Publications by authors named "Manuela Tomai"

Background: Binge-watching (BW) is the consecutive viewing of three or more episodes of the same series in one sitting. Although some negative effects on mental health were evidenced, the continuum of BW from leisure activity to problematic behavior is still unclear. This study aimed to analyze mental health (depression, trait anxiety, social anxiety, impulsivity, alexithymia) of people involved in different expressions of BW.

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Social support by healthcare providers has been increasingly investigated during the past decade, but studies have made different choices concerning its measurement. To evaluate how social support from a healthcare provider impacts the perceived quality of care and patient outcomes, reliable and valid instruments capable of measuring specific aspects of the construct are needed. In study 1, we tested the factor structure and the psychometric properties of a new Healthcare Provider Social Support measure (HPSS) for oncology settings.

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Objectives: Pain and fear of colonoscopy are inter-related; they make the colonoscopy experience unpleasant and impede adherence to colorectal cancer screening and prevention campaigns. According to previous research, fear and pain have been found to depend on patients' maladaptive cognitions and exaggerated emotional responses. The present study investigated whether emotional processing difficulties predicted colonoscopy pain and the associated catastrophising thoughts.

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This study was carried out as part of the international cooperation project "Agua Futura" for the improvement of water resource management and the promotion of water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors in rural communities of Central America. Given the relevant healthcare problem of water pollution, especially in El Salvador, the aim was to detect some key factors affecting the perception of water contamination and its risky consumption from a community clinical psychological perspective. Ninety rural inhabitants of El Salvador were administered a structured interview exploring their perceptions about water quality and the impact of water consumption on health.

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The aim of this systematic review is to provide a narrative synthesis of the peer-reviewed literature regarding the role of psychodynamics in community psychology. The authors screened 301 records on the topic, found in major citation databases (Scopus and Web of Science) without time or language restrictions. Ten articles addressing the review question were identified, showing the contributions of interpersonal psychoanalysis, Adlerian psychology, the Tavistock psychodynamic model, and Lacanian psychoanalysis.

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Objectives: Although sedatives and analgesic drugs defuse anxiety and relieve pain, digestive endoscopy still is uncomfortable and painful for some patients. Identifying patients who tolerate digestive endoscopy less well remains difficult. The present study evaluated the relations between procedural anxiety, catastrophizing thoughts, and pain, using a prospective design and multimodal assessments of pain.

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Although sedatives can defuse anxiety and relieve pain, Esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) still is uncomfortable and threatening for some patients. Identifying patients who tolerate digestive endoscopy less well remains difficult. Using a prospective design and a multimodal assessment of pain, the present study evaluated how anxiety-related variables predicted subsequent pain outcomes.

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Background: Patients adjust to cancer in a continuous process that follows the course of the disease. Previous research has considered several illness-related variables and demographics, quality of life, personality, and social factors as predictors of adjustment to cancer, which can be maladaptive (e.g.

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Unlabelled: Background/Study Context: The impact of dispositional characteristic of elders' closest network members on elders' life satisfaction and empowerment has remained largely unexplored. This innovative study aimed to assess the impact of dispositional variables of elders, relatives, and paid caregivers on life satisfaction and empowerment of elders.

Methods: One hundred forty-three triads (one elder, one paid caregiver, and one relative) completed six scales measuring modifiable personality characteristics (loneliness, optimism, regulation of positive and negative emotions), life satisfaction, and sense of empowerment.

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Objectives: The broad purpose of this research is to identify the key modifiable variables most related to elders' life satisfaction and empowerment in order to improve the efficacy of interventions projects. Our study aims to integrate the theoretical perspectives of personality and community psychology focusing both on dispositional characteristics and relational well-being of elders, investigating triads, composed by an elder, a paid caregiver and the most involved relative. This study explores the impact of (1) some socio-demographic characteristics of elders, (2) some modifiable dispositional variables of elders and (3) elders' relational well-being on elders' empowerment and life satisfaction.

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