Alberto Siracusano
Biographic Data
| ID | 2440258 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alberto Siracusano |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alberto |
| FAMILY NAME | Siracusano |
| SIGNATURE | SIRACUSANO A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Rome Tor Vergata |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8406-093X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 24 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 1 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 24 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2003 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Social Isolation, Economic Insecurity, and Mistrust in Institutions Among Psychiatric Inpatients From a Low-Income Urban Area: A Preliminary Study
A case study of forensic psychiatry experts' reports analysis through large language models
Disentangling Loneliness, Depression, and Social Media Use: A Gaussian, Mixed, and Bayesian Network Approach in the EU Loneliness Study
BACKGROUND: Loneliness, depression, and social media use (SMU) are increasingly interconnected phenomena in modern mental health research. While prior studies have demonstrated associations between these domains, their mutual dynamics and directional relationships remain unclear. Traditional analytical approaches often treat these constructs as unitary, failing to capture the complexity of symptom-level interactions. AIMS: This study aimed to dis…
The hidden pathways to internalized weight bias: From insecure attachment to depressive self-schemas
Findings highlighted cognitive depressive symptoms as a central pathway linking insecure attachment to IWB, while suggesting a paradoxical protective role for alexithymic difficulties in emotional expression. We emphasized the importance of considering individual vulnerability factors-particularly relational insecurity and depressive cognitions-in theoretical models of IWB and in the design of targeted clinical interventions
The role of income inequality as an ecological determinant of mental health: A nation-wide multilevel analysis on an Italian sample
INTRODUCTION: Income inequality, a pivotal determinant of general and mental health, operates through intricate mechanisms at various geographical scales. While established at country or region levels, the impact of lower-level (municipal or neighborhood) inequality remains inconsistent. This study explores the influence of regional- and municipal-level income inequality on individual psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, …
The Mother-Baby Bond: Role of Past and Current Relationships
During the perinatal period, up to 25% of women experience difficulties in relating to their child. The mother-child bond promotes the transition to motherhood, protects the woman from depression, and protects the child from the intergenerational transmission of the disease. This study prospectively investigated if the relationship with the co-parent, the attachment style, and the bond that women had with their parents influenced the mother-fetus…
Family functioning and personal growth in Italian caregivers living with a family member affected by schizophrenia: Results of an add-on study of the Italian network for research on psychoses
To date, the role of family members in caring for relatives affected by schizophrenia has focused largely on the negative aspects of impact of the illness. The present study aimed to: (1) assess family functioning and burden of care in caregivers living in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy who looked after subjects affected by chronic schizophrenia; (2) evaluate the relationship between aspects of family functioning and burden of care, in par…
Psychological Characteristics of Women with Perinatal Depression Who Require Psychiatric Support during Pregnancy or Postpartum: A Cross-Sectional Study
Antenatal depression may be distinct from postpartum depression in terms of prevalence, severity of symptoms, comorbidities, prognosis, and risk factors. Although risk factors for perinatal depression have been identified, it is unclear whether there are differences in the onset of perinatal depression (PND). This study explored the characteristics of women requiring mental health support during pregnancy or postpartum. A sample of 170 women (58%…
The Complex Interplay Between Physical Activity and Recovery Styles in Patients With Severe Mental Disorders in a Real-World Multicentric Study
Compared with the general population, people with severe mental disorders have significantly worse physical health and a higher mortality rate, which is partially due to the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as heavy smoking, use of alcohol or illicit drugs, unbalanced diet, and physical inactivity. These unhealthy behaviors may also play a significant role in the personal and functional recovery of patients with severe mental disor…
Medical Comorbidities in 181 Patients With Bipolar Disorder vs. Schizophrenia and Related Psychotic Disorders: Findings From a Single-Center, Retrospective Study From an Acute Inpatients Psychiatric U…
Introduction: Medical comorbidities (MCs) represent a significant burden in terms of more frequent hospitalizations and overall lower life expectancy among people with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). The present article aims to compare the prevalence of MCs and to examine the associated characteristics as marital status, job occupation, level of education, and living a…
Tracing Links Between Early Auditory Information Processing and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: An ERP Study
