Background and aim: The dimension of purpose in life (PiL) is one of the core features of eudaimonia and plays a crucial role in developmental settings. However, few studies have examined purpose in life in younger generations and verified if it is amenable to improvements following a wellbeing-promoting intervention. The aim of the present investigation is to explore correlates and predictors of purpose in life in school children and to test if it can be ameliorated after school-based wellbeing interventions. Methods: A total of 614 students were recruited in various schools in Northern Italy. Of these, 456 belonged to junior high and high schools and were randomly assigned to receive a protocol of School Well-Being Therapy (WBT) or a psychoeducational intervention (controls). A total of 158 students were enrolled in elementary schools and received a positive narrative intervention based on fairytales or were randomly assigned to controlled conditions. All students were assessed pre- and post- intervention with Ryff scales of eudaimonic wellbeing (short version) and with other self-report measures of anxiety, depression and somatization. Additionally, the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) was administered to their schoolteachers as observed–rated evaluation. Results: In both elementary and high schools, purpose in life after the intervention was predicted by initial depressive symptoms and by group assignment (positive interventions vs. controls). In older students, PiL was predicted by female gender and anxiety levels, while no specific strengths identified by teachers were associated with PiL. Conclusions: PiL plays an important and strategic role in developmental settings, where students can develop skills and capacities to set meaningful goals in life. Depressive symptoms and anxiety can be obstacles to developing PiL in students, while positive school-based interventions can promote this core dimension of eudaimonia.

Recent research highlighted the importance of incorporating programs for promoting well-being and creativity in schools. However, eudaimonic well-being received only limited attention and only few interventions aimed at its promotion in the school setting. This research aimed to compare the efficacy of an intervention based on storytelling and narrative techniques versus a control condition for the promotion of well-being and creativity in elementary schoolchildren. A total of 165 students (78 girls, 87 boys; M-age = 9.3 years; SD = 0.5) were randomized to a School Positive Narrative Intervention or to a controlled condition. Children were assessed before and after intervention and at 3-month follow-up with self-reports of well-being, anxiety, depression and somatization. A storytelling task was implemented, and specific creativity storytelling scores were calculated for the stories produced by children during the intervention. At post intervention, children assigned to the narrative intervention reported increased levels of well-being and decreased depression, anxiety, and somatization, compared to controls. These improvements were maintained at 3-month follow-up. Higher scores on creativity emerged in stories focused on fear, sadness, and happiness. The use of narrative strategies help children to identify their personal resources, to express creativity, and to assimilate the concept of eudaimonic well-being that could be difficult to process because of its abstractness and multidimensional nature. This brief intervention fostered children creativity and it produced beneficial effects on children's well-being and distress.

BACKGROUND:Oral narrative strategies have rarely been applied in the positive psychology domain. Traditional folk and fairy tales are concerned with several concepts that are now scientifically investigated by research on positive psychology, such as resilience, self-realization, personal growth and meaning in life. The aim of this pilot study was to apply a new narrative approach based on fairy tales (Märchen, tales of magic, rise tales) told, discussed, and written in a group context for the purpose of promoting psychological well-being and growth.METHODS:A group intervention consisting of 7 sessions was delivered to 21 women who reported adjustment disorder. The group was conducted by a folklorist and a clinical psychologist. Each session consisted of an introduction to a number of themes recurring in fairy tales as well as references to the social uses of narratives, followed by a discussion with the participants. In two concluding workshops, participants were asked to work as a group to write their own original fairy tale. Assessment pre- and post-intervention was performed with the Ryff Psychological Well-being Scale, the Kellner Symptom Questionnaire and 2 subscales of the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (Appreciation of Life and personal strengths).RESULTS:Participants reported increased personal growth, self-acceptance, and an enhanced sense of appreciation of life and personal strengths, together with decreased levels of anxiety.CONCLUSIONS:This pilot investigation suggests the feasibility and positive effect of a group intervention based on narrative strategies for promoting well-being and growth in stressed women. Considering its promising results, clinical implications and possible further applications are discussed.

Even though cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is often the recommended treatment for mental health problems, it may present limitations when dealing with existential or moral issues. The aim of this case report is to describe the introduction of narrative techniques based on traditional fairytales in the process of CBT, in order to overcome treatment resistances and to help the patient in dealing with major life crises. In the case presented, the joint use of these two techniques helped the patient to achieve the right self-distance from her problems, allowing her to reach a new, wider perspective and a subjective self-maturation.

