This study explored emotional representations of organ donation among Italian young adults, focusing on the emotional and cultural factors shaping meaning-making processes and willingness to donate. Individual open-ended interviews were conducted and analyzed using the Emotional Text Mining method. A total of 203 participants aged 19-30 years were recruited from different Italian regions. The analysis identified four clusters: "Altruistic choice," framing donation as a life-oriented act rooted in responsibility and hope; "Request for dialogue," emphasizing communication and shared reflection as prerequisites for informed decisions; "Beliefs about the body," highlighting how bodily representations shape attitudes toward donation; and "Impact with reality," capturing the emotional and cognitive effects of confronting donation and transplantation. These clusters were associated with socio-demographic variables and familiarity with donation, revealing distinct symbolic pathways through which young adults process its emotional implications. Promotional strategies should prioritize dialogue and community engagement to foster a donation culture grounded in shared meaning.

Objective:fibromyalgia (FM) is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and psychological distress, with a significant impact on quality of life. While cognitive-behavioral therapy has been extensively studied as a psychological intervention for FM, the effectiveness of psychodynamic interventions remains underexplored. This systematic review aims to synthesize the existing literature on psychodynamic interventions for FM, focusing on their impact on clinical and psychological outcomes. Method:a systematic search was conducted across PsycINFO, Cochrane, PubMed, and Web of Science databases. A total of six studies meeting the inclusion criteria were identified, investigating different psychodynamic approaches, including Attachment-Based Compassion Therapy, Emotional Awareness and Expression Therapy, and shortterm psychodynamic psychotherapy. Results:across these studies, psychodynamic interventions showed potential - but still preliminary - benefits, including reductions in pain severity, anxiety, depression, and psychological distress, alongside improvements in emotional functioning and quality of life. However, substantial heterogeneity across interventions, study designs, and outcome measures, combined with moderate-to-high risk of bias and the small number of available studies, limits the strength of the conclusions. Conclusions:the current evidence does not allow definitive recommendations regarding psychodynamic interventions for FM. Further methodologically rigorous research is needed to clarify the specific efficacy, generalizability, and underlying mechanisms of these interventions.

Abstract: Background: Reperceptive body psychotherapy (RBP) is a body-oriented cognitive-behavioral modality. Aim: This study explores an integrative approach to psychotherapy by applying multiple code theory (MCT) to RBP. Method: We examined a single clinical case longitudinally from April 2018 to December 2020. We assessed the therapeutic outcomes using psychopathological questionnaires by conducting process evaluation using linguistic measures based on MCT. Results: The results suggest that the treatment, including RBP group-based sessions, may be useful in enhancing psychological functioning. The intervention was associated with activation of the referential process (RP), reflected in changes in emotional processing and symbolization over the course of therapy. Comparisons between in-person and online therapy seem to reveal no significant differences in process indicators. Qualitative analyses seem to support a temporary shift during the initial transition to online sessions: increased emotional and sensory engagement alongside reduced reflectiveness, which normalized after a few sessions. Conclusions: These findings suggest that therapeutic continuity, rather than the treatment setting, is a key factor in supporting therapeutic change. Across modalities, RP seems to remain active with fluctuations consistent with psychotherapeutic engagement. Therefore, linguistic measures may usefully capture aspects of symbolization in body psychotherapy, which are underexplored within the framework of MCT.

Language characteristics reflect the ability to connect emotions to words and thoughts, thus transforming non-verbal material into material that can be communicated to others, allowing people to share their emotional experience with others and to regulate their own emotions. In this review, we present the results from the last decade by the three main university research groups (Universities of Rome, Bergamo, and Padua) on Italian computerized linguistic measures of the Referential Process (RP). We discuss 22 studies across several clinical and non-clinical settings and populations, exploring the application of RP measures to heterogeneous materials, such as transcripts of validated clinical instruments, expressive writings, autobiographical memories, dreams, and the therapists' clinical notes. We also consider the associations between linguistic measures and psychological constructs. The results show the existence of definite linguistic characteristics in the different samples examined. Specifically, a higher use of sensory-somatic words appears to be associated with depressive states, while a greater use of abstract words is associated with defensive dimensions. Additionally, RP measures seem to capture the affective dysregulation features shown by individuals with higher alexithymia scores, indicating reduced symbolizing and affective capabilities. In general, these findings confirm a strong association between language and bodily functioning, highlighting the connection between physical arousal, emotion, thoughts, and health/pathology dimensions.

