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Little is known about the behavioural tendencies at the basis of smartphone use. The present research investigates delay discounting, the phenomenon whereby a smaller, immediate reward is preferred over a larger, delayed one, in smartphone use. In line with previous work on delay discounting in other domains, Study 1 (N = 81) showed that the hyperboloid function best fits the inter-temporal choices made by participants. Study 2 (N = 123) replicated this result and revealed that individuals who prefer communicating via smartphone (vs. face-to-face) showed a higher devaluation over time, whereas those more aware of smartphone negative impact showed less discounting. The present research yielded the first evidence that delay discounting might underlie inter-temporal choices of smartphone use. Implications of these results are discussed.

Peer status – the regard other group members have of an individual – is fundamental for youth development. Different research traditions developed independent theoretical frameworks conceiving the dimensions underlying social status, and this led to identifying a variety of peer status prototypes. In this work, we explored whether a classification based on the four dimensions of popularity, aggression, dislike, and victimization could integrate the scattered peer status profiles found in the different traditions. A latent profile analysis on 16,224 European students identified the peer status prototypes of popular, bullies, disliked, victims, and average students. Both the peer- and self-reported correlates supported that the five profiles accounted for the large variety of the students' profiles in the literature. These findings suggest that the adoption of a multidimensional approach supported by advanced statistical procedures could identify students' peer status profiles more effectively, replacing classifications based on cutoffs, and leading to a unified students' classification.

Most psychological research on social exclusion mainly focused on maximizing internal validity (e.g., controlling for confounding variables). However, maximizing external validity to produce generalizable knowledge about real-world experiences becomes increasingly essential. In the present study (N = 89), we adopted an ecological momentary assessment (EMA) design to track exclusionary experiences and their impact on psychological distress over 15 consecutive days. We tested the mediating effects of positive and negative emotions on the link between daily exclusionary experiences and psychological distress, examining the moderating role of experiential avoidance (EA). Results confirmed a large effect of social exclusion on distress mediated by positive and negative emotions. However, EA did not moderate the exclusion-distress link but was, unexpectedly, found to moderate the exclusion-positive emotions relationship. Specifically, this relationship was stronger for low (vs. high) levels of EA, indicating that adopting EA in response to perceived exclusion may provide a protective function from blunted positive emotions. The present study suggests the usefulness of investigating the occurrence and reactions to the daily experiences of social exclusion, going beyond the sole reliance on experimental manipulations, especially to explore the role of individual differences in working towards a more integrated theoretical model of exclusion.

Research to address the technical challenges of human missions into space is growing. Knowledge about the social-psychological aspects of individuals’ experiences of confinement within habitats in space missions or extreme environments is also rapidly expanding. Social isolation is among one of the best-known risk factors in these environments. This study focuses on the relationship between time spent in specific activities (e.g., talking about personal matters) and the social-psychological effects of social isolation and confinement as a part of the LUNARK project, which was aimed at building and testing the first Moon analog habitat. Two space architects took part in a 61-day mission in Northern Greenland to simulate human life conditions in the habitat as a prototype of a human settlement on the Moon. The two crew members independently filled out a time-based diary with self-report measures on their daily activities and negative emotions, feelings of loneliness, resignation, desire for social contact, and time perception. First, our results showed that, for either space architect, desire for social contact increased over time, whereas feelings of resignation did not. Moreover, the protective role of specific daily activities emerged. Talking about personal matters and leisure time were associated with a decrease in resignation, whereas talking about personal topics and physical exercising increased the desire for social contact. Finally, engaging in leisure activities increased the perceived speed of time. We discussed these results referring to research on the consequences of long-term social isolation in extreme human expeditions and social psychological models of social isolation.