Objective: To use the Diagnostic Criteria for Psychosomatic Research (DCPR) for characterizing alexithymia in a large and heterogeneous medical population, in conjunction with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (DSM-IV) and other DCPR criteria.Method: Of 1305 patients recruited from 4 medical centers in the Italian Health System, 1190 agreed to participate. They all underwent an assessment with DSM-IV and DCPR structured interviews. A total of 188 patients (15.8%) were defined as alexithymic by using the DCPR criteria. Data were submitted to cluster analysis.Results: Five clusters of patients with alexithymia were identified: (1) alexithymia with no psychiatric comorbidity (29.3% of cases); (2) depressed somatization with alexithymic features (23.4%); (3) alexithymic illness behavior (17.6%); (4) alexithymic somatization (17%) and (5) alexithymic anxiety (12.8%).Conclusions: The results indicate that DCPR alexithymia is associated with a comorbid mood or anxiety disorder in about one third of cases; it is related to various forms of somatization and abnormal illness behavior in another third and may occur without psychiatric comorbidity in another subgroup. Identification of alexithymic features may entail major prognostic and therapeutic differences among medical patients who otherwise seemto be deceptively similar since they share the same psychiatric and/or medical diagnosis. (C) 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Scopo. Lo scopo di questo studio è validare la versione italiana ed esaminare le proprietà clinimetriche delle scale visive analogiche per la bipolarità di Ahearn e Carroll (MVAS-BP), un questionario auto-valutativo che misura lo stato affettivo. Metodo. Le MVAS-BP sono composte da 26 item, di cui 1 item valuta l’umore complessivo, 2 item la rabbia e 23 item sono basati sulle dimensioni del modello psicobiologico di Carroll per il disturbo bipolare (Ricompensa Gratificante, Ricompensa Incentivante, Dolore Centrale, Regolazione Psicomotoria). Le MVAS-BP sono state tradotte e somministrate a un campione normativo di 450 persone insieme al Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) di Kellner, alle Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB) di Ryff e al Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) di Cloninger. Le valutazioni sono state ripetute a distanza di un mese. Per esaminare le proprietà clinimetriche sono state calcolate: l’attendibilità test-retest, i punteggi medi, le differenze in base alle variabili socio-demografiche e le correlazioni con le scale degli altri tre questionari. Risultati. I coefficienti di correlazione test-retest sono altamente significativi, come anche quelli con alcune dimensioni del benessere. Più deboli appaiono le correlazioni con gli indici sintomatologici e la dimensione di personalità relativa all’evitamento del danno (TPQ). Sono emerse differenze significative tra maschi e femmine nelle scale ricompensa gratificante, dolore centrale, regolazione psicomotoria e rabbia. Discussione. Le MVAS-BP hanno dimostrato di possedere proprietà clinimetriche e di essere in grado di registrare e valutare informazioni specifiche e differenti da quelle indagate dagli altri questionari.

Aim. The aim of the present study was to validate the Italian version and to assess the clinimetric properties of Ahearn and Carroll's Visual Analogue Scales for Bipolarity (MVAS-BP), a self-rating questionnaire measuring affective state. Method. MVAS-BP consist of 26 items: 1 item assesses overall mood, 2 items anger and 23 items are based on the Carroll model of bipolar disorder (Consummatory Reward, Incentive Reward, Central Pain, Psychomotor Regulation). MVAS-BP have been translated into Italian and administered with Kellner's Symptom Questionnaire (SQ), Ryff's Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB), and Cloninger's Tridimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) to a normative sample of 450 people. The assessment was repeated after one month. Test-retest reliability, means scores, differences according to sociodemographic variables and correlations among the scales of MVAS-BP, SQ, PWB and TPQ were performed in order to assess clinimetric properties. Results. Test-retest coefficients were highly significant. Significant sex differences were found in the scales of consummatory reward, central pain, psychomotor regulation and anger. MVAS-BP scales were significantly related with symptom and well-being scales, but with very low correlation coefficients, and only with one personality dimension, TPQ Harm Avoidance. Discussion. MVAS-BP has been found to possess clinimetric properties and to record specific and different information from those investigated by other questionnaires.

Methods. Nine classes (227 students) were enrolled in the study and randomized to: a) School Well-Being Therapy intervention (5 classes); b)attention-placebo (4 classes). 1) Symptom Questionnaire (SQ); 2) Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB); 3) Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS) were administered at pre- and post-intervention, and after six months. Results. WBT school intervention was associated to an improved Personal Growth (PWB), and to decreased distress (Somatization (SQ), Physical Well-being (SO), Anxiety (SQ), and RCMAS Physiological Anxiety). Discussion and conclusions. A school intervention focused on the promotion of positive emotions and psychological well-being has resulted to be effective not only in increasing these dimensions in high school students, but also in decreasing distress, in particular anxiety and somatization.

