Alessandro Musetti

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• Ricercatore di Psicologia Dinamica, Psicoanalista (SPI-IPA)
• Professor (Assistant) at University of Parma

Models based on substance use criteria have been employed to classify maladaptive engagement in various everyday activities as genuine addictions. However, symptom-based models have potential limitations, which includes in some cases reduced clinical utility and an increased risk of diagnostic inflation. The current article presents an alternative...

Maladaptive Daydreaming is a distinct syndrome in which the main symptom is excessive vivid fantasising, which causes clinically significant distress and functional impairment in academic, vocational, and social domains. Unlike normal daydreaming, maladaptive daydreaming is persistent, compulsive, and detrimental to one’s life. It involves detachme...

There is evidence that anxiety and avoidance toward close relationships (i.e., insecure attachment orientations), as well as posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs), are linked to a poor quality of life. The current study aimed to investigate the potential mediating effects of PTSSs on the associations between insecure attachment orientations and dom...

Introduction Adolescents’ health and well-being are seriously threatened by suicidal behaviors, which have become a severe social issue worldwide. Suicide is one of the leading causes of mortality for adolescents in low and middle-income countries, with approximately 67,000 teenagers committing suicide yearly. Although an association between sleep...

This article advances a theoretical framework for understanding the role of affect in processes of meaning-making, grounded in Heidegger’s notion of projectivity and informed by post-Kleinian and intersubjective/relational psychoanalytic models. We propose that nonlinear, non-smooth dynamic systems—marked by abrupt phase transitions and bifurcation...

Objective: This study was conducted to summarize existing studies on the association between solitary experiences and problematic social media use (PSMU) among young adults. Method: A systematic review was performed according to the PRISMA guidelines, implemented in Scopus, Web of Science, PubMed and PsycINFO. We selected studies if they presented...

Earned-Secure Attachment (ESA) can be defined as the process by which individuals with insecure childhood attachment rise above malevolent childhood experiences to develop secure relationships pattern in adulthood. To our knowledge, no previous review has summarized findings from empirical literature about this topic. To fill this gap, we conduct a...

Suicide represents a significant problem for healthcare professionals such as veterinarians. Previous studies showed that contextual and individual risk factors can contribute to suicidality among veterinarians. In the present study, self-report measures on exposure to animal euthanasia, substance abuse, reflective functioning, and suicidal ideatio...

Previous evidence showed that Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is positively associated with different Problematic Online Behaviors (POBs). This study aimed to investigate the mutual relationship between MD and several POBs. Data were collected from 1209 participants, aged 18–73 (M = 30.59, SD = 12.26), through self-report questionnaires assessing MD a...

Background This study aimed to analyze the moderating role of emotional exhaustion in the relationships between longitudinal associations of depression, anxiety, and stress among healthcare workers assisting end-of-life cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A longitudinal study involving a final sample of 122 healthcare workers (61...

Objective Research on the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has pointed out that lockdowns had small effects on the overall mental health, despite considerable heterogeneity among studies is present. Psychological resilience may be responsible for an amount of variance in individual reactions to the pandemic, despite the fact that its l...

Introduction Evidence on parental educational level (PEL) as a risk factor for Eating Disorders (EDs) is mixed, and no study has assessed its role in relation to the compliance and outcomes of treatments in EDs. Further, no study differentiated from the educational level of mothers and fathers, nor considered the possible mediation of perfectionism...

Positive Solitude (PS) is the decision to use one’s time for a meaningful activity, with a choice made by and for oneself. The purpose of this study is to validate the Italian version of the Positive Solitude Scale (PSS) developed by Palgi et al. (2021a). Data were collected through the administration of a questionnaire to 1,120 Italian adults. Con...

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) represents a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent atypicalities in social communication and social interactions across different domains of life, often with restricted, repetitive, stereotyped patterns of behaviors, interests, and activities. A large corpus of previous research shows that...

