Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'PSICOLOGIA DINAMICA'

Orientador : Ana Luiza Bustamante Smolka
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação
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Mestrado

Orientador: Pedro Jose Winterstein
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação Fisica
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Resumo: Este trabalho tem como objetivo relatar e discutir os processos de diagnóstico e intervenção psicológica de tenistas infanto-juvenis de um centro de treinamento, a partir da Psicoterapia Dinâmica Breve. Levando-se em consideração as características específicas do trabalho psicológico com tenistas infanto-juvenis, são apresentadas as principais premissas para o processo de diagnóstico e intervenção. Foram analisados três adolescentes, dois do sexo masculino e um do sexo feminino, de uma academia de tênis de Campinas na faixa etária entre 15 e 18 anos. Utilizou-se como apoio para a fase de diagnóstico o POMS (Perfil dos Estados de Humor), entrevistas e observações durante treinamentos e competições. Como técnica de intervenção foi utilizada a Psicoterapia Breve com enfoque psicanalítico. Os resultados mostram evidências de evolução na estrutura emocional dos atletas através do trabalho psicológico, trazendo como conseqüência deste processo, além do desenvolvimento e amadurecimento emocional, uma possível melhora no rendimento dos mesmos em treinos e competições. Recomendam-se novas propostas de investigação que possam diversificar a utilização desta técnica no âmbito esportivo e possibilitar o controle de outras variáveis, tais como ambiente, atuação dos técnicos, entre outros
Abstract: This study aims to relate and discuss, from the Brief Dynamic Psychotherapy, the processes of diagnosis and psychological intervention of adolescent tennis players of a training center. Considering the specific characteristics of the psychological work with adolescente tennis players, the major premises are presented for the process of diagnosis and intervention. Three adolescent were analysed, two were male and one female, from a tennis academy in Campinas, ranging from 15 to 18 years old. As a support for the diagnosis phase, the POMS (Profile of Mood States), interviews and observations were used during the trainings and competitions. The Brief Psychotherapy, with a psychoanalytic feature, was used as an intervention technic. The results show evidences of the evolution on the emotional structure trough the psychological work, bringing an emocional development and maturacional, like to possible improvement on the output of this trainings and competitions as a consequence of the process. New proposals of investigations are recommended in order to diversify the use of this technic in sports and enable the control of other variants, such as the environment, coaches atuation and so on
Mestrado
Mestre em Educação Física

Orientador: Carlos Alberto Vidal França
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação
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Mestrado

Microcredit, a small lending system, invests on an individual's creativity by stimulating the development of their own potential. This process leads to the attainment of various objectives which in turn allow individuals to develop their skill awareness. Consequently, this process also increases an individual’s self-esteem and self-confidence. These factors play an important role in the aetiology of a number of mental disorders. Namely, those characterized by a series of psychological conditions which impede the full development of a person’s personal, relational and social sphere. Furthermore, since Microcredit is thought to produce tangible goods, such as income, and intangible goods, such as self-esteem and mutual trust, it could also represent an innovative socio-economic tool. We therefore also hypothesize that, Microcredit would be valuable in maximizing abilities/skills in those subjects who are financially excluded and rarely perceived as a ‘resource’ for the Community The longitudinal study set the impact of the Grameen Bank microcredit program on new borrowers women from Noakhali District at the south Bangladesh. The impact evaluation assessment has been structured to detect individual, family and social changes. Manova Analysis allowed distinguishing from women with positive or negative outcomes related to the loan performance. Data revealed consistent differences in terms of economical outcomes and psychological well being amongst the groups of subject analyzed. The data gathered in relation to the changes arisen in the individuals should be looked into through future, continuous and systematic, monitoring.

Microcredit, a small lending system, invests on an individual's creativity by stimulating the development of their own potential. This process leads to the attainment of various objectives which in turn allow individuals to develop their skill awareness. Consequently, this process also increases an individual’s self-esteem and self-confidence. These factors play an important role in the aetiology of a number of mental disorders. Namely, those characterized by a series of psychological conditions which impede the full development of a person’s personal, relational and social sphere. Furthermore, since Microcredit is thought to produce tangible goods, such as income, and intangible goods, such as self-esteem and mutual trust, it could also represent an innovative socio-economic tool. We therefore also hypothesize that, Microcredit would be valuable in maximizing abilities/skills in those subjects who are financially excluded and rarely perceived as a ‘resource’ for the Community The longitudinal study set the impact of the Grameen Bank microcredit program on new borrowers women from Noakhali District at the south Bangladesh. The impact evaluation assessment has been structured to detect individual, family and social changes. Manova Analysis allowed distinguishing from women with positive or negative outcomes related to the loan performance. Data revealed consistent differences in terms of economical outcomes and psychological well being amongst the groups of subject analyzed. The data gathered in relation to the changes arisen in the individuals should be looked into through future, continuous and systematic, monitoring.

Microcredit has been a tool to alleviate poverty since long. This research is aimed to observe the efficiency of microcredit in the field of social exclusion. The development of questionnaires and use of existing tools was used to observe the tangible and intangible intertwining of microcredit and by doing so the effort was concentrated to observe whether microcredit has a direct effect on social exclusion or not. Bangladesh was chosen for the field study and 85 samples were taken for the analysis. It is a time period research and one year time was set to receive the sample and working on the statistical analysis. The tangible aspect was based on a World Bank questionnaire and the social capital questionnaire was developed through different well observed tools. The borrowers of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, is the research sample whish shows a strong correlation between their tangible activity and social life. There are significant changes in tangible aspect and social participation observed from the research. Strong correlation between the two aspects was also found taking into account that the borrowers themselves have a vibrant social life in the village.

Microcredit has been a tool to alleviate poverty since long. This research is aimed to observe the efficiency of microcredit in the field of social exclusion. The development of questionnaires and use of existing tools was used to observe the tangible and intangible intertwining of microcredit and by doing so the effort was concentrated to observe whether microcredit has a direct effect on social exclusion or not. Bangladesh was chosen for the field study and 85 samples were taken for the analysis. It is a time period research and one year time was set to receive the sample and working on the statistical analysis. The tangible aspect was based on a World Bank questionnaire and the social capital questionnaire was developed through different well observed tools. The borrowers of Grameen Bank in Bangladesh, is the research sample whish shows a strong correlation between their tangible activity and social life. There are significant changes in tangible aspect and social participation observed from the research. Strong correlation between the two aspects was also found taking into account that the borrowers themselves have a vibrant social life in the village.

La prematurità rappresenta un fattore di rischio per la qualità delle interazioni precoci e la sintomatologia materna, soprattutto in caso di nascita VLBW (peso ≤ 1500 grammi) ed ELBW (≤1000 grammi). Scopo dello studio è valutare a 3 e 9 mesi di età corretta le modalità interattive delle diadi madre-bambino e lo stato affettivo materno in due campioni di prematuri, ELBW e VLBW, confrontandoli con un gruppo di bambini nati a termine (GC). Un campione di 119 diadi madre-bambino, di cui 71 nati prematuri (30 VLBW e 21 ELBW) e 68 a termine, sono stati valutati all'età di 3 e 9 mesi. Durante gli assessment, è avvenuta la videoregistrazione dell’interazione madre-bambino, codificata mediante le Global Rating Scales (a 3 mesi) ed il CARE Index Infant (a 9 mesi), e la valutazione della sintomatologia materna, attraverso Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Social Interaction and Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Questionari italiani del Temperamento. A 3 mesi, le madri di ELBW appaiono più demanding e meno sensibili rispetto a quelle di VLBW; più intrusive rispetto a quelle di GC. Tali madri, inoltre, sono significativamente meno sensibili di quelle del GC anche a 9 mesi. In entrambi gli assessment, tali madri presentano livelli significativamente maggiori di depressione, ansia generalizzata e stress, rispetto a quelle di entrambi gli altri gruppi. Non emergono differenze rispetto all'ansia sociale nè alla percezione del temperamento. Le analisi della correlazione hanno evidenziato specifiche relazioni tra la sintomatologia materna e i pattern interattivi nei tre gruppi. La nascita pretermine rappresenta un fattore di rischio solo per le madri di ELBW, che presentano difficoltà interattive ed elevata sintomatologia; quelle dei VLBW, infatti, tendono a presentare pattern interattivi affini a quelle del GC, mostrando adeguata sensibilità e bassi livelli di depressione, ansia e stress.
Background and aim. Preterm birth can affect the quality of early interactions and the maternal symptoms, especially in case of VLBW (≤1500 grams) and ELBW infants (≤1000 grams). Aim of the study was to evaluate the interactive patterns and maternal affective state in two samples of preterm infants, VLBW and ELBW, in comparison with a full-term infants group (GC) at 3 and 9 months of corrected age. Method. A sample of 119 mother-infant dyads, including 71 healthy premature infants (30 VLBW and 21 ELBW) and 68 full-term infant was assessed at 3 and 9 months of corrected age. Mother-child interaction was recorded and later coded using the Global Rating Scales (3 months) and the CARE Index Infant (9 months). In each assessment, maternal symptoms was evaluated through Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Social Interaction and Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Italian Temperament Questionnaire. Results. At 3 months c.a., interactive patterns of mothers of ELBW infants was more demanding and less sensitive than those of VLBW, and more intrusive than those GC. Moreover, at 9 months, mothers of ELBW, appear to be significantly less sensitive than those of the GC. In both assessments, these mothers showed significantly higher levels of depression, generalized anxiety and stress, in relation to both those of VLBW than those born at term. No difference emerged about social anxiety nor the perception of infant temperament. The correlation analysis showed specific relations between the symptoms and maternal interactive patterns in each groups. Discussion. Preterm birth can represent a factor of risk for mother of ELBW infants: these women showed difficulties in interactive behaviour and high level of affective symptoms; mothers of VLBW have interactive patterns similar to those of GC, showing adequate sensitivity and low levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

La prematurità rappresenta un fattore di rischio per la qualità delle interazioni precoci e la sintomatologia materna, soprattutto in caso di nascita VLBW (peso ≤ 1500 grammi) ed ELBW (≤1000 grammi). Scopo dello studio è valutare a 3 e 9 mesi di età corretta le modalità interattive delle diadi madre-bambino e lo stato affettivo materno in due campioni di prematuri, ELBW e VLBW, confrontandoli con un gruppo di bambini nati a termine (GC). Un campione di 119 diadi madre-bambino, di cui 71 nati prematuri (30 VLBW e 21 ELBW) e 68 a termine, sono stati valutati all'età di 3 e 9 mesi. Durante gli assessment, è avvenuta la videoregistrazione dell’interazione madre-bambino, codificata mediante le Global Rating Scales (a 3 mesi) ed il CARE Index Infant (a 9 mesi), e la valutazione della sintomatologia materna, attraverso Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Social Interaction and Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Questionari italiani del Temperamento. A 3 mesi, le madri di ELBW appaiono più demanding e meno sensibili rispetto a quelle di VLBW; più intrusive rispetto a quelle di GC. Tali madri, inoltre, sono significativamente meno sensibili di quelle del GC anche a 9 mesi. In entrambi gli assessment, tali madri presentano livelli significativamente maggiori di depressione, ansia generalizzata e stress, rispetto a quelle di entrambi gli altri gruppi. Non emergono differenze rispetto all'ansia sociale nè alla percezione del temperamento. Le analisi della correlazione hanno evidenziato specifiche relazioni tra la sintomatologia materna e i pattern interattivi nei tre gruppi. La nascita pretermine rappresenta un fattore di rischio solo per le madri di ELBW, che presentano difficoltà interattive ed elevata sintomatologia; quelle dei VLBW, infatti, tendono a presentare pattern interattivi affini a quelle del GC, mostrando adeguata sensibilità e bassi livelli di depressione, ansia e stress.
Background and aim. Preterm birth can affect the quality of early interactions and the maternal symptoms, especially in case of VLBW (≤1500 grams) and ELBW infants (≤1000 grams). Aim of the study was to evaluate the interactive patterns and maternal affective state in two samples of preterm infants, VLBW and ELBW, in comparison with a full-term infants group (GC) at 3 and 9 months of corrected age. Method. A sample of 119 mother-infant dyads, including 71 healthy premature infants (30 VLBW and 21 ELBW) and 68 full-term infant was assessed at 3 and 9 months of corrected age. Mother-child interaction was recorded and later coded using the Global Rating Scales (3 months) and the CARE Index Infant (9 months). In each assessment, maternal symptoms was evaluated through Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, Penn State Worry Questionnaire, Social Interaction and Anxiety Scale, Social Phobia Scale, Parenting Stress Index-Short Form, Italian Temperament Questionnaire. Results. At 3 months c.a., interactive patterns of mothers of ELBW infants was more demanding and less sensitive than those of VLBW, and more intrusive than those GC. Moreover, at 9 months, mothers of ELBW, appear to be significantly less sensitive than those of the GC. In both assessments, these mothers showed significantly higher levels of depression, generalized anxiety and stress, in relation to both those of VLBW than those born at term. No difference emerged about social anxiety nor the perception of infant temperament. The correlation analysis showed specific relations between the symptoms and maternal interactive patterns in each groups. Discussion. Preterm birth can represent a factor of risk for mother of ELBW infants: these women showed difficulties in interactive behaviour and high level of affective symptoms; mothers of VLBW have interactive patterns similar to those of GC, showing adequate sensitivity and low levels of depression, anxiety and stress.

La sintomatologia ansiosa materna nel periodo prenatale risulta influire negativamente non sullo stato materno ma anche sul successivo sviluppo infantile, Tuttavia, sono limitati gli studi che hanno considerato lo specifico contributo dei disturbi d’ansia nel periodo prenatale. L’obiettivo generale dello studio è quello di indagare nel primo periodo post partum la relazione tra psicopatologia ansiosa materna e: temperamento e sviluppo neonatale, qualità del caregiving materno e dei pattern interattivi madre-bambino. 138 donne sono state intervistate utilizzando SCID-I (First et al., 1997) durante il terzo trimestre di gravidanza. 31 donne (22,5%) presentano disturbo d’ansia nel periodo prenatale. A 1 mese post partum il comportamento del neonato è stato valutato mediante NBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995), mentre le madri hanno compilato MBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995). A 3 mesi postpartum, una sequenza interattiva madre-bambino è stata videoregistrata e codificata utilizzando GRS (Murray et al., 1996). La procedura dello Stranger Episode (Murray et al., 2007) è stata utilizzata per osservare i pattern interattivi materni e infantili nell’interazione con una persona estranea. I neonati di madri con disturbo d’ansia manifestano alle NBAS minori capacità a livello di organizzazione di stati comportamentali, minori capacità attentive e di autoregolazione. Le madri ansiose si percepiscono significativamente meno sicure nell’occuparsi di loro, valutando i propri figli maggiormente instabili e irregolari. Nell’interazione face to face, esse mostrano comportamenti significativamente meno sensibilI, risultando meno coinvolte attivamente con il proprio bambino. Durante lo Stranger Episode, le madri con fobia sociale presentano maggiori livelli di ansia e incoraggiando in modo significativamente inferiore l’interazione del bambino con l’estraneo. I risultati sottolineano l’importanza di valutare in epoca prenatale la psicopatologia ansiosa materna. Le evidenze confermano la rilevanza che può assumere un modello multifattoriale di rischio in cui i disturbi d’ansia prenatali e la qualità del caregiving materno possono agire in modo sinergico nell’influire sugli esiti infantili.
Maternal antenatal anxiety has been shown to be associated with adverse consequences for the mother and the child. However, studies considering the effect of DSM-IV anxiety disorders during pregnancy are lacking. The general aim was to investigate, in the early postpartum, the relationship between maternal prenatal anxiety psychopathology and: neonatal behavioral development, quality of caregiving, maternal and infant’s interactive behaviors. 138 women completed the clinical interview SCID-I for DSM-IV (First et al., 1997) during the third trimester of pregnancy to assess anxiety disorders. 31 women (21,5%) showed an anxiety disorders during antenatal period. At one month postpartum, the neonatal development was assessed using NBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995) and the mothers completed the MBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995). At 3 months postpartum, mother-infant interactions were video-recorded and coded using GRS (Murray et al., 1996). Stranger Episode procedure (Murray et al., 2007) was used to assess maternal and infant’s interactive pattern with an unfamiliar person. Anxious mothers’ babies had poorer performances on NBAS regarding attention, self-quieting, examiner facilitation, state regulation (p<0.05). Anxious mothers perceived themselves as having a greater lack of confidence in caretaking and they consider their babies as more unsettled-irregular (p<0.05). Mothers with anxiety disorder showed less sensitive interactive behavior, resulting more withdrawal and less engaged with their infants than controls. During Stranger Episode, mothers with social phobia appeared more anxious, engaged less with the stranger themselves, and were less encouraging of the infant’s interaction with an unfamiliar person. Results underline the importance of assessing and monitoring maternal antenatal anxiety. These findings are consistent with a cumulative risk model suggesting that maternal prenatal anxiety and quality of maternal caregiving could act in concert to shape infant outcomes.

