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Publications (188)
Background and aims: Despite a growing body of research on pornography use among women, there is a lack of understanding of the problematic versus non-problematic nature. The current study aimed to investigate the relationship between women’s motivations for pornography use and sexual wellbeing using a cross-sectional, self-report survey design amo...
Sexual satisfaction can be important for overall well-being and has been described as a sexual right. Individual and cultural factors, such as gender identity and sexual orientation, may influence the ways in which individuals describe, share, or experience their sexuality. The aims of the present study were to examine the factor structure of the f...
How the Internet is used and any negative outcomes of engagement with it—especially with regards to children—is a topic of great interest, bearing legitimate investigation. Proposed identifiers of problematic internet use(PIU) include aspects of use in correlation with distress or impairment across biological, psychological, sociological, and/or oc...
Rationale
Despite the growing scientific interest on mitragynine, the primary alkaloid in kratom (Mitragyna Speciosa), there is a lack of clinical trials in humans.
Objectives
This phase 1 study aimed to evaluate mitragynine’s safety profile and acute effects on subjective drug experience, neurocognition, and pain tolerance.
Methods
A placebo-con...
Sexual desire is a complex construct with important implications for sexual functioning and well-being. In this research, we translated the Sexual Desire Inventory (SDI-2), a widely used scale for assessing sexual (desire), into 25 languages from English and used data from the International Sex Survey (ISS) to (a) investigate its psychometric prope...
Introduction
The Arizona Sexual Experiences Scale (ASEX) is a brief questionnaire that evaluates five major aspects of sexual function: sex drive, arousal, erectile function/vaginal lubrication, ability to reach orgasm, and satisfaction with orgasm. An advantage of the ASEX is its simplicity and brevity (five items), making it suitable for the scre...
Despite the centrality of the diagnostic assessment in psychiatry, the diagnostic agreement among mental health practitioners often varies from poor to moderate. The potential of Large Language Models (LLMs; such as ChatGPT), among other approaches, has been studied to be used as standardized tools to support clinicians’ decision-making. The curren...
Traditionally used in Southeast Asia for common ailments, kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is increasingly being adopted in other regions for the self-treatment of pain, mental health issues such as anxiety, depression, and dependence or managing the withdrawal symptoms linked to stimulants/sedatives or other substances in absence of clinical supervisio...
The UPPS-P Impulsive Behavior Model and the various psychometric instruments developed and validated based on this model are well established in clinical and research settings. However, evidence regarding the psychometric validity, reliability, and equivalence across multiple countries of residence, languages, or gender identities, including gender...
Motivations for pornography use may vary across gender identities, sexual orientations, and geographical regions, warranting examination to promote individual and public health. The aims of this study were to validate the Pornography Use Motivations Scale (PUMS) in a diverse, multicultural sample, and develop a short form (PUMS-8) that can assess a...
Background
Image and Performance-Enhancing Drugs (IPEDs) can enhance mental and physical capabilities and impact one’s overall health. Initially confined in sport environments, IPEDs use has become increasingly widespread in a high-performing society. The present study was aimed at profiling IPEDs use during the COVID-19 lockdown among an internati...
Background. Depression and anxiety are among the most prevalent mental health issues experienced worldwide. However, whereas cross-cultural studies utilize psychometrically valid and reliable scales, fewer can meaningfully compare these conditions across different groups. To address this gap, the current study aimed to psychometrically assess the B...
Objectives: This study aimed to examine the psychometric properties of the P4 suicide screener in a multinational sample. The primary goal was to evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and investigate its convergent validity by analyzing its correlation with depression, anxiety, and substance use. Study design: The study design is a cro...
Background
The three-item Sexual Distress Scale (SDS-3) has been frequently used to assess distress related to sexuality in public health surveys and research on sexual wellbeing. However, its psychometric properties and measurement invariance across cultural, gender and sexual subgroups have not yet been examined. This multinational study aimed to...
The use of performance‐enhancing substances not only undermines the core values of sports but also poses significant health risks to athletes. In a fast‐evolving doping environment, where sport professionals are constantly seeking novel and illegal means to bypass doping tests, and new substances are regularly detected on the drug market, it is cru...
Background and aims
Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender‐ and sexual orientation‐related differences in sexual behaviors a...
Objective
We analyzed adult ADHD symptoms in a cross-cultural context, including investigating the occurrence and potential correlates of adult ADHD and psychometric examination of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale (ASRS) Screener.
Method
Our analysis is based on a large-scale research project involving 42 countries (International Sex Survey, N=72,...
