Prothrombin time predicts steroid response in severe alcohol-related hepatitis.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Alcohol-related hepatitis (AH) is the most severe form of acute alcohol-related liver disease. Maddrey's discriminant function ≥32 defines the severe form of AH, which is associated with a high mortality. Steroid therapy represents the main medical treatment that may reduce short-term mortality. Lille score at day 7 assesses the therapeutic response to steroid therapy. At present, no parameters able to predict the response to steroid therapy have been highlighted. The aim of the present study was to evaluate if baseline prothrombin time (BPT) could predict the response to steroid in severe AH (sAH). METHODS: Patients consecutively admitted in two Italian Liver Units, from 2017 to 2022, suffering from sAH were included. Data were collected prospectively. In order to evaluate if BPT could predict steroid response, we assessed the correlation between BPT using the Lille score at day 7. RESULTS: A total of 52 patients received steroid treatment were enrolled in the study. The response to therapy was assessed by Lille score at day 7. Responders were 34 patients (65%), non-responders 18 patients (34%). BPT significantly predicted the steroid response (p < .001). The likelihood of not responding to the steroid therapy was significantly higher in patients with higher BPT (OR = 2.954). CONCLUSIONS: BPT value predicted steroid response in patients with sAH. BPT could quickly identify non-responder patients to steroid therapy, reducing the risk of infections and it could allow the early evaluation for liver transplantation.

Prospective associations between grandiose narcissism and perfectionism: A longitudinal study in adolescence.

The current study investigates the longitudinal association between grandiose narcissism and multidimensional perfectionism over 2 years in adolescence. We adopted the Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Concept, which differentiates between two aspects of grandiose narcissism. We also considered multiple dimensions of perfectionism, including Socially Prescribed Perfectionism (SPP) and two forms of Self-Oriented Perfectionism (SOP), namely the tendencies to set high standards of performance (SOP-Striving) and to engage in overly critical self-evaluations (SOP-Critical). The study was conducted in a sample of Italian high school students (n = 331). Concurrent correlations indicated that Admiration was positively related to SOP-Striving and, to a lesser extent, to SOP-Critical and SPP. Rivalry was also positively related to the three perfectionistic dimensions, although correlations were smaller in size than those found for Admiration. Prospective associations between narcissism and perfectionism were analysed using a Random-Intercept Cross-Lagged Panel Model. Results showed that the predominant direction of effects was from narcissism to perfectionism, particularly from Admiration to SOP-Striving and SPP. Findings were discussed in terms of their implications for the understanding of the narcissism-perfectionism link.

Basic personal values in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy: A two-wave longitudinal study.

This study investigated value change during two phases of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, one of the most affected countries in the world. The first wave of data was collected in summer 2020, when the virus was on the retreat. The second wave was collected in autumn, at the peak of the second pandemic wave (November 2020). We investigated how Schwartz's higher-order values changed over the two waves of the study, using economic condition as a predictor of change. We also examined whether value change predicted subsequent value-expressive behavior. Results showed no mean-level change for self-enhancement, self-transcendence, conservation, and openness to change values, but significant interindividual differences in the amount of change for each of the four values. Economic condition emerged as a significant predictor of change in conservation values: Individuals with a decreasing income since the beginning of the pandemic were more likely to increase the importance assigned to these values with respect to individuals whose economic well-being has remained unchanged. Moreover, an increase in conservation and openness to change values predicted behaviors that are mostly expressive of these values, above and beyond value importance at Time 1. Results and their implications for the study of values are discussed.

Personal values and academic achievement.

Using data from two studies, we investigate the role of basic values in predicting academic achievement. We focus on self-direction and conformity, two-value domains that have been neglected or understudied in earlier research on academic success. In line with the refined value theory, we split self-direction into independence of thought and of action, and conformity into compliance with rules and formal obligations (Rules), and avoidance of upsetting others (Interpersonal). We obtained grades as measures of academic achievement in two samples of Italian high-school students. In Study 1 (n = 234), we measured values with the PVQ-40 and academic motivation. In Study 2 (n = 215), we measured values with the PVQ-RR and both attendance rates and classroom conduct. Results: Both self-direction-thought and conformity-rules correlated with higher grades. These two values related to grades through a different path. Self-direction thought promoted grades through autonomous forms of academic motivation. Conformity rules promoted grades through better teachers' evaluations of students' classroom behaviour. Self-direction-action and conformity-interpersonal were unrelated to grades. Regarding the other values, hedonism and stimulation related negatively to grades. Theoretical and practical implications of results are discussed.

