Rita Cerutti

• Professor (Associate) at Sapienza University of Rome

### Free eprints: https://www.tandfonline.com/eprint/TKYMKYG2AYEUKHT7Q6XW/full?target=10.2989/17280583.2023.2291180 ### Objective: This study aimed to examine the association between social withdrawal motivations (peer isolation, shyness, unsociability, low mood, and avoidance) and symptoms of hikikomori using both variable- and person-oriented a...

The main aim of the present study was to estimate the prevalence of people in severe social isolation as a proxy for high risk of hikikomori using data from 29 European countries. The relationship between the presence/absence of severe social isolation and demographic and psychosocial variables was also investigated. Publicly available data from th...

The aims of the present study were to expand scientific evidence on exposure to online risks (i.e., contact and content risks) as well as to analyse associations between exposure to online risks and suicidal thoughts. The sample comprised 141 adolescent students (58.2% males, n= 82) with a mean age of 14.05 years (standard deviation= 1.42). Data we...

### Preprint available at https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1648500/v1 ###. BACKGROUND: Recent studies on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed that university students are in a more vulnerable position in terms of their mental health. METHODS: The aim of this study is to examine differences in clinical symptoms and psychological distres...

This is a preprint of a commentary on the newly published article “One month version of Hikikomori Questionnaire-25 (HQ-25M): Development and initial validation”. This commentary was first submitted in December 2022 and published on the Open Science Framework in February 2023 (10.31219/osf.io/je9pf). The manuscript has been accepted for publication...

Objective: Prolonged social withdrawal (PSW) or hikikomori and problematic internet use (PIU) have attracted the attention of mental health experts worldwide. The scientific literature suggests a complex relationship between these conditions and psychotic-like experiences (PLEs) or disorders. In the present cross-sectional study, we tested the role...

Mental and public health professionals have paid increasing attention to the hikikomori phenomenon. With this letter, we aim to extend scientific knowledge on the characteristics of hikikomori and pre-hikikomori as reported by Italian participants using previously unpublished data. Presented findings suggest that stressful events and difficulties...

A serious form of social withdrawal, initially described within Japan as hikikomori, has received increasing attention from the international scientific community during the last decade. The 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25) was initially developed and validated in Japan. To date, data on its psychometric properties in other populations wher...

Despite findings from previous studies, there is still little consistent knowledge regarding the co-occurrence patterns of somatic, depressive and anxiety symptoms in childhood and adolescence. Moreover, functional disability due to somatic symptoms at different concomitant levels of depression and anxiety is understudied. The present study examine...

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought about new stressors on university students, with a negative impact on their mental health and well-being. The purpose of this study was to examine the usefulness of a brief psychodynamically oriented intervention on general functioning by investigating changes in symptoms of depression, anxiety, hopelessness, and b...

Hikikomori is a form of social withdrawal that is commonly described as having an onset during adolescence, a life stage when other psychiatric problems can also emerge. This study aimed to adapt the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25) for the Italian adolescent population, examining its psychometric properties; associations between hikikomor...

The outcome of a psychodynamic counselling intervention for students seeking psychological help at a university counselling centre in Italy was evaluated by examining its effect on clinical symptoms of the students. The intervention consisted of four counselling sessions and a later three-month follow-up session. The sample (N = 160) was drawn from...

The present study investigated the concurrent relations between language ability, executive difficulties, and behavior problems in a sample of 142 preschoolers ranging in age between 3 and 6 years of age. Language skills were assessed with a direct task, whereas ratings of executive difficulties and behavior problems were obtained from teachers. Re...

### Preprint available at https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-1648500/v1 ###. BACKGROUND Recent studies on the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic have revealed that university students are in a more vulnerable position in terms of their mental health. METHODS: The aim of this study is to examine differences in clinical symptoms and psychological distress...

Psychological distress represents a longstanding issue that has been observed in university student populations. The present study aimed to explore the psychological distress in a group of university students seeking for psychological help available in an Italian University Counselling Service. Participants were 597 students (70.5% female, Mage = 2...

