Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 2022
Therapist’s emotional response towards patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is under... more Therapist’s emotional response towards patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is under-investigated. This aspect might provide valuable information about therapists’ difficulties during sessions and support supervisory practice, since a proportion of OCD patients drop out due to issues related to the therapeutic relationship. In a sample of therapists, we explored the effects of therapists’ orientation (cognitive behavioural versus psychodynamic) and perfectionistic traits on their emotional responses towards patients with OCD, controlling for other variables potentially related to emotional response towards patients (i.e., therapists’ gender/age and patient’s comorbid personality disorders). Ninety-four therapists (74 women and 20 men; mean age = 42.07 ± 10.17 years), of which 47 (50%) had a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and 47 (50%) a psychodynamic orientation matched on gender and age, completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire and Frost Multidimensional Perf...
Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) assesses six dimensions of OCD symptoms in ... more Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) assesses six dimensions of OCD symptoms in childhood and adolescence. The current study used confirmatory methods to assess factor structure and reliability of the Italian OCI-CV in community children and adolescents. 1408 community children and adolescents completed the OCI-CV and a subgroup (n=855) completed measures of other anxiety and depression symptoms. A six correlated factor structure showed good fit. Reliability was excellent for total OCI-CV and for the other scales ranged from good to acceptable. The OCI-CV confirmed good properties in terms of factor structure and reliability.
Un’area oggetto di sempre maggiore interesse nel campo dello studio degli stati mentali a rischio... more Un’area oggetto di sempre maggiore interesse nel campo dello studio degli stati mentali a rischio e dei meccanismi implicati nello sviluppo dei disturbi psicotici, è rappresentata dall’indagine delle distorsioni cognitive. Già da vari anni un ampio volume di ricerche evidenzia il ruolo di specifici stili di pensiero quali elemento centrale di vulnerabilità e di mantenimento nei disturbi psicotici conclamati, in particolare nei processi che conducono alla formazione di convinzioni deliranti (eg, Luzón et al., 2009; Moritz & Woodward, 2005). Tali stili cognitivi porterebbero il paziente a raccogliere dati in modo distorto e prendere decisioni basate su errori logici, dei quali spesso non è consapevole. In ricerche sperimentali su pazienti con disturbi psicotici, Freeman e colleghi (2006) evidenziano che, nonostante l'adozione di bias legati al processo di raccolta di evidenze ed alla falsificazione dei propri pensieri, i pazienti tendono a ritenersi decisori riflessivi in grado di valutare adeguatamente i pro ed i contro delle diverse prospettive. Un'attenzione crescente negli ultimi anni è stata dedicata al riconoscimento dei bias cognitivi anche nelle condizioni di stato mentale a rischio (Broome et al., 2007). Il miglioramento della consapevolezza dei pazienti rispetto a tali trappole della mente può divenire un bersaglio-chiave dell'intervento psicologico di prevenzione con i giovani classificati a rischio di psicosi (van der Gaag et al., 2013). Di seguito, si riportano i principali bias cognitivi tipici degli stati mentali a rischio, come evidenziato da studi recenti
Religiosity, the extent to which an individual is committed to the religion he/she professes, may... more Religiosity, the extent to which an individual is committed to the religion he/she professes, may be a protective factor against depression. Although in the Italian socio-cultural context religion is a predominant feature of society, the role of religiosity as a psychological buffer against depression in adolescence is understudied. The present study explored (a) the association between recent stressful life events and depressive tendencies and (b) whether higher religiosity could be a predictor of lower depressive symptomatology controlling for the effects of stressful events in a sample of Italian adolescents. Two hundred seventy-five adolescents completed the Children’s Depression Inventory and two questionnaires measuring religiosity and perceived stressful events, respectively. Fifteen percent of the sample reported depressive tendencies above clinical thresholds. Having experienced school problems and parents’ separation was associated with higher depressive symptomatology. When religiosity was added in the logistic model, the effects of the stressors became non-significant, and a significant effect of religiosity emerged (β= -0.55, p= 0.01). Adolescents with higher religiosity reported lower depressive tendencies, irrespective of the stressors’ type. Religiosity might be a psychosocial buffer against depression in adolescence
