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Several studies and clinical observations have proven the central role of the fear of guilt in the genesis and maintenance of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. To date, questionnaires are available in Italian that measure one’s propensity to experience guilt and sensitivity towards this emotion, understood as a tendency to negatively judge this experience and its effects, but not the fear of guilt and the commitment to prevent or neutralise this experience. The purpose of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Fear of Guilt Scale (FOGS), a tool that would facilitate a more comprehensive understanding of the weight of this specific factor in the obsessive symptomatology. To this end, the FOGS was administered to two non-clinical samples (Study 1) and to a clinical population diagnosed with either Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Major Depressive Disorder or Anxiety Disorder (Study2). Study 1 confirmed the original two-factors structure (Punishment and Harm Prevention), and showed adequate internal consistency, convergent and divergent validity of the Italian version of the FOGS. Study 2 revealed that the Italian version of the FOGS was able to discriminate between patients with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and the other clinical control groups, and in predicting the severity of obsessive symptoms. Clinical and research implications are also discussed., Rassegna di Psicologia, V. 37, N. 1 (2020)

In the last decade, Pathological Affective Dependence (PAD)—as a risk factor for Intimate Partner Violence (IPV)—has undergone considerable attention among clinical and social psychologists. However, the psychological nature of PAD has been described in discordant terms throughout the literature. We try to give a clear definition of the construct (1), theorize a first cognitive model of PAD (2), and describe the prototypical characteristics of a pathological affective dependent (in terms of goals, anti-goals, and dysfunctional self-other beliefs) based on goal-oriented theories (3). We finally present (4) the resulting specific TADs (typical affective dependent) profiles (Saver, Unworthy, Traumatic, and Mixed). We believe that our manuscript on the PAD makes a significant contribution to achieve the fifth UN Sustainable Development Goal aimed at eliminating “all forms of violence against all women”: in fact, understanding the psychological risk factors of IPV as PAD is an essential protective factor for designing effective prevention social strategies against IPV. Moreover, this work contributes to achieving one of the “outcome targets” of the sixteenth UN Sustainable Development Goal. It is dedicated to the promotion of “peaceful and inclusive societies”, through the reduction of all forms of violence and the protection of children from abuse. Indeed, IPV strongly affects (physical and mental) health and social sustainability of well-being. However, empirical studies on this topic are limited and there is a lack of a theoretical model of PAD. This work represents a theoretical starting point for a broader project aimed at building a cognitive-behavioral protocol and social interventions for the reduction of negative consequences on IPV victims.

Objectives Investigating protective and risk factors associated with depressive and anxious symptoms in youth is important. The current cross-sectional study aimed to explore the unique contributions of modifiable protective and risk factors associated with depressive and anxious tendencies and to identify the most important variables of this symptomatology in youth. Methods We applied a stepwise multiple linear regression to the data of 424 youth aged 13 to 22, who completed depression, anxiety, social safeness, mindfulness, forgiveness, self-reassurance, anger control, positive and negative affect, self-inadequacy, self-hate and revenge measures. The strongest protective factors were extracted first, followed by the next strongest factor, while controlling for the combined effect of previously extracted factors, until no significant factors were identified. Results Mindfulness, social safeness and self-reassurance were the strongest and the most relevant protective factors against depressive and anxious tendencies together explaining over 40% of variance in anxiety and over 30% in depression scores. After controlling for protective factors, risk factors explained 23% of variance in anxiety and 9% in depression with selfinadequacy, revenge and negative affect being the major risks. Conclusions Our findings highlight the protective role of mindfulness, social safeness and self-reassurance against both depressive and anxious tendencies in youth, and the detrimental role of self-inadequacy and revenge. Future longitudinal studies could evaluate whether initially higher levels of mindfulness, self-reassurance and social safeness predict a decrease of depressive and anxious symptomatology over time and whether self-inadequacy and revenge predict depressive and anxious symptomatology over time. Such longitudinal investigations may inform the design and focus of experimental studies aiming at targeting depressive and anxious symptomatology in youth.

In this study we examined the gender differences in self-reported forgiving behaviours in a sample of Italian preadolescents (aged 11 to 14Âyears), who were either involved or not involved in religious practises. Were asked 289 Catholic, Italian preadolescent students were asked about their involvement in the religious practises. They also completed measures of forgiveness, avoidance and revenge motivations. The results showed that forgiveness was negatively correlated to avoidance and revenge, as expected, given that these constructs represent two different forms of non-forgiveness. Avoidance and revenge motivations were positively inter-correlated, highlighting how these forms of non-forgiveness are two distinct, but related pathways, leading away from forgiveness. Regarding age, younger participants reported higher degrees of forgiveness than their older counterparts. Lastly, regarding the association between involvement in one’s faith and gender as predictors of forgiving behaviours, only girls actively practising their faith emerged as significantly more forgiving than the other participants.