Introduzione. L’adolescenza, e in particolare i suoi aspetti positivi quali la qualità della vita, la felicità e il funzionamento sociale, ha attirato negli ultimi anni una sempre maggior attenzione. Un setting ideale per la promozione delle relazioni interpersonali e del funzionamento ottimale nei giovani è la scuola, che può essere utile non solo per favorire l’apprendimento e i processi educativi, ma anche come “istituzione positiva” per facilitare lo sviluppo sociale e umano. Scopo. Lo scopo di questo studio è stato di verificare l’efficacia di un innovativo intervento scolastico per promuovere il benessere psicologico nell’adolescenza, messo a confronto con un protocollo di attenzione-placebo. Metodi. Sono state reclutate 9 classi (227 studenti) assegnate in modo randomizzato a: a) un intervento di Well Being Therapy (WBT) (5 classi); b) un intervento placebo (4 classi). La valutazione è stata condotta all’inizio e a conclusione del lavoro svolto in classe e dopo 6 mesi utilizzando: 1) Symptom Questionnaire (SQ); 2) Psychological Well-Being Scale (PWB); 3) Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). Risultati. I risultati hanno evidenziato l’efficacia di questo intervento nel promuovere il benessere psicologico, in particolare la crescita personale, rispetto al gruppo attenzione-placebo. Inoltre, c’è stata una diminuzione del distress, in particolare dell’ansia e della somatizzazione. Discussione e conclusioni. Sviluppare il benessere psicologico per mezzo di un intervento scolastico strutturato e focalizzato sulla promozione del funzionamento ottimale, come la WBT, potrebbe migliorare il funzionamento individuale, lo stile di coping e il processo di sviluppo nei giovani.

The pathogenesis of preterm birth (PTB) is largely unknown and the endocrine stress pathway is likely to participate in the mechanisms allowing onset of labor. However, the vast majority of the studies evaluating psychosocial distress denied an association with PTB. Uterine contractility rather than PTB seems associated with distress in pregnancy.

I disturbi ansiosi rappresentano la patologia mentale più diffusa in età evolutiva, seguiti da disturbi comportamentali e dell’umore. Se non trattate adeguatamente, queste difficoltà possono indurre notevoli problemi e avere importanti ripercussioni sulla vita adulta. Sempre più studi riconoscono l’importanza di un intervento psicologico che non si focalizzi solo sulla riduzione dei sintomi, ma anche sullo sviluppo delle competenze personali e sulla promozione di un funzionamento psicologico ottimale. Una tecnica psicoterapica orientata in questa direzione è la Well-Being Therapy (WBT), risultata efficace su soggetti adulti non solo nel ridurre i sintomi di disagio, ma anche nel promuovere il benessere psicologico, prevenendo il rischio di future ricadute. L’esperienza clinica qui descritta riguarda l’adattamento e l’applicazione della WBT su un campione di soggetti in età evolutiva, valutandone gli effetti in termini di riduzione sintomatologica e rafforzamento di abilità e competenze. Verranno descritte 4 storie cliniche, risultate particolarmente interessanti ed esemplificative. Questo nuovo approccio terapeutico si è rivelato molto promettente; i sintomi emotivi e somatici risultano migliorati sia al post-intervento che al follow-up; inoltre, si è osservato un importante incremento delle competenze generali. La promozione di un funzionamento psicologico ottimale rappresenta un ingrediente innovativo fondamentale nel trattamento di sintomi affettivi e somatici in età evolutiva.

Several investigations report a greater prevalence of depressive and anxious symptoms and emotional distress in girls compared to boys. Furthermore, the scientific literature points out that females show lower psychological well-being levels compared to males. Since, in the most of these studies, participants were already out of adolescence or were adults and aging individuals, the aim of this investigation is to explore gender differences in the levels of psychological well-being and distress during adolescence, one of the most controversial periods of human life. Five hundred and seventy-two adolescents (313 females, 259 males; mean age 13.63 years, SD  =  1.94) were recruited from various middle and high schools in Northern Italy, which volunteered to participate in the study. Subjects were administered the following self-rating scales: (1) Psychological Well-Being (PWB) Scales, (2) Symptom Questionnaire (SQ). Student t-test was used to analyze gender differences in PWB and SQ scores. Gender differences in psychological well-being levels were not found, even if on- test females tend to report lower scores in Self-Acceptance scale (PWB) than males. Girls reported higher levels of distress than boys. t-Test indicated significant gender differences in all SQ scales, except in friendliness. On retest, results were very similar. Females scored significantly higher than males in all SQ scales, except in contentment, where females reported better levels compared to previous data. This investigation points out that females reported higher levels of distress than males, but unlike the preceding studies, it also highlights that girls showed similar levels of psychological well-being compared to boys. These results suggest that adolescence is a period of the life with peculiar characteristics in boys and girls and that further investigations are needed.