IntroductionIn this decade in the Italian context, there has been a significant increase of the i... more IntroductionIn this decade in the Italian context, there has been a significant increase of the immigration phenomenon. Consistent data indicated higher risk of psychotic experiences among migrants. Poor work investigated clinical variables associated with stronger subthreshold psychotic experiences among this population of adolescents. Aberrant salience, the biased assignment of significance to otherwise innocuous stimuli, and alexithymia, the difficulty identifying/describing feelings are believed to have a role in the onset and maintenance of psychotic symptoms. No study evaluated whether they could moderate the relation between migrant status and psychotic experiences among in adolescence.ObjectivesThe current study investigated whether salience and alexithymia predicted more intense subthreshold psychotic experiences and moderated the effect of migrant status among migrant and native Italian adolescents.MethodsSeventy-three adolescents born in other countries than Italy and 75 native Italian adolescents (mean age = 17.57, SD = 2.08, 47.30% females) completed the aberrant salience inventory, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and the screening for psychotic experiences.ResultsMigrant adolescents had higher levels of subthreshold psychotic experiences (F = 10.65, P < 0.01), alexithymia (F = 8.93, P < 0.01) and salience (F = 4.38, P < 0.05) than native Italian adolescents. A main effect of aberrant salience and alexithymia on subthreshold psychotic experiences emerged. An interaction effect between migrant status and alexithymia was found: migrant adolescents with stronger alexithymia had more intense subthreshold psychotic experiences.ConclusionsPublic health policies should consider migrant adolescents as a group at risk for stronger subthreshold psychotic experiences. Prevention programs could take into account alexithymia as a target of intervention for this population of adolescents.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
La dipendenza affettiva è un concetto dibattuto. Essa viene considerata come una dipen-denza da u... more La dipendenza affettiva è un concetto dibattuto. Essa viene considerata come una dipen-denza da un oggetto di amore che può portare allo sviluppo di considerevoli conseguenze ne-gative, fra cui atti auto-lesivi ed ideazione suicidaria. Lo studio mira a fornire prove empiriche sull'eziologia e sulle caratteristiche della dipendenza affettiva e ad analizzare la sua relazione con l'ideazione suicidaria. Il risultato ha confermato la rappresentazione fenomenologica della dipendenza affettiva che finora è stata ipotizzata in letteratura, fornendo una comprensione più profonda delle sue caratteristiche. È stata osservata un'associazione con comportamenti suici-dari e parasuicidari, evidenziando drammatiche che essa può avere e l'importanza di prevenirle.
Trichotillomania (TTM), is characterized by recurrent pulling out of hair. Current evidence sugge... more Trichotillomania (TTM), is characterized by recurrent pulling out of hair. Current evidence suggests that it has different subtypes with distinct characteristics. Automatic pulling occurs out of awareness and includes situations where pulling is engaged in sedentary activities. Focused pulling occurs in response to negative emotions. The Milwaukee Inventory for the Subtypes of Trichotillomania – Adult Version (MIST-A) measures the TTM subtypes. In Italy, TTM is still under-recognized by clinicians and researchers. The current study investigated the factor structure, the reliability of the Italian MIST-A and its concurrent/divergent validity with measures of skin picking, anxiety sensitivity, dissociative experiences, difficulties in emotion regulation, psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance in Italian community individuals. A large group of 1142 adults from the general population (Mean age = 38,41, SD = 14.67, females 60%) completed the MIST-A. Theoretical explanations, implications for practice and research are discussed
Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 2022
Therapist’s emotional response towards patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is under... more Therapist’s emotional response towards patients with obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) is under-investigated. This aspect might provide valuable information about therapists’ difficulties during sessions and support supervisory practice, since a proportion of OCD patients drop out due to issues related to the therapeutic relationship. In a sample of therapists, we explored the effects of therapists’ orientation (cognitive behavioural versus psychodynamic) and perfectionistic traits on their emotional responses towards patients with OCD, controlling for other variables potentially related to emotional response towards patients (i.e., therapists’ gender/age and patient’s comorbid personality disorders). Ninety-four therapists (74 women and 20 men; mean age = 42.07 ± 10.17 years), of which 47 (50%) had a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) and 47 (50%) a psychodynamic orientation matched on gender and age, completed the Therapist Response Questionnaire and Frost Multidimensional Perf...
Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) assesses six dimensions of OCD symptoms in ... more Obsessive Compulsive Inventory-Child Version (OCI-CV) assesses six dimensions of OCD symptoms in childhood and adolescence. The current study used confirmatory methods to assess factor structure and reliability of the Italian OCI-CV in community children and adolescents. 1408 community children and adolescents completed the OCI-CV and a subgroup (n=855) completed measures of other anxiety and depression symptoms. A six correlated factor structure showed good fit. Reliability was excellent for total OCI-CV and for the other scales ranged from good to acceptable. The OCI-CV confirmed good properties in terms of factor structure and reliability.