La sintomatologia ansiosa materna nel periodo prenatale risulta influire negativamente non sullo stato materno ma anche sul successivo sviluppo infantile, Tuttavia, sono limitati gli studi che hanno considerato lo specifico contributo dei disturbi d’ansia nel periodo prenatale. L’obiettivo generale dello studio è quello di indagare nel primo periodo post partum la relazione tra psicopatologia ansiosa materna e: temperamento e sviluppo neonatale, qualità del caregiving materno e dei pattern interattivi madre-bambino. 138 donne sono state intervistate utilizzando SCID-I (First et al., 1997) durante il terzo trimestre di gravidanza. 31 donne (22,5%) presentano disturbo d’ansia nel periodo prenatale. A 1 mese post partum il comportamento del neonato è stato valutato mediante NBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995), mentre le madri hanno compilato MBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995). A 3 mesi postpartum, una sequenza interattiva madre-bambino è stata videoregistrata e codificata utilizzando GRS (Murray et al., 1996). La procedura dello Stranger Episode (Murray et al., 2007) è stata utilizzata per osservare i pattern interattivi materni e infantili nell’interazione con una persona estranea. I neonati di madri con disturbo d’ansia manifestano alle NBAS minori capacità a livello di organizzazione di stati comportamentali, minori capacità attentive e di autoregolazione. Le madri ansiose si percepiscono significativamente meno sicure nell’occuparsi di loro, valutando i propri figli maggiormente instabili e irregolari. Nell’interazione face to face, esse mostrano comportamenti significativamente meno sensibilI, risultando meno coinvolte attivamente con il proprio bambino. Durante lo Stranger Episode, le madri con fobia sociale presentano maggiori livelli di ansia e incoraggiando in modo significativamente inferiore l’interazione del bambino con l’estraneo. I risultati sottolineano l’importanza di valutare in epoca prenatale la psicopatologia ansiosa materna. Le evidenze confermano la rilevanza che può assumere un modello multifattoriale di rischio in cui i disturbi d’ansia prenatali e la qualità del caregiving materno possono agire in modo sinergico nell’influire sugli esiti infantili.
Maternal antenatal anxiety has been shown to be associated with adverse consequences for the mother and the child. However, studies considering the effect of DSM-IV anxiety disorders during pregnancy are lacking. The general aim was to investigate, in the early postpartum, the relationship between maternal prenatal anxiety psychopathology and: neonatal behavioral development, quality of caregiving, maternal and infant’s interactive behaviors. 138 women completed the clinical interview SCID-I for DSM-IV (First et al., 1997) during the third trimester of pregnancy to assess anxiety disorders. 31 women (21,5%) showed an anxiety disorders during antenatal period. At one month postpartum, the neonatal development was assessed using NBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995) and the mothers completed the MBAS (Brazelton, Nugent, 1995). At 3 months postpartum, mother-infant interactions were video-recorded and coded using GRS (Murray et al., 1996). Stranger Episode procedure (Murray et al., 2007) was used to assess maternal and infant’s interactive pattern with an unfamiliar person. Anxious mothers’ babies had poorer performances on NBAS regarding attention, self-quieting, examiner facilitation, state regulation (p<0.05). Anxious mothers perceived themselves as having a greater lack of confidence in caretaking and they consider their babies as more unsettled-irregular (p<0.05). Mothers with anxiety disorder showed less sensitive interactive behavior, resulting more withdrawal and less engaged with their infants than controls. During Stranger Episode, mothers with social phobia appeared more anxious, engaged less with the stranger themselves, and were less encouraging of the infant’s interaction with an unfamiliar person. Results underline the importance of assessing and monitoring maternal antenatal anxiety. These findings are consistent with a cumulative risk model suggesting that maternal prenatal anxiety and quality of maternal caregiving could act in concert to shape infant outcomes.

The temperament trait of Behavioral Inhibition (BI) is characterized by child/infant fear and reticence in response to social and non-social novelty and it has been recognized as a risk factor for child and adolescent internalizing/anxiety problems. Although the interest in literature, some issues are still unsolved and Italian studies are lacking. The present research involved a sample of 60 Italian preschoolers, their mothers, fathers and 7 teachers. Child’s BI was assessed in 3 different moments (T1, T2, T3) across 2 school years. Study I aimed to explore the unitary or multidimensional nature of BI (i.e., social vs non-social components), the continuity of BI over time and its associated factors. Method: Lab-Tab (Goldsmith et al., 1999) for assessing child’s BI and Inhibitory Control (IC); PSWQ (Morani et al., 2009) for parent’s anxiety; BIQ (Bishop et al., 2003) for parent’s perceptions of BI; CRPR (Block, 1981) for parenting style. Results: BI emerged as a unitary construct, moderately stable over time, and child’s IC and maternal anxiety contributed in increasing BI from T1 to T3. Study II aimed to examine the concordance between the observational measures of BI and parent/teacher reports of BI and to investigate caregivers’ ability in recognizing inhibited children. Results: only teacher BIQ reports were significantly and moderately correlated with observed Lab-Tab BI at T1 and T2. Teachers recognized inhibited children more accurately than mothers and fathers. Study III aimed to investigate whether BI at T1 was a significant predictor across time of peer difficulties and internalizing problems. Results: BI represented a risk factor for anxious/depressed behaviors and withdrawal at T2 but not at T3. No significant effects were found for peer difficulties. Globally, our findings suggest that special attention should be addressed to early recognition of BI trait in order to promote child’s socio-emotional functioning and prevent psychopathological risk.

The therapeutic alliance is a crucial variable in explaining the outcome of psychotherapy across different treatments. While most of research to date is about the alliance in individual psychotherapy, more recent are studies on the alliance in family and, even more, in child-focused therapy. Nowadays parents represent essential components to youth’s treatment success. Parental engagement allows the therapist to better understand child’s symptoms within family dynamics and, at the same time, to build an alliance with parents based on a mutual understanding of the child’s problems and on their collaboration and agreement on the main goals and tasks of the intervention. The “Focal Play Therapy with children and parents” (FPT-CP; Trombini & Trombini, 2006, 2007; Trombini E., 2010, 2011, 2016) is actually used for several problems in preschool children connected to parent-child relationships. Goals of the first six sessions are: the assessment of child’s symptoms within family relationships and the promotion of the alliance with parents. The present study explored the quality of the parent-therapist relationship at two time points that coincide with the FPT-CP first and sixth sessions. A multi-method approach was used to collect data from 17 parental couples and their children (age range=2-5). Differences in alliance scores among parents and among each parent and therapist were investigated. Parental personality, levels of parenting stress and the quality of parent-child interactions were assessed. Further, relationships among multiple parental variables were investigated followed by an exemplification with two contrasting clinical cases. Findings of the present research advise that special attention should be paid to the building of alliance with parents early in treatment. Empirical evidence has shown that the FPT-CP is a specific model of clinical intervention that is effective in promoting and maintaining a positive therapeutic relationship with parents seen as a precondition for a successful child-focused intervention.

Nel caso di persone affette da demenza, le terapie non sono volte al recupero o al ripristino di abilità ormai deteriorate ma alla ricerca e alla costruzione di un nuovo equilibrio che migliori la qualità della vita della persona malata e chi se ne prende cura.

Substance Use Disorder (SUD) represents an increasing global risk factor for disability and premature death, with significant economic costs. Nearly 90% of women who struggle with SUD are in child rearing age and maternal SUD is a risk factor for parenting and child development. Besides the direct effects of substance exposure, quality of parenting in the home represents an important mediator of undesired developmental outcomes. Compared to low-risk populations, mothers with SUD show less optimal caregiving behaviors in diverse contexts, being less sensitive and responsive to children’s signals, and more hostile and interfering with their activities. These negative parenting behaviors are linked undesired developmental outcomes and a higher risk to be involved with child protective services. Therefore, quality of parenting behaviors across different domains constitute one of the main targets of investigation in the condition of SUD, to avoid unfavorable developmental outcomes in children though targeted interventions. Furthermore, a wide array of studies shows the relevance of investigating SUD-related characteristics, as co-occurring psychopathology or parental cognitive impairments, to better understand which mechanisms could further detriment quality of parenting in SUD and support/obstacle interventions. The current thesis focuses on quality of parenting behaviors in the context of maternal SUD, considering the psychopathological and cognitive mechanisms involved, and identifying a possible intervention protocol that could consider these aspects. The first part of the work provides a general overview of parenting, considering some of the mechanisms involved in the process of taking care in early infancy and childhood. In chapter 1 we discuss the role of parenting behaviors in shaping child development, identifying how their quality can be influenced by cognitive resources or the presence of psychopathological symptoms in the adult. The second part of the work will focus specifically on parenting in the context of SUD, a high-risk condition for quality of care and for child development. In Chapter 2 we will present an empirical study aimed at investigating quality of parenting behaviors through cluster analysis in mothers with SUD. In chapter 3 we will discuss the results of a study aimed at examining the role of maternal alexithymia, a specific type of psychopathology, on quality of parenting behaviors in mothers with SUD. In the empirical study in Chapter 4 we will report on a longitudinal study investigating the effect of parental psychological symptoms and executive functioning on the development of parent-child relationships during a residential program for drug addiction. In chapter 5 we will present a proposal for a randomized controlled trial aimed at modifying quality of parenting behaviors in mothers with SUD considering the intervening role of cognitive and psychopathological mechanisms. Finally, in the last section we will provide a general discussion of the topics developed through the work, highlighting some methodological challenges and some empirical and clinical implications based on the results of our empirical studies. Globally our results confirm that SUD represents a risk condition for parenting and quality of parent-child relationships. Patterns of mother-child interactive behaviors are more likely to present difficulties within this group, but these are subjected to variability. Differences in quality of parenting behaviors are linked to the presence of co-occurring psychopathology and cognitive resources, and these two mechanisms play an important role in the ongoing of interventions. Thus, quality of parenting behaviors should represent one of the main focuses of assessment and intervention in mothers with SUD, but they should be considered also in the light of psychopathology and cognitive functioning.
Substance Use Disorder (SUD) represents an increasing global risk factor for disability and premature death, with significant economic costs. Nearly 90% of women who struggle with SUD are in child rearing age and maternal SUD is a risk factor for parenting and child development. Besides the direct effects of substance exposure, quality of parenting in the home represents an important mediator of undesired developmental outcomes. Compared to low-risk populations, mothers with SUD show less optimal caregiving behaviors in diverse contexts, being less sensitive and responsive to children’s signals, and more hostile and interfering with their activities. These negative parenting behaviors are linked undesired developmental outcomes and a higher risk to be involved with child protective services. Therefore, quality of parenting behaviors across different domains constitute one of the main targets of investigation in the condition of SUD, to avoid unfavorable developmental outcomes in children though targeted interventions. Furthermore, a wide array of studies shows the relevance of investigating SUD-related characteristics, as co-occurring psychopathology or parental cognitive impairments, to better understand which mechanisms could further detriment quality of parenting in SUD and support/obstacle interventions. The current thesis focuses on quality of parenting behaviors in the context of maternal SUD, considering the psychopathological and cognitive mechanisms involved, and identifying a possible intervention protocol that could consider these aspects. The first part of the work provides a general overview of parenting, considering some of the mechanisms involved in the process of taking care in early infancy and childhood. In chapter 1 we discuss the role of parenting behaviors in shaping child development, identifying how their quality can be influenced by cognitive resources or the presence of psychopathological symptoms in the adult. The second part of the work will focus specifically on parenting in the context of SUD, a high-risk condition for quality of care and for child development. In Chapter 2 we will present an empirical study aimed at investigating quality of parenting behaviors through cluster analysis in mothers with SUD. In chapter 3 we will discuss the results of a study aimed at examining the role of maternal alexithymia, a specific type of psychopathology, on quality of parenting behaviors in mothers with SUD. In the empirical study in Chapter 4 we will report on a longitudinal study investigating the effect of parental psychological symptoms and executive functioning on the development of parent-child relationships during a residential program for drug addiction. In chapter 5 we will present a proposal for a randomized controlled trial aimed at modifying quality of parenting behaviors in mothers with SUD considering the intervening role of cognitive and psychopathological mechanisms. Finally, in the last section we will provide a general discussion of the topics developed through the work, highlighting some methodological challenges and some empirical and clinical implications based on the results of our empirical studies. Globally our results confirm that SUD represents a risk condition for parenting and quality of parent-child relationships. Patterns of mother-child interactive behaviors are more likely to present difficulties within this group, but these are subjected to variability. Differences in quality of parenting behaviors are linked to the presence of co-occurring psychopathology and cognitive resources, and these two mechanisms play an important role in the ongoing of interventions. Thus, quality of parenting behaviors should represent one of the main focuses of assessment and intervention in mothers with SUD, but they should be considered also in the light of psychopathology and cognitive functioning.

