Gaetana Affuso

Effects of Parental Monitoring and Exposure to Community Violence on Antisocial Behavior and Anxiety/Depression Among Adolescents

The aim of the research was to investigate the influence of gender, exposure to community violence, and parental monitoring upon antisocial behavior and anxiety/depression in adolescence. Involved in the study were 489 adolescents (290 males and 189 females) from 4 secondary schools in the city of Naples, Italy. The age of participants ranged from 16 to 19 (mean age = 17.53, standard deviation = 1.24). All were in the 3rd (11th grade) or 5th year (13th grade) of high school. Self-reported measures were used to assess antisocial behavior, symptoms of anxiety/depression, parental monitoring and exposure to community violence as a victim or as a witness. First of all we tested, through a hierarchical multiple regression, the independent contribution of gender, exposure to community violence and parental monitoring upon antisocial behavior and symptoms of anxiety/depression; then we tested the moderating role of gender and parental monitoring on the negative effects of exposure to violence. The results show that male gender, high level of exposure to community violence (both as a victim and a witness), and low level of parental monitoring predict a higher involvement in antisocial behavior. Female gender, being a victim and low level of parental monitoring predict symptoms of anxiety/depression. Furthermore, parental monitoring and gender play a moderating role, minimizing or amplifying the negative effects of exposure to community violence. The results of the research suggest that a similar pattern of risk and protective factors can give rise to multiple paths of adaptive or maladaptive development.

Multiple Forms and Settings of Exposure to Violence and Values Unique and Interactive Relationships With Antisocial Behavior in Adolescence

The general purpose of this study was to investigate the relationships between multiple forms and settings of exposure to violence (ETV) as well as personal values and antisocial behavior (ASB) in adolescence. The association of ETV as witness or victim in different contexts (family, school, or neighborhood) and the association of the selected values of power, universalism, and conformity with ASB were analyzed. In addition, the role of ETV in moderating the relationship between values and ASB was tested. A total of 369 adolescents participated in the study. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed. Results revealed that ASB was independently affected by exposure to family violence as a victim, exposure to school violence as a witness, exposure to neighborhood violence as a witness, and by all three selected values. The associations of ASB with universalism and conformity were negative. Conversely, the association of ASB with power was positive. One interaction had statistically significant effects. Results revealed that exposure to school violence as a witness moderates the relationship between universalism and ASB. The results highlight a high percentage of explained variance by ETV and values on ASB and suggest the importance of adopting a socio-ecological framework in interpreting adolescent behavior.

The contribution of school-related parental monitoring, self-determination, and self-efficacy to academic achievement

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to examine the contribution of school-related parental monitoring (SR-PM), self-determined motivation, and academic self-efficacy to academic achievement across time. The authors hypothesized that SR-PM would affect academic achievement indirectly via its effects on self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy beliefs. The participants were 501 adolescents (220 boys; 281 girls) in Grades 6 and 9 as well as their mothers and fathers. We carried out a 2-year, multi-informant study in which the authors assessed SR-PM (maternal and paternal reports), self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy (self-report), and academic achievement (school records). The authors used structural equation model analysis to test the hypotheses. The analysis shows that SR-PM was positively associated with self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy and that self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy affected academic achievement. Furthermore, analyses of indirect effects showed that SR-PM influences academic achievement via its effects on self-determined motivation and academic self-efficacy.

The Structure of Self-Serving Cognitive Distortions A Validation of the “How I Think” Questionnaire in a Sample of Italian Adolescents

This study aims to investigate the structure of self-serving cognitive distortions (CD), evaluating the psychometric properties of the How I Think Questionnaire in a sample of Italian adolescents. A confirmatory factor analysis supported the distinction between four categories of CD and the use of a single second-order dimension of CD. Reliability and validity were satisfactory.

Measuring adolescents' perceptions of parenting style during childhood: psychometric properties of the parenting styles and dimensions questionnaire

Nos ultimos 15 anos houve um interesse crescente na avaliacao de estilos parentais de forma retrospectiva, especialmente com o Parenting Style and Dimensions Questionnaire (Questionario de Estilos Parentais). No entanto, poucos estudos efetuaram a analise psicometrica desta escala com analises fatoriais confirmatorias (AFC). O presente estudo analisou as caracteristicas psicometricas do instrumento numa amostra de 1465 adolescentes italianos que avaliaram o estilo parental do pai e da mae durante a sua infância. Foram utilizadas AFCs e analises multi-grupo para avaliar a estrutura e consistencia da escala. Os resultados demonstram que 22 dos 62 itens nao mediram bem a constructo. A versao final do instrumento, composto por 40 itens, apresenta propriedades psicometricas satisfatorias e validade convergente nas duas versoes.

Memories of parenting styles and communicative processes in adolescence

This study aims to (a) examine the links between adolescents’ memories of authoritative, authoritarian, and permissive parenting styles and parent–child communicative processes; (b) test adolescents’ and parents’ gender differences. Data were collected from 479 Italian adolescents (Mage = 16.62 years; SDage = 1.46) attending public high schools. Participants completed Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire and Parental Solicitation and Child Disclosure scales. Results indicated that memories of maternal authoritative style were significantly related to both parental solicitation and child disclosure, whereas memories of paternal authoritative style were significantly linked only with parental solicitation. No significant links involving neither authoritarian nor permissive styles were found and no differences between adolescent genders were identified. Present findings suggest that parent–child relationships featuring both warmth and control built through past interactions facilitate communicative processes during adolescence. Future research is needed to confirm the strong relationship between authoritative parenting style and communicative processes in adolescence.