Background and aims: Problematic smartphone use (PSU) has been described as a growing public health issue. In the current study, we aimed to provide a unique and comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. This model posits three distinct developmental pathways leading to PSU: (1) the excessive reassurance pathway, (2) the impulsive pathway and (3) the extraversion pathway.Methods: Undergraduate students (n = 795, 69.8% female, mean age = 23.80 years, sd = 3.02) completed online self-report measures of PSU (addictive use, antisocial use and dangerous use) and the psychological features (personality traits and psychopathological symptoms) underlying the three pathways.Results: Bayesian analyses revealed that addictive use is mainly driven by the excessive reassurance pathway and the impulsive pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include heightened negative urgency, a hyperactive behavioural inhibition system and symptoms of social anxiety. Dangerous and antisocial use are mainly driven by the impulsive pathway and the extraversion pathway, for which candidate etiopathological factors include specific impulsivity components (lack of premeditation and sensation seeking) and primary psychopathy (inclination to lie, lack of remorse, callousness and manipulativeness).Discussion and conclusions: The present study constitutes the first comprehensive test of the pathway model of PSU. We provide robust and original results regarding the psychological dimensions associated with each of the postulated pathways of PSU, which should be taken into account when considering regulation of smartphone use or tailoring prevention protocols to reduce problematic usage patterns.

The widespread diffusion of smartphones has opened new challenges regarding the psychological consequences of their usage on social relationships. The term phubbing (a combination of phone and snubbing) indicates the act of ignoring someone in a social context by paying attention to the smartphone. The few existing studies show that phubbing is widespread, mutually reinforced, and socially accepted, with possible negative consequences for social and individual well-being. Phubbing can occur in every social context, including romantic relationships, workplaces, and family. However, to date, minimal attention has been given to the possible impact that phubbing carried out by parents can have on their children. To start filling this gap, in this paper, we introduced a new scale that measures the perception of being subject to parental phubbing and showed the prevalence of perceived phubbing on a stratified sample of 3,289 adolescents. Firstly, the dimensionality, validity, and invariance of the construct were proven. Moreover, our results showed a positive relationship between children’s perceived levels of parental phubbing and their feelings of social disconnection with parents, thus suggesting that the more children felt that one or both of their parents were phubbing them, the less the children felt connected with their parents.

Smartphones are changing lives in a number of ways. However, the psychological literature has primarily focused on smartphone overuse, neglecting the impacts that are not strictly related to problematic use. The present research was aimed to develop a comprehensive self-report scale that accounts for the cognitive, affective, social, and behavioral impacts of smartphones in everyday life—the Smartphone Impact Scale (SIS). Study 1 (N = 407) yielded a preliminary version of the scale, which was refined in Study 2 (N = 601). The SIS is a 26-item scale that measures seven dimensions of smartphone impact. Results revealed meaningful associations between its subscales, psychosocial constructs, and daily usage of smartphones and apps. The SIS broadens the view of human–smartphone interaction by extending the concept of problematic smartphone use to further dimensions (e.g., emotion regulation) and introducing a proper measurement of underinvestigated smartphone impacts (e.g., tasks support). The implications of each SIS subscale are discussed.

There exists uncertainty for clinicians over how the separate subcomponent processes of psychological flexibility, a core construct of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model, interact and influence distress experienced. The present study (N = 567) employed latent class analysis to (a) identify potential classes (i.e., subgroups) of psychological flexibility based on responses on measures of key subcomponent process and (b) examine whether such classes could reliably differentiate levels of self-reported psychological distress and positive and negative emotionality. We found three distinct classes: (a) High Psychological Flexibility, (b) Moderate Psychological Flexibility, and (c) Low Psychological Flexibility. Those in the Low Psychology Flexibility class reported highest levels of psychological distress, whereas those in the High Psychological Flexibility class reported lowest levels of psychological distress. This study provides a clearer view to clinicians of the profile of the broader spectrum of the psychological flexibility model to facilitate change in clients.