Signs of Dissociation and Symptoms of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Case-Control Study.

BACKGROUND: Several psychological disorders have been described in patients affected by inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Few studies have focused on the relationship between IBD and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and no data are available on the relationship between IBD and dissociative symptoms. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the prevalence of PTSD and dissociative symptoms in a sample of IBD patients compared to healthy controls. A possible relationship with disease activity was also investigated. METHODS: A total of 112 IBD patients, 55 Crohn's disease (CD) and 57 ulcerative colitis (UC), and 114 healthy individuals were evaluated. IBD patients were divided into 3 subgroups according to disease activity (remission, mild, and moderate). The revised version of the Impact of Event Scale (IES-R) and the Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) were administered to patients and controls. RESULTS: IBD patients showed significantly higher rates of PTSD and dissociative symptoms compared to healthy controls. No differences were found between CD and UC patients. PTSD and dissociative symptoms were higher among CD patients with mild to moderate-severe activity compared to the remission group. No differences were found among UC patients with different activity levels. CONCLUSION: IBD patients show a high prevalence of dissociative and traumatic affective disorders. Future studies are needed to investigate the role of these disorders in the clinical course and management of IBD patients according to the different disease activity phase.

How Is Working Memory Related to Reading Comprehension in Italian Monolingual and Bilingual Children?

This study explored how working memory resources contributed to reading comprehension using tasks that focused on maintenance of verbal information in the phonological store, the interaction between the central executive and the phonological store (WMI), and the storage of bound semantic content in the episodic buffer (immediate narrative memory). We analysed how performance in these tasks was related to text decoding (reading speed and accuracy), listening and reading comprehension. The participants were 62 monolingual and 36 bilingual children (mean age nine years, SD = 9 months) enrolled in the same Italian primary school. Bilingual children were born to immigrant parents and had a long history of exposure to Italian as a second language. The regression analyses showed that reading accuracy and listening comprehension were associated with reading comprehension for monolingual and bilingual children. Two working memory components-WMI and immediate narrative memory-exhibited indirect effects on reading comprehension through reading accuracy and listening comprehension, respectively. Such effects occurred only for monolingual children. We discuss the implications of such findings for text reading and comprehension in monolinguals and bilinguals.

An Italian adaptation of the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale: Testing measurement invariance across grade levels and exploring associations with academic achievement.

This study aims to examine the properties of an Italian version of the Child-Adolescent Perfectionism Scale (CAPS), one of the most widely used instrument for the assessment of self-oriented (SOP) and socially-prescribed (SPP) perfectionism in young people. The study was conducted on two large samples of middle (n = 379, Mage = 11.31) and high school (n = 451, Mage = 15.21) students. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the expected three-factor structure, comprising SOP-Striving, SOP-Critical, and SPP. Multigroup analyses provided evidence of configural, metric, and (partial) scalar measurement invariance across grade levels. Structural invariance (i.e., the invariance of factor variances and covariances) was also established. The scale scores exhibited a differentiated pattern of relations with personality traits and academic achievement, as measured by school grades: SOP-Critical and SPP were positively related to neuroticism and have adverse effects on grades of middle and high school students, respectively. SOP-Striving, by contrast, was positively related to conscientiousness and predicted higher grades. The SOP-Striving-achievement relation was consistent across grade levels and held even after controlling for individual differences in conscientiousness and neuroticism. In sum, results from this study establish sound psychometric properties for an Italian version of the CAPS, providing support for the dual nature of self-oriented perfectionism among adolescents of different ages.

Development and Validation of a Short Version of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ-S).

We conducted three studies (total n = 998) aimed at developing and validating a shortened version of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaire (i.e., the RST-PQ-S). In Study 1 (n = 341), twenty-two items were selected from the original RST-PQ, based on both theoretical and empirical criteria. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on this short-form supported the six-factor structure comprising: FFFS, BIS, and four BAS components (Reward Interest, Goal Drive-Persistence, Reward Reactivity, and Impulsivity). The six scale scores showed adequate levels of internal consistency. Construct validity was supported by correlations with established personality measures. In Study 2 (n = 340), CFA results were cross-validated in an independent sample and construct validity was supported by correlations with BIS/BAS scales. In Study 3 (n = 317) test-retest correlations showed acceptable-to-good levels of temporal stability over a four-week interval. Results revealed a substantial overlap with original, full-length RST-PQ, providing evidence for the comparability of the two versions. Latent State-Trait analyses showed that the items of the RST-PQ-S mostly capture interindividual differences that are stable across situations. Taken together, findings indicate that the RST-PQ-S provides an efficient, valid and reliable alterative to the longer RST-PQ.

