The CPS Workers' Child Removal Decision in Cases of Domestic and Witnessed Violence.

This study aimed to explore maternal and paternal risks and protective factors that may influence the Child Protection Service (CPS) workers' child removal decision in case of domestic and witnessed violence. In all, 218 case reports of Italian CPSs were retrospectively analyzed through the Protocol of Risk and Protective Factors. The sample was then split up into two groups on the basis of the CPS professionals' placement decision after the investigation (child removal decision versus parents support and monitoring intervention). Two statistical approaches were used to identify the patterns of risk and protective factors associated with maternal and paternal assessments: logistic regression models and decision tree analysis. Results showed that mothers who are victims of Intimate Partner Violence experienced the child removal in about half of the cases, while fathers showed a higher removal rate. Differences emerged between mothers' and fathers' risk profiles, suggesting that workers attributed a different weight to some factors depending on whether they concerned the mother or the father. Only the proximal risk factor poor empathy skills was significant for both mothers and fathers. For the mothers' group, one of the most important factors was the presence of direct forms of child maltreatment in addition to witnessed violence, while for fathers' group the drug abuse emerged a crucial relevant proximal risk factor.

Parenting and the Serotonin Transporter Gene (5HTTLPR), Is There an Association? A Systematic Review of the Literature.

The current systematic review examines whether there is an association between the genetic 5-HTTPLR polymorphism and parenting, and the mechanisms by which this association operates. The literature was searched in various databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and ScienceDirect. In line with our inclusion criteria, nine articles were eligible out of 22. Most of the studies analysed in this review found an association between 5HTTLPR and parenting. Four studies found a direct association between 5-HTTLPR and parenting with conflicting findings: two studies found that mothers carrying the short variant were more sensitive to their infants, while two studies found that parents carrying the S allele were less sensitive. In addition, several studies found strong interaction between genetic and environmental factors, such as childhood stress and disruptive child behaviour, quality of early care experiences, poor parenting environment, and quality of the environment. Only one study found an association between children's 5HTTLPR and parenting. Parenting can be described as a highly complex construct influenced by multiple factors, including the environment, as well as parent and child characteristics. According to the studies, maternal 5-HTTLPR polymorphism is most likely to be associated with sensitive parenting.

Influence of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on postpartum depressive and posttraumatic symptoms.

INTRODUCTION: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a multifactor disorder caused by psychological, social, and also biological factors. 5-HTTLPR polymorphism in the promoter region of serotonin transporter gene seems to influence PPD onset. In this study, we examined the effect of 5-HTTLPR polymorphism on prenatal and postnatal symptoms of depression and posttraumatic stress in women. METHODS: A longitudinal design with three points - time 1 (32-40 weeks gestation); time 2 (2 or 3 weeks after birth), and time 3 (3 months after birth) - was made. A total of 141 women were recruited during childbirth preparation courses. At time 1, women completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Los Angeles Symptoms Checklist (LASC). At time 2, they fulfilled BDI and Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EDPS), LASC and the Perinatal Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) Questionnaire (PPQ); midwives and nurses collected biological test tubes by blood sampling for the genetic analysis. At time 3, the women were reassessed for BDI, LASC, EDPS, and PPQs. Analysis of variance and moderation analysis were used to correlate genotype and psychological investigations. RESULTS: Results showed that, compared with LL/LS genotypes, SS genotype moderated cognitive depressive symptoms onset at T2 and T3. Moreover, this genotype correlated, directly or indirectly, with PTSD postpartum aspects (re-experience, avoidance, and hyperarousal). DISCUSSION: Findings revealed that a lower expression of serotonin transporter gene, associated with SS genotype, seems to render women more vulnerable to depressive and PTSD symptoms after childbirth.

Difficulties in emotion regulation in child abuse potential: Gender differences in parents.

BACKGROUND: The Social Information Processing model (SIP; Milner, 1993, 2000, 2003) suggests that emotion dysregulation can be a moderating factor in Child Abuse Potential (CAP), influencing the processes of perception, interpretation and attribution of child's behavior. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate comprehensively emotion dysregulation in CAP and to examine gender differences between fathers and mother at risk. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were 186 mothers and 110 fathers of Italian pupils, aged 6-14 years (M = 9.3; SD = 1.9). METHODS: We analyzed emotion dysregulation in terms of specific dimensions (non-acceptance of emotional responses; difficulty in distracting and performing alternative behaviors; lack of confidence in the emotional regulation skills; difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors when distressed; difficulties recognizing emotion; and lack of emotional awareness) and, through correlation and regression analyses, we tested the gender differences. RESULTS: Overall, parents at risk showed several difficulties in the regulation, from emotional awareness/recognition to impulse control through effective coping strategies. In particular, lack of emotional awareness (ß = .20, p = .026) was a specific deficit of fathers at risk, whereas non-acceptance of emotional responses (ß = .30, p = .001) and difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors (when distressed) (ß = .35, p = .001) of mothers at risk. CONCLUSIONS: Findings confirmed the significant role of emotional dysregulation in CAP with different profiles for fathers and mothers. Clinical implications were discussed.

