Breastfeeding self-efficacy, defined as a mother’s confidence in her ability to breastfeed, is a central psychological determinant of breastfeeding initiation, duration, and exclusivity. Although widely studied, fewer investigations have examined breastfeeding self-efficacy within an integrated framework that simultaneously considers contextual, experiential, and psychological factors. The present study aimed to identify the main predictors of breastfeeding self-efficacy in a large sample of Italian mothers. This cross-sectional study included 500 Italian mothers who were currently breastfeeding, either formula-free or in combination with formula feeding. Data were collected through a web-based survey assessing sociodemographic characteristics, childbirth-related variables, feeding practices, and breastfeeding-related informational support. Standardized measures included the Breastfeeding Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form, the Maternal Postnatal Attachment Scale, the Maternal Self-Efficacy Questionnaire, and the Parenting Stress Index–Short Form. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to examine predictors of breastfeeding self-efficacy. Higher breastfeeding self-efficacy was significantly associated with formula-free breastfeeding, initiation of complementary feeding while breastfeeding was ongoing, older infant age, multiparity, and receipt of postpartum breastfeeding information from healthcare professionals. In addition, higher general maternal self-efficacy predicted higher breastfeeding self-efficacy, whereas greater parental stress predicted lower confidence. Feeding-related variables accounted for the largest incremental proportion of explained variance. Breastfeeding self-efficacy emerges as a multidimensional construct shaped by feeding practices, experiential factors, and maternal psychological functioning. Interventions aimed at enhancing breastfeeding outcomes should integrate practical postpartum support with strategies addressing maternal confidence and stress regulation, particularly among first-time mothers.

IntroductionPeer victimization, in its traditional and cyber forms, is increasingly recognized as a relational and contextual process associated with multiple domains of adolescent development, including engagement with learning and academic self-perceptions. This study examined how traditional and cyberbullying victimization relate to perceived academic performance in a sample of Italian upper secondary school students, and tested whether future orientation, understood as a core dimension of adolescent agency, moderated these associations.MethodsThe final sample included 876 students (51.4% female, age range 14–17 years) who completed self-report measures of traditional and cyberbullying victimization and perpetration, future orientation, and perceived academic performance, assessed through self-reported grade ranges. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted, complemented by bootstrap resampling with bias-corrected and accelerated confidence intervals.ResultsBoth traditional and cyberbullying victimization were independently and negatively associated with future orientation and with perceived academic performance, even after controlling for perpetration and sociodemographic covariates. Traditional and cyberbullying perpetration also showed independent negative associations with perceived academic performance, though smaller in magnitude. Future orientation moderated the association between victimization and perceived academic performance in both models (both p < .001), attenuating the negative association at higher levels of future orientation across both traditional and cyber contexts.DiscussionThese findings situate peer victimization within a broader developmental and relational ecology and point to future orientation as a promising correlate of preserved academic self-perceptions among adolescents facing peer adversity. Because all measures were self-reported and the design was cross-sectional, causal or protective effects cannot be established. Implications for school-based educational and prevention practices are discussed.

Background University students navigate the developmental period of emerging adulthood, marked by increasing autonomy, identity exploration, and heightened exposure to social demands. These challenges can activate both psychological vulnerabilities and personal resources that influence well-being and academic participation. Despite extensive research on these constructs, most studies have relied on variable-centered approaches that overlook how these dimensions interact within a broader psychosocial system. This study adopted a network analytic perspective to examine the dynamic interconnections among twelve psychological variables relevant to student well-being, including three dimensions of perfectionism (self-oriented, other-oriented, and socially prescribed), self-concept clarity, self-esteem, self-efficacy, internal and external locus of control, symptoms of depression, anxiety, and stress, and academic satisfaction. Methods A sample of 205 Italian university students completed a battery of validated self-report measures. Using the EBICglasso estimator, we computed a regularized partial correlation network and derived centrality and clustering indices. Bootstrapped edge-weight accuracy and case-dropping procedures were used to assess the stability of the network structure. Results The resulting network revealed 36 non-zero edges and a coherent pattern of associations. Self-esteem emerged as the most central node across strength, closeness, and betweenness indices, indicating its broad influence on both personal resources and vulnerability factors. Anxiety displayed the highest clustering values, forming densely interconnected triads with multiple constructs. While self-oriented perfectionism showed adaptive connections with personal resources, socially prescribed perfectionism was linked to psychological distress. Academic satisfaction held a peripheral position but maintained meaningful links with both protective and maladaptive variables. Stability analyses supported the robustness of the network. Conclusions These findings highlight self-esteem as a key psychological hub and underscore the value of targeting identity-related resources and maladaptive perfectionistic tendencies to support student well-being. Framed within an inclusion and equity perspective, the results suggest that strengthening core psychological resources may help create more supportive and accessible university environments, promoting both individual functioning and equitable academic engagement.