The present doctoral project aims, across five empirical studies, two systematic reviews, and one theoretical and methodological proposal, at deepening the intraindividual and interindividual dimensions of empathy within the construct of embodiment. Intraindividual empathy has been studied, in the first empirical study, from the perspective of one of its hormonal correlates, i.e., testosterone, in 18 patients affected by Kennedy’s disease. In such an EEG study, results revealed a significant increase in neural reactivity (pcorr = 0.019) in terms of experience sharing (construct close to affective empathy) 0–350 ms post-stimulus, with respect to 18 non-clinical male healthy subjects. The first PRISMA systematic review, on the main neurodegenerative diseases (of 528 screened studies, 39 fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria), confirmed that each facet of empathy probably has a morpho-functional peculiar layout thus confirming the somatic perspective as a potentially unifying framework to outline the plethora of constructs that are comprehended under the term “empathy.” In the second empirical study, empathy, in its self- and other-oriented components, has been studied in a psychiatric sample of 59 consecutively recruited inpatients. Comparison of multinomial models revealed how self-oriented empathy was the best predictor of the levels of personality organization, as evaluated by the PDM-2, explaining data 25 times better than the null model. Contrary to the hypothesis, no association with somatizations aspects has been found. The other five investigations were devoted to the interpersonal perspective of empathy. Specifically, the second PRISMA systematic review aimed at identifying the constructs and the definition of such perspective on empathy and its associations with somatic components. From a total of 127 screened articles, the 17 included reports allowed us to infer that the best term to use, and that has been used throughout my thesis, is the one of “interpersonal empathy.” Unfortunately, none of the screened records investigated its somatic counterparts. 2 Therefore, in the third empirical study, we started validating a self-report questionnaire measuring interpersonal empathy based on the three empathy components by Zaki and Ochsner (2012): the affective, cognitive, and prosocial ones. Ninety-two interacting dyads participated, and their interactions were audio and video recorded. The questionnaire, in its state and trait versions, seems to have good psychometric proprieties although its validation isn’t concluded yet. We then conducted three more empirical studies, (Study 6A, 6B, and 7) in which 17 sessions of different therapies and a whole therapy of 16 sessions have been video registered and both members of the therapeutic dyad had their physiological signals acquired. In these studies, we hypothesised higher dyadic physiological synchronization (PS) would correspond to moment of high interpersonal affective empathy. Physiological acquisition was done through BIOPAC wireless acquisition device; therapist’s interventions were categorized with the Psychodynamic Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS; Cooper et al., 2002) and patient’s responses with the Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System (TCCS; E. Ribeiro et al., 2013). Briefly, results have essentially confirmed our hypothesis by indicating higher levels of PS when therapists’ interventions were of Reflections or Associations PIRS categories, and when patient’s responses were of Safety TCCS category. PS has therefore been confirmed as a possible somatic marker of interpersonal affective empathy and, for the first time in literature, also through the use of coding systems on the verbatim transcripts of therapeutic sessions. Finally, in a proposal, we outlined a neural model engaging both the central and the peripheral nervous system, by considering mirror mechanisms and assigning a crucial role to oxytocin.
The present doctoral project aims, across five empirical studies, two systematic reviews, and one theoretical and methodological proposal, at deepening the intraindividual and interindividual dimensions of empathy within the construct of embodiment. Intraindividual empathy has been studied, in the first empirical study, from the perspective of one of its hormonal correlates, i.e., testosterone, in 18 patients affected by Kennedy’s disease. In such an EEG study, results revealed a significant increase in neural reactivity (pcorr = 0.019) in terms of experience sharing (construct close to affective empathy) 0–350 ms post-stimulus, with respect to 18 non-clinical male healthy subjects. The first PRISMA systematic review, on the main neurodegenerative diseases (of 528 screened studies, 39 fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria), confirmed that each facet of empathy probably has a morpho-functional peculiar layout thus confirming the somatic perspective as a potentially unifying framework to outline the plethora of constructs that are comprehended under the term “empathy.” In the second empirical study, empathy, in its self- and other-oriented components, has been studied in a psychiatric sample of 59 consecutively recruited inpatients. Comparison of multinomial models revealed how self-oriented empathy was the best predictor of the levels of personality organization, as evaluated by the PDM-2, explaining data 25 times better than the null model. Contrary to the hypothesis, no association with somatizations aspects has been found. The other five investigations were devoted to the interpersonal perspective of empathy. Specifically, the second PRISMA systematic review aimed at identifying the constructs and the definition of such perspective on empathy and its associations with somatic components. From a total of 127 screened articles, the 17 included reports allowed us to infer that the best term to use, and that has been used throughout my thesis, is the one of “interpersonal empathy.” Unfortunately, none of the screened records investigated its somatic counterparts. 2 Therefore, in the third empirical study, we started validating a self-report questionnaire measuring interpersonal empathy based on the three empathy components by Zaki and Ochsner (2012): the affective, cognitive, and prosocial ones. Ninety-two interacting dyads participated, and their interactions were audio and video recorded. The questionnaire, in its state and trait versions, seems to have good psychometric proprieties although its validation isn’t concluded yet. We then conducted three more empirical studies, (Study 6A, 6B, and 7) in which 17 sessions of different therapies and a whole therapy of 16 sessions have been video registered and both members of the therapeutic dyad had their physiological signals acquired. In these studies, we hypothesised higher dyadic physiological synchronization (PS) would correspond to moment of high interpersonal affective empathy. Physiological acquisition was done through BIOPAC wireless acquisition device; therapist’s interventions were categorized with the Psychodynamic Intervention Rating Scale (PIRS; Cooper et al., 2002) and patient’s responses with the Therapeutic Collaboration Coding System (TCCS; E. Ribeiro et al., 2013). Briefly, results have essentially confirmed our hypothesis by indicating higher levels of PS when therapists’ interventions were of Reflections or Associations PIRS categories, and when patient’s responses were of Safety TCCS category. PS has therefore been confirmed as a possible somatic marker of interpersonal affective empathy and, for the first time in literature, also through the use of coding systems on the verbatim transcripts of therapeutic sessions. Finally, in a proposal, we outlined a neural model engaging both the central and the peripheral nervous system, by considering mirror mechanisms and assigning a crucial role to oxytocin.

Il diabete mellito (DM) è una malattia metabolica autogestita, in cui se l'individuo non è motivato o non è in grado di gestire regolarmente il proprio DM, i risultati medici e psicosociali saranno scarsi. Il DM è più di una condizione di salute fisica: ha impatti comportamentali, fisiologici, psicologici e sociali, e richiede alti livelli di motivazione per seguire le raccomandazioni cliniche e adottare comportamenti sani. A questo scopo, le linee guida dell'American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) hanno introdotto il costrutto di coping sano per identificare le strategie di coping per ridurre i sintomi di depressione, ansia, stress e disagio emotivo legato al diabete, migliorando anche il benessere degli adulti con DM. In questo contesto, i Virtual Coaches (VCs) sono diventati un importante risorsa nel supporto e nella gestione delle barriere comuni nel contesto dell'aderenza ai comportamenti sani tra gli adulti con DM. Tuttavia, pochi sono i VC specificamente sviluppati a fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM. L'obiettivo principale della presente tesi è stato, infatti, lo sviluppo di un VC per fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM di tipo 1 (T1DM) o DM di tipo 2 (T2DM). Più specificamente, questo VC mirava a motivare gli adulti con DM a ridurre sintomi di depressione, ansia, stress, il disagio emotivo legato al diabete, e a migliorare il loro benessere, incoraggiandoli ad acquisire e coltivare strategie di coping psicosociale sano. Queste abilità di coping facevano riferimento alle linee guida dell'AADE e quindi alla pratica della meditazione; in questo studio è stata, infatti, applicata la Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy. La presente tesi è articolata secondo tre studi. Lo studio 1 mirava a fornire prove meta-analitiche sull'efficacia degli interventi eHealth nel sostenere il benessere psicosociale e medico degli adulti con T1DM o T2DM. Lo studio 2 mirava a testare il prototipo del VC simulato, cioè Wizard of Oz (WOZ), attraverso la piattaforma di messaggistica WhatsApp per 6 settimane, con due sessioni a settimana. In particolare, questo studio ha indagato l'accettabilità preliminare e la User Experience (UX) del protocollo di intervento, che sarà incorporato nel futuro VC. Infatti, il metodo di progettazione è stato duplice. Da un lato, è stato applicato il metodo WOZ, in cui gli studenti di psicologia credevano di interagire con un VC; invece, stavano comunicando con un essere umano. Dall'altro lato, è stato utilizzato il modello Obesity-Related Behavioural Intervention Trials (ORBIT), in particolare le sue prime fasi, poiché favorisce un approccio iterativo. Lo studio 3, seguendo le fasi successive del modello ORBIT, mirava a valutare l'efficacia preliminare del VC, chiamato Motibot - abbreviazione di Motivational bot - sviluppato attraverso una combinazione di Natural Language Processing (NLU) e regole pre-strutturate. Un totale di 13 adulti italiani con DM (Mage = 30.08, SD = 10.61) hanno interagito con Motibot attraverso l'applicazione di messaggistica Telegram per 12 sessioni, in cui il paziente poteva pianificare l'appuntamento secondo le sue esigenze: ha interagito con Motibot una o due sessioni a settimana. Motibot è stato percepito come motivante, incoraggiante e capace di innescare un'auto-riflessione sulle proprie emozioni: gli utenti e i pazienti hanno riferito di aver avuto un'esperienza molto positiva con Motibot. Motibot può essere uno strumento utile per fornire supporto psicosociale agli adulti con DM; potrebbe essere prescritto dal diabetologo come misura preventiva per il benessere del paziente e/o quando il paziente presenta sintomi psicosociali lievi e moderati. L'approccio di design centrato sull'utente e il concetto di bidirezionalità tra fattori psicosociali e medici sono punti chiave nello sviluppo di un trattamento digitale personalizzato.
Diabetes Mellitus (DM) is a self-managed, metabolic disease, in which if the individual is unwilling, unmotivated, or unable to regularly self-manage their DM, the medical and psychosocial outcomes will be poor. Indeed, DM is more than a physical health condition: it has behavioural, physiological, psychological, and social impacts, and demands high levels of motivation in order to follow the clinical recommendations and adopt healthy behaviours. To this end, the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) guidelines introduced the healthy coping construct to identify healthy coping strategies for reducing symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, and diabetes-related emotional distress while also improving the well-being of adults with DM. Virtual Coaches (VCs) have recently become more prevalent in the support and management of common barriers in the context of adherence to healthy behaviours among adults with DM, in particular those regarding medical and physical behaviours. However, few VCs were found to be specifically aimed at providing psychosocial support to adults with DM. The main aim of the present thesis was, indeed, the development and implementation of a VC for the provision of psychosocial support to adults with Type 1 (T1DM) or Type 2 DM (T2DM). More specifically, this VC aimed at motivating adults with DM to reduce depression, anxiety, perceived stress symptoms, diabetes-related emotional distress, and improve their well-being, by encouraging them to acquire and cultivate psychosocial healthy coping strategies. These coping skills referred to the AADE guidelines and thus to practicing meditation; in this study, the Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy has been applied. The present thesis is articulated according to three studies. Study 1 aimed at providing meta-analytical evidence on the efficacy of eHealth interventions in supporting the psychosocial and medical well-being of adults with T1DM or T2DM. Study 2 aimed at testing the prototype of the simulated VC, namely Wizard of Oz (WOZ), via the WhatsApp messaging platform for 6-week, with two sessions per week. In particular, this study investigated the preliminary acceptability and the User Experience (UX) of the intervention protocol, which will be incorporated into the future VC. Indeed, the design method was two-fold. On the one hand, the WOZ method was applied, in which psychology students believed that they were interacting with a VC, instead they were communicating with a human being. On the other hand, the Obesity-Related Behavioural Intervention Trials (ORBIT) model was used, particularly its early phases, since it favours an iterative approach. Study 3, following the next phases of the ORBIT model, aimed at assessing the preliminary efficacy of the VC, called Motibot—the abbreviation for Motivational bot—developed through a combination of Natural Language Processing (NLU) and hand-crafted rules. A total of 13 Italian adults with DM (Mage = 30.08, SD = 10.61) interacted with Motibot through the Telegram messaging application for 12 sessions, in which the patient planned the appointment according to his/her needs: he/she interacted with Motibot one or two sessions per week. Therefore, Motibot was perceived as motivating, encouraging and able to trigger self-reflection on one’s own emotions: users and patients reported having a very positive experience with Motibot. Motibot, thus, can be a useful tool to provide psychosocial support to adults with DM; as such, it might be prescribed by the diabetologist as a preventive measure for the patient’s well-being and/or when the patient presents mild and moderate psychosocial symptoms. The user-centred design approach and the concept of bidirectionality between psychosocial and medical factors are key points in the development of a personalised treatment within the digital intervention.

L'€™obiettivo generale di questa tesi è chiarire il modo in cui alcune variabili, prossimali e distali, influenzano lo sviluppo psicofisico del bambino all'€™interno di un campione di madri a rischio del progetto Scommettiamo sui giovani. Qualora i risultati descritti in questo lavoro confermassero i dati presenti in letteratura, la Provincia Autonoma di Trento potrebbe applicare sul territorio una serie di servizi rivolti alle madri a rischio e non, e attuare interventi di supporto alla genitorialità. L’organizzazione della tesi prevede una parte teorica introduttiva, la presentazione di quattro articoli scientifici, in corso di pubblicazione, riguardanti diverse aree di interesse (articolo 1: €œLe madri a rischio e il quoziente di sviluppo dei bambini€ ; articolo 2: €œL'€™indice di attaccamento dei bambini in un campione di madri a rischio€ ; articolo 3: Il parenting nei contesti di immigrazione€ ; articolo 4: €œValutazione preliminare dell'€™efficacia dell'intervento di supporto alla genitorialità  a rischio in Trentino e un capitolo finale sulle conclusioni generali e sulle ricerche future.

Il presente lavoro ha lo scopo di studiare in dettaglio l’interazione genitore-bambino in famiglie con bambini con Disturbo dello Spettro Autistico (che verranno sintetizzati con l’acronimo ASD dalla definizione inglese “Autism Spectrum Disorder†). I disturbi dello spettro autistico sono disordini del neurosviluppo che alterando nei primi anni di vita la capacità di mettersi in relazione con gli altri, determinano gravi effetti cognitivi, affettivi e comportamentali. Le ricerche condotte negli ultimi decenni nell'ambito della psicologia dello sviluppo hanno evidenziato il ruolo centrale delle relazioni genitoriali nello sviluppo del bambino, sia in bambini con sviluppo tipico che con sviluppo atipico. Questo lavoro di tesi ha l’obiettivo di osservare alcuni aspetti peculiari dell’interazione genitore-bambino in bambini con disturbo dello spettro autistico, considerando come il deficit a livello del “cervello sociale†si ripercuote sullo strutturarsi e il mantenersi di questa relazione. Nel presente lavoro si collocano quattro studi. In particolar modo saranno analizzate nel primo studio le caratteristiche del gioco in diadi madre-bambino con ASD confrontandole con diadi madre-bambino in cui il bambino presenta la Sindrome di Down o lo sviluppo tipico al fine di evidenziare similitudini e differenze sia nelle abilità manifestate dalle madri sia per quelle espresse dai bambini. Nel secondo studio, verrà approfondito l’aspetto del gioco specificatamente in interazione madre-bambino e padre-bambino in famiglie con bambini con ASD, al fine di osservare se la capacità di gioco manifestate dal bambino si differenzino in base alla figura genitoriale con cui stanno interagendo e per evidenziare se madre e padre evidenziano delle caratteristiche peculiari in base al ruolo genitoriale rivestito. Il terzo studio, invece, si è concentrato sull’analisi dello scambio sincronico all’interno delle diadi madre-bambino con disturbo dello spettro autistico confrontandolo con interazioni con bambini con sviluppo tipico e sindrome di Down, con lo scopo di osservare più in dettaglio la struttura dello scambio diadico per evidenziare i contribuiti specifici di entrambi i membri della diade, mostrando come possano differire in base alla presenza o meno di una patologia. Infine nel quarto studio sarà osservata la disponibilità emotiva diadica all’interno di famiglie di bambini con disturbo dello spettro autistico, analizzando sia i comportamenti del bambino sia i comportanti delle due figure genitoriali.

Mental illness accounts for 14% of the total global burden of disease. The prevalence of psychological suffering is greater than the actual request for clinical consultation in Europe. Health care system has not yet adequately responded to the burden of mental disorders. To cope with mental disease, WHO proposed the European Mental Health Action Plan (EMHAP) 2013- 2020, which recommends to improve access to safe, competent, effective and community-based mental health services. Primary Care Psychologist (PCP) can reduce the gap between the need of psychological treatment and its provision. To improve the access to psychological care, a new mental health service was created in one public health care district of Veneto Region: ULSS 7. The service provided direct referral to a co-located PCP working together with the general practitioner (GP). Patients, psychologists and GP reported great interest and high satisfaction with the service. PCP interventions were effective in improving well-being and reducing drugs prescriptions and laboratory tests. The results stress the importance of the PCP implementation, to intercept unexpressed psychological needs.
Questo lavoro di tesi ha come oggetto di studio la figura dello Psicologo di base o di Cure Primarie (PCP), ovvero l’inserimento della professione psicologica all’interno dello studio del medico di base in un contesto di cure primarie, primo contatto che individui e famiglie hanno con il Sistema Sanitario Nazionale. Ho approfondito questo tema inquadrando il fenomeno da più punti di vista, considerando il contesto in cui questa figura si potrebbe inserire: come si evince dal titolo, questa tesi ambisce a comprendere come la figura psicologica potrebbe inserirsi nel territorio, analizzando dapprima i bisogni della popolazione, ovvero la possibile utenza, e presentando infine un esempio d’implementazione, attraverso la descrizione della prima sperimentazione veneta dello psicologo di base.

Personal Constructs Psychology (Kelly, 1955) is the field of this research. Its aim is validate/invalidate experimentally hypotheses of Transitions (emotions) that are "Professional Constructs" that the therapist may use to do a "Transitive Diagnosis". Here are presented two complementary studies. The first study compares the definitions of Transitions as defined by Kelly with those resulting from participants lived experiences. In the second study, the work of McCoy (1977) is enlarged to include a number of new emotions and to identify "transition's sequences" that can be used in clinical and psychotherapy. Research results validate Kelly's theory as "first person psychology " and the transitions sequences emerged are individually discussed and argued.

