RISULTATI RICERCA

Questa selezione di abstract è particolarmente ricca nell’ambito di differenti domini, dove l’ipnosi è ormai accreditata come metodica affidabile di intervento e di ricerca. Contributi significativi esaminano il ruolo dell’ipnosi come parametro chiave coinvolto in studi sperimentali che utilizzano paradigmi neuro-comportamentali, in cui essa conferisce al cervello l’abilità di modulare e alterare efficacemente la processazione della memoria e dolore, l’espressività di effetti cognitivi consolidati (come lo Stroop e lo Hayling), ed i correlati fisiologici che emergono da obiettività all’EEG e al neuroimaging (fMRI e PET). Altri contributi hanno sottoposto a revisione il ruolo dell’ipnosi in comparazione / in associazione ad altre metodiche terapeutiche, e la posizione epistemica di primo ordine occupata anche come forma di indagine stessa. L’avanzamento nell’uso clinico dell’ipnosi ericksoniana viene esaminato nelle sue applicazioni al trattamento della depressione, del dolore e dello stress, in cui recenti risultati mettono in luce l’impatto delle aspettative, del rapport e della alleanza di lavoro in relazione agli outcome di trattamento.

Nuovi risultati sul riconsolidamento delle memorie traumatiche testimoniano che è possibile non solo modificare il vissuto legato alle esperienze del passato, ma cancellarlo riscrivendo la memoria implicita emotiva e i condizionamenti che ne sono derivati. Il presente studio nasce dall’esigenza di applicare la tecnica ipnotica al processo di riconsolidamento per trovare un modello di applicazione efficace nell’elaborazione e nella trasformazione del trauma con l’ipnosi. L’uso dell’ipnosi offre una serie di vantaggi legati alle sue caratteristiche fondamentali che verranno spiegati più avanti, pertanto, può essere proficuamente applicata con l’obiettivo di trasformare il trauma in risorsa e liberare la persona dal condizionamento conseguente al trauma. Applicando l’ipnosi al processo di deconsolidamento e riconsolidamento della memoria traumatica, si evidenziano tre tipi di risultati, da trattare in maniera diversa per arrivare all’obiettivo della trasformazione del trauma. L’articolo descrive questo processo e propone alcuni casi clinici che evidenziano la metodologia di applicazione dell’ipnosi al riconsolidamento della memoria traumatica.

“L’avvelenamento a catena” è una sintomatologia psicogena di massa segnalata tra le ragazze delle scuole superiori in Iran, caratterizzata da sintomi quali vertigini e nausea accompagnati da un odore o un sapore nocivo, e la cui causa rimane sconosciuta. Questo studio si propone di indagare l’efficacia dell’ipnoterapia cognitiva nel ridurre lo stress nelle studentesse iraniane affette da disturbo post-traumatico da stress (PTSD) legato all’avvelenamento a catena nelle scuole. Sono state selezionate 22 studentesse, divise poi in due gruppi, tra i 16 ed i 18 anni affette da stress posttraumatico. Dopo l’intervento con ipnosi, nella fase post-test, è stata osservata una differenza significativa tra i punteggi di stress percepito e i sintomi di PTSD dei due gruppi. L’ipnoterapia ha ridotto lo stress percepito e i sintomi di PTSD nelle studentesse avvelenate del gruppo sperimentale (p=0,001). Conclusioni: l’ipnoterapia cognitiva è efficace nel ridurre lo stress percepito ed i sintomi della PTSD nelle ragazze con un disturbo post-traumatico da stress.

La letteratura contemporanea relativa alla eziopatogenesi dei disturbi mentali gravi pone sempre maggiore enfasi sulle forme disfunzionali di accudimento come predittori di sofferenza mentale e fisica in adolescenza ed età adulta. Questo lavoro pone in relazione l’analisi del neglect e del maltreatment, ovvero delle forme disfunzionali di caregiving, con i principi fondativi della psicoterapia ipnotica ericksoniana, proponendo l’ipotesi che, in una prospettiva naturalistica, l’ipnosi possa costituire uno strumento di elezione nel trattamento dei disturbi mentali gravi.

Objective: This survey aims to explore the quality of social and health services provided by a psychiatric Day Centre according to the representations proposed by the various actors involved. Methods: The quality topic was investigated through a mixed research approach, which is useful for acquiring both qualitative and quantitative information, integrating various sources (operators, technicians, and users), and using different survey techniques. A pool of instruments was defined, ranging from measures of association and graduation between variables (Pearson’s X², Kendall’s Tau-c) to lexicometric analysis on narrative-type sources, functional to formulating hypotheses on the actual functioning of the Service. Results: An overall set of quality performance indicators of the Day Centre was identified, to suggest specific lines of organizational intervention. Conclusions: A vision of Quality as the productive competence of a given health context in providing effective and sustainable responses to the health demand of the population served is described. It can be assessed through a survey procedure based on qualitative-quantitative methods of reading and analyzing specific indicators deduced from the social representations of the actors involved.