Measurement Invariance of Three Narcissism Questionnaires Across the United States, the United Kingdom, and Germany.

With a recent surge of research on narcissism, narcissism questionnaires are increasingly being translated and applied in various countries. The measurement invariance of an instrument across countries is a precondition for being able to compare scores across countries. We investigated the cross-cultural measurement invariance of three narcissism questionnaires (Brief Pathological Narcissism Inventory [B-PNI], Narcissistic Personality Inventory [NPI], and Narcissistic Admiration and Rivalry Questionnaire [NARQ]) and mean-level differences across samples from the United States (N = 2,464), the United Kingdom (N = 307), and Germany (N = 925). Overall, the B-PNI and NARQ functioned equivalently for the U.S. and U.K. participants. More violations of measurement invariance were found between Germany and the combined U.S. and U.K. samples, and for the NPI. In the B-PNI and NARQ, Americans scored higher than individuals from the United Kingdom regarding agentic aspects (self-sacrificing self-enhancement, admiration), while Germans scored lower than both Americans and U.K. individuals regarding antagonistic (entitlement rage, rivalry) and neurotic (hiding the self, contingent self-esteem) aspects. More inconsistent results were found for NPI facets. When noninvariance was present, observed means yielded biased results. Thus, the degree of measurement invariance across translated instrument versions should be considered in cross-cultural comparisons, even with culturally similar countries.

BIS and BAS Sensitivities at Different Levels of Personality Description: A Latent-Variable Approach with Self- and Informant-Ratings.

We examine the structural overlap of the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) and the Behavioral Approach System (BAS) with Stability and Plasticity, the two higher-order factors encompassing the Big Five. Carver and White's BIS/BAS and the Big Five Inventory were administered to a sample of 330 adults, serving both as targets and informants. Self- and other-ratings were modeled by using the Correlated Trait-Correlated Method model. BIS and BAS correlated highly with metatraits, after method variance and measurement error were partialled out: BIS was positively related to Stability, while BAS was positively related to Plasticity and negatively related to Stability. After the higher-order factors were controlled, the BIS was highly and positively related to Emotional stability, whereas the BAS had a small but significant relationship with Extraversion. Findings are discussed with regard to the most appropriate level of generality/specificity at which the personality correlates of BIS and BAS can be investigated.

Personality trait change at work: Associations with organizational socialization and identification.

OBJECTIVE: This study investigates associations between Big Five personality trait change, organizational socialization, and organizational identification during a 3-year police officer training program (N = 416 police officer cadets). METHOD: Participants completed a questionnaire measuring the Big Five personality traits when they entered the training academy, and then, completed the same personality questionnaire, along with measures of organizational socialization and identification, during their 2nd (n = 360) and 3rd (n = 397) year of training. RESULTS: Results corroborated the hypotheses that (a) the Big Five traits can show systematic changes even across a relatively short time period and (b) this change is functional, given that the latent difference scores of all Big Five traits significantly predicted increases in organizational socialization and identification. CONCLUSION: The Big five personality traits showed significant mean level changes across the 3-year training program. Although these changes were not fully consistent with theoretical expectations, they did predict two aspects of organizational adjustment (socialization and identification). The theoretical and practical implications of these findings were discussed.

Correction: A longitudinal study on perceived health in cardiovascular patients: The role of conscientiousness, subjective wellbeing and cardiac self-efficacy.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223862.].

Stability and change of basic personal values in early adolescence: A 2-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: We examined patterns of change and stability in the whole set of 10 Schwartz values over 2 years during early adolescence. METHOD: Participants completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire repeatedly throughout the junior high school years. The study involved six waves of data and a total of 382 respondents aged 10 years at the first measurement occasion (43% female). We investigated multiple types of stability in the values: mean-level, rank-order, and ipsative stability. RESULTS: At the mean-level, self-enhancement, and Openness to change values increased in importance. Self-direction and hedonism values showed the greatest increase-about one-third of a standard deviation. Conservation and self-transcendence values did not change with the exception of tradition, which decreased slightly. After correcting for measurement error, rank-order stability coefficients ranged from .39 (hedonism) to .77 (power). Correlations between value hierarchies measured 2 years apart were ≥.85 for 75% of respondents, and ≤.12 for 5% of the respondents. Thus only a small proportion of participants experienced a marked change in the relative importance they ascribed to the 10 values. CONCLUSIONS: Results are discussed and related to earlier findings on patterns and magnitude of value change during other periods of the life span.

