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April 2011 - August 2015
January 2008 - December 2010
January 2008 - December 2010
Publications
Publications (76)
The Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure – Revised (MEIM-R) is an extensively used questionnaire assessing ethnic identity. However, studies on its measurement characteristics in the European context are lacking. The current study addressed this gap by investigating the MEIM-R psychometric proprieties across multiple ethnocultural groups in Italy. Pa...
Roma are Europe’s largest and most vulnerable minority, currently making up
nearly 12 million people, a figure that is projected to grow in the coming years
because of their relatively high birth rates (Council of Europe, 2010). Despite
their relevance in size and demographic increase, Roma have traditionally been
subjected to severe marginalizatio...
Framed from an integrative approach, the current article examined the associations between ethnic identity exploration (EIE), ethnic identity commitment (EIC), and acculturative stress by investigating the mediating role of ethnic attitudes (i.e., in-group favoritism and out-group derogation) in these relationships. Additionally, the moderating rol...
Few studies examine intercultural relations in emerging adulthood. Framed from the perspective of the Mutual Intercultural Relations in Plural Societies (MIRIPS) project, the current paper examined the mediating role of tolerance and perceived consequences of immigration in the relationship between multicultural ideology and attitudes towards immig...
Research usually analyzed the relationships between acculturation or perceived discrimination and immigrants' well-being, but few studies used an integrative perspective. Framed from a person-oriented approach, the current paper tried to advance the literature examining how acculturation profiles and perceived (group and personal) discrimination we...
The current paper investigated differences in secure attachment levels and behavioral problems among four groups of children in out-of-home care in Italy: closed adoption (child and birth parents not in contact following adoption), open adoption (child and birth parents still in contact after placement), foster care (child living temporarily with r...
The present study investigated the longitudinal associations of self-control and parental involvement with prosociality and internalizing problems from early to mid-to-late adolescence, within a risk and resilience and a developmental cascade framework. We used a panel design (i.e., four measurement times at 2-year intervals from 2008 onwards) to e...
Several studies have shown the relevance among students of the quality of their interpersonal relationships for their academic achievement. Nevertheless, most studies available have explored the relation between the cognitive functioning and academic achievement without taking into account the quality of the relationships experienced in the school...
Using cross-sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID-19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of...
Using cross-sectional data from N = 4274 young adults across 16 countries during the COVID-19 pandemic, we examined the cross-cultural measurement invariance of the perceived vulnerability to disease (PVD) scale and tested the hypothesis that the association between PVD and fear of COVID-19 is stronger under high disease threat [that is, absence of...
Coronavirus Anxiety Scale (CAS) is a widely used measure that captures somatic symptoms of coronavirus-related anxiety. In a large-scale collaboration spanning 60 countries (Ntotal = 21,513), we examined the CAS’s measurement invariance and assessed the convergent validity of CAS scores in relation to the fear of COVID-19 (FCV-19S) and the satisfac...
Peer reputation (PR) refers to how peer groups collectively view an individual in terms of socio-behavioral characteristics, such as aggression, social withdrawal, leadership, and prosociality. Despite considerable research on PR, few studies have considered PRs in relation to indices of friendship, particularly with a person-centered approach. The...
Resilienza è un termine che negli ultimi anni è stato ampiamente utilizzato per sottolineare la necessità di resistenza e recupero di fronte a grandi eventi critici, alcuni di portata globale. In particolare, l’inizio del XXI secolo è stato scandito da una paurosa sequenza di eventi che hanno colpito un gran numero di individui in tutto il mondo. B...
In the climate of great uncertainty characterizing the COVID-19 pandemic, health communication played a significant role: several communicative strategies and channels were used to inform, educate and alert. Entropy-related risks were soon translated into the "infodemic", a widespread phenomenon with psychosocial and cultural roots. Therefore, new...
The current study investigated the motives that underlie support for COVID-19 preventive behaviorsin a large, cross-cultural sample of 12,758 individuals from 34 countries. We hypothesized that the associations of empathic prosocial concern and fear of disease, with support towards preventive COVID-19 behaviors would be moderated by the individual-...
Child-caregiver attachment security has been associated with positive developmental outcomes. However, many aspects related to the parenting environment, besides attachment organization, should be considered in the prediction of offspring’s attachment. We aimed at building an ecological classification model of child attachment based on many variabl...
The study explored how motivations for taking and sharing selfies vary among youth, with reference to the personality traits based on the combination of shyness and sociability. In contrast with a predominantly pathological vision of the selfie, this study considered a wider range of motivations reported by young people when asked why they click an...
The aim of the current scoping review was to explore the associations between religious and spiritual factors and the health-related outcomes of adolescents with chronic illnesses, as well as to investigate possible mechanisms accounting for these relationships. In total, 20 studies meeting the eligibility criteria were reviewed after performing a...
