Marta Ghisi

University of Padova | UNIPD · Department of General Psychology

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a vulnerability factor for several psychological disorders and may be an important target for transdiagnostic interventions (Shihata et al., 2016). The current pilot study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a transdiagnostic cognitive-behavioural group intervention delivered to 7 university students. These stu...

Objective: To explore the direct and indirect associations between intolerance of uncertainty, health anxiety (HA), and psychological distress through problematic internet use (PIU) and cyberchondria, both before and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Two Italian samples were enrolled via an online questionnaire. Sample 1 (N...

The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) developed by Tangney, Baumeister, and Boone (2004) is a widely used measure of trait self-control. The present study aimed to validate Italian version of the BSCS. 262 Italian university students completed BSCS along with measures of grit, impulsive behavior, self-esteem, resilience, and psychological distress. 1...

Positive body image is a protective factor for the development of Eating Disorders (Piran, 2015). This study investigates the efficacy of an online psychological intervention focused on functionality appreciation in enhance positive body image and intuitive eating in young females. One hundred and forty-three young females were randomized into two...

Objective The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the relationship between quality of life (QoL) and body image distress in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC), considering relevant psychological variables (i.e., coping strategies, social anxiety symptoms, self-esteem, intolerance of uncertainty, pain, and distress). We also aimed...

Studies pertaining to muscle dysmorphia (MD) have concentrated the most on males. However, a new body ideal for women is emerging: a very toned, athletic body with flat, smooth muscles. The emphasis on the level of muscularity represents a contribution to the growth of MD symptoms in women. The aim of this study was to evaluate the factorial struct...

Body dissatisfaction has been related to Body Image Disorders (BIDs) such as Eating Disorders (EDs) and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD). This study investigates the efficacy of a mHealth app in reducing body dissatisfaction, BDD/ED symptoms and related features. Ninety-five women who were identified as high-risk of developing BIDs (using the Structu...

Numerous studies have examined the relationship between changes in Physical Activity (PA) and mental health during the lockdown. With respect to Italy, there is a lack of studies investigating changes in the type of and in the levels of PA performed pre- and during the lockdown and the relationship among PA changes and psychological variables such...

Students can turn to university counseling services for several reasons, ranging from study-related to emotional issues; yet, few instruments assess both dimensions. This study examines the validity of the “Study-Anxiety” Questionnaire (SAQ), a measure evaluating study strategies, motivation and anxiety in students seeking psychological help. Two s...

Eating disorders are multifaceted psychopathologies and the transdiagnostic approach is currently considered a useful framework to understand their complexity. This preliminary study aimed to investigate both broad (i.e., intolerance of uncertainty and emotion dysregulation) and narrow (i.e., extreme body dissatisfaction) transdiagnostic risk facto...

Music Performance Anxiety is a specific type of performance anxiety, impairing musical performers around the world. To explain this condition, a model composed of three different and integrated factors was proposed: a factor associated to concerns related to the performance setting, a factor associated to psychological vulnerability (i.e., depressi...

Little is known about the intraindividual dispositional factors related to cognitive, behavioral, and emotional academic learning outcomes under COVID-19. This study investigated (i) the associations of intraindividual factors, some related to studying (motivation to learn, self-regulated learning, and study resilience), others more general (soft s...

Background/Objective Unwanted mental intrusions (UMIs) with contents related to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness Anxiety Disorder (IAD), and Eating Disorders (EDs) are highly prevalent, independently of the cultural and/or social context. Cognitive-behavioral explanations for these disorders postulates th...

The triarchic model of psychopathy conceptualizes variants of this clinical condition as expressions of three distinct biobehavioral dispositions, termed boldness, meanness, and disinhibition. As a trait-oriented model, the triarchic model situates psychopathy within a broader nomological network of personality and psychopathology, and has proven u...

The aim of the study is to investigate the impact of coping strategies on Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) and physical disability assessed with the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) of people with multiple sclerosis (pwMS). PwMS were asked to focus on “MS diagnosis” as the core stressor. One hundred eight pwMS completed the Coping Resp...

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic forced most Italian athletes to cease their regular training activities, with possible consequences on both mental and physical health. The present study aimed at assessing changes in Physical Activity (PA) from pre- to lockdown, and examining the relationships among lockdown PA, quality of life (mental and physica...

Background: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by concerns for perceived defects in physical appearance that appear to others as mild or unobservable. Individuals with BDD frequently refer concerns with their physical appearance being 'not right' (Not Just Right Experiences; NJREs), and BDD related behaviors may be performed until the...

Background Individuals who possess the “Looming Cognitive Style” (LCS; Riskind et al. in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology 79:837–852, 2000) are biased to perceive mental simulations of possible threats as dynamically emergent phenomena that are rapidly growing, approaching, and expanding in negative consequences. The present study aimed...

