New frontiers and applications of attachment theory

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From research to clinical settings: validation of the Affect in Play Scale \u2013 Preschool Brief Version in a sample of preschool and school-aged Italian children

Affect in Play Scale-Preschool (APS-P) is one of the few standardized tools to measure pretend play. APS-P is an effective measure of symbolic play, able to detect both cognitive and affective dimensions which classically designated play in children, but often are evaluated separately and are scarcely integrated. The scale uses 5 min standardized play task with a set of toys. Recently the scale was extended from 6 to 10 years old and validated in Italy preschool and school-aged children. Some of the main limitations of this measure are that it requires videotaping, verbatim transcripts, and an extensive scoring training, which could compromise its clinical utility. For these reasons, a Brief version of the measure was developed by the original authors. This paper will focus on an APS-P Brief Version and its Extended Version through ages (6\u201310 years), which consists \u201cin vivo\u201d coding. This study aimed to evaluate construct and external validity of this APS-P Brief Version and its Extended Version in a sample of 538 Italian children aged 4-to-10 years. Confirmatory factor analysis yielded a two correlated factor structure including an affective and a cognitive factor. APS-P-BR and its Extended Version factor scores strongly related to APS-P Extended Version factor scores. Significant relationships were found with a divergent thinking task. Results suggest that the APS-P-BR and its Extended Version is an encouraging brief measure assessing pretend play using toys. It would easily substitute the APS-P and its Extended Version in clinical and research settings, reducing time and difficulties in scoring procedures and maintaining the same strengths

A pilot study of the Italian adaptation of the Session Evaluation Questionnaire fourth version

Abstract The Session Evaluation Questionnaire (SEQ) evaluates the impact of counselling and psychotherapy sessions; it may be conceived as a bridge between psychotherapy process and outcome. SEQ is a self-report tool asking patients about their experience with the clinical session just ended; it consists of 27 adjectives in semantic differential scale, divided into three thematic parts: evaluation of the session itself, feelings after the session, and evaluation of the therapist. Even if the original American SEQ has been translated into many languages, only a few translations have been validated. This is a pilot study, which attempted to replicate the five-dimensional structure of the fourth version of the Anglo-American SEQ, for the Italian population. Data were collected on 111 outpatients attending the Psychological Assistance Service (SAP-Dynamic Psychotherapy Service) of Padua University, after their first two clinical interviews. Exploratory factor analyses (PCA with varimax rotation) were performed on each of the three parts of the SEQ. Results confirmed the original factorial structure, showing a substantial agree for Depth, Smoothness, Positivity and Arousal dimensions; Good Therapist dimension overlapped perfectly with the original one. The Italian SEQ showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach\u2019s alphas ranged .65 to .86 for the five subscales). Convergent validity measured with an index of perceived satisfaction in the counselling process, showed significant positive correlations with Good Therapist, Depth and Positivity scores. The preliminary results of this pilot study show that the Italian SEQ results in a reliable instrument to measure the impact of clinical sessions. Of course, validation studies are needed, especially to replicate the factor structure of the instrument and to better assess its validity

Parent\u2019s perception of children\u2019s fear: from FSSC-IT to FSSC-PP

Studies involving parents' reports about children's fears and multiple informant comparisons are less extended than investigations on children's self-reporting fear schedules. Starting with the Italian version of FSSC-R, the FSSC-IT, the main aims of this study were to adapt a schedule for parents' perception of their children's fear: the FSSC-Parent Perception. Its psychometric properties were examined in a large sample of parents (N = 2970) of children aged 8-10 years. Exploratory and confirmatory factorial structures were examined and compared with the Italian children's ones. Mother vs. father, children's gender and school age group effects were analyzed. The confirmatory factor analysis confirmed a four correlated factors solution model (Fear of Danger and Death; Fear of Injury and Animals; Fear of Failure and Criticism; Fear of the unknown and Phobic aspects). Some effects related to child gender, age group, mother vs. father, were found. The FSSC-PP properties supported its use by parents to assess their children's fears. A qualitative analysis of the top 10 fears most endorsed by parents will be presented and compared with children's fears. Clinical implications about the quality of parent-child relationships where discussed, comparing mothers and fathers, and parents' perception about daughters' and sons' most endorsed fears

Dyadic adjustment and parenting stress in internationally adoptive mothers and fathers: the mediating role of adult attachment dimensions.