The study addresses some gaps in the current understanding of adolescents’ Problematic Social Network Site Use (PSNSU) by exploring the role of parenting as a precursor, and dysregulation and self-esteem as possible mediators. The sample includes 148 parents (15% fathers) and their adolescent offspring (23% male, age ranging from 14 to 18 years old...
This study aimed to examine the explaining and moderating role of attachment style profiles on the association between empathy and aggression. Participants were 548 Italian adults (M = 47.62 years, SD = 6.14) who completed a survey measuring attachment, empathy, and aggression. Using cluster analytic methods, initial results indicated two attachmen...
Although previous studies seemed to recognize negative associations between self-esteem and bullying/cyberbullying and victimization/cybervictimization behaviours, the findings are controversial. The current study tried to shed light on this issue by using a person-oriented approach among Italian adolescents. Participants included 936 students aged...
This study investigated the associations between parental monitoring, peer pressure, and motivations for responsible drinking, while also taking the mediating role of positive alcohol expectancies into account. The participants were 579 Italian adolescents, aged 14-20 years (M = 16.39 years, SD = 1.27; 55.3% females), involved in a cross-sectional...
Given the few studies examining the evaluation of screening tools for videogame addiction among children aged 12 years and under, the present study analyzed (i) the psychometric properties (factorial structure, reliability indices and criterion validity) of the Italian version of the Videogame Addiction Scale for Children (VASC) and (ii) its constr...
While many sociocultural, contextual, biological, behavioral, and psychological variables may contribute to the widespread under-representation of girls and women in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) field, this study focused on STEM-gender stereotypes, school experiences, and adolescence as critical factors in driving st...
Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in young adults is recognized as a major public health concern. Some studies have identified cumulative childhood maltreatment (CCM) as a significant vulnerability factor for NSSI, although the nature of this association remains unclear. Specifically, some theorists have investigated the role of perceived social supp...
The Positive Youth Development (PYD) model suggests that when individual resources are aligned with growth-promoting ecological resources (i.e., developmental assets), positive development can be observed in youth. Considering this model within the perspective of ecological development systems, this process could be even more relevant when the refe...
University psychological counseling (UPC) is receiving growing attention as a means to promote mental health and academic success among young adults and prevent irregular attendance and dropout. However, thus far, little effort has been directed towards the implementation of services attuned to students’ expectations and needs. This work intends to...
Background
Previous research has shown that young adults are more hesitant/resistant to COVID-19 vaccine uptake than older age groups, although the factors underlying this tendency are still under debate. The current study aimed to identify the sociodemographic and psychological correlates of vaccine hesitancy and resistance among young adults (18-...
This study investigated the relations of emerging adults' personal (civic competence and interdependent self‐construal) and community‐based (sense of community and civic engagement) resources as predictors of appraisal of COVID‐19 Public Health Emergency Management (PHEM) and attitudes toward preventing contagion in Italy. Participants were 2873 It...
This chapter highlights the importance of integrating research on positive youth development processes in the most disadvantaged youth groups. The authors focused on Roma youth, representing a prototypical low-status minority group. The first part of the chapter examines the demographics and the socially, politically, and ideologically challenging...
The present chapter advances PYD scholarship by introducing a newly developed 7Cs model of PYD among youth and emerging adults in three Asian LAMICs (Low-And Middle-income Countries) such as India (n = 218), Indonesia (n = 234), and Pakistan (n = 400). The 7Cs model expands on the 6C indicators of PYD (competence, confidence, character, caring, con...
The current study proposed the adaptation of the Utrecht-Management of Identity Commitments Scale (U-MICS) to the religious domain as an instrument to measure both individuals' religious identity formation processes (when a variable-centered approach is adopted) and religious identity statuses (when a person-centered approach is adopted). The scale...
The Positive Youth Development (PYD) theoretical perspective suggests how religion and spirituality may represent ideological and social assets, supportive of positive developmental paths of young people. In light of this, the present work has systematically reviewed the most recent literature, with the aim of studying the contribution of these res...
Living together in culturally plural societies poses numerous challenges for members of ethnocultural groups and for the larger society. An important goal of these societies is to achieve positive intercultural relations among all its peoples. Successful management of these relations depends on many factors including a research-based understanding...
This study examined the association between preadoptive adversity and adoptees’ adjustment and whether this link was mediated and/or moderated by adoptive parents’ positive parenting. One hundred and four mother (Mage=47.24; SD = 5.47; range 33-61) and father (Mage = 49.08; SD = 5.99; range 36-63) couples, parents of 138 children and adolescents ad...
Adverse childhood experiences are significant risk factors in the development of adolescent borderline personality disorder symptoms (BPDs). Theorists have posited that two personality vulnerabilities factors, self-criticism and dependency, may inform our understanding of this relationship. However, no research has examined the associations between...