The construct of intuitive eating is most often measured using the 23-item Intuitive Eating Scale-2 (IES-2), but previous studies have typically relied solely on confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to understand IES-2 dimensionality. In contrast, a bifactor exploratory structural equation modelling (B-ESEM) framework offers a more realistic account...

The Covid-19 pandemic obliged people around the world to stay home and self-isolate, with a number of negative psychological consequences. This study focuses on the protective role of character strengths in sustaining mental health and self-efficacy during lockdown. Data were collected from 944 Italian respondents (mean age = 37.24 years, SD = 14.5...

Identifying the correlates of competition anxiety is fundamental to athletes' well-being and performance. Self-compassion is gaining attention in sport psychology because of its associations with positive outcomes, while repetitive negative thinking (i.e. worry and rumination) is associated with negative conditions, such as anxiety. Building on pre...

The Functionality Appreciation Scale (FAS; Alleva et al., 2017) is a widely used instrument for the measurement of an individual’s appreciation of their body for what it can do and is capable of doing (i.e., functionality appreciation). Here, we examined the psychometric properties of a novel Italian translation of the FAS. A sample of 950 Italian...

We used structural equation modeling to assess the role of impaired emotional awareness and clarity (Impaired Awareness/Clarity) and inability to control behaviors when experiencing emotional distress (Inability to Control Behaviors) as an account for the relationship between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and negative affect (NA) in individuals w...

This study investigated the association between maladaptive personality traits, personality disorders (PDs), schizophrenia, and the risk of aggressive behavior. Ninety-four patients with a history of violence and 92 patients with no history of violence underwent a multidimensional baseline assessment. Aggressive behavior was monitored during a 1-ye...

Background/Objective: Not Just Right Experiences (NJREs) are currently considered as one of the motivators of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), but the ways through which NJREs affect OCD symptoms remains unclear. The aim of the present study was to examine the putative mediational role of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) in the association betwe...

Background Individuals who possess the “Looming Cognitive Style” (LCS; Riskind, Williams, Gessner, Chrosniak, & Cortina, 2000) are biased to perceive mental simulations of possible threats as dynamically emergent phenomena that are rapidly growing, approaching, and expanding in negative consequences. The present study aimed to evaluate whether the...

Intolerance of uncertainty (IU) is a transdiagnostic vulnerability factor spanning psychological disorders. Although IU has been extensively studied, its internal structure is still not fully understood. In the current study, we applied network analysis to investigate IU-as measured by the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised (IUS-R)-in two lar...

Cyberchondria refers to the tendency to excessively and compulsively search for online medical information despite the distress experienced, with consequent impairment of daily‐life activities. The current two studies sought to explore: (i) the factor‐structure of the Italian version of the Cyberchondria Severity Scale; and (ii) a metacognitive mod...

Background: Relationship Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ROCD) is a presentation of OCD centering on interpersonal relationships. The aim of the Randomized Control Trial (RCT) was to assess the efficacy of short, game like, daily cognitive intervention delivered via a mobile application in reducing subclinical ROCD symptoms and associated phenomena....

Despite rapidly increasing knowledge about Trichotillomania (TTM), no gold-standard evidence-based psychological intervention has been identified. In the current study, we evaluated the potential efficacy of an eight-session psychological intervention for TTM, namely the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB) treatment, using a multiple-baseline sin...

Background: Metacognitive functions play a key role in understanding which psychological variables underlying the personality might lead a person with a severe mental disorder to commit violent acts against others. The aims of this study were to: (a) investigate the differences between patients with poor metacognitive functioning (PM group) and pa...

Introduction Young adult males are more likely to demonstrate health-risk behaviors than other individuals. The use of specific data about health-risk behaviors within this population might be important to promote effective preventive psychosocial and educational programs and interventions. Aim To provide a detailed description of health-related l...

Body dissatisfaction is prevalent in young women, and is associated with symptoms of Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) and Eating Disorders (EDs). The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of a mobile application, based on cognitive behavioral principles, in reducing body dissatisfaction and BDD/ED symptoms in female university students consider...

Background: The achievement of recovery is related to the notion of developing personal potential and restoring a legitimate social role, even against the backdrop of mental illness limitations. It is still difficult to fully understand this highly subjective and dynamic process. Therefore, in order to test the recovery process, specific tools, sti...

The overlap between parent and child psychological distress might be attributed to the intergenerational transmission of intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The current study explored the association between parental and child IU in female university students. Female undergraduates (N = 234) and their parents completed questionnaires assessing IU and...

Although “not just right experiences” (NJREs) and disgust proneness (DP) have been increasingly implicated in the development and maintenance of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), no studies to date have examined their conjoint effect. In the present study, structural equation modeling was used to examine the extent to which NJREs and DP were ass...