In our original research article entitled “Deconstructing the components model of addiction: an illustration through “addictive” use of social media” (Fournier et al., 2023), we showed that the Bergen Social Media Addiction Scale, a six-item psychometric instrument derived from the components model of addiction to assess social media “addiction”, d...

Previous studies have suggested that increased parental involvement in intervention for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) may be associated with improved parental Quality of Life (QoL). This study investigates the mediating role of parental self-efficacy in the relationship between involvement in intervention and QoL in parents of child...

Research shows that insecure attachment styles and failures in mentalizing are associated with increased problematic social media use (PSMU). This study aimed to investigate the mediating role of failures in mentalizing in the relationships between attachment styles and PSMU within a large sample of individuals from the community. The study involve...

Background: Parents of children and adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may experience a lower quality of life (QoL) than parents of offspring with typical development. However, factors associated with parental QoL are not yet fully understood. Aims: This study aimed to investigate the relationships between parental QoL, child adjustmen...

The presence of a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in the family can have a negative impact on parental Quality of Life (QoL), but evidence on how treatments for children with ASD can affect parental QoL is currently limited. In this qualitative study, we develop a semi-structured interview in order to investigate the impact of ASD on the...

The COVID-19 pandemic led to government measures enforcing isolation in order to mitigate the spread of the virus. Consequently, online activities, including gaming, increased during this challenging period. Thus, it was possible that problematic gaming (PG) patterns also increased. In this systematic review and meta-analysis, we estimated the prev...

A positive relationship between user–avatar bond (UAB; i.e., avatar identification and avatar idealization) and problematic gaming (PG) has been well established among Massive Multiplayer Role-Playing Games (MMORPG) players. However, no study has examined how players’ personal identity relates both to UAB and PG. Based on the Motivated Identity Con...

Both interpersonal trauma (IPT) and substance use are linked to mental health problems, however their interplay is understudied. This study will investigate the relationship between IPT, substance use and mental health in a large population-based sample. Participants included 3756 individuals, mainly young university students using a snowball sampl...

Objective: The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to the occurrence of psychological disturbances, such as depressive and anxiety symptomatology, thereby significantly impacting individuals' lifestyles by disrupting sleep patterns. This study aimed to elucidate the interconnections between emotion regulation, depression, anxiety, and daytime sleepin...

Background and aims: he components model of addiction posits that all addictions share six components, namely salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, and conflict. This highly influential model has resulted in the development of numerous psychometric instruments that measure addictive behaviors according to these criteria. Howe...

Summary. Recent research has shown several changes in sleeping patterns and dreaming during the COVID-19 pan- demic. Research typically focused on dream phenomena changes, such as nightmare frequency and dream recall across the different waves of the pandemic. The current study aimed to explore the dreamers’ experience of their dreaming during the...

The aim of this meta-analysis was to group and explore research to compare the psychodynamic treatments with other treatments already well-covered in substance addiction literature. The literature search was conducted using the principal scientific databases. All articles that confront psychodynamic therapy with other types of psychological interve...

Following a network analysis approach, the present study aims to explore the pattern of mutual relationships between failure in reflective functioning (RF)-defined as hypomentalization-problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU), attachment anxiety and avoidance, and childhood maltreatment among emerging adults, with a focus on gender differenc...

Accumulating evidence suggests that substance addictive behaviors are associated with traumatic experiences, emotion dysregulation, and psychopathological symptoms. Emotion dysregulation may contribute to initiating and sustaining addictive behaviors, as a way to cope with interpersonal trauma. However, the interplay between interpersonal trauma, e...

Objective This scoping review aims to provide an accessible summary of available evidence on the efficacy of psychological couple-based interventions among patients with heart disease and their partners focusing on specific aspects and strategies by assessing different emotional and physical cardiac-related outcome measures. Methods A literature s...

The Coronavirus 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic significantly influenced physical and mental health worldwide. The present study aimed to investigate changes in sleep problems across three waves of the COVID‐19 pandemic, and to identify potential predictors of the inter‐individual variability around these changes, with a particular focus on the role of de...