Background and aims: Problematic pornography use (PPU) is a common manifestation of the newly introduced Compulsive Sexual Behavior Disorder diagnosis in the 11th edition of the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems. Although cultural, gender- and sexual orientation-related differences in sexual behaviors...
Objective:
This study aims to explore the prevalence, characteristics, and psychopathology related to Problematic Use of Internet (PUI), including Internet Addiction (IA), within a sample of psychiatric outpatients.
Methods:
143 psychiatric stable outpatients (18-65, mean age: 49; F=84) were included in this study, regardless of their categorica...
Introduction: Despite being a widely used screening questionnaire, there is no consensus on the most appropriate measurement model for the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Furthermore, there have been limited studies on its measurement invariance across cross-cultural subgroups, genders, and sexual orientations. Aims: The present...
Novel psychoactive substances (NPS) is an umbrella term used to describe a heterogeneous group of compounds that mimic the effects of existing drugs and whose demand and use rapidly emerge, change, or even vanish in the drug market. The novelty of this global phenomenon and its dynamic nature represent major challenges for the scientific community...
Since its discovery in 1943, LSD has been used by artists, scientists, and intellectuals, amongst others, to stimulate their creative insights. Federico Fellini, one of the most important film directors in the XX century, used LSD when it was still legal under the guidance of his psychoanalyst during a phase of personal and creative crisis. This ar...
The Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) is an instrument to screen substance use-related health risks. However, little is known whether the ASSIST could be further shortened while remaining psychometrically sound across different countries, languages, gender identities, and sexual orientation-based groups. The study a...
Background and aims: Despite its inclusion in the 11th revision of the International Classification of Diseases, there is a virtual paucity of high-quality scientific evidence about compulsive sexual behavior disorder (CSBD), especially in underrepresented and underserved populations. Therefore, we comprehensively examined CSBD across 42 countries,...
Aims
The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a demand for vaccines, cures, and the need of related documentation for travel, work and other purposes. Our project aimed to identify the illicit availability of such products across the Dark Web Markets (DWMs).
Methods
A retrospective search for COVID-19 related products was carried out across 118 DWMs since...
Purpose of review:
This work aims to provide an up-to-date review of the preclinical and clinical scientific literature on the therapeutic value of kratom to better understand the underlying mechanisms related to its use and inform future therapeutic applications.
Recent findings:
A growing number of studies, mainly of cross-sectional nature, de...
In a society that strives for appearance, fitness is increasingly viewed as a means to reach a certain aesthetic ideal, rather than a way to improve health and physical performance. Every day millions of posts appear on social media promoting a visual representation of apparently fit, healthy and 'perfect' bodies. Combining personal accounts, clini...
The last few years have seen the emergence of new psychoactive substance among the homeless population, specifically synthetic cannabinoid receptor agonists. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and experiences of new psychoactive substances amongst users from the homeless population. An explanatory research design was applied...
Background:
In a time of unprecedented global change, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to a surge in demand of COVID-19 vaccines and related certifications. Mainly due to supply shortages, counterfeit vaccines, fake documentation, and alleged cures to illegal portfolios, have been offered on darkweb marketplaces (DWMs) with important public health co...
Purpose
Studies have shown significant associations of dissociative symptoms with both eating and addictive disorders; however, the different forms of dissociation have been relatively understudied in relation to food addiction (FA). The main aim of this study was to investigate the association of certain forms of dissociative experiences (i.e., ab...
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) use has increased substantially over the past decade outside of its indigenous regions, especially for the self-treatment of psychiatric conditions. An anonymous, cross-sectional, online survey was completed by 4,945 people who use kratom (PWUK) between July 2019 and July 2020. A total of 2,296 respondents complet...
The unprecedented proliferation of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the illicit drug market has been a public health concern since their emergence in the 2000s. Their consumption can pose a severe health risks as their mechanism of action is poorly understood and their level of toxicity is high mainly due to the diffusion of very potent synth...
Neural underpinnings of addiction have been widely investigated using traditional neuroimaging techniques and paradigms. However, certain mechanisms are still underexplored, and existing studies often do not adopt an ecological assessment. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) emerges as a potential elective tool to assess real-time neural...
The unprecedented proliferation of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) in the illicit drug market has been a public health concern since their emergence in the 2000s. Their consumption can pose a severe health risks as their mechanism of action is poorly understood and their level of toxicity is high mainly due to the diffusion of very potent synth...
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) use has increased substantially over the past decade outside of its indigenous regions, especially for the self-treatment of psychiatric conditions. An anonymous, cross-sectional, online survey was completed by 4,945 people who use kratom (PWUK) between July 2019 and July 2020. A total of 2,296 respondents complet...
