Group psychological counseling to contrast academic burnout: a research protocol for a randomized controlled trial.

Academic burnout is a condition characterized by exhaustion, cynicism, a distant attitude toward studying, and diminished self-efficacy in academic activities. Preliminary scientific findings indicate that interventions designed to alleviate work burnout also hold promise for mitigating academic burnout, however clear evidence based on randomized controlled trials is still missing. This research protocol describes a randomized controlled trial aimed at evaluating the efficacy of an online group psychological intervention to contrast academic burnout.

Food Reputation and Food Preferences: Application of the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italy, USA, and China.

Given the food challenges that society is facing, we draw upon recent developments in the study of how food reputation affects food preferences and food choices, providing here a starting standard point for measuring every aspect of food reputation in different cultural contexts across the world. Specifically, while previous attempts focused either on specific aspects of food or on measures of food features validated in one language only, the present research validates the Food Reputation Map (FRM) in Italian, English and Chinese over 2,250 participants worldwide. Here we successfully measure food reputation across 23 specific indicators, further grouped into six synthetic indicators of food reputation.

Green Breaks: The Restorative Effect of the School Environment's Green Areas on Children's Cognitive Performance.

Restoration involves individuals' physical, psychological, and social resources, which have diminished over the years in the process of meeting the demands of everyday life. Psychological restoration can be provided by specific environments, in particular by natural environments. Studies report a restorative effect of nature on human beings, specifically in terms of the psychological recovery from attention fatigue and restored mental resources that were previously spent in activities that require attention.

The role of moral disengagement and cognitive distortions toward children among sex offenders.

This study investigated the individual and social characteristics, moral disengagement strategies and cognitive distortions toward children among 120 sex offenders in Italian jails. A semistructured interview was administered to collect data about family, social and medical histories, utilizing the Moral Disengagement Scale and the Hanson Sex Attitude Questionnaire. Results showed that sex offenders with sexual abuse trauma in their past had higher scores of moral disengagement and cognitive distortion toward children than sex offenders without sexual abuse trauma.

Drug Use as a Risk Factor of Moral Disengagement: A Study on Drug Traffickers and Offenders against Other Persons.

This study investigates the moral-disengagement strategies and influence of drug use in adolescence on 49 offenders in Italian jails, 30 of which are drug traffickers and 19 of which are offenders against other persons. A semi-structured interview was conducted to collect data on family, social and medical histories and the manner in which the deviant act was carried out, and the Moral Disengagement Scale was used to identify specific moral disengagement mechanisms. The results show that the traffickers reported higher levels of general moral disengagement, dehumanization of victims, and advantageous comparison with respect to offenders against other persons.

Psychometric Properties of the Italian Version of the Young Schema Questionnaire L-3: Preliminary Results.

Schema Therapy (ST) is a well-known approach for the treatment of personality disorders. This therapy integrates different theories and techniques into an original and systematic treatment model. The Young Schema Questionnaire L-3 (YSQ-L3) is a self-report instrument, based on the ST model, designed to assess 18 Early Maladaptive Schemas (EMSs).

Moral Disengagement Strategies in Sex Offenders.

Sexual abuse is a heterogeneous phenomenon. The literature on sexual offenders considers risk factors in the individual and familial history as well as precursors such as cognitive distortions, defence mechanisms and moral disengagement (MD) mechanisms. This study investigates the MD in sex offenders and non-sex offenders in a sample of 362 males comprising a control group of 268 non-offenders, a group of 42 detained sex offenders and a group of 52 detained non-sex offenders.

Alcohol drinking patterns in young people: A survey-based study.

Binge drinking represents a major clinical and public health concern. Here, we investigated the prevalence of binge drinking and its related consequences, in a population of young adults. A questionnaire was administered to a sample of 4275 healthy subjects.

Self-Serving Bias in the Implicit and Explicit Evaluation of Partners and Exes as Parents: A Pilot Study.

The quality of partners' relationship can be influenced by the reciprocal respect of the other's parenting role, especially when the couple breaks up. This study is aimed at investigating the implicit versus explicit self-serving biases in the evaluation of partners and exes as parents (or potential parents), exploring sex differences and possible relationships with dyadic cohesion. Two Implicit Association Tests and two semantic differentials, comparing each respondent with current partners and last significant exes, and also a scale measuring dyadic cohesion were administered to 108 participants (40 men; M age = 28.

Posttraumatic stress symptoms, dissociation, and alexithymia in an Italian sample of flood victims.

Background: Several studies have demonstrated a significant association between dissociation and posttraumatic symptoms. A dissociative reaction during a traumatic event may seem to predict the later development of posttraumatic stress symptoms. Moreover, several researchers also observed an alexithymic condition in a variety of traumatized samples.

Obsessive-compulsive aspects and pathological gambling in an Italian sample.

Introduction: Gambling behaviour appears as repetitive and difficult to resist and seems to be aimed at neutralizing or reducing negative feelings such as anxiety and tension, confirming its similarities with the obsessive-compulsive spectrum. Aims. Estimating the prevalence of gambling behaviour in an Italian sample and assessing the effects of sociodemographic variables and the correlations between gambling behaviour and obsessive-compulsive features.

Affective dependence and aggression: an exploratory study.

Introduction: Emotionally dependent subjects may engage in controlling, restrictive, and aggressive behaviours, which limit their partner's autonomy. The underlying causes of such behaviours are not solely based on levels of aggression, but act as a mean of maintaining the subject's own sense of self-worth, identity, and general functioning.

Objective: The aim of the paper is to explore the correlation between affective dependency and reactive/proactive aggression and to evaluate individual differences as predisposing factors for aggressive behaviour and emotional dependency.

Intimate partner violence: relationships between alexithymia, depression, attachment styles, and coping strategies of battered women.

Introduction: One of the most common forms of violence against women is the intimate partner violence (IPV). This term includes physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and controlling behaviors by an intimate partner.

Aim: This exploratory study investigates the relationship between alexithymia, adult attachment styles, depression, and coping strategies in a group of female victims of IPV and a control group.

Health-related characteristics and unmet needs of men with erectile dysfunction: a survey in five European countries.

Introduction: Data suggest that ED is still an underdiagnosed and undertreated condition. In addition, it seems that men with ED are unsatisfied about their relationship with their physician and with the available drugs.

Aim: The study aims to identify health-related characteristics and unmet needs of patients suffering from erectile dysfunction (ED) in big 5 European Union (EU) nations (France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and UK).