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Background: Unique interpersonal synchrony occurs during every social interaction, and is shaped by characteristics of participating individuals in these social contexts. Additionally, depending on context demands, interpersonal synchrony is also altered. The study therefore aims to investigate culture, sex, and social context effects simultaneously in a novel role-play paradigm. Additionally, the effect of personality traits on synchrony was investigated across cultures, and a further exploratory analysis on the effects of these variables on pre- and post-session empathy changes was conducted. Methods: 83 dyads were recruited in two waves from Singapore and Italy and took part in a within-subjects session where they interacted with each other as themselves (Naturalistic Conversation) and as others (Role-Play and Role Reversal). Big Five Inventory (administered pre-session) and Interpersonal Reactivity Index (administered pre- and post-session) were used as measures of personality and empathy respectively, while synchrony was measured using hyperscanning functional near-infrared spectroscopy in the prefrontal cortex. After data-preprocessing and preliminary analyses, a mixture of multiple linear regression and exploratory forward stepwise regression models were used to address the above study aims. Results: Results revealed significant main and interaction effects of culture, sex and social context on brain-to-brain synchrony, particularly in the medial left cluster of the prefrontal cortex, and a unique contribution of extraversion and openness to experience to synchrony in the Italian cohort only. Finally, culture-driven differences in empathy changes were identified, where significant increases in empathy across sessions were generally only observed within the Singaporean cohort. Conclusions: Main findings indicate lowered brain-to-brain synchrony during role-playing activities that is moderated by the dyad's sex make-up and culture, implying differential processing of social interactions that is also influenced by individuals' background factors. Findings align with current literature that role-playing is a cognitively demanding activity requiring greater levels of self-regulation and suppression of self-related cognition as opposed to interpersonal co-regulation characterized by synchrony. However, the current pattern of results would be better supported by future studies investigating multimodal synchronies and corroboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this research is to explore nurses' experiences in caring for migrants, regular and non-regular, within outpatient clinics in Italy. Materials and Methods: Thirteen nurses have been interviewed through online semi-structured interviews, conducted with the support of a questionnaire, made by researchers, consisting of open-ended questions on legislative issues, cultural issues, and regarding best practices. Purposive sampling has been used, along with phone and email recruitment. The audio recordings of the interviews were verbatim transcribed, then examined. This study is a qualitative descriptive fundamental research project. Results: Interviewees highlight migrants' difficulties in accessing care, critical points of legislation, transcultural skills crucial to nurses, and good practices. A total of 105 labels were developed and grouped into 23 categories under 7 themes (Italian legislation and migrants; structural difficulties in assistance; the influence of politics; the work of NGOs and associations; nursing care; winning strategies; and the role of the Family and Community Nurse). Conclusion: The research highlights how access to care for migrants is hindered by legislative, structural, and cultural barriers, with consequences on the NHS (improper accesses to the emergency room, increased workload, and economic expenditure). For the full realization of the right to health, as enshrined by Art. 32 of the Constitution, changes are needed with respect to regulations and professionals' training. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]