Traditionally, non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) has been investigated through the lens of borderline personality disorder. The present study tried to overcome such a limitation, considering new criteria suggested by the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Specifically, the aim of the current study was to compa...

The Internet is widely used among adolescents for different purposes, including social connections, entertainment and schoolwork. Nevertheless, research has demonstrated the negative impact of problematic internet use (PIU) on psychophysical well-being in adolescence. This study aims to investigate internet use and its association with somatic symp...

Objectives The aims of this study were to explore hikikomori (prolonged social withdrawal) as well as its relationship with problematic internet use and other psychopathology. Methods A total of 66 young adults in Italy were recruited for this study consisting of: a non-clinical sample recruited through an online survey (n = 47), and a clinical sam...

Il termine giapponese hikikomori è usato per descrivere i giovani che vivono una condizione caratterizzata da isolamento e ritiro sociale per un prolungato periodo di tempo. È un fenomeno particolarmente diffuso in Giappone, soprattutto tra adolescenti e giovani adulti, ed è oggetto di attenzione crescente da parte dei professionisti della salute m...

Somatic symptoms represent a multi-determined phenomenon that need to be addressed in both clinical and non-clinical settings in light of their impact on child emotional and psychosocial functioning. According to a developmental perspective, children with insecure attachment are more likely to experience somatic symptoms and to perceive greater sym...

Since the diffusion of recent models of mobile phones, anyone with an internet connection can communicate continuously and search for information. This raises some questions about the possible consequences of problematic mobile phone use (PMPU) in a complex life phase such as adolescence. Therefore, we performed a psychometric analysis of the brief...

Objectives. On 31 January 2020, a new type of coronavirus was first confirmed in Italy and spread rapidly across the country leading to a national lockdown. The aim of this pilot study was to explore the impact of the public health emergency due to COVID-19 on individual’s mental health among 299 Italian adults after a month of home isolation due to...

In the last two decades, scientific research has explored the problematic use of internet, videogames and mobile phones. However, there is still little consistent knowledge regarding the co‐occurrence of problematic technology use and the role of maladaptive personality characteristics in adolescence. The present study aimed to investigate adolesce...

The association among alexithymia, somatic symptoms and clinical correlates has been scantly investigated in children. The present study examined alexithymic features and somatic symptomatology in schoolchildren with high and low levels of depression, testing the role of depressive symptoms in mediating the associations between alexithymia and soma...

Objectives: Consistent with the debate surrounding the association between nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), suicidal intent, and suicidal behavior, and between NSSI and dysregulation processes, we attempted to analyze suicide intent and emotion dysregulation in NSSI adolescents, in the framework of the attachment representations and exploring these...

Introduction: A wide proportion of children and adolescents with headache tends not to respond to various pharmacological treatments in use. The failure to respond to symptomatic treatment and prophylaxis is often due to the presence of a comorbid psychopathology undiagnosed or not properly treated. For these reasons and for the negative impact of...

Background: Some studies have demonstrated the high impact of headache and migraine in several areas of children and adolescents' life. In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific interest in the relationship between migraine and emotional regulation, investigating the possible consequences of emotional dysregulation on physical and m...

Background In recent years, researchers have begun to explore the implications of shyness for the psychosocial wellbeing of children and adolescents, exploring its association with internalizing problems. Research in an Italian context is hindered by the lack of a validated self-report measure of shyness. We report two studies aimed to assess the p...

Migraine is one of the most frequent complaints in children and adolescents and it can have a significant impact on quality of life. There are several factors underlying the onset and the maintenance of this disorder and there is still no a clear etiopathogenesis common to all subjects suffering from migraine. Psychological factors such as individu...

Background - The use of the internet is a relevant part of daily life and is radically changing social relations. However, the excessive use of the web and, in particular, of online videogames can have negative impact on adolescent psychophysical well-being. Objectives - The aim of the present study was to analyse the associations between the probl...