This study examined the associations between emotion regulation, attachment orientations, life satisfaction, emerging adulthood (EA) dimensions, and future thinking styles among 820 Italian emerging adults (ages 18–29). A network analytical approach was adopted to model seventeen psychological variables as interconnected nodes, estimating regularized partial correlations via EBICglasso. Negative future thinking emerged as the most central node in the network, closely linked to emotional dysregulation and anxious attachment dimensions, including need for approval and preoccupation with relationships. Positive future thinking, in contrast, was embedded in an adaptive subsystem involving secure attachment, cognitive reappraisal, and life satisfaction, reflecting the protective role of adaptive emotional and relational functioning. Clustering indices revealed a defensive configuration linking expressive suppression, relational detachment, and avoidant future thinking. Contrary to expectations, EA dimensions occupied peripheral positions in the network in terms of strength centrality. A notable exception was identity exploration, which showed the highest positive expected influence of all nodes, suggesting a selective rather than broad facilitative role within the adaptive subsystem. Life satisfaction functioned as a bridging node rather than a central hub, connecting emotional and motivational components of the network. Overall, the findings suggest that future thinking in emerging adulthood operates as an emergent property of a broader psychological system rather than as an isolated cognitive function. These results carry implications for integrative developmental theory and for interventions aimed at fostering adaptive and hopeful orientations toward the future in young people.

Motivation for parenthood develops well before individuals face concrete reproductive decisions, yet its structure during emerging adulthood remains insufficiently understood. Grounded in Self-Determination Theory, this study examined the psychometric properties of an adapted Motivation to Have a Child Scale (MCS) for non-parent emerging adults, and its associations with key psychosocial characteristics. Participants were 414 Italian emerging adults without children (80.2% women). Confirmatory factor analysis supported the expected five-factor structure, showing good model fit, satisfactory internal consistency, and measurement invariance across gender. More autonomous motivations were positively associated with self-esteem and self-efficacy and negatively associated with attachment insecurity, whereas controlled and amotivated orientations were linked to less adaptive psychosocial profiles. Motivation for parenthood is already differentiated in emerging adulthood and embedded in individuals' psychological and relational functioning. The adapted MCS represents a reliable tool for future research examining how emerging adults construct and regulate future parenthood-related goals.

IntroductionParent-adolescent relationship quality is vital for youth’s emotional and behavioral development; yet, it may be adversely impacted by neurodevelopmental disorders like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). This study aimed to examine whether ADHD diagnosis and medication status are associated with differences in specific dimensions of parent–adolescent relationship quality – namely open communication, positive relationship quality, and negative relationship quality – while accounting for internet addiction as a contextual covariate.MethodsA total of 155 adolescents, aged 12–18 (M = 14.23 years, SD = 1.83), participated in this study. The participants were categorized into three groups: adolescents without ADHD (control group, n = 58), those with ADHD not receiving medication (n = 55), and adolescents with ADHD for at least 3 months (n = 42). We evaluated the parent-adolescent relationship quality across three dimensions: positive, open, and negative relationship quality with both parents. Multivariate Analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) were utilized to assess the impact of ADHD diagnosis and pharmacological treatment on relationship quality, controlling for age, sex, and internet addiction (IA) as factors.ResultsAfter controlling for age and internet addiction, medication naïve adolescents with ADHD had significantly lower levels of open communication with mothers (p = 0.002) and fathers (p < 0.001) compared to adolescents with ADHD on medication and the control group, with the latter two groups not differing significantly from one another in this sample. No significant group differences were observed in negative relationship quality, and other positive relationship dimensions largely converged across groups. A higher level of IA was associated with higher negative relationship quality with both parents (p = 0.001) across the full sample; whether this association differs by ADHD diagnosis or medication status was not formally tested and cannot be determined from the present analyses. We identified age as a factor of lower father–adolescent relationship quality (p = 0.022). Still, we found sex to be insignificant (p > 0.05).DiscussionIn conclusion, group differences were domain-specific: medication-naïve adolescents with ADHD reported significantly lower open communication with both parents, whereas no robust group differences emerged for positive or negative relationship quality. In contrast, adolescents receiving pharmacological treatment did not significantly differ from the control group on these dimensions in this sample. These findings suggest that pharmacological treatment status is associated with differences in open communication patterns in families with adolescents with ADHD; however, the cross-sectional and non-randomized nature of our design precludes causal inference. Also, the finding that IA showed a significant main effect on relationship quality across the full sample highlights the importance of considering internet usage patterns when working with families of adolescents with ADHD.