Background: Hypermobility Ehlers Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is a clinical condition characterized by hypermobility and tissue fragility and associated to chronic pain. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between affect regulation, pain perception and psychophysical dimensions. Methods: Twenty-five hEDS patients completed tests assessing pain experience, pain intensity, emotion regulation, alexithymia and quality of life. A regression analysis was performed on the total sample, in order to investigate the relationship between alexithymia, pain, emotional regulation and perception of quality of life. Results: A high percentage of alexithymia emerged. Negative significant associations emerged between quality-of-life scale and both emotion regulation scale and scales as well as with alexithymia scale and difficulties in identifying and describing feelings. Moreover, a relationship between hEDS and psychological variables concern the time of diagnosis appear. Discussion: Patients with hEDS seems to refer alexithymia; pain seems to interfere with practical aspects of daily life, and may reduce an individual's awareness of their emotional capabilities. Perception of heightened pain has a stronger impact on emotional resources when it interferes with affective life, rather than with practical life. Finally, delayed diagnoses of hEDS entail psychological consequence such as alexithymia. Conclusion: All these aspects may interfere with the possibility of patients to be understood for clinicians and a particular attention is needed also to define the rehabilitative approach.

Mi risulta che il professor Carlo Odo Pavese ha ritenuto lesiva del suo prestigio ed onore la mia replica {Quad. Urb. 63 [92], 1999, pp. 165-178) alla sua recensione del volume Pindaro. Le Pitiche^ a cura mia e di Paola Angeli Bernardini, Ettore Cingano e Pietro Giannini (Milano 1995), recensione pubblicata in Gnomon 71, 1999, pp. 388 395. Me ne dispiace, ma tengo a rassicurare il collega ed amico, cui va da sempre tutta la mia stima, che il mio articolo, riguardante il m?todo critico e l'interpretazione del testo, non intendeva assolutamente dan neggiare il prestigio e l'onorabilit? di lui, ma soltanto essere una rispo sta ai rilievi da lui mossi. Riconosco tuttavia che certe frasi della mia replica, forse per un moment?neo impulso di difesa, sembrano espri mere commenti personali e apprezzamenti rivolti alla personalit? del recensore. Me ne dispiace e mi scuso. Il tono del mio intervento, che puo suonare oltre che pol?mico ag gressivo, era nelle intenzioni anche scherzoso, corne accade spesso nelle dispute dei filologi, specie se legati da rapporti di amicizia e stima, corne nel presente caso.

Background: Hypermobility Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is a clinical condition characterized by hypermobility and tissue fragility and is associated with chronic pain. The present study aimed to investigate the associations between affect regulation, pain perception, and psychophysical dimensions as well as alexithymic characteristics in the pathological range. Methods: Twenty-five hEDS patients completed a socio-anamnestic questionnaire as well as the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), the 36-Item Short Form Survey (psychophysical health), the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (affect regulation). Results: Correlational analysis showed several negative significant associations between the SF-36, DERS, and TAS-20. The BPI showed few significant associations with both affect regulation measures. Moreover, a relationship between psychological dimensions and the time since diagnosis emerged. A total of 28% of participants reported TAS-20 scores in the clinical range and 36% reported scores in the borderline area. Discussion: Patients with hEDS seem to show high alexithymia levels; pain seems to interfere with the practical aspects of daily life and may reduce an individual's awareness of their emotional capabilities. The perception of heightened pain has a stronger impact on emotional resources when it interferes with affective life than when it interferes with practical life. Finally, delayed diagnoses of hEDS entail psychological consequences such as alexithymia. Conclusions: The present findings highlight the importance of promoting affect regulation capabilities through the implementation of psychological intervention programs for patients suffering from this medical condition.

IntroductionBased on the theoretical framework that a fulfilling life encompasses happiness, meaning, and psychological richness, this study introduces the Italian translation of the Psychologically Rich Life Questionnaire (PRLQ-I), exploring its connection with mindfulness, self-compassion, cognitive fusion, and anxiety, positing psychological richness as a critical, yet distinct, component of well-being. Psychological richness, characterized by diverse and interesting experiences, complements the hedonic and eudaimonic dimensions of well-being, offering a broader perspective on what constitutes a meaningful life.MethodsAfter a subsequent back translation procedure, the resulting questionnaire version was checked for the comprehensibility of the items. Then, the PRLQ-I’s reliability and single-factor structure were evaluated through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses in a large sample (N = 418) of the Italian population, as well as convergent and discriminant validity.ResultsThe exploratory factor analysis confirmed the original PRLQ structure, indicating one dimension, namely psychological richness, and the excellent internal consistency of the questionnaire. The confirmatory factor analysis revealed a good fit of the model for the one-factor structure. We then showed that psychological richness is positively associated with mindfulness and self-compassion, confirming that psychological richness is related to other happiness constructs but appears to be distinct from them. Moreover, psychological richness is inversely related to anxiety and cognitive fusion.DiscussionThese results demonstrate the optimal reliability of the scale, even in its Italian version. They moreover provide suggestions for incorporating these related dimensions into programs designed to promote psychological richness, confirming its role in enhancing psychological well-being.

