Differentiation of Self and Dyadic Adjustment in Couple Relationships: A Dyadic Analysis Using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model.

Bowen's multigenerational theory provides an account of how the internalization of experiences within the family of origin promotes development of the ability to maintain a distinct self whilst also making intimate connections with others. Differentiated people can maintain their I-position in intimate relationships. They can remain calm in conflictual relationships, resolve relational problems effectively, and reach compromises. Fusion with others, emotional cut-off, and emotional reactivity instead are common reactions to relational stress in undifferentiated people. Emotional reactivity is the tendency to react to stressors with irrational and intense emotional arousal. Fusion with others is an excessive emotional involvement in significant relationships, whilst emotional cut-off is the tendency to manage relationship anxiety through physical and emotional distance. This study is based on Bowen's theory, starting from the assumption that dyadic adjustment can be affected both by a member's differentiation of self (actor effect) and by his or her partner's differentiation of self (partner effect). We used the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model to study the relationship between differentiation of self and dyadic adjustment in a convenience sample of 137 heterosexual Italian couples (nonindependent, dyadic data). The couples completed the Differentiation of Self Inventory and the Dyadic Adjustment Scale. Men's dyadic adjustment depended only on their personal I-position, whereas women's dyadic adjustment was affected by their personal I-position and emotional cut-off as well as by their partner's I-position and emotional cut-off. The empirical and clinical implications of the results are discussed.

La teoría multigeneracional de Bowen (1978) ofrece una explicación de cómo la internalización de experiencias dentro de la familia de origen promueve el desarrollo de la capacidad para mantener un yo diferenciado y a su vez conectarse de forma íntima con otras personas. Las personas diferenciadas pueden mantener su posición del yo en las relaciones amorosas. Pueden mantener la calma en relaciones conflictivas, resolver problemas relacionales eficazmente y llegar a acuerdos. En cambio, la fusión con los demás, el distanciamiento emocional y la sensibilidad emocional son reacciones comuntes al estrés relacional en las personas indiferenciadas. La sensibilidad emocional es la tendencia a reaccionar a factores desencadentes de estrés con excitación emocional irracional e intensa. La fusión con los demás es una implicación emocional excesiva en las relaciones significativas, mientras que el distanciamiento emocional es la tendencia a controlar la ansiedad relacional mediante la distancia física y emocional. Este estudio se basa en la teoría de Bowen, comenzando desde la suposición de que la adaptación diádica puede verse afectada tanto por la diferenciación del yo de un integrante de la pareja (efecto actor) como por la diferenciación del yo de su pareja (efecto pareja). Utilizamos el modelo de interdependicia actor-pareja (Cook & Kenny, 2005) para estudiar la relación entre la diferenciación del yo y la adaptación diádica en una muestra de conveniencia de 137 parejas italianas heterosexuales (datos diádicos, no independientes). Las parejas contestaron la "Encuesta sobre la diferenciación del yo" (Differentiation of Self Inventory, Skowron & Schmitt, 2003) y la "Escala de adaptación diádica" (Dyadic Adjustment Scale, Spanier, 1976). La adaptación diádica de los hombres dependió solo de su posición personal del yo, mientras que la adaptación diádica de las mujeres estuvo afectada por su posición personal del yo y el distanciamiento emocional así como por la posición del yo y el distanciamiento emocional de su pareja. Se debaten las consecuencias empíricas y clínicas de los resultados.

Burnout without a job: An explorative study on a sample of Italian unemployed jobseekers.

Background: Search for work is in itself a job and its outcomes are similar to those of job burnout: it can generate feelings of exhaustion, detachment from the commitment to research, and a sense of ineffectiveness. The aim of the present study is to investigate the construct of burnout within the category of long-term unemployed people engaged in job search activity. Design and methods: The study has a cross-sectional, descriptive, and exploratory nature. Two hundred eight Italian unemployed jobseekers compiled an adaptation of the OCS Burnout scale, by Maslach and Leiter. An Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) was performed to investigate the psychometric features of the instrument. The relations between the instrument and age and months of job search variables were assessed through Spearman's Rho coefficient of co-graduation. Finally, a MANOVA was carried out. Results: The questionnaire is able to intercept and describe the dimensions of respondents' burnout with respect to four dimensions: Exhaustion, Disengagement, Effectiveness in job search, Disillusion. Correlation analysis shows that the duration of the job search period has a positive relationship with Exhaustion, Disillusion, and Disengagement; a negative relationship with Effectiveness in job search. Finally, MANOVA shows that older unemployed people rate themselves less effective in job searching and more exhausted, compared to younger unemployed people. Conclusions: The psychosocial effects of job search on the unemployed are still little studied, and this research, through the construct of burnout, proposes a comprehensive and articulated key to its understanding.

