Showing papers by "Claudio Sica published in 2020"
TL;DR: Network analysis revealed that feeling a general internal uncertainty aversion and the belief that things have to be planned in advance are the most central nodes in both samples, and the network was highly similar in undergraduates and community individuals in terms of network similarity, global connectivity, and structure and items mean levels.
22 citations
TL;DR: The disinhibition dimension of the triarchic model was related most highly to general externalizing outcomes, such as conduct problems and hyperactivity-inattention, in this adolescent sample of Italian adolescents.
Abstract: The triarchic model of psychopathy was advanced to reconcile differing historic conceptions of this condition and alternative approaches for assessing it. The current study was undertaken to expand...
15 citations
TL;DR: The findings suggest that the triarchic model of psychopathy can contribute to an understanding of youth engagement in bullying and cyberbullying.
Abstract: The triarchic model of psychopathy includes a disinhibition dimension related to externalizing outcomes, a meanness dimension pertaining to callous-unemotional traits, and a boldness dimension referring to emotional stability and high confidence in peer relationships Some dimensions of psychopathy have been extensively investigated in samples of children and adolescents; in particular, the callous-unemotional (meanness) dimension has been associated with aggression and bullying in numerous studies However, the other dimensions of the triarchic model have been relatively unexplored in samples of adolescents Thus, we tested for associations between the triarchic dimensions and bullying and cyberbullying behaviors (ie, proactive, goal-directed, and repetitive aggressive behaviors) in a sample of 580 high school students aged 14 to 19 years Logistic regression analyses showed that (a) meanness and disinhibition scores were uniquely associated with traditional bullying, whereas only meanness was uniquely associated with cyberbullying; (b) boldness scores moderated the relationship between disinhibition and cyberbullying, such that disinhibition was related to cyberbullying only at low levels of boldness; and (c) these patterns were maintained when accounting for overall levels of conduct problems and were not moderated by the experience of victimization Our findings suggest that the triarchic model of psychopathy can contribute to an understanding of youth engagement in bullying and cyberbullying
9 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the authors explored the association between parental and child IU in female university students and explored whether the path from parent to child IU is differentially mediated by child psychological distress depending on parental gender.
Abstract: The overlap between parent and child psychological distress might be attributed to the intergenerational transmission of intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The current study explored the association between parental and child IU in female university students. Female undergraduates (N = 234) and their parents completed questionnaires assessing IU and psychological distress. First, we tested whether living status (on one’s own vs. with one or both parents) and IU predict psychological distress in undergraduates. Second, we performed between-group comparisons on IU and psychological distress measures. Third, we explored whether the path from parent to child IU is differentially mediated by child psychological distress depending on parental gender. Only IU predicted psychological distress of undergraduates. Daughters reported levels of IU and psychological distress comparable with mothers, but higher than fathers; mothers and fathers did not differ in IU, whereas the former were more psychologically distressed than the latter. Lastly, daughters’ psychological distress partially mediated the path from maternal to child IU, whereas it fully mediated the path from paternal to child IU. Current findings further support the association between IU and psychological distress during college age, and they tentatively suggest that differences in the intergenerational transmission of IU according to parental gender may occur.
8 citations
TL;DR: The results provide initial evidence for the utility of the ComB treatment for TTM in an Italian clinical setting and support the delivery of individualized and flexible psychological treatments when treating TTM.
Abstract: Despite rapidly increasing knowledge about Trichotillomania (TTM), no gold-standard evidence-based psychological intervention has been identified. In the current study, we evaluated the potential efficacy of an eight-session psychological intervention for TTM, namely the Comprehensive Behavioral Model (ComB) treatment, using a multiple-baseline single-case experimental design with three Italian women with TTM. The study included three phases: baseline, intervention, and 3-month follow-up. We assessed the intervention using daily self-monitoring of number of hair-pulling episodes, number of pulled hairs per episode, degree of resistance to pulling urges, and degree of associated distress. We also assessed for reliable improvement in general distress from baseline to post-intervention. All participants completed treatment and showed improvements on those symptom measures that were most relevant to their individualized case conceptualization. However, no participants recovered completely or demonstrated reliable improvement in general distress. Our results provide initial evidence for the utility of the ComB treatment for TTM in an Italian clinical setting. Furthermore, they support the delivery of individualized and flexible psychological treatments when treating TTM.
4 citations
01 Jun 2020
TL;DR: In this article, the authors investigated cognitive flexibility by using symptom-related stimuli in a probabilistic reversal learning task and compared performance of individuals with two closely related OCD-related phenomena: OC symptoms and Not Just Right Experiences.
Abstract: Obsessive and compulsive symptoms are only partially explained by current cognitive-behavioral models. A complementary proposal, behavioral dysregulation, considers cognitive inflexibility (a malfunction of the capacity of switching between mental processes in order to generate appropriate behavioral responses) as an endophenotype of OCD. However, it is unclear whether deficits in cognitive flexibility are specific to individuals with OCD, or whether cognitive underperformance in OCD should instead be explained by nonspecific factors. Here, we probed cognitive flexibility by using symptom-related stimuli in a probabilistic reversal learning task. We compared performance of individuals with two closely related OCD-related phenomena: OC symptoms and “Not Just Right Experiences.” Data were analyzed through computational models of reinforcement learning. Academic achievement was used for comparison as an unrelated learning task. Our results support the inflexibility specificity hypothesis, but only for the processing of symptom-related triggers. Clinical implications are discussed in relation to contemporary CBT models.
3 citations
TL;DR: The idea that individuals have differing tolerances for-or sensitivity to-NJREs is examined, in a similar manner as occurs regarding for other experience such as the distinction between disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity.
Abstract: Although current cognitive conceptualizations of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) emphasize that rituals are performed in order to avoid overtly threatening outcomes, it has also been noted that there are individuals for whom the attempt to correct "not just right experiences" (NJREs) rather than dangerous outcomes per se appear important. This article examines the idea that individuals have differing tolerances for-or sensitivity to-NJREs, in a similar manner as occurs regarding for other experience such as the distinction between disgust propensity and disgust sensitivity. In Study 1, using a nonclinical Italian sample, the NJRE-Sensitivity Scale (NJRE-SS) was created and refined. Its final version consisted of eight items loading on two subscales-an intolerance of NJREs due to their perceived interference with cognitive tasks and due to their interference with enjoyment of life. In Study 2, the factor structured was confirmed in a separate sample. The measure was found to have convergent validity with related measures including a separate measure assessing the severity and frequency of NJREs themselves. However, the NJRE-SS predicted OCD symptoms over-and-above the general NJRE measure, with particularly the interference with cognitive tasks subscale being of importance. Clinical implications are discussed.
2 citations