Luca Cerniglia

• Professor
• Professor (Associate) at UniNettuno University

Several studies have suggested that maternal eating disorders (EDs) represent a significant risk factor for children's affective and behavioral development. Yet, little emphasis has been placed on the paternal role. The present longitudinal study aimed to clarify the role of maternal EDs and the influence of paternal psychological profiles on child...

The present paper aims to longitudinally assess the emotional functioning of children of mothers with depression, anxiety, or eating disorders and of mothers with no psychological disorders and to evaluate the possible mediating role of fathers' psychological profiles on children's internalizing/externalizing functioning using SCID I, SCL-90/R and...

Abstract Thelossofaparentduringchildhoodisatraumaticexperiencethatcanbring about several difficulties in adaptation and psychopathological problems over time during the child’s development. The present study assesses the psychological function- ing of a sample of non-referred pre-adolescents and adolescents and considers the impact of the loss of a...

The article aims to study mother-child and father-child interactions with 24-month-old children during feeding, considering the possible influence of time spent by the parent with the child, the infantile temperament, and the parental psychological profile. The families were recruited from 12 preschools in Italy (N = 77 families). Through an observ...

Ricerche RIASSUNTO: Obiettivo: Il presente lavoro ha l'obiettivo di studiare la qualità delle interazioni genitore-bambino durante l'alimentazione a 24 mesi d'età, prendendo in considerazione la possibile influenza del ri-schio psicopatologico genitoriale e del coinvolgimento materno e paterno, valutato in termini di tempo, de-dicato all'accudiment...

Internet addiction (IA) is one of the global concerns of our time, and research continues on understanding its psychological, neurobiological, and behavioral bases [...]

Background: Parent–child interactions during mealtime significantly influence social, emotional, and cognitive development in early childhood. Increasing parental use of digital technology has been linked to disruptions in these interactions, a phenomenon termed “technoference,” which is associated with relational conflicts and psychosocial difficu...

Background: This study explores parental dysregulation when associated with adolescents’ involvement in street fights with peers. Parental dysregulation, characterized by emotional volatility, impulsivity, and inconsistent discipline, significantly affects adolescent development, influencing their social, emotional, and behavioral functioning. Stre...

Background: Limited research has explored father–child interactions during feeding in dyads where fathers use cocaine, despite the critical role these interactions play in infant development. Methods: This study aimed to evaluate whether paternal cocaine use, psychopathology (measured via the SCL-90/R), and difficult child temperament (assessed usi...

Background/Objectives: Early childhood development is profoundly influenced by parent–child interactions, with recent research emphasizing the crucial role fathers play alongside mothers. Paternal involvement, especially in caregiving activities like feeding, positively impacts children’s cognitive, emotional, and social development. However, pater...

Background: This study evaluated the effectiveness of an online intervention designed to improve parent–child interactions and address disordered eating behaviors in children. Using remote video-feedback sessions based on observations of mother–child feeding interactions, the intervention offers a cost-effective and environmentally friendly alterna...

The prevalence of adolescents watching pornographic material online is growing in the last years. At the same time the average age of youth showing this behavior is rapidly decreasing. Research in this field has focused on adolescents ranging 11–18 years of age, whereas no attention has been given to younger youths. Using the Difficulties in Emotio...

In recent years, the field of psychological and health-related interventions has seen a paradigm shift towards personalized and tailored approaches [...]

The emergence of social media alongside the creation of the metaverse marks two pivotal technological evolutions of our era, significantly altering the manner in which individuals engage, communicate, and understand their environment and relationships [...]

Investigating the neurocognitive mechanisms behind implicit risk assessment and decision making in adolescents is crucial for understanding the intricate array of behaviors typical of this developmental phase [...]

Background: This research investigates peripartum depression in fathers during COVID-19, focusing on how pandemic-related distress is associated with paternal depressive symptoms and the quality of father–child feeding interactions. The primary objective was to understand if the pandemic has influenced depressive symptoms in new fathers and how the...