Video games use in childhood and adolescence: Social phobia and differential susceptibility to media effects.

Literature established a correlation between heavy exposure with video games (VGs) and withdrawal, loneliness, worse social skills, and social phobia. The present study hypothesizes that children with social phobia are more vulnerable to higher exposure in video gaming. Moreover, it hypothesizes that children with social phobia and higher exposure with VGs will be more at risk of developing negative outcomes such as externalizing problems. A survey measuring VG use habits, social phobia, and clinical outcomes was administered to 359 children and adolescents attending primary, secondary, and high schools in Northern Italy (aged 6-18 years old; M = 12.81, standard deviation (SD) = 3.16). Results show that participants with both social phobia and higher exposure in video gaming habits display worse developmental outcomes. Results are discussed in the light of the existing literature.

Bullying immigrant versus non-immigrant peers: Moral disengagement and participant roles.

This study examined (1) whether self-justifying bullying (i.e., moral disengagement) differs in hypothetical bullying situations of a newcomer peer depending on his or her immigrant status; and (2) whether the respondent's immigration status, age, gender, real life bullying participant role (as bully, assistant, reinforcer, defender, victim or outsider) and moral disengagement proneness moderate the differences in moral disengagement between non-immigrant vs. immigrant victims. Altogether, 342 ten-year olds (54% immigrants) and 292 twelve-year olds (45% immigrants) answered peer-report measures to assess participation in bullying and peer status, and self-report measures to assess moral disengagement proneness and situational moral disengagement related to vignettes in which the target of bullying was a non-immigrant vs an immigrant new classmate. For both non-immigrant and immigrant participants both types of moral disengagement were higher for non-immigrant than immigrant victims in the vignettes independent of the respondents' own immigration status. However, different participant bullying roles predicted the differences in moral disengagement between non-immigrant versus immigrant hypothetical victims among non-immigrant and immigrant students. Results suggest that, besides being a trait dimension, moral disengagement is also influenced by situational characteristics that need to be taken into account in order to prevent and tackle bullying effectively.

Positive Effects of Videogame Use on Visuospatial Competencies: The Impact of Visualization Style in Preadolescents and Adolescents.

Use of videogames (VGs) is almost ubiquitous in preadolescents' and adolescents' everyday life. One of the most intriguing research topics about positive effects of VG use is about the domain of visuospatial competencies. Previous research show that training with videogames enables children and adolescents to improve their scores in visuospatial tests (such as mental rotation of shapes and cubes), and that such training could overcome gender differences in these domains. Our study aimed at (1) verifying the positive effects of videogame use in the visuospatial domain both for male and female adolescents and preadolescents and (2) verifying whether the visualization style (2D or isometric 3D) of the VG has an influence about the positive effects of gaming. Six measures of visuospatial competency were administered to 318 preadolescents (mean of age = 13.94 years, range 10-18) prior and after a 3-day training with 2D and 3D Tetris. Results indicate that (1) gaming on the whole has slight positive effects both for males and females in enhancing visuospatial competencies, at least in the short term, and (2) it seems that participants who used the videogame with 2D graphics obtained greater improvements in the mental rotation domain while the participants who used the videogame with 3D graphics obtained greater improvements in the spatial visualization domain. However, a general learning effect between T1 and T2 was measured, which was found regardless of Experimental condition, indicating that the effect of training with videogames can be less relevant than expected.

Investigating linguistic coherence relations in child sexual abuse: A comparison of PTSD and non-PTSD children.