The Generalized Pliance Questionnaire (GPQ) was originally validated against measures of psychological flexibility and psychological distress. However, measures which have substantial conceptual overlap with the GPQ (e.g., the Need to Belong Scale [NTBS], Brief Fear of Negative Evaluation Scale [BFNE]) were not examined. The present study seeks to investigate the construct validity of the GPQ-9. As expected, data from a survey of 272 participants indicated significant large correlations between the GPQ-9 and NTBS and BFNE respectively. The results of a confirmatory factor analysis confirmed the unidimensional structure of the GPQ-9. A structural equation model revealed that the BFNE (and not the GPQ-9 or NTBS) was significantly associated with psychological flexibility and psychological distress. Implications of these tentative preliminary findings suggest that the BFNE and GPQ-9 should be used in different contexts when applied to Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) research.

Purpose Heart failure (HF) affects up to 14% of the elderly population and its prevalence is increasing. Self-care is fundamental to living successfully with this syndrome, but little is known about how self-care evolves over time. The present study aimed to (a) identify longitudinal trajectories of self-care confidence and maintenance among HF patients, (b) investigate whether each trajectory is characterized by specific sociodemographic and clinical patients’ characteristics, and (c) assess the association between the self-care confidence and maintenance trajectories. Method We conducted a prospective descriptive study of 225 HF patients followed for 6 months with data collected at baseline and 3 and 6 months. Latent class growth analysis (LCGA) was used to identify longitudinal trajectories. ANOVA and contingency tables were used to characterize trajectories and investigate their association. Results Three self-care confidence (persistently poor, increasingly adequate, and increasingly optimal) and three self-care maintenance (persistently poor, borderline but improving, and increasingly good) trajectories were identified. Married individuals were less likely to be in the persistently poor trajectory of self-care confidence. Patients with persistently poor self-care maintenance took fewer medications than patients with one of the better self-care maintenance trajectories. The two sets of trajectories were significantly and meaningfully associated. Conclusion Patients in a poor self-care trajectory (confidence or maintenance) are at high risk to stay there without improving over time. These results can be used to develop tailored and potentially more effective health care interventions.

Psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance are key constructs in the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) model of behavior change. Wolgast (2014) questioned the construct validity of the Acceptance and Action Questionnaire-II (AAQ-II), the most used self-report instrument to assess the efficacy of ACT interventions. Wolgast suggested that the AAQ-II measured psychological distress rather than psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance. The current study further examined the construct validity of the AAQ-II by conducting an online cross-sectional survey (n = 524), including separate measures of experiential avoidance and psychological distress. Confirmatory factor analyses indicated that items from the AAQ-II correlated more highly with measures of depression, anxiety, and stress than the Brief Experiential Avoidance Questionnaire (BEAQ). Implications include that, as broad measures of experiential avoidance, the AAQ-II and BEAQ may not measure the same construct. In terms of psychological distress, the BEAQ has greater discriminant validity than the AAQ-II, and perhaps an alternative instrument of psychological inflexibility might be needed to assess core outcomes in ACT intervention research.

There exists uncertainty for clinicians over how the separate sub-component processes of psychological flexibility, a core construct of the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy model, interact and influence distress experienced. The present study (N = 567) employed latent class analysis to (i) identify potential classes (i.e., subgroups) of psychological flexibility based on responses on measures of key sub-component process, and (ii) to examine whether such classes could reliably differentiate levels of self-reported psychological distress and positive and negative emotionality. We found three distinct classes: (i) High Psychological Flexibility, (ii) Moderate Psychological Flexibility, and (iii) Low Psychological Flexibility. Those in the Low Psychology Flexibility class reported highest levels of psychological distress, whereas those in the High Psychological Flexibility class subgroup reported lowest levels of psychological distress. This study provides a clearer view to clinicians of the profile of the broader spectrum of the psychological flexibility model to facilitate change in clients.