The authors present and discuss the narrative analysis of verbatim transcription of semi-structured interviews of 20 mothers and 20 fathers of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). ASD is a pervasive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by persistent atypicalities in social communication and social interactions across different domains...

This study aimed to outline the literature that considered different dimensions of solitary experience in relation to problematic social media use (PSMU) in young adults. Following the PRISMA guidelines, a systematic review of studies published between 2004 and 2022 was conducted, finding 1841 eligible articles. Of these, 9 studies were included, r...

This symposium aims to present the phenomenon of sleep disorders (i.e., sleep deprivation, delayed sleep phase, and insomnia) in adolescence to contextualize these increasingly frequent problems as highlighted by some recent studies. The symposium will then aim to provide some in-depth proposals concerning adolescent sleep problems, focusing in par...

Introduction: Cyberbullying represents one of the main current concerns of parents, educators and clinicians on youth. It consists of aggressive, offensive and injurious behaviors against a person by means of electronic device and sharing abusive content on the web. Previous studies have highlighted that cyberbullying is associated with individual...

Background: Among the various components of subjective well-being, satisfaction with life attracts consider-able interest, and the research about the antecedents of this construct is a thriving field in the scientific literature. Therefore, the present study aimed at investigating the factor that may in-fluence satisfaction with life, by specifical...

Background: The aim of this systematic review and meta-analysis was to examine the prevalence of feeding and eating disorder (FED) symptoms or dysfunctional eating behaviours (DEB) in the general population during the COVID-19 outbreak. Method: We searched eligible articles in biomedical databases from 1 January 2020 to 31 March 2022. Prevalence...

Purpose COVID-19 pandemic waves have strongly influenced individuals’ behaviors and mental health. Here, we analyzed longitudinal data collected in the Spring 2020 and 2021 from a large Italian sample with the aim of assessing changes in dream features between the first and third wave. Specifically, we evaluated the modifications of pandemic dream...

Although experiences of loss and the consequent grief are natural in human life, some individuals may have difficulty managing these events, to the point of developing significant impairment in their functioning in important life areas. Given this, the present research aimed to explore the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Adult...

One of the main concepts of the psychoanalytic method postulated by Freud in 1912 is the fundamental rule, which involves asking the patient to say whatever comes to mind as the analyst follows the patient's speech with fluctuating attention. Despite different theoretical models, this concept has remained an invariant element that characterizes the...

Introduction The COVID-19 pandemic caused several psychological consequences for the general population. In particular, long-term and persistent psychopathological detriments were observed in those who were infected by acute forms of the virus and need specialistic care in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU). Imagery rehearsal therapy (IRT) has shown pro...

Despite the evidence of a relationship between loneliness, problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU), and sleep quality, associations between specific PSNSU symptoms and loneliness in individuals with poor vs. good sleep quality and possible gender differences have yet to be understood. We examined the relationships between loneliness and PSN...

This study aimed to validate and investigate the psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Measure of Eating Compulsivity-10 (MEC10-IT) in a sample of inpatients with severe obesity (Study 1), and to test the measurement invariance of the measure across non-clinical and clinical samples (Study 2). In the first study, a confirmatory fact...

Problematic Social Networking Sites Use (PSNSU) and social anxiety are associated. SNSs users may develop online social anxiety that may become a standalone problem. The present study aims to test the mediating role of emotion dysregulation and motives (coping, conformity, social, and enhancement) between attachment (anxiety and avoidance) and two...

Background and aims: Maladaptive Daydreaming (MD) is a suggested syndrome where individuals become addicted to fantasizing vividly for hours on end at the expense of engaging in real-world relationships and functioning. MD can be seen as a behavioral addiction. However, a paucity of longitudinal research means that there is no empirical evidence co...

