Alessio Vieno
Biographic Data
| ID | 266983 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alessio Vieno |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alessio |
| FAMILY NAME | Vieno |
| SIGNATURE | VIENO A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Padua |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-4417-4822 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 69 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 365 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 69 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2005 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 12 |
“I Do Not See Eye to Eye With My Parents”: Parent–Adolescent Discrepancies in Parental Phubbing Report and Adolescent Health‐Related Outcomes
Parental phubbing, the act of parents moving their attention to their smartphone instead of engaging with their children, has been associated with negative consequences for adolescents′ health. However, most studies rely on single informant reports, which do not account for both parents and adolescents′ perceptions of the behavior and can provide biased results. Based on the Operations Triad Model, this cross‐sectional study examines the associat…
Using the Diffusion of Innovation Theory to explain the declining trend in adolescent drunkenness between 2002 and 2022 across 46 countries
INTRODUCTION: Using Diffusion of Innovations Theory, we investigated whether countries with higher innovation capacity showed earlier tipping points (shift from increasing to decreasing drunkenness) and steeper declines in adolescent drunkenness (2002-2022). Innovation capacity likely facilitates these shifts through knowledge generation, policy implementation, and norm diffusion. METHODS: Trends in adolescent drunkenness were examined across 46 …
This is why they are called “social” media! Nonlinear associations between time spent on social media and psychosocial well-being in a representative Italian sample
Navigating the complexity: Challenges and insights from professionals working with vulnerable families
This study emphasizes the importance of professionals’ view on vulnerable families • The article provides insights through an ecological and preventive approach. • Findings show professionals face challenges with parents, isolation, and cooperation. • The study stresses adopting a preventive and collaborative approach to help families. The increasing risk of poverty and social exclusion in Italy poses challenges to the support of vulnerable famil…
Associations between relative deprivation and problematic gaming in adolescence: Evidence from an Italian representative sample
BACKGROUND: Problematic gaming is a known risk factor for adolescent well-being. Yet, socioeconomic factors that might contribute to problematic gaming in adolescence have not been fully explored. This study examined the association between relative deprivation, defined as an individual's financial gap relative to their classmates, and problematic gaming in a representative sample of Italian adolescents. METHODS: We analysed data on family materi…
Unraveling the links between maternal and paternal parenting practices and adolescent problematic gaming: The mediating role of satisfaction and frustration of psychological needs
Adolescent problematic gaming (PG) is a concerning condition worldwide. Increasing evidence documented associations between parental behaviors (measured unitedly for mothers and fathers) and adolescent PG; however, the specific contribution of each parent and the mediating mechanisms remain understudied. Drawing from the self-determination theory, this study separately examined, in mothers and fathers, (a) the direct associations between supporti…
Restless minds, restless nights: A 2-wave preliminary study on the associations between sleep quality, negative metacognitions and Problematic Smartphone Use
Global change in adolescent social media use (2018–2022): An ecological analysis across 28 countries
Given growing concerns about the role of social media in adolescents' lives, especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, this study investigates changes in social media use (SMU) between 2018 and 2022 across 28 countries. The main aim is to detect any change in adolescents' SMU, as reflected in the rates of four categories of social media users (i.e., non-active users, active users, intense users, and problematic users) between 2018 and 2022, and exp…
Problem gaming and adolescents’ health and well-being: Evidence from a large nationally representative sample in Italy
Playing video games is a common leisure activity for adolescents, but a minority can develop maladaptive gaming patterns and experience impairments in various health domains. Most research has been conducted within the dichotomy of “non-problematic gaming” and “problematic gaming” with convenience and unrepresentative samples, necessitating further investigation to provide more robust and generalizable evidence. In this study, we examined the imp…
Perceived Influences of Mentoring on Mentors' Social Well‐Being: Social Self‐Efficacy and Civic Engagement as Mediators of Long‐Term Associations
In literature, there is a paucity of research examining the outcomes of mentoring programs for mentors. The goal of this study was to enhance understanding of the long‐term impact of mentoring experiences on mentors' social well‐being by testing a model in which the perceived influence of mentoring on work choices, volunteer choices and level of active participation in the community are associated with social self‐efficacy, civic engagement (atti…
The influence of maternal and paternal phubbing on adolescents’ problematic gaming: A two-wave mediation model
Can an equal world reduce problematic social media use? Evidence from the Health Behavior in School-aged Children study in 43 countries