Global concern about problematic usage of the internet (PUI), and its public health and societal costs, continues to grow, sharpened in focus under the privations of the COVID-19 pandemic. This narrative review reports the expert opinions of members of the largest international network of researchers on PUI in the framework of the European Cooperat...
This cross-sectional study aimed to explore specific online behaviours and their association with a range of underlying psychological and other behavioural factors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Eight countries (Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, Lithuania, Portugal, Japan, Hungary, and Brazil) participated in an international investigation involving...
The increased popularity of social media has brought clinicians and researchers to question the potential problematic outcomes of such Internet-based applications. Over the past two decades, an increasing number of studies identified the so-called problematic use of social media (PUSM), which led to the development of various assessment tools requi...
Suicide is a major public health problem, and it is urgent to investigate its underlying clinical and psychological concomitants. It has been suggested that low mentalization skills and problematic use of the internet (PUI) are factors that can play a role in suicidal behaviors. It is possible that poor mentalization skills contribute to leading to...
Severe restrictive measures were implemented globally to limit the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic leading to significant lifestyle changes and impacting on both the physical and the mental health of citizens. Caught by the fear of getting sick, some individuals have adopted behaviors which favored the development of exercise addiction (EA). Our ai...
Background:
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.) use outside of Southeast Asia has increased over the past decade.
Objectives:
This investigation clarifies kratom's role in perceived well-being, overall health, and temporal correlation with drug use to understand kratom's role in the self-treatment of substance use disorders (SUDs).
Methods:
Bet...
Purpose
Although the association between problematic use of the internet and eating disorders (EDs) in young adults has been previously established, its underlying mechanisms have not been completely clarified. It has been suggested that exposure to idealized very thin and toned body images (e.g., “thinspiration” and “fitspiration” trends) on socia...
The coronavirus pandemic affected the life of those suffering from addic- tive behaviors often confined to prolonged periods of self-isolation. To explore the variation of symptoms related to gambling, 46 outpatients of the mental health services in the Trento Province were invited to take part in a phone interview at the start of the national lock...
With the global COVID-19 pandemic, governments from many countries in the world implemented various restrictions to prevent the SARS-Cov-2 virus's spread, including social distancing measures, quarantine, in-home lockdown, and the closure of services and public spaces. This led to an increased use of social media platforms to make people feel more...
This study aims to determine prevalence and frequency of use of novel psychoactive substances (NPS) and to identify the factors associated with NPS use in an Italian sample of patients diagnosed with substance use disorder (SUD). Prevalence and correlates of NPS knowledge and use were assessed in 185 patients with SUD in three addiction services (P...
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and the accelerated spread of the SARS-CoV-2 virus came jurisdictional limitations on mobility of citizens and distinct alterations in their daily routines. Confined to their homes, many people increased their overall internet use, with problematic use of the internet (PUI) becoming a potential reason for inc...
One of the worrying concomitants of problematic use of Internet (PUI) is aggression. Although the mechanisms underlying such link have not been completely clarified, it has been suggested that problematic use of social media and online videogames (i.e., two common forms of PUI among young adults) lead to increased sleep disturbances which, in turn,...
Over the past decade, untested dietary supplements have become more available on the market with a vast increase in their use by amateur and elite athletes to improve their professional sport performances. These supplements are often advertised online and elsewhere with misleading marketing strategies as “natural” and “safe” compounds. They include...
p>Background: Re-establishing societal norms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will be important for restoring public mental health and psychosocial wellbeing as well as economic recovery. We investigated the impact on post-pandemic adjustment of a history of mental disorder, with particular reference to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms or tra...
Gambling in the modern era is pervasive due to the variety of gambling opportunities including use of technology (such as online applications on smartphones). While many people gamble recreationally without undue negative impact, a sizable subset of individuals develop disordered gambling, associated with marked functional impairment including othe...
Introduction: Physical distancing under the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on lifestyles, including exercise routines. In this study, we examined the relationship between mental health and addictive behaviors, such as excessive exercise and the use of image and performance enhancing drugs (IPEDs) across 12 spo...
Background
Re-establishing societal norms in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic will be important for restoring public mental health and psychosocial wellbeing as well as economic recovery. We investigated the impact on post-pandemic adjustment of a history of mental disorder, with particular reference to obsessive-compulsive (OC) symptoms or traits...
Introduction
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tropical plant traditionally used as an ethnomedicinal remedy for several conditions in South East Asia. Despite the increased interest in its therapeutical benefits in Western countries, little scientific evidence is available to support such claims, and existing data remain limited to kratom's chronic...