Due to the unpredictability of the COVID‐19 pandemic situation, individuals felt uncertain and insecure. As a consequence, conspiracy theories flourished and quickly spread. In the current study, we examine the relationship between general and COVID‐19‐related conspiracy theories, cognitive reflection, psychopathological symptoms, and defense style...

The components model of addiction posits that all addictions share six components, namely salience, tolerance, mood modification, relapse, withdrawal, and conflict. This highly influential model has resulted in the development of numerous psychometric instruments that measure addictive behaviors according to these criteria. However, recent research...

Background: This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and the psychological comorbidity of PGD among bereaved family caregivers of palliative care cancer patients. We also examined the discriminant validity of two simple and reliable tools in correctly categorized individuals with PGD. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 157 be...

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a pathological condition that may lead to a significant deterioration in the quality of life over time. Therefore, the study of the elements that can characterize the disorder could be considered of great clinical interest and relevance. The aim of the present research was to empirically discriminate the inf...

TikTok use and overuse have grown rapidly in recent years among adolescents. However, risk factors for problematic TikTok use are still largely unknown. In addition, drawing on the flow theory and parental mediation theory, this study aims to examine how adolescents’ perceptions of enjoyment, concentration, and time distortion affect their problema...

Objective: The general aim of this study was to examine the psychological variables associated with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptomatology, focusing on perceived stress, worry, as well as mature, neurotic, and immature defenses. Therefore, the differences in the study variables based on the levels of posttraumatic stress were explored...

Childhood emotional maltreatment (i.e., emotional abuse and emotional neglect), attachment, reflective functioning (RF), defense styles, and disordered eating (DE) are associated with each other. However, no study has yet investigated all these variables simultaneously. The present study aimed to test the mediating role of attachment, RF, and defen...

The Italian version of the South Oaks Gambling Screen questionnaire (SOGS) and a socio-demographic questionnaire were administered to a sample of 275 healthcare professions students aged 19 to 58 years (mean age = 22.17; females = 81.1%) to address the research objectives: to examine the prevalence and correlates of problem gambling in a population...

Background and aims Patients with obsessive-compulsive (OC) disorder are impaired in disengaging attention from negative valence stimuli and show an attentional bias toward the right space. This pattern in OC disorder is similar to the impaired disengagement of attention from stimuli in the ipsilesional space as a consequence of a right-hemispheric...

Objective This study aimed to investigate the relationships between perceived support at the time of assistance, insecure attachment (i.e., avoidance and anxious attachment), and prolonged grief symptoms in family caregivers of palliative care patients deceased for at least one year. We also investigated the moderating role of insecure attachment i...

Over time, a complex crossroad between disordered eating behaviors (DEB) and borderline personality features (BPF) and their association with childhood emotional and physical maltreatment have been established. The present study aimed at evaluating the direct and indirect effect of physical and emotional abuse and neglect on DEB via BPF in a non-cl...

Background: Narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) is a rare neurological sleep disorder caused by the loss of neurons that produce hypocretin-a peptide that plays a crucial role in addictive behaviors. We aimed to compare, for the first time, levels of problematic online gaming, problematic social media use, and compulsive Internet use between NT1 patients and...

The present study investigated the patterns of mutual associations between maladaptive daydreaming-related variables (MD, i.e., interference with life and somatosensory retreat), psychopathological symptoms (i.e., depression, anxiety, somatization, obsessive–compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, psychoticism), emotion regulation strategies (i.e.,...

Evidence on the relation between binge-watching and sleep quality is still scarce and inconsistent and none has taken into account both the healthy and pathological dimensions of the phenomenon. This study aimed at filling this gap by investigating both aspects in healthy participants with high and low sleep quality. Further, we aimed at identifyin...

The relationship between traumatic life events and increased suicide risk has been well reported in literature. However, the complex nature of suicidality phenomena still hinders our ability to comprehend the mediation mechanism underlying this association. In this study, we examined the mediating role of adult attachment and reflective functioning...

