Leonardo Carlucci

Novel psychoactive substances: use and knowledge among adolescents and young adults in urban and rural areas

Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) are new psychotropic drugs, not scheduled under the International Conventions on Psychotropic Substances, but which may pose a relevant public health threat. In this study, we investigated knowledge and use of NPS in a sample of Italian youth in urban and rural areas.

Alcohol drinking patterns in young people: A survey-based study:

Binge drinking represents a major clinical and public health concern. Here, we investigated the prevalence of binge drinking and its related consequences, in a population of young adults. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 4275 healthy subjects. In the overall sample, the percentage of binge drinkers was 67.6 per cent; among regular alcohol users, 79.5 per cent reported episodes of binge drinking. Among binge drinkers, several serious consequences were identified (staggering and stuttering, amnesia, loss of control, aggressiveness, sexual disinhibition). Raising awareness about the seriousness of binge drinking may help health care providers to identify cases early on and provide appropriate treatments.

The Mediating Role of Early Maladaptive Schemas in the Relation between Co-Rumination and Depression in Young Adults.

Research on co-rumination has investigated its relationship with internalizing symptoms, but few studies have addressed underlying maladaptive cognitive-affective processes that may play an important role in the maintenance of this relation. This study examines if Young’s schema domains mediate the relation between co-rumination and depression in a community sample of non-clinical young adults. Participants completed the Co-Rumination Questionnaire, Young Schema Questionnaire-L3, and Teate Depression Inventory. Correlations and path analysis were calculated for the full sample and separately by gender. The schema domains of Overvigilance/Inhibition and Other-Directedness fully mediated the relation between co-rumination and depression. When analyses were performed separately for males and females, mediation persisted only for females. Findings suggest that among young women, co-rumination with a friend may be associated with depressive symptoms because of its activation of specific maladaptive cognitive schemas. Better understanding of the content and processes underpinning co-rumination may have important implications for the prevention and treatment of depression.

Measurement of External Shame: An Inside View

The aims of this study were to investigate the construct validity of the Other as Shamer scale (OAS) using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and to examine the psychometric properties of its Italian version in a sample of 687 nonclinical individuals. The CFA results indicated that the hypothesized hierarchical model (with 1 higher order factor and 3 first-order factors) was the best fitting solution. Cronbachs alpha indexes, as well as test–retest stability, provided satisfactory results. Correlations of the OAS total score and its subscales with the Beck Depression Inventory–II (rs = .30–.48) and the Teate Depression Inventory (rs = .32–.45) were both substantial and significant (p < .01). Receiver operating characteristic curves were constructed to indicate sensitivity and specificity of the OAS and its subscales when determining those nonclinical subjects who met clinical thresholds for depression symptoms. A series of cutoff scores for the OAS scale and its subscales was developed, with sensitivity values between .70 and .62, and specificity values between .71 and .62, indicating good to fair discrimination between the 2 groups (depressed vs. nondepressed). The theoretical and practical implications of these results were discussed.

Measuring anxiety in the elderly: psychometric properties of the state trait inventory of cognitive and somatic anxiety (STICSA) in an elderly Italian sample

BACKGROUND Despite its increasing personal and societal impact, assessment of late-life anxiety has received relatively little attention in psychiatric research. Differential symptom presentation and physical comorbidities among the elderly, relative to younger cohorts creates a need for anxiety measures that are psychometrically validated in the elderly. METHODS The present study examined the factor structure and discriminant validity of the state-trait inventory for cognitive and somatic anxiety (STICSA) in a sample of Italian middle-aged and older adults. Participants were 396 community-dwelling middle-aged (50-64 years) and older (≥65 years) adults. In addition to the STICSA, participants completed two depression measures and a general well-being survey with physical and mental health subscales. RESULTS Factor analysis supported the validity of both state-trait and cognitive-somatic distinctions underlying the STICSA, all dimensions exhibited excellent internal consistency (Cronbachs α coefficients ≥ 0.86), and correlations with depression measures provided limited evidence for differentiation of anxious and depressive symptoms. The STICSA also showed evidence of discriminating anxious symptoms from physical health symptoms, a particularly relevant feature of a valid anxiety measure in elderly samples. CONCLUSIONS The STICSA appears to be a valid measure of cognitive and somatic anxiety in the elderly.

