Paolo Maria Russo

Individual differences affecting caffeine intake. Analysis of consumption behaviours for different times of day and caffeine sources.

The main purpose of the present study was to investigate the individual variables contributing to determine the high variability in the consumption behaviours of caffeine, a psychoactive substance which is still poorly investigated in comparison with other drugs. The effects of a large set of specific personality traits (i.e., Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Anxiety, Reward Sensitivity and Circadian Preference) were compared along with some relevant socio-demographic variables (i.e., gender and age) and cigarette smoking behaviour. Analyses revealed that daily caffeine intake was significantly higher for males, older people, participants smoking more cigarettes and showing higher scores on Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking and a facet of Reward Sensitivity. However, more detailed analyses showed that different patterns of individual variables predicted caffeine consumption when the times of day and the caffeine sources were considered. The present results suggest that such detailed analyses are required to detect the critical predictive variables that could be obscured when only total caffeine intake during the entire day is considered.

Trait Emotional Intelligence and the Big Five: A study on Italian Children and Preadolescents

Trait emotional intelligence (EI) is a constellation of emotion-related self-perceptions located at the lower levels of personality hierarchies. This article examines the validity of the Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire–Child Form and investigates its relationships with Big Five factors and cognitive ability. A total of 690 children (317 Males; M Age = 10.25 years; SD = 1.58 years) completed the TEIQue-CF, the Raven Progressive, Matrices and the Big Five Questionnaire; in addition, a subsample of 136 participants answered to Depression and Anxiety scales. Results evidenced that TEIQue-CF is a reliable measure of Trait EI that is partially determined by all of the Big Five factors but independent of cognitive ability. Trait EI predicts depression and anxiety scores over and above the five higher order personality dimensions.

Development and validation of a patient self-assessed questionnaire on satisfaction with communication of the multiple sclerosis diagnosis

Background: We describe the development and clinical validation of a patient self-administered tool assessing the quality of multiple sclerosis diagnosis disclosure. Method: A multiple sclerosis expert panel generated questionnaire items from the Doctor’s Interpersonal Skills Questionnaire, literature review, and interviews with neurology inpatients. The resulting 19-item Comunicazione medico-paziente nella Sclerosi Multipla (COSM) was pilot tested/debriefed on seven patients with multiple sclerosis and administered to 80 patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. The resulting revised 20-item version (COSM-R) was debriefed on five patients with multiple sclerosis, field tested/debriefed on multiple sclerosis patients, and field tested on 105 patients newly diagnosed with multiple sclerosis participating in a clinical trial on an information aid. The hypothesized monofactorial structure of COSM-R section 2 was tested on the latter two groups. Results: The questionnaire was well accepted. Scaling assumptions were satisfactory in terms of score distributions, item—total correlations and internal consistency. Factor analysis confirmed section 2’s monofactorial structure, which was also test—retest reliable (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] 0.73; 95% CI 0.54—0.85). Section 1 had only fair test—retest reliability (ICC 0.45; 95% CI 0.12—0.69), and three items had 8—21% missed responses. Conclusions: COSM-R is a brief, easy-to-interpret MS-specific questionnaire for use as a health care indicator.

Circadian preference and the big five: The role of impulsivity and sensation seeking

In the present study, the relationship between personality dimensions and Circadian Preference was evaluated using a structural equation modeling approach. Participants (N = 390; 53.8% female, mean age: 26.8 ± 8.1 yrs) completed measures of Circadian Preference, Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, and the Big Five factors. A mediation structural equation model assessed the direct and indirect effects of the Big Five factors on Circadian Preference. The results showed that Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking were significantly associated with Eveningness, whereas no significant direct effects of the Big Five traits were detected once the effects of Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking were taken into account. (Author correspondence: p.russo@unibo.it)

Cross-cultural validity of the I7 impulsiveness-venturesomeness- empathy scales: Evidence from the Italian I7

The cross-cultural generalizability of Impulsiveness-Venturesomeness-Empathy questionnaire (I(7)) is investigated with a sample of 578 Italian adults, mostly nonstudents. Results indicate that Italian I(7) scale intercorrelations and reliabilities were similar to those obtained in other cultural contexts; furthermore, the 3-factor structure is generalizable across sexes and invariant compared with the English normative structure, as well as with those found in the French, Dutch, and Spanish versions. Impulsiveness was positively correlated with Barratt Impulsiveness Scale and with Dickmans dysfunctional impulsivity scale but independent of the functional impulsivity scale. Plotting the scale onto the Eysencks psychoticism-extraversion-neuroticism factor space, impulsiveness was more strongly related to psychoticism and neuroticism than to extraversion. We remark that the impulsiveness measure of I(7) is fairly stable across languages and cultures and can be used reliably in Italian speaking samples.

Performance in Timss mathematics test: the influence of self-concept and socio-economic background

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the influence of students’ attitudes towards mathematics, mathematics self-concept and socio-economic status on their performance in Timss mathematics test. It also examined the relevance of the different schools’ characteristics for the prediction of students’ performance. We analyzed data related to 3997 Italian students of 170 schools, a representative sample of students in eight grade school, that participated to the Timss 2007. A multilevel analysis was conducted to distinguish how much of the variability of performance was due to student characteristics and/or to characteristics of schools and of the territorial context in which schools are located. The results showed that self-concept in mathematics helps to explain the differences in performance in mathematics. Further, the socio-economic status, at school level, contributed to the prediction of the performance in mathematics. Furthermore, in the Italian context, significant differences in performance depending on geographic area were evidenced.

Student characteristics and mathematics achievement in Timss

In the present study, the relationship between student characteristics and mathematics performance was evaluated using a structural equation modeling approach. Italian students participated at Timss 2011 field test (N = 1264; 52% female, mean age: 13 years and 10 months ± 6 months) completed a questionnaire including measures of socio-economic and cultural background, general reasoning ability and self-concept in mathematics and the Timss mathematics achievement test. A mediation structural equation model assessed the direct and indirect effects of the general reasoning ability test and socio-economic and cultural background through the mediation of selfconcept in mathematics. The results showed that all measures were significantly associated with mathematics achievement test, furthermore selfconcept partially mediated the effects of socio-economic status and general reasoning ability.