Questo lavoro si prefigge di dare un contributo teorico alla teoria della cognizione incarnata ed alla scienza della coscienza. Presi insieme, entrambi gli ambiti di ricerca sollevano importanti domande riguardanti non solo ciascuno di essi, ma la loro interazione. Riguardo al contributo dato alla teoria della cognizione incarnata, gli esperimenti svolti usando la mimica facciale (Esperimento 1 ed Esperimento 2), testeranno il modello proposto da Wood e colleghi (2016). Questo modello propone che segnali sensorimotori possano fornire un feedback alle aree visive e giocare un ruolo nel modulare l’elaborazione visiva delle espressioni emotive del volto. Il possibile ruolo della mimica facciale nella percezione consapevole di espressioni facciali emotive è quasi totalmente trascurato. I miei risultati confermano l'importanza della mimica nell'elaborazione consapevole delle espressioni facciali. Da quanto finora noto, l'integrazione delle informazioni tra le aree sensorimotorie e le aree visive modula l'esperienza delle espressioni facciali. In relazione alla scienza della coscienza, questo lavoro esplorerà i meccanismi temporali della coscienza. Un'attenzione particolare sarà data ai meccanismi relativi al contenuto della coscienza una volta che tale contenuto sia stato costruito. La modulazione dell'esperienza cosciente è osservata in due modi diversi: l'effetto di stabilizzazione (Esperimenti da 1 a 3), ovvero la durata del contenuto in consapevolezza, e l'effetto di disformazione (Esperimenti 4 e 5), ovvero la dissoluzione di un contenuto dalla consapevolezza. Propongo che questi due effetti debbano essere implementati nel decorso temporale della coscienza proposto da Aru e Backmann (2017) in quanto descrivono la possibile evoluzione del contenuto consapevole (rimanere consapevole o abbandonare la consapevolezza).
This work aims to give a theoretical contribution to embodied cognition theory and science of consciousness. Taken together, these two fields of research raise important questions regarding each field as well as their interaction. Regarding the contribution to the embodied cognition theory, experiments using mimicry (Experiment 1 and Experiment 2), will test the model proposed by Wood and colleagues (2016). This model proposes that sensorimotor signals may feedback to visual areas and play a role in modulating the visual processing of emotional faces. The possible role of facial mimicry in conscious perception of emotional facial expressions is almost totally neglected. My findings confirm the importance of mimicry in conscious processing of facial expressions. So far, integration of information between sensorimotor (i.e., mimicry) and visual areas modulates experience of facial expressions. Regarding science of consciousness, this work will explore the consciousness time-course mechanisms. A particular focus is given to the mechanisms related to the content of consciousness once such content is built up. Conscious experience modulation is observed in two different ways: the stabilization effect (Experiments 1 to 3), that is the duration of a content in consciousness, and the disformation effect (Experiments 4 and 5), that is the process of fading away of a content from consciousness. I propose these two effects need to be implemented in the consciousness time-course proposed by Aru and Backmann (2017) as they describe the possible evolution of the conscious content (i.e., remain or leave consciousness).

Orientador: Maria Irma Hadler Coudry
Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Instituto de Estudos da Linguagem
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Resumo: Os dados produzidos por sujeitos afásicos durante uma avaliação lingüisticamente orientada mostram dificuldades lingüístico-cognitivas, bem como manifestações da força criadora da linguagem. A abordagem discursiva dos estudos da linguagem na afasia se interessa por compreender as dificuldades apresentadas pelo sujeito em diversos contextos verbais e não verbais, e não por classificar os possíveis desvios de linguagem que podem ocorrer em contextos patológicos. Tais dados foram produzidos por MG e NF, durante avaliação e acompanhamento terapêutico cujo objetivo foi auxiliar essas pessoas afásicas, promovendo a utilização da linguagem em diversas situações discursivas e configurações contextual. Trata-se de uma Jargonofasia e de uma Anomia, respectivamente, de acordo com o paradigma clássico de estudos da afasia. O tema central desta pesquisa - e que justifica seu nome - é a relação dinâmica entre sistemas (gestualidade, desenho, percepção, memória) não verbais e verbais na afasia, condição cognitiva que ajuda na (re) elaboração das dificuldades afásicas. Em atividades e práticas discursivas que envolvem o uso da leitura e da escrita, a função reflexiva da linguagem favoreceu as relações entre esses sistemas simbólicos.O trabalho terapêutico (fonoaudiológico) desenvolvido nesta pesquisa foi baseado em princípios teórico-metodológicos lingüisticamente informados e produziu efeitos favoráveis na recuperação dessas pessoas afásicas
Abstract: The data produced by aphasic people during a linguistically oriented evaluation show linguistic and cognitive difficulties such as manifestations of the language' s creative strength. The discursive broach of the language's studies in aphasia is interested in understanding the difficulties shown by the patient in different verbal and non-verbal contexts and it is not interested in classifying the possible language's deflection that may occur in pathological contexts. MG and NF produced such data during evaluation and therapeutical accompaniment in order to help these aphasic people by promoting the language's utilization in different discursive situations and contextual configurations. This is about Jargonaphasia and an Anomia, respectively, according to the classic paradigm of the aphasia studies. The main theme of this research -what justifies its name- is the dynamics relation between verbal and non-verbal systems (gesticulation, draw, perception, memory) in aphasia cognitive condition that helps with the (re) elaboration ofthe aphasic difficulties. In activities and discursive practices that involve the use of the reading and writing, the reflexive function of the language has favored the relations between these symbolic systems. The therapeutic job (speech therapist) developed in this present research was based on theoretical and methodological principIes linguistically informed and it has produced favorable results in the recuperation of these aphasic people
Mestrado
Mestre em Linguística

Il concetto di mindfulness, o presenza mentale, ha assunto gradatamente un ruolo fondamentale nel creare un ponte tra la tradizione buddista e la psicologia occidentale tradizionale. Nella prima parte del presente lavoro passeremo in rassegna la letteratura relativa alla mindfulness. Partendo dalla delineazione delle sue origini orientali, riprenderemo le principali definizioni di mindfulness e le sue operazionalizzazioni come costrutto multidimensionale. In seguito si passerà in rassegna la letteratura relativa alla relazione tra la mindfulness e costrutti psicologici affini, allo scopo di determinarne con maggiore chiarezza i confini e le eventuali sovrapposizioni concettuali. Infine tratteremo delle pratiche capaci di promuovere la mindfulness. Nella seconda parte saranno illustrati i risultati di una serie di studi che abbiamo condotto nel tentativo di dare risposta ad alcuni degli interrogativi relativi al costrutto di mindfulness. Inizieremo presentando i risultati dello studio di validazione italiana del questionario Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire (Giovannini et al. 2014). Nel secondo capitolo presenteremo i risultati dell’indagine che abbiamo condotto allo scopo di chiarire il ruolo della mindfulness nella clinica della salute mentale. Successivamente mostreremo gli esiti dello studio effettuato al fine di verificare l’esistenza di un rapporto tra la mindfulness e il costrutto di mentalizzazione. Si vaglieranno, a tal proposito, le tesi di Wallin (2007) ponendo in relazione la prospettiva multifattoriale della mindfulness rilevata nel primo studio, con la componente esplicita della mentalizzazione. Infine saranno presentati gli esiti dello studio di valutazione dell’efficacia di un programma di Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction effettuato attraverso il confronto con un campione di controllo attivo.

2015 - 2016
Background: International literature shows how the profession of teacher should be considered at high-risk of stress and burnout. Indeed, it falls within the set of help professions that are high touch job (highly emotional), like physicians, nurses, psychologists or security operators. Literature also showed how different factors are involved in the development of the Burnout syndrome, among which this research has given visibility to personality factors. The relationship between personality and burnout is therefore the subject of investigation of this doctoral thesis. Objectives: Investigate the influence of the five personality traits according to the Big Five model on the onset of high school teachers’ burnout syndrome. In particular, verify whether the personality dimensions (Energy, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Emotional Stability and Mental Opening, as enumerated by Caprara and collaborators) were predictors of the size of Burnout (Psychophysical Exhaustion, Relational Deterioration, Professional Dissatisfaction, Disillusionment) in the Santinello review proposed. Method: In a group of 171 teachers of teachers including 49 males (28.7%) and 122 females (71.3%) from different high schools, we administered the Big Five Questionnaire (BFQ) to detect personality traits and the Link Burnout Questionnaire (LBQ) to investigate the levels of burnout. The scores obtained in the dimensions of BFQ were thus compared with the scores obtained in the scales of the LBQ applying the statistical analysis of linear correlation and linear regression for each trait and size of burnout. Results: Analysis of the data shows that there are significant and inverse correlations between personality traits and burnout. The analysis also shows how much predictive the traits of Energy and Emotional Stability are for the dimension of Psychophysical Exhaustion, while for the Relational Deterioration only the Emotional Stability trait is predictor. The results also show how for the dimension of Professional Dissatisfaction the Emotional Stability and Openness are the predictors. Finally, for the dimension of Disillusion, Emotional Stability and Agreeableness are predictors. It appears from the data that the personality trait of emotional stability is the common predictor in all dimensions. Conclusion: The results showed how the individual personality characteristics should be considered fundamental in the study of the burnout phenomenon. This aspect can have applications both in the selection of teachers, for a correct insertion of the resource in clinical terms and in terms of prevention, both as support to the teacher as the Burnout, as presented in the literature, may vary depending on the user, on the relationship with colleagues and more generally on the content and the context of work, it would be appropriate and also needed to support teachers in identifying personal resources, linked to their personality traits with the possible inclusion of school psychologists who are able to help the acquisition of emotional skills in the fulfilment of the teaching profession and in parallel increasing the awareness of having a network of resources that is always available in times of difficulty related to the school context. [edited by Author]
XV n.s

2009 - 2010
Il lavoro propone una reinterpretazione teorico-metodologica della dinamica di gruppo in chiave strategico-integrata attraverso la definizione e l’esplorazione sistematica delle valenze scientifiche del legame tra dinamiche di gruppo e narrazione. L’ipotesi è che i gruppi hanno uno specifico stile narrativo in funzione della fase in cui si trovano e che questo stile può essere individuato attraverso alcuni indicatori specifici. Sulla base dell’esperienza maturata in numerosi anni di lavoro con i gruppi in ambito clinico e formativo, l’autore ha quindi condotto una ricerca molto innovativa finalizzata ad analizzare il legame tra narrazione, intesa come stile narrativo, e fasi dinamico-evolutive che il gruppo attraversa. Per indagare l’ipotesi che i gruppi abbiano uno specifico stile narrativo in funzione della fase in cui si trovano e che questo stile possa essere individuato attraverso alcuni indicatori specifici, è stato applicato uno strumento, sviluppato dall’autore nel corso degli anni e denominato Griglia per l’Inquadramento dello Stile Narrativo dei Gruppi Dinamici (G.I.N), il quale è composto proprio da un insieme di indicatori narrativi utili ad inquadrare lo stato evolutivo di un gruppo in un momento dato. La ricerca è stata condotta impiegando il metodo ideografico e applicando una metodologia di analisi dei dati di tipo qualitativo a partire dall’utilizzo della Griglia (G.I.N.) in due differenti contesti di gruppo. Una prima analisi narrativa è stata condotta in ambito clinico-formativo su osservazioni empiriche e su un corpus di dati audio relativi a dinamiche di gruppo condotte con cadenza mensile dall’autore tra il 2009 ed il 2010 presso la scuola di specializzazione in psicoterapia Scupsis di Roma; la Griglia è stata inoltre impiegata in un contesto non clinico, e cioè in un gruppo di Auto e Mutuo Aiuto come quello dell’Associazione A.M.A. I risultati dell’analisi narrativa condotta in entrambi i contesti consentono di concludere che la lettura accurata della trama narrativa dei racconti di gruppo, attraverso l’analisi della struttura linguistico-verbale, contenutistica ed emozionale-climatica delle narrazioni dei partecipanti al gruppo, offre l’opportunità di una più profonda lettura del processo di gruppo e dello stato emozionale che, in quel determinato momento, il gruppo attraversa e di cui il clinico può servirsi per direzionare più efficacemente l’intervento per l’evoluzione del gruppo, produrre cambiamenti nei partecipanti e allo stesso tempo verificarli. Sulla base dei risultati ottenuti, è stato inoltre mostrato come la Griglia G.I.N. sia uno strumento efficace nel rilevare la fase evolutiva raggiunta dai partecipanti in diversi contesti di gruppo. [a cura dell'autore]
IX n.s.

The construct of narcissism is at the same time surrounded by wide interest in clinical and research settings and important controversies about its conceptual definition and phenomenological description. Theoretical issues involve diverging ideas about the essence of narcissism itself, arising from different branches of psychology and psychiatry and lacking a unanimously accepted definition. Whereas the most accepted diagnostic manuals emphasize a high self-esteem dimension in their description of narcissism, influential clinical theories and studies from personality psychology depict individuals with a narcissistic functioning as characterized not only by a grandiose sense of self but rather by a continuous and painful oscillation between high and low self-esteem states. In this view, grandiose behaviors could be interpreted as a defensive reaction towards inadequacy feelings. The scenario is complicated even further by the fact that empirical research on narcissism is characterized by specific methodological and assessment issues. Narcissism is in fact particularly sensitive to the diagnostic method used, with evident limitations connected to an assessment relying on self-report measures only. Therefore, there is a need for an implicit measure of narcissism that can complement the results of other methods. The present investigation represents the development of a set of 11 potential Rorschach variables for assessing narcissistic functioning and grandiosity along with related psychological constructs. Rorschach protocols from Italian and American clinical and nonclinical groups of different ages were scored for variables connected to narcissistic functioning, some of which we modified from previous literature: Omnipotence and Idealization; Reflection, Personal Knowledge Justification, Exhibitionism, Magic, and Elevated Mood States; and some of which we developed: Expanded Personal Reference, Narcissistic Devaluation, Narcissistic Deflation, Narcissistic Denial. The presence of a grandiosity factor was then evaluated by principal components analysis and its validity tested by computing correlations with external criteria. Also in an attempt to throw light on the status of narcissism in developmental age, clinical preadolescent and adolescent groups were involved as well, with the possibility to identify any peculiarities that may be connected to the assessment of these variables at specific ages. Along with clinical studies, in the present investigation an experimental paradigm was used in order to systematically study the relationships between the narcissistic variables and nonclinical individuals’ reactions to manipulations of self-esteem. Overall, findings support the utility of a multimethod assessment for narcissism, focused not only on how individuals understand and describe themselves but also on how they perceive the world and interact with it. Results about narcissistic functioning in preadolescents and adolescents contribute to fill a gap in the field considering the general lack of consensus about the possibility to conceptualize narcissism in children as different from a normal feature of development.