Research on the social determinants of Problematic Social Media Use (PSMU) among adolescents is scant and focused on proximal contexts and interpersonal relationships. This study examines the relation of PSMU with economic inequality, measured at country, school and individual levels. It also evaluated the moderating role of family and peer support in these associations. The 2017/18 Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) study measured PS…
Risk Behaviors among Migrant Adolescents in Italy
Adolescence is a critical period for engaging in health risk behaviors. Migrant adolescents may face unique challenges due to acculturation stress. This study aims to monitor substance use and problem gambling among migrant adolescents living in Italy. Data from the 2017/18 Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey in Italy were analyzed. The 18,794 participants included 15-year-olds, categorized as native or migrants, with ethnic background…
Psychometric properties of the measure of achieved capabilities in homeless services
Findings demonstrate that the MACHS is a valid and reliable measure that may be used to assess the extent to which homeless services support their clients to develop capabilities needed for growth-related recovery. Implications for practice and future research directions are discussed
How Communication Technology Fosters Individual and Social Wellbeing During the Covid-19 Pandemic: Preliminary Support For a Digital Interaction Model
The aim of the present study was to test an explanatory model for individual and social wellbeing which incorporates the advantages of using digital technologies during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study was carried out in Italy, one of the countries that has been most severely affected by the pandemic worldwide. The study was designed to include variables that might be specifically pertinent to the uniqueness of the restrictions imposed by the pan…
Psychological distress in the context of the Covid-19 pandemic: The joint contribution of intolerance of uncertainty and cyberchondria
OBJECTIVE: To explore the direct and indirect associations between intolerance of uncertainty, health anxiety (HA), and psychological distress through problematic internet use (PIU) and cyberchondria, both before and during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: 31.9 years, SD = 13.4) was recruited during the COVID-19 lockdown. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Self-report measures assessing HA and psychological distress. RESULTS: Two distinct p…
International perspectives on social media use among adolescents: Implications for mental and social well-being and substance use
In the present study, we aimed to explore the relationship between intensity of social media use (SMU), problematic SMU and well-being outcomes. Four categories of SMU were developed taking into account both intensity of use and problematic SMU simultaneously: non-active; active; intense; and problematic use. Using these four categories, we assessed associations between SMU and mental and social well-being, and substance use. Data from 190,089 re…
Structural gender inequality and gender differences in adolescent substance use: A multilevel study from 45 countries
Societal gender inequality relates to gender differences in adolescent substance use.-The gender gap in adolescent substance use is larger in countries with higher levels of gender inequality.-Girls in these countries were less likely to get drunk, use alcohol or smoke cigarettes than boys
Physical Activity among Italian Adolescents: Association with Life Satisfaction, Self-Rated Health and Peer Relationships
The aim of this study was to describe physical activity, both moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) and vigorous physical activity (VPA), in a large nationally representative sample of Italian adolescents, aged 11, 13 and 15, and to evaluate if Italian adolescents were in line with the 2020 WHO recommendations. In order to assess the possible impact of physical activity on adolescent psychological and social wellbeing, the associations be…
The Effect of Problematic Social Media Use on Happiness among Adolescents: The Mediating Role of Lifestyle Habits
Background: Although the relationship between problematic social media use (PSMU) and happiness has been already explored, less is known about the mechanisms that translate PSMU into lower happiness through lifestyle habits. Therefore, the current study focuses on the association between PSMU and happiness, exploring a mediating effect of lifestyle habits (e.g., difficulties in getting to sleep and frequency of physical activity) among Italian ad…
Forecasting Frequent Alcohol Use among Adolescents in HBSC Countries: A Bayesian Framework for Making Predictions
(1) Aim: To summarize alcohol trends in the last 30 years (1985/6-2017/8) among 15-year-olds in Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) countries (overall sample size: 413,399 adolescents; 51.55% girls) and to forecast the potential evolution in the upcoming 2021/22 HBSC survey. (2) Methods: Using 1986-2018 prevalence data on weekly alcohol consumption among 15-year-olds related to 40 HBSC countries/regions, a Bayesian semi-parametric hie…
Family affluence as a protective or risk factor for adolescent drunkenness in different countries and the role drinking motives play
A country's diffusion of innovation stage (i.e., traditional vs. progressive) seems to shape the direction of the association between family affluence and adolescent drunkenness including the psychological pathways that explain these socio-economic inequalities. This is most likely due to a quicker and smoother adoption of the new 'low drunkenness norms' ('it is not cool to drink to get drunk') in progressive countries and among adolescents with …
A test of the pathway model of problematic smartphone use
Factors Associated with Providers’ Work Engagement and Burnout in Homeless Services: A Cross‐national Study