AIM: To test an explanatory model of nurses' intention to report adverse drug reactions in hospital settings, based on the theory of planned behaviour. BACKGROUND: Under-reporting of adverse drug reactions is an important problem among nurses. METHODS: A cross-sectional design was used. Data were collected with the adverse drug reporting nurses' questionnaire. Confirmatory factor analysis was performed to test the factor validity of the adverse drug reporting nurses' questionnaire, and structural equation modelling was used to test the explanatory model. RESULTS: The convenience sample comprised 500 Italian hospital nurses (mean age = 43.52). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the factor validity of the adverse drug reporting nurses' questionnaire. The structural equation modelling showed a good fit with the data. Nurses' intention to report adverse drug reactions was significantly predicted by attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioural control (R2 = 0.16). CONCLUSIONS: The theory of planned behaviour effectively explained the mechanisms behind nurses' intention to report adverse drug reactions, showing how several factors come into play. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT: In a scenario of organisational empowerment towards adverse drug reaction reporting, the major predictors of the intention to report are support for the decision to report adverse drug reactions from other health care practitioners, perceptions about the value of adverse drug reaction reporting and nurses' favourable self-assessment of their adverse drug reaction reporting skills

Objectives: Physical activity (PA) is a key factor in cardiovascular disease prevention. Through the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA), the present study investigated the process of change in PA in coronary patients (CPs) and hypertensive patients (HPs). Design: Longitudinal survey study with two follow-up assessments at 6 and 12 months on 188 CPs and 169 HPs. Main outcome measures: Intensity and frequency of PA. Results: A multi-sample analysis indicated the equivalence of almost all the HAPA social cognitive patterns for both patient populations. A latent growth curve model showed strong interrelations among intercepts and slopes of PA, planning and maintenance self-efficacy, but change in planning was not associated with change in PA. Moreover, increase in PA was associated with the value of planning and maintenance self-efficacy reached at the last follow-up Conclusions: These findings shed light on mechanisms often neglected by the HAPA literature, suggesting reciprocal relationships between PA and its predictors that could define a plausible virtuous circle within the HAPA volitional phase. Moreover, the HAPA social cognitive patterns are essentially identical for patients who had a coronary event (i.e. CPs) and individuals who are at high risk for a coronary event (i.e. HPs).

Background: Research has shown that the provision of pertinent health information to patients with cardiovascular disease is associated with better adherence to medical prescriptions, behavioral changes, and enhanced perception of control over the disease. Yet there is no clear knowledge on how to improve information pertinence. Identifying and meeting the information needs of patients and their preferences for sources of information is pivotal to developing patient-led services. This prospective, observational study was aimed at exploring the information needs and perceived relevance of different information sources for patients during the twenty-four months following an acute coronary syndrome. Methods: Two hundred and seventeen newly diagnosed patients with acute coronary syndrome were enrolled in the study. The patients were primarily men (83.41 %) with a mean age of 57.28 years (range 35-75; SD = 7.98). Patients' needs for information and the perceived relevance of information sources were evaluated between 2 and 8 weeks after hospitalization (baseline) and during three follow-ups at 6, 12 and 24 months after baseline. Repeated measures ANOVA, Bonferroni post hoc tests and Cochran's Q Test were performed to test differences in variables of interest over time. Results: Results showed a reduction in information needs, but this decrease was significant only for topics related to daily activities, behavioral habits, risk and complication. At baseline, the primary sources of information were specialists and general practitioners, followed by family members and information leaflets given by physicians. Relevance of other sources changed differently over time. Conclusion: The present longitudinal study is an original contribution to the investigation of changes in information needs and preferences for sources of information among patients who are diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome. One of the main results of this study is that information on self-disease managemen