Job Seekers' Burnout and Engagement: A Qualitative Study of Long-Term Unemployment in Italy.

Long-term unemployment has major consequences from an economic, physical and psychosocial perspective. Several authors have pointed out that the search for employment is in itself work, which can generate feelings of exhaustion of psychophysical energies, cynicism and disinvestment, as well as a sense of ineffectiveness to the point of complete disillusion. The construct of burnout can be used to describe this psychological process. This study evaluated the burnout and engagement dimensions in individuals searching for work for a long time, from a qualitative perspective. Fifty-six semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of long-term unemployed job seekers (Sardinia, Italy), based on Maslach's model of burnout (exhaustion, cynicism, effectiveness in job search). The answers to the semi-structured interviews were processed through T-Lab, a semi-automatic textual analysis software. Four thematic cores emerged: exhaustion vs. engagement, cynicism vs. trust, inefficacy vs. efficacy in job search and disillusion vs. hope. This result is consistent with the four-dimensional theoretical model of burnout, originally proposed by Edelwich and Brodsky, recently taken up by Santinello, and framed as the opposite of engagement, as shown in the JD-R model. This study highlights that burnout can describe the psychosocial experiences of long-term unemployed job seekers.

Smartphone Distraction: Italian Validation of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS).

This work aimed to validate the use of the Smartphone Distraction Scale (SDS) in Italy. The SDS was devised to assess distraction related to smartphone use in adult populations. A cross-sectional study was conducted among n = 609 adults (females = 76.4%; mean age = 30.26; SD age = 9.90). An assessment of the factorial structure of the Italian version was carried out using exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The four factors identified by Throuvala and colleagues were confirmed (i.e., attention impulsiveness, online vigilance, multitasking and emotion regulation). Reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient (0.703-0.889). The scale's scores showed significant linear correlations with validated instruments, including the Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS)and the Cognitive Failures Questionnaire (CFQ). A multivariate analysis of variance showed significant differences in the means among participants belonging to different age groups (born before 1995 vs. born after 1996). In summary, the good psychometric properties observed led us to assume that this instrument can be applied and used in Italian studies to assess the cognitive dimension of distraction related to the use of smartphones.

Anxiety, Depression, Emotion Regulation, and Daytime Sleepiness: Are There Links Between These Factors? Network Analysis on an Italian Sample During the Covid-19 Pandemic.

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the occurrence of psychological disturbances, such as depressive and anxiety symptomatology, thereby significantly impacting individuals' lifestyles by disrupting sleep patterns. This study aimed to elucidate the interconnections between emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, and daytime sleepiness. Method: We recruited 632 community adults who underwent an online survey of self-report questionnaires, including the Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS).A network analysis was performed to examine and visually represent the pattern of relationships between psychological distress, emotion regulation, and daytime sleepiness. Results: The DERS Strategy dimension showed high values across all centrality indices, indicating it as the most influential node in the network. In addition, the DASS Depression and DERS Goals dimensions exhibited high betweenness values, emerging as points of connection between the other nodes within the network structure. Conclusions: Our primary findings underscore the connection between psychological distress and emotion regulation, specifically between depressive symptoms, a lack of emotional clarity, and difficulty in the flexible use of emotional strategies. These specific constructs hold promising potential as valuable targets for both assessment and the development of effective interventions during highly challenging situations such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Italian version of the mobile phone problematic use scale for adults (MPPUS): A validation study.

The Mobile Phone Problematic Use Scale (MPPUS) is a self-report measure developed to identify the problematic use of mobile phones (PSU) among adults. The purpose of this study was to create an Italian version of this scale. A sample of 568 Italian adults completed the MPPUS, presented in association with another validated scale for the assessment of smartphone addiction. We carried out exploratory factor analyses on the MPPUS. Findings emphasised that the Italian version of the MPPUS fits a bi-factor model, in which the general factor 'PSU' was found, including two additional specific factors (i.e., 'Withdrawal and social aspects' and 'Craving and escape from other problems'). The MPPUS was correlated with the Smartphone Addiction Scale short version. With respect to criterion-oriented validity, the MMPUS was also evaluated in relation to socio-demographic variables (i.e., age and gender). The internal consistency and temporal stability of the scales (test-retest assessment after three months) were confirmed.