The last decades have seen an exponential trend toward a relational reconsideration of psychoanalysis (Greenberg & Mitchell, 1983), that has drastically influenced aspects of both psychotherapy theory and research. On the theoretical side, indeed, the therapeutic process has been reformulated under an intersubjective perspective, and it is now conceived as a “specific psychological field” created by the interplay between the patient’s and therapist’s subjectivities (Stolorow, Brandchaft & Atwood, 2014). On the research side, the construct of therapeutic alliance as a relational dimension has become very important. Accordingly, recent conceptualizations define the therapeutic alliance as an “intersubjective negotiation process” (Safran & Muran, 2000) that interacts with the other variables of the therapeutic process (Roth & Fonagy, 2013), although little is still known about the precise dynamic involving these key dimensions. On these grounds, the present doctoral thesis aims to explore the role of the therapeutic alliance in the therapeutic process, by means of an intersubjective perspective in both group and single-case studies. The first part of the thesis investigates the interaction between therapeutic alliance, technical interventions and metacognitive functioning in groups of patients, by focusing in a first study on the earliest stage of the treatment and, in a second one, on the more advanced stages. Results of both studies show that technical interventions and therapeutic alliance are associated in specific interactive patterns that can be differentiated in three different levels of therapeutic alliance: a positive, a neutral and a negative level. Furthermore, in these interactive patterns, metacognitive functioning plays a specific role of mediator depending on the level of alliance. The second part of the thesis includes two single-case studies, involving a patient with an anxiety disorder diagnosis and with a deferential behavior toward the therapist. The first study specifically focuses on the patient’s collaborative alliance and its association with defense mechanisms, therapeutic relationship and therapist’s technical interventions. On the contrary, the second study focuses on the investigation of alliance ruptures and their interaction with transference patterns and defense mechanism. Results show that the intersubjective approach applied on the deferential behavior, on the one hand challenges the real authenticity of patient’s collaborative process, and on the other hand suggests that ruptures may provide a better understanding of the patient’s transference and defense mechanisms. Overall, this doctoral thesis indicates that the therapeutic process can be conceived as an interpersonal cyclical dynamic that involves both technical and relational factors. In this sense, the therapeutic alliance may be considered as a medium, by means of which other variables operate during the therapy.

Si vuole studiare in un’ottica dinamica – in vivo – la fluttuazione delle comunicazioni emotive clinico-paziente, analizzare cioè la dimensione regolazione degli affetti a partire dai momenti interattivi della coppia che hanno a che fare con temi emotivi. Questo meccanismo di regolazione interattiva è esaminato in relazione agli effetti prodotti dagli interventi del clinico sulla capacità del paziente di creare una connessione tra i propri stati di arousal fisiologici e viscerali da una parte, e i loro significati simbolici dall’altra parte (Bucci, 2002). Si vuole valutare, all’interno di un setting diagnostico, il livello di sintonizzazione-regolazione affettiva clinico-paziente: studiare, cioè, i cambiamenti emotivi del paziente in relazione agli interventi del clinico e viceverssa, cioè le variazioni tra il primo stato emotivo e il successivo in seguito alla modificazione introdotta dall'intervento di riconoscimento – positivo versus negativo – del clinico. Gli obiettivi della ricerca sono due: - individuare le modalità di comunicazione emotiva (specificità) che caratterizzano i micro-cambiamenti processuali - valutare come il paziente esprime i contenuti emotivi attraverso il linguaggio in relazione alla tecnica (regolatoria) del clinico (co-costruzione di significati e riparazione di quelli dissociati). Le ipotesi da verificare possono essere così schematizzate: - esiste un pattern specifico – diverso ma forse in parte sovrapponibile all’andamento prototipico dei ‘buoni’ colloqui di terapia – di andamento emotivo/affettivo nei colloqui del processo diagnostico (RICORSIVITA’) - esiste una relazione specifica in grado di descrivere l’interazione tra tecnica del clinico e capacità del paziente di regolare le emozioni (esistono degli aspetti ridondanti che fungono da organizzatori della relazione? È possibile identificare pattern ricorrenti di interventi del clinico che facilitano versus ostacolano la regolazione emotiva del paziente?) (BI-DIREZIONALITA’). Verificate queste premesse ci si può poi interrogare sul tema cruciale: l’emergere degli schemi emotivi e la loro comprensione/integrazione – riconoscimento e accettazione – è determinata in misura maggiore, minore o simile dalle due variabili rilevate – componente emotiva/affettiva e componente tecnica?

The current work elucidate the theoretical and methodological aspects of a research project aimed to explore current parenthood, in particular the choice of remaining childless and its relational and intergenerational origins. An overview of social, demographic and psychosocial studies suggested an interpretative model of the phenomenon that considers the different pathways leading to parenthood as the outcome of different opportunities to develop caregiving abilities within the network of family relations. According to this framework, the aim of this study is to investigate, following multiple levels of representation, how the quality of the original family ties and their elaboration in early adulthood and the quality of couple-relationship influence the development of caregiving abilities and, thus, the maturation of the choice of being parents. The incidence of these multi-level variables has been investigated in a large group of married/cohabiting couples, containing couples without children (188 individuals) and pregnant couples (208 individuals), and a large group of young adults, containing currently studying (214) and employed young adult (213). It is argued that, from a shared socio-economic and cultural condition, affective and attachment experiences within the original family and in the couple-relationship can influence the choice of being or not being parents, suggesting that young adults and couples may be exposed to a great vulnerability in front of the changes that parenthood involve. The measures employed focused on the perception and the orientation of affective experience with the parents and with the partner and include a large set of self-report instruments and a smaller set of interviews which allowed to deepen and verify the data at different level of representation.

Intergenerational transmission of parenting is a well-documented phenomenon with high clinical relevance, especially for the continuity of dysfunctional processes across generations. To the extreme consequences, maltreated parents seem to be more likely to be abusive than non-maltreated ones(Widom et al., 2015). However, the mechanisms that mediate the association between childhood experience and adult parenting abilities remain unclear, influencing the effectiveness of preventive interventions (Euser et al., 2015). This thesis focuses on adults’ low-level processes connected to parenting behavior and the moderating role of attachment and early care. The aim is to inform clinical interventions of the disrupted mechanisms to target in order to break the intergenerational cycle of abuse. Moving from a traditional correlational approach, we propose different quasi-experimental designs to combine the complexity of human experience with the rigorous laboratory methodology. The first part focuses on linking implicit processes implicated in parenting behaviors to individuals’ experience. In the study presented in chapter one we found that individuals form more positive attitudes toward specific parenting styles, depending on their romantic attachment styles. This confirms a role of attachment on the transmission of parenting. Chapter two builds on the known effect that maltreated adults show augmented threat detection seeing adults’ faces. The study extends these results to infants’ face processing. These two chapters confirm the role of cognitive schemata, influenced by interpersonal experiences, in mediating the continuity of parenting. The second part describes the effects on adult brain of two children characteristics considered triggers of abuse: infant negative temperament and crying. In chapter three, we developed an fMRI paradigm to assess brain activation during the view of difficult or easy babies. Difficult babies are associated to enhanced amygdala activation, but only in participants with higher scores of maltreatment and lower emotion recognition. In line with attachment theory, dysfunctional care during childhood is not enough to produce dysregulated parenting related processes, unless it is associated to lack of reflection upon emotions. In chapter four, Transcranic Magnetic Stimulation has been used in a pilot study to show the roles of Inferior Frontal Gyrus and maltreatment in modulating the expression of physical force in response to infant crying. In both fMRI and TMS studies, we found that different brain susceptibility to infant stimuli represents a mechanism for parenting continuity. The last part aims at rejoining the empirical approaches of the first chapters within a broader literature review on the neurophysiological mechanisms of transmission of parenting. In chapter five the effects of early stress and attachment representations on parenting processes are discussed in light of the modern evolutionary framework. An original perspective on adult emotion regulation as the primary mechanism of parenting transmission is proposed. Consequences on interventions aimed at reducing risk of maltreatment are discussed.

Orientador: Sergio Antonio da Silva Leite
Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Educação
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Resumo: Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo identificar a afetividade na dinâmica interativa da sala de aula, envolvendo alunos em quatro diferentes momentos do processo de escolarização ¿ as últimas séries de cada nível de ensino ¿ Infantil 4 (alunos com 6 anos em média), ciclo II/4ª série (alunos com 10 anos em média), ciclo IV/8ª série (alunos com 14 anos em média) e 3º ano do Ensino Médio ( alunos com 17 anos em média). A intenção é discutir o papel da afetividade neste processo, identificando suas diferentes formas de manifestação, demonstrando o processo de transformação pelo qual ela passa. Fundamenta-se na abordagem histórico-cultural, discutindo a natureza social dos processos psíquicos, o entrelaçamento entre processos afetivos e cognitivos, como também a perspectiva de desenvolvimento que os acompanha. Destaca, ainda, a função social das emoções e o papel determinante da afetividade no desenvolvimento da criança, bem como o papel das interações sociais para a construção do conhecimento e da própria pessoa. A coleta de dados baseou-se em observações realizadas em sala de aula, envolvendo 8 professores e 51 alunos das quatro séries citadas, numa escola da rede particular em Campinas (São Paulo/Brasil). Utilizou-se o procedimento da autoscopia que consiste na realização de vídeogravações dos sujeitos envolvidos e, posteriormente, submetê-los à observação do material filmado. Registrou-se, através da câmera de vídeo, a dinâmica interativa da sala de aula e, após uma etapa inicial de seleção das imagens e identificação dos sujeitos, estes foram convidados a assistir o material editado. Durante as sessões de autoscopia, os sujeitos eram incentivados a fazer comentários a respeito das práticas pedagógicas, envolvendo a atuação dos professores. Desta maneira, foi possível identificar, nos comentários dos alunos sobre a prática docente, as diversas formas de manifestação da afetividade em cada momento do processo de escolarização, bem como as mudanças que se observaram nas diferentes idades. Tais comentários foram organizados em oito núcleos de significação, segundo os sentidos atribuídos pelos sujeitos às práticas pedagógicas da sala de aula. Os núcleos referem-se aos seguintes aspectos: formas do professor ajudar o aluno, formas do professor falar com o aluno, atividades relevantes destacadas pelos alunos, outras aprendizagens indo além dos conteúdos, formas do professor corrigir e avaliar, aspectos da prática pedagógica que repercutem na relação do aluno com o objeto de conhecimento, a própria relação do professor com o objeto de conhecimento e os sentimentos e percepções dos alunos em relação ao professor
Abstract: This research aims to identify the affection in the interactive dynamics of the classroom, involving students in four different moments of the educational process ¿ the latest grade of each level of education - kindergarten (students around 6 years old), elementary school ¿ 4th grade (students around 10 years old), 8th grade (students around 14 years old) and high school (students around 17 years old). The intention is to discuss the role of affection in this process, identifying its various forms of expression, demonstrating the process by which it goes through, acquiring different forms of expression. The research is based in the historical-cultural approach, discussing the social nature of mental processes, the relationship between affective and cognitive processes and the character of development that accompanies it. It highlights the crucial role of emotions and affection in the child¿s development, as well as the role of social interactions in developing knowledge and people. The data collection was based in classroom observations, involving 8 teachers and 51 students of the four grades mentioned above, in a private school in the city of Campinas (São Paulo/Brazil). The autoscopia procedure was utilized, which consists of holding video-recordings of the individuals involved and submitting these individuals to the observation of the material recorded. A video camera was used to record the interactive dynamics of the classroom and after an initial stage of selection of images and identification of the individuals, they were invited to see the edited material. During the autoscopia sessions, the individuals were encouraged to make comments about what they saw. Thus, it was possible to identify, by the comments of the students, the various forms of affection expressed in every moment of the educational process, as well as the differences that were observed in different levels of education. Such comments have been organized into eight clusters of meaning, according to the meanings the individuals assigned to the teaching practices in the classroom. The clusters of meaning relate to the following points: the teacher¿s ways of helping the student, the teacher¿s forms to speak to the student, relevant activities highlighted by the students, other learning beyond the contents, the teacher¿s forms to correct and evaluate, aspects of the pedagogical practice that impact in the relationship of the student with the object of knowledge, the teacher's own relationship with the object of knowledge and the student¿s feelings and perceptions in relation to the teacher
Doutorado
Educação, Conhecimento, Linguagem e Arte
Doutor em Educação

Introduzione: La musica risuona in modo diverso in ogni singola persona e può rivelare alcune informazioni implicite sulle caratteristiche individuali. Inoltre, può essere utilizzata come un valido strumento per migliorare il benessere di diverse popolazioni. Metodi: Questa tesi è composta da tre studi: una revisione sistematica della letteratura scientifica sulla relazione tra l'ascolto della musica, le caratteristiche individuali e il benessere; uno studio esplorativo che indaga le preferenze musicali e i tratti di personalità degli italiani, ma anche il benessere psicologico della popolazione italiana (in relazione all'epidemia COVID-19); uno studio pilota sperimentale su un campione di atleti per esplorare l'effetto dell'ascolto della musica sulla respirazione diaframmatica e sul benessere. Risultati: I primi due studi hanno sottolineato l'influenza dei tratti della personalità sulle scelte musicali. Inoltre, i risultati del secondo studio hanno fortemente sostenuto l'esistenza di una struttura a 5 fattori delle preferenze musicali (etichettata con l'acronimo MUSIC). Nell'ultimo studio, l'intervento di ascolto della musica ha migliorato la frequenza respiratoria media, il controllo e regolazione delle emozioni, la preparazione alla competizione e la fiducia in se stessi nei giovani tennisti. Conclusioni: I risultati finali sono incoraggianti e possono offrono una base per lo sviluppo di interventi basati sulla musica per tutte le categorie di persone al fine di migliorare il benessere.
Background: Music resonates differently in every single person and can reveal some implicit information about personal characteristics. Moreover, music can be used as an appropriate and effective way to improve well-being among different populations. Methods: This thesis is composed of three studies: a systematic review of the scientific literature on the relationship between everyday music listening, individual characteristics, and well-being; an exploratory study that investigates the Italian music preferences and personality traits but also the Italian population's psychological well-being (related to the COVID-19 outbreak); an experimental pilot study on a sample of athletes to explore the effect of music listening on diaphragmatic breathing and well-being. Results: The first two studies underlined the influences that personality traits play on music choices. In addition, findings from the second study strongly supported the existence of a 5-factor structure of music preferences (labeled with the acronym MUSIC). In the last study, the music listening intervention improved the average respiratory rate, self-emotional regulation and control, preparation for competition, and self-confidence of young tennis players. Conclusion: The overall findings are encouraging and can offer a foundation for the development of music-based interventions for all categories of people in order to enhance well-being.

Lo studio prevede la valutazione longitudinale process-outcome di un gruppo terapeutico semi-aperto ad orientamento dinamico per pazienti con DCA. La terapia, della durata di 24 mesi, ha coinvolto 6 pazienti, di sesso femminile, di età media di 23 anni (ds=1.83; range=21-25). I risultati suggeriscono l’efficacia del dispositivo sia a livello sintomatologico che psicologico, relazionale ed emotivo, soprattutto nel trattamento di soggetti con sintomatologia bulimica; inoltre, ad una maggiore ritenzione in trattamento corrisponde un maggiore miglioramento negli outcome. Si riscontrano relazioni inverse fra il trend dell’alleanza e del coinvolgimento percepiti a livello del gruppo e quello del singolo, per cui ad un intensificarsi dei primi corrisponde un decremento nei secondi. Analoghe relazioni si evidenziano fra alleanza e andamento degli outcome, per cui ad una intensificarsi della prima corrisponde una peggioramento nella sintomatologia bulimica e nell’impulso alla magrezza. I risultati suggeriscono l’importanza di prestare attenzione, soprattutto nelle fasi preliminari, all’influenza che l’intensificarsi dei legami di gruppo può avere sulla sintomatologia alimentare.

