Italian university students' future time perspective and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: During the COVID-19 pandemic, young adults worldwide showed signs of distress as they were affected in their specific developmental tasks, including the construction of personal and professional futures. Methods: The present study aimed to assess the situational future time perspective of Italian university students during the second pandemic wave, as measured by an ad hoc constructed instrument, to explore its interaction with some dispositional traits relevant in future construction, such as optimism, sense of life, aggression, and dispositional future time perspective, and to test their effect on psychological well-being. The total sample consisted of 389 subjects (18-35 years, M = 23.5, SD = 4.4). Results and discussion: The results indicated that the pandemic experience, assessed by surveying specific indicators, negatively affected the future time perspective of students, particularly those dispositionally optimistic and convinced that life has meaning. However, awareness of the negative impact that the pandemic brought to the vision of the future seems to have dampened the levels of depression and stress, while anxiety was found to be related only to dispositional traits. The results also suggested the need for educational and economic policies that help young adults develop confidence in the future and in their ability to build it.

Procrastination, Perfectionism, Narcissistic Vulnerability, and Psychological Well-Being in Young Adults: An Italian Study.

Procrastination is generally regarded as a dysfunctional tendency to postpone tasks, due to its consequences on performance and psychological well-being. Previous research has indicated that it is linked to perfectionism and narcissism, but with mixed results. The present study explored the interaction between procrastination, perceived parental expectations, multidimensional perfectionism, and narcissism in a sample of 548 Italian young adults aged 18-35 years (M = 23.9; SD = 4.3). Participants completed an online survey consisting of a sociodemographic questionnaire and psychometric measures assessing the constructs of interest. The results showed that: (a) procrastination was positively correlated with socially prescribed perfectionism only, which, in turn, was positively correlated with perceived parental expectations and criticism, and both narcissistic grandiosity and vulnerability; (b) perceived parental expectations and criticism and narcissistic vulnerability had a positive effect on socially prescribed perfectionism, while procrastination had a negative one; and (c) narcissistic vulnerability mediated the relationship between socially prescribed perfectionism and procrastination. Taken together, the findings contribute to a better understanding of the link between procrastination, perfectionism, and narcissism in young adults, and highlight the relevance of contemporary parenting styles and the current sociocultural background for understanding dilatory behaviors.

Romantic Attachment, Relationship Satisfaction, Internalized Sexual Stigma, and Motives for Parenthood in Italian Lesbian Women and Gay Men.

This study examines romantic attachment, internalized sexual stigma, relationship satisfaction, and motives for parenthood in a sample of 313 Italian lesbian women (47.9%) and gay men (52.1%) aged 18-71 years (M = 36.2; SD = 11.9) and in same-sex relationships. The following hypotheses were tested: that romantic attachment is positively correlated with internalized stigma and motives to not have children, while it is negatively correlated with relationship satisfaction; that relationship satisfaction is negatively correlated with internalized stigma and motives for parenthood; that internalized stigma is negatively correlated with motives for parenthood; and that relationship satisfaction mediates the relationships between romantic attachment and motives for parenthood and between internalized stigma and motives for parenthood. The results strongly support the hypotheses. Furthermore, the results indicate that the lesbian participants reported lower levels of avoidance and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children, and the participants in civil unions reported lower levels of anxiety and internalized stigma and higher levels of relationship satisfaction and motives to not have children. Taken together, our findings contribute to the growing body of research on LG parenthood and may inform social policy and psychological support for LG individuals pursuing parenthood.

Relationships between Depression, Fear of Missing Out and Social Media Addiction: The Mediating Role of Self-Esteem.

The present study examines the relationships between depression, self-esteem, fear of missing out, online fear of missing out, and social media addiction in a sample of 311 Italian young adults (66.2% women and 33.8% men), ages 18-35 yrs. (M = 23.5; SD = 3.5). The following hypotheses were tested: that depression is positively correlated with fear of missing out, online fear of missing out, and social media addiction, while being significantly negatively correlated with self-esteem; that depression, self-esteem, fear of missing out, and online fear of missing out explain social media addiction scores; that self-esteem mediates the relationship between depression and social media addiction; and that, among Italian participants between the ages of 18 and 35, younger women report higher scores on fear of missing out, online fear of missing out, and social media addiction. Results strongly supported the hypotheses. Taken together, our findings not only contribute to the growing body of research on online addictive behaviors and individuals' well-being, but also provide support for prevention programs in the field.