Development of the motivation to use substance questionnaire.

BACKGROUND: The use of a substance is always accompanied by a motivation that pushes the subject to use and abuse the substance. This work reports the validation data of the MUS (Motivation to Use Substance), which measures and evaluates the motivation to use substances based on the dimension of resistance, confidence, pleasure, and relaxation. METHODS: The validation process involved 605 subjects belonging to a clinical sample of patients who used substances. The sample was divided into two groups: on the first, consisting of 342 subjects, an exploratory analysis was carried out, and on the second, consisting of 263 subjects, a confirmatory analysis was carried out. For concurrent and convergent validation, the SCL-90 test (Symptom Check List-90) was administered for the measurement of addiction-related psychiatric symptoms, and the ASI (Addiction Severity Index) test was administered for the measurement of the severity of the addiction. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: The MUS was found to be a robust test of construct validity, convergent, and concurrent. The results highlight gender and age differences for some of the MUS scales. Ultimately, MUS can be considered an excellent tool for structuring treatment programs for addiction services.

To be assertive or not to be assertive: That is the question! Students' reactions to sexual harassment in academia.

Introduction: In the literature, no integrated definition of sexual harassment (SH) occurs but there is clear unanimity about SH being offensive, humiliating, and intimidating behavior. Within academic settings, SH has severe negative effects on students' physical or emotional wellbeing as well as on their ability to succeed academically. Methods: The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between sex, gender roles, and the ways to manage SH (assertive and nonassertive reactions) in university students. It was hypothesized that female students would report more nonassertive reactions compared to male students. In addition, following the Bem theory on gender roles and using the self-report tool by the same author, it is hypothesized that female and male students, who are classified as feminine, will report more nonassertive responses, whereas male and female students, who are classified as masculine, will report more assertive responses. Our hypothesis was tested with a sample of 1,415 university students (593 men, 41.9%, and 822 women, 58.1%) who completed a questionnaire approved by the local ethical review board for research from the end of January 2019 to the first half of February 2019. Results: Contrary to our hypothesis, results showed that women react more than men in both assertive and nonassertive modalities. In addition, our results confirmed the main effect of both sex and gender roles on students' assertive and nonassertive reactions to SH in academia. Conclusion: Educational programs about SH may prove useful in preventing its occurrence. Gender equality plans in academia can improve a nonsexist and safe environment for students. It is urgent to improve transparency and accountability of policies on the management of SH: academic institutions need to formulate a procedure to facilitate SH reporting, considering the sensitive balance of confidentiality and transparency issues. Support for the victims (social services, healthcare, legal representation, and advice concerning career/professional development) must be included.

Burnout and Engagement Dimensions in the Reception System of Illegal Immigration in the Mediterranean Sea. A Qualitative Study on a Sample of Italian Practitioners.

The present study describes the semantic nature of burnout and engagement in the operators involved in the management of illegal immigration. Semi-structured interviews were conducted on a sample of Italian practitioners (n = 62) of the two levels of the reception system considered: (1) rescue and first aid and (2) reception and integration. Within the framework of the job demands-resources model (JD-R), the interviews deepened the analysis of the positive and negative dimensions of burnout and engagement: exhaustion versus energy, relational deterioration versus relational involvement, professional inefficacy versus professional efficacy and disillusion versus trust. The interviews were analysed using the T-Lab software, through a cluster analysis (bisecting K-means algorithm), which emphasised noteworthy themes. The results show that, in the vast majority of the dimensions considered (for both levels of reception), the same dimensions of engagement of the operators (energy, relational involvement, professional efficacy and trust) are able to lead them into a condition of burnout, with experiences, conversely, of exhaustion, relational deterioration, professional inefficacy and disillusion. These findings expand the knowledge on burnout and engagement in practitioners of illegal immigration, a context characterised by the value of help and welcome.

Teaching in Times of the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Pilot Study on Teachers' Self-Esteem and Self-Efficacy in an Italian Sample.