Previous research has shown that a positive marital functioning represents a resource in adoptive families, leading to a decrease in parenting stress, but little is known about the factors mediating such a relationship. This study aimed to explore whether adult attachment avoidance and anxiety mediate the effect of dyadic functioning on parenting stress in 90 internationally adoptive couples (mothers and fathers) who had adopted a child (aged 3–10 years) in the last 36 months. Participants completed self-report measures of dyadic adjustment, adult attachment, and parenting stress. A series of path analyses supported the mediation hypothesis, but differentially for mothers and fathers. Among mothers, there was a direct and negative relationship between dyadic adjustment and parenting stress. In addition, a better dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment anxiety, which in turn were associated with less parenting stress. Among fathers, increased dyadic adjustment was related to lower levels of attachment avoidance, which in turn were associated with reduced parenting stress. These findings suggest the importance of including both mothers and fathers in adoption research. Adoptive parents could benefit from specific interventions aimed at reducing attachment avoidance and anxiety by supporting parental sense of competence and involvement for mothers and fathers, respectively

Anorexia and attachment: dysregulated defense and pathological mourning

The role of Defensive exclusion (Deactivation and Segregated Systems) in the development of early relationships and related to subsequent manifestations of symptoms of eating disorders was assessed using the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP). Fifty-one DSM-IV diagnosed women with anorexia participated in the study. Anorexic patients were primarily classified as dismissing or unresolved. Quantitative and qualitative analyses of defensive exclusion were carried out. Results showed potential benefits of using the AAP defense exclusion coding system, in addition to the main attachment classifications, in order to better understand the developmental issues involved in anorexia. Discussion concerned the processes, such as pathological mourning, that may underlie the associations between dismissing and unresolved attachment and anorexia. Implications for developmental research and clinical nosology are discussed

Bim and virtuality continuum : applications of a virtual reality prototype for the safety training on construction sites

