Mindfulness and mental health: the importance of a clinical intervention to prevent the effects of a traumatic event. A pilot study.

Numerous research studies show that mindfulness can mitigate the negative impact of trauma on mental health by reducing symptoms of anxiety, mediating the relationship between trauma exposure and mental health, and treating symptoms resulting from traumatic events. During the COVID-19 pandemic, which was considered a traumatic event, the wellbeing of adults and children was severely compromised. Although children seem less vulnerable to the physical effects of the virus, this does not seem to be true for the psychological effects.

Deepening the decisional processes under value-based conditions in patients affected by Parkinson's disease: A comparative study.

Patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) display a tendency toward making risky choices in value-based conditions. Possible causes may encompass the pathophysiologic characteristics of PD that affect neural structures pivotal for decision making (DM) and the dopaminergic medications that may bias choices. Nevertheless, excluding patients with concurrent impulse control disorders, results are few and mixed.

Imagining flying increases jumping performance in volleyball players: A pilot study.

Objective: The study aimed to examine the effect of mental imagery on sports performance. Specifically, it was tested whether imagining flying (i.e.

Creativity and humor in the elderly: Shared mechanisms and common functions to promote well-being.

In the paper the possible links between creative thinking and humor are sketched and their role in promoting well-being in the elderly is taken into account. The specific features of creative thinking in older people and its developmental trend in aging are outlined. The changes in humor which occur during aging are considered as well.

Can Creativity and Cognitive Reserve Predict Psychological Well-Being in Older Adults? The Role of Divergent Thinking in Healthy Aging.

The maintenance of psychological well-being (PWB) in the older adult population is a pivotal goal for our rapidly aging society. PWB is a multicomponent construct that can be influenced by several factors in the lifespan. The beneficial role of divergent thinking (DT) and cognitive reserve (CR) in sustaining older subjects' PWB has been scarcely investigated so far.

The Contribution of Meaning Making and Religiosity to Individuals' Psychological Wellbeing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Prosocial Orientation Matters.

The COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected individuals' psychological well-being worldwide, thus representing a challenge for flourishing among emerging adults. To understand psychological processes involved in the positive adaptation to this challenge, the present study examined the role of meaning in life and religious identity as crucial resources for flourishing in a sample of 255 Italian emerging adults. Specifically, as in the midst of a stressful event individuals may experience the potential for flourishing through the process of search for meaning, the study examined the mediated role of existential, spiritual/religious and prosocial orientations as the three primary trajectories for building meaning.

Creative thinking in Tourette's syndrome: A comparative study of patients and healthy controls.

Introduction: Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by tics, that may interfere with patients' everyday life. Research suggested that creative thinking (namely, divergent and convergent thinking) could help patients cope with their symptoms, and therefore it can be a resource in non-pharmacological interventions. The present study aimed at investigating (i) possible differences in creative thinking between Tourette's syndrome patients and healthy controls and (ii) whether creative thinking can support patients in coping with their symptomatology.

Specific Learning Disorders (SLD) and Behavior Impairment: Comorbidity or Specific Profile?

Introduction: Specific Learning Disorder (SLD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by difficulties in perceiving and processing verbal and non-verbal information. It is usually accompanied by impaired academic skills leading to school dropout and emotional disturbances, resulting in significant distress and behavioral problems.

Methods: A cognitive, academic, and emotional-behavioral assessment was performed at T0 and T1 in children and adolescents with SLD.

Decision-making under ambiguity and risk and executive functions in Parkinson's disease patients: A scoping review of the studies investigating the Iowa Gambling Task and the Game of Dice.

Evidence shows that patients affected by Parkinson's disease (PD) display the tendency toward making risky choices. This is due, at least in part, to the pathophysiological characteristics of the disease that affects neural areas underlying decision making (DM), in which a pivotal role is played by nonmotor corticostriatal circuits and dopamine. Executive functions (EFs), which can be impaired by PD as well, may sustain optimal choices in DM processes.

Long-Lasting Effects of Changes in Daily Routine during the Pandemic-Related Lockdown on Preschoolers' Language and Emotional-Behavioral Development: A Moderation Analysis.

The quantity and quality of environmental stimuli and contexts are crucial for children's development. Following the outbreak of SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19), restrictive measures have been implemented, constraining children's social lives and changing their daily routines. To date, there is a lack of research assessing the long-lasting impacts that these changes have had on children's language and emotional-behavioral development.