The aim of this research was to investigate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on teachers, particularly on their self-esteem and self-efficacy, their difficulty in the transition to distance learning, the difficulty of students, and specially of students with learning disabilities (LDs students), as perceived by teachers. 226 teachers were invited to complete an online questionnaire. Our results showed lower self-esteem and lower self-efficacy by the teachers compared with the normative sample. Self-esteem and self-efficacy also decrease in teachers with greater service seniority at work. Teachers perceived a greater difficulty in students than in their own difficulty. The concentration of the school system's efforts on the massive and, for long periods, exclusive organisation of distance learning risks favouring only cognitive aspects to the detriment of affective dynamics. This aspect could make teaching more complex for teachers and learning poorer for students, impoverishing the complex relational process that forms the basis of the learning process.

Moral Disengagement, Empathy, and Cybervictim's Representation as Predictive Factors of Cyberbullying among Italian Adolescents.

This study aimed to evaluate which aspects of moral disengagement (MD), empathy, and representations of the victim's experience (VER) could be predictors of cyberbullying (CB). One hundred and eight-nine students (11-17 years old) completed 3 self-report questionnaires: An MD scale, an empathy scale, and a CB questionnaire. In relation to the personal experience of CB, four groups were identified: Victim, bully, bully/victim, and no experience with CB. The linear bivariate correlation analysis shows correlations between empathy and VER, between empathy and MD, and between MD and VER. A multinomial logistic regression identified which predictors could increase a subject's probability of belonging to one of the four groups regarding the personal experience of CB (victim, bully, bully/victim, no experience). Findings highlighted that low cognitive empathy might increase the probability for a student to belong to the bullies' group, rather than the victims' group. Furthermore, low perception of the consequences of CB on the victim might increase the probability of belonging to the bully, bully/victim, and no experience groups. Then, a high score in the diffusion of responsibility was a significant predictor of belonging to the victim group rather than the no experience group. Results from this study confirm the need for preventive measures against CB, including the empowerment of cognitive empathy, decreasing the diffusion of responsibility, and increasing the awareness of the consequences of CB on the victim.

Principal Component Analysis of the Social and Behavioral Rhythms Scale in elderly.

BACKGROUND: Changes in social and behavioral rhythms (SBR) in the elderly are related to health status. Nevertheless, there is no data on factor analysis of the Brief Social Rhythm Scale (BSRS) an internationally well-known tool in this field. The aim was to analyze, in the elderly, the factorial structure of the Italian version of BSRS.  Design and methods: Principal Component Analysis of the BSRS carried out in elderly living at home. RESULTS: Sample of 141 participants (83 Females, 58,9%), aged 72.3±4.8. All the items of the questionnaire were related and could compose a single factor, explaining 56% of variance. A solution adopting two factors, the first (including items 1,2,3,4,9,10), the second (including items 5,6,7,8), covered cumulatively 78.8% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS: The study confirms that the BSRS is consistent with the idea for which it was built and can be useful for the study of the regularity of SBR in old adults.

Emotional Intelligence, Self-Regulation, Smartphone Addiction: Which Relationship With Student Well-Being and Quality of Life?

This study emphasizes the importance of analyzing factors that contribute to student well-being, as a result of the multiplicity of factors that can affect their quality of life (QoL). The literature indicates that, among these factors, emotional intelligence and self-regulation play a central role in influencing adolescents' psychological and scholastic well-being. Technology is a fundamental aspect of adolescent life but addiction to the use of smartphones is increasing, which can affect both emotional intelligence and self-regulation, and in turn individual well-being and QoL. Therefore, this study explores the role of smartphone use with respect to these aspects. Participants were 215 Italian students attending middle school. By applying partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM), the results confirm that self-regulation affects the QoL of students, but its role varies according to the degree of smartphone addiction. In conclusion, we confirm the relevance of the relationship between self-regulation and smartphone addiction in teaching students to be aware of their time spent using smartphones. Emotional intelligence and, in general, self-regulation should be encouraged to support the well-being and QoL of students in their adolescence at school.

Cognitive Flexibility Inventory: Factor structure, invariance, reliability, convergent, and discriminant validity among Italian university students.

Cognitive flexibility (CF) is a fundamental human ability to adjust cognitive processing strategies to deal with new and unpredicted situations. In this sense, using valid and theoretically grounded measures of cognitive flexibility is critical. A new measure of CF, the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory, has recently been validated. This measure comprises two subscales: (1) Alternatives, which assesses ability in identifying alternative solutions and generating several explanations; and (2) Control, which assesses ability in perceiving difficult conditions as controllable. The main purpose of our study was to investigate the factorial structure, reliability, and measurement invariance of the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory in an Italian sample of university students. A self-report questionnaire was administered to 543 Italian university students. Results showed acceptable construct validity for the Italian version of the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory. Specifically, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis supported a two-factor model, Alternatives and Control, with19 items. Moreover, multigroup analyses showed structural invariance across sex. In sum, our results suggested that the Italian version of the Cognitive Flexibility Inventory is a valid instrument for assessing cognitive flexibility.

