Are humor styles predictors of hope? sex and age differences in Italian adolescents and young adults

The study analyzed relationships among humor styles and hope and deepen the role of humor styles as predictors of hope in 582 Italian adolescents and young adults (with age ranged between 14 and 27). Sex and age differences were observed. The Humor Styles Questionnaire was used to assess the inclination to adopt positive (affiliative/self-enhancing) and negative (aggressive/self-defeating) humor styles, and Hope Scale was used to evaluate the general level of hope ("overall" hope score) and its two components (agency/pathways). Significant differences for sex and age-groups were found. Correlation analyses pointed out that positive humor styles were positively related to hope, and self-defeating humor was negatively associated to hope. Linear regressions displayed that self-enhancing and affiliative styles positively influenced hope while self-defeating negatively affected hope. The emerged relationships suggested that promoting the use of humor to amuse the others facilitate interpersonal relationships especially in developmental age

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Flexibility of Gender Stereotypes: Italian Study on Comparative Gender-consistent and Gender-inconsistent Information / La flexibilidad de los estereotipos de género: estudio italiano sobre la información comparativa congruente e incongruente con el género

The topic of this study is flexibility in gender stereotyping linked to attribution of toys, socio-cognitive traits, and occupations in 160 Italian children aged 6 to 12 years. We used the Gender Toys Choice, the Gender Traits Choice, and the Gender Jobs Choice, a ed set of colored cards containing masculine and feminine stimuli to assign to a male or female or both male and female silhouette (the flexible-choice technique). In order to verify the change of flexibility in gender stereotyping, we made use of four cartoon stories with male and female characters with typical or atypical traits and performing gender-consistent or gender-inconsistent activities. Results indicated that the exposure to cartoon stories with gender-inconsistent information rather than cartoon stories with gender-consistent information increased flexibility in gender stereotyping, showing age differences in favor of children aged 11-12. Implications in relation to the developmental-constructivist approach were noted

Esta investigación aborda la flexibilidad de los estereotipos de género asociados a la atribución de juguetes, rasgos sociocognitivos y ocupaciones en 160 niños italianos de entre 6 y 12 años. Las pruebas utilizadas fueron la elección de juguetes de género, de rasgos de género y de tareas de género, representados en un conjunto seleccionado de tarjetas de colores que utilizan estímulos asociados típicamente al género para asignar a una silueta masculina o femenina o a la vez masculina y femenina (técnica de elección flexible). Para determinar el cambio de flexibilidad de los estereotipos de género, hicimos uso de cuatro historias de dibujos animados con personajes masculinos y femeninos, con rasgos típicos o atípicos, realizando actividades congruentes o incongruentes con el género. Los resultados muestran que la exposición a dibujos animados con información incongruente con el género en lugar de dibujos animados con información congruente con el género aumenta la flexibilidad de los estereotipos de género, habiendo diferencias en los niños entre 11 y 12 años. Se observaron implicaciones en relación con el enfoque del desarrollo constructivista

[Determination of the effective water temperature for the reduction of Legionella spp. contamination in health facilities]. / Determinazione del livello di temperatura dell'acqua calda efficace per l'abbattimento della contaminazione da Legionella spp. nelle strutture sanitarie.

In order to find the optimal value of the hot water temperature to be reached so that there is no Legionella spp. at the dispensing points, 920 samples of water at temperature between 54 and 60 Celsius degree were analyzed at the Lugo and Faenza hospitals (Ravenna). Thought the analysis of the linear trendline results indicate that the temperature required is close to 60 degrees but as it's difficult to maintain in old plants, a careful patient's risk assessment needs to be carried out and therefore install antibacterial membrane filters at the dispensers.

Italian and Swedish adolescents: differences and associations in subjective well-being and psychological well-being.

