Elena Camisasca

Validation of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory in Italy: A preliminary study

The aim of this study was to provide preliminary findings on the reliability and the validity of the Italian Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory, a screening tool that measures parents’ potential for child physical abuse. The CAP Inventory and measures on parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index–Short Form [PSI-SF]) and parents’ perceptions of child adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) were administered in a nonclinical sample of Italian parents (N = 551) with a 2- to 6-year-old child. The Abuse scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = .87), with significantly negative correlations between socioeconomic status and educational level of the parents. Also, the Abuse scale scores were significantly predicted by high levels of parenting stress and by parental negative perceptions of the child’s behavior. Finally, using a cut score for the English version of the Abuse scale (where 95% of parents would be expected to be classified), 93.8% of Italian parents were classified as nonabusive by the Abuse scale. These results supported the cross-cultural generalizability of the Abuse scale. However, complementary studies with abusive samples are needed to verify the ability of the instrument to discriminate between abusive and nonabusive parents also in the Italian population.

La disorganizzazione dell’attaccamento spiega i sintomi post-traumatici nei bambini vittime di violenza intrafamiliare?

Child maltreatment is a chronic relational trauma with maladaptive outcomes in terms of both attachment of posttraumatic symptomatology. Many studies show that disorganized attachment is an important risk factor for the onset of externalizing, dissociative and PTSD symptoms. The Internal Working Models (IWM) of attachment disorganization could be a psychological mechanism key to understand the effect of child maltreatment on posttraumatic symptoms. The study aims to: 1) check for any differences in the IWM and posttraumatic symptomatology in a group of 47 of maltreated children and a group of 59 children from disadvantaged families; 2) explore, in maltreated children, if the disorganization mediates the association between type of violence and posttraumatic symptomatology. Results show that maltreated children have more severe maladaptive outcomes than the other group. Moreover, attachment disorganization is the only predictor of depressive symptoms; totally mediates the anger and dissociative symptoms; and partially mediates the anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

Emotional Distress Following Childbirth: An Intervention to Buffer Depressive and PTSD Symptoms

Childbirth for some women is a negative experience associated with depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. The preventive actions focusing on helping mothers to cope with negative emotions experienced after childbirth are strongly recommended. It is also recommended both to intervene early and on all women to avoid the risk that these symptoms can worsen in the months after childbirth. The intervention described in the current study is focalized on the elaboration of post-partum negative thoughts and emotion through a writing task, with the purpose to help new mothers to reflect, understand, evaluate and, thus, reformulate the stressful situation with new beliefs and emotions. 176 women aged from 19 to 43 years (M = 31.55, SD = 4.58) were assessed for depression and PTSD in the prenatal phase (T1). In about 96 hours after childbirth they were randomly assigned to either “Making Sense condition” (MS: in which they wrote about the thoughts and emotions connected with delivery and childbirth) or “Control-Neutral condition” (NC: in which they wrote about the daily events in behavioural terms) and then reassessed for depression and PTSD (T2). A follow up was conducted 3 months later (T3) to verify depression and posttraumatic symptoms. The results showed that depressive symptoms decreased both at 96 hours and at 3 months as a result of making-sense task. Regarding the posttraumatic symptoms the positive effect emerged at three months and not at 96 hours after birth.

THE EFFECTS OF EXPRESSIVE WRITING ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS

This study investigated whether an Expressive Writing intervention decreased depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after childbirth. 113 women (M age = 31.26 yr., SD = 4.42) were assessed at Time 1 for depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and PTS (Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire) in the first days after childbirth, then randomized to either expressive writing or neutral writing conditions and reassessed at Time 2, 3 months later. The results (ANCOVAs, regression models) show that at 3 mo. depressive and posttraumatic symptoms were lower in women who performed the expressive writing task than in the neutral writing group. Moreover, the intervention condition was associated significantly with decreased depression at the high and at the mean levels of baseline depression at Time 1. Regarding PTSD, the results showed that the intervention condition was linked significantly to reductions of the symptoms at all levels of baseline PTSD. Mainly, these outcomes suggest that Expressive Writing can be a helpful early and low-cost universal intervention to prevent postpartum distress for women.

