Laura Migliorini

Photovoice and Interpretation of Pictures in a Group Discussion: A Community Psychology Approach

The primary objective of this article is to contribute to the literature on the Photovoice method through analysis of its characteristics. The Photovoice visual methodology often employed in qualitative research in the frame of community psychology because it enables participants to express their ideas using pictures. This study aims to demonstrate the utility of Photovoice through presentation of evidence gathered during our study on immigration to exemplify some issues surrounding group interaction, picture interpretation and symbolic meaning. This qualitative method has some defining features: first, Photovoice offers participants the opportunity to discuss and interpret their photographs in a group where each participant can share his/her perspective, based on his/her experiences and values. Second, the method allows participants to represent an idea by capturing images of inanimate objects that may symbolise the personal meaning attributed to the research topics. Third, it is well suited to communicating a general understanding of the research topics with the benefit that it may integrate influences from the participants’ lives.

Unaccompanied Migrant Adolescents in the Italian Context: Tailored Educational Interventions and Acculturation Stress

The migration experience is normally associated with acculturative stress; this condition assumes relevance when the migrant is a minor alone. The aim of this study was to explore perceptions about the migration process and educational interventions offered by host-community social workers. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 unaccompanied migrant adolescents that had finished their educational pathways in the traditional community centers. Interview results were analyzed using NVivo 9, based on the grounded theory. The main results of the study are related to the incompatibility between the educational intervention of host communities and minors’ projects and motivations.

A qualitative method to “make visible” the world of intercultural relationships: the photovoice in social psychology

ABSTRACT In recent decades, the study of intercultural relations and the complexity of relationships due to the migration phenomenon have become more important for social scientists to analyze. The aim of this article is to show that photovoice, a methodology that belongs to the field of participatory action research, can be a useful qualitative tool in social psychology to analyze intercultural relationships. This method offers participants the opportunity to discuss and interpret their photographs in a group, involving people in a process of active listening and dialogue that can encourage policy makers to promote social change. Social psychology is encouraged to use photovoice to engage communities facing intercultural challenges; thus, a re-appraisal of the Lewin tradition is necessary. Photovoice could be used to “make visible” and meaningful the world of intercultural relationships, eliciting the transformative power of qualitative research.

Daily Family Routines of Italian and Ecuadorian Immigrant Mothers in Everyday Life

This study compares Italian mothers’ and Ecuadorian immigrant mothers’ daily family routines. Thirty mothers took part in this investigation: 15 Italians (M = 37.5 years, with ages ranging from 30 to 42 years) and 15 Ecuadorians (M = 36.1 years, with ages ranging from 18 to 46 years and having lived in Italy for an average of 15 years), with children ranging in age from 4 to 8 years. The objective is to highlight the differences and similarities between the daily routines and family relations that characterize the lives of each of the two groups of participants. The instruments employed in service of these aims were in-depth interviews and diaries. The results showed similarities regarding the routines of Italian and Ecuadorian families. However, a relevant difference emerged regarding their perceptions of social support. Specifically, Italians receive more social support from their parents than do Ecuadorians, who are supported more by other relatives or by friends.

Parental Competence in Italy: A Comparison Between Italian and Immigrant Parents

ABSTRACT The migration experience could influence parental competence perception in immigrant parents. Within this framework the current work focuses on immigrant parenthood and whether a family’s migratory path could lead parents to feel less competent in their parental roles. The aim of the present study is to analyze perceptions of parental competence and family routines among immigrant and Italian parents during the middle childhood stages. The results showed that immigrant parents perceive themselves as more competent than Italians. Immigrants also attribute more importance to the dimension of relational and regulatory routines in daily family life than do Italian parents. Professionals can use these findings to better understand how best to enhance practices and strategies appropriate to the complexity of these intercultural contexts.

