Access to several play environments, as well as exploration of public spaces and socialization with peers, is crucial for children's development. Western children are often deprived of these opportunities and independent mobility is constantly decreasing. In the present study, we aimed to test an integrative model of the antecedents and consequences of independent mobility and to preliminarily explore the relationship between parenting styles and independent mobility in a group of 589 Italian children. We expected and found that being female and being younger predicted less independent mobility. In turn, we found that lower independent mobility predicted greater feelings of loneliness through the mediation of a weaker sense of community, a lower sense of safety and less frequent social activities with friends. Moreover, we found that independent mobility changed according to different configurations of parenting styles.

The aim of this study was to validate the Multidimensional Territorial Sense of Community Scale (MTSOCS), a new theory-driven sense of community scale referred to the geographical community. Starting from McMillan and Chavis' theoretical dimensions, five subscales (Membership, Shared Influence, Social Climate and Bonds, Help in Case of Need, and Needs Fulfillment) were proposed. The MTSOCS, a sociodemographic questionnaire, and several other instruments were administered to three groups of adults (for a total of 781 participants). Confirmatory factor analysis of all participants' data showed that the five subscales were good from a statistical point of view. Tests of factorial invariance showed that the five-factor model of the MTSOCS is basically the same across different-sized territorial communities: small towns, cities and metropolis neighborhoods. the total score of the scale and the five subsclaes showed good construct validity. A positive relationship emerged between total MTSOCS score and participation in groups/associations, cohabitation, community identification, life satisfaction, perceived social support, interpersonal trust and trust in local government. More complex relationships emerged between the five subscales and the other variables, confirming the usefulness of also having the single subscale scores. (C) 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

- The aim of the present work was to examine whether and how a research performed in the "Raggiungere gli irraggiungibili" Italian home visiting project may be considered an action research experience. The authors analyzed this research experience "two studies about the mothers-nurses relationship applying the five phases (diagnosing, action planning, taking action, evaluating, specifying learning) of the Susman's cyclical model of the action research. Moreover, since the evaluative research may adopt the action research methodology, the research experience of the home visiting project was examined applying the practical participatory evaluation approach. Keywords: home visiting, participatory evaluation, action research, practical participatory Evaluation

The aim of this research was to determine the outcomes of the "We go to school alone'' program in two Districts of Rome through a longitudinal study involving 392 children (mean age=8.37 years) and 270 parents. The outcomes of the program in the two Districts were very different. Only one resulted in an increase in children's autonomous mobility on the home-school journey, a reduction in the number of times a child was taken to school by car, and, even more important, in an increase in the general level of children's independent mobility in their neighborhood. The findings are discussed in terms of a process evaluation that enabled us to understand the differing results.

The main action carried out in Italy to implement the international agreement on children's rights is Law 285/1997. The aim of this paper is to stress the innovative scope of this law and its links with Community Psychology. The coordination between researchers and practitioners is addressed and the state of art of Community Psychology in Italy is discussed. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

This research focused on territorial sense of community and ethnic prejudice. In particular, we related these two constructs and investigated their relationship to individual characteristics (personal political orientation, contact with immigrants, etc.) and community-level ones (such as ethnic composition and the political orientation of the local government). Two studies were conducted in four small towns in central and southern Italy. For each study, 160 people were contacted. The instruments used were a questionnaire, the Italian Sense of Community Scale and the Blatant Prejudice Scale. The results showed that territorial sense of community is not related to ethnic prejudice or to the ethnic heterogeneity of the territory. It was also found that people with right-wing political sympathies revealed higher levels of prejudice than people with left-wing sympathies. Finally, in a town with a stable and consolidated left-wing orientation of the local government we found, when the influence of personal political orientation was controlled for, lower levels of prejudice than in a town with a right-wing orientation. Copyright (c) 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

A structural equation model was used to examine the role of autonomous mobility and play in public and semipublic places in childhood to predict adolescents' sense Of community, fear of crime, and, through the mediation of these two last psychosocial factors, feelings of loneliness. Participants included 789 Italian students (469 females and 320 males; mean age 16.62, SD = 69). The instruments used were the Italian Sense of Community Scale, the Neighborhood Relations Scale, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. A questionnaire was also administered to investigate the adolescents' current fear of crime and their autonomous mobility when they were children by asking them to recall their play habits and independent mobility at 8-10 years of age. The structural equation model proved satisfying: Higher autonomous mobility and higher use of public places for play in childhood predicted less intense fear of crime and a stronger sense of community in adolescence. Furthermore, a better relationship with community predicted less pervasive feelings of loneliness. The simultaneous multigroup analysis showed that the final model was comparable for both girls and boys with only one difference. (C) 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Premesse teoriche: La costruzione di un’alleanza positiva fra l’operatrice domiciliare e la donna e fondamentale per il successo degli interventi di Home Visiting e per promuovere una positiva relazione madre-bambino. Obiettivo: Il presente lavoro ricostruisce la processualita dell’intervento di Home Visiting “Raggiungere gli irraggiungibili” realizzato nella citta di Roma adottando, come lente di osservazione, l’evoluzione del rapporto fra la donna e l’operatrice domiciliare durante l’intervento. Metodologia: Sono state analizzate 58 interviste condotte ad alcune beneficiarie dell’intervento nel primo e nel secondo periodo del progetto (complessivamente dal 2000 al 2004). I due gruppi di donne sono stati confrontati relativamente alla soddisfazione riguardo all’intervento e ai nuclei centrali caratterizzanti ciascuna fase del rapporto (fase di orientamento, di operativita e di risoluzione). Attraverso il loro vissuto si e cercato di cogliere gli elementi di continuita e discontinuita dal primo al secondo periodo del progetto. Discussione critica e conclusioni: Dall’analisi delle interviste, si e rilevata una maggiore comprensione, nelle donne del secondo periodo, delle finalita dell’intervento e della specifica professionalita dell’operatrice che ha consentito alle stesse sia di vivere meglio l’esperienza di Home Visiting sia di separarsi dall’operatrice con maggiore serenita. .