A Pilot Study of the Relationship Between Pregnancy and Autoimmune Disease: Exploring the Mother's Psychological Process.

Autoimmune disease mainly affects women in their reproductive years and has a significant impact on childbearing. Pregnancy can induce an improvement of the mother's symptomatology in some diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis while exacerbating or having no effect on other autoimmune diseases as multiple sclerosis (Borchers et al., 2010). This uncertainty can affect the process of psychological reorganization, which leads to the achievement of a maternal identity. The quality of the mother-fetus emotional bond is considered particularly relevant for the subsequent attachment relationship and the psychological development of the infant (Ammaniti et al., 2013). In the last trimester of pregnancy, 15 women with different autoimmune diseases were interviewed using the IRMAG-R (Ammaniti and Tambelli, 2010). They also completed a battery comprising: PAI (Della Vedova et al., 2008); MAAS (Busonera et al., 2016); DAS (Gentili et al., 2002); PBI (Scinto et al., 1999); MSPSS (Prezza and Principato, 2002); DERS, (Giromini et al., 2012); CES-D (Fava, 1983); HCR-TS (Bova et al., 2012). All interviews were audiotaped, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed by Atlas.ti. The results show that women with autoimmune disease were ambivalent toward pregnancy, had high levels of depression, had difficulties in recognizing physical and psychological changes, and had difficulties in imagining the child. These are considered risk factors that could negatively affect the postnatal mother-infant relationship. These results focus on the importance of early multidisciplinary interventions that can support expectant women when they show signs of relationship difficulties with their infants prior to his/her birth.

Validation of a substance craving questionnaire (SCQ) in Italian population.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Substance Craving Questionnaire (SCQ-NOW), extended version of the Cocaine Craving Questionnaire (CCQ-NOW), defined as a multidimensional measure assessing the craving about cocaine, as conceptualized by Tiffany, Singleton, Haertzen, and Henningfield (1993). METHOD: 344 substance addicts (age 38.56 ±â€¯10.63 years old; 20.6% females) took part in the research. The Confirmatory Factor Analysis showed that the Italian SCQ-NOW retains good psychometric properties, supporting the conception of substances craving as a multifold concept. RESULTS: The internal consistencies were good; correlations between the SCQ-NOW, the Symptom Check List 90 - R (SCL-90-R), and the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) were consistent with literature. CONCLUSION: Our findings confirm the application of SCQ-NOW as a psychometric useful measure of the craving in the Italian context, highlighting its validity and reliability. Implications for clinical practice are discussed.

Development and validation of a measure of work-family interface / Desarrollo y validación de una medida de la relación trabajo-familia

While research has traditionally analysed negative aspects of the work and family relationship by embracing a reductionist approach, over the past 20 years a number of studies have also focused on positive aspects. Our studies set out to validate the Italian version of the instrument developed by Kinnunen and cols. with a sample of 707 employees. Psychometric characteristics are presented, confirming the invariance of factorial structure and their validity in the Italian context. Results from different organizations confirm the four-factor model: negative work-to-family interface, negative family-to-work interface, positive work-to-family interface, and positive family-to-work interface. These results support the factorial validity and reliability of the Work-Family Interface Scale (WFIS) and its sustained use in organisational studies

Aunque tradicionalmente la investigación ha analizado los aspectos negativos de la relación entre el trabajo y la familia usando un enfoque reduccionista, en los pasados 20 años un número de estudios se ha centrado en los aspectos positivos. Nuestros estudios tratan de validar la versión italiana del instrumento desarrollado por Kinnunen y cols., con una muestra de 707 empleados. Se presentan las características psicométricas, confirmando la invarianza de la estructura factorial y su validez en el contexto italiano. Los resultados en diferentes organizaciones confirman el modelo de cuatro factores: interacción negativa trabajo-familia, interacción negativa familia-trabajo, interacción positiva trabajo-familia e interacción positiva familia-trabajo. Estos resultados apoyan la validez factorial y la fiabilidad de la escala de interacción trabajo-familia (WFIS) y su uso sostenido en estudios organizacionales