In September 2020, this Journal published a Special Issue (SI) entitled “Parent-Child Interactions: Paths of Intergenerational Transmission of Psychopathological Risk” that included fourteen interesting articles (see here for all of the published manuscripts’ references: https://www [...]

Background: Adolescents can benefit from studying abroad in terms of personal development, cross-cultural encounters, and academic enrichment. This article digs into the psychological challenges that students may face before and during their study abroad, focusing on the emotional components of their experiences. Methods: The current descriptive st...

The genesis of dating applications can be traced back to the early days of the internet, where websites served as the primary medium for digital dating [...]

Eating disorders (EDs), encompassing conditions such as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder, represent a significant public health concern, particularly among children and adolescents [...]

Objective: Research on the psychopathological effects of the COVID-19 pandemic has not specifically focused on mothers with dysregulated eating and their children. Methods: This study aimed to observe whether the symptoms of mothers with binge eating episodes (assessed through the SCL-90/R and the TFEQ-R18) worsened from the pre-pandemic period (T1...

The increased risk of internalizing and externalizing symptoms in children has been observed in the presence of maternal psychopathology. This study aimed to investigate a potential pathway involving the quality of early interactions between mothers and their children. A sample of 150 mother–child dyads underwent assessment when the children were 3...

Numerous studies have found that the COVID-19 epidemic and the measures to stop it have had a substantial impact on the mental health of the general population. Nevertheless, the majority of this research only looked at the variations in the degree of psychopathological symptoms in individuals before and after the first wave of the pandemic. In a s...

Background: Recent research has introduced the concept of a unifying dimension, known as the “p factor,“ which encompasses various comorbid disorders and consists of lower-order factors including Internalizing, Externalizing, and Thought Disorder dimensions. Method: This study examined clusters of psychopathological symptoms in mothers and their ch...

Background: Women are increasingly using breastfeeding apps to facilitate and organize breastfeeding; however, no study has so far focused on maternal psychopathological risk and on the quality of dyadic exchanges in this field. Aim and Methods: This preliminary, descriptive study aimed at evaluating levels of psychopathological symptoms (through t...

Background It has been posited that parental distress, the quality of maternal care and offspring’s dysregulation can be predicted by maternal maladaptive characteristics. However, only a few studies have considered mothers’ personality organizations and features of the p factor in mothers as possible predictors of symptoms in their children. Meth...

We explored the interrelationships between risk-taking and self-harm in typically developing adolescents by examining various contributing factors, such as personality traits, difficulties in emotion regulation, attachment styles, and maladaptive psychological functioning. A sample of 234 Italian adolescents completed the Risk-Taking and Self-Harm...

Advancements in genetic and epigenetic research have opened new avenues for personalized psychological intervention in children. The knowledge that genetic and epige-netic factors significantly contribute to individual differences in emotional and behavioral responses has transformed the field of child psychology. This editorial explores the potent...

Several studies have shown that the age of onset of psychopathology is decreasing, and that at least some clinical manifestations (e [...]

In some situations, due to the risk of contagion, the recent COVID-19 pandemic forced parent-child separation to occur in attempts to slow down the spread of the virus. In many countries, governments' policies recommended (or imposed) physical distance between people, even in the same family if one family member was positive to the virus and the ot...

Pre-adolescence is generally considered a period of change during which sexual energy remains latent before gradually beginning to express itself in adolescence and later in life [...]

According to the WHO (World Health Organization), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is an elective therapy to treat people with post-traumatic stress disorders (PTSD). In line with the personalization of therapeutic strategies, through this pilot study, we assessed in people suffering from the effects of trauma the feasibility, s...

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, many governments enacted strict measures to stop the spread of the virus. Among these was the recommendation that children with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 be isolated in a room at home. Methods: Through a longitudinal study with three waves and using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised, the Child Behavi...

During online interactions, adolescents are often exposed to deviant opportunities. In this context, the capacity to regulate one’s behavior is essential to prevent cyberbullying. Among adolescents, this online aggressive behavior is a growing phenomenon, and its deleterious effects on teenagers’ mental health are well known. The present work argue...