BACKGROUND: Language is the most common way to communicate internal states and emotions into a narrative form. Studies on the use of language provide a useful understanding of how people process an event and interpret it. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of PTSD on the narrative coherence of children's reports of sexual abuse. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Narrative coherence was analyzed within a group of 89 allegations of children (M = 10; range: 4-16), who were victims of sexual abuse. Thirty-seven children presented the symptoms for a diagnosis of PTSD. METHOD: Linguistic Inquiry Word Count (LIWC) was employed and narrative coherence was analyzed through some linguistic markers (first-person singular pronouns, conjunctions, and cognitive words). RESULTS: Results illustrated the effects of PTSD on the narrative coherence, in terms of first-person singular pronouns, conjunctions, and cognitive processes. Indeed, compared with traumatic narratives of children without PTSD, traumatic narratives of children with PTSD contained a greater number of first-person singular pronouns (M PTSD = 1.45 versus M no-PTSD = 1.12) and a smaller number of conjunctions (M PTSD = .37 versus M non-PTSD = .67), cognitive (M PTSD = 2.93 versus M non-PTSD = 3.76) and insight words (M PTSD = 2.29 versus M non-PTSD = 3.09). Regression analyses were used to examine if age and PTSD were predictors of the narrative coherence, suggesting the effects of PTSD in predicting the use of the first-person singular pronouns and the conjunctions. CONCLUSION: This study could underline the importance of considering the PTSD in legal testimony of children who have been sexually abused.

Children's Cognitive and Emotional Processes in Adult Versus Child-Related Inter-Parental Conflicts.

In the literature, little attention has been paid to the specific impact of child-related versus adult-related inter-parental conflicts on children's intrapersonal processes and adjustment. Aimed to advance knowledge on this topic, the cross-sectional study explores: 1) the predictive effects of the two forms of inter-parental conflicts on: a) children's internalizing/externalizing behaviors and b) children's cognitive appraisals, emotional distress, and triangulation; 2) the mediating role of children's cognitive appraisals, emotional distress, and triangulation, in the association between adult-related vs child-related conflict and children's adjustment. Seventy-five school-aged children and their parents completed measures of inter-parental conflict, cognitive, emotional and behavioral processes and child adjustment. The results indicated that: 1) higher levels of adult-related inter-parental conflict promoted children's internalizing behaviors, through the mediation of perceived threat; 2) higher levels of child-related inter-parental discord promoted both children's internalizing/externalzing behaviors, through the mediation of perceived threat and self-blame.

Childbirth Related Post-traumatic Stress Symptoms and Maternal Sleep Difficulties: Associations With Parenting Stress.

In the literature, increasing evidence is showing the importance of sleep difficulties in the development or maintenance of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms as well as the association between childbirth-related PTS symptoms and early maternal emotions and perceptions of their children. However, little is known regarding the effects of maternal sleep difficulties on parenting or about the mediational role of childbirth-related PTS symptoms in this association. The present study (pregnancy: T0; 1 month postpartum: T1; 3 months postpartum: T2) had two aims. The first one was to explore whether maternal sleep difficulties could contribute to the maintenance of PTS symptoms and whether PTS symptoms could contribute to the maintenance of maternal sleep difficulties. The second purpose was to explore, at 3 months (T2), the associations among childbirth-related PTS symptoms, maternal sleep difficulties, and the three dimensions of parenting stress [parental distress (PD), parent-child dysfunctional interaction, and difficult child] by examining the mediational role of both maternal sleep difficulties and childbirth-related PTS symptoms. Self-report questionnaires were administered to 95 women at different times (T0, T1, and T2). Mediational results confirmed the bidirectional effects between maternal sleep difficulties and PTS symptoms and their reciprocal role of maintenance of symptoms. Moreover, at 3 months postpartum (T2), sleep difficulties mediated the association between PTS symptoms and the three dimensions of maternal parenting stress, while PTS symptoms mediated the associations among maternal sleep difficulties, PD, and difficult child dimensions of parenting stress. The study contributes to the understanding of the maintenance factors of childbirth-related PTS symptoms and of the relationships among PTS symptoms, maternal sleep difficulties, and parenting stress.

Parents' perception of child behavior, parenting stress, and child abuse potential: Individual and partner influences.

Based on the Social Information Processing model of parenting risk for child abuse, the present study examined the associations between mothers' and fathers' perception of child behavior and child abuse potential, as well as whether parenting stress mediates the association between these constructs. Two hundred and fifty-nine mother-father couples raising preschool children answered the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), the Parenting Stress Index (PSI), and the Child Abuse Potential Inventory (CAPI). The results of dyadic path analysis showed that perception of child behavior was related to heightened parenting stress and abuse potential in both mothers and fathers. Concerning partner effects, we found that mothers' perception of child behavior problems was positively associated with fathers' parenting stress and that the higher the mothers' distress, the higher the fathers' risk of physical abuse. Finally, parenting distress partially mediated the association between parents' perception of child behavior and child abuse potential, with mothers' perception of their children as problematic showing a significant indirect effect through distress on their own abuse risk and on fathers' CAP as well. These findings suggest that parental distress may represent a critical mechanism by which parents' negative views of their children contribute to abuse potential. Moreover, mothers seem to influence fathers' tendency towards abusive behaviors.