The focus of this research is how Sicilian state university mathematics professors faced the challenge of teaching via distance education during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the pandemic entered our lives suddenly, the professors found themselves having to lecture using an e-learning platform that they had never used before, and f...
In recent years, several studies have been conducted in order to analyze the quality of the
psychotherapeutic relationship in its multifaced aspects, as well as its potential influence on psychotherapy outcomes. The current article aims to review the most recent contributions on this topic by focusing the attention on the clinical bond through the...
The identification of factors that counter youth’s radicalization while promoting democratic activism is a timely social issue. This paper examines the association of psychological well‐being (PWB) with violent radicalism and nonviolent activism, by focusing on the mediating role of both social disconnectedness (SD) and the perceived illegitimacy o...
Il presente contributo si focalizza su alcune implicazioni che la presenza del Covid-19 comporta per lo sviluppo adolescenziale, offrendo una riflessione su cosa significhi per gli adolescenti vivere «a distanza di sicurezza» dai gruppi di coetanei e quali conseguenze possa avere una tale misura sulla loro salute mentale e psicologica; quale impatt...
This study contributes to the literature on the parental correlates of children’s narcissism. It addresses whether parental overvaluation may drive the putative link between parents’ narcissism and children’s narcissism and self-esteem. The cross-sectional design involved a community sample of 519 school-age children (age ranging from 9 to 11 years...
Multiple studies have documented the relationship between child maltreatment and internalizing and externalizing problems. Evidence suggests that the link between child maltreatment and these psychopathological outcomes may be moderated by various factors. Attachment styles may be one such moderating factor in this relationship. This study seeks to...
Italy is increasingly becoming a culturally complex society. This poses numerous challenges for developmental and educational psychology, mainly in terms of how to encourage adequate levels of social harmony by promoting positive development of both immigrant and autochthonous youth. Within this perspective, the current paper presents the Italian f...
During the last 6 years at the University of Palermo, a group of academics has been involved in a project called “MENTORE” (“Modifying and ENhancing Teaching through peer Observation and Reflections with Experts.”) The objectives of the project are to help teachers improve their teaching, through the help of two mentors; to experiment new approache...
Among the measures assessing peer reputation, the Extended Class Play (ECP) is now used extensively in North American settings. Little information is available in other cultural contexts. Furthermore, practical considerations suggest developing a shorter form of the ECP to be used in socio-educational environments. This study examined the ECP dimen...
In recent years, studies have extensively explored both personal and environmental predictors of cyberbullying. Among these predictors, parental monitoring and school climate were often expected to be associated with cyberbullying behaviors. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms through which these relations may develop. The prese...
In recent years, studies have extensively explored both personal and environmental predictors of cyberbullying. Among these predictors, parental monitoring and school climate were often expected to be associated with cyberbullying behaviors. However, little is known about the mediating mechanisms through which these relations may develop. The prese...
Ente di afferenza: Universit Firenze (unifi) Copyright c by Società editrice il Mulino, Bologna. Tutti i diritti sono riservati. Per altre informazioni si veda https://www.rivisteweb.it Licenza d'uso L'articolò e messo a disposizione dell'utente in licenza per uso esclusivamente privato e personale, senza scopo di lucro e senza fini direttamente o...
According to a person-oriented approach, the study was addressed to inquire the existence of different groups of emerging adults (EAs) each characterized by distinct configurations of parental psychological control and autonomy support conceptualized in terms of promotion of volitional functioning (PVF) and in terms promotion of independence (PI)....
Framed from Basic Psychological Needs Theory (Ryan and Deci in American Psychologist 55:68–78; Ryan, Deci, American Psychologist 55:68–78, 2000) and Kağitçibaşi’s Autonomous-Related Self Theory (Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 36:1–20; Kağitçibaşi, Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology 36:1–20, 2005), the study examined the relationships of ado...
Several studies have demonstrated that child maltreatment (psychological, physical, and sexual abuse, and neglect) may be a significant factor in the development of pathological personality traits that increase the risk for suicidal ideation and behavior from adolescence to adulthood. Currently, the challenge is to understand how different forms of...
We test a model linking ethnic, familial, and religious identity to self-esteem among youth in Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Kosovo, and Romania. All countries are post-communist nations in Europe, offering novel and underexplored settings to study identity. Participants were 880 adolescents (mean age, 15.93 years; SD, 1.40) with Albanian...
The Self-Other Differentiation Scale (Olver, Aries, & Batgos, 1989 Olver, R. R., Aries, E., & Batgos, J. (1989). Self-other differentiation and the mother-child relationship: The effects of sex and birth order. The Journal of Genetic Psychology, 150, 311–321. doi:10.1080/00221325.1989.9914600[Taylor & Francis Online] [Google Scholar]) is a self-rep...