Anxiety, mood and somatoform disorders are among the most prevalent forms of psychological suffering during childhood and adolescence. If untreated, these problems can be predictors of more severe disorders in adulthood. New trends in clinical psychology suggest the relevance of focusing on child's competencies and developing optimal functioning in youth. A specific psychotherapeutic strategy for enhancing well-being (Well-Being Therapy; WBT) has been developed for adult patients and it was found to be effective in determining remission from affective symptoms, in improving psychological well-being and in preventing relapses. In this article we describe a modified form of WBT which has been applied for the first time to children suffering from emotional and behavioral disorders in order to test its feasibility and potential effects in reducing symptoms and in improving new skills. Four cases particularly interesting by a clinical point of view are reported. This new therapeutic approach, based on the promotion of psychological well-being seems to be a very promising intervention: children improved at post treatment and during 1 year follow-up, both in symptomatology and in social skills. The promotion of psychological well-being and optimal functioning is an innovative and relevant ingredient and could play an important role in the treatment of somatic and psychosocial symptoms in paediatric settings.

Introduzione. Nell’ultima decade abbiamo assistito a un crescente interesse verso interventi di prevenzione basati sulla promozione del benessere psicologico con lo scopo di ridurre il rischio di disagio psicologico nell’infanzia. Obiettivo di questo studio è esaminare i diversi effetti legati all’uso di una strategia volta alla promozione del benessere psicologico (Well-Being Therapy, WBT) e di una strategia finalizzata alla rimozione del disagio attraverso l’uso di tecniche di gestione dell’ansia (Anxiety Management, AM) in una popolazione scolastica non clinica. Metodo. 162 alunni di 4 scuole medie dell’Emilia-Romagna che, volontariamente, hanno accettato di partecipare allo studio sono stati selezionati secondo un criterio randomizzato per ricevere: in un caso, un protocollo di intervento basato sul riconoscimento e la valorizzazione delle emozioni positive secondo i concetti proposti dalla WBT; nell’altro, un protocollo di intervento basato sul riconoscimento e la gestione delle emozioni negative secondo i concetti proposti dalle tecniche di gestione dell’ansia (AM). Immediatamente prima e successivamente agli incontri, e a distanza di 6 mesi, i ragazzi hanno compilato tre scale di auto-valutazione, il Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) di Kellner, la forma breve per adolescenti delle Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB) e una scala di misurazione dell’ansia nei bambini, la Revised Children’s Manifest Anxiety Scale (R-CMAS). Risultati. In questa popolazione scolastica gli interventi basati sulla promozione del benessere psicologico e quelli focalizzati sulla riduzione sintomatologica hanno prodotto effetti leggermente diversificati sulle varie dimensioni psicologiche considerate. Conclusioni. Il protocollo basato sulla WBT, facilitando la progressione verso un funzionamento ottimale dell’individuo, potrebbe costituire una valida integrazione ai protocolli volti alla rimozione dei sintomi, colmando eventuali lacune dal punto di vista terapeutico e garantendo risultati più duraturi.

The aim of the present study was to examine the differential effects of strategies for promotion of psychological well-being (Well-Being Therapy, WBT) and removal of distress (Anxiety Management, AM) in a non-clinical school setting.162 students attending middle schools in Northern Italy were randomly assigned to: (a) a protocol derived from WBT; (b) an anxiety-management protocol (AM). The students were assessed immediately before and after the interventions, and after 6 months using: Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB), Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (RCMAS). In school children, well-being and symptom focused interventions produced slightly different effects on psychological dimensions. WBT, by facilitating progression toward positive and optimal functioning, may integrate symptom-centered strategies.

BACKGROUND In the last decade there has been increasing interest in the potential of early preventive interventions capable of promoting psychological well being in order to reduce the risk of childhood psychological distress. This study analyzes the differential effects of strategies for promotion of psychological well-being (Well-Being Therapy, WBT) and removal of distress (Anxiety Management, AM) in a non clinical school setting. METHODS Our sample consisted of eight classes (N=162 students) attending middle schools in Northern Italy which were randomly assigned to a protocol derived from WBT (4 classes) and to an anxiety-management protocol (AM) (4 classes). Immediately before and after both school interventions students were assessed using the Psychological Well-Being Scales (PWB), Kellner's Symptom Questionnaire (SQ) and the Revised Children's Manifest Anxiety Scale (R-CMAS). A six month follow-up was performed in the following school year, and students were re-assessed with the same psychometric instruments. RESULTS Our results lend support to the possibility to change attitudes to psychological well-being and distress with brief interventions in school (both well-being improving and distress removing). CONCLUSIONS Further investigations should determine whether the combined and sequential integration of well-being and symptom oriented strategies may yield more complete and lasting effects that each strategy alone.