The present paper emphasizes the central role of meaning in human action, highlighting how the analysis of its emergence and reproduction can offer insights into complex phenomena, including the challenges posed by contemporary society, with a particular focus on the climate crisis. A micro-genetic model of the constitution of experience is initially proposed, followed by a presentation of the concept of “value of life” of signs. Next, the article introduces the Semiotic-Cultural Psychology Theory (SCPT), highlighting its processual interpretation of culture understood as a continuous sensemaking process. Two empirical studies are presented that apply the theoretical framework of SCPT, demonstrating the impact of meaning systems on pro-environmental behaviors: the first explores the relationship between wildfire risk perception and preventive behaviors and the moderating role played by symbolic universes, while the second analyzes the role of affect in the link between attitudes and pro-environmental behaviors. The results underscore the crucial importance of the symbolic universes and lines of semiotic force in shaping individuals’ perceptions, thoughts, and actions, suggesting relevant theoretical and practical implications for promoting a culture of sustainability.

Perfectionism is characterized by beliefs and feelings that drive individuals to pursue unattainable standards of excellence and impeccability, often at the expense of their psychological and physical well-being. It correlates with many psychopathologies and a heightened suicide risk; and it can be also an aspect of a multiplicity of personality disorders. Perfectionism seems a common phenomenon among psychological practitioners too, and the very few studies that focus on it overall suggest that perfectionism in therapists is negatively correlated with therapy effectiveness, and positively correlated with therapist emotional distress (e.g., negative emotions toward patient characteristics or demands); but it is not clear the mechanism underlying these correlations. In this paper we present a hypothesis on the process underlying the relationship between therapist perfectionism, therapist emotional distress, and ineffectiveness of therapeutic interventions. Starting with a parallel analysis of a clinical case and supervision over it, we show that perfectionism may be part of an overall organization of the meaning of the experience that the therapist brings into the relationship, which we call Prototypical Adaptive Modality of Existence (PAME). We show how the therapist’s perfectionist PAME functions as an automatic process that hinders intersubjective attunement with the patient; finally, we show how a supervisory process focused on the shared exploration of the therapist’s perfectionist PAME, of its developmental genesis, and of its impact on the supervisory relationship can modulate the therapist’s perfectionism, foster attunement with the patient, functionally modify the line of intervention, and foster a positive outcome.

This study builds upon the methodological framework established by Castelnuovo et al. (2023) to analyze the influence of the intervention context (market) on professional psychological practice. Despite ongoing efforts to define psychologist, clinical psychologist, and psychotherapist roles, we argue that these definitions are insufficient to safeguard both professional practice and client well-being. Regulatory frameworks contained by intervention contexts can create conditions that limit the scope of psychological practice. This limitation stems from the introduction of “other players” and the roles assigned to them by regulations. This can lead to a concerning marginalization of core psychological functions, such as diagnosis. We demonstrate that intervention context significantly impacts the profession’s scope, influencing crucial aspects like the diagnostic function. The legal context is presented as a specific example for further discussion.

Clinicians and researchers often use the term “primitive” in reference to emotions and mental states. The widespread use of this term in literature, not only from psychoanalytic tradition, and in professional practice, forces it to explain its meaning. From a cultural psychological background, sensitive to psychoanalytical literature, six possible meanings of the term will therefore be proposed. The aim is to mobilize the self-reflection capacity of the clinician and the educator, so that the relationship does not freeze in the polarity of nature-culture. Finally, it is hypothesized that this term, when referring to the basic needs of some categories of patients, makes space for the ethics and the responsibility, both entirely human, of psychological intervention.

Purpose: This paper re-examines the overall and pillar-level impact of the envi-ronmental, social, and governance (ESG) performance on the financial perfor-mance of companies listed in the Italian Stock Exchange market. By using the seminal paper by Velte (2017) – which focused on the German context – as the base comparison, we also test the moderating role of a firm’s characteristics on that association. Design/methodology/approach: We analyze data on companies listed in the Ital-ian Stock Exchange from 2010 to 2022, sourced from the Refinitiv Eikon plat-form, for a total of 650 firm-year observations. Correlation and regression anal-yses are conducted to evaluate the link between ESG and a series of financial per-formance indicators including the return on assets (ROA) and Tobin’s Q ratios. Findings: While neutral results are found for ROA, this study reveals that ESG per-formance has a positive impact on Tobin’s Q, in contrast to what was found by Velte (2017). However, we confirm that the governance pillar exerts the most sig-nificant effect on Tobin’s Q. Furthermore, the analysis of the firms’ characteristics as moderating factors reveals that the risk and financial leverage of a company negatively influence the relationship between ESG performance and financial per-formance. Originality/value: This study contributes to the empirical literature on the associ-ation between ESG performance and financial performance by re-examining the study by Velte (2017) for a different period and different context. Moreover, we test for the moderating effect of the firms’ characteristics on the relationship be-tween ESG and financial performance.