Objectives Since two decades scientific research is studying excessive and dysfunctional new technologies use and its influences on people's lives, in terms of personal, relational, scholastic and work functioning impairment. The objectives of the present study are to investigate gender differences in problematic new technologies use as well as to...

Summary Objectives Since two decades scientific research is studying excessive and dysfunctional new technologies use and its influences on people’s lives, in terms of personal, relational, scholastic and work functioning impairment. The objectives of the present study are to investigate gender differences in problematic new technologies use as wel...

In adolescents the use of the internet allows the training of social skills but, if problematic, can lead to experience greater feelings of loneliness and psychiatric symptoms. Research demonstrates that depressive symptomatology is associated with poor lifestyle habits and it also influences interpersonal relationships and academic functioning, pr...

In preadolescence and adolescence communication and connectedness with peers is an essential part of adolescents' social life. Mobile Phone (MP) may be considered a way to maintain both communication and connectedness. However, recent studies noted that problematic MP use may negatively affect nocturnal sleep with a variety of negative health, deve...

Background and aims: Since two decades scientific research is studying excessive and dysfunctional new technologies use and its influence on people's lives, in terms of impairment in personal, relational, scholastic and work functioning. Problematic mobile-phone use (PMPU) is associated with psychopathological symptomatology and negative consequen...

Factitious Disorder Imposed on Another (FDIA), also known as Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy (MSbP) is a very serious form of child abuse. The perpetrator, usually the mother, invents symptoms or causes real ones in order to make her child appear sick. Usually this is due to a maladaptive disorder or to an excessive of attention-seeking on her part. W...

Objective: Core alexithymic features, such as the difficulty in identifying and describing feelings, are associated with poor attachment styles and emotional trauma, which influence the capacity to regulate affect. Additionally, emotional regulation has been found to be the most commonly identified function associated with non-suicidal self-injury...

Background: Headache is one of the most common complaints in children and adolescents and comorbidity rates are very high and the major associated diseases are depression, anxiety, atopic disorders, sleep, and behavioral disorders. In recent years, it has been highlighted that difficulties regulating emotions such as alexithymia have also been asso...

The literature shows that homesickness can have a negative impact on different areas of psychological functioning such as cognitive, emotional, behavioral, physical and social ones. The study, conducted on a sample of first-year university students, aimed to test a model hypothesizing that two distinct dimensions of homesickness, attachment to home...

Headache, in particular migraine, is one of the most frequent neurological symptoms in children and adolescents and it affects about 60% of children and adolescents all over the world. Headache can affect several areas of child’s functioning, such as school, physical activities, peer, and family relationship. The global and severe burden of this di...

Objective: In the last two decades there has been a significant transformation regarding the use of new technologies. Despite growing acknowledgement concerning the different activities and functions of digital technologies, there remains a lack of understanding on how technology overuse may negatively impact both physical and psychosocial well-bei...

Background It is widely recognised that there are associations between headache, psychiatric comorbidity and attachment insecurity in both adults and children. The aims of this study were: 1) to compare perceived attachment security and anxiety in children and adolescents with migraine without aura and a healthy control group; 2) to test whether th...

Background: University students confront psychological difficulties that can negatively influence their academic performance. The present study aimed to assess several areas of adaptive and maladaptive psychological functioning among university students who request counseling services. Method: One hundred eighty-four young female students seeking p...

Introduction Somatic symptoms are frequently reported by children with significant impairment in functioning. Despite studies on adult populations that suggest somatic symptoms often co-occur with difficulties in identifying and describing feelings, little research has been done in childhood. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence and frequ...

Research Findings: The present cross-sectional study investigated the question of whether 6 different temperament dimensions (inhibition to novelty, social orientation, motor activity, positive emotionality, negative emotionality, and attention) influenced cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM) in 168 children (86 three/four-year-olds and 82...

Children and adolescents presenting painful and nonpainful somatic symptoms without a clear medical cause are common in paediatric practice and in non-clinical settings. Recurrent somatic symptoms and complaints can lead to considerable impairment in a child’s life, influencing development, school attendance and achievement as well as social adjust...