BackgroundEarly learning emerges from the interplay between cognitive processes and social experiences. While attention is widely recognized as a core foundation of preschool learning, less is known about whether distinct aspects of attention contribute uniformly to learning outcomes or whether their functional relevance varies across children’s social functioning profiles.MethodsThe study involved 139 preschool children (4–5 years). Multiple aspects of attention (reaction times, simple and related to a choice; focused attention; short-term span of attention; divided and alternating attention) were assessed using a computerized battery. Learning abilities were evaluated through an observational questionnaire measuring general learning abilities, prerequisites for literacy and mathematics, and specific domains of learning performance. Social functioning profiles were assessed using an observational Q-sort procedure. Hierarchical regression models were estimated to examine independent associations between attentional aspects and learning outcomes, and moderation analyses tested whether social functioning conditioned these associations.ResultsVisual focused attention, visual–spatial focused attention, and short-term span showed consistent positive associations with global and domain-specific learning outcomes. Divided attention also contributed to learning performance, but its association varied systematically as a function of social functioning profiles, being significant at mean and high levels but not at low levels, consistently across general learning abilities and domain-specific prerequisites.ConclusionFindings suggest that early learning competence reflects not only the internal architecture of attention, but also the social contexts in which specific aspects of attention are concurrently expressed. While several components of attention show stable associations with learning outcomes regardless of relational context, the contribution of divided attention is contingent on children’s social functioning profiles within adult-child interactions.

This study investigated the early development of gender bias in the context of distributive actions. Children aged 2.5, 3.8, 5, and 8 years were presented with events in which a hidden distributor performed fair or unfair distributions of resources, and were then asked to identify the distributor by choosing between a schematic male and a schematic female figure. Children aged 3.8 years attributed fair distributions more frequently to the male figure, while 5-year-olds attributed unfair distributions more frequently to the male figure. No significant gender-based attributions were found at 2.5 or 8 years of age. Analyses by sex of participant revealed a gender bias among male 3.8-year-olds, who attributed fair distributions preferentially to the male figure, and a gender prejudice among female 8-year-olds, who attributed fair distributions to the female figure and unfair distributions to the male figure. Taken together, these findings provide additional evidence for an early-emerging gender bias in distributive reasoning and support prior literature on the later consolidation of gender prejudice. These results shed light on the importance of early childhood education in addressing gender bias before it solidifies into more entrenched attitudes, promoting counter-stereotypical role models and distributive justice to mitigate the development of gender-based attributions from the earliest years of life.

Background/Objectives: Observational learning enables children to acquire new skills by observing others’ actions. Attention is widely recognized as a key supporting process and consists of multiple components that develop substantially during the early school years. Empirical evidence on the association between specific components of attention and observational learning remains limited. Therefore, this study examined the relationship between the main components of attention and observational learning among early primary school children. Methods: Sixty-eight children, aged 6–8, completed a computerized battery assessing the main components of attention (reaction times, simple and related to a choice; focused attention; short-term span of attention; divided and alternating attention) and an observational learning task where children observed an actor detecting a hidden spatial sequence and then reproduced it across detection phase (DP), exercise phase (EP), and automatization phase (AP). Correlational and regression analyses were conducted, controlling for age and gender. Results: Visual and visual–spatial focused attention emerged as significant predictors of performance during DP and EP, with higher levels of focused attention associated with fewer errors and repetitions. Choice reaction time showed phase-specific associations with error rates during early learning phases, whereas age was primarily related to performance during the AP. Conclusions: Observational learning in early primary school relies on specific components of attention rather than on attention as a unitary construct. Visual and visual–spatial focused attention plays a central role during the acquisition and consolidation of observed sequences, with implications for understanding learning from models and for educational practices based on demonstration.