Un’area oggetto di sempre maggiore interesse nel campo dello studio degli stati mentali a rischio... more Un’area oggetto di sempre maggiore interesse nel campo dello studio degli stati mentali a rischio e dei meccanismi implicati nello sviluppo dei disturbi psicotici, è rappresentata dall’indagine delle distorsioni cognitive. Già da vari anni un ampio volume di ricerche evidenzia il ruolo di specifici stili di pensiero quali elemento centrale di vulnerabilità e di mantenimento nei disturbi psicotici conclamati, in particolare nei processi che conducono alla formazione di convinzioni deliranti (eg, Luzón et al., 2009; Moritz & Woodward, 2005). Tali stili cognitivi porterebbero il paziente a raccogliere dati in modo distorto e prendere decisioni basate su errori logici, dei quali spesso non è consapevole. In ricerche sperimentali su pazienti con disturbi psicotici, Freeman e colleghi (2006) evidenziano che, nonostante l'adozione di bias legati al processo di raccolta di evidenze ed alla falsificazione dei propri pensieri, i pazienti tendono a ritenersi decisori riflessivi in grado di valutare adeguatamente i pro ed i contro delle diverse prospettive. Un'attenzione crescente negli ultimi anni è stata dedicata al riconoscimento dei bias cognitivi anche nelle condizioni di stato mentale a rischio (Broome et al., 2007). Il miglioramento della consapevolezza dei pazienti rispetto a tali trappole della mente può divenire un bersaglio-chiave dell'intervento psicologico di prevenzione con i giovani classificati a rischio di psicosi (van der Gaag et al., 2013). Di seguito, si riportano i principali bias cognitivi tipici degli stati mentali a rischio, come evidenziato da studi recenti
Religiosity, the extent to which an individual is committed to the religion he/she professes, may... more Religiosity, the extent to which an individual is committed to the religion he/she professes, may be a protective factor against depression. Although in the Italian socio-cultural context religion is a predominant feature of society, the role of religiosity as a psychological buffer against depression in adolescence is understudied. The present study explored (a) the association between recent stressful life events and depressive tendencies and (b) whether higher religiosity could be a predictor of lower depressive symptomatology controlling for the effects of stressful events in a sample of Italian adolescents. Two hundred seventy-five adolescents completed the Children’s Depression Inventory and two questionnaires measuring religiosity and perceived stressful events, respectively. Fifteen percent of the sample reported depressive tendencies above clinical thresholds. Having experienced school problems and parents’ separation was associated with higher depressive symptomatology. When religiosity was added in the logistic model, the effects of the stressors became non-significant, and a significant effect of religiosity emerged (β= -0.55, p= 0.01). Adolescents with higher religiosity reported lower depressive tendencies, irrespective of the stressors’ type. Religiosity might be a psychosocial buffer against depression in adolescence
IntroductionIn this decade in the Italian context, there has been a significant increase of the i... more IntroductionIn this decade in the Italian context, there has been a significant increase of the immigration phenomenon. Consistent data indicated higher risk of psychotic experiences among migrants. Poor work investigated clinical variables associated with stronger subthreshold psychotic experiences among this population of adolescents. Aberrant salience, the biased assignment of significance to otherwise innocuous stimuli, and alexithymia, the difficulty identifying/describing feelings are believed to have a role in the onset and maintenance of psychotic symptoms. No study evaluated whether they could moderate the relation between migrant status and psychotic experiences among in adolescence.ObjectivesThe current study investigated whether salience and alexithymia predicted more intense subthreshold psychotic experiences and moderated the effect of migrant status among migrant and native Italian adolescents.MethodsSeventy-three adolescents born in other countries than Italy and 75 native Italian adolescents (mean age = 17.57, SD = 2.08, 47.30% females) completed the aberrant salience inventory, the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and the screening for psychotic experiences.ResultsMigrant adolescents had higher levels of subthreshold psychotic experiences (F = 10.65, P < 0.01), alexithymia (F = 8.93, P < 0.01) and salience (F = 4.38, P < 0.05) than native Italian adolescents. A main effect of aberrant salience and alexithymia on subthreshold psychotic experiences emerged. An interaction effect between migrant status and alexithymia was found: migrant adolescents with stronger alexithymia had more intense subthreshold psychotic experiences.ConclusionsPublic health policies should consider migrant adolescents as a group at risk for stronger subthreshold psychotic experiences. Prevention programs could take into account alexithymia as a target of intervention for this population of adolescents.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.
La dipendenza affettiva è un concetto dibattuto. Essa viene considerata come una dipen-denza da u... more La dipendenza affettiva è un concetto dibattuto. Essa viene considerata come una dipen-denza da un oggetto di amore che può portare allo sviluppo di considerevoli conseguenze ne-gative, fra cui atti auto-lesivi ed ideazione suicidaria. Lo studio mira a fornire prove empiriche sull'eziologia e sulle caratteristiche della dipendenza affettiva e ad analizzare la sua relazione con l'ideazione suicidaria. Il risultato ha confermato la rappresentazione fenomenologica della dipendenza affettiva che finora è stata ipotizzata in letteratura, fornendo una comprensione più profonda delle sue caratteristiche. È stata osservata un'associazione con comportamenti suici-dari e parasuicidari, evidenziando drammatiche che essa può avere e l'importanza di prevenirle.
Trichotillomania (TTM), is characterized by recurrent pulling out of hair. Current evidence sugge... more Trichotillomania (TTM), is characterized by recurrent pulling out of hair. Current evidence suggests that it has different subtypes with distinct characteristics. Automatic pulling occurs out of awareness and includes situations where pulling is engaged in sedentary activities. Focused pulling occurs in response to negative emotions. The Milwaukee Inventory for the Subtypes of Trichotillomania – Adult Version (MIST-A) measures the TTM subtypes. In Italy, TTM is still under-recognized by clinicians and researchers. The current study investigated the factor structure, the reliability of the Italian MIST-A and its concurrent/divergent validity with measures of skin picking, anxiety sensitivity, dissociative experiences, difficulties in emotion regulation, psychological inflexibility and experiential avoidance in Italian community individuals. A large group of 1142 adults from the general population (Mean age = 38,41, SD = 14.67, females 60%) completed the MIST-A. Theoretical explanations, implications for practice and research are discussed
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