LAUREA MAGISTRALECon il presente documento si forniscono le basi per una conoscenza approfondita del Building Information Modeling (BIM) e delle sue applicazioni nel contesto del virtuality continuum. In particolare, si propone lo sviluppo di un innovativo prototipo di simulazione in realtà virtuale, creato per la formazione sulla sicurezza in cantieri edili. La sua struttura si articola in tre sezioni. Nella prima si evidenziano le realtà in cui trova impiego il BIM, i suoi modelli applicativi in mobility e cloud, chiarendo quindi i concetti di Livelli di Maturità e Livelli di Sviluppo (LOD). Si prosegue analizzando le linee guida in materia di BIM e sicurezza, in ambito sia italiano che internazionale. Nella seconda sezione viene introdotto il concetto di simulazione in realtà virtuale, focalizzando i principali benefici in ambito ingegneristico. Una volta descritti i concetti teorici e applicativi delle simulazioni in realtà virtuale, si prosegue quindi con l’analisi del prototipo preso in esame, descrivendone la struttura software e il funzionamento di esecuzione con esempi pratici. Si arriva pertanto a definire le tipologie di utenti e le possibili integrazioni hardware e software, nonché ad analizzare le potenzialità dell’Intelligenza Artificiale interna al sistema e le relative condizioni al contorno. Dopo aver discusso della tecnologia di simulazione in realtà virtuale, la terza sezione offre un quadro completo del virtuality continuum analizzando i concetti di realtà aumentata e realtà mista, dalle origini fino ai modelli applicativi attuali. L’attenzione di questa ultima sezione è posta anche sull’influenza, consapevole o meno, del virtuality continuum a livello sociale, e dunque sulla sua concezione moderna sia in ambiti di intrattenimento (cinema, libri, videogames) sia nell’ambito delle costruzioni (architettura e ingegneria edile/civile). Obiettivo di questa tesi è offrire una visione più chiara e completa sia del mondo BIM che della realtà virtuale, entrambi spesso soggetti a molteplici e confusionarie interpretazioni, e dimostrare la loro possibile ed efficace integrazione. La metodologia di sviluppo è articolata attraverso numerose fonti bibliografiche, documentazioni, interviste, nonché test diretti sul software del prototipo.This thesis provides the foundation for a thorough knowledge of Building Information Modeling (BIM) and its applications on virtuality continuum. In particular, it is proposed the development of an innovative prototype for virtual reality simulation, created for the safety training on construction sites. Its structure is organised in three sections. In the first section the attention is drawn to the nowadays reality where BIM is adopted, its applicative models in mobility and cloud systems, thus making clear the concepts of Maturity Levels and Levels of Development (LOD). Then the guidelines about BIM and safety will be analysed, regarding both the Italian context and the international one. In the second section the concept of virtual reality simulation is introduced, by focusing on the principal benefits in the engineering field. Once the theoretical and practical notions of VR simulations are described, the document shall proceed with the analysis of the prototype examined, by describing its software structure and the execution functioning with practical examples. Then the user’s typologies and possible integration will be defined, as well as the potentialities of the Artificial Intelligence within the system and the relating boundary conditions. After having talked about VR simulation technology, the third section provides a full picture of the virtuality continuum, analysing the notions of augmented reality and mixed reality, from the beginning till nowadays applicative models. The attention of this last section is focused also on the social influence, conscious or not, of the virtuality continuum, and therefore on its modern idea both in entertainment sector (movies, books, videogames) and in the construction one (architecture and building/civil engineering). The aim of this dissertation is to provide a clearer and more complete understanding of both BIM and virtual reality, often subjected to various and chaotic interpretations, and then to demonstrate their possible and effective mutual integration. The methodology adopted for the development of this thesis is structured throughout several bibliographic sources, documentation, interview, as well as direct testing on the prototype’s software

Attachment Assessment in treatments, prevention and intervention programs

Attachment theory, assessment and research offers a broad, far-reaching view of human functioning, and it can enrich a psychologist's understanding of subjects and their relational adjustment, both in clinical and non-clinical settings. Ongoing research in attachment has led to a number of individual treatments and prevention and intervention programs. The assessment of an individual's attachment organization, can play a crucial role in explaining and previewing the unfolding treatment, the relational adjustments or concerns, and the psychological well-being. We hope to receive empirical papers that give evidence for the usefulness of attachment assessment in both clinical (e.g., patients with Eating Disorder; or Axis-II; psychotherapy patients…) or not clinical population (e.g. Adoptive and/or foster families or couples, Mother-infant assessment in prevention field…). These papers should include methodological issues and information about the participants, the methods used to assess attachment, the process of scorer training and the availability of the manual used to obtain inter-scorer reliability. Case studies may be of interest to the extent that they demonstrate the value of a systematic approach to attachment material. A range of theoretical perspectives is welcome as well presentation of new emergent tools on attachment. Because Frontiers in Psychology is an international journal, each empirical paper should comment on the international implications of the findings and discuss its cross-cultural use. Such comments may include, for example, its linguistic specificity, its robustness in translation, and the cross-cultural generalizability of the constructs and behaviors of the measure and its usual correlates. Cross-cultural generalizability is not, however, a requirement

Der Römischen Wölfin auf der Spur : eine Altertumsforscherin, ein Restaurator und ein Mediävist nehmen das Wahrzeichen Roms unter die Lupe

Rezension zu: Maria R.-Alföldi, Edilberto Formigli und Johannes Fried : Die römische Wölfin. Ein antikes Monument stürzt von seinem Sockel Sitzungsberichte der Wissenschaftlichen Gesellschaft an der Johann Wolfgang Goethe-Universität Frankfurt am Main, Band XLIX, Nr. 1, Franz Steiner Verlag, Stuttgart 2011, ISBN 978-3-515-09876-2, 161 Seiten, 48 Euro