This chapter focuses on the intersection of the third, fourth and tenth Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), referring together to key pillars for improving social inclusion of vulnerable disadvantaged youth. Based on both Positive Youth Development approach and mutual intercultural relations perspective, it sets out to investigate developmental a...
The current study examined the unique and combined roles of spirituality and religious identity formation processes on ethnocultural empathy among Italian youth. Spirituality was conceptualized as a desire for self-transcendence. Ethnocultural empathy entails concern for those of other cultural backgrounds. It was hypothesized that spirituality wou...
In culturally diverse societies, one of the biggest questions on our minds is 'how shall we all live together?' Mutual Intercultural Relations offers an answer to this fundamental and topical issue. By exploring intercultural relationships between dominant/national and non-dominant/ethnic populations in seventeen societies around the world, the aut...
Winner of 2019 IAIR William B Gudykunst Outstanding Book Award
Although different studies have investigated career choices as cognitive acts of decision-making, non-cognitive components also play an important role. The study tries to develop an empirically based model of career decision-making process linking cognitive (search for work self-efficacy - SWSE) and non-cognitive (psychological well-being - PWB) co...
In this study we investigated the salience of the construct of national collective identity and its associations with life satisfaction among adolescents living in transitional societies characterised by relevant change in the last decades Participants were 1 066 adolescents (M = 15 35 years, SD = 1 35) from South Africa (n = 186) and five Central...
The present study aimed to investigate the relations among perceived parental psychological control (PPC), autonomy and relatedness, and negative outcomes during emerging adulthood in two cultural contexts: Italy and the USA. More specifically, we explored the mechanisms through which dependency-oriented PPC (DPPC) and achievement-oriented PPC (APP...
In line with the Positive Youth Development (PYD) framework positing that religion provides youth with resources to thrive, this chapter presents a contribution analyzing associations between religiosity and well-being among middle and late adolescents and emerging adults in Italy. Italy is a unique context to study this topic due to societal relev...
This study investigated the moderating role of hardiness in the relationship between psychological well-being (PWB) and career indecision in 131 never-employed Italian emerging adults. Cluster analytic methods produced high and low hardiness profiles. A structural equation modeling analysis underscored the importance of hardiness for moderating the...
Introduction. Prosocial behavior has been defined as a set of voluntary acts designed to help or benefit others (Eisenberg & Mussen, 1989). Previous research indicates that adolescents exhibiting high levels of prosocial behavior have greater empathy, better self-esteem, and more positive relationships with peers (Wentzel, 2014). Thus, identifying...
Focus groups were used in order to develop a new measure of adolescents' emotional autonomy from parents.The procedure started from an in depth analysis of the literature concerning the construct and a definition of the dimensions which characterize it. Following our idea of the construct, we developed a list of 60 items, getting some of them from...
The present study examined the associations between emerging adults’ perceived parental psychological control and autonomy support, and their autonomy, relatedness and internalizing difficulties in Italy and the U.S. The participants included 494 Italian and 414 U.S. college students, between 18 and 28 years of age (Mean = 21.58, SD = 2.18). Our fi...
Few studies examine relationships between intercultural strategies and adaptation among adolescents using a person-oriented approach. Framed from an intercultural psychology perspective, this study used such an approach in order to examine the influence of intercultural profiles, patterns of relationships among variables related to intercultural st...
Several studies show that attachment style plays a significant role in the development of empathy and self-regulation of aggression. In spite of this, little is known about its influence on the relationship between these constructs. Within the framework of attachment theory, this study examined the moderating role of attachment style on the associa...
Recently many researchers investigated intergroup attitudes among children, but only few studies analyzed developmental pathways of in-group favouritism and out-group derogation in considerable samples across broad age ranges. The present study aims at examining age-related differences in in-group favouritism and out-group derogation towards nation...
Lo studio tratta contemporaneamente lo sviluppo di una identità europea e l’adozione di una politica di comunicazione efficiente nella prospettiva del superamento dell’attuale “deficit democratico” dell’Unione europea e dei suoi Stati membri. Proprio queste due dimensioni sono poste a garanzia di una governance europea di successo.
The study is aimed at exploring the building patterns of European identity and its relations
with the related kinds of social identity (national, regional and local) in Italian children. Two
hundred fifty-two children (aged 6-12) were asked to participate to an interview assessing
the development of self-categorisation, relative importance and degr...
The study presented here analyses the development of self-categorisation, national, supranational, local and regional identification of Bulgarian, Ukrainian and Italian children and adolescents growing up in Bulgaria, Ukraine and Italy. The sample consisted of 541 children aged 6, 9, 12 and 15 years. It was found that national, supranational, local...