Headache is the most frequent neurological symptom and the most prevalent pain in children and adolescents, and constitutes a serious health problem that may lead to impairment in several areas. Psychosocial factors, social environment, life events, school and family stressors are all closely related to headaches. A multidisciplinary strategy is fu...

Methods: We investigated whether performance in ToM tasks was related to both the type and frequency of self-injuring behavior and attitude toward life and death, using a semi-structured interview and different self-report questionnaires. Results: NSSI participants performed less well than the control group in all the ToM dimensions investigated...

Objective: The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether migraine or tension-type headaches are associated with abuse of the internet and/or mobile phones and to explore whether headache and the abuse of the two technologies are associated with sleep disturbances and other self-reported somatic symptoms. Background: In the l...

Background Headache is a common disorder affecting a growing number of children and adolescents. In recent years, there has been an increase in scientific interest in exploring the relationship between migraine and emotional regulation, and in particular, the impact of emotional dysregulation on mental and physical health. The present study aims to...

Background and aims: Difficulties in identifying and describing feelings may be positively associated with addiction to new technologies. Because of their inability to correctly identify and manage emotional states, alexithymic adolescents may overuse technologies to fulfil their unmet social needs. This study aims to investigate the relationship b...

I sintomi somatici ricorrenti in età pediatrica rappresentano un fenomeno complesso e multideterminato da affrontare nei setting clinici e non clinici. Nel corso degli ultimi anni si è assistito ad un incremento di studi volti ad indagare la relazione tra sintomi somatici e problematiche internalizzanti ed esternalizzanti in bambini e adolescenti,...

Background: A growing body of research claims that sexual minority individuals have nearly twice the suicidal ideation rate of heterosexual individuals. Method: The main objective of the current study was to test a model wherein internalized sexual stigma (ISS) mediates the association between some gay-related stressors and suicidal ideation. Th...

The aim of the present study was to describe the characteristics of repetitive self-injurious behaviour and related personality functioning as well as to explore the relationship between NSSI and alexithymia in a sample of NSSI adolescents (mean age= 16.1 yrs) within therapeutic communities. The results showed a representation of Cluster B personal...

Objective: The aim of this study was to examine the characteristics of Nonsuicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) including frequency, method of self-injury and gender differences in a community sample of preadolescents. Additionally, the relationship between NSSI, parents and peers attachment and life events was explored. Little empirical research has directl...

This study aims to explore rates of deliberate self-harm (DSH) behaviors and their psychological and psychopathological correlates within a sample of nonclinical young adults (N = 365; 63% women; M age = 23 ± 4.06). Participants completed the Deliberate Self-Harm Inventory and other self-report questionnaires assessing clinical (borderline personal...

The aims of this study were to investigate the rates of deliberate self-harm (DSH) behavior among an Italian adolescent sample, as well as to explore its clinical correlates. On a sample of 234 adolescents in Italian secondary schools (Mean age = 16.47; SD = 1.7) were assessed the DSH as well as externalizing symptoms (including both conduct disord...

Theoretical background: In a scientific and clinical perspective, psychodynamic counselling is a psychological tool more and more widespread, studied and deepened, with various aims: overcoming developmental difficulties, solving specific problems, facing crisis situations and developing a deeper self consciousness through insight gain. Therefore t...

Chronic daily headache (CDH) in children and adolescents presents features not sufficiently recognized by the current classification system. The aim of our study was to analyze the applicability of adult CDH classification in child and adolescent clinical populations, outlining similarities and differences. In the developmental age, frequent and se...

Prospective and retrospective studies showed that headaches (migraine and tension-type) with childhood or adolescent onset have age-related characteristics and change over time, with high rate of type changing, remission or improvement. The reasons are unknown. On the other hand, several studies focused on factors that may be precursors of childhoo...

The authors present the results of psychometric research conducted in grammar schools in Rome. The random sample was represented by children from 8 to 12 years old. The Italian version of the C.D.I. was used. The data, examined through a statistical method, confirmed the validity of the questionnaire and brought to light the possibility of its use...