (χ2169 = 1312.80, RMSEA = 0.073, 95%CI 0.069-0.077; CFI = 0.94; TLI = 0.94; SRMR = 0.04). Additionally, the DCI exhibited good internal consistency, test-retest reliability, and convergent validity with another measure of dissociation. The study also confirmed the association between DCI scores and the severity of childhood trauma. Finally, a Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve analysis demonstrated that the DCI effectively distinguishes individuals who screened positively for dissociative disorders. Overall, these findings indicate that the Italian translation of the DCI possesses satisfactory psychometric properties, suggesting its utility as a screening tool for assessing detachment and compartmentalization experiences.

Altered EEG Patterns in Individuals with Disorganized Attachment: An EEG Microstates Study.

Over the past years, different studies provided preliminary evidence that Disorganized Attachment (DA) may have dysregulatory and disintegrative effects on both autonomic arousal regulation and brain connectivity. However, despite the clinical relevance of this construct, few studies have investigated the specific alterations underlying DA using electroencephalography (EEG). Thus, the main aim of the current study was to investigate EEG microstate parameters of DA in a non-clinical sample (N = 50) before (pre) and after (post) the administration of the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI). Two EEG eyes-closed Resting State (RS) recordings were performed before and after the AAI, which was used for classifying the participants [i.e., Disorganized/Unresolved (D/U) or Organized/Resolved (O/R) individuals] and to trigger the attachment system. Microstates parameters (i.e., Mean Duration, Time Coverage and Occurrence) were extracted from each recording using Cartool software. EEG microstates clustering analysis revealed 6 different maps (labeled A, B, C, D, E, F) in both groups (i.e., D/U and O/R individuals) and in both conditions (i.e., pre-AAI and post-AAI). In the pre-AAI condition, compared to O/R individuals, D/U participants showed a shorter Mean Duration and Time Coverage of Map F; in the post-AAI condition, a significant reduction in the Mean Duration of Map E was also observed in D/U individuals. Finally, in the "within" statistical analysis (i.e., pre-AAI vs. post-AAI), only the D/U group exhibited a significant increase in Time Coverage of Map F after the AAI. Since these maps are associated with brain networks involved in emotional information processing and mentalization (i.e., Salience Network and Default Mode Network), our result might reflect the deficit in the ability to mentalize caregiver's interaction as well as the increased sensitivity to attachment-related stimuli typically observed in individuals with a D/U state of mind.

Altered connectivity between the central executive network and the salience network in delusion-prone individuals: A resting state eLORETA report.

Although the Triple Network (TN) model has been proposed as a valid neurophysiological framework for conceptualizing delusion-like experiences, the neurodynamics of TN in relation to delusion proneness have been relatively understudied in nonclinical samples so far. Therefore, the main aim of the current study was to investigate the functional connectivity of resting state electroencephalography (EEG) in subjects with high levels of delusion proneness. Twenty-one delusion-prone (DP) individuals and thirty-seven non-delusion prone (N-DP) individuals were included in the study. The exact Low-Resolution Electromagnetic Tomography (eLORETA) software was used for all EEG analyses. Compared to N-DP participants, DP individuals showed an increas of theta connectivity (T = 3.618; p = 0.045) between the Salience Network (i.e., the left anterior insula) and the Central Executive Network (i.e., the left posterior parietal cortex). Increased theta connectivity was also positively correlated with the frequency of delusional experiences (rho = 0.317; p = 0.015). Our results suggest that increased theta connectivity between the Salience Network and the Central Executive Network may underline brain correlates of altered resting state salience detection, information processing, and cognitive control processes typical of delusional thinking.

The psychological impact of the COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: The moderating role of gender and emotion regulation.

Many researchers suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic may have more negative effects on women than men. Accordingly, we hypothesized that women would experience greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. Moreover, we expected emotion regulation strategies (cognitive reappraisal and expressive suppression, as protective and risk factors respectively) to interact with gender in shaping psychological health. We administered an online questionnaire to 1519 participants during the first national COVID-19 lockdown in Italy. As predicted, women reported greater COVID-19 related distress and more psychopathological symptoms than men. Furthermore, women who made greater use of reappraisal reported lower levels of distress and fewer psychopathological symptoms. Suppression was associated with more psychopathological symptoms, but there were no interaction effects with gender. Our findings have implications for policymakers wishing to sustain women's health during stressful situations such as the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond.

The association of problematic use of social media and online videogames with aggression is mediated by insomnia severity: A cross-sectional study in a sample of 18- to 24-year-old individuals.

One of the worrying concomitants of problematic use of Internet (PUI) is aggression. Although the mechanisms underlying such link have not been completely clarified, it has been suggested that problematic use of social media and online videogames (i.e., two common forms of PUI among young adults) lead to increased sleep disturbances which, in turn, represent a relevant trigger for aggression. We have tested this hypothesis in a sample (N = 480) of young individuals (351 females and 129 males; mean age: 21.76 ± 1.92 years; range: 18-24). Self-report measures investigating symptoms related to social media addiction (SMA), Internet gaming disorder (IGD), insomnia severity, and aggression were used. Mediational models analyzing the direct and indirect associations of SMA- and IGD-related symptoms on aggression severity through insomnia-related symptoms were performed controlling for confounding factors. The models showed that the total effects of SMA-related symptoms (B = 0.018; p = .010) and of IGD-related symptoms (B = 0.018; p = .041) on aggression severity were significant and that these associations were mediated by insomnia-related symptoms (respectively, p < .001 and p = .003). Our findings support the potential mediating role of insomnia severity in the association of SMA- and IGD-related disturbances with levels of aggression.