The Centrality of Events Scale for Italian Adolescents: Integrating Traumatic Experience Into One's Identity and Its Relation to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Symptomatology.

Adolescents could develop areas of vulnerability, especially if they have had to deal with highly stressful and traumatic life events. Stressful experiences can work as traumatic memories that become central to one's life and core topics for one's identity and for the attribution of meaning to life experience. The present work evaluates (a) the internal structures of the 20-item Centrality of Event Scale in the Italian context and (b) the impact of stressful and traumatic experience during adolescence. The present work includes a convenience sample of 872 Italian adolescents -528 males, 344 females- aged between 11 and 21 years (M = 15.85; SD = 2.09). We performed a confirmatory factor analysis that confirmed a three-factor solution. Moreover, the perception of stressful event as central in the participants' lives was significantly correlated with the presence of PTSD symptomatology, as measured by the Impact of Event Scale Revised. We found that participants with PTSD symptoms had significantly higher CES scores. These data show the validity of the CES with adolescent samples, emphasizing the sensitivity of this instrument in detecting the impact of negative life experiences even in a sample of adolescents.

Childbirth Narratives of Women With Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms in the Postpartum Period.

OBJECTIVE: To examine cognitive, emotional, and perceptual differences in the childbirth narratives of women with high levels of posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) compared with women with low levels of PTSS in the postpartum period. DESIGN: A cross-sectional design. Participants were retrospectively assigned to the high or low PTSS group on the basis of their scores on the Perinatal Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Questionnaire (PPQ) administered at 1 week and 3 months after childbirth. SETTING: Participants' homes and Internet survey. PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five women were included in the high PTSS group (PPQ score ≥ 12), and 25 were included in the low PTSS group (PPQ score ≤ 1). METHODS: Participants completed the PPQ and a writing task about the birth experience 1 week after birth and completed an online version of the PPQ 3 months after birth. Characteristics of the narratives were analyzed and compared between the two groups using the Linguistic Inquiry Word Count. RESULTS: Compared with participants with low levels of PTSS, participants with high levels of PTSS reported more negative emotions, including horrific images connected to labor and birth and fewer positive emotions. Participants with high levels of PTSS used more sensory and perceptual terms (tactile, visual, and auditory). In contrast, women with low levels of PTSS described more active participation during birth and used more future tense verbs. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest the aspects that are involved in the development and maintenance of PTSS after birth and may be considered for use in clinical practice to improve quality of care and women's health during the postpartum period.

Facing Death in Adolescence: What Leads to Internalization and Externalization Problems?

The aim of this study was to test a model to better explain which factors are linked to the development of internalized and externalized problems in adolescents experiencing death through structural equation model. Internalizing problems were predicted by low self-esteem, high PTSD symptomatology and by being a female, whereas externalizing problems were predicted by low self-esteem, by the experience of the loss as central in their own life and by being a male. Our results pointed out the potential importance of controlling this factors in order to provide focused interventions for adolescents after the death of a significant one.

Narrative fragmentation in child sexual abuse: The role of age and post-traumatic stress disorder.

The present study aimed to assess the effects of age and PTSD on the narrative fragmentation in memories for child sexual abuse. Lexical complexity, cohesion and coherence were analyzed within a group of 86 allegations of children (M=10years; SD=3.7; range: 4-17) who were victims of sexual abuse. Results illustrated that age played an important role in establishing narrative coherence and predicted the level of orientation, the sequence of events and the level of evaluation of the event. Instead, PTSD was related to narrative coherence and cohesion. Therefore, in children, the narrative fragmentation could be an effective diagnostic tool for understanding the effects of PTSD. Moreover in a legal setting the traumatic effects of PTSD on the narrative coherence and cohesion could be significant indices in the evaluation of child testimony.

Child Sexual Behaviors in School Context: Age and Gender Differences.

