Paola Di Blasio

Early Adolescents’ Participation in Bullying: Is ToM Involved?

The present study investigated the role of theory of mind (ToM) skills in three forms of involvement in bullying: ringleader bullying, defending the victim(s), and victimization. Individual (affective empathy) and interpersonal variables (social preference and perceived popularity) were assumed to moderate the associations between ToM and the ways of being involved in bullying. Moderation effects by gender were also explored. Participants were 211 primary school pupils (average age = 10 years and 2 months, SD = 6 months), who took part in a ToM interview and filled in self- and peer-report questionnaires on empathy, social status, and involvement in bullying. ToM skills were positively linked to defending, and among boys this association was further strengthened by social preference. Practical implications include the need to focus on both peer relationships (i.e., status) and emotional characteristics (i.e., empathy) when trying to motivate youth with good cognitive skills to actively defend their victimized classmates.

Validation of the Child Abuse Potential Inventory in Italy: A preliminary study

The aim of this study was to provide preliminary findings on the reliability and the validity of the Italian Child Abuse Potential (CAP) Inventory, a screening tool that measures parents’ potential for child physical abuse. The CAP Inventory and measures on parenting stress (Parenting Stress Index–Short Form [PSI-SF]) and parents’ perceptions of child adjustment (Child Behavior Checklist [CBCL]) were administered in a nonclinical sample of Italian parents (N = 551) with a 2- to 6-year-old child. The Abuse scale showed adequate internal consistency (α = .87), with significantly negative correlations between socioeconomic status and educational level of the parents. Also, the Abuse scale scores were significantly predicted by high levels of parenting stress and by parental negative perceptions of the child’s behavior. Finally, using a cut score for the English version of the Abuse scale (where 95% of parents would be expected to be classified), 93.8% of Italian parents were classified as nonabusive by the Abuse scale. These results supported the cross-cultural generalizability of the Abuse scale. However, complementary studies with abusive samples are needed to verify the ability of the instrument to discriminate between abusive and nonabusive parents also in the Italian population.

Post-traumatic stress symptoms after childbirth and early mother–child interactions: an exploratory study

Background: It is well known that mother–child relationships may be affected by maternal psychological disorders, but, at present, few experimental studies have investigated the negative impact of postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms on child behaviour using the Still Face paradigm. Objective: The aim of this exploratory work is to investigate whether postpartum stress symptoms may affect mother–child relationships. The underlying hypothesis is that the persistence of postpartum stress symptoms may have a negative outcome on the mother’s tuning with the child. Methods: A sample of 19 pregnant women (mean age = 31.31; SD = 4.50) attended the four phases of the research, from the seventh month of pregnancy. Maternal personality characteristics were assessed by MMPI-2. The Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire was used to assess PTSD symptoms two days and two months after delivery. Three months after childbirth the dyads attended the Still Face paradigm. Results: Data have shown that the persistence of PTSD symptoms has a different effect on early mother–child interactions than those of mothers who have not had postpartum stress symptoms. Conclusion: These data allow us to hypothesise that there are some baseline difficulties in women with PTSD symptoms in producing a positive interactive engagement, not only in relation to the break of interaction caused by the Still episode.

La disorganizzazione dell’attaccamento spiega i sintomi post-traumatici nei bambini vittime di violenza intrafamiliare?

Child maltreatment is a chronic relational trauma with maladaptive outcomes in terms of both attachment of posttraumatic symptomatology. Many studies show that disorganized attachment is an important risk factor for the onset of externalizing, dissociative and PTSD symptoms. The Internal Working Models (IWM) of attachment disorganization could be a psychological mechanism key to understand the effect of child maltreatment on posttraumatic symptoms. The study aims to: 1) check for any differences in the IWM and posttraumatic symptomatology in a group of 47 of maltreated children and a group of 59 children from disadvantaged families; 2) explore, in maltreated children, if the disorganization mediates the association between type of violence and posttraumatic symptomatology. Results show that maltreated children have more severe maladaptive outcomes than the other group. Moreover, attachment disorganization is the only predictor of depressive symptoms; totally mediates the anger and dissociative symptoms; and partially mediates the anxiety and PTSD symptoms.

Computer-mediated communication and persuasion: Peripheral vs. central route to opinion shift

Objective of this research was to investigate the differences between face-to-face communication and computer-mediated communication regarding opinion change in small group decision-making. We hypothesized that people in a discussion through computer-mediated communication accede to cognitive processes that could facilitate resisting the effects of a persuasive message. Participants were 108 degree students with a mean age of 21.5 (range 19-26): 51 males (mean age=21.5) and 57 females (mean age=21.4). Subjects had to discuss in a small group (three to five people) an issue given by the experimenter related to a fictitious reorganization of the university refectory. Subjects were randomly assigned to two experimental conditions: face-to-face small group discussion and computer-mediated (chat) small group discussion. At the half-way point in the discussion the experimenter introduced a new piece of information supplied by an influential source. The piece of information was in contrast to the prevailing opinion in the group. Results show that there were fewer opinion changes in the chat condition (subsequent to the introduction of the persuasive message) than in the face-to-face condition. According to Petty and Cacioppos Elaboration Likelihood Model (1986), we argue that discussion via computer could possibly activate the central route more easily than discussion face to face.