BACKGROUND: One important aspect of subjective judgments about one's well-being (i.e., subjective well-being: life satisfaction, positive affect, and negative affect) is that cultural features, such as, nationality seem to shape cognitive judgments about the "the ideal life." In this comparative study we examined differences in subjective well-being and psychological well-being between Italian and Swedish adolescents and tested if the relationship between the three constructs of subjective well-being (i.e., satisfaction with life, positive affect, and negative affect) and psychological well-being was moderated by the adolescents' nationality. METHOD: Italian (n = 255) and Swedish (n = 277) adolescents answered to the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Positive Affect Negative Affect Schedule, and Ryff's Scales of Psychological Well-Being. Differences between samples were tested using a Multiple Analysis of Variance. We also conducted a multiple group analysis (Italy and Sweden) using Structural Equation Modelling to investigate the relationship between all three subjective well-being constructs and psychological well-being. RESULTS: Italian adolescents scored significantly higher in satisfaction with life than Swedish adolescents. Additionally, across countries, girls scored significantly higher in negative affect than boys. In both countries, all three constructs of subjective well-being were significantly associated to adolescents' psychological well-being. Nevertheless, while the effect of the relationship between affect and psychological well-being was almost the same across countries, life satisfaction was more strongly related to psychological well-being among Swedish adolescents. CONCLUSIONS: The present study shows that there are larger variations between these two cultures in the cognitive construct of subjective well-being than in the affective construct. Accordingly, associations between the cognitive component, not the affective component, of subjective well-being and psychological well-being differ between countries as well.

[Evaluation of chlorine dioxide concentrations needed to effectively control contamination by Legionella spp in hospital hot water distribution systems]. / La determinazione della concentrazione efficace di biossido di cloro (ClO2) per il controllo della contaminazione da Legionella spp nei circuiti dell'acqua calda sanitaria.

This aim of the study was to identify effective levels of ClO2 for control of Legionella spp. contamination in the hot water (45-55 °C.) distribution system of a 579-bed hospital in Ravenna (Italy). Overall, 663 hot water samples were collected from the hospital's sinks and shower taps and were analyzed. Trend line analysis, which describes the trend in the number of positive samples collected according to disinfectant concentration, shows that the lowest number of positive samples was achieved with concentrations of ClO2 between 0.22 and 0, 32 mg /l.

Creative thinking and Big Five factors of personality measured in Italian schoolchildren.

This study examined the relations of creative thinking with Big Five factors of personality and the differences by sex and age on creativity. A sample of Italian schoolchildren (56 boys, 56 girls), between 8 to 10 years of age, completed the Test of Creative Thinking and the Big Five Questionnaire for Children. Analysis of results indicated that older children obtained significantly higher scores than the younger ones on Elaboration and Production of titles. Girls obtained significantly higher scores than boys on Originality and Elaboration. The results suggested a modest and negative relation of Flexibility with Conscientiousness and Production of titles with Emotional instability. These findings support the need to explore the connection between creativity and personality with developmental age by means of multiple tasks for evaluating creative thinking.

Toys, sociocognitive traits, and occupations: Italian children's endorsement of gender stereotypes.

In a sample of 136 Italian children ages 8 to 12 years (M = 9.6, SD = 1.2; 68 boys, 68 girls), gender stereotypes related to gender-typed toys, traits, and occupational choices were examined, using the forced-choice technique between a male and a female silhouette. Stereotypy was established considering boys' and girls' choices for the 70%-100% range. Differences in gender stereotyping for age and sex of participants were verified. Analysis indicated children attributed toys prevalently connected with aesthetic aspect and domestic activities to the female silhouette, while technology, warfare, locomotion, and construction toys were attributed to the male. Children attributed physical and verbal aggressiveness and dominance to the male silhouette; the female profile was exclusively characterized by sweetness. The occupational stereotypical male model was structured in both practical-manual activities and of highly cultural and specialist relevance, while for the female model the number of activities, mainly of a domestic type, were reduced. Significant main effect of sex of children was found, but no significant age-related differences in the three domains. Results were discussed within the framework of gender-stereotype theories.