Many studies have focused on Type A and Type D personality types in the context of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), but nothing is known about how these personality types combine to create new profiles. The present study aimed to develop a typology of Type A and Type D personality in two groups of patients affected by and at risk for coronary disease. The study involved 711 patients: 51.6% with acute coronary syndrome, 48.4% with essential hypertension (mean age = 56.4 years; SD = 9.7 years; 70.7% men). Cluster analysis was applied. External variables, such as socio-demographic, psychological, lifestyle, and clinical parameters, were assessed. Six groups, each with its own unique combined personality profile scores, were identified: Type D, Type A-Negatively Affected, Not Type A-Negatively Affected, Socially Inhibited-Positively Affected, Not Socially Inhibited, and Not Type A-Not Type D. The Type A-Negatively Affected cluster and, to a lesser extent, the Type D cluster, displayed the worst profile: namely higher total cardiovascular risk index, physical inactivity, higher anxiety and depression, and lower self-esteem, optimism, and health status. Identifying combined personality profiles is important in clinical research and practice in cardiovascular diseases. Practical implications are discussed.

The World Health Organization (WHO, 2015) considers tobacco consumption as one of the major health threats which kills 6 million individuals every year. For the purpose of prevention, it is important to better understand how to stop the tobacco epidemic especially among young people. The first part of the present dissertation presents the tobacco epidemiology, an overview of psychological research on tobacco addiction, and a review of the main behavioral change theories concerning the adoption of healthy behaviors. The second part of the dissertation presents four studies conducted within this PhD project which aims at deepen the knowledge of smoking behavior among young people. Studies 1 and 2 show how motives behind tobacco use allow to identify different typologies of smokers. Study 1 highlights the good psychometric properties of a recent scale that measures 11 smoking motives (B-WISDM; Smith et al., 2010) on which five motivational profiles have been identified. The profiles are further classified in two macro-categories: social smokers, who show a higher level of secondary extrinsic motives than primary motives, and highly motivated smokers, for whom the levels of the different motives are similar. Adopting a longitudinal design with two follow-up assessments (at 3 and 9 months from the baseline), Study 2 validates the results of the previous study, exactly replicating three out of five profiles, showing their strong temporal stability, and highlighting the same macro-categories previously found. Tobacco consumption, dependence level, and social-cognitive factors that predicts behavioral change are different among the profiles and these differences are consistent across the two studies and in line with the literature. Study 3 shows that the development of an intention to quit smoking is influenced by the Big Five personality profile as well as by the social-cognitive factors theorized by the Health Action Process Approach (Schwazer, 1992, 2008). Generally spea

Background: Cognitive impairment can reduce the self-care abilities of heart failure patients. Theory and preliminary evidence suggest that self-care confidence may mediate the relationship between cognition and self-care, but further study is needed to validate this finding. Objectives: The aim of this study was to test the mediating role of self-care confidence between specific cognitive domains and heart failure self-care. Design: Secondary analysis of data from a descriptive study. Settings: Three out-patient sites in Pennsylvania and Delaware, USA. Participants: A sample of 280 adults with chronic heart failure, 62 years old on average and mostly male (64.3%). Methods: Data on heart failure self-care and self-care confidence were collected with the Self-Care of Heart Failure Index 6.2. Data on cognition were collected by trained research assistants using a neuropsychological test battery measuring simple and complex attention, processing speed, working memory, and short-term memory. Sociodemographic data were collected by self-report. Clinical information was abstracted from the medical record. Mediation analysis was performed with structural equation modeling and indirect effects were evaluated with bootstrapping. Results: Most participants had at least 1 impaired cognitive domain. In mediation models, self-care confidence consistently influenced self-care and totally mediated the relationship between simple attention and self-care and between working memory and self-care (comparative fit index range: .929-.968; root mean squared error of approximation range: .032-.052). Except for short-term memory, which had a direct effect on self-care maintenance, the other cognitive domains were unrelated to self-care. Conclusions: Self-care confidence appears to be an important factor influencing heart failure self-care even in patients with impaired cognition. As few studies have successfully improved cognition, interventions addressing confidence should be considered a

