Research - Ricerche
A comprehensive assessment of well-being involves the measurement of both hedonic and eudaimonic
perspectives of well-being and the 8-item Flourishing Scale assesses both of these aspects of well-being. Therefore,
the current research translated Flr.S into Urdu and validated it for the Pakistani population. Flr.S was translated into the
Urdu language through the standard back-translation procedure. Test-retest reliability (15 days) for the Urdu-English and
English-Urdu versions was established in a purposive sample of university undergraduates (N = 60). In a separate random
sample of 574 Pakistani university undergraduates (males = 235 and females = 339), the Urdu version of Flr.S and Urdu
version of Core Self-evaluation Scale were administered to establish the factorial and the construct validity of Urdu Flr.S.
The test-retest reliability of two-week for the Urdu-English and English-Urdu versions of Flr.S was >.90. The confirmatory
factor analysis (CFA) of Flr.S revealed a single factor solution, which demonstrated evidence for the configural, metric,
and scalar invariance across genders. The latent means of males and females on the Flr.S were comparable: the Flr.S
demonstrated construct validity. Our findings suggest that the Urdu version of the Flr.S is a reliable and valid measure of
flourishing for both genders in the Urdu speaking population.
Nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI), considered deliberate and self-inflicted destruction of one’s own body
tissue without suicidal intent, is particularly widespread among adolescents. The literature has attempted to classify
NSSI, focusing primarily on syndromal features. Many studies have addressed the functions of NSSI but very few have
investigated using these functions as criteria to assess nonsuicidal self-injury behaviours. This study aimed to identify
profiles for nonsuicidal self-injury behaviours, matching the manifest syndromal aspects (e.g., frequency, variety of the
methods) with the latent functional ones like psychic functions, especially emotion regulation, and body investment.
A sample of 108 adolescents with a history of nonsuicidal self-injury (M = 14.6, SD = .9; 34 males and 74 females)
participated in the study. Cluster analysis of syndromal aspects have shown two types of NSSI, Repetitive and Episodic,
which were matched to latent features. NSSI functions distribution led to the emergence of two main profiles: Serious
nonsuicidal self-injury and Moderate nonsuicidal self-injury. Some reflections on the use of functions as diagnostic
criteria for NSSI are discussed
There are numerous studies available in literature that examine the capacity of MMPI-2 to predict the
presence of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) but the results of these studies are not always concordant. This metaanalysis has two objectives: to assess whether MMPI-2 scales exist in predicting PTSD and malingering of the disorder,
as well as to define a typical profile for PTSD subjects and Faker subjects, who feign or exaggerate the intensity of their
symptoms. The methods used are systematic review, pair-wise and network meta-analysis of the articles, following the
PRISMA guidelines and the most important electronic databases. This work is the first of its kind to analyse clinical scales
and validity scales able to profile response styles typical of subjects with PTSD and Fakers, useful in predicting subjects’
vulnerability to PTSD. The analyses performed confirm that clinical scales 1 (Hs), 2 (D), 6 (Pa), 7 (Pt), 8 (Sc), specific PTSD
scales (PK and PS) and validity scales (L, K, F, FB, FP) are able to discriminate subjects with PTSD from the general
population.
Experiences & Tools - Strumenti
Studyholism is a new potential clinical condition defined as an obsessive-compulsive related disorder, which
might be associated with either high or low levels of Study Engagement. This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of
Studyholism, Study Engagement, and four types of student (i.e., Disengaged Studyholics, Engaged Studyholics, Engaged
students, Detached students) on a wide and heterogeneous sample of Italian college students. Moreover, it aims to discern
if there are any differences between types of student concerning gender, academic major, and age. The participants (n =
5159) were in different years and studied different academic majors in various Italian cities. Pearson’s chi-squared tests
and an ANOVA have been performed. Studyholism is widespread (15.4%) and Engaged Studyholics (3.2%) are the most
prevalent type of student. The least prevalent type is the Engaged student (1.6%). Moreover, there are more females
in the Detached student and the Engaged Studyholic types. Given its prevalence, future studies should further analyze
Studyholism in children, pre-adolescents, and adolescents, as well as in other countries.