Psychometric Properties of the Sibling Attachment Inventory in Mexican Young Adults.

The aim of this work was to adapt and validate the Sibling Attachment Inventory (SAI) in Mexican young adults and analyze its psychometric properties. Using an Internet-based survey, data were collected from 307 (64.5% female) Mexican young adults university students (aged 18-30). Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed to determine the factor structure of the revised Mexican version of the Sibling Attachment Inventory (SAI-RMx). Convergent and predictive validity were verified by carrying out correlations with the parent form of the Inventory of Parent and Peer Attachment (IPPA), the Lifespan Sibling Relationship Scale (LSRS), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE). Results indicated that the SAI-RMx presents good levels of internal consistency and a monodimensional structure, also providing evidence for convergent, predictive, and construct validity. Furthermore, secure attachments were linked with high levels of self-esteem, as well as with high levels of life satisfaction. The SAI-RMx is expected to be a reliable instrument for measuring the global level and the three components of secure attachment between siblings in the young adult's Mexican population.

Dreaming during the COVID-19 lockdown: a comparison of Italian adolescents and adults.

Based on the continuity hypothesis of dreaming, we have studied the effects of lockdown measures on Italian adolescents' and adults' dreams during the first wave of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A sample of 475 subjects (73.9% women; 48.4% adolescents; ages 12-70 years, M=25.10, SD=12.2) was recruited via the Internet between April 17, 2020 and May 18, 2020. Participants were asked to provide socio-demographic data, as well as to report their Most Recent Dream. Results indicated that adults' dreams were the longest, as well as characterized by higher emotional intensity, predominantly negative emotions, and a higher presence of sensory impressions. Furthermore, results indicated that the participants, especially adolescents, who were most directly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic reported the strongest effects on their dreams. Results also indicated that women recall dreams more often than men, in addition to reporting higher emotional intensity, predominantly negative emotions, and a higher presence of sensory impressions. Finally, results of the Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts showed that adults' dreams seem to be centered, above all, on both pleasant memories linked to experiences that are now forbidden (i.e., traveling, meeting friends) as well as on nightmares, while adolescents' dreams focused on relationships with others. Finally, both adults and adolescents reported dreams related to the experience of home confinement, which they described in terms of the negative emotions they experienced. In sum, the findings of this study indicate that the COVID-19 lockdown measures, understood as a contextual and traumatic event, significantly affect people's oneiric lives, regardless of age.

Supporting Team Reflexivity During the COVID-19 Lockdown: A Qualitative Study of Multi-Vision Groups In-person and Online.

Introduction: The professional self is often hindered by a lack of self-care and poor work-life balance, and cannot be considered an unlimited resource. Given this, the reflexive team is an important organizational tool for protecting workers' well-being. The non-profit organization Maestri di Strada (MdS) ("Street Teachers") conducts action research (AR) in the area of socio-education. The main tool used by the group to protect the well-being of its members is a guided reflexivity group, inspired by the Balint Group and termed the Multi-Vision Group (MG). In March 2020, because of the COVID-19 lockdown, the MdS team had to quickly revamp its working model, and MGs were held online for the first time. Aim: Through qualitative research that takes a longitudinal approach, the aim of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of the MG in supporting the team's reflexivity in this new online format. Methods: This article considers MGs during two different time periods: pre-pandemic (T1) and early pandemic (T2). During T1, the MdS team met 18 times in person, while during T2 the team met 12 times through an online platform (always under the guidance of a psychotherapist). During all sessions in both time periods, a silent observer was present in the meetings, and they subsequently compiled narrative reports. The textual corpora of the reports were submitted for a Thematic Analysis of Elementary Contexts through T-Lab Plus, in order to examine the main content of the groups' discourse. Results: The results (five clusters in T1; and five in T2) show that, during T2, the group devoted considerable time to experiences tied to the pandemic (T21: schools facing the pandemic crisis; T2.2: the pandemic: death, inner worlds, and thought resistance; T2.3: kids' stories involving physical distancing and emotional proximity). The group also came up with innovative educational initiatives that defied the lockdown (T2.4: fieldwork: the delivery of "packages of food for thought"; T2.5: the MdS group: identity and separation). Based on these findings, the MG most likely contributed to the emergence of MdS as a "resilient community," capable of absorbing the shock of the pandemic and realizing a fast recovery response.

Lesbian and Gay Relationship Satisfaction Among Italians: Adult Attachment, Social Support, and Internalized Stigma.