Background: Alexithymia, a personality construct inhibiting emotional awareness, remains a challenging area of study, particularly among adolescents. Utilizing the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20), this research investigates its factorial structure and psychometric properties in community adolescents. Method: Through two separate studies, the factor structure of the TAS-20 is evaluated in samples of adolescents and the new factor structure is explored in relation to the emotional-behavioral functioning of adolescents. Specifically, in Study 1, a total of 416 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years (Mage = 16.4; SD = 1.36) were included, of whom 42.5% were males. In Study 2, a total of 114 adolescents aged between 14 and 18 years (Mage = 15.65; SD = 1.2) were included, of whom 30.7% were males. Results: Study 1, employing exploratory factor analysis, revealed a 12-item three-factor solution (49.11% of variance), termed Lack of Emotional Awareness (LEA, including items related do difficulties to in identifying or describing feelings), Lack of Attitude towards Introspection (LAI), and Tendency towards Concreteness (TC). Confirmatory factor analysis confirmed this structure. Study 2 replicated the TAS-12 structure in a separate sample, affirming its robustness. Gender differences were examined, indicating that girls had higher scores in LEA and LAI, aligning with previous research. Lastly, associations with emotional-behavioral functioning demonstrated LEA's links to internalizing and externalizing problems, while LAI was associated with anxiety/depression, and TC did not show significant associations. Conclusions: These findings suggest the TAS-12 is a suitable tool for assessing alexithymia in adolescents, albeit with caution due to limitations in generalizability. Further research in clinical populations and cross-cultural contexts is recommended. Importantly, the TAS-12 may support early identification of emotional processing difficulties in adolescents, which are often linked to internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Clinically, this tool could assist practitioners in tailoring interventions aimed at improving emotional awareness and regulation, potentially mitigating associated psychological distress. Further research in clinical populations and cross-cultural contexts is

BACKGROUND:In Italy from 2015 to 2022, couples undergoing ART treatment with gamete donation are steadily increasing. This choice may have a negative impact on their personal and relational well-being. The aim of this study was to explore the emotional experience of couples undergoing gamete donation assisted reproduction treatment (ART). METHODS:An online ad-hoc survey with 25 questions (1 open-ended) was emailed to the physicians in charge of Italian ART centers. Physicians and psychologists invited patients undergoing ART with gamete donation to complete it. The survey ran from May to December 2023. RESULTS:A total of 256 questionnaires were completed. Among respondents, 87.5% underwent an egg donation cycle, while the remainder used sperm donation or double donation. About 90% reported being informed about psychological support services at the ART center, yet only half attended at least one session. Women more often reported emotions such as "sadness," "fear," and "anger," while men expressed more "joy." "Sadness" was more pronounced in individuals trying to conceive for less than 3 years. The emotional complexity of patients emerges from the writings. CONCLUSIONS:Some patients' characteristics appear to influence their emotional state. Being female, not receiving psychological counseling at the ART center, and spending less time attempting to conceive are conditions associated with greater negative emotions toward oneself or one's partner. A thematic qualitative analysis of patient narratives reveals several topics that reflect the emotional complexity of these patients. The emerging results may inspire the design of future psychological interventions focusing on the emotional needs of ART patients undergoing ART treatment with gamete donation.

Global demographic trends show increasing life expectancy, with European countries such as Italy showing a high proportion of older adults. To support healthy aging and design effective health promotion interventions, it is crucial to understand how aging is defined and perceived. This study analyzes representations of aging among individuals in two different Italian cities to determine whether geographical context influences their perspectives. A total of 97 participants aged 55-75 years were interviewed about their experiences of aging, and the interview texts (145,066 tokens) were analyzed using Emotional Text Mining. Aging is perceived as a transitional process involving family responsibilities, changing work roles, and the retirement experience. Common concerns include mental and physical decline, often expressed through comparisons with participants' past selves or with loved ones. Attitudes toward aging varied: some participants expressed resignation, while others adopted a more proactive approach, often centered around family or social engagement. Geographical and age-based differences were found: respondents from Bergamo were generally more accepting of aging, more focused on health concerns, and more socially active, whereas those from Rome placed greater emphasis on family care. Participants under 65 years of age primarily focused on the transition out of the workforce, while those over 65 years of age focused on the vulnerabilities associated with aging. These findings suggest that tailoring health promotion interventions to individual needs and contextual variables could enhance their effectiveness.

