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This chapter addresses critical consciousness (CC) in educational and community psychology interventions with young people. We first introduce the conceptualisation of CC and its components, the main research findings on the links between CC and some individual and contextual variables, and its association with positive developmental outcomes. Then, we focus on interventions aimed to foster CC development in adolescents and young adults, presenting two case studies. The first case study is based on Youth- led Participatory Action Research (Y- PAR). The main goal was to promote critical active European citizenship, involving students at an Italian high school in a practical experience of PAR on social issues at local and European level. The second case study is based on the implementation of the service- learning (SL) methodology to promote CC and civic and cultural competences in Italian university students. Here the focus is on analysing the reflexive process in SL as a “tool” to critically understand and address social and cultural issues. Finally, the implications of CC for a future Community Psychology praxis are discussed.

The 2012–13 Italian national campaign against HIV/AIDS was based on a video primarily targeted to women, youth, migrants, and gay men. Its conceptual basis was to encourage preventive behaviors by promoting people’s perceived similarity and identification with the video characters and communicating the message that AIDS is everyone’s concern. The aim of this study was to investigate how people belonging to the target groups reacted to the video and, more specifically, their comprehension of the message, their perceived similarity and identification with the characters, and the perceived efficacy of the video. Fourteen focus groups were conducted with 130 participants. Transcripts were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. Results showed that the core message was adequately understood. Participants perceived themselves as partially similar to the video characters but they did not strongly identify with them. Most participants did not consider the video as effective. Peculiarities of the four target groups are discussed.

Background and Objectives: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a chronic autoimmune disease. Previous studies showed that perceived social support has an important role in enhancing patient's quality of life (QOL). However, the precise mechanisms through which social support exerts such an effect are not completely understood. The aim of this paper is to test two alternative models explaining the relationship between social support (positive and problematic) and two dimensions of QOL: Health-Related (HR-QOL) and Non-Health-Related (NHR-QOL). Design: Model A (mediation) hypothesized that positive support would reduce stress while problematic support would increase stress), and that this in turn would reduce QOL. Model B (moderation) hypothesized that the effect of support on QOL would be moderated by the experience of stress in that more stressed individuals would show stronger effects. Methods: Three hundred and forty-four Italian patients with SLE completed an online questionnaire. Results: Stress partially mediated the relationship between support and QOL dimensions (either HR-QOL and NHR-QOL) thus supporting Model B. As hypothesized, positive support reduced stress, while problematic support increased stress. Conclusions: These findings help to explain the complex relationship between social support, stress and QOL in patients with SLE.

The aim of the study was to assess the role of some psychosocial factors in explaining offline and online civic engagement intentions in a sample of Italian and second generation migrant (Albanian and Moroccan) adolescents and young adults living in Italy. The theoretical model was an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour including past experience. The sample included 598 adolescents and young adults (M = 19.32, SD = 3.17). Two hundred were Italian (88 males, 44.0%), 197 migrants of Albanian origin (130 males, 66%) and 201 migrants of Moroccan origin (116 males, 57.7%). Moroccan youth reported higher levels of both past civic engagement and future intentions than Albanian and Italian peers. Perceived effectiveness of civic engagement and past experience are consistently associated with stronger intentions to engage in the future (offline and online) in all groups. Internal efficacy plays a limited role, whereas the role of subjective norms differs according to the group and the source of normative influence (parents, peers).