Several studies demonstrated that subjective well-being is associated with goal value and perceived progress but their validity is affected by methodological biases. Moreover, a few have analysed the influence of short-term goals. We aimed to analyse how the levels of and changes in short-term goals progress and value influence subsequent levels of and changes in subjective well-being. This study adopted a three-wave longitudinal design with one-month intervals. Four hundred nine participants (186 males; age 19–71) reported their subjective well-being and their two most important goals and rated each over time in terms of value and progress. A latent difference score model revealed that levels and increases in goal progress positively influenced subsequent levels of subjective well-being. Goal value increases led to decreases in negative affect. These findings provide insights on the promotion of subjective well-being. Given the importance of goal progress in promoting subjective well-being, we propose the implementation of goal-setting programmes that are aimed at fostering successful goal pursuit.

La letteratura ha dimostrato come i fumatori abbiano una percezione del rischio distorta, inferiore a quella dei non fumatori. Questo bias potrebbe agire anche a livello di stima del tempo di insorgenza (TI) delle conseguenze negative del fumo sulla salute, tema ancora inesplorato. Obiettivo del presente studio consiste nell’indagare come fumatori e non fumatori stimino il TI di alcune malattie/problemi associate al tabagismo. In particolare, si vuole indagare se la percezione del rischio (PR) e il livello di paura (LP) possano influenzare la stima del TI di tali malattie/problemi in un fumatore medio, e se questi effetti siano diversi tra fumatori e non fumatori. Un campione composto da 60 fumatori (30M e 30F; METÀ=24.22, DSETÀ=2.68) e 102 non fumatori (19M e 83F; METÀ=25.64, DSETÀ=3.71) ha risposto ad un questionario che, per ciascuna di 15 malattie/problemi, richiedeva la stima della probabilità personale di sviluppare la malattia (PR), della propria paura nei confronti della malattia (LP) e del TI della malattia in un fumatore che a 18 anni cominciasse a fumare 10 sigarette al giorno. I risultati mostrano come i fumatori spostino più avanti il TI, a prescindere dalla gravità della malattia/problema. PR e LP, invece, non mostrano alcun effetto principale, ma la loro interazione è significativa quando si tratta di malattie meno gravi. In particolare, per alti livelli di paura, più il rischio è elevato e più la stima del TI si abbrevia. Lo stesso effetto avviene anche per bassi LP, ma solo per i fumatori. I non fumatori, infatti, mostrano l’effetto contrario, ovvero un aumento del TI all’aumentare del rischio. Sebbene si tratti di un primo contributo, accrescere la conoscenza riguardo a come le persone stimino l’insorgenza di patologie a secondo del loro stile di vita può essere utile a progettare campagne di sensibilizzazione e di prevenzione ad hoc.

Backgrounds: Hypertension is a major health problem leading to high rates of mortality, morbidity and impaired quality of life. Due to high costs of hypertension and low adherence to treatment and lifestyles changes, the tasks of developing maximally beneficial treatment programs for individuals with this health problem have received growing emphasis in recent years. Patients with hypertension need appropriate information in order to take meaningful choices about their future, but information should be focused on patient’s peculiar needs to be really effective. Research has highlighted the importance of the identification of information needs and their psychological correlates, in order to create tailored health communication interventions aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of the information provided. A promising construct in this field is Locus of Control (LOC), that refers to the extent to which individuals believe they can control and have power over events affecting their life. In the health context, LOC describes the belief that one’s health is dependent upon internal (e.g. behavior) versus external factors (e.g. chance). This study was designed to investigate possible relationships between need for information and health LOC in patients with essential hypertension. Method: One hundred seventy-five patients (48.8% women; mean age=63.68, SD=10.90, range 26-86) completed an assessment questionnaire evaluating Multidimensional Health Locus of Control (MHLC) and the need for further information on topics related to disease management. Correlation analysis were conducted to explore the relationship between variables. Findings: Positive and significant correlations were found between “Internal”, “Doctors”, “Other People” locus of control and need for information, while negative, but not significant, relationships were found between need for information and “Chance” locus of control. Discussion: Taking into account patients’ types of locus of control could enhance

