Marcella Caputi

The communication of a diagnosis of fetal malformation is a very complex event for the parental couple to experience. The aim of the study is to report a planned evaluation of an ongoing psychological support within a prenatal diagnosis clinic, examining the extent to which it represents a source of support service for parental couples. An ad hoc semi-structured questionnaire was administered to couples who had received a prenatal diagnosis of fetal malformation, regardless of whether they had received psychological support. Descriptive analyses were performed on quantitative items, while an inductive thematic analysis was applied to open-ended responses to identify recurring themes. The results show that the majority of couples who used the support reported being satisfied with it. The ultrasound examination and specialist consultation were considered by the majority of the participants to be the most appropriate moments to receive the counseling. On the other hand, 41.38% of the couples who did not receive support would have liked to have received it. Finally, the majority of the couples, regardless of whether they received psychological support, would recommend that couples in similar situations seek psychological support and that other hospital facilities integrate such services. The results show that among couples who have received psychological support, most reported having benefited from it. In the absence of the psychologist within the multidisciplinary team, however, only a few participants have actively requested it. The findings are discussed in terms of the clinical relevance of psychological support at the time of fetal diagnostic assessments and specialist consultation.

Background: Parental and caregiver stress represents a critical factor influencing family functioning and the quality of care in families of autistic children. Although previous research has identified multiple correlates of caregiver stress, the interplay between individual stress, co-parenting quality, and psychosocial contextual factors in families of autistic children remains insufficiently characterized within an integrated framework. Methods: This study adopted a cross-sectional exploratory design to examine stress levels, co-parenting quality, and associated psychosocial variables in caregivers. Standardized self-report measures were administered, and analyses included descriptive statistics, correlational analyses, and exploratory person-centered clustering procedures to identify patterns of co-occurring characteristics rather than discrete typologies. Results: Caregiver stress was significantly associated with indicators of co-parenting quality and psychosocial burden. Exploratory clustering analyses identified distinct patterns of caregiver experiences, characterized by differing levels of stress, perceived support, and co-parenting quality. These clusters should be interpreted as statistical profiles that reflect heterogeneous configurations of variables, rather than as stable or causal categories. Conclusions: Findings highlight the multidimensional nature of caregiver stress and underscore the importance of considering co-parenting quality and contextual factors within mental health promotion frameworks. The results are hypothesis-generating and support the need for future longitudinal and confirmatory studies to validate these patterns and clarify their implications for preventive and supportive interventions targeting families and care professionals.

Coping strategies are essential for adolescents' socio-emotional well-being and academic success. This study aims to explore the predictive role of temperament traits, parental care, and overprotection in shaping adolescents' coping strategies. A cross-sectional design was employed to collect data from 1,195 Italian adolescents aged 14-18 years. Stepwise regression analyses were conducted to identify significant predictors of coping strategies. Findings revealed that temperament traits, particularly depressive and cyclothymic temperaments, were the strongest predictors of coping strategies. High parental care perceived by adolescents promoted adaptive coping strategies such as Social Support and Problem Solving, whereas lower parental care levels perceived by adolescents were linked to Avoidance coping strategies. Temperament traits play a more prominent role than parenting in shaping adolescents' coping strategies, suggesting that interventions should focus on biological predispositions while fostering a supportive -family environment.

Research on physical activity (PA) interventions for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has shown benefits in various domains, yet questions remain about how to implement such interventions in adolescents effectively. This study case-series study explores the contribution of a PA program integrated with applied behavior analysis (ABA) strategies in improving motor skills and reducing repetitive behaviors in three adolescents with ASD. The study used a pre-post case series design, with assessments at three time points (baseline, 6 months, and 9 months). The intervention consisted of 29 two-hour training sessions, held once a week in a public gymnasium. Standardized tools, including the Checklist for Autism Spectrum Disorder (CASD), the Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS-2), the Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales (VABS), the Repetitive and Restricted Behavior Scale (RRBS), and the Movement Observation and Valuation for Individual Training (MOVIT), were utilized. Participants showed consistent improvements in all six motor skills evaluated by the MOVIT, with individual variations. The most significant gains were observed in intersegmental coordination, with acquisition rates increasing from 70% to 90%. Repetitive behaviors decreased, particularly restricted behaviors and modulation insufficiency, while changes in sensorimotor stereotypies were more modest. The preliminary results suggest that a PA program integrated with behavioral strategies is efficacious in improving motor skills and reducing repetitive behaviors in adolescents with ASD. These findings support the integration of physical activity into comprehensive educational interventions for this population.

Background/Objectives: Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) is a clinical condition primarily characterized by inattention, hypoactivity, and mind-wandering, which has not yet been recognized as an official diagnostic category. Although there are overlaps between CDS and ADHD, evidence supports the semi-independence of CDS from the ADHD-Inattentive subtype. Importantly, while the impact of ADHD on parenting styles has been studied, no previous research has investigated the potential influence of CDS difficulties on parenting behaviors. Both CDS and ADHD are associated with internalizing and externalizing symptoms, which are influenced by negative parenting styles. The severity of ADHD is known to predict the use of dysfunctional parenting patterns; however, no studies have yet investigated how CDS difficulties might affect parenting styles. Due to the similarities between CDS and ADHD, it is reasonable to hypothesize a similar relationship. This study aims to examine the potential mediating role of parenting styles—both negative and positive—in the relationship between CDS difficulties and internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Methods: The sample is composed of 369 Italian school-aged children (9.38 ± 2.34 years old). Parents reported on their children’s psychopathology, CDS difficulties, and their own parenting strategies. Results: Analyses conducted using Hayes’ PROCESS tool indicated that only negative parenting styles partially mediated the relationship between CDS difficulties and parent-reported youth anxiety, depression, and oppositional defiant disorder. Conclusions: These findings highlight the importance of interventions aimed at both addressing CDS in children and improving parenting strategies to enhance youth psychopathological outcomes.