Gender differences in the relations between sleep quality, loneliness, and problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU) have yet to be understood. We examined relations between loneliness and PSNSU domains (i.e., preference for online social interaction – POSI, mood regulation, deficient self-regulation, and negative outcomes), and possible mode...

Sleep plays an important role for physical, mental, and emotional health, however its underlying affective processes are still not well understood. Poor sleep quality and insufficient sleep have negative effects on psychological well-being and are linked to affective disorders, such as anxiety and depression, as well as a reduced ability to effecti...

Problematic Social Networking Sites Use (PSNSU) and online social anxiety are emerging phenomena whose risk factors are still poorly known. The present study aimed to examine the relationship between attachment anxiety, attachment avoidance, PSNSU and online social anxiety, and the mediating role of emotion dys- regulation and four motives to use S...

Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a new proposed mental disorder in which an excessive absorption in vivid, narrative fantasies generates impairments in various life domains. This study aimed to examine the role of traumatic life experiences and immature, neurotic, and mature defense styles in MD. Three hundred and fifty-six Italian adults, ranging i...

Background/objective The aim of the current cross-sectional study is to assess the relations between emotion dysregulation, psychological distress, emotional eating, and BMI in a sample of Italian young adults (20-35). Methods A total sample of 600 participants frm the general population, were asked to fill in demographical and physical data, the D...

Introduction. This study aims at examining the role of failures in reflective functioning in predicting anxiety and depression among family caregivers of palliative care patients deceased for at least one year. Methods. A sample of 157 bereaved participants (77.1% females, mean age = 43.50 ± 14.04 years) completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depressio...

The Assessment of Identity Development in Adolescence (AIDA) is a recently developed measure of identity diffusion in young people. Originally validated in Switzerland, the English version has not yet been validated. Our aim was to evaluate the AIDA’s internal factor structure, internal consistency, incremental validity, and relations to other vari...

Cyberchondria is a dysfunctional behavioral pattern characterized by an excessive and anxiety-amplifying engagement in searching for reassuring health information on the Internet. Research demonstrated that somatic symptoms and health anxiety might foster maladaptive health-related behaviors, such as cyberchondria. However, the relationships betwee...

Research highlighted that Problematic Social Networking Sites Use (PSNSU) and vulnerable narcissism are associated. However, the mechanisms underlying this relationship are still unclear. The present study aimed to test the mediating role of motives for social networking sites (SNSs) use between vulnerable narcissism and five symptoms of PSNSU (i.e...

TikTok has one of the most advanced algorithm systems and is the most addictive as compared to other social media platforms. While research on social media addiction is abundant, we know much less about how the TikTok information system environment affects users’ internal states of enjoyment, concentration, and time distortion (which scholars defin...

The study aimed at exploring gender and additional sociodemographic differences in psychological resilience, as well as the association between resilience and psychological distress in older adults, during the first lockdown in Italy, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants attended an online survey during the first lockdown in May 2020. Psychol...

The COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced people’s lives, with non-negligible consequences for the perception of well-being. This study sought to examine the effect of anxiety, post-traumatic impairment, and mature defenses on life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. One thousand three hundred thirty-nine Italian individuals (30% male;...

Objective We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to provide an update on sleep quality in different world areas and better characterize subjective sleep alterations during the COVID-19 pandemic. Considering gender distribution and specific pandemic-related parameters, we also intend to identify significant predictors of sleep problems....

Starting from the idea that dreaming could be considered an index of the psychological health of individuals regarding the COVID-19 outbreak, a major risk of psychological maladjustment has been registered for maladaptive daydreamers (MDers; i.e., people with a compulsive fantasy activity associated with distress and psychological impairment). Neve...

Objective: This study aimed to examine the profiles of reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic based on the combination of fear and future orientation, as well as their sociodemographic, situational, and relational predictors. We also compared posttraumatic growth between the profiles. Method: A sample of 640 Italian participants completed the Multidi...