Background: Negative symptoms represent a heterogeneous dimension with a strong impact on functioning of subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). Five constructs are included in this dimension: anhedonia, asociality, avolition, blunted affect, and alogia. Factor analyses revealed that these symptoms cluster in two domains: experiential domain (avolition, asociality, and anhedonia) and the expressive deficit (alogia and blunted affect), that might be li…
Mental Health Outcomes Among Frontline and Second-Line Health Care Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic in Italy
This cross-sectional study reports on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and insomnia among health care workers in Italy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Bariatric Surgery Closure During Covid-19 Lockdown in Italy: The Perspective of Waiting List Candidates
Background: From the beginning of March 2020, lockdown regimens prevented patients with obesity from receiving bariatric surgery. Surgical emergencies and oncological procedures were the only operations allowed in public hospitals. Consequently, patients with morbid obesity were put in a stand-by situation. With the aim at exploring the viewpoint of our future bariatric surgery patients, we built a Questionnaire concerning obesity and COVID-19. M…
Beyond the socio-economic status: The concept of ‘vital poverty’
Covid-19 Pandemic and Lockdown Measures Impact on Mental Health Among the General Population in Italy
We found high rates of negative mental health outcomes in the Italian general population 3 weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown measures and different COVID-19 related risk factors. These findings warrant further monitoring on the Italian population's mental health
Attitudes of Italian Psychiatrists Toward the Evaluation of Physical Comorbidities and Sexual Dysfunction in Patients With Schizophrenia. Implications for Clinical Practice
Treatment guidelines for patients with schizophrenia recommend evaluating their risk of physical comorbidities, especially since these patients are known to have decreased life expectancy due to comorbidities. Therefore, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first national survey conducted to investigate how Italian psychiatrists deal with the risk of physical comorbidities and sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. A sample of 750 p…
Dreaming activity in bariatric surgery candidates
The objective of this article was to contribute to the comprehension of thepsychological aspects of severe obesity by analyzing the dream characteristics ofbariatric surgery candidates. Given the lack of previous studies comparing controlsubjects and obese patients, we did not formulate specific hypotheses on possibledifferences between the 2 groups. We conducted a pilot study, generating hypothesesfor future research. The study observed 41 sever…
Reply to Valdas Noreika’s commentary on Zanasi, M., Calisti, F., Di Lorenzo, G., Valerio, G., & Siracusano, A. (2011). Oneiric activity in schizophrenia: Textual analysis of dream reports
Oneiric activity in schizophrenia: Textual analysis of dream reports
Dreams by Persons with Mood Disorders
This work evaluated the structure of dreams in depressed patients. The verbal reports of dreams of 100 depressed patients were compared with 251 dreams of a control group. In accordance with the Jungian thought, which views dreams as texts, dream reports were assessed using textual analysis processing techniques. Significant differences were found in parameter values, as well as in the role of the dreamer as an external observer. Considering the …
Body Dissatisfaction in Women With Eating Disorders: Relationship to Early Separation Anxiety and Insecure Attachment
OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that an insecure style of attachment may be one of the factors implicated in the etiology of body dissatisfaction, which, in turn, is a risk factor for eating disorders. The present study analyzed the association among early separation anxiety, insecure attachment, and body dissatisfaction in a clinical sample of 96 women with anorexia nervosa (n = 31) or bulimia nervosa (n = 65). METHODS: Body dissatisfaction was…
Patterns of Adaptation to Conflict and Schizoid Personality Scale Scores
A previous investigation gave no evidence of a significant relationship of patterns of adaptation to conflict, as measured with the Serial Color-Word Test, with the Schizoid Personality Scale of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory. As a new scoring algorithm has subsequently been proposed for the latter scale, a replication was done with the modified schizoid scale. A group of 75 consecutive nonpsychotic women outpatients was given the Serial Color-Wo…
Self-Defeating Personality and Memories of Parents' Child-Rearing Behaviour: A Replication
A recent study of correlations of self-defeating personality and memories of parents' child-rearing behaviour has been replicated on a larger sample. Non-clinical volunteers (145 women and 114 men) were administered Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale and a short version of the EMBU-Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (own memories of parental education) scale. Replicating previous findings, memories of rejecting or nonsupportive parents wer…
Patterns of Adaptation and Personality Disorders
Patterns of adaptation to conflict were explored with the Serial Color-Word Test, and personality disorders were assessed by means of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory in a group of 76 nonpsychotic women volunteers in the age range 18-50 yr. (M=29.1 yr., SD=8.3), who attended a psychiatric outpatients unit. Forward multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate whether patterns of adaptation were associated with personality disorders. 10…
Dreaming activity in bariatric surgery candidates