Despite a large body of research has investigated child attachment during middle childhood, only a limited number of studies has focused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additionally. The few studies available on this topic have exclusively used self-reported measures to assess quality of attachment, overlooking the role of internal representations, which are considered to play a fundamental role since attachment is internalized. Therefore, no studies examined the way in which child attachment representations are associated with child diagnosis, parenting and caregiving environment in ASD. In the first study, we assessed attachment representations in children with ASD, Learning Disabilities (LD) and Typical development (TD). In particular, we investigated possible group differences on perceived attachment to parents, self-protective strategies and quality of attachment implicit representations using the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM). The Study 2 focused on the caregiving environment and its influence on child attachment implicit representations. To this aim, we assessed parenting stress and parental style in mothers and fathers of children with ASD and TD, examining whether parents of children with ASD differ from those of matched TD group. Secondly, we examined which caregiving environment dimensions contribute significantly in predicting at-risk attachment representations, assessing separately the contribution of maternal and paternal parenting stress and parental interactive social style. In the third study maternal and paternal attachment style were assessed to test the hypothesis of attachment continuity across generations. Firstly, we investigated whether parents of children of ASD reported higher level of attachment-related avoidance/anxiety compared to their TD counterpart. Next, the associations between attachment style of both mothers and fathers and quality of child attachment representations was tested, by examining the moderation effect of child ASD diagnosis. The Study 4 investigated the role of other potential child attachment predictors. Due higher co-occurrence of ASD and difficulties in identifying, describing and distinguishing one’s own feelings, the predictive effect of alexithymia on child explicit attachment representations was tested. Moreover, we also examined whether children with ASD reported higher level of alexithymia compared to controls. The Study 1 showed that children with ASD are able to develop secure and coherent attachment implicit representations, albeit with a lesser extent compared to typically developing children. They were able to engage the attachment interview, confirming the suitability of this method in this clinical sample. Importantly, children with ASD showed high-risk attachment implicit representations and greater presence of unresolved trauma and modifiers, despite no differences emerged on perceived attachment to parents. The lack of group difference on perceived attachment suggested that implicit and explicit attachment representations of children with ASD originate from different sources of information. It is plausible that low reflective functioning, impaired metacognition as well as altered psychobiological processes of children with ASD contributed to attachment maladaptive information processing. Secondly, we replicated the well-established finding of higher parenting distress in parents of children with ASD compared to controls also in fathers. Moreover, the Study 2 documented less didactic and limit/setting style in parents of children with ASD. In accordance to a bidirectional perspective, these parenting behaviors were interpreted as parental functional responses to adapt to child unusual social-communication. Interestingly, data revealed a significant effect of maternal parenting stress and social exchange style on child attachment implicit representations. Thus, the study supports the coexistence of both child-driven and parent-driven effects in the context of parent-child relationship in ASD. Similarly, the Study 3 documented that children with ASD who have an insecurely attached primary caregiver showed at-risk attachment implicit representations. In other words, the continuity of attachment security across generations revealed a clear effect in ASD, suggesting that these children may be more susceptible to this mechanism compared to controls. In addition, parents of children with ASD reported higher attachment-related avoidance in comparison to their TD counterpart. This difference could be associated to the significant couple adjustment associated to the impact of rear a child with ASD. In addition, the Study 4 showed that alexithymia, but not ASD predicts perceived attachment to parents highlighting the different nature of attachment explicit and implicit representation. Moreover, our results confirmed higher co-occurrence of alexithymia and ASD also in school-age, extending literature on adulthood. Our findings pointed out that children with ASD (without intellectual disability) showed higher rates of at-risk self-protective strategies (attachment pattern). These results may be related to several factors associated with ASD symptoms, such as the more frequent disruptions of interpersonal exchanges with the caregiver across development, the difficulties in social information processing and reflective functioning. The higher exposure to adverse childhood experience (e.g. bullying), may explained the higher occurrence of unresolved trauma in these children. Up to date, to the best of our knowledge, these are the first studies on group differences and parental predictors of attachment implicit representations in school-age children with ASD. Therefore, these studies brought initial data to ASD literature on attachment representations, suggesting that these children are at increased risk of developing maladaptive information processing. Limitations of the studies and clinical implications are discussed.

Parents may influence children’s externalizing and internalizing behaviours through controlling and responsive parenting. The first construct refers to the extent to which parents show control and intrusiveness, imposing their agenda, not granting autonomy and taking over tasks children do (or might do) independently. Responsiveness refers to the extent to which parents are warm, accepting and responsive towards their children. Despite the vast amount of research on parenting behaviour and children’s internalizing behaviours and externalizing problems, several questions still remain. In particular the role of culture and national context in affecting the impact of parenting behaviour on children problems are not well understood, especially across different European countries. Thus the central purpose of the present study was to examine the associations between parenting behaviour, in particular intrusive and warm behaviours, on child anxiety and self regulation problems in a sample of British and Italian school aged children (49 and 60 children respectively). Children’s anxiety and behavioural adjustment were measured, in school, using the Spence Anxiety Assessment Scale, SCAS (Spence, 1997) and the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire SDQ (Goodman, 1997). Then a home visit was made where the mother and child were filmed in three different standard tasks (the etch-a-sketch task, the belt buckle task and the tidy up task). These videos were coded (blind to child and maternal anxiety) by three independent judges. The relationship between child anxiety (especially separation anxiety), maternal intrusiveness, warmth and country of origin was examined. Findings suggest that maternal child rearing practices are strong influenced by culture, with the strongest finding that Italian mothers are more intrusive and overcontrolling compared with English mothers, both on self report and observational measures. No main effect of country of origin was found to affect child anxiety assessed with self report measures. Maternal intrusiveness was found to be specifically linked to separation anxiety and not with other kinds of anxiety disorders in children. Maternal warmth, a particular characteristic of the Italian mothers, was found to moderate the impact of maternal intrusiveness on child internalizing and externalizing symptoms (high maternal warmth reducing the negative impact of intrusiveness). The role of warmth in different cultures and its particular contribution in protecting the child from internalizing and externalizing problems are discussed. These findings suggest that, from the perspective of treatment for child anxiety symptoms, clinicians should focus not only on potential parental intrusiveness but also on the affective aspects of the mother-child relationship
Gli stili parentali possono essere determinanti nello sviluppo dei disturbi internalizzati ed esternalizzati nei bambini. Il controllo e l’intrusivita’ parentale si riferiscono all’incapacita’ da parte della madre di elargire una giusta dose di autonomia al bambino mantenendo degli atteggiamenti infatilizzanti. La responsivita’ materna concerne invece la capacita’ materna di dimostrare calore e sintonizzazione nei confronti del suo bambino. Malgrado siano stati fatti notevoli sforzi nella ricerca sui disturbi internalizzati ed esternalizzati dello sviluppo in relazione agli stili parentali materni, molte questioni rimangono ancora aperte. In particolare il ruolo della cultura ed il suo impatto sugli stili parentali in differenti paesi Europei richiede ancora ulteriori e specifiche investigazioni. L’obiettivo principale del presente lavoro e’ stato quello di esaminare la relazione tra stili parentali, in particolare calore e intrusivita’, e distrurbi d’ansia e problemi esternalizzati dello sviluppo in un campione di 109 bambini dagli 8 ai 10 anni (60 Italiani e 49 Inglesi, rispettivamente). I problemi di ansia e di comportamento sono stati rilevati, nelle scuole, attraverso la somministrazione di due self-report la SCAS, Spence Anxiety Assessment Scale (Spence, 1997) e lo Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire SDQ (Goodman, 1997). Successivamente e’ stata condotta un visita a casa, in cui madre e bambino sono stati videoregistrati durante l’esecuzione di 3 diversi compiti (l’etch-a-sketch task, il belt buckle task ed il tidy up task). I video sono stati codificati da tre giudici indipendenti. E’ stata presa in considerazione la relazione tra l’ansia infantile (in particolare l’ansia di separazione), il calore e l’intrusivita’ materna e il paese di provenienza dei partecipanti. I risultati suggeriscono che gli stili parentali materni sono altamente influenzati dalla cultura e che le madri italiane sono piu’ intrusive e controllanti delle mamme inglesi, risultati confermati sia dalle misure self-report che da quelle osservative. La cultura non sembra invece avere un effetto significativo sui disturbi di ansia riportati dai bambini nel self-report. L’intrusivita’ materna sembra essere legata in modo specifico all’ansia di separazione e non ad altri tipi di ansia. Il calore materno sembra avere un effetto moderatore sia sui disturbi internalizzati che su quelli internalizzati dei bambini (un’alta percentuale di calore materno riduce gli effetti negativi derivati dalla prenseza di uno stile parentale altamente intrusivo). Il ruolo del calore nelle diverse culture ed il suo specifico contributo in qualita’ di fattore di protezione nella genesi di problemi internalizzati ed esternalizzati dello sviluppo e’ stato attentamente discusso. Da una prospettiva clinica, questi risultati suggeriscono che, lavorando sul trattamento dei disturbi d’ansia in eta’ evolutiva, i clinici debbano focalizzarsi non solo sul potenziale ruolo dell’intrusivita’ materna ma anche sulla qualita’ affettiva della relazione madre-bambino.

In the last decades, both cognitive and personality researchers and different-oriented therapists and clinicians have converged on the powerful role that narrative memory plays, as anchoring aspect of personality and identity. Many studies have demonstrated that spontaneous self defining memories (Singer & Salovey, 1993; Blagov & Singer, 2004) evoked and provoked in clinical setting can provide valuable information for assessment about repetitive themes and recurrent patterns of feelings linked to ongoing goals or conflicts that are central to the individual. However, the work still leaves open the question of how human beings think in this manner and how personal memories, spontaneously evoked during the clinical interview, are useful for personality assessment and case conceptualization. The present study intended to pursue three goals. First, the aim was to introduce and to demonstrate reliability and validity of the Coding System for Autobiographical Memory Narratives in Psychotherapy (Singer & Bonalume, 2008) for identifying and coding autobiographical memory narratives in clinical interview. The study demonstrates good inter-rater reliability and the utility of the coding system. Consequentially, we aimed to investigate, first the relationship among autobiographical memories dimensions, as content, specificity, meaning making and emotional tone, and the relationship between these memories dimensions and patient’s self and personality functioning, evaluated with clusters of indexes, according to the Exner’s Comprehensive System for Rorschach (Exner, 2003).The autobiographical memories during semi-structured clinical interviews for bio-psycho-social data recollection and Rorschach responses of 30 patients were recollected. The Coding System for Autobiographical Memory Narratives in Psychotherapy (Singer & Bonalume, 2008), the Classification and Scoring System for Self-defining Autobiographical Memories (Singer e Blagov, 2001) and for Content (Thorne & McLean, 2001), the linguistic analysis by software CM (Mergenthaler, 1999) and Exner’s Comprehensive System for Rorschach (2003) were used. The results demonstrated that a strong negative association existed between specificity and integrative meaning; integrative memories were largely independent of event content affect, while specificity were related in a predictable manner with both negative emotional tone memories and narratives about life-threatening experiences and relationships. The generalized estimating equations confirmed that the overgeneral memories lean on affective disturbance, characterized by a ruminative thinking and an usual concerns about self-esteem and dysfunctional attitudes. Moreover, the ability to generate integrative meanings from narrative memories is not effected only by the subject’s affective regulation, but also by the cognitive behaviour, closely related to overgeneral and emotional memory. The ability to engage in autobiographical reasoning in order to construct a coherent and generative life story reveal degree of socioemotional maturity and level of adjustment. In addition, implications for future research and clinical practice using this model of analysis are discussed.

Since the discovery of the mirror neuron system increasing attention has been paid to the role of embodied simulation and MNS in the understanding the feelings and intentions of others. In fact, the idea that empathy may be deeply grounded in the experience of a lived body and that understanding the mental states of others employ the MNS has a huge innovative potential especially in clinical and dynamic psychology. Originating in this cultural and historical framework, the present research aims to investigate whether a Rorschach response process traditionally interpreted as being associated with understanding the feelings and intentions of the self and the other is also associated with MNS activity, as one may expect given the theoretical overlapping. The Rorschach response process under investigation is that underlying the production of human movement (M) responses. The attribution of human movement to the ambiguous inkblot stimuli of the Rorschach test, indeed, has been considered an index of a person’s capacity to establish empathic contact with another human being since almost 100 years. Five studies were undertaken. A first, pilot, study exploited a phenomenon known as ‘neurological priming’ and investigated the association between M responses and MNS activity indirectly. Three EEG studies and an fMRI study followed, aiming to examine more directly the brain activity during exposure to different Rorschach stimuli. Taken together, the results of these five studies suggest that, as predicted, the production of M responses on the Rorschach test is associated with MNS activity. The implications for the test’s validity are discussed.

Despite a large body of research has investigated child attachment during middle childhood, only a limited number of studies has focused on children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Additionally. The few studies available on this topic have exclusively used self-reported measures to assess quality of attachment, overlooking the role of internal representations, which are considered to play a fundamental role since attachment is internalized. Therefore, no studies examined the way in which child attachment representations are associated with child diagnosis, parenting and caregiving environment in ASD. In the first study, we assessed attachment representations in children with ASD, Learning Disabilities (LD) and Typical development (TD). In particular, we investigated possible group differences on perceived attachment to parents, self-protective strategies and quality of attachment implicit representations using the Dynamic Maturational Model of Attachment and Adaptation (DMM). The Study 2 focused on the caregiving environment and its influence on child attachment implicit representations. To this aim, we assessed parenting stress and parental style in mothers and fathers of children with ASD and TD, examining whether parents of children with ASD differ from those of matched TD group. Secondly, we examined which caregiving environment dimensions contribute significantly in predicting at-risk attachment representations, assessing separately the contribution of maternal and paternal parenting stress and parental interactive social style. In the third study maternal and paternal attachment style were assessed to test the hypothesis of attachment continuity across generations. Firstly, we investigated whether parents of children of ASD reported higher level of attachment-related avoidance/anxiety compared to their TD counterpart. Next, the associations between attachment style of both mothers and fathers and quality of child attachment representations was tested, by examining the moderation effect of child ASD diagnosis. The Study 4 investigated the role of other potential child attachment predictors. Due higher co-occurrence of ASD and difficulties in identifying, describing and distinguishing one’s own feelings, the predictive effect of alexithymia on child explicit attachment representations was tested. Moreover, we also examined whether children with ASD reported higher level of alexithymia compared to controls. The Study 1 showed that children with ASD are able to develop secure and coherent attachment implicit representations, albeit with a lesser extent compared to typically developing children. They were able to engage the attachment interview, confirming the suitability of this method in this clinical sample. Importantly, children with ASD showed high-risk attachment implicit representations and greater presence of unresolved trauma and modifiers, despite no differences emerged on perceived attachment to parents. The lack of group difference on perceived attachment suggested that implicit and explicit attachment representations of children with ASD originate from different sources of information. It is plausible that low reflective functioning, impaired metacognition as well as altered psychobiological processes of children with ASD contributed to attachment maladaptive information processing. Secondly, we replicated the well-established finding of higher parenting distress in parents of children with ASD compared to controls also in fathers. Moreover, the Study 2 documented less didactic and limit/setting style in parents of children with ASD. In accordance to a bidirectional perspective, these parenting behaviors were interpreted as parental functional responses to adapt to child unusual social-communication. Interestingly, data revealed a significant effect of maternal parenting stress and social exchange style on child attachment implicit representations. Thus, the study supports the coexistence of both child-driven and parent-driven effects in the context of parent-child relationship in ASD. Similarly, the Study 3 documented that children with ASD who have an insecurely attached primary caregiver showed at-risk attachment implicit representations. In other words, the continuity of attachment security across generations revealed a clear effect in ASD, suggesting that these children may be more susceptible to this mechanism compared to controls. In addition, parents of children with ASD reported higher attachment-related avoidance in comparison to their TD counterpart. This difference could be associated to the significant couple adjustment associated to the impact of rear a child with ASD. In addition, the Study 4 showed that alexithymia, but not ASD predicts perceived attachment to parents highlighting the different nature of attachment explicit and implicit representation. Moreover, our results confirmed higher co-occurrence of alexithymia and ASD also in school-age, extending literature on adulthood. Our findings pointed out that children with ASD (without intellectual disability) showed higher rates of at-risk self-protective strategies (attachment pattern). These results may be related to several factors associated with ASD symptoms, such as the more frequent disruptions of interpersonal exchanges with the caregiver across development, the difficulties in social information processing and reflective functioning. The higher exposure to adverse childhood experience (e.g. bullying), may explained the higher occurrence of unresolved trauma in these children. Up to date, to the best of our knowledge, these are the first studies on group differences and parental predictors of attachment implicit representations in school-age children with ASD. Therefore, these studies brought initial data to ASD literature on attachment representations, suggesting that these children are at increased risk of developing maladaptive information processing. Limitations of the studies and clinical implications are discussed.