The main purpose of the study was to explore the child sexual behaviors that Italian teachers have observed in the school context. A representative sample of 227 children, from 5 to 10 years old, was rated by their teachers through the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory. Frequencies of sexual behaviors among children aged 5 to 6, 7 to 8, and 9 to 10 are presented. Younger children showed a broader range of sexual behaviors that decrease with the growing age, such as males in comparison to females. Moreover, findings showed that child sexual behavior is not only related to age and gender but also to family characteristics. These results suggested that child sexual behaviors reported by teachers through the Child Sexual Behavior Inventory may provide useful information about the development of children's sexuality. The knowledge of age appropriate sexual behaviors can help teachers discern normal sexual behaviors from problematic sexual behaviors.

Maternal mind-mindedness as a linking mechanism between childbirth-related posttraumatic stress symptoms and parenting stress.

The researchers of this study have two aims. The first aim is to verify whether posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, evaluated at 87 hours and at 3 months postpartum, are associated with maternal mind-mindedness (MM) and parenting stress, measured at 17 months postpartum. The second aim is to investigate, at 17 months, the predictive effects of PTS symptoms on the dimensions of parenting stress and to explore whether MM mediates these associations. Forty-one mother-infant dyads participated in the study. The results show that at 17 months, hyper-arousal symptoms predicted both MM and parenting stress. MM was a linking mechanism between maternal PTS symptoms and parenting stress.

Health workers' perceptions of Italian female adolescents: a qualitative study about sexuality, contraception, and caring practices in family health centers.

Our aim was to explore health workers' perceptions of providing sexuality and contraception care for female adolescents within family health centers. We interviewed 26 volunteer health workers and analyzed the interviews using thematic analysis. We identified three main themes: (a) "adolescents and sexuality," with the subthemes "initiation rite," "me like the others," and "just for fun"; (b) "adolescents and contraception," with the subthemes "omnipotent adolescents," "aware adolescents," and "women's responsibility"; and

Emotional Distress Following Childbirth: An Intervention to Buffer Depressive and PTSD Symptoms.

Childbirth for some women is a negative experience associated with depressive and post-traumatic symptoms. The preventive actions focusing on helping mothers to cope with negative emotions experienced after childbirth are strongly recommended. It is also recommended both to intervene early and on all women to avoid the risk that these symptoms can worsen in the months after childbirth. The intervention described in the current study is focalized on the elaboration of post-partum negative thoughts and emotion through a writing task, with the purpose to help new mothers to reflect, understand, evaluate and, thus, reformulate the stressful situation with new beliefs and emotions. 176 women aged from 19 to 43 years (M = 31.55, SD = 4.58) were assessed for depression and PTSD in the prenatal phase (T1). In about 96 hours after childbirth they were randomly assigned to either "Making Sense condition" (MS: in which they wrote about the thoughts and emotions connected with delivery and childbirth) or "Control-Neutral condition" (NC: in which they wrote about the daily events in behavioural terms) and then reassessed for depression and PTSD (T2). A follow up was conducted 3 months later (T3) to verify depression and posttraumatic symptoms. The results showed that depressive symptoms decreased both at 96 hours and at 3 months as a result of making-sense task. Regarding the posttraumatic symptoms the positive effect emerged at three months and not at 96 hours after birth.

PTSD and re-offending risk: the mediating role of worry and a negative perception of other people's support.

BACKGROUND: Studies of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are mainly focused on victims of trauma. Very few studies explored the links between PTSD symptoms and re-offending risk in perpetrators of violence. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to assess the effect of PTSD symptoms on re-offending risk in prisoner populations with a focus on indirect effects of worry and a negative perception of other people's support on the relationship between PTSD and re-offending risk. METHODS: 75 prisoners (25 females, mean age: 44.36 years; 50 males, mean age: 34.7 years) were assessed for exposure to child abuse and neglect, PTSD symptoms, worry, a negative perception of other people's support and re-offending risk. Mediation analyses tested the indirect effects of worry and a negative perception of other people's support on the relationship between PTSD and re-offending risk. RESULTS: 72% participants presented PTSD symptoms and 30.7% were at risk of re-offending. Mediation analyses supported the hypothesis of a mediation pathway from PTSD to worry and a negative perception of other people's support to an increased risk of re-offending. CONCLUSIONS: The results indicate that prisoners report high rates of PTSD symptoms; furthermore, they highlight an important relationship between PTSD and re-offending risk. Findings suggest that future research should test further the indirect effects of negative cognitive and emotional states on the relationship of PTSD and re-offending risk and explore more in depth the role of PTSD to assess and treat prisoners.