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Establishing a coherent meaning in life has long been considered to be a protective factor of well-being, but this construct has been understudied in early adolescent development. The current study investigated the relationships between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms as well as the mediation effect of meaning in life in 214 Chinese and 201 Italian early adolescents. Although family allocentrism was higher in Chinese than Italian participants, it was significantly associated to lower depressive symptoms in both countries. Moderated mediational analyses showed that in both countries: (a) family allocentrism was positively related with presence of meaning; (b) family allocentrism and presence of meaning were negatively related to depressive symptoms; and (c) presence of meaning mediated the relationship between family allocentrism and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, family allocentrism and presence of meaning in life are important preventive factors of early adolescents' depressive symptoms in both collectivistic and in individualistic countries.

Italian (n = 129) and American (n = 86) samples were evaluated with the Five Factor Inventory of personality and a measure of individualism/collectivism. Greater individualism was seen in the American group than the Italian group, as in the Hofstede (2019 (See CR12)) data. For the Italian sample only, greater individualism was associated with greater neuroticism and greater collectivism was associated with lower neuroticism. This may reflect poor culture fit for Italians with a very individualistic orientation given that Italy falls between the United States and Asian countries in terms of the individualism/collectivism dimension. Other studies have shown better personal adjustment being associated with having a personality that fits with the culture in which one is embedded. For both Italian and American groups, higher collectivism was associated with higher extraversion, agreeableness, and conscientiousness consistent with other reports. Additional findings included higher openness in the Italian group and higher conscientiousness in the American group., Author(s): Leslie Burton [sup.1] , Elisa Delvecchio [sup.2] , Alessandro Germani [sup.2] , Claudia Mazzeschi [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.63054.34, 0000 0001 0860 4915, Department of Psychological Science, University of [...]

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Introduction: Cyberbullying represents one of the main current concerns of parents, educators and clinicians on youth. It consists of aggressive, offensive and injurious behaviors against a person by means of electronic device and sharing abusive content on the web. Previous studies have highlighted that cyberbullying is associated with individual factors, such as personality traits, age, sex and status, often disregarding the value attributed to one's own context of life. According to the Semiotic Dynamic Cultural Psychology Theory (SDPCT), the cultural context can be conceived as a net of interconnected trajectories of meanings, grounding the way of perceiving and experiencing a social environment, and enabling individuals to orient themselves in their material and social world. Aims: The present research aims to explore the relation between directly acted, suffered and indirectly observed behaviors of cyberbullying, the fear to be victim, the awareness of its harmfulness and sensemaking processes of one’s own context. Method: Six hundred twenty-four high school students (Mean AGE = 16.10; SD = 1.60) participated in this study. Participants filled in a questionnaire, consisting of two parts. The former was composed by six scales constructed ad hoc to explore the experience of acted, suffered and observed cyberbullying, the fear of being cyberbullied and the awareness of cyberbullying’s harmfulness. The latter the View of Context (VOC) questionnaire was used to map sensemaking processes through which people interpret their social context. Findings: Results shows significant associations between acted and suffered forms of cyberbullying, between fear of cyberbullying and the awareness of its harmfulness. The acted cyberbullying and suffered cyberbullying are both associated with representation of the context as devaluated (family, schools, social institutions are considered not welcoming, useful or reliable) and deprived of opportunities for the future. Conclusion: On clinical plan, the study suggests the importance of considering the relationships between bullying experienced and acted upon, as well as the role of meaning-making processes in understanding phenomena of social prevarication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Some people diagnosed with schizophrenia show an alteration of the sense of self. From a psychodynamic perspective, it has been hypothesized they have disorders of the integration of self/other identification/differentiation processes. From a neuroscientific view some with this diagnosis present dysfunctions in neural correlates of representation of self from other (the implicit sensorimotor-based bodily self), and self united with other. In "Sense of self and psychosis, part 1" we discussed scientific literature offering empirical evidence for the psychodynamic clinical observations that patients with diagnoses of psychoses didn't receive adequate early infancy parental care and sufficient affective-sensorial/tactile interactions. Introducing parental care/cutaneous interactions seemed relevant in the analytic treatment of psychoses, as the pioneers of the psychoanalytic approach to psychosis suggested. From this theoretical basis we developed amniotic therapy, which reproduces the affective-tactile interactions of early infancy, insufficient in cases of psychosis, and aims at integrating the processes of differentiation and identification. We present a single case study of an experimental intervention plan including amniotic therapy. Results showed increases in interoception and global functioning, with significant decreases in positive symptoms suggesting that amniotic therapy contributes to increasing the protective strength of self-boundaries and integration of identification/differentiation processes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We will describe in two articles ("Sense of self and psychosis", 1 and 2) the theoretical basis and the methodology of a new therapeutic group approach called amniotic therapy, which aims to improve the sense of self of psychotic patients. In this first article we explore the role of the surface of the body and its early sensorimotor interactions in the processes of self/other identification and differentiation. We propose that these processes have common origins, the body surface and its interactions, but different