The death of a parent has long been considered the most traumatic event that can occur in the child’s life (Coddington, 1972; Yamamoto et al., 1996). Four percent of children and adolescent in the United States experience the death of at least one parent by age 15 (Bureaus of Census, 1985). Despite this relatively frequent occurrence and the clinical belief about the deleterious impact of parental death on child’s development, the psychiatric sequalae for the child are not well understood. Recently, prospective examination of child outcome following parental death have considered mediating and moderating variables as important factors that play a role for the child psychopathology (Dowdeny, 2000). The interest of the study has thus moved from the exclusive pursuit of symptoms in children in the survey of a number of factors relating to the surviving parent and family functioning as risk factors prior to the trauma. In the national interest in these issues is still limited, and in most cases, the focus of investigation is the adult. The general aim of this study was to observe the impact of a traumatic on children and surviving parent. To verify this assumption have been carried out two studies: - the first (which is a corollary to the second) is been done in order to validate an american questionnaire on the Italian population (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Cohen and Hoberman, 1984) which assesses perceived social support (Study 1); - the second study, with longitudinal design, observed the child’s reaction after parental death and how, helped by survivor parent, adjusted with the new conditions (study 2). Study 1: Validation of the questionnaire on social support (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List). Introduction. Several theoretical models (Sandler et al., 2008) focus on protective factors as determinants critical to the process of adaptation to loss: one of them is the social support, mediating variable, which exerts a cushioning effect on the negative consequences of stress health. For these reasons it was considered important to incorporate a specific tool that would take these into account. The most widely used self-report in the international studies, especially in the bereavement researches, is the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (Cohen and Hoberman, 1985) that takes into account the effects of stress and traumatic event on health. The questionnaire, composed by of 40 items structured in four dimensions, assesses the perceived functional support, and the quality of resources provided by others to the subject if necessary. Aims. The aims of this study were to verify: 1. the factorial structure of the self-report 2. internal consistency of the subscales of the questionnaire, 3. whether gender, marital status, age and educational level influence the scores of the questionnaire, 4. the relationship between the ISEL and measures of symptom onset: the level of perceived stress and health status (Cohen, 2004, Carlson et al., 2009), 5. the relationship between the level of stress and health status mediated by social support (Bolger, 2007). Method. The sample consists of 308 subjects (52% women) belonging to the general population, was recruited mainly in the north-central Italy. In addition to ISEL and socio-demographic questionnaire, participants completed a battery of self-report containing a series of measures which, as reported in the literature are closely related to the perception of social support: Misura dello Stress Pecepito, (MSP, Di Nuovo, Rispoli and Genta, 2000) and Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R, Derogatis et al. 1994; Conti, 2001). authors (Cohen and Hoberman, 1985; Brookings and Bolton, 1988), b) the criteria for good reliability and internal consistency of the instrument. With regard to socio-demographic variables, social support appears to be associated directly to:) age, b) the level of schooling. Did not reveal any significant results for gender, marital status and the presence of previous trauma. The ISEL questionnaire appears to be associated (negative) with variables related to symptoms and stress, playing a mediating role between the negative effects of stress on health. Conclusions. The ISEL, self-report with good psychometric properties, is a reliable tool for the assessment of perceived functional support, in terms of resources provided by others to the subject if necessary. Study 2: Longitudinal study on the reactions following the loss of an attachment figure. Aims. Based on litterature presented, the aims of this study are considered at three levels: a) parent: - to observe the emotional reactions, the physical and cognitive responses to the sudden loss of a partner, after one year; - to investigate the level of perceived functional support in conditions of acute stress; b) child: - to analyze the behavioral manifestations, intra-psychic and somatic responses to the loss in terms of clinical symptoms; – to study the organization and the quality of attachment in children due to the loss of an attachment figure; c) parent-child relationship: whether certain pre-existing conditions of vulnerability in the surviving parent may be a risk factor (or protective) for the process of grief. Method. The sample consists of 12 families who have voluntarily decided to participate in the longitudinal study (2, 4, 6, 9, 12 months after the loss). The instruments used are, in addition to the clinical interview: child-report (Test Ansia e Depressione, Indicatori dell’adattamento sociale in età evolutiva), parent-report (Test Ansia e Depressione, Indicatori dell’adattamento sociale in età evolutiva, Children Behavior Check List, Hogan Grief Reaction Check List, Interpersonal Support Evaluation List), semi-projective test (Separation Anxiety Test, Attachment Story Completation Task). Results. The adult’s reactions in response to the sudden loss of a partner are stable in the first year, as well as the perception of social support. With regard to the child, can be observed: a) a decrease in symptoms over time for ages 2-4 months to 9-12 months after the loss. Clinical values are given in terms of both anxiety and depression, both at a broader level with regard to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. These data are consistent with the study of Cerel et al. (2006) which shows a decrease in depressive sintomatology from 6 months up to 25 months after death; b) an activation of the attachment system in terms of searching the mother during dangerous situation; c) a secure attachment patterns in 3 children (up to 7) and the presence of the same pattern in sibling pairs. In relation to the pre-existing conditions of vulenrability in the parent survivor, findings confirm that strand of literature that focuses on aspects of resilience and protective factors. In fact, the study revealed that the parents of the vulnerable group: a) shows a lower intensity of painful events after loss; b) are able to perceive the presence of a greater emotional and physical support from the family and social context. These findings suggest that the vulnerable group, having experienced previous situations of acute stress, may have developed over time a different response to the threat conditions that enable it to respond to a second event in a way perhaps more adaptive. Conclusions. This highly innovative study leads to many reflections on clinical issues and intervention, focusing the investigation on protective factors and variables that may moderate and / or mediate the effects of a stressful event on individual health and child development.
La perdita precoce di un genitore è stato da sempre considerato uno degli eventi più traumatici che possono accadere nella vita di un bambino (Coddington, 1972; Yamamoto et al., 1996). Negli Statu Uniti, il 4% dei bambini e degli adolescenti ha avuto esperienze di perdita di almeno un genitore prima dei 15 anni (Bureaus of Census, 1985). Nonostante questa relativa frequenza e l’impatto che tale evento può avere sullo sviluppo del bambino, le conseguenze cliniche e psichiatriche sono talvolta controverse (Cerel et al., 2006). Solo recentemente, studi prospettivi hanno iniziato a studiare l’outcome del bambino da un punto di vista longitudinale, prendendo in considerazione una serie di fattori di mediazione e moderazione che giocano un ruolo determinante per l’insorgenza di eventulale psicopatologia nel bambino (Dowdeny, 2000). L’interesse di studio si è quindi spostato dalla ricerca esclusiva di sintomatologia nel bambino all’indagine di una serie di fattori relativi al genitore sopravvissuto e al funzionamento familiare così come ai fattori di rischio pregressi al trauma. In ambito nazionale l’interesse per questi aspetti è ancora limitato, e nella maggior parte dei casi, il focus di indagine è l’adulto. Alla luce di quanto esposto, l’obiettivo generale di questo lavoro è stato quello di osservare l’impatto che un evento traumatico può avere sul bambino e sul genitore sopravvissuto. Per verificare tale assunto sono stati effettuati due studi: - il primo di tipo trasversale (che fa da corollario al secondo) finalizzato alla validazione su popolazione italiana di un questionario americano (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, Cohen e Hoberman, 1984) che valuta il supporto sociale percepito (studio 1); - il secondo di tipo longitudinale il cui obiettivo é stato quello di osservare le reazioni che i bambini manifestano a seguito della perdita di una figura di attaccamento e in che modo, assieme al genitore, si (mal)adattano alla nuova condizione (studio 2). Studio 1: Validazione del questionario sul supporto sociale (Interpersonal Support Evaluation List). Introduzione. Numerosi modelli teorici (Sandler et al., 2008) si focalizzano sui fattori di protezione quali determinanti fondamentali per il processo di adattamento alla perdita: uno tra questi è il supporto sociale, variabile di mediazione, che esercita un effetto cuscinetto sulle conseguenze negative dello stress sulla salute. Per queste ragioni si è ritenuto importante introdurre all’interno del disegno di ricerca (studio 2) uno strumento che potesse considerare tali aspetti. Il self report più utilizzato in ambito internazionale e adottato negli studi che si occupano di osservare gli effetti dello stress/ eventi luttuosi sulla salute, è l’Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (Cohen e Hoberman, 1985). Il questionario, composto di 40 item e strutturato in quattro dimensioni, valuta il supporto funzionale percepito, ossia il tipo di risorse fornite dalle altre persone al soggetto in caso di necessità. Obiettivi. Gli obiettivi del lavoro sono stati quelli di verificare: 1. la struttura fattoriale dell’ISEL; 2. la consistenza interna delle dimensioni del questionario; 3. se il genere, lo stato civile, l’età e il livello di istruzione influenzano i punteggi dell’ISEL; 4. la relazione tra l’ISEL e misure di sintomatologia: livello di stress percepito e stato di salute (Cohen, 2004; Carlson et al., 2009); 5. la relazione che intercorre tra il livello di stress, di supporto sociale e lo stato di salute, attraverso la verifica del modello stress buffering (Bolger, 2007). Metodo. Il campione, composto da 308 soggetti (52% donne) appartenenti alla popolazione generale, é stato reclutato principalmente nelle regioni del nord-centro Italia, attraverso un campionamento casuale a pioggia. Oltre all’ISEL e a una scheda contenente domande di tipo demografico, i partecipanti hanno compilato una batteria di self-report contenente una serie di misure che, come riportato in letteratura sono strettamente connesse alla percezione del supporto sociale: Misura dello Stress Percepito (MSP, Di Nuovo, Rispoli e Genta, 2000) e Symptom Check List (SCL-90-R, (Derogatis et al., 1994; Conti, 2001). Risultati. I risultati emersi confermano: a) la struttura fattoriale proposta dagli autori (Cohen e Hoberman, 1985; Brookings e Bolton, 1988); b) i criteri di buona affidabilità e consistenza interna allo strumento. Relativamente alle variabili socio demografiche, il supporto sociale sembra essere associato in maniera diretta a: ) l’età, b) il livello di scolarizzazione. Non sono emersi risultati significativi per il genere, lo stato civile e la presenza di traumi pregressi. Il questionario ISEL risulta essere associato (segno negativo) alle variabili relative ai sintomi e allo stress, giocando un ruolo di mediazione fra gli effetti negativi dello stress sulla salute. Conclusioni. L’ISEL, self report dalle buone proprietà psicometriche, è uno strumento affidabile per la valutazione del supporto funzionale percepito, in termini di risorse fornite dalle altre persone al soggetto in caso di necessità. Studio 2: Studio longitudinale sulle reazioni conseguenti alla perdita di una figura di attaccamento. Obiettivi. Alla luce di quanto espresso precedentemente, gli obiettivi considerati sono su tre livelli: a) genitore: - osservare nel primo anno successivo all’evento traumatico le reazioni emotive, somatiche e cognitive in risposta alla perdita improvvisa del partner; - indagare il livello di supporto funzionale percepito in condizioni di stress acuto; b) bambino: - analizzare le manifestazioni comportamentali, intrapsichiche e somatiche reattive alla perdita, in termini di sintomatologia clinica; - studiare l’organizzazione e la qualità dell’attaccamento nel bambino a seguito della perdita di una figura di riferimento; c) genitore-bambino: verificare se determinate condizioni di vulnerabilitá pregressa nel genitore sopravvissuto possono rappresentare un fattore di rischio (o di protezione) per l’elaborazione del lutto. Metodo. Il campione é composto da 12 famiglie che hanno deciso volontariamente di partecipare al progetto longitudinale (2, 4, 6, 9, 12 mesi dopo la perdita). Gli strumenti utilizzati sono, oltre al colloquio clinico: child-report (Test Ansia e Depressione, Indicatori dell’adattamento sociale in età evolutiva), parent-report (Test Ansia e Depressione, Indicatori dell’adattamento sociale in età evolutiva, Children Behavior Check List, Hogan Grief Reaction Check List, Interpersonal Support Evaluation List), test semi-proiettivi (Separation Anxiety Test, Attachment Story Completation Task). Risultati. Le manifestazioni e le reazioni dell’adulto in risposta alla perdita improvvisa del partner sono stabili nel primi anno successivo alle perdita, così come la percezione del supporto sociale. Relativamente al bambino, è possibile osservare: a) un decremento della sintomatologia nel corso del tempo a partire dai 2-4 mesi fino ai 9-12 mesi successivi alla perdita. Valori clinici sono riportati sia in termini di ansia e depressione, sia a livello più ampio per quanto riguarda la sintomatologia esternalizzante ed internalizzante. Questi dati sono in linea con lo studio di Cerel et al. (2006) che dimostra un decremento della sintomatoligia depressiva a partire dai 6 mesi successivi alla morte e fino ai 25 mesi; b) un’attivazione del sistema di attaccamento in termini di ricerca della madre nelle situazioni di pericolo; c) un pattern di attaccamento sicuro in 3 bambini su 7 e la presenza dello stesso pattern in coppie di fratelli. Relativamente alla condizione di vulnerabilità pregressa del genitori i risultati emersi confermano quel filone della letteratura che si focalizza sugli aspetti di resilienza e sui fattori protettivi. Infatti, dallo studio, è emerso che i genitori del gruppo vulnerabile: a) mostrano una minor intensità di manifestazioni dolorose nel periodo successivo alla perdita; b) sono in grado di percepire la maggior presenza di un supporto di tipo emotivo e fisico da parte del contesto familiare e sociale; Questi dati fanno ipotizzare che il gruppo vulnerabile, avendo sperimentato in passato situazioni di stress acuto, può avere sviluppato nel tempo una risposta alle condizioni di minaccia differente che gli permette di far fronte ad un secondo evento in maniera forse più adattiva. Conclusioni. Questo studio estremamente innovativo in ambito nazionale offre numerosi riflessioni sul piano clinico e dell’intervento, sulla necessità di focalizzare l’indagine sui fattori di protezione e sulle variabile che possono moderare e/o mediare gli effetti di un evento stressante sulla salute dell’individuo e sulla crescita del bambino.

Le terapie espressive sono considerate tecniche di intervento particolarmente efficaci da impiegare con bambini vittime di catastrofi naturali. In particolare diversi arti-terapeuti affermano che per bambini vittime di traumi, il disegno rappresenta una modalità preferenziale per esprimere emozioni poiché consente di rappresentare la complessità di vissuti , percezioni, pensieri e memorie di natura traumatica, attribuendo loro una forma e, quindi un senso. Nonostante questo l’efficacia dell’impiego dello strumento non è stata scientificamente dimostrata. Questa tesi presenta due studi, uno studio pilota e uno studio principale, finalizzati ad esplorare l’utilizzo del “test de trois dessins: avant, pendant et avenir” come strumento diagnostico e tecnica terapeutica da impiegare con bambini vittime di terremoti di Abruzzo, Haiti e Cile. Lo studio pilota è basato sull’analisi qualitativa di case-studies,mentre lo studio principale utilizza strumenti quantitativi e qualitativi. I risultati mostrano l’efficacia dello strumento nel rilevare la presenta del trauma psichico e nel favorire processi di elaborazione del trauma. Ricerche future sono necessarie per attuare una validazione dello strumento come tecnica diagnostiche e strumento terapeutico con bambini vittime di traumi.
Expressive therapies are considered one of the most effective intervention modality with children who have experienced traumatic events such as natural catastrophes. Particularly, several art therapists affirm that for trauma affected children, drawing is a preferential mode for expressing emotions, as it gives them the possibility of conveying the complexity of traumatic feelings, perceptions, thoughts and memories, by giving them a shape and, therefore, a sense. Notwithstanding these assumptions, the efficacy of art therapies with children exposed to natural disasters, has not been research proved. This thesis presents two studies, a pilot study and the main study, aimed at exploring the use of the “test de trois dessins: avant, pendant et avenir”, as a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic technique, with children victims of the earthquake in Italy, Haiti and Chilli. The pilot study is based on non-statistical qualitative observation of case studies, while the principal one employ of both qualitative and quantitative methodology. The results show the efficacy of the test in both pointing out the presence and the extent of the psychological trauma, and in enhancing the process of elaborating trauma. Further researches need to be done in order to validate the use of the “test de trois dessins: avanat, pendant et avenir” as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool with trauma affected children.