Background
Although the diffusion of novel synthetic opioids has become a worldwide phenomenon, the prevalence of use in Italy is limited. National data is mainly derived by anamnestic surveys, which lack of toxicological validation and not always disclose the use of such compounds, which might remain under-diagnosed and often perceived as “safe” b...
Background
The market of sport supplements is expanding worldwide Such phenomenon is often supported by captivating marketing strategies and social media advertising providing unscientifically founded claims, thus raising safety concerns. The aim of our study is to provide a comprehensive analysis of the online market, patterns of use, perceived ri...
Substance use disorder (SUD) is an issue of concern that can have inter- generational impacts. Fathers affected by this disorder can exhibit atypical parenting that leaves pronounced, adverse consequences for the child, espe- cially during a critical window for development, such as neonatal life and infancy. However, factors sustaining paternal dru...
Objectives:
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth.), an indigenous medicinal plant, has been widely used as a traditional remedy in Southeast Asia. However, its combined consumption with other substances has received scarce attention. This study investigates the use of kratom among adults with a history of using heroin and methamphetamine in Malaysia....
Background
In an age of global insecurity, highly potent synthetic drugs have become a major public health issue. Their online advertisement and sale are facilitated by surface web, darknet markets and social media fuelling substance abuse and addiction, as well as various types of new criminal activities and their growth in sophistication. This st...
Background
The use of social media is popular in the health and the beauty industry, with an increasing number of brands using web platforms to promote their products. Among the recently-emerged trends, “fitspiration” (also abbreviated as “fitspo”) has raised health concerns. Evidence suggested that fitspiration contents, although originally concei...
Introduction
Background: Little is known about the modifications in gambling patterns during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has shown signs of increase, particularly for individuals with preexisting gambling problems.
Objectives
Our aim was to assess the behaviour of a cohort of patients in the Trentino Region.
Methods
A semi structured questionnai...
Introduction
The Coronavirus pandemic has originated unprecedented sanitary control measures that have conditioned people’s lifestyles and habits. Little is known about the impact of such measures, especially the most restrictive, on recent and growing phenomena such as exercise addiction, use of enhancement drugs, and Body Dysmorphic Disorder (BDD...
Introduction: Little is known about the impact of restrictive measures during the COVID-19 pandemic on self-image and engagement in exercise and other coping strategies alongside the use of image and performance-enhancing drugs (IPEDs) to boost performance and appearance.
Objectives: To assess the role of anxiety about appearance and self-compassio...
Eating disorders are widespread illnesses with significant impact. There is growing concern about how those at risk of eating disorders overuse online resources to their detriment. We conducted a pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) and eating disorder and related psychopath...
The recreational use of inhalants among teenagers and other vulnerable individuals is a growing cause of concern for clinicians. Products, such as computer dusters and spray cleaners containing highly toxic compounds, such as difluoroethane, are being used to obtain immediate euphorizing effects with significant health risks. We provide an overview...
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa) is a tree native to Southeast Asia with long history of traditional medicinal use. The aim of this study was to investigate the nature of self-reported exported experiences as shared on YouTube™ videos. A total of 500 videos with 19,478,180 views and 134, 863 comments emerged from the data scrape extracted via the YouTub...
Kratom (Mitragyna speciosa Korth., Rubiaceae) is native to and has traditional use in Southeast Asia. The number of kratom users outside of Southeast Asia has increased significantly in recent decades with use spreading to the Unites States (US) and Europe. Because of its reputed opioid-like psychoactive effects at higher doses, kratom has been reg...
Background: Alcohol is one of the most widely used drugs among adolescents and young people, and problematic alcohol use (PAU) is related to significant long-term biological, clinical, and psychosocial sequelae. Although preliminary reports have linked deficits in mentalization to increased vulnerability to addiction, no studies have specifically e...
Among the symptoms of COVID-19 fever, general malaise, pain and aches, myalgia, fatigue, and headache can affect the quality of life of patients, even after the end of the acute phase of the infection and can be long lasting. The current treatment of these symptoms, also because COVID-19 patients have been asked not to use non-steroidal anti-inflam...
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9099-316X Tokzhan Mendualieva 1 , https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1665-3332 Ornella Corazza 2,3 , https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7371-319X Abstract Introduction: The coronavirus infection (СOVID-19) poses a concern for medical professionals. While attention has been given to front-line clinicians, very little is known about the...
Eating disorders are widespread illnesses with significant impact. There is growing concern about how those at risk of eating disorders overuse online resources to their detriment. We conducted a pre-registered systematic review and meta-analysis of studies examining Problematic Usage of the Internet (PUI) and eating disorders. The meta-analysis co...