Background Youth violence has become a worrying public health issue worldwide. In Europe and the USA, research has shown a prevalence of this phenomenon ranging from 30 to 70% in boys. Aims This descriptive study aimed to evaluate psychological profiles of male adolescents involved in fights with their peers. Method Identity consolidation was eva...

Adolescents and young adults engage in sexting behaviors. Research has mainly emphasized the relationship between motivations and sexting behaviors, with little attention paid to sex-ting expectations and the potential role of coping strategies. This study aims to explore the measure of emotional-behavioral functioning with the Youth/Adult Self Rep...

Introduction: Before the COVID-19 pandemic, proximity between mothers and their newborn infants was at the core of sanitary guidelines. With the aim of stopping the virus transmission from mothers to infants and possible physical dangers due to the infection, some hospitals discouraged or even prohibited skin-to-skin contact and breastfeeding. Me...

New technologies, such as cell phones, are now a fundamental part of daily life and have become an essential tool in the social lives of all individuals. Adolescent sleep has been explored through various conceptual and empirical models and the most recent research shows that electronic media use has a significant role in sleep, especially during a...

Current research has confirmed that the quality of the caregiver-child relationship influences the child’s emotional and behavioral development. Play and feeding contexts, for example, are the best contexts to observe mother-child or father-child interaction. The observation of feeding interaction establishes involvement on the part of both parties...

Using network analysis, we investigated the relationships between maladaptive psychological functioning, difficulties in emotion regulation, and risk-taking in deliberative and affective behavioral decisions. Participants (103 adolescents aged between 13 and 19 years, 62% boys) took the Cold (deliberative) and Hot (affective) versions of the Columb...

Although mobile technologies are a fundamental part of daily life, several studies have shown increased use of electronic devices, TV, and gaming during childhood in conjunction with the COVID-19 pandemic. The virus affected almost every country, causing uncertainty about the future, social isolation, and distress. This narrative review has searche...

The literature focused on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on young adult university students’ mental health shows a significant increase in psychopathological symptoms and Internet Addiction (IA). The key role played by attachment and alexithymia has also been suggested, but no study has explored the possible dynamic relationship between these...

Adolescents tend to experience multiple motor-vehicle crashes (MVCs). Recent literature has thoroughly explored the psychological consequences following an MVC, but prior psychological functioning, the ability to regulate one's emotions and tendencies to impulsivity and aggressive behaviors have been far less explored. This study aims to explore th...

Psychopathological symptoms such as depression/anxiety vs. attention or aggression problems, in children, have been associated to altered expression of the DAT1/SLC6A3 gene. Inheriting specific 9- or 10-repeat VNTR alleles could modify the pattern of methylation in the CpGs islands at the 5’-UTR of the DAT1 gene. Through accurate recruitment at pri...

Background: Substance abuse in pregnancy is a very complex issue with significant implications for the mother and the child. Maternal substance use often occurs along with depressive symptoms, stress, poor mental health, poor social support and self-injurious behaviour. Many studies have shown an increase in the use of substances to cope with the f...

Ubiquitous technology, big data, more efficient electronic health records, and predictive analytics are now at the core of smart healthcare systems supported by artificial intelligence. In the present narrative review, we focus on sensing technologies for the healthcare of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). We employed a framework inspired by the Interpersonal...

Research in this field predominantly portrays pornography consumption as a way adolescents nowadays choose to explore sexuality and as something that is becoming normative. However, it is our opinion that the possibility of watching pornographic material by early adolescents should be carefully considered rather than passively accepted as something...

Research has shown that Postnatal maternal depression (PND) is associated with children’s emotional and behavioral problems during infancy, but the possible effect of father-child relationship quality on this association is yet to be thoroughly investigated. We recruited 401 families (802 parents; 401 children) via mental health clinics in Central...