Background: Physical activity (PA) plays an important role in primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). This study aimed to use the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to investigate changes in PA in patients affected either by acute coronary syndrome (CPs) or essential arterial hypertension (HPs). Methods: CPs (N=188) and HPs (N=169) completed a questionnaire at baseline, 6 months (T1) and 12 months (T2) after baseline. Repeated measures ANOVA and multisample path analysis were performed. Results: Both the populations improved their PA, but CPs showed greater changes than HPs, strongly improving their PA at T1 and then maintaining it at T2. Moreover, results indicated equivalence of the HAPA model for both patient populations. Conclusions: Findings provide further evidence for the generalizability of the HAPA, which has never been employed to investigate PA on patients affected by hypertension. Moreover, the equivalence of the model for both the populations suggests that the process of change is almost identical for individuals who are at high risk for coronary event (HPs) and individuals who have already had the event (CPs)

Background: Hypertension is a major health problem leading to high rates of mortality, morbidity and impaired quality of life; assisting patients to improve compliance with their self-care regimens can improve these poor outcomes. One tool to promote a culture of health is tailored communication, based on needs, preferences and personal characteristics of the target. Methods: A theory-based tailored message intervention to improve lifestyle habits was developed and evaluated at one and six months post-intervention. One hundred fifty-two patients with hypertension (48%women; mean age=61.49, SD=10.1) were randomly assigned to one of two conditions: a)tailored print materials; b)general print materials. A series of t-test analysis were conducted in order to identify differences in patients’ judgments about the materials. Findings: At one and six months post-intervention, tailored materials were perceived significantly more personalized and clear compared to general materials. Discussion: Tailored intervention has become an important strategy in promoting health. These results show that patients’ judgments on tailored materials are positive; a larger randomized trial is still in progress to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention in improving patients’ lifestyle habits

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are a major cause of worldwide morbidity and mortality. Nutrition plays an important role in the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of CVDs. The present longitudinal study used the Health Action Process Approach (HAPA) to investigate changes in dietary behavior in coronary patients (CPs) affected by acute coronary syndrome and hypertensive patients (HPs) affected by essential arterial hypertension. Methods: CPs (N = 250) and HPs (N = 246) completed a questionnaire during three measurement points (baseline, 6-month follow-up, and 12-month follow-up). Statistical analyses included a repeated measures ANOVA and a multi-sample structural equation model. Results: HPs showed no changes in dietary behavior, whereas CPs improved their nutrition at 6 months and then maintained the healthier diet. The multi-sample analysis indicated equivalence of the HAPA model for both patient populations. Conclusions: These findings provide further evidence for the generalisability of the HAPA model, shedding light on dietary behavior among CVD patients and particularly on hypertensive patients which has received little attention. Moreover, the equivalence of the model suggests that the process of change is almost identical for individuals who are at high risk for a coronary event (i.e. HPs) and individuals who have already had the event (i.e. CPs).

This study investigated doctor–patient communication and its role in the management of coronary disease. The aim was to identify patients’ information needs and related issues and to compare these findings with doctors’ perceptions of patients’ needs and communication barriers. Two focus groups were conducted with eight patients who suffered from coronary disease and six cardiologists. Recorded sessions were coded thematically and analyzed with interpretative phenomenological analysis. The results showed a “frustration of understanding” in both groups. Patients reported difficulty in understanding experts’ language, and physicians found it difficult to translate the medical terminology into simple words. However, they accused each other of creating these difficulties. Patients described physicians as an “elite” group with excessive technical language, and physicians reported that patients’ age and education (respectively, high and low) are real obstacles to good communication. Patients evaluated an autonomous search for health information as a way to better manage fear and anxiety related to the illness, but physicians considered it as a lack of trust and, thus, judged it negatively. Patients reported multiple unfilled needs, which were mainly related to information about how other people experienced the same illness and to specific information for their relatives, especially their spouses. Physicians stressed the need to transmit information about drug therapy and the need for adherence to manage chronic conditions. The analysis of patients’ information preferences and the awareness of patients’ information needs might strongly improve the overall quality of chronic disease management by suggesting new communication strategies.