destinies, depending on where the body's surface is projected. When it is projected intrapsychically we have differentiation, and when it is projected externally onto the body's surface of the other, we have identification. Identification is a reciprocal process, in which the self's and the other's surfaces mutually contain each other and co-create a shared field. The neural correlates of identification and differentiation are discussed. The second article, which follows, describes amniotic therapy and explores a single case study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current investigation tested life satisfaction (LS), a cognitive component of subjective well‐being, among emerging adults, in the context of individualism (I) and collectivism (C), by distinguishing both cultural and individual levels of analysis, considering their horizontal (H) and vertical (V) dimensions, and controlling age and gender effects. Emerging adults (N = 1760 university students, aged 18–25, Mage = 19.46, SDag = 1.50) located across four countries, namely China, Italy, Russia, and the USA, known to differ in the individualism index value (IDV), completed measures on the Horizontal and Vertical Individualism and Collectivism and Life Satisfaction. At the cultural level, an ANCOVA showed a significant country effects on LS. The post hoc comparisons indicated that the higher the country IDV score, the higher the average LS score, in the following order: Americans, Italians, Russians, and Chinese. At the individual level, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. Instead, it was associated with HC and VC. The positive link between LS and VC suggested an important role of family connectedness on LS across different cultures during emerging adulthood. However, contrary to previous studies, LS was unrelated to HI and VI. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: The main aim of this study was to assess the psychometric proprieties of the Child Feeding Questionnaire (CFQ) in Italian mothers.Design: Mothers completed the Italian version of the CFQ, and children's anthropometric data were collected. Construct validity of the CFQ was assessed by comparing three different models: (a) a seven correlated factors model in which all items were analysed; (b) a seven correlated factors model with composite items based on the Restriction factor and (c) an eight correlated factors model with a separate Reward factor. Measurement invariance using BMI categories and gender was evaluated. Furthermore, discriminant validity with group comparison was performed between BMI categories and gender.Setting: Italy.Participants: A total of 1253 6-year-old Italian children (53·9 % male) attending elementary school (1st grade) and their mothers (mean age = 38·22 years; sd = 4·89) participated in this study.Results: The eight-factor model with a separate reward factor provided the best fit for the data. The strict invariance of the CFQ across child BMI categories and gender was confirmed. The CFQ internal consistency was acceptable for most subscales. However, two subscales showed no adequate values. As expected, the CFQ scales showed significant differences between BMI categories, while no gender-related differences were found.Conclusions: The study indicated the Italian version of the CFQ to be factorially valid for assessing parental feeding practices of 6-year-old children across BMI categories. Future research should address low internal consistency in some of the CFQ subscales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Numerous investigations have documented that age-related changes in the integrity of the corpus callosum are associated with age-related decline in the interhemispheric transfer of information. Conversely, there is accumulating evidence for more efficient white matter organization of the corpus callosum in individuals with extensive musical training. However, the relationship between making music and accuracy in interhemispheric transfer remains poorly explored. Methods: To test the hypothesis that musicians show enhanced functional connectivity between the two hemispheres, 65 professional musicians (aged 56–90 years) and 65 age- and sex-matched non-musicians performed the fingertip cross-localization test. In this task, subjects must respond to a tactile stimulus presented to one hand using the ipsilateral (intra-hemispheric test) or contralateral (inter-hemispheric test) hand. Because the transfer of information from one hemisphere to another may imply a loss of accuracy, the value of the difference between the intrahemispheric and interhemispheric tests can be utilized as a reliable measure of the effectiveness of hemispheric interactions. Results: Older professional musicians show significantly greater accuracy in tactile interhemispheric transfer than non-musicians who suffer from age-related decline. Conclusions: Musicians have more efficient interhemispheric communication than age-matched non-musicians. This finding is in keeping with studies showing that individuals with extensive musical training have a larger corpus callosum. The results are discussed in relation to relevant data suggesting that music positively influences aging brain plasticity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Obesity is a widespread and broadly consequential health condition associated with numerous medical complications that could increase mortality rates. As personality concerned individual's patterns of feeling, behavior, and thinking, it may help in understanding how people with obesity differ from people with normal-weight status in their typical weight-relevant behavior. So far, studies about personality and BMI associations have mainly focused on broad personality traits. The main purpose of this study was to explore the personality and health associations among a clinical group composed of 46 outpatients with overweight/obesity (mean age = 55.83; SD = 12.84) in comparison to a healthy control group that included 46 subjects (mean age = 54.96; SD = 12.60). Both the clinical and control groups were composed of 14 males and 32 females. Several personality and psychopathological aspects were assessed with the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI). The results of the analysis of variance of aligned rank transformed (ART) showed that patients with overweight/obesity reported higher scores for Somatic Complaints, Depression, and Borderline Features than the control group. Logistic regression highlighted specifically that the subscales of the Borderline Features assessing the Negative Relationship contributed to the increased risk of belonging to the clinical group. For the purpose of this study, the role of gender was considered. The present findings highlight the importance of focusing on assessing personality functioning in the health context and on specific characteristics of