Numerous studies have found that the COVID-19 epidemic and the measures to stop it have had a substantial impact on the mental health of the general population. Nevertheless, the majority of this research only looked at the variations in the degree of psychopathological symptoms in individuals before and after the first wave of the pandemic. In a s...

Adolescents frequently experience motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Research has mostly underlined the psychological outcomes, rather than adolescents’ general emotional–behavioral functioning and the role played by family. This study aims to explore the emotional–behavioral functioning, measured with the Youth Self Report (YSR), difficulties to ide...

Background and Objectives: Previous research on associations between Body Image Concerns (BIC) and technological addictions, such as Internet addiction (IA) and Social Media Addiction (SMA), has focused on female samples, neglecting the impact they may have on males and the risk factor associated with age. The present study analyzed the correlation...

The COVID-19 pandemic had an impact on children’s and caregivers’ mental health. We investigated psychopathological symptoms in a group of non-at-risk and a group of at-risk mothers and their school-age children from the pre-pandemic period to the lockdown period and to the post-lockdown period. We used the SCL-90/R to assess mothers’ psychological...

Our body-brain system, under physiological conditions, interacts adaptively with the environment. Our central hypothesis is that the triadic principle of feedback-synchrony-plasticity (FeeSyCy, Figure 1) governs the adaptive capacity of the body-brain system. In this opinion, with the perspective goal of contributing to the fight against disorders...

Objective: This study aimed at assessing the prevalence of eating disorders and symptoms of dieting, food preoccupation, and oral control and internalizing/externalizing problems in a group of adolescents before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A sample of N = 813 adolescents (age range = 14-15 years) was recruited in the general popul...

Purpose This study evaluated the outcomes of a telehealth intervention aimed at enhancing exchanges in mother–child dyads who showed an impoverishment of the quality of their feeding interactions and a worsening of their psychopathological symptoms during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods N=334 mothers and their three-year-old children were recruited...

Purpose Eating disturbances are complex heritable conditions that can be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors but are poorly studied in early development. The aim of this research was to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms within dopaminergic pathways with early feeding problems. Methods We analyzed the presence of...

Background International literature has underlined the complex interplay between genetic and environmental variables in shaping children’s emotional-behavioral functioning. Objective This study aimed to explore the dynamic relationship between children’s Dopamine Transporter (DAT1) genotype and methylation, and maternal and paternal affective envi...

Eating disorders are among the most common clinical manifestations in children, and they are frequently connected with maternal psychopathological risk, internalizing/externalizing problems in children, and poor quality of mother–child feeding exchanges. During the COVID-19 lockdown, in person assessment and intervention were impeded due to the ind...

Ubiquitous technology, big data, more efficient electronic health records, and predictive analytics are now at the core of smart healthcare systems supported by artificial intelligence. In the present narrative review, we focus on sensing technologies for the healthcare of Anorexia Nervosa (AN). We employed a framework inspired by the Interpersonal...

Purpose. Eating disorders are complex heritable conditions that can be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors but are poorly studied in early development. The aim of this research was to investigate the association of genetic polymorphisms within dopaminergic pathways with early eating disorders. Methods. We analyzed the presence of V...

International research has evidenced the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on families, and the key role played by parenting stress levels. Although significant associations with parents' past trauma and resilience have been shown, this study aimed to explore their complex interplay on the relationship between parents' peritraumatic dis...

International research has underlined a worrying increase in Internet and Instagram addiction among emerging adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Although the role played by alexithymia and psychological distress due to COVID-19 has been evidenced, no study has explored their complex relationship in predicting emerging adults’ Internet and Instagra...

During the COVID-19 pandemic, adolescents could not leave their house freely, meet up with friends, or attend school; previous literature showed that youths under enforced confinement or quarantine were five times more likely to suffer from psychopathological symptoms and use social networks sites (SNs) greatly. This study aimed to verify whether t...

The scientific literature has shown the key role played by attachment to parents and peers and difficulties in recognizing, processing, and regulating emotions (i.e., alexithymia) in the (mal-)adaptive psychological response to the COVID-19 pandemic during late adolescence. No study has yet explored the complex interplay between these variables. We...