Cognitive Disengagement Syndrome (CDS) is a clinical construct characterized by symptoms such as excessive daydreaming, mental confusion, slowed behavior, and reduced cognitive and motor activity. Increasing evidence suggests a potential overlap between CDS and Emotional Dysregulation (ED), a transdiagnostic construct associated with difficulties in regulating emotional responses. This narrative review synthesizes current empirical findings and theoretical perspectives on the co-occurrence of CDS and ED, with a particular focus on insights provided by behavioral genetics—especially twin studies. We describe the core principles and models used in twin research and evaluate how they have been applied to disentangle genetic and environmental contributions to these phenotypes and their overlap. While some studies support a shared etiology between CDS and ED, particularly through non-shared environmental influences, research in this area remains limited and conceptually fragmented. The review identifies critical knowledge gaps, including the lack of longitudinal studies, inconsistent definitions of ED, and limited exploration of developmental trajectories. We argue that future twin studies are essential for clarifying these unresolved issues. Nonetheless, limitations include the scarcity of twin-based studies directly examining the CDS–ED association and methodological inconsistencies across the existing literature.

Background/Objectives: Interparental conflict, with its multiple dimensions, represents a risk factor for youth mental health, triggering a series of cascading processes. Despite recent evidence highlighting that psychological inflexibility is a risk factor for adolescents’ psychopathology after stressful events, a limited number of studies have investigated its role in family conflicts. This study aims to investigate whether psychological inflexibility mediates the impact of conflict characteristics (intensity, frequency, and resolution) and threat appraisal of interparental conflict on the psychological difficulties of adolescent offspring. Methods: A sample of 195 adolescents aged between 15 and 19 years old completed the Children’s Perception of Interparental Conflict Scale, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire, and the Avoidance and Fusion Questionnaire for Youth on Google Forms. Results: The findings revealed that adolescents living in a family environment characterized by high levels of perceived interparental conflicts exhibit a wide spectrum of psychological difficulties, either emotional or behavioral, partially mediated by their psychological inflexibility. However, when conflict between parents is interpreted as threatening, adolescents’ inflexibility appears to mediate the relationship between conflict and psychological difficulties. Conclusions: While future studies are needed to better understand this association, psychological flexibility might represent a relevant treatment target in adolescents exposed to interparental conflict.

Background: There is evidence that the tendency to adopt a peculiar pattern of causal inference, known as attributional style, is likely related to specific patterns of psychopathology among youth. Objective: This study aims to assess preliminary psychometric properties of the Italian Children’s Attributional Style Questionnaire-Revised (CASQ-R) and to explore the presence of any subgroups of children and early adolescents from the general population who might exhibit internally homogeneous and externally heterogeneous attributional styles through latent class analysis, delving into the potential sociodemographic, namely age and gender, and clinical differences among the identified classes of attributional styles. Method: A sample of 337 children (11.29 ± 1.76 years old, 169 females, and 168 males) was recruited and their attributional styles and depressive and anxious symptoms were analyzed. Results: Two distinct classes were defined using the CASQ-R items in a latent class analysis (LCA). In particular, high levels of depressive (Kruskal–Wallis chi-squared = 9.37, df = 1, Bonferroni-adjusted p = 0.002) and school phobia (Kruskal–Wallis chi-squared = 7.17 df = 1, Bonferroni-adjusted p = 0.037) symptoms were reported by children showing an internal, global and stable attributional style for negative events and an external, specific and unstable attributional style for positive events. Conversely, low levels of depressive and school phobia symptoms were reported by children showing the opposite attributional style. Conclusions: The identified classes shed light on distinct patterns associated with depressive and anxious symptoms, offering potential insights for targeted interventions.

Deficits in theory of mind (ToM), known as the ability to understand the other’s mind, have been associated with several psychopathological outcomes. The present systematic review aims to summarize the results of genetic studies that investigated gene polymorphisms associated with mentalization performance tasks in children and adults. The systematic review was carried out following PRISMA guidelines, and the literature search was conducted in PubMed and EBSCOhost using the following keywords: ‘theory of mind, mentalizing, mindreading’ and ‘gene, genetic basis’. Nineteen studies met the eligibility criteria for inclusion. Most of the literature focused on the role of DRD4, DAT1, OXTR, OXT, COMT, ZNF804A, AVP, AVPR, SCL6A4, EFHC2, MAO-A, and the family of GTF2I genes in influencing ToM. However, controversial results emerged in sustaining the link between specific genetic polymorphisms and mentalization abilities in children and adults. Available data show heterogeneous outcomes, with studies reporting an association between the same family genes in subjects of the same age and other studies reporting no correlation. This does not allow us to draw any solid conclusions but paves the way for exploring genes involved in ToM tasks.