We examined adult attachment styles, perceived social support, internalized stigma, and relationship satisfaction in a sample of 305 lesbians (48.2%) and gay men (51.8%), ages 19-72 years (M = 36.4; SD = 11.8), and in a same-sex relationship for at least 6 months. Participants were recruited via the Internet and completed a web-based survey. We tested the hypotheses that attachment styles, perceived social support, and internalized stigma predicted relationship satisfaction, as well as that perceived social support would be correlated with internalized stigma. Results strongly supported the hypotheses, thus indicating that attachment styles, perceived support, and internalized stigma were negatively correlated with and predicted relationship satisfaction and that perceived social support was negatively correlated with internalized stigma. Furthermore, results indicated that lesbian participants had lower levels of anxious attachment style and reported higher levels of relationship satisfaction and lower levels of internalized stigma. Finally, results indicated that in the lesbian subsample, conservative political orientation and religious beliefs were correlated with higher levels of internalized stigma; participants coming from central Italy reported higher levels of perceived social support; and participants in civil unions reported higher levels of perceived social support and relationship satisfaction, and lower levels of internalized stigma. Implications for counselors and therapists working with lesbian and gay populations are discussed.

Internalized Sexual Stigma in Italian Lesbians and Gay Men: The Roles of Outness, Connectedness to the LGBT Community, and Relationship Satisfaction.

The authors examined the extent to which outness, connectedness to the LGBT community, and relationship satisfaction could be used to predict internalized sexual stigma scores. A total of 279 Italian lesbians (47%) and gay men (53%) in a same-sex relationship for at least six months completed the web-based survey. Significant correlations were found between outness, connectedness, relationship satisfaction, and internalized stigma. Analyses of variance were conducted on demographic variables to explore group differences. Multivariate regression analysis suggests that demographic variables, outness, connectedness, and relationship satisfaction combined accounted for 32.8% of the variance in overall internalized sexual stigma. Clinical implications are discussed.

Significado de las funciones familiares en adolescentes italianos: nuevas fronteras entre paterno y materno / Meaning of the familiar functions in Italian adolescents: new borders between paternal and maternal

El presente estudio tuvo como objetivo explorar el significado que una muestra de adolescentes y adolescentes tardíos del sur de Italia atribuye a las funciones familiares, para analizar la relación entre la percepción de las transformaciones de las funciones paternas y maternas —en particular la carencia de roles normativos y de contención afectiva— y la agresividad como modalidad preferencial de gestión del conflicto. Se aplicó un diferencial semántico (DF, De Rosa, Parrello, & Sommantico, 2006) y un instrumento de agresividad, adaptado a población europea (AQ, Buss & Perry, 1992, 2003) a 259 sujetos, de edad comprendida entre los 17 y los 35 años, divididos en dos grupos, 139 de bachillerato y 120 de licenciatura. Los resultados del análisis del DF indicaron un perfil monofactorial, a diferencia del trifactorial obtenido por Osgood, Suci y Tannembaum (1957), mientras que en el AQ se encontraron diferencias significativas entre la media de la agresividad general (ξ=2,73) y factores del instrumento como agresividad verbal (ξ=3,29), la rabia (ξ=2,86) y hostilidad (ξ=2,86). Se concluye que las cualidades de tamaño y seguridad le son atribuidas específicamente a la madre, y que el nivel de agresividad verbal supera el índice de agresividad general.

The main objective of this study was to explore the meaning attributed to family functions by a sample of adolescents and late adolescents of the southern part of Italy. Accomplishing this objective permitted to understand the relationship between the perception of the transformations in both paternal and maternal functions –specifically the lack of normative roles and of affective containment- and aggressiveness as the most preferable manner to deal with conflict. A semantic differential (DF, De Rosa, Parrello and Sommantico, 2006) and an instrument for measuring aggressiveness, adapted for the European population (AQ Buss and Perry, 1992, 2003) was applied to 259 participants, ranging from 17 to 35 years old; participants were divided in two groups, 139 of them in high school and the other 120 in college. The results of the DF analysis indicated a monofactorial profile, different from the trifactorial profile obtained by Osgood, Suci, &Tannembaum (1957). In the AQ analysis, significant differences between the average of general aggressiveness (ξ = 2,73) and other factors evaluated by the aggressiveness instrument were found, such as verbal aggression (ξ =3,29), anger (ξ =2,86) and hostility (ξ=2,86). It is concluded that the qualities of size and security could be attributed specifically to the mother, and that the level of verbal aggression goes beyond any other index of general aggression.