The present study investigated the role of nationality in emotional distress, coping strategies, and health-promoting behaviors among university students from Italy, Albania, and India. This cross-sectional study separately involved three national community populations of university students. Participants self-completed the Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21 (DASS-21), the Prospective Life Course Questionnaire (PLCQ), the Coping Strategies Inventory Short Form (CSI-SF), and the Health Promoting Lifestyle Profile II Short Version (HPLP-II-SF). Results of MANOVA showed significant differences in emotional distress. Specifically, Albanian students reported lower levels of depression and stress compared to Italian students. No significant differences were found for anxiety. Results of hierarchical regression analyses revealed that future fears and disengagement coping were significantly associated with higher depression, anxiety, and stress scores, whereas engagement coping was associated with lower psychological distress; coping strategies accounted for the largest increase in explained variance across the three outcomes (ΔR² = 0.07–0.14). Future hopes were negatively associated only with depression. Health responsibility was positively associated with anxiety symptoms. Italian students generally reported higher stress levels than the other groups. In conclusion, findings highlighted the role of national context for understanding emotional distress. Disengagement coping and future fears may represent risk factors for emotional distress, whereas engagement coping may constitute a protective factor. Psychological interventions for promoting psychological well-being in university students should consider these findings.

IntroductionThis study aimed to examine how maternal mental health, sleep quality, and social support influence mother-infant bonding during the first year after childbirth.MethodsA total of 1,495 mothers participated by completing standardized questionnaires that assessed the quality of bonding with their infants, experiences of childbirth-related post-traumatic stress, symptoms of postpartum depression, sleep disturbances, and levels of social support.ResultsThe results indicated that 49.6% of mothers experienced childbirth-related post-traumatic stress, 32.2% reported symptoms of postpartum depression, and 50.7% experienced sleep disturbances. Regression analysis showed that postpartum depression, poor sleep quality, older maternal age, emergency cesarean delivery, and low levels of social and partner support hurt the quality of the mother-infant bond. Depressive symptoms emerged as the strongest negative predictor, whereas adequate social and partner support positively influenced bonding.DiscussionThese findings highlight the need for early screening and interventions aimed at improving maternal mental health and social support to promote positive mother-infant bonding and healthy child development.

Introduction:Attention plays a crucial role in learning by enabling concentration and retention. Deficits in attention are frequently associated with academic difficulties, particularly among children and adolescents with genetic disorders. Methods:A systematic review was conducted to examine the relationship between attention and academic performance in individuals with Down syndrome (DS), Fragile X syndrome (FXS), Neurofibromatosis Type 1 (NF1), Klinefelter syndrome (KS), Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS), Turner syndrome (TS), and Williams syndrome (WS). Eligible studies were identified through comprehensive database searches, and inclusion criteria focused on empirical research assessing both attention and academic outcomes. The review protocol was registered in PROSPERO (Registration No. CRD42024568993). Results:Nine studies met the inclusion criteria, focusing primarily on DS, FXS, and NF1. No eligible studies were found for KS, PWS, TS, or WS. Across conditions, attention deficits were significantly associated with lower academic performance, although patterns varied by disorder. In NF1, persistent attention and inhibitory control deficits were linked to impairments in reading and math. Single studies on DS and FXS showed similar associations that warrant further replication. Discussion:Although the available evidence is limited, the findings suggest that attention plays a critical role in academic achievement among individuals with genetic disorders. Future research should expand the evidence base and develop targeted interventions to address attention deficits and support learning outcomes in these populations. Systematic review registration:PROSPERO, CRD42024568993.