A longitudinal study on perceived health in cardiovascular patients: The role of conscientiousness, subjective wellbeing and cardiac self-efficacy.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the world's most prevalent chronic disease and the leading chronic cause of morbidity. There are several psychosocial factors associated with quality of life during CVD. Our main objectives were to analyze the roles of conscientiousness, subjective wellbeing and self-efficacy beliefs. The sample comprised 514 patients (mean age 63.57 years) who were assessed twice over a nine-month interval. At Time 1, participants answered a questionnaire assessing conscientiousness, perceived subjective wellbeing (positive and negative affect, life satisfaction), cardiac self-efficacy and health-related quality of life (HRQoL). The same variables (except for conscientiousness) were re-assessed at Time 2. Results showed that conscientiousness had a positive relation with subjective wellbeing, cardiac self-efficacy, and HRQoL at Time 1. Moreover, cardiac self-efficacy at Time 1 had a positive longitudinal effect on HRQoL at Time 2, while controlling for autoregressive effects. Mediation analyses indicated that the relationship between conscientiousness and HRQoL was mediated by positive affect and cardiac self-efficacy. These results suggest the usefulness of psychosocial interventions aimed at promoting positive affect and self-efficacy beliefs among CVD patients.

A look into the relationship between personality traits and basic values: A longitudinal investigation.

OBJECTIVE: The present study examines the longitudinal association between basic personal values and the Big Five personality traits. METHOD: A sample of 546 young adults (57% females) with a mean age of 21.68 years (SD = 1.60) completed the Portrait Values Questionnaire and the Big Five Questionnaire at three time points, each separated by an interval of 4 years. Cross-lagged models were used to investigate the possible reciprocal relations between traits and values, after the stability of the variables was taken into account. RESULTS: We found that values did not affect trait development. Traits, by contrast, have some effects on how values change. Specifically, high levels of Agreeableness predict an increase over time in the importance assigned to benevolence values. Similarly, high levels of Openness predict a later increase in the importance assigned to self-direction values. The same effect was not found for the other traits. Additionally, except for in the case of Emotional Stability, traits showed synchronous (i.e., within wave) correlations with values, suggesting that part of this relationship is due to common antecedents. CONCLUSIONS: Mechanisms underlying the associations between traits and values are discussed.

Measuring automatic value orientations: The Achievement-Benevolence Implicit Association Test.

The construct and criterion validity of an Implicit Association Test designed to rate the importance ascribed to Achievement-Benevolence oriented goals (AB-IAT) according to Schwartz's model were investigated. In a first study (N = 113), the AB-IAT and three other value-IATs (Power-Universalism, Security-Self-direction, and Tradition-Stimulation) were administered along with the corresponding self-report scales. The AB-IAT showed the following: (1) an adequate internal consistency; (2) a small correlation and a different pattern of means with respect to the corresponding self-report scale; (3) a pattern of correlations with the other value-IATs that is consistent with Schwartz's model. In a second study (N = 99), results showed that (1) in contrast to self-report measures of values, the AB-IAT appeared unrelated to social desirability; (2) the AB-IAT was significantly correlated with an actual behaviour expressing Benevolence values; (3) in accordance with a double dissociation pattern of prediction, implicit and explicit values are best predictors of actual and self-rated behaviours, respectively. Overall, results of the studies support the construct and criterion validity of the AB-IAT. Moreover, they provide a first support for the generalizability of Schwartz's model in the realm of implicit social cognition, and for the applicability of dual-process models in value research.

Psychometric Characteristics of a New Scale for Measuring Self-efficacy in the Regulation of Gambling Behavior.

Since its introduction in 1977, self-efficacy has proven to be a fundamental predictor of positive adjustment and achievement in many domains. In problem gambling studies, self-efficacy has been defined mainly as an individual's ability to avoid gambling in risky situations. The interest in this construct developed mainly with regard to treatment approaches, where abstinence from gambling is required. Very little is known, however, regarding self-efficacy as a protective factor for problem gambling. This study aims to fill this gap, proposing a new self-efficacy scale which measures not only the ability to restrain oneself from gambling but also the ability to self-regulate one's gambling behavior. Two studies were conducted in which the data from two Italian prevalence surveys on problem gambling were considered. A total of about 6,000 participants were involved. In the first study, the psychometric characteristics of this new self-efficacy scale were investigated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. The results indicated the presence of two different factors: self-efficacy in self-regulating gambling behavior and self-efficacy in avoiding risky gambling behavior. The second study confirmed the replicability of the two-factor solution and displayed high correlations among these two self-efficacy dimensions and different measures of gambling activities as well as other psychological variables related to gambling (gambling beliefs, gambling motivation, risk propensity, and impulsiveness). The results of logistic regression analyses showed the particular importance of self-regulating gaming behavior in explaining problem gambling as measured by Problem Gambling Severity Index and South Oaks Gambling Screen, thus proving the role of self-efficacy as a pivotal protective factor for problem gambling.

