Maria Assunta Zanetti

Comprehensive examination of the trans-diagnostic cognitive behavioral model of eating disorders in males.

The Trans-diagnostic Model (TM) of eating pathology describes how one or more of four hypothesized mechanisms (i.e., mood intolerance, core low self-esteem, clinical perfectionism and interpersonal difficulties) may interrelate with each other and with the core psychopathology of eating disorders (i.e., over-evaluation of weight and shape) to maintain the disordered behaviors. Although a cognitive behavioral treatment based on the TM has shown to be effective in treating eating disorders, the model itself has undergone only limited testing. This is the first study to both elaborate and test the validity of the TM in a large sample (N=605) of undergraduate men. Body mass index was controlled within structural equation modeling analyses. Although not all expected associations for the maintenance variables were significant, overall the validity of the model was supported. Concern about shape and weight directly led to exercise behaviors. There was a direct path from binge eating to exercise and other forms of compensatory behaviors (i.e., purging); but no significant path from restriction to binge eating. Of the maintaining factors, mood intolerance was the only maintaining variable directly linked to mens eating disorder symptoms. The other three maintaining factors of the TM indirectly impacted restriction through concerns about shape and weight, whereas only interpersonal difficulties predicted low self-esteem and binge eating. Potential implications for understanding and targeting eating disturbances in men are discussed.

The Emotion Regulation Checklist – Italian translation. Validation of parent and teacher versions

Our research explored the factor structure and the reliability of the Italian version of the Emotion Regulation Checklist [ERC; Shields, A.,& Cicchetti, D. (1997). Emotion regulation among school-age children: The development and validation of a new criterion Q-sort scale. Developmental Psychology, 33, 906-916], an instrument that has been widely adopted in studies using parents and/or teachers as informants. We carried out two studies evaluating the properties of the Italian ERC (ERC-I) when completed by parents and teachers, respectively. Study 1 participants were kindergarten and elementary school children for whom the ERC was completed by their mothers. Study 2 involved kindergarten and elementary school children for whom the ERC was completed by their teachers. The work confirms the two-factor structure of the instrument, supporting structure validity and the reliability of ERC.

Validity and clinical utility of the DSM-5 severity specifier for bulimia nervosa: results from a multisite sample of patients who received evidence-based treatment

A new “severity specifier” for bulimia nervosa (BN), based on the frequency of inappropriate weight compensatory behaviours (IWCBs), was added to the DSM-5 as a means of documenting heterogeneity and variability in the severity of the disorder. Yet, evidence for its validity in clinical populations, including prognostic significance for treatment outcome, is currently lacking. Existing data from 281 treatment-seeking patients with DSM-5 BN, who received the best available treatment for their disorder (manual-based cognitive behavioural therapy; CBT) in an outpatient setting, were re-analysed to examine whether these patients subgrouped based on the DSM-5 severity levels would show meaningful and consistent differences on (a) a range of clinical variables assessed at pre-treatment and (b) post-treatment abstinence from IWCBs. Results highlight that the mild, moderate, severe, and extreme severity groups were statistically distinguishable on 22 variables assessed at pre-treatment regarding eating disorder pathological features, maintenance factors of BN, associated (current) and lifetime psychopathology, social maladjustment and illness-specific functional impairment, and abstinence outcome. Mood intolerance, a maintenance factor of BN but external to eating disorder pathological features (typically addressed within CBT), emerged as the primary clinical variable distinguishing the severity groups showing a differential treatment response. Overall, the findings speak to the concurrent and predictive validity of the new DSM-5 severity criterion for BN and are important because a common benchmark informing patients, clinicians, and researchers about severity of the disorder and allowing severity fluctuation and patient’s progress to be tracked does not exist so far. Implications for future research are outlined.

The objectified body: media, psychophysical well-being and gender differences

PSICOLOGIA SOCIALE n. 2, maggio-agosto 2012 In accordo con la teoria dell’oggettivazione (Fredrickson e Roberts, 1997) sono stati esaminati gli effetti dell’esposizione a immagini mediatiche sessualmente oggettivanti sul processo dell’autooggettivazione e sul benessere psicofisico di giovani adulti. Per le donne l’esposizione a immagini oggettivanti conduce all’auto-oggettivazione/sorveglianza del corpo, aumentando così la vergogna per l’aspetto, che a sua volta è collegata all’insorgenza di disordini alimentari. Gli stessi risultati (seppur più deboli) sono emersi tra gli uomini. Le donne hanno ottenuto punteggi medi significativamente superiori in tutte le variabili precedentemente denominate. Differenze di genere sono emerse anche nel ruolo della sorveglianza e della vergogna come variabili mediatrici. Le implicazioni pratiche vengono discusse. Il corpo oggettivato: media, benessere psicofisico e differenze di genere