Vulvodynia is a chronic vulvar pain condition that can interfere with women's developmental processes and overall well-being. Adopting a broader perspective of women's health informed by lifespan developmental and biopsychosocial frameworks, this study examined psychosocial factors related to the psychological well-being of Italian women with vulvodynia. Between December 2023 and December 2024, a total of 533 women diagnosed with vulvodynia completed an online survey. The survey included questions about sociodemographics and the illness, as well as validated measures of dyadic adjustment, social support, self-efficacy, perceived stress, and psychological well-being. Descriptive statistics, group comparisons, Pearson correlations, and hierarchical multiple regressions were performed. Nearly two-thirds of the women reported symptoms lasting over five years, and 44% experienced severe pain. Those with more intense pain, longer symptom duration, or delayed diagnosis reported lower well-being and higher stress. Satisfaction with treatment was linked to greater well-being. Psychological well-being was strongly correlated with social support, dyadic adjustment, and psychological resources. Regression analyses identified younger age, higher pain intensity, lower treatment satisfaction, reduced social support, lower self-efficacy, and greater stress as predictors of poorer psychological well-being. Vulvodynia should be considered a psychosocial and developmental challenge as well as a medical condition. These findings underscore the importance of viewing vulvodynia as not only a medical condition, but also a psychosocial and developmental challenge within women's broader health trajectories, highlighting the need for interventions that address pain and provide structured emotional support to strengthen psychological and relational resources.

Childhood emotional neglect and parental overprotection are two subtle yet influential caregiving patterns that shape emotional, relational, and self-regulatory development. Though they are often examined separately, emerging research suggests that they may act independently and together to increase vulnerability to disordered eating. This narrative review synthesizes contemporary theoretical and empirical contributions to clarify how emotional neglect and overprotection affect pathways related to emotion regulation, attachment processes, and self-concept development. The review introduces the concept of complementarity, explaining how these patterns may co-occur within the same family system or fluctuate among individual caregivers. This creates developmental contexts marked by emotional deprivation and restricted autonomy. Based on this synthesis, the manuscript presents an integrative framework that considers distinct and shared mechanisms connecting caregiving experiences to maladaptive eating patterns. Developmental and clinical implications are discussed, emphasizing the importance of assessing relational histories, supporting emotional clarity, and promoting autonomy in intervention planning. The limitations of the narrative approach and directions for future research are outlined, including the need for longitudinal designs, more precise measurement of caregiving dimensions, and a more systematic investigation of the interactive effects of emotional neglect and overprotection.

The widespread use of video games among adolescents has raised concerns about their impact on psychological and social development. This study aimed to assess the effects of different types of parental mediation on adolescents' tendency to use video games to avoid negative emotions and determine the relationship between adolescents' interpersonal skills and their reliance on online video games for escapism. Participants were 452 adolescents from 15 middle and high schools. Data on sociodemographic information, gaming habits, parental control of online gaming, interpersonal skills, and reasons for playing online games were also collected. Hierarchical multiple regression was used to analyze the data, with online video game escapism as the dependent variable. Results supported the study's hypothesis that both parental mediation and adolescent interpersonal skills significantly predict the use of online video games for escapism. Higher levels of parental monitoring were associated with a lower tendency of adolescents to use video games to escape negative emotions, while parental mediation supporting autonomy showed a similar but weaker protective effect. At the same time, parental monitoring was also found to be associated with lower interpersonal skills, notably higher impulsivity, narcissism, and stress in social situations. In addition, adolescents with higher levels of impulsivity were more likely to use video games for escapism. These findings highlight the importance of balanced parental involvement and the development of adolescents' social skills to mitigate the risks of problematic online gaming. Interventions should promote effective parental mediation strategies and enhance adolescents' interpersonal skills to reduce their tendency to use video games as a coping mechanism for real-life challenges. Effective parental mediation and improved interpersonal skills are critical for promoting healthier gaming habits and reducing adolescent escapism.