Conflittualità genitoriale e sintomatologia da stress post-traumatico nei figli: uno studio esplorativo

In letteratura sono noti gli effetti negativi dell’esposizione al conflitto genitoriale sull’adattamento dei figli, in termini di problemi di internalizzazione ed esternalizzazione, mentre sono meno indagate le conseguenze post-traumatiche. In un gruppo normativo di 90 famiglie con bambini di eta scolare, questo studio esplorativo si propone di: 1) rilevare la presenza della sintomatologia post-traumatica in bambini esposti a lievi versus intensi conflitti genitoriali, e 2) indagare i fattori di mediazione nella relazione tra conflitto genitoriale e sintomatologia post-traumatica, prendendo come riferimento il modello Cognitivo-Contestuale e l’ipotesi della Sicurezza Emotiva. I risultati mostrano come in condizioni di conflitto intenso la minaccia percepita svolga un ruolo di mediazione sui sintomi di ansia, depressione, PTS e dissociazione, e le rappresentazioni distruttive sulla rabbia. In condizioni di conflitto lieve, invece, il distress emotivo svolge un ruolo di mediazione sui sintomi ansiosi e le rappresentazioni distruttive sulla rabbia.

The Parenting Alliance Measure: the first contribute to the validation of the measure in Italian mothers and fathers.

Aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Parenting Alliance Measure (PAM). Participants were 350 mothers and 350 fathers of children (49.3% girls) aged 1-15 years. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to individuate the dimensionality of Italian PAM. The scale’s internal consistency and invariance over mothers and fathers were examined. The scale’s concurrent validity was explored by investigating the associations of PAM dimensions with parenting stress and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In a subsample of 175 couples of parents we also explored the associations among PAM dimensions with marital adjustment. A 2-factor structure model was the most effective PAM structure for both mothers and fathers. This solution obtained the partial scalar invariance over mothers and fathers and internal validity of the scale was confirmed. The dimension Communication and Team Work was the most associated with all the other variables in the expected directions, for both parents.

Maternal mind-mindedness as a linking mechanism between childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and parenting stress

ABSTRACT The researchers of this study have two aims. The first aim is to verify whether posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, evaluated at 87 hours and at 3 months postpartum, are associated with maternal mind-mindedness (MM) and parenting stress, measured at 17 months postpartum. The second aim is to investigate, at 17 months, the predictive effects of PTS symptoms on the dimensions of parenting stress and to explore whether MM mediates these associations. Forty-one mother–infant dyads participated in the study. The results show that at 17 months, hyper-arousal symptoms predicted both MM and parenting stress. MM was a linking mechanism between maternal PTS symptoms and parenting stress.

Child abuse potential inventory in Italy: A comparative study of abusive and nonabusive parents

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to explore the reliability and ability of the Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory to discriminate parents in an Italian sample who are physically child abusive and physically nonabusive parents. The CAP Inventory and measures on parenting stress (PSI-SF) and parents’ attributions of child adjustment (CBCL) were administered in a sample of 37 abusive and 102 nonabusive parents in an Italian sample: Both groups of the respondents were similar in age, gender, marital status, and education. The Abuse scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = .86) and 52 items significantly discriminate between abusive and nonabusive parents. Moreover, the mean score of abusive parents (M = 194.5) was significantly higher than the mean score of nonabusive parents (M = 78) and the Abuse scale was correlated with parenting stress and parental perceptions of maladjustment in children (in terms of internalizing and externalizing symptoms). Finally, with the cut-off suggested in the original version of the CAP Inventory (Milner, 1986) when abusive and nonabusive groups are compared (166), the Abuse scale correctly classified 70.3% of the abusive group and 100% of the nonabusive group. These results showed adequate reliability and validity of the Abuse scale for Italy.

Violent Video Games and Children’s Aggressive Behaviors: An Italian Study

The literature provides some evidence that the use of violent video games increases the risk for young people to develop aggressive cognitions and even behaviors. We aimed to verify whether exposure to violent video games is linked to problems of aggression in a sample of Italian children. Four questionnaires were administered to 346 children between 7 and 14 years of age, attending primary and secondary schools in Northern Italy. Variables measured were externalization, quality of interpersonal relationships, aggression, quality of coping strategies, and parental stress. Participants who preferred violent games showed higher scores for externalization and aggression. The use of violent video games and age were linked to higher levels of aggression, coping strategies, and the habitual video game weekly consumption of participants. Our data confirm the role of violent video games as risk factors for problems of aggressive behavior and of externalization in childhood and early adolescence.

Post-partum depressive symptoms and child behavior: The mediational role of maternal mind-mindedness

ABSTRACT The present study’s first aim is to verify whether depressive symptoms, measured at 87-hours and at 3-months post-partum, are associated with maternal mind-mindedness (the proclivity to treat infants as individuals with minds) and children’s behavior (at 17 months, T3). The second aim is to investigate, at T3, whether maternal mind-mindedness mediates the relationship between depressive symptoms and children’s behavior. 46 mother–infant dyads participated in the study. No correlations are found among early depressive symptoms, mind-mindedness, and children’s behaviors. At T3, impaired mind-mindedness mediates the effects of cognitive depressive symptoms on children’s internalizing behaviors. Somatic symptoms, conjointly with impaired mind-mindedness, predicted externalizing behaviors.