Religious Fundamentalism and Psychological Well-Being: An Italian Study

This studys aims were two-fold: to contribute to an understanding of the relationship between religious fundamentalism and psychological well-being and to test the psychometric properties of the Italian adaptation of the revised Religious Fundamentalism Scale (RFS-12; Altemeyer & Hunsberger, 2004), one of the most important instruments for assessing religious fundamentalism when it is conceptualized as a cognitive process. Confirmative factor analysis and reliability and correlational analyses were conducted on a sample of 319 Catholic undergraduate students. Findings indicate that the Italian adaptation of the Religious Fundamentalism Scale, as a one-dimensional construct, represents a valid and reliable measure of religious fundamentalism. Furthermore, results highlight the positive role that religious fundamentalism plays in promoting life satisfaction and psychological well-being.

Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Young Schema Questionnaire L-3: Preliminary Results

Schema Therapy (ST) is a well-known approach for the treatment of personality disorders. This therapy integrates different theories and techniques into an original and systematic treatment model. The Young Schema Questionnaire L-3 (YSQ-L3) is a self-report instrument, based on the ST model, designed to assess 18 Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs). During the last decade, it has been translated and validated in different countries and languages. This study aims to establish the psychometric properties of the Italian Version of the YSQ-L3. We enrolled two groups: a clinical (n = 148) and a non-clinical one (n = 918). We investigated the factor structure, reliability and convergent validity with anxiety and depression between clinical and non-clinical groups. The results highlighted a few relevant findings. Cronbachs alpha showed significant values for all the schemas. All of the factor models do not seem highly adequate, even if the hierarchical model has proven to be the most significant one. Furthermore, the questionnaire confirms the ability to discriminate between clinical and non-clinical groups and could represent a useful tool in the clinical practice. Limitations and future directions are discussed.

A Validation Study of the Psychometric Properties of the Other As Shamer Scale–2:

External shame is associated to social and emotional difficulties, which are predictors of psychological disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the shorter Italian version of the Other As Shamer Scale (OAS-2), a measure of external shame. Confirmatory factor analysis was used in a sample of 612 (54.2% male) Italian undergraduate students. Evidence for this model provided support for the assumption that the one-factor model was similar across the gender groups. The Italian OAS-2 fully replicated the one-factor structure of the original OAS. Cronbach’s alpha index, as well as test–retest stability provided satisfactory results. The OAS-2 showed good convergent and divergent validity, being highly correlated with measures of internal shame, trait anxiety, and depression. The OAS-2 can be considered a useful instrument for measuring external shame when time constraints impede the use of the 18-item OAS. Implications of the results are discussed and recommendations for future work with the scale are made.

Factor structure of the Italian version of the religious fundamentalism scale.

The Religious Fundamentalism Scale was applied to an Italian group, composed of 250 participants, to assess if it could be considered a reliable measure of fundamentalism. All participants professed to be believers of the Catholic religion. The overall group was split randomly into two smaller groups. The data of the first group were analyzed with an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) to test the factor structure of the Italian version of the scale. The data of the second sample were analyzed with a confirmatory factor analysis, to test the factor structure that emerged from EFA. Results indicated a two-dimensional structure, composed of two correlated factors apparently representing believing and skeptical attitudes.

Socio-demographic and Five Factor Model Variables as Predictors of Religious Fundamentalism: An Italian Study

In the present article, we investigated the relation between socio-demographic variables and personality factors with religious fundamentalism (RF). Our data were collected from a sample of 125 Italian Catholic participants (40 males, 85 females). Correlation analyses showed a significant association between RF and the openness domain of personality (negative pole), including both facet scales (openness to experiences and openness to cultures). We also found a significant association between RF and conscientiousness (only including the scrupulousness facet). Regarding socio-demographic variables, we found significant correlations between RF and years of education, church attendance, belief, and age, while there was no significant correlation between RF and gender. Path analysis showed that the effects on RF of socio-demographic factors are stronger than those of personality factors.