Marcella Caputi

Peer relations and the understanding of faux pas: longitudinal evidence for bidirectional associations

Research connecting childrens understanding of mental states to their peer relations at school remains scarce. Previous work by the authors demonstrated that childrens understanding of mental states in the context of a faux pas--a social blunder involving unintentional insult--is associated with concurrent peer rejection. The present report describes a longitudinal follow-up investigation of 210 children from the original sample, aged 5-6 or 8-9 years at Time 1. The results support a bidirectional model suggesting that peer rejection may impair the acquisition of faux pas understanding, and also that, among older children, difficulties in understanding faux pas predict increased peer rejection. These findings highlight the important and complex associations between social understanding and peer relations during childhood.

Long-term effect of theory of mind on school achievement: The role of sensitivity to criticism

This study adds to the research on theory of mind (ToM) and school achievement by testing whether the mediating effect of sensitivity to criticism is significant when considered longitudinally and using an index of academic performance that incorporates both direct and indirect measures. A group of 49 children was tested during the last year of kindergarten (Time 1, mean age = 5 years and 6 months), in Year 1 (Time 2, mean age = 6 years and 5 months) and Year 5 (Time 3, mean age = 10 years and 2 months) of primary school. Childrens ToM and verbal ability were tested at each time point, sensitivity to criticism at Time 2 and school achievement at Time 3. Results showed that sensitivity to criticism (as indexed by self-reported ability rating) mediates the relationship between Time 1 ToM and Time 3 school achievement. Practical implications of this pattern of associations are discussed.

False-belief understanding at age 5 predicts beliefs about learning in year 3 of primary school

This study examined the concurrent and longitudinal relationships between childrens theory of mind (ToM) and their beliefs about learning. A sample of 63 children was tested for theory of mind and verbal ability at four time points: 5, 6, 7 and 8 years of age. In addition, at Time 4, children were administered a questionnaire investigating their beliefs about learning. Results showed longitudinal and concurrent relationships between ToM and constructivist, but not reproductive, beliefs about learning. Crucially, false-belief understanding at age 5 predicted unique variance in constructivist beliefs about learning at age 8, when controlling for subsequent levels of ToM. This relationship was not due to verbal ability. The authors discuss theoretical and practical implications of the longitudinal effect of theory of mind ability on constructivist beliefs about learning.

Alexithymia in chronic and episodic migraine: a comparative study

Abstract Background: Alexithymia is a term used to describe a disorder where patients have difficulty in expressing their own feelings in words. Aims: The analysis of alexithymia in patients suffering from chronic migraine (CM) or episodic migraine (EM) compared to healthy controls. Methods: Two clinical samples formed by 80 CM patients (21 males and 59 females, mean age: 44.65) and 44 EM patients (8 males and 36 females, mean age: 42.18) were enrolled. A group of 67 healthy subjects served as controls (26 males and 41 females, mean age: 41.21). All subjects were requested to fill in the 20-item version of the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20). Results: We found a statistically significant difference between groups in Factor 1 (difficulty in describing feelings), F(2, 191) = 7.96, p < 0.001, and in TAS total, F(2, 191) = 5.37, p = 0.005. Post-hoc analyses revealed that CM patients had higher scores in TAS factor 1 and in TAS total than healthy controls. There were no significant differences between CM and EM patients, even if CM sufferers reported a trend towards higher scores in each TAS factor as well as in TAS total. Conclusions: Alexithymia emerges as a potential characteristic trait of migraine, regardless of disease severity.

Theory of mind and internalizing symptoms during middle childhood and early adolescence: The mediating role of coping strategies

Abstract This study examines the relationship between Theory of Mind (ToM) and internalizing symptoms in middle childhood and early adolescence. This developmental period has been largely neglected by ToM researchers, even though internalizing symptoms typically emerge and become stable at this age. In a sample of 318 (157 girls) school-aged children, we found that a high ToM performance is significantly associated with low depressive symptoms and low symptoms of panic disorder and separation anxiety. Further analyses revealed that problem-solving abilities mediate the relationship between ToM and depressive symptoms. Moreover, problem-solving abilities also mediate the relationship between ToM and separation anxiety symptoms, in boys only. The present findings suggest that depressive and separation anxiety symptoms in middle childhood and early adolescence might derive from a complex interaction between ToM abilities and coping strategies.

The role of mother–child and teacher–child relationship on academic achievement

Abstract Robust findings have highlighted the importance of early cognitive abilities for academic performance. However, little is known about the role played by relational variables. In this longitudinal study, we examined children’s relationship with their mothers and teachers as predictors of later academic achievement. We addressed this issue following a group of 45 Italian children (29 boys) from the last year of preschool (mean age: five years and six months) until Year 4 of primary school (mean age: nine years and six months). Results showed that mother–child relationship at age 5 and teacher–child relationship at age 7 correlate with children’s academic achievement at age 9, controlling for early background and verbal abilities. Further analyses showed that teacher–child conflict partially mediates the relationship between early mother–child conflict and children’s later academic achievement. Mechanisms by which relational variables influence learning outcomes are discussed.

EHMTI-0147. Medication overuse headache and alexithymia: a controlled study

Background Alexithymia is a term used to describe a disorder where patients have difficulty in expressing their own feelings in words. The presence of Ax had been related to the occurrence of chronic pain, but poorly studied in headache. Noteworthy, the presence of Alexithymia has been linked to specific correlates at level of posterior cingulated cortex [1]. Aim The aim of this study is analyzing the construct of Alexithymia in MOH patients. Methods