Emotions in labour: Italian obstetricians’ experiences of presence during childbirth

Abstract Objective: The present study represents a qualitative research aimed to explore the obstetricians’ psychological experiences of birth. Background: During labour the role of obstetricians assumes a fundamental importance in hospitalised childbirth. However, literature analysis has shown that the psychological side of birth has been investigated only considering the woman’s and midwife’s points of view. The obstetricians’ psychological experiences have not been considered enough and only a few studies at a quantitative level have been performed. Methods: Seven focus groups for a total of 72 obstetricians were conducted in hospital contexts in Italy. The qualitative methodology of grounded theory was adopted. Findings: The results were divided into three different core themes: obstetricians’ approaches to delivery, critical aspects about relationships in the delivery room, and obstetricians’ feelings and emotions in the delivery room. Each theme was subdivided into different subthemes. Conclusion: The results highlight different ways obstetricians approach their profession, the complex and multifaceted relationship with the woman and the extraordinary variety of feelings and emotions, which enrich, but also may complicate, life in the delivery room. Further studies could provide more details to help researchers to develop new and more effective strategies to support obstetricians’ training and work.

Acculturation strategies and adjustment in immigrant and host Italian communities

This paper aims to develop a multidimensional scale to measure intergenerational family solidarity (IFS) to assess its psychometric properties and to examine the invariance of the instrument across gender. In order to do that, we initially developed a scale with six dimensions. Using the theoretical framework of Bengtson and his colleagues (1991), we measured five out of the six conceptual dimensions of the IFS, together with a new one developed by us and called systematic solidarity. Furthermore, items about partner are introduced in the questionnaire. Using a sample of 201 valid questionnaires, different analyses were conducted to validate the new scale. The definitive scale proposed to measure IFS was composed by four dimensions: normative solidarity and three affectual solidarities (related to parents, partner, and children). Finally, we provide evidences of the consistency of this scale across gender differences.

An ecological perspective on early years workforce competences in Italian ECEC settings

Abstract Based on an ecological perspective on competence, this study analyzed the attitudes, skills, and knowledge of practitioners in educational services for 0–6-years-old children in Italy, examining competence profiles in the Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) workforce. Our study considered three areas of competence, which previously have received less attention: relationships with children, relationships with families, and relationships within working groups or teams. Participants were 136 practitioners working in Italian ECEC services. Practitioners reported a greater need to acquire social skills for their relationships with children and families, especially in cases of psychosocial distress. They also reported the difficulty of development planning within their professional role. The article concludes with a discussion of the attitudes, skills, and knowledge required for professional development planning.

La riabilitazione oncologica: qualità della cura e benessere psicologico del paziente

This paper discusses the results of a research on the well-being and health care quality in Rehabilitation Oncology. Oncological diseases are a stressful experience, but also they can trigger positive changes in the individual, leading to a modification of self and subjective well-being. Literature shows that these aspects of post-traumatic growth depend to some extent on the level of satisfaction with the quality of care received, conceptualized as the clarity of information received and the perception of being heard within the relationships of a caring nature. The aim of this paper is to highlight efficacy, levels of satisfaction with the treatment and psychological well-being of a group of cancer patients in a Physiotherapy unit. The rehabilitation stage is a key step in the transition from illness to health and therefore it is of particular relevance. The Physical Therapist takes on a fundamental role in the rehabilitation process, carrying out therapeutic interventions involving a physical dimension as well as a physical contact with the patient. The present study was conducted in a North Italian hospital and involved 50 subjects. The results show high satisfaction for the rehabilitation treatment received. These findings are strengthened by a shared view on the effectiveness of therapy: health care professionals expressed, on one hand, a positive assessment on the functional recovery of patients and, on the other hand, patients reported a high degree of psychological well-being and a perceived high efficacy of the treatment.

Motivations and Family Functioning of Foster Families in Italy

ABSTRACT The aim of this paper was to investigate foster family care to better understand this unique care-giving context. The research objective was to understand motivation, family functioning, and individual attachment styles in foster families. Participants were 33 foster parents who completed a questionnaire that included the motivations for choosing foster care, the relationship with the birth family and with social service workers, a measure of family functioning and adult attachment. The motivations for becoming a foster family were very different between families with a birth child and families without a birth child. The results showed that for the foster mother, the relationship with the birth family constituted a very critical element of the fostering experience. The same trend emerged in the relationship with the minor. The results showed that foster families were cohesive and expressive. With respect to attachment style, foster parents had lower scores than a normative sample on the discomfort with closeness, the tendency to consider relationships as secondary and the need for approval subscales. These results have implications for the practices of social work for foster family support and developing a shared commitment to the needs of the foster family in terms of both resources and weaknesses.