The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted the life of individuals in several realms such as work, education, and interpersonal interactions. No research has so far investigated the possible influence of the emergency on the quality of mother-child exchanges during feeding. The present study aimed to do so in a sample of mothers and children (N = 359) recr...

https://authors.elsevier.com/c/1dDM7iVKTZjF1 During the second year of life, mother's sensitivity in encouraging child autonomy supports children's emotional-affective individuation. In the feeding context, there is a clear transition from dependence on the mother to an emerging autonomy. Several studies have found an association between children'...

International research has evidenced the key role played by adults’ and adolescents’ family functioning, impulsivity, and empathy in antisocial personality problems. To date, no study has assessed the complex interaction between these variables during emerging adulthood. This study aimed to explore the possible interplay between antisocial personal...

International literature has shown that adolescents represent the population most at risk of fatal and nonfatal motor vehicle collisions (MVCs). Adolescents’ alexithymic traits and significant use of immature defense strategies have been seen to play a key role. This study aimed to investigate the possible mediation role played by defense strategie...

La letteratura ha sempre più evidenziato il contributo svolto dall’interazione gene-ambiente (G x E) sullo sviluppo del bambino, ma solo pochi studi hanno analizzato l’interazione tra il ge- notipo del gene trasportatore della dopamina (DAT1) del bambino e l’ambiente familiare. Scopo del presente studio, in un campione di 124 famiglie unite di bamb...

Accumulating research addressed epigenetic modifications and their role on behavioral phenotypes. We recently proposed to study methylation dynamics of two CpG motifs within the 5’-UTR of dopamine transporter (DAT) gene. Starting from a normative population sample of young adults, we selected three sub-groups based on their prevalent symptoms: subj...

Epigenetic mechanisms, in particular DNA methylation, have been implicated in the etiopathogenesis of psychopathologies in adulthood. The significance of this mechanism in child psychopathologies, however, is much less recognized. Here, we examined whether global DNA methylation alteration was associated with the presence of disruptive mood dysregu...

International research has underlined the role played by children’s and maternal psychopathological symptoms on the onset of avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder (ARFID) in early childhood. No study has considered the possible interplay between children’s dopamine transporter (DAT1) genotype and methylation, dysregulation problems and maternal...

Background The dopamine active transporter (DAT) gene has been implicated in various psychiatric disorders such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and externalizing behaviors. Studies on the methylation loci of DAT and Internet addiction (IA) are sparse. The study aimed to look at the association between various methylation loci of the DAT...

Background International research has emphasized that youths are at higher risk for the onset of internet addiction (IA), but studies investigating biological, psychological, and social factors associated with this condition are limited. Objective This study aims to investigate the possible association between IA and genetic polymorphisms in monoam...

The developmental psychopathology clinical and theoretical framework has proposed a bio-psycho-social model that integrates biological, environmental, social, and psychological factors to disentangle the underpinning mechanisms of the intergenerational transmission of psychopathological risk. It has been shown that parental psychopathological risk...

The use of digital devices among very young children is quickly spreading, although the effects of screen time on emotional and cognitive functioning are still debated. In a sample of N = 422 children and their mothers, this 4-year longitudinal study aimed to evaluate the hypothesis that the use of digital devices as smartphones and tablets at 4 ye...

Background Maternal sub-threshold and non-clinical depression and its possible outcomes on offspring internalizing/externalizing symptoms has received growing attention in recent years because of its significant worldwide prevalence. Methods Through a Latent State-Trait Analysis approach (LST), this longitudinal study aimed to identify a stable co...

Emergency situations have been associated with negative psychological adjustment outcomes in healthcare professionals, although studies on the impact of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic amongst Italian health workers are limited. The main aim of this study was to investigate the psychological adjustment of healthcare professionals d...

International research has underlined that both interpersonal, self-regulation, and comorbid variables can lead to a higher risk of developing internet addiction (IA) among young adults. To date, no studies have explored the interplay between young adults' family functioning, impulsivity, and psychopathological difficulties. In a community sample o...