The objective of this article was to contribute to the comprehension of thepsychological aspects of severe obesity by analyzing the dream characteristics ofbariatric surgery candidates. Given the lack of previous studies comparing controlsubjects and obese patients, we did not formulate specific hypotheses on possibledifferences between the 2 groups. We conducted a pilot study, generating hypothesesfor future research. The study observed 41 sever…
Patterns of Adaptation and Personality Disorders
Patterns of adaptation to conflict were explored with the Serial Color-Word Test, and personality disorders were assessed by means of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory in a group of 76 nonpsychotic women volunteers in the age range 18-50 yr. (M=29.1 yr., SD=8.3), who attended a psychiatric outpatients unit. Forward multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate whether patterns of adaptation were associated with personality disorders. 10…
Self-Defeating Personality and Memories of Parents' Child-Rearing Behaviour: A Replication
A recent study of correlations of self-defeating personality and memories of parents' child-rearing behaviour has been replicated on a larger sample. Non-clinical volunteers (145 women and 114 men) were administered Schill's Self-defeating Personality Scale and a short version of the EMBU-Egna Minnen Beträffande Uppfostran (own memories of parental education) scale. Replicating previous findings, memories of rejecting or nonsupportive parents wer…
Body Dissatisfaction in Women With Eating Disorders: Relationship to Early Separation Anxiety and Insecure Attachment
OBJECTIVE: It has been suggested that an insecure style of attachment may be one of the factors implicated in the etiology of body dissatisfaction, which, in turn, is a risk factor for eating disorders. The present study analyzed the association among early separation anxiety, insecure attachment, and body dissatisfaction in a clinical sample of 96 women with anorexia nervosa (n = 31) or bulimia nervosa (n = 65). METHODS: Body dissatisfaction was…
Patterns of Adaptation to Conflict and Schizoid Personality Scale Scores
A previous investigation gave no evidence of a significant relationship of patterns of adaptation to conflict, as measured with the Serial Color-Word Test, with the Schizoid Personality Scale of the Coolidge Axis II Inventory. As a new scoring algorithm has subsequently been proposed for the latter scale, a replication was done with the modified schizoid scale. A group of 75 consecutive nonpsychotic women outpatients was given the Serial Color-Wo…
Dreams by Persons with Mood Disorders
This work evaluated the structure of dreams in depressed patients. The verbal reports of dreams of 100 depressed patients were compared with 251 dreams of a control group. In accordance with the Jungian thought, which views dreams as texts, dream reports were assessed using textual analysis processing techniques. Significant differences were found in parameter values, as well as in the role of the dreamer as an external observer. Considering the …
Reply to Valdas Noreika’s commentary on Zanasi, M., Calisti, F., Di Lorenzo, G., Valerio, G., & Siracusano, A. (2011). Oneiric activity in schizophrenia: Textual analysis of dream reports
Oneiric activity in schizophrenia: Textual analysis of dream reports
Dreaming activity in bariatric surgery candidates
The objective of this article was to contribute to the comprehension of thepsychological aspects of severe obesity by analyzing the dream characteristics ofbariatric surgery candidates. Given the lack of previous studies comparing controlsubjects and obese patients, we did not formulate specific hypotheses on possibledifferences between the 2 groups. We conducted a pilot study, generating hypothesesfor future research. The study observed 41 sever…
Attitudes of Italian Psychiatrists Toward the Evaluation of Physical Comorbidities and Sexual Dysfunction in Patients With Schizophrenia. Implications for Clinical Practice
Treatment guidelines for patients with schizophrenia recommend evaluating their risk of physical comorbidities, especially since these patients are known to have decreased life expectancy due to comorbidities. Therefore, to the authors' knowledge, this is the first national survey conducted to investigate how Italian psychiatrists deal with the risk of physical comorbidities and sexual dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia. A sample of 750 p…
Mental Health Outcomes Among Frontline and Second-Line Health Care Workers During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) Pandemic in Italy
This cross-sectional study reports on symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder, depression, anxiety, and insomnia among health care workers in Italy during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
Bariatric Surgery Closure During Covid-19 Lockdown in Italy: The Perspective of Waiting List Candidates
Background: From the beginning of March 2020, lockdown regimens prevented patients with obesity from receiving bariatric surgery. Surgical emergencies and oncological procedures were the only operations allowed in public hospitals. Consequently, patients with morbid obesity were put in a stand-by situation. With the aim at exploring the viewpoint of our future bariatric surgery patients, we built a Questionnaire concerning obesity and COVID-19. M…
Beyond the socio-economic status: The concept of ‘vital poverty’
Covid-19 Pandemic and Lockdown Measures Impact on Mental Health Among the General Population in Italy
We found high rates of negative mental health outcomes in the Italian general population 3 weeks into the COVID-19 lockdown measures and different COVID-19 related risk factors. These findings warrant further monitoring on the Italian population's mental health