This study aims to explore the relationship between linguistic features of the Referential Process (RP) applied to autobiographical narratives, personality dimensions, and affect regulation capabilities in a group of women diagnosed with restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN). The study included 40 female participants hospitalized with AN during an acute phase, with a mean age of 19.50 (SD = 3.8). Participants completed several assessments, including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory 2 (MMPI-2), the Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI-3), the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire (ERQ), and the Relationship Anecdotes Paradigm Interview (RAP). The RAP interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed for the application of RP Linguistic Measures. The results of the correlation analysis revealed several significant associations among linguistic measures, EDI-3 scale scores, affect regulation measures, and personality dimensions. The linguistic measures indicating higher rationality, abstraction, and cognitive word usage, were associated with higher psychopathological severity in AN. Alexithymia showed significant correlations with the Affect words, supporting the perspective of MCT concerning dissociation of emotional schemas. These findings confirm the relationship between linguistic measures and the severity of the disease. Therefore, autobiographical narratives can be considered not only as diagnostic indicators, but also as variables to verify the efficacy of treatments in patients with AN.

Spain is considered the world leader in the field of Organ Donation (OD). Italy has adopted the Spanish model in its health system but failed to reach the Spanish primacy. This work investigates the cultural elements influencing the choice to donate in Italy and Spain. We collected from two newspapers of Italy and Spain, all the published articles (2001–2021), containing the respective translation of OD. The two final corpora were analyzed through the Emotional Text Mining methodology. The analysis produced 4 CR for the Italian corpus and 5 CR for the Spanish one. The principal CR for Spain is viewing the OD as a national project, while in Italy, the donation is viewed as a life-saving product. In Italy, the theme of death is viewed as unacceptable. In Spain, the principal context in which donation is discussed is the family. Another difference is related to the developmental process: Italy is rooted in established promotional models, while in Spain, the desire for innovation emerges. Finally, OD is connected to other fields in Spain. In conclusion, this study allowed us to understand deep cultural differences between Spain and Italy in OD. Results ought to be used to improve promotional campaigns to citizens.

AIMS/BACKGROUND:Infertility diagnosis and related treatment can cause profound psychological discomfort and a variety of psychopathological symptoms. This study aims at investigating Referential Process linguistic measures applied to autobiographical memories of women facing fertility issues, hypothesising to find different elaboration and symbolisation capabilities according to the specific memories expressed. DESIGN/METHODS:Forty-four women (mean age 36.05; SD = 4.66) undergoing Assisted Reproduction Treatment (ART) enrolled at a Hospital fertility medical department in Rome completed a brief socio-demographic questionnaire and a semi-structured interview. The interviews aimed to collect memories of a neutral event, a positive event, a negative event, and the moment they realised that the couple had a fertility problem. The transcriptions of the interviews were analysed using Referential Process (RP) linguistic measures with IDAAP software. RESULTS:Data analysis revealed several significant differences in RP linguistic measures when comparing the different autobiographical episodes. Specifically, the narrative regarding the process of gaining awareness about fertility issues exhibited a high use of abstract words and a strong reflection and reorganisation process, but a low symbolisation process compared to other episodes. Women engaged in this narrative seem to provide explanations for the infertility issues rather than discussing an awareness process. This is consistent with the use of abstract and reflective language, which is related to defensive strategies as the use of rationalisation with emotional distancing in infertility episodes emerged. CONCLUSION:This highlights the importance of addressing women's internal emotional processing at the onset of ART to promote both mental and physical wellbeing.

Background/Objectives: Hypermobile Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (hEDS) is the most common form of EDS, characterized by joint hypermobility, skin findings, and joint pains or recurrent dislocations that may also be associated with other several extra-articular symptoms. A deficit in the affect regulation represents a risk element in the development of both physical and mental health, as well as in a greater pain perception. The present study aims at exploring the associations between linguistic characteristics associated with different autobiographical memories and affect regulation and pain measures in patients affected by hEDS. A further aim is to explore the possible differences in linguistic measures between different episodes. Methods: Twenty-five patients with hEDS diagnoses (mean age = 38.32; SD = 17.00; 23 female) in treatment at the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department of Umberto I Hospital in Rome completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS), the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI), as well as an interview aimed at collecting memories regarding neutral, positive, and negative events and the medical condition. The transcriptions of the interviews were analyzed using a computerized linguistic measure of the referential process (RP). Results: A correlational analysis showed several significant associations among the linguistic measures, affect regulation, and perception of pain, applied to neutral, positive, and disease condition narratives. Only few significant associations emerged regarding the negative episode. Moreover, significant differences emerged between the neutral event compared with the positive, negative, and diagnosis episodes, especially with the latter. Conclusions: The present findings seem to confirm the association between affect regulation, pain, and linguistic measures, sustaining an elaborative process. Specifically, the experience of chronic pain associated with the discovery of the rare disease becomes a meaningful experience in one’s life condition and supports the ability to cope with the experience of chronicity.