interpersonal relationships to promote more tailored treatments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing a strong impact on people in terms of uncertainty and instability it has caused in different areas of daily life. Uncertainty and instability are also emotions that characterize emerging adulthood (EA). They generate worries about the present and the future and are a source of anxiety that impacts negatively on personal and interpersonal functioning. Anxiety seems a central effect of the pandemic and recent studies have suggested that it is linked to COVID-19 risk perception. In the present study, a sample of 1045 Italian emerging adults was collected: (1) to assess anxiety severity and perceived risk related to COVID-19 and their association and (2) to compare general health and protective factors such as attitudes about security, relationships, self-esteem, and self-efficacy across anxiety severity and perceived risk categories. The findings of this study highlighted that anxiety severity categories were distributed homogeneously across the sample and that half of the participants referred to moderate-severe anxiety. A series of analysis of variances and post hoc comparisons showed that general health and all protective factors decreased according to anxiety severity. They were higher in participants with high perceived risk, with the exception of self-efficacy. Given the challenging features of the pandemic and EA, it is crucial to monitor anxiety severity in order to prevent last longing effects on mental and physical health, as well as keeping emerging adults informed about the risks related to the pandemic. Intervention and supportive programs based on improving self-esteem and self-efficacy, as well as confidence in relationships, should be offered to emerging adults over the long term, beyond the current outbreak. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, consensus from laymen, scholars, and policy-makers has emphasized the role of child-parent relationships to promote child's development and positive well-being. Parenting style was claimed as one of the crucial factors for the child's positive adjustment. The main aim of the present study was to investigate the relationships between authoritative and authoritarian parenting styles and child's difficulties. The mediational role of parent's perception of a difficult child on the above mentioned relation was taken into account. The study was carried out on a sample of 459 couples including mothers (n = 459) and fathers (n = 459) of children aged 2 to 10 years old who filled in the Parenting Styles & Dimensions Questionnaire short version, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Parenting Stress Index-short form. Main findings indicated that authoritative style was associated with less child's maladjustment, while the authoritarian one showed the opposite association. These relationships were partially mediated by the perception of a difficult child, which partially explained the link between parenting style and child's problems. Above and beyond the role of parent's perception as a difficult child, parenting styles had an important effect on child's difficulties. Future studies should replicate these results with other samples, use the spouse version of the parenting styles, control the effect of socio-economic status and other variables related to family functioning, as well as to consider the child's perception regarding parents' parenting style. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Emerging adulthood is characterized by pervasive changes in identity and relationships. These challenges can entail problems for subjective well‐being, leading to depressive symptoms. The development of an autonomous‐related self is considered crucial for emerging adults' personal growth and psychological well‐being. Autonomous‐related self is linked to self‐esteem and secure attachment style, which are also protective factors for depression. The current research sought to investigate the relation between autonomous‐related self and depressive symptoms, as well as the role of secure attachment style and self‐esteem, in a sample of 356 Italian emerging adults. Gender differences were taken into account in preliminary analyses. Gender differences emerged for autonomous‐related self and self‐esteem, while secure attachment and depression levels were similar across gender. Our results suggest that autonomous‐related self, mediated by self‐esteem and secure attachment style, is a protective factor for emotional states of depression, controlling for social desirability. These findings emphasize the importance of taking autonomy and relatedness into account in emerging adulthood and represent a starting point for future studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Infants with critical bronchiolitis who are admitted to a paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) are very likely to receive invasive mechanical ventilation.1 We performed a retrospective review of children with bronchiolitis admitted to the PICU at the Bambino Gesù Children's Hospital, Rome, Italy, from 1 November 2011 to 29 February 2015. We studied the intubation rate, PICU length of stay (LOS), the bronchiolitis severity score, infections and the positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) level. [Extracted from the article]

Author(s): Emanuele Rossetti [sup.1], Alessandro Germani [sup.1], Alfredo Onofri [sup.1], Sergio Bottero [sup.2] Author Affiliations: (1) grid.414125.7, 0000000107276809, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Department 'A.R.C.O.', 'Bambino Gesù' Children Hospital, , Rome, [...]

Infantile Pompe disease, resulting from deficiency of lysosomal acid α-glucosidase, requires enzyme replacement therapy with recombinant human acid α-glucosidase. Most patients develop antirecombinant human acid α-glucosidase antibodies, leading to reduced response to enzyme therapy in a subgroup of them. Aiming to improve treatment response, several immune tolerance induction strategies have been explored. We describe a patient with life-threatening infusion-associated reactions presenting anti-recombinant human acid α-glucosidase antibodies. He was successfully treated with an immune tolerance induction protocol, consisting of plasma exchange combined with a single dose of rituximab. Immediate reduction of antibody titer was obtained and enzyme therapy was resumed without infusion-associated reactions. Twenty-two months later, immunoglobulin G titer remained below 1:100. In conclusion, we applied a short-course immune tolerance induction strategy in a patient with severe infusion-associated reactions and anti-recombinant human acid α-glucosidase antibodies, leading to early and persisting reduction of antibody titer, in the absence of significant adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]