It has been contended that research about “Not Just Right Experiences” (NJREs) would be biased by the type of measures prevalently utilized to assess such phenomenon. That is, items intended to assess a construct conceptualized as a possible vulnerability factor of obsessive–compulsive (OC) symptoms may have tapped the symptoms themselves. In the c...

Introduction: Patients with Substance Use Disorders (SUDs) usually act impulsively to manage negative emotions due to poor emotion regulation (ER) and to the tendency to engage in rash behavior when experiencing negative affect (i.e., negative urgency, NU). Similarly, people with high levels of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) might perform impulsiv...

Participation in specific sport disciplines such as aesthetic sports might expose a greater risk for developing eating disorders. Demands and pressures associated with aesthetic sports constitute socio-environmental risk factors.The primary aim of the present study was to investigate whether there are differences between athletes who practice aesth...

Background/Objective Unwanted mental intrusions (UMIs), typically discussed in relation to Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), are highly prevalent, regardless of the specific nationality, religion, and/or cultural context. Studies have also shown that UMIs related to Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD), Illness anxiety/Hypochondriasis (IA-H), and Eati...

The Italian Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised.

Intolerance of Uncertainty is a trans-diagnostic process that spans a range of emotional disorders and it is usually measured through the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12. The current study aims at investigating some issues in the assessment of Intolerance of Uncertainty (IU) through the Italian Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-Revised, a measur...

Community sample dataset. (CSV)

Undergraduate sample dataset. (CSV)

People might employ unhelpful coping strategies to manage uncertainty, such as over-engagement, under-engagement, and impulsive behaviors. The current study explored the association between prospective and inhibitory intolerance of uncertainty (IU), negative urgency (NU), worry, and behavioral responses to everyday life uncertain situations. A samp...

The aims of this study were (a) to investigate the presence of clinically significant personality traits and personality disorders (PD) in patients living in residential facilities, with or without a history of violence (69 and 46, respectively); and (b) to investigate any associations between clinically significant personality traits and PDs, aggr...

Integrating self- and other-reports allows gaining complementary information while assessing personality traits of a target individual. The current study aimed at exploring self-other agreement in personality through the Personality Inventory for the DSM-5 (PID-5) and the PID-5-Informant Form (PID-5-IRF) in an Italian community sample. Data from 80...

Objective: Investigating whether intolerance of uncertainty interacts with difficulties in emotion regulation and negative affect in Italian individuals with borderline personality disorder compared to healthy controls. Method: A group of patients with borderline personality disorder (N=48; clinical group) and a group of healthy participants (N=48)...

Muscle Dysmorphia (MD) is a psychological disorder characterized by the preoccupation with the idea that one's body is not lean and muscular. The current study aimed to explore MD behaviours and symptoms in three groups of recreational athletes: bodybuilders (BB; n = 42), strength athletes (SA; n = 61), and fitness practitioners (FP; n = 22). Furth...

Worry is frequently observed in undergraduates, especially in female students who usually show a lower adjustment to college life than male ones. The current study explored gender differences in worry and its associated cognitive features in a large sample of Italian university students and assessed whether different mechanisms may occur in the pat...

Patients with Anorexia Nervosa (AN) and patients with Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) are both characterized by body image disturbance and dissatisfaction; furthermore, these disorders share clinical features and frequently co-occur. However, few studies have explored the relation between AN and BDD. Therefore, the first aim of the study was assessi...

Objective: Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is a psychiatric condition characterized by preoccupation with perceived defects in physical appearance that are not observable or appear slight to others, along with low self-esteem, high perfectionism, and high comorbidity. Little is known about BDD prevalence and phenomenology in the Italian context, and...

Negative problem orientation is a negative attitude towards problems. It includes: evaluating problems as threats; perception of low self-efficacy and scarce reliance on one’s own problem solving abilities; pessimism towards the outcomes of the problem solving process; and low frustration tolerance. Several studies have shown that negative problem...

Poster presentation at the XIX Congresso Nazionale della Sezione di Psicologia Clinica e Dinamica

Poster presentation at the XIX congresso nazionale della sezione di psicologia clinica e dinamica

Background. Current models of impulsivity identify negative urgency (NU), positive urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking as the main dimensions. Interestingly, some recent research on analogue samples on the association between intolerance of uncertainty (IU) and impulsivity found that IU and NU, which refers t...

Previous research has documented that patients referred for problems related to alcohol use rely primary on maladaptive coping and are deficient in adaptive coping skills. However, the relation between dispositional and situational coping in these patients is not yet fully understood. Therefore, the first aim of the present study was to assess disp...

Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD) is characterized by preoccupation with perceived defects in physical appearance that are not observable to others. Little is known about BDD prevalence and phenomenology in the Italian context and no data are currently available on its prevalence and phenomenology as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of...

The relationship between anxiety sensitivity (AS) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been widely recognized. The specific relationships between AS dimensions and OCD symptom dimensions are less often investigated and the existing studies have shown several limitations and have reported inconsistent results. The present study analyzed the r...