The aim of this article is to present the results of an assessment and comparison of urban child-friendliness conducted in two similar suburban neighborhoods in Helsinki and Rome. We explore the interpretations of 11 and 12-year-old children, their mothers or fathers, elderly people and professionals in the two cultures, which have different styles of urban planning. We argue that it is necessary to apply concepts that do not insulate children and adults into isolated environments. Therefore, we also test the theoretical framework of environmental child-friendliness (ECF), by analyzing how our participants' interpretations contribute to the ten dimensions of ECF.

An important factor that limits children's autonomy outdoors is parental perception of social danger and traffic danger. To obtain quantitative instruments for these dimensions, this work aimed to explore the validity and reliability of three scales. Two of them describe, respectively, problematic aspects of the area of residence linked to traffic and situations of social degradation that could constitute risk factors for the child's psychological and physical safety (Traffic Danger Perception Scale, Social Danger Perception Scale). The third scale investigates parental perception of the positive potentiality of outdoor autonomy for children's maturation and growth. Interviews were conducted with 377 mothers of children between 8 and 10 years of age residing in six different areas in Italy. The results indicated weak reliability of the Traffic Danger Perception Scale, which requires further investigation, and they confirmed the reliability and the construct validity of the Social Danger Perception Scale and the Perception of Positive Potentiality of Outdoor Autonomy for Children Scale. The perception of social danger was higher in mothers who live in larger urban contexts and who have more personal fear of crime and a lower sense of community. The positive perception of children's autonomy of movement was higher among mothers who live in greener areas, who have a greater sense of community and who have more neighbourhood relations.

This study was carried out on 331 Italian secondary school students (64 females and 267 males; their mean age was 17.25, S.D.=0.87). The first aim of this study was to explore the relationships among type of class (computer science or not), gender and socio-economic status and frequency and modality of using the computer, Internet and the mobile phone. The second aim was to explore the relationship between the use of Internet and feelings of loneliness. Two instruments were administered: a questionnaire to explore some of the social habits of adolescents and their use of the three technologies considered, and the UCLA Loneliness Scale. The results confirmed that those with a higher socio-economic status use Internet more; the computer is used more by those who frequent a computer science section and by those with a higher socio-economic status. Loneliness emerged in relation to gender (higher in females), but not in relation to socio-economic status. Moreover it emerged at both the univariate and multivariate level in relation to the use of Internet and in negative relation to frequenting an informal peer group. A positive relationship between feelings of loneliness and number of friends who go on-line emerged only at the univariate level. The use of the mobile phone was almost completely independent of the variables examined here.

The first aim was to explore the relationship between socio-demographic characteristics and perceived support from significant others, family and friends. Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley's Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) (Journal of Personality Assessment, 52, 1988, 30-41) was administered to 418 males and 623 females between 18 and 77 years of age. The results indicate that family support is higher in males, and the support of friends decreases with age as does the support of significant others. Significant interactions also emerged between gender and age and between gender and marital status. No differences were found for educational level. The second aim was to discover which persons are identified as 'special persons' on the items of the 'Significant others' sub-scale of the MSPSS. Copyright (C) 2002 John Wiley Sons, Ltd.

In questo lavoro si presenta e valuta un progetto realizzato in una scuola elementare che ha avuto l’obiettivo di promuovere l’uso piu consapevole e critico della TV nei bambini e nelle loro famiglie, il comportamento prosociale dei bambini e inoltre di migliorare il clima e le relazioni all’interno della classe. L’intervento, realizzato in due quarte elementari (in totale 34 soggetti), si e articolato in diverse attivita: incontri di discussione sul blackout televisivo con i genitori; realizzazione parallela del blackout e di una serie di incontri pomeridiani e serali a casa dei bambini; circle time in classe; riscoperta dei giochi antichi all’aperto fuori da scuola. La valutazione dell’intervento, avvenuta utilizzando un disegno quasi sperimentale, ha coinvolto, inoltre, due classi quarte della scuola (34 soggetti). Gli strumenti somministrati, prima e dopo l’intervento, sono stati: un questionario teso a valutare le diverse modalita di fruizione della TV; una scala che rileva la prosocialita; un questionario per rilevare il clima di classe; il sociogramma per rilevare le modalita di configurazione delle interazioni nel gruppo classe. Dai risultati e emerso che l’intervento ha favorito significativamente la prosocialita dei bambini ma non ha avuto effetto sul clima di classe. L’uso della TV e il numero dei bambini isolati e diminuito nelle classi sperimentali.