Does social rigidity predict cognitive rigidity? Profiles of socio-cognitive polarization.

Recent research has proposed a relationship between rigid political ideologies and underlying 'cognitive styles'. However, there remain discrepancies in how both social and cognitive rigidity are defined and measured. Problem-solving, or the ability to generate novel ideas by exploring unusual reasoning paths and challenging rigid perspectives around us, is often used to operationalize cognitive flexibility.

Associations between Dietary Intake, Blood Levels of Omega-3 and Omega-6 Fatty Acids and Reading Abilities in Children.

Lower levels of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been described in individuals with reading difficulties, but the degree and the nature of such deficiencies as well as the role of nutrition are a matter of debate. The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between PUFA blood levels, nutritional status, and reading/writing/phonological awareness performances in 42 school-age children with varying levels of reading ability. Significant correlations were found between PUFA levels (specific omega-6/omega-3 ratios), the ratio of omega-6-derived calories to the total amount of calories and reading scores.

Not Getting Vaccinated? It Is a Matter of Problem-Solving Abilities and Socio-Cognitive Polarization.

The anti-COVID-19 vaccination campaign in the United States provided a significant contribution to the control of the virus spread. Despite the recommendations by public health institutions, vaccine skepticism and hesitancy contributed to low vaccine uptake, thus possibly disrupting the management of preventable diseases associated with the COVID-19 infection. The process that led individuals to accept COVID-19 vaccines required the ability to gather, synthesize, and weigh-up information within a novel, dynamically changing, complex, and ambiguous context.

Comparing online cognitive load on mobile versus PC-based devices.

Navigating the web represents a complex cognitive activity that requires effective integration of different stimuli and the correct functioning of numerous cognitive abilities (including attention, perception, and working memory). Despite the potential relevance of the topic, numerous limitations are present throughout the literature about the cognitive load during online activities. The main aim of this study is to investigate cognitive load during comprehension and information-seeking tasks.

Executive Functions in Decision Making under Ambiguity and Risk in Healthy Adults: A Scoping Review Adopting the Hot and Cold Executive Functions Perspective.

Decision making (DM) has a pivotal role in supporting individual autonomy and well-being. It is considered a complex ability exploiting many cognitive functions, among which executive functions (EFs) are crucial. Few studies analyzed the role played by EFs in DM in healthy adults under ambiguity and risk, which are common conditions for most decisions in daily life.

Black-and-white thinking and conspiracy beliefs prevent parents from vaccinating their children against COVID-19.

Understanding predictors of parents' willingness to vaccinate their children appears fundamental to promote vaccine acceptability, especially in a pandemic scenario. The present study aimed to investigate the role of conspiracy beliefs and absolutist thinking in parental attitude toward COVID-19 vaccine, and the predictive role of parents' individual differences on decisions against children's vaccination. An online survey was administered to 415 parents of children aged 5-11, at the very beginning of the vaccination targeting this population in Italy.

Aging and Psychological Well-Being: The Possible Role of Inhibition Skills.

(1) Background: Psychological well-being (PWB) is a multidimensional construct which is a key protective factor against chronic diseases in older adults. Numerous psychological and cognitive factors can influence older people's PWB. However, while most studies have explored the effect of general cognition, only a few investigated the role of specific cognitive functions such as the efficiency of executive functions.

Play-Based Activities with a CoderBot Robot on a Pediatric Ward: A Case Study.

Being hospitalized is a threatening and stressful experience for many children. From a psychological point of view, children may experience increased feelings of anxiety and fear that can negatively influence their behavioral, cognitive, and emotional outcomes. To mitigate such adverse effects on children's mental health and well-being, interventions that might contribute to protecting the emotional domain of hospitalized children are welcome.

Technology in Rehabilitative Interventions for Children: Challenges and Opportunities.

Technology innovation has been leading to the development of an increasing number of applications that aim to support the rehabilitation of cognitive functions [...

Music-based and auditory-based interventions for reading difficulties: A literature review.

Remediation of reading difficulties through music and auditory-based interventions in children with impairments in reading (such as developmental dyslexia) has been suggested in light of the putative neural and cognitive overlaps between the music and language domains. Several studies had explored the effect of music training on reading development, showing mixed results. However, to date, the meta-analyses on this topic did not differentiate the studies on typical children from those on children with reading difficulties.