Personal goals play a leading role in directing behavior and influencing well-being. Thus, it is important to assess goal dimensions promoting effective goal pursuit. The current research aimed at identifying the best predictors of goal pursuit, operationalized as perceived goal progress, among goal-related variables and individual differences in dispositional optimism. Two studies examined the influence of optimism on goal progress, commitment, expectancy, value, and conflict. Moreover, the mediation effect of expectancy in the relationships among optimism, commitment and progress was assessed.Participants in the first cross-sectional study were 283 young people (19-32. years old), whereas participants in the second longitudinal study were 409 people (19-71. years old). They reported their most important personal goals and rated each of them with respect to goal progress, conflict, expectancy, commitment, and value. Dispositional optimism was also assessed.In both studies, multilevel and mediational analyses demonstrated the fostering role of optimism on perceived goal progress and commitment through the mediation of goal expectancy. Thus, optimists are more likely than pessimists to report more perceived progress in their pursued personal goals. By clarifying the role of optimism in fostering goal progress and commitment, this research provides insight on how effective goal pursuit could be promoted.

This study is aimed at investigating the dimensionality of the situational version of the Brief COPE, a questionnaire that is frequently used to assess a broad range of coping responses to specific difficulties, by comparing five different factor models highlighted in previous studies. It also aimed at exploring the relationships among coping responses, personal goal commitment and progress. The study involved 606 adults (male = 289) ranging in age from 19 to 71. Using confirmatory factor analysis, we compared five models and assessed relationships of coping responses with goal commitment and progress. The results confirmed the theoretical factor structure of the situational Brief COPE. All the 14 dimensions showed acceptable reliability and relationships with goal commitment and progress, attesting the reliability and usefulness of this measure to evaluate coping responses to specific events.

The main aim of our study is to investigate the role of motivations and mind-reading in a two-level one-shot Ultimatum Game with three players. Our intention is to analyse subjects behaviour in both the responder and proposer roles. In the responder role, we found that the difference between the subjects expectations and the actual offers was the major factor that influenced their decisions and motivations in receiving money. In the proposer role, our results showed a significant influence of mind-reading, with a positive association between the fairness of subjects offers and the subjects expectations about the recipients willingness to accept. Although a shared concept of fairness exists findings suggest that decisions and motivations seem to depend on expectations, either when they are directly experienced or when they are ascribed to the counterpart.

Self-efficacy beliefs have been shown to affect various effective health-promoting behaviors in patients. Unfortunately, availability of reliable and valid measures of self-efficacy in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is still very limited., Background: Self-efficacy beliefs have been shown to affect various effective health-promoting behaviors in patients. Unfortunately, availability of reliable and valid measures of self-efficacy in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) is still very limited. Purpose: The aims of this study were to present a new scale measuring self-efficacy beliefs in managing CVD and to examine its psychometric properties. Methods: The study involved 172 patients (mean age = 66.4 years; SD = 9.99 years; 76.2 % men) undergoing cardiovascular rehabilitation. Various psychological factors and CVD severity indicators were collected. Results: An Exploratory Structural Equation Model showed that the Cardiovascular Management Self-efficacy Scale has three factors: Cardiac Risk Factors, Adherence to Therapy, and Recognition of Symptoms. They all showed high internal consistency, and good convergent, discriminant, and predictive validity. Furthermore, these factors showed significant relations with CVD severity indicators. Conclusions: The Cardiovascular Management Self-efficacy Scale could be a helpful instrument to monitor differences during interventions to improve good disease management.