Monica Accordini

Muslim immigrant men's and women's attitudes towards intimate partner violence

This study aims to study the attitudes towards Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) in a group of Muslim immigrants. To this end, six focus-groups were conducted involving 42 first-generation Muslim immigrants (21 males and 21 females) from Pakistan, Egypt and Morocco. Focus groups transcripts were then analyzed using the software ATLAS.ti. Irrespectively of nationality, couples replicate relational models learnt in their country of origin, implying a rigid gender-based role division. Women are considered less socially competent if compared to men and therefore in need of protection. Divorce is possible only in case of severe danger: women have to stand beside their husbands and maintain family unity. Even though they are not directly related to IPV, these factors may be key in determining its onset and perpetration. With regards to ethnic background, Pakistani interviewees not only seem to acknowledge the possible occurrence of violence within couple relationships, they also accept it as a mean to regulate socially dysfunctional behaviors. Both Moroccan males and females denounce the impact of post migration stressors as potential triggers of IPV. The distance from one’s family of origin in migration is perceived as problematic by both men and women, however, while males’ distance from their kin might make them feel overwhelmed with family responsibilities and give way to deviant behaviors, women suffer from the lack of support and protection by their extended family. Implications for practice are also discussed.

Italian women’s childbirth: a prospective longitudinal study of delivery predictors and subjective experience

Abstract Background: Previous research has demonstrated that negative childbirth expectations adversely influence perinatal outcomes. The current research builds on this with Italian mothers-to-be. Objective: The present study (1) explored the influence of cognitive and emotional variables on labour and delivery outcomes and (2) examined how individual characteristics, couple adjustment, and medical factors influence the childbirth experience. Method: 121 Italian primiparous women participated in a prospective longitudinal study where participants completed a set of questionnaires between the 32nd and 37th week of pregnancy and again 30–40 days post-delivery. Results: Binary logistic regression analyses revealed that women with negative childbirth expectations were three times more likely to experience an emergency C-section or an instrumental vaginal delivery. Furthermore, childbirth expectations predicted subjective birth experience. This relationship between expectations and delivery type and the subjective childbirth experience was weak while other variables (such as anxiety, depression, couple adjustment) did not significantly influence delivery type or the subjective childbirth experience. Conclusions: The weak relationship between childbirth expectations and perinatal outcomes renders it necessary to question the nature of the relationship found in previous research, especially considering inconsistencies of the literature on the subject. The current research makes it clear that further research is needed to understand better the relationship between expectations and perinatal outcomes in order to better improve the well-being of mothers-to-be during labour and delivery.

Framed portrait: la fotografia come tecnica narrativa in psico-oncologia. Un’esperienza con soggetti colpiti da tumore sistemico in adolescenza

Questo contributo presenta un intervento psicologico rivolto a giovani adulti che hanno contratto una malattia oncologica sistemica durante l’adolescenza. L’intervento trova il suo fondamento in quattro riferimenti teorici: la specificita della malattia oncologica diagnosticata in adolescenza; il costrutto di body image, per l’importanza che esso riveste in questo periodo dello sviluppo e in ragione di quanto le cure necessarie per combattere la malattia danneggino il corpo; il terzo presupposto riguarda la narrazione autobiografica che facilita la costruzione ermeneutica del senso degli eventi; l’ultimo presupposto rimanda all’utilizzo del ritratto fotografico, esperienza che consente al soggetto di sperimentare ed esprimere emozioni, pensieri e ricordi al fine di una miglior comprensione di se. La delineazione di due casi, corredata da alcuni scatti fotografici completera la descrizione dell’intervento in oggetto.