This study aimed to investigate the association between history of traumatic experiences, compulsive Internet use and reflective functioning in an Italian sample. The relationship between history of traumatic experiences and excessive Internet use was fully mediated by uncertain reflective functioning. Contrary to literature, no gender influence w...

Background and aims Problematic Social Networking Sites Use (PSNSU) has been indicated as potentially detrimental for users’ mental and sleep health. The present study tested whether PSNSU is directly associated with poor sleep quality and indirectly via psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression) in a healthy adult sample of Social Networ...

Problematic gaming is a topic of great clinical and social relevance, so it is particularly important to identify its protective and risk factors. Literature already showed that maladaptive personality favors problematic gaming. In the light of Kernberg’s model of personality organization, the present cross-sectional study aimed to evaluate the med...

Background Adolescence and emerging adulthood are critical periods for young people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there is a lack of appropriate and affordable services available. Aims The Il Tortellante® is an Italian project aimed at promoting adaptive behavior and social skills, and at reducing the severity of symptomatology thr...

Study objectives: The media are the primary source of information about health for the public. The media portrayal of narcolepsy might contribute to the stigmatization of people affected by this condition. This study aimed to describe how narcolepsy is portrayed in newspapers. Methods: We collected 257 newspaper articles from the digital archive...

Research shows that the various waves of COVID-19 have generated increased fears, loneliness, and negative feelings in many adolescents. In this context, social media use may fulfill the pivotal function of connection, thereby supporting a sense of relational and emotional closeness to others via online interactions. However, there is no agreement...

The psychological consequences of COVID‐19 pandemic may include the activation of stress systems, that involve the hypothalamic‐pituitary‐adrenal axis which influences many physiological functions, including sleep. Despite epidemiological studies evidenced greater prevalence of stress symptoms and sleep disturbances during COVID‐19, longitudinal ev...

Literature highlighted that problematic social network sites use might have relevant detrimental consequences on users’ well-being, particularly in adolescence. However, it is still not clear which variables could be considered protective or risk factors for such problematic use. The present study aimed to fill this gap, examining the relationship...

Self-concept, defined as individuals’ ideas about their own competences, can be formed by significant external evaluations or internal attributions of one’s characteristics. Many studies have investigated the relationships between loneliness as a painful feeling arising from a lack of social support and self-concept in late childhood without distin...

Purpose The present study aimed to explore the mediating role of emotion dysregulation and problematic Internet use in the relationship between negative affect and excessive daytime sleepiness. Methods This cross-sectional study included 664 Italian adults aged between 18 and 70 years (M = 32.13; SD = 11.71). Participants were asked to complete th...

A systematic review of the literature was conducted to summarize research that examined the associations between problematic social networking sites use (PSNSU) and attachment-related phenomena among adolescents and adults. Records were included in the systematic review if they presented original data, assessed attachment and PSNSU, were published...

Purpose Although a link between problematic online pornographic use (POPU) and insomnia symptoms has been established, psychological and psychopathological mechanisms underlying this relationship are still not clear. Psychological stress and emotion dysregulation have been pointed out as relevant in the development and maintenance of insomnia. This...

Purpose Previous studies showed poor sleep quality during the first Italian lockdown consequent to the quick spread of the virus. Poor sleep quality remained stable during the so-called “second wave”, which started in Autumn 2020. This study aimed to compare sleep quality between the two waves of contagions and to examine the effect of resilience,...

Purpose Individuals with fibromyalgia and obesity experience significant impairment in physical functioning. Pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and pain acceptance have all been identified as important factors associated with the level of disability. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of pain catastrophizing, kinesiophobia, and...

1) Background: Maladaptive daydreaming (MD) is a concept that describes a significant imaginary activity that replaces human engagement and/or interferes with academic, interpersonal, or vocational functioning. We explored the interaction between attachment style, reflective functioning (RF), and the narrative dimension of MD. (2) Methods: 414 adul...