International research has highlighted the role played by individual genetic polymorphism, children's emotional-behavioral functioning, and quality of parent-child feeding interaction in shaping children's development. Few studies have focused on the dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene in these processes. In a community sample of 81 families with youn...

Internet influences our communication, social and work interactions, entertainment, and many other aspects of life. Even if the original purpose was to simplify our lives, an excessive and/or maladaptive use of it may have negative consequences. The dopamine transporter (DAT1) gene was studied in relation to addictions, including excessive use of t...

Il presente lavoro esplora i legami temporali negli enunciati costituiti da 1 gesto e 1 parola durante il primo sviluppo comunicativo-linguistico, distinguendo tra combinazioni sincrone e asincrone. Si analizza la produzione spontanea di 10 bambini singoli nati a termine e 2 pretermine, senza danno neurologico, osservati longitudinalmente nei primi...

Background: A patient-tailored therapeutic approach in the field of Heroin Use Disorder (HUD) still seems to be in its infancy. The study of patients' specific psychopathology, craving behaviours and stress reactivity pointed to novel information in making treatment choices and improving outcomes. Indeed, biological features appear to be scarce. Me...

Numerosi studi hanno sottolineato l'importanza della capacità di identificare e descrivere le emozioni, come centrale rispetto al benessere psicologico in adolescenza. Sono pochi gli studi che hanno però indagato le difficoltà alessitimiche degli adolescenti, in relazione al funzionamento familiare. Nel presente studio gli autori si sono posti l'ob...

While accumulating literature is demonstrating the role of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in predicting emotional–behavioural difficulties in adults of at risk populations, only few studies have focused on the possible association between the methylation status of the DAT promoter and the psychopathological risk of mothers, fathers and children in...

Il nostro contributo ha la finalità di esplorare l’impatto nello sviluppo psicologico infantile delle misure legate all’isolamento delle famiglie e dei bambini provocato dal Covid-19.

Background: Problematic Internet Use (PIU), which may otherwise be called excessive Internet use, is distinguished by excessive or poorly controlled preoccupations, urges, or behaviours regarding computer use and internet access; and shows high comorbidity associated with psychiatric disorders. In previous studies, our Research Group highlighted fi...

A growing literature is focusing on the possible positive and negative outcomes associated with the use of technological devices and apps (played on smartphones and Ipads) in children in their first five years of life. Apparently, two conflicting branches of literature are accumulating results in this field: (a) studies investigating whether the us...

Most behavioral studies on animals focus on observation of individual subjects. Current paradigms of sociability set aside the social-operant dimension, i.e. acting in favor of another conspecific. We focused on prosocial behavior and reciprocity of male, adult Wild-Type (WT) and Heterozygous (HET) rats for the dopamine-transporter (DAT) gene. Met...

The literature on food intake disorder (ARFID) in early childhood has evidenced psychopathologic difficulties in both children and their mothers and a poor quality of feeding interactions. Only a few studies have focused on three different ARFID subtypes: irritable/impulsive (I/I), sensory food aversions (SFA), and post-traumatic feeding disorder (...

The role of the dopamine transporter (DAT) in the onset and maintenance of emotional–behavioral difficulties is recognized in adults, adolescents and school-age children, whereas few studies in this field have focused on preschoolers. The study recruited 2-year old children (N = 152) in the general population assessing the possible effect of DAT me...

The A118G single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) of the μ-opioid receptor gene, with high expression of the A allele and low expression of the G allele, has been associated with emotional/behavioral dysregulation and depressive disorders and is recognized as a mediator of affiliative behavior. This study compared a sample of healthy children and thei...

Internalizing and externalizing problems may develop as early as in the first years of life and can place children on a developmental pathway to peer problems, negative interactions with parents, delinquency, and other negative social and behavioral outcomes [1-5]. Internalizing problems of early childhood typically appear in the form of withdrawal...