Le terapie espressive sono considerate tecniche di intervento particolarmente efficaci da impiegare con bambini vittime di catastrofi naturali. In particolare diversi arti-terapeuti affermano che per bambini vittime di traumi, il disegno rappresenta una modalità preferenziale per esprimere emozioni poiché consente di rappresentare la complessità di vissuti , percezioni, pensieri e memorie di natura traumatica, attribuendo loro una forma e, quindi un senso. Nonostante questo l’efficacia dell’impiego dello strumento non è stata scientificamente dimostrata. Questa tesi presenta due studi, uno studio pilota e uno studio principale, finalizzati ad esplorare l’utilizzo del “test de trois dessins: avant, pendant et avenir” come strumento diagnostico e tecnica terapeutica da impiegare con bambini vittime di terremoti di Abruzzo, Haiti e Cile. Lo studio pilota è basato sull’analisi qualitativa di case-studies,mentre lo studio principale utilizza strumenti quantitativi e qualitativi. I risultati mostrano l’efficacia dello strumento nel rilevare la presenta del trauma psichico e nel favorire processi di elaborazione del trauma. Ricerche future sono necessarie per attuare una validazione dello strumento come tecnica diagnostiche e strumento terapeutico con bambini vittime di traumi.
Expressive therapies are considered one of the most effective intervention modality with children who have experienced traumatic events such as natural catastrophes. Particularly, several art therapists affirm that for trauma affected children, drawing is a preferential mode for expressing emotions, as it gives them the possibility of conveying the complexity of traumatic feelings, perceptions, thoughts and memories, by giving them a shape and, therefore, a sense. Notwithstanding these assumptions, the efficacy of art therapies with children exposed to natural disasters, has not been research proved. This thesis presents two studies, a pilot study and the main study, aimed at exploring the use of the “test de trois dessins: avant, pendant et avenir”, as a diagnostic tool and a therapeutic technique, with children victims of the earthquake in Italy, Haiti and Chilli. The pilot study is based on non-statistical qualitative observation of case studies, while the principal one employ of both qualitative and quantitative methodology. The results show the efficacy of the test in both pointing out the presence and the extent of the psychological trauma, and in enhancing the process of elaborating trauma. Further researches need to be done in order to validate the use of the “test de trois dessins: avanat, pendant et avenir” as a diagnostic and therapeutic tool with trauma affected children.

Mother child relationship is the first and the most important social relationship as it has implications on psychological and neural development of the individual. Here we investigated mother child relationship focusing on different aspects and using a combination of behavioural and neuroimaging techniques. In the first study we addressed the association between brain connectivity and interpersonal competences which are at the basis of every social interaction including the ones involved in mother-child relationship. Several studies suggests that higher White Matter (WM) integrity - an index of increased brain connectivity - , is associated with better cognition and behavioural performance. To test the hypothesis that higher WM integrity is associated with higher interpersonal competence we used Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI), a neuroimaging technique which allows to study in vivo the anatomy of boundless of axons conveying information in the brain. Then we correlated this information with a self-reported measure of interpersonal competences: the Adolescent Interpersonal Competence Questionnaire (AICQ). Results indicate that Interpersonal competence is associate with higher WM integrity in several major tracts of the right hemisphere, in specific the uncinate fasciculus, the cingulum, the forceps minor, the infero-fronto occipital fasciculus, the inferior longitudinal fasciculus, and the superior longitudinal fasciculus. These results provide the first direct analysis of the neuroanatomical basis of interpersonal competencies and young adult self-reported skills in social contexts. In the second work we used the same paradigm to test one of the main assumption of the attachment theory which states that social skills highly depends on the quality of attachment relationship. Results show higher integrity in four white matter association fibers in the left hemisphere: Uncinate Fasciculus, Cingulum, Superior Longitudinal Fasciculus and Inferior Fronto Occipital Fasciculus. This result supports the idea that the quality of the attachment relationship influences the emotional and social life of the individual from childhood to adulthood. Furthermore, the research represents an explorative approach to the study of mother-child relationship in healthy population, demonstrating the feasibility of using neuroimaging tools coupled with clinical investigations. Together those studies show that efficient structural connectivity is linked with secure attachment, improved social cognition and cognitive ability. Similarities and differences emerged in these studies will be discussed at the end of Chapter 3 in particular regarding left and right hemisphere specialization. In the second part of the thesis we switched the focus on parenting behaviour. Evidence from the literature suggest an association between Axonal Integrity measured with FA and functional connectivity measured with TMS in two region involved in preparing ad executing actions: premotor and motor cortex. Moreover neuroimaging reveals that infant cries activate parts of the premotor cortical system. In line with this evidence we linked parenting and brain functional connectivity conducting a study on motor cortex excitability in response of infant cries. We used event-related transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) to investigated the presence and the time course of modulation of motor cortex excitability in young adults who listened to infant cries. TMS was delivered from 0 to 250 ms from sound onset in six steps of 50 ms in 10 females and 10 males. Motor Evoked Potentials (MEPs) were recorded from the biceps brachii (BB) and interosseus dorsalis primus (ID1) muscles. Results indicate an excitatory modulation of MEPs at 100 ms from the onset of the infant cry specific to females and to the ID1 muscle. This modulation is considered as automatic response to natural cry as it was not present in response of control sounds and the effect is found at 100-ms latency which make this modulation not compatible with a voluntary reaction to the stimulus but suggests an automatic, bottom-up audiomotor association. These results indicate that the brains of adult females appear to be tuned to respond to infant cries with automatic motor excitation. This effect may reflect the greater and longstanding burden on females in caregiving infants. The second part of the thesis continue with a study addressing the natural condition in which baby cries arise when the parent is not attending for infant stimulation. In this study we investigated how infant crying, compared to control sounds, captures adults’ attentive resources. Participants were all nulliparous women and men, we investigated the effects of different sounds on cerebral activation of the default mode network (DMN) while listeners engaged in two different kind of tasks: one designed to activate the DMN ( self-referential decision task) and one designed to deactivate the DMN (syllabic counting tasks). We found a strong deactivation of DMN in woman during baby cry which suggest a shift of attention from self-referential thinking toward the baby cry stimuli. In men we found instead a weaker deactivation of DMN during woman cry while their attention was directed toward an external task and simultaneously a sudden woman crying arise. Gender differences found in our studies and in the literature will be discussed. In the third part of the thesis we investigated the ability to discriminate synchrony and asynchrony during interaction between mother and child with typical or atypical development. We tested two kind of population: in the first study we compared parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to parents of children with Typical Development (TD). In the second study we used the Autistic Quotient questionnaire to divide the sample in two groups according with their autistic traits. The relevance of this task is due to the extreme importance to promptly individuate cues of abnormal social behavior in those cases in which the child might shows deficit in the social development. We hypothesized that individual related with a child with ASD or an individual with high autistic traits, might show similar social difficulties as the individual with ASD finding more challenging to detect cue of appropriate or unappropriated social behavior. To test this hypothesis we asked parents of children with ASD and parents of children with TD to judge video of interactions between mothers and child with ASD and mothers and child with TD. Each video were 20s long and depicted either a synchrony or asynchrony interaction, as categorized by an expert clinician. Contrary to our initial hypothesis results indicate that parents of children with ASD are as accurate as parents of children with TD in discriminating synchrony and asynchrony interaction with ASD, however they are less accurate than parents of children with TD in judging interaction with TD. In the second study by testing individual with higher autistic traits (HAQ group) versus lower autistic traits (LAQ group) we confirmed this trend. Using the same paradigm we found that both groups were less accurate during asynchrony interaction. However HAQ was more accurate in judging synchrony interaction with ASD while LAQ was more accurate in judging synchrony interaction with TD. This result indicate a facilitation effects in understanding interaction which include people that share similar characteristic with the observer disconfirming the hypothesis that people with higher autistic traits would have more difficulties in understanding social interactions and pointing the attention on other factors which might contribute during this process. A discussion on the need of further investigation using neuroimaging techniques to understand similarities and differences on neural processing of social interactions is provided at the end of Chapter 4.

La plusdotazione è stata ampiamente esaminata nei bambini e negli adolescenti, mentre un minor numero di articoli è stato pubblicato nello stesso gruppo in età adulta. Come suggerito dalla National Association for Gifted Children (2010), il termine plusdotazione si riferisce a "livelli eccezionali di attitudine (definita come un’eccezionale capacità di ragionare e apprendere) o di competenza (prestazioni documentate o risultati superiori o superiori al 10%) in uno o più domini (come intellettuale, creativo, artistico, leadership o accademico)”. Questa tesi ha esaminato il gruppo dotato di individui con elevate abilità intellettive (cioè punteggi ai test di intelligenza pari o superiori a 130) piuttosto che coloro che hanno raggiunto risultati concreti di vita. Nel corso dell'ultimo secolo, l'intelligenza elevata è stata spesso considerata una “carta vincente” perché forti relazioni sono state trovate con la salute fisica, l’adattamento psicologico e posizioni lavorative più prestigiose. Recentemente, questa posizione è stata contestata perché prove empiriche hanno dimostrato che le persone con straordinarie capacità intellettuali riportavano anche livelli più elevati di disregolazione affettiva, deficit di attenzione e iperattività, disturbi dello spettro autistico e disordini immunitari. La presente tesi mira ad affrontare questi problemi, esplorando le abilità cognitive, la personalità e il funzionamento emotivo di individui adulti plusdotati, applicando i principi del Multimethod Assessment. Nel Capitolo 1, la plusdotazione intellettiva è stata definita secondo il modello CHC. Quindi, ho esaminato il profilo cognitivo di questi soggetti; i pattern delle loro prestazioni (cioè quale fosse il miglior indicatore di intelligenza superiore); e la variabilità dei punteggi nei diversi domini. Nel Capitolo 2, ho esaminato i tratti della personalità e la regolazione emotiva dei soggetti gifted adulti secondo le teorie della developmental psychology and psychopathology. Ho considerato una versione aggiornata dell’“ipotesi della disarmonia” per descrivere come vulnerabilità e disadattamenti dello sviluppo possano derivare da inadeguate risposte dell'ambiente (ad esempio, amici, insegnanti, genitori, società) verso i bisogni delle persone con abilità intellettive sopra la media. Nel Capitolo 3, ho esaminato l'intelligenza emotiva (EI), intesa sia come insieme di abilità intellettive sia di tratti della personalità. Ho condotto uno studio esplorativo per verificare se gli adulti plusdotati mostrassero risultati simili a quelli ottenuti da soggetti più giovani e ho testato la teoria dell’investimento applicata all’EI che descrive le relazioni tra l'intelligenza cristallizzata e quella emotiva. In conclusione, ho integrato i risultati dei tre capitoli in base alla multiple lenses analysis (Lilienfeld, 2017) e ho descritto le somiglianze e le differenze di questo gruppo in base agli aspetti genetici, psicologici e socioculturali rispetto alla popolazione generale.
Giftedness has been extensively examined in children and adolescents, whereas fewer papers have been published on the same group in adulthood. As suggested by the National Association for Gifted Children (2010), giftedness refers to “outstanding levels of aptitude (defined as an exceptional ability to reason and learn) or competence (documented performance or achievement in top 10% or rarer) in one or more domains (such as intellectual, creative, artistic, leadership, or academic)”. This dissertation has examined the gifted group composed of individuals with high intellectual aptitude (i.e. intelligence test scores equal to or greater than 130) rather than who have obtained concrete life achievements. Over the last century, high intelligence has been often considered a “winning card” because strong relationships have been found with better physical health, psychological adjustment and more prestigious job position. Recently, this position has been challenged because empirical evidences have shown that people with extraordinary intellectual abilities reported higher levels of affective dysregulation, attentional and hyperactivity deficit, autism spectrum disorders, and immune disorders. The present dissertation aims to approach these issues, exploring cognitive, personality, and emotional functioning of intellectually gifted individuals in adulthood, applying the principles of the Multimethod Assessment Approach. In the Chapter 1, intellectual giftedness has been defined according to the CHC model. Then, I have examined cognitive profile of gifted adults; pattern of their performance (i.e. what is the best indicator of superior intelligence?); and scores variability across different domains. In the Chapter 2, I have examined personality traits and emotional regulation of gifted individuals according to developmental psychology and psychopathology theories. I have considered an updated version of the disharmony hypothesis in order to describe how vulnerabilities and developmental maladjustments may result from inadequate responses of the environment (e.g., friends, teachers, parents, society) to gifted individuals’ unique needs. In the Chapter 3, I have examined emotional intelligence (EI), both as a set of intellectual abilities and of personality traits. I have conducted an exploratory study to test whether gifted adults showed similar results to those obtained by gifted students, and the investment model of EI which describes the relationships between crystallized and emotional intelligence. In conclusion, I have combined results from the three chapters according to multiple lenses analysis (Lilienfeld, 2017) and I have described similarities and differences of this group in genetic, psychological, and sociocultural aspects compared to the general population.

Utilizzando il disegno single-case si indaga il processo terapeutico di una psicoterapia ad orientamento psicodinamico con sedute a cadenza settimanale della durata di un anno di un paziente con Depressione Anaclitica (secondo la definizione di Blatt, 2003); il processo ed i fattori che concorrono a determinarlo sono indagati nel conte-sto della valutazione della personalità del paziente. L’obiettivo consiste nel mostrare come sia possibile ottenere, utilizzando strumenti come la DMRS, la SWAP, la CALPAS, il CT-Q, il PRQ ed il CCRT, una valutazione che non si limiti solo al cambiamento sintomatico, in questo caso depressivo, ma fornisca un’idea più sfaccettata delle trasformazioni intrapsichiche ed interpersonali correlate al processo terapeutico, integrando la valutazione macroanalitica del cambiamento, ricavata dalle variazioni degli indici globali degli strumenti, alla valutazione microanalitica delle variabili.
The therapeutic process of a psychodynamic psychotherapy is evaluated through a single-case design. The patient, a 26-year-old man with Anaclitic Depression (as defined by Blatt, 2003) was followed on a weekly based therapy for one year. The factors that contribute to determine the therapeutic process are investigated in the context of the patient's personality assessment. The objective is to show how it is possible to obtain, using tools such as the DMRS, the SWAP, the CALPAS, the CT-Q, the PRQ and the CCRT, an assessment that is not limited only to the symptomatic change, in this case depressive, but provides a more multifaceted view of the intrapsychic and interpersonal transformations related to the therapeutic process, incorporating the macroanalytic evaluation of changement, derived from the global scores of the instruments, to the micro-analytic evaluation of the variables.

Utilizzando il disegno single-case si indaga il processo terapeutico di una psicoterapia ad orientamento psicodinamico con sedute a cadenza settimanale della durata di un anno di un paziente con Depressione Anaclitica (secondo la definizione di Blatt, 2003); il processo ed i fattori che concorrono a determinarlo sono indagati nel conte-sto della valutazione della personalità del paziente. L’obiettivo consiste nel mostrare come sia possibile ottenere, utilizzando strumenti come la DMRS, la SWAP, la CALPAS, il CT-Q, il PRQ ed il CCRT, una valutazione che non si limiti solo al cambiamento sintomatico, in questo caso depressivo, ma fornisca un’idea più sfaccettata delle trasformazioni intrapsichiche ed interpersonali correlate al processo terapeutico, integrando la valutazione macroanalitica del cambiamento, ricavata dalle variazioni degli indici globali degli strumenti, alla valutazione microanalitica delle variabili.
The therapeutic process of a psychodynamic psychotherapy is evaluated through a single-case design. The patient, a 26-year-old man with Anaclitic Depression (as defined by Blatt, 2003) was followed on a weekly based therapy for one year. The factors that contribute to determine the therapeutic process are investigated in the context of the patient's personality assessment. The objective is to show how it is possible to obtain, using tools such as the DMRS, the SWAP, the CALPAS, the CT-Q, the PRQ and the CCRT, an assessment that is not limited only to the symptomatic change, in this case depressive, but provides a more multifaceted view of the intrapsychic and interpersonal transformations related to the therapeutic process, incorporating the macroanalytic evaluation of changement, derived from the global scores of the instruments, to the micro-analytic evaluation of the variables.