Factorial structure and construct validity of an Italian version of the Fears of Compassion Scales: A study on non-clinical subjects.

OBJECTIVES: This study was aimed at investigating the factorial structure and the construct validity of the Italian translation of the Fears of Compassion (FC) Scales in a non-clinical sample (i.e., Fear of Compassion From Others [FCFO], Fear of Compassion Towards Others [FCTO] and Fear of Self-Compassion [FSC]). An exploratory factor analysis was conducted on all the items to investigate the dimensionality of the FC scales. To assess construct validity, correlations between the FC scales and a series of construct-related measures were analysed. DESIGN/METHODS: After being translated into Italian using a back-translation procedure, the questionnaire was administered to a community sample of 298 participants (82 males) with a mean age of 24.31 (SD = 8.75), along with self-report measures of psychopathological symptoms, attachment style, self-esteem, satisfaction with life and altruistic behaviour. A behavioural test of altruism was also administered in a subsample of 40 subjects. RESULTS: Thirteen of 38 items did not show adequate psychometric characteristics and thus were removed. The remaining 25 items showed a clear 3-factor solution which explained 48% of the variance. FC Scales were significantly correlated with all the construct-related scales administered in the expected direction, with higher effect sizes for FCFO and FSC than FCTO. CONCLUSIONS: Although 13 items were removed, results confirmed the expected three factor solution for the Italian translation of FC scales, and provided new evidence for their construct validity. In this vein, an interesting pattern of correlations emerged with psychiatric symptoms and prosocial behaviour, indicating that FCFO and FSC are more powerful correlates of psychopathology and altruism with respect to FCTO. PRACTITIONER POINTS: Fears of Compassion Scales have been increasingly used in clinical and research settings. The reduced Italian version of the FCS developed in this study is a valid and parsimonious instrument. Fears of receiving compassion from others and from ourselves are more powerful predictors of psychopathological symptoms than fear of giving compassion to others. Fears of Compassion Scales were correlated with both a self-report and a behavioural measure of altruism.

Gender differences in personal values of national and local Italian politicians, activists and voters.

Theorists of politics of presence postulate that women elected to political office would still hold values similar to ordinary women and therefore represent them better than male politicians. Gender differences in personal values, which underline and give coherence to core political values, have been found among voters: males score higher on self-enhancement values (power and achievement) and females higher on self-transcendence values (universalism and benevolence). Our study aims to explore if gender differences in personal values are still present among activists, local and national politicians. We administer a shortened version of the Portrait Values Questionnaire to 233 Italian national politicians (46% females), 425 local politicians (56% females), 626 political activists (44% females), and 3249 ordinary citizens (49% females). Our results confirm only partially politics of presence theory: females at all levels of political involvement score higher in self-transcendent values that emphasise concern for the welfare of others, but no significant gender differences emerge for self-enhancement, which favour the pursuit of self-interest. Our findings support ethical struggles for more balanced gender representation: a higher proportion of women in politics could strengthen the political representation of self-transcendence values.

Ego-resiliency development from late adolescence to emerging adulthood: A ten-year longitudinal study.

This study examined the development of ego-resiliency from late adolescence to emerging adulthood, using a 10-year cohort-sequential design. Participants were 335 Italian adolescents (173 females and 162 males), living, at the time of the study, in Genzano, a small city near to Rome. Latent growth curve analyses indicated that the developmental trajectory of ego-resiliency from 15 to 25 years is adequately described by a piecewise model that included separate growth profiles corresponding to different developmental stages. Essentially, ego-resiliency remained remarkably stable until the end of high school, and then encountered a phase of relative increase. Moreover, the trajectory of ego-resiliency from ages 15 to 19 was predicted by self-efficacy beliefs in managing negative emotions, and the trajectory from age 19 to 25 was predicted by experienced familial support and self-efficacy beliefs in expressing positive emotions at age 15. Experienced stressful life events also accounted for individuals' deviation from the typical ego-resiliency trajectory.