Social inclusion and social justice: A resilience curriculum for early years and elementary schools in Europe

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present the development of a resilience curriculum in early years and primary schools to enhance social inclusion, equity and social justice amongst European communities, particularly amongst disadvantaged and vulnerable ones, through quality education. It defines educational resilience in terms of academic, social and emotional growth in the face of life challenges; discusses the conceptual framework and key principles underpinning the curriculum; and presents the six major content areas of the curriculum. Finally, it presents the preliminary findings of a pilot project on the implementation of the curriculum in more than 200 classrooms in about 80 early and primary schools in six European countries. Design/methodology/approach – The curriculum was first drafted collaboratively amongst the six partners on the basis of the existing literature in the promotion of resilience in early years and primary schools, with a particular focus to European realities. Once it w...

Classifying binge eating-disordered adolescents based on severity levels

The new severity criterion for binge-eating disorder (BED), introduced by the most recent (fifth) edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5) as a means of addressing within-group variability in severity, was tested in 223 Italian (13-18-year-old) adolescents (86.1% females) with (DSM-5) BED presenting for treatment. Analyses revealed that participants classified with mild (35.9% of the sample), moderate (38.1%) severe (13.4%), and extreme (12.6%) severity of BED, based on their clinician-rated weekly frequency of binge-eating (BE) episodes, were statistically distinguishable in physical characteristics (body mass index) and a range of clinical variables regarding eating-related psychopathology and putative maintenance factors, health-related quality of life, and mood and anxiety disorder comorbidity (medium-to-large effect sizes). Between-group differences in age-at-onset of BED or demographics were not detected. The findings provide support for the utility of BE frequency as a severity criterion for BED in adolescence. Implications for future studies are discussed.

Using eye-tracking to study reading patterns and processes in autism with hyperlexia profile

The aim of this study is to present the application of the eye-tracking technology to the research on autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) with a special interest on language impairments and text comprehension and production deficits. We discuss data and results obtained from a single case study research regarding an adult autistic male with a hyperlexia profile. Our results support the usage of eye-tracking technology in research and diagnostic contexts that make difficult an intrusive human-machine interaction.

Analyzing text comprehension deficits in autism with eye tracking: A case study

The purpose of this study is to present the application of the eye-tracking technology to the research on autistic spectrum disorders (ASD) with a special interest on language impairments and text comprehension and production deficits. We present data and results obtained from a single case study research regarding an adult autistic male with a hyperlexia profile. Furthermore we offer support to the usage of eye-tracking technology, in research and diagnostic contexts that make difficult a human-machine interface.

Promoting Resilience: A European Curriculum for Students, Teachers and Families

This chapter presents the development of an early years and primary school curriculum for the promotion of resilience in schools in Europe called RESCUR. The curriculum is developed on the basis of the current social, economic and technological needs and challenges and seeks to develop in learners the requisite competences needed to overcome such challenges in their lives to achieve academic success and social and emotional wellbeing as young citizens. It takes a developmental, inclusive and culturally-responsive perspective, with activities reflecting the diversity of learners, particularly vulnerable children coming from disadvantaged backgrounds. The first part of the chapter discusses the conceptual framework underpinning the curriculum and the content areas of the activities. The second part describes the findings of the pilot implementation carried out in Italy that involved 84 teachers from kindergarten up to secondary school with a total of 738 students.

Academic Retention in the Italian Context

This study analyzes if motivation, academic self-concept, perception of the time perspective, self-regulation, and the attendance of specific online laboratory activities influence academic retention and achievement of two group of freshmen attending the first year of their Bachelor’s Degree. The freshmen were monitored along their first academic year. In particular, we try to understand which factors can help student to overcome the transition gap created by the passage from high school to university. The choice of the implementation of an online lab is due to evidence that online platforms are tools that can help to reduce the academic dropout. These platforms allowed students to use a supporting network, but, at the same time, students can autonomously take advantage of suitable materials to achieve their learning goals and to bridge an orientation gap. In Italy, this gap is often present in the transition between high school and university. In general, we can say that the experience of the online laboratory was positive and combined with the enhancement of motivation, academic self-concept, vision of the time perspective, and self-regulation can represent an important support above all for the Italian freshmen.