Medical Comorbidities in 181 Patients With Bipolar Disorder vs. Schizophrenia and Related Psychotic Disorders: Findings From a Single-Center, Retrospective Study From an Acute Inpatients Psychiatric U…
Introduction: Medical comorbidities (MCs) represent a significant burden in terms of more frequent hospitalizations and overall lower life expectancy among people with severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders (SZ) and bipolar disorder (BD). The present article aims to compare the prevalence of MCs and to examine the associated characteristics as marital status, job occupation, level of education, and living a…
Tracing Links Between Early Auditory Information Processing and Negative Symptoms in Schizophrenia: An ERP Study
Background: Negative symptoms represent a heterogeneous dimension with a strong impact on functioning of subjects with schizophrenia (SCZ). Five constructs are included in this dimension: anhedonia, asociality, avolition, blunted affect, and alogia. Factor analyses revealed that these symptoms cluster in two domains: experiential domain (avolition, asociality, and anhedonia) and the expressive deficit (alogia and blunted affect), that might be li…
The Complex Interplay Between Physical Activity and Recovery Styles in Patients With Severe Mental Disorders in a Real-World Multicentric Study
Compared with the general population, people with severe mental disorders have significantly worse physical health and a higher mortality rate, which is partially due to the adoption of unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as heavy smoking, use of alcohol or illicit drugs, unbalanced diet, and physical inactivity. These unhealthy behaviors may also play a significant role in the personal and functional recovery of patients with severe mental disor…
The Mother-Baby Bond: Role of Past and Current Relationships
During the perinatal period, up to 25% of women experience difficulties in relating to their child. The mother-child bond promotes the transition to motherhood, protects the woman from depression, and protects the child from the intergenerational transmission of the disease. This study prospectively investigated if the relationship with the co-parent, the attachment style, and the bond that women had with their parents influenced the mother-fetus…
Family functioning and personal growth in Italian caregivers living with a family member affected by schizophrenia: Results of an add-on study of the Italian network for research on psychoses
To date, the role of family members in caring for relatives affected by schizophrenia has focused largely on the negative aspects of impact of the illness. The present study aimed to: (1) assess family functioning and burden of care in caregivers living in Northern, Central, and Southern Italy who looked after subjects affected by chronic schizophrenia; (2) evaluate the relationship between aspects of family functioning and burden of care, in par…
Psychological Characteristics of Women with Perinatal Depression Who Require Psychiatric Support during Pregnancy or Postpartum: A Cross-Sectional Study
Antenatal depression may be distinct from postpartum depression in terms of prevalence, severity of symptoms, comorbidities, prognosis, and risk factors. Although risk factors for perinatal depression have been identified, it is unclear whether there are differences in the onset of perinatal depression (PND). This study explored the characteristics of women requiring mental health support during pregnancy or postpartum. A sample of 170 women (58%…
The role of income inequality as an ecological determinant of mental health: A nation-wide multilevel analysis on an Italian sample
INTRODUCTION: Income inequality, a pivotal determinant of general and mental health, operates through intricate mechanisms at various geographical scales. While established at country or region levels, the impact of lower-level (municipal or neighborhood) inequality remains inconsistent. This study explores the influence of regional- and municipal-level income inequality on individual psychological distress during the COVID-19 pandemic in Italy, …
A case study of forensic psychiatry experts' reports analysis through large language models
Disentangling Loneliness, Depression, and Social Media Use: A Gaussian, Mixed, and Bayesian Network Approach in the EU Loneliness Study
BACKGROUND: Loneliness, depression, and social media use (SMU) are increasingly interconnected phenomena in modern mental health research. While prior studies have demonstrated associations between these domains, their mutual dynamics and directional relationships remain unclear. Traditional analytical approaches often treat these constructs as unitary, failing to capture the complexity of symptom-level interactions. AIMS: This study aimed to dis…
The hidden pathways to internalized weight bias: From insecure attachment to depressive self-schemas
Findings highlighted cognitive depressive symptoms as a central pathway linking insecure attachment to IWB, while suggesting a paradoxical protective role for alexithymic difficulties in emotional expression. We emphasized the importance of considering individual vulnerability factors-particularly relational insecurity and depressive cognitions-in theoretical models of IWB and in the design of targeted clinical interventions
Social Isolation, Economic Insecurity, and Mistrust in Institutions Among Psychiatric Inpatients From a Low-Income Urban Area: A Preliminary Study
Psychology (16 works) · Medicine (14 works) · Psychiatry (13 works) · Clinical Psychology (12 works) · Clinical Psychology (10 works) · Mental health (7 works) · Schizophrenia research and treatment (6 works) · Anxiety (5 works) · Depression (economics (5 works) · Internal Medicine (5 works)