Chiara Sacchi

The Role of Father Involvement and Marital Satisfaction in the Development of Family Interactive Abilities: A Multilevel Approach.

The study aims to investigate the development of family interactions from pregnancy to preschool age in a longitudinal perspective, using multilevel analysis. Also, it explored the impact of couple relationship and father involvement in childcare on the developmental trend of the quality of mother–father–child interactions. One hundred and three primiparous families were assessed at 7th month of pregnancy, 4th, 9th, and 18th months of child’s life and during preschool age (36–48th), using the observational procedure named, Lausanne Trilogue Play. Parents’ perception of marital satisfaction was assessed with the Dyadic Adjustment Scale at each point of measure; moreover, in the postnatal assessment, parents completed the Father Involvement Questionnaire. Results showed that family interactions increase over time. Secondly, a decrease of marital adjustment is associated with an improvement of the quality of family interactions. Moreover, father involvement predicts the quality of family interactions from the earliest stages of child’s life. In a longitudinal perspective, family interactions and marital quality show opposite developmental trends and father’s involvement represents a particularly important feature of the family.

Italian validation of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form on a college group.

The Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form (CTQ–SF) is the most widely used measure of childhood traumatic experiences for the retrospective assessment of adolescents and adults. It facilitates the detection of co-occurrence of traumas during childhood, in effect overcoming the lack of standardized tools for adult assessment. Objective: The current study aimed to validate the Italian Childhood Trauma Questionnaire on college students. On this scope, we compared several factor structures proposed in the literature by the original authors (Bernstein et al., 2003), as well as in cross-cultural applications. In addition, we investigated psychometric properties of the Italian CTQ–SF in terms of internal consistency reliability and convergent validity with posttraumatic stress disorder and general psychopathology. Method: A total of 446 undergraduate students (M = 23 years, SD = 2.87) participated in the study. Results: The confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the 5-factor solution represents the model that best fits Italian data of nonclinical samples. The unidimensionality of the scale was also not supported by present findings. Additionally, internal consistency reliability was good across the 5 scales and in line with the original version, as well as with previous applications. Correlation of the CTQ–SF with posttraumatic stress disorder and general psychopathology suggested that current posttraumatic and general symptoms were moderately significantly associated with the emotional forms of childhood trauma. Conclusion: Findings highlighted reliability, structure, and concurrent validity for the Italian CTQ–SF and thus supported the implementation of the Italian version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire—Short Form in the assessment of traumatic experiences and the screening in nonclinical groups.

Primary care-video intervention therapy (pc-VIT): when the pediatrician setting posits a new way for early interventions.

The referential cycle described by Wilma Bucci predicts that during the session – and more generally during the therapeutic path – three phases alternate: a) arousal of the emotion schemas within the patient-therapist relationship, b) symbolization by the patient trying to translate into words his/her experiences with the therapist collaboration, and c) reorganization/reflection in which patient and therapist try to recognize and understand the emotional significance of patient’s experiences. So far, to monitor the development of these three phases during the sessions therapists and researchers could use their own clinical sensitivity or the referential activity computerized measures, which however need the session verbatim transcription. In order to develop a parallel and less time-consuming method we built up a self-report questionnaire that measures the main dimensions of the referential activity and cycle. For three months seven therapists have completed it online to evaluate 255 sessions, right at their conclusion. The factorial analysis revealed a factorial structure consistent with the measured constructs and a high internal consistency of the subscales. The utility of the scale will be highlighted both for therapists and researchers: the T-RAPS is a useful monitoring and supervision tool applicable by therapists of any orientation and can be correlated with the other main clinical constructs as well as with the referential activity computerized measures. Furthermore, the previewed construction of the patient version of the scale will allow for a more complete and multifaceted overview of the referential cycle.

Italian translation and cross-cultural comparison with the Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS)

ABSTRACT Background: The Childhood Attachment and Relational Trauma Screen (CARTS) is a computer-administered survey designed to assess retrospectively the socio-ecological context in which instances of child abuse may have occurred. To date, studies supporting the validity of the CARTS have only been undertaken in English-speaking North American populations. Validation projects in other countries and cross-cultural comparisons are therefore warranted. Objective: Develop and preliminarily evaluate the psychometric properties of an Italian version of the CARTS on college students and compare such observations to data acquired from Canadian students. Method: Seventy-nine undergraduate students from the University of Padua (Italy) completed an Italian translation of the CARTS as well as measures of childhood experiences, mental health and attachment, responses to which were compared to those obtained in 288 Canadian students who completed the CARTS in English. Results: Internal consistency and convergent validity with the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire and Parental Bonding Instrument were found to be acceptable for the Italian translation. Within the Italian sample, correlation analyses suggested that CARTS Mother ratings referring to attachment and abuse were associated with romantic attachment, whereas CARTS Father ratings were significantly correlated to PTSD symptoms and other symptoms of psychopathology-distress. Significant differences between Italian and Canadian students across the relationship types for the CARTS abuse and attachment scales were found, indicating that Italian students rated their mothers and fathers as simultaneously less abusive, but also less as a source of secure attachment. Conclusions: The results of this preliminary study seem to suggest convergent validity of the Italian CARTS and the association between childhood attachment-related experiences and romantic attachment. Cultural variations were identified between Canadian and Italian students in both attachment and abuse scales. Future studies to investigate cross-cultural variations in the relational context of childhood abuse and in order to boost Italian CARTS psychometric features are warranted.

Childhood Traumatic Experiences and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Female Adults: Which is the Role Played by Romantic Attachment?

Childhood traumatic experiences are known to have strong and durable effects on physical, mental and reproductive health. One of the most studied consequences of childhood trauma is the post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present study aims to investigate in a community sample of Italian female students: (1) the prevalence of PTSD; (2) the association between reported childhood traumatic experiences and the presence of PTSD in adulthood and the role played by the romantic attachment (anxiety, avoidance) on the relationship between childhood traumatic experiences and PTSD symptoms. Three hundred and twenty-seven female Italian students (mean age = 23.09 years; SD = 2.98) of the University of Padova participated in the study. Participants have been tested on childhood traumatic experiences (Childhood Trauma QuestionnaireShort Form, CTQ-SF); romantic attachment (Experience in Close Relationship-Revised, ECR-R) and post-traumatic stress disorder (Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, PCL-5). Results show that PTSD symptoms are significantly predicted by the experiences of emotional abuse and neglect. Moreover, anxiety and avoidance play a significant role in the relationship between the emotional forms of traumatic experiences and the current presence of PTSD symptoms. Clinical implications for the treatment of PTSD patients with history of interpersonal trauma are discussed.