Purpose: This study compares models for predicting business financial crises, fo-cusing on which are most effective. In light of the new European Directive on business failure, it highlights a trade-off between predictive accuracy and timeli-ness in static models and offers an alternative approach. Design/methodology/approach: This study examines the Italian early warning system (EWS), testing static alert indicators’ predictive ability on a large sample of private companies. It then proposes a dynamic version of the EWS. Findings: The results show a trade-off between predictive ability and timeliness for static models. In contrast, a dynamic system is more accurate in predicting cri-sis events, allowing managers to take corrective actions. Originality: The results highlight the limitations of static prediction models and emphasize the potential of a simple dynamic model that is specifically designed for small- and medium-sized entities (SMEs). Practical implications: This study proposes a dynamic model tailored for SMEs, which are particularly vulnerable to financial crises. This insight can help managers and policymakers balance accurate predictions with timely interventions, especial-ly in European countries implementing crisis prediction models.

This study re-examines the extent to which municipally-owned entities (MOEs) en-gage in earnings management around the time of local elections. Design/methodology/approach: The study analyses the total revenue figures for 506 unlisted Italian MOEs from 2009 to 2014 using Benford’s law to detect signs of low data quality or manipulated numbers in financial statements. Findings: The findings reveal that entities owned by local governments engage in earnings management practices during pre-electoral seasons, which is consistent with the political cost hypothesis. Accounting numbers are rounded to the closest key cognitive reference point by overusing and underusing specific revenue digits. This aligns with the performance expectations hypothesis as well. Originality/value: This study adds evidence to the existing issue of earnings management in the public sector during elections by using a less conventional ap-proach, highlighting the need for increased transparency in financial reporting be-fore these critical periods. Practical implications: Auditors, forensic accountants, and judicial bodies that endeavour to protect public finances can also employ Benford’s law to scrutinise the financial statements of hybrid entities at such times.

Purpose: This study aims to replicate the findings of Ittonen et al. (2013) on the relationship between female audit partners and accruals quality, which showed that firms audited by female partners had lower abnormal accruals. While their study focused on the Scandinavian context, known for its progressive gender norms, this research assesses the generalizability of their results by extending the analysis to Italy, a country with different cultural views on gender roles. Design/methodology/approach: Using an OLS regression model, this study analyzes Italian listed firms during the 2013-2022 period. We sourced financial data from Aida, provided by Bureau Van Dijk, and we manually collected audit partner names from corporate governance reports. Our final sample includes 1,068 firm-year observations from 232 firms. Findings: Our results are consistent with those of Ittonen et al. (2013), who found that female audit partners are associated with lower abnormal accruals. We observed similar results when including female audit committee chairs. No gender-based differences emerged in reducing income-increasing earnings management. However, female audit partners were associated with lower income-decreasing manipulations, indicating greater diligence and precision. Originality/value: We replicate the study by Ittonen et al. (2013) within the distinct cultural and legal framework of the Italian market, with a broad time period for analysis. Our findings underscore the importance of gender diversity in auditing and provide robust evidence for a different context. Future research can investigate other countries and factors affecting audit quality to further deepen the understanding of gender dynamics.

Purpose: This paper explores the crucial role of financial statement analysis for equity valuation, reaffirming and extending Nissim and Penman’s seminal find-ings (2001). Design and methodology: We use a worldwide dataset comprising 82,481 obser-vations across 33 countries from 2005 to 2022 to provide updated benchmarks to Nissim and Penman’s (2001) findings and facilitate forecasting and valuation. Our methodology involves both cross-sectional and time-series analyses. The cross-sectional analysis aggregates financial ratios over all firms and years, while the time-series analysis tracks the median values of portfolios over successive five-year periods. Findings: Our analyses reveal that value creation and growth dynamics are intri-cately linked, with performance metrics significantly influenced by operating and Financial Leverage. The median Return On Common Equity (ROCE) and Return on Net Operating Assets (RNOA), spread, and net borrowing costs collectively indi-cate a generally positive leverage effect on firm returns. Additionally, our findings demonstrate the importance of differentiating between operating and financing assets and liabilities when assessing Financial Leverage. Contribution: Overall, the findings contribute valuable insights for managers and academics. They offer a deeper understanding of how leverage affects firm per-formance, which can inform strategic decision-making to enhance value creation. This paper extends the empirical foundation for equity valuation and financial forecasting, providing relevant benchmarks for financial analysis.