Family relationships are central to an individual’s development and influence their emotional, relational, and social trajectories. Optimal family functioning, encompassing emotional connections, communication patterns, and coping mechanisms, is pivotal to the well-being of individual family members, especially during challenging periods such as the COVID-19 pandemic. From this perspective, this study, conducted during the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, assessed the interplay between individual and family functioning. Utilizing Hill's ABC-X model, we explored how the pandemic (stressor) impacted family dynamics (resources), perceived individual affectivity and family efficacy (perception), thereby influencing family quality of life (outcome). Four hundred and four participants completed a battery of standardized questionnaires to evaluate perceived individual affectivity during the pandemic, family quality of life, family dynamics (cohesion, flexibility, and communication), family conflict, family efficacy, and family coping strategies. Positive affectivity was associated with better family quality of life and more adaptive family coping strategies. The sample reported a low family quality of life and low family cohesion, flexibility, and communication during the pandemic. A positive sense of family cohesion, flexibility, and communication was associated with better individual well-being, better family quality of life and efficacy, and less conflict. Family communication was the strongest predictor of family quality of life in the study sample. In conclusion, our results emphasize the importance of strengthening family and individual resilience in transforming post-pandemic challenges into psychological and familial growth opportunities.

This study examined the relationship between mental imagery, visuospatial processing, and academic performance among junior high school students. The influence of these variables on learning outcomes in Italian, mathematics, art, and music was also investigated. Third-year students were tested using the Mental Imagery Test and Raven's Progressive Matrices. Gender differences were explored, revealing no significant differences in mental imagery and visuospatial processing. Higher mental imagery correlated with better academic performance, particularly in Italian and mathematics. Visuospatial processing mediated the relationship between mental imagery and academic performance in Italian and mathematics, suggesting its significant role in these subjects. However, this mediation was not significant for music and art, suggesting the involvement of alternative cognitive mechanisms. These findings highlight the importance of mental imagery and visuospatial processing in academic success, particularly in abstract subjects, and advocate for educational strategies targeting these cognitive domains to enhance not only student performance but also creativity and thinking skills.

Background/Objectives: Affective touch is crucial in infant development, particularly in regulating emotional, cognitive, and physiological processes. Preterm infants are often deprived of essential tactile stimulation owing to their early exposure to the external environment, which may affect long-term developmental outcomes. This review aimed to examine the neurobiological mechanisms of affective touch and highlight effective interventions, such as skin-to-skin contact (SSC) and kangaroo care (KC), to promote development in preterm infants. Methods: This review summarizes recent studies in the literature on affective touch, the role of C-tactile fibers, and the effects of tactile interventions in neonatal care. Studies were selected based on their relevance to the care and development of preterm infants, with a focus on physiological and neurodevelopmental outcomes. Key interventions, including SSC and massage therapy, are discussed in relation to their effectiveness in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Results: The results suggest that affective touch, mainly through activation of tactile C-fibers, improves caregiver–infant bonding, reduces stress responses, and supports neurodevelopment in preterm infants. Interventions such as SSC and KC have also been shown to improve physiological regulation in these infants, including heart rate, breathing, and temperature control while promoting emotional regulation and cognitive development. Conclusions: Affective touch is a key component of early development, particularly in preterm infants admitted to the NICU. Integrating tactile interventions such as SSC and KC into neonatal care practices may significantly improve long-term developmental outcomes. Future research should explore the epigenetic mechanisms underlying affective touch and further refine tactile interventions to optimize neonatal care.

In recent years, a pivotal challenge in safeguarding mental health and ensuring worker safety has been the focus on identifying and empowering protective factors while addressing psychosocial risk factors in response to the stresses encountered in daily life. Coping strategies have emerged as a central point in this context. The development and validation of a scale measuring coping strategies during particularly risky situations, such as those experienced by certain professions during the pandemic, could represent a significant step toward a deeper understanding of the mechanisms governing the utilization of coping strategies. The study was conducted on a sample of 872 individuals (398 men, 474 women) recruited toward the end of the pandemic, primarily involving workers who found themselves managing risky situations. The results, revealed a four-factor first-order structure and two second-order factors, indicating distinct dimensions of coping strategies employed by individuals when facing negative life events perceived as high-risk. Additional validation included a gender invariance analysis, confirming the scale was similarly perceived by both genders. Convergent validity was assessed by correlating the CORE's (Coping Orientations to Risky Events) subscales and higher-order factors with the Brief COPE scale's approach and avoidance coping components, ensuring they measured the same constructs.