Emotional Distress Following Childbirth: An Intervention to Buffer Depressive and PTSD Symptoms

Childbirth for some women is a negative experience associated with depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. The preventive actions focusing on helping mothers to cope with negative emotions experienced after childbirth are strongly recommended. It is also recommended both to intervene early and on all women to avoid the risk that these symptoms can worsen in the months after childbirth. The intervention described in the current study is focalized on the elaboration of post-partum negative thoughts and emotion through a writing task, with the purpose to help new mothers to reflect, understand, evaluate and, thus, reformulate the stressful situation with new beliefs and emotions. 176 women aged from 19 to 43 years (M = 31.55, SD = 4.58) were assessed for depression and PTSD in the prenatal phase (T1). In about 96 hours after childbirth they were randomly assigned to either “Making Sense condition” (MS: in which they wrote about the thoughts and emotions connected with delivery and childbirth) or “Control-Neutral condition” (NC: in which they wrote about the daily events in behavioural terms) and then reassessed for depression and PTSD (T2). A follow up was conducted 3 months later (T3) to verify depression and posttraumatic symptoms. The results showed that depressive symptoms decreased both at 96 hours and at 3 months as a result of making-sense task. Regarding the posttraumatic symptoms the positive effect emerged at three months and not at 96 hours after birth.

THE EFFECTS OF EXPRESSIVE WRITING ON POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION AND POSTTRAUMATIC STRESS SYMPTOMS

This study investigated whether an Expressive Writing intervention decreased depression and posttraumatic stress symptoms after childbirth. 113 women (M age = 31.26 yr., SD = 4.42) were assessed at Time 1 for depression (Beck Depression Inventory) and PTS (Perinatal PTSD Questionnaire) in the first days after childbirth, then randomized to either expressive writing or neutral writing conditions and reassessed at Time 2, 3 months later. The results (ANCOVAs, regression models) show that at 3 mo. depressive and posttraumatic symptoms were lower in women who performed the expressive writing task than in the neutral writing group. Moreover, the intervention condition was associated significantly with decreased depression at the high and at the mean levels of baseline depression at Time 1. Regarding PTSD, the results showed that the intervention condition was linked significantly to reductions of the symptoms at all levels of baseline PTSD. Mainly, these outcomes suggest that Expressive Writing can be a helpful early and low-cost universal intervention to prevent postpartum distress for women.

L’utilizzo del Blacky Pictures’ Test nella valutazione dei minori vittime di abuso sessuale

La presente ricerca, a carattere esplorativo, si propone di verificare la capacita del Blacky Pictures’ Test di discriminare le rappresentazione di se e delle relazioni familiari tra un gruppo di 29 bambini sessualmente abusati e un gruppo di controllo (bambini non vittimizzati), pareggiato per sesso, eta e livello sociale. I risultati, in linea con la letteratura sul tema, confermano la validita del test, che ha evidenziato nei bambini sessualmente abusati: rappresentazioni di se piu insicure e fragili, rappresentazioni delle figure genitoriali piu negative, maggiore idealizzazione ed instabilita della figura materna, emozionalita piu negativa (specialmente tristezza e senso di colpa), senso di sporcizia, maggiore incapacita di riparazione, di stare soli e tollerare l’ambivalenza, e maggior ricorso a tematiche sessuali.

Conflittualità genitoriale e sintomatologia da stress post-traumatico nei figli: uno studio esplorativo

In letteratura sono noti gli effetti negativi dell’esposizione al conflitto genitoriale sull’adattamento dei figli, in termini di problemi di internalizzazione ed esternalizzazione, mentre sono meno indagate le conseguenze post-traumatiche. In un gruppo normativo di 90 famiglie con bambini di eta scolare, questo studio esplorativo si propone di: 1) rilevare la presenza della sintomatologia post-traumatica in bambini esposti a lievi versus intensi conflitti genitoriali, e 2) indagare i fattori di mediazione nella relazione tra conflitto genitoriale e sintomatologia post-traumatica, prendendo come riferimento il modello Cognitivo-Contestuale e l’ipotesi della Sicurezza Emotiva. I risultati mostrano come in condizioni di conflitto intenso la minaccia percepita svolga un ruolo di mediazione sui sintomi di ansia, depressione, PTS e dissociazione, e le rappresentazioni distruttive sulla rabbia. In condizioni di conflitto lieve, invece, il distress emotivo svolge un ruolo di mediazione sui sintomi ansiosi e le rappresentazioni distruttive sulla rabbia.

The Parenting Alliance Measure: the first contribute to the validation of the measure in Italian mothers and fathers.

Aim of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Parenting Alliance Measure (PAM). Participants were 350 mothers and 350 fathers of children (49.3% girls) aged 1-15 years. Confirmatory factor analyses were performed to individuate the dimensionality of Italian PAM. The scale’s internal consistency and invariance over mothers and fathers were examined. The scale’s concurrent validity was explored by investigating the associations of PAM dimensions with parenting stress and children’s internalizing and externalizing behaviors. In a subsample of 175 couples of parents we also explored the associations among PAM dimensions with marital adjustment. A 2-factor structure model was the most effective PAM structure for both mothers and fathers. This solution obtained the partial scalar invariance over mothers and fathers and internal validity of the scale was confirmed. The dimension Communication and Team Work was the most associated with all the other variables in the expected directions, for both parents.