The complexity of homeless service users’ characteristics and the contextual challenges faced by services can make the experience of working with people in homelessness stressful and can put providers’ well‐being at risk. In the current study, we investigated the association between service characteristics (i.e., the availability of training and supervision and the capability‐fostering approach) and social service providers’ work engagement and b…
Goth Music and Depressive Symptoms among Adolescents: A Longitudinal Study
Identification with Goth youth culture has been related to elevated levels of depression, self-harm and suicide ideation. However, this identification may be difficult to assess as Goth is stigmatized and adolescents may hesitate to self-identify. Conversely, adolescents readily respond to questions on their music preferences. This study addresses the potential link between liking Goth music and depressive symptoms in a four-year study among 10 t…
Democratic School Climate and Sense of Community in School: A Multilevel Analysis
This study examines individual- and school-level predictors of sense of community in school among adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationships between individual (demographics, control and monitoring by parents, and perception of democratic school climate), class, and school characteristics (mean democratic school climate, demographics, activities, school size, public/private governance of the school, and facili…
Perceived Neighborhood Social Resources as Determinants of Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence
The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links neighborhood behavioral opportunities and social resources (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood friendship and neighborhood attachment) to prosocial (sharing, helping, empathic) behavior in early adolescence, taking into account the potential mediating role of perceived support of friends. Path analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical model in a sample of 1,145 Italian ea…
Social support, sense of community in school, and self‐efficacy as resources during early adolescence: An integrative model
Influences of different sources of social support (from parents and friends), school sense of community, and self‐efficacy on psychosocial well being (as measured by self‐reported life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) in early adolescence were investigated in an integrative model. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. Multi‐group comparisons were used to estimate differences between sex and age groups. The survey sample…
Parenting and antisocial behavior: A model of the relationship between adolescent self-disclosure, parental closeness, parental control, and adolescent antisocial behavior
This study used data collected from a sample of 840 Italian adolescents (418 boys; M age = 12.58) and their parents (657 mothers; M age = 43.78) to explore the relations between parenting, adolescent self-disclosure, and antisocial behavior. In the hypothesized model, parenting practices (e.g., parental monitoring and control) have direct effects on parental knowledge and antisocial behavior. Parenting style (e.g., parent-child closeness), on the…
How School can Teach Civic Engagement Besides Civic Education: The Role of Democratic School Climate
Civic engagement, defined as involvement in community life, is influenced by reciprocal relationships between individuals and contexts and is a key factor that contributes to positive youth development. The present study evaluates a theoretical model linking perceived democratic school climate with adolescent civic engagement (operationalized as civic responsibility and intentions for future participation), taking into account the mediating role …
Family Affluence, School and Neighborhood Contexts and Adolescents’ Civic Engagement: A Cross‐National Study
Research on youth civic engagement focuses on individual‐level predictors. We examined individual‐ and school‐level characteristics, including family affluence, democratic school social climate and perceived neighborhood social capital, in their relation to civic engagement of 15‐year‐old students. Data were taken from the 2006 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children survey. A sample of 8,077 adolescents in 10th grade f…
Societal Threat to Safety, Compensatory Control, and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism
We analyzed directly and indirectly the relationships between societal threat to safety, perceived control, and the increase in right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) in two studies. In Study 1 (national sample of the Italian population, N = 1,169), we performed a longitudinal analysis structured into three waves (January 2003, September 2004, and January 2005). A moderated regression analysis showed that RWA increased from 2003 to 2005 as a function …
Is Fear of Crime Mainly Social and Economic Insecurity in Disguise? A Multilevel Multinational Analysis
Using the 2006 Eurobarometer data (representative sample of the European population, N = 16 306, 27 countries), we performed a multilevel analysis aimed at predicting fear of crime. A significant proportion of the variation in fear of crime was at country level. Of the individual predictors included, being a woman, being poorly educated, being unemployed, and being an urban dweller showed positive relations with fear of crime. Fear was highest am…
Individual and Class Moral Disengagement in Bullying Among Elementary School Children
A cross‐sectional study from a sample of 663 elementary school children assessed the four sets of moral disengagement mechanisms conceptualized by Bandura (i.e., cognitive restructuring, minimizing one's agentive role, disregarding/distorting the consequences, blaming/dehumanizing the victim) at both the individual and the class level. Additionally, an analysis of the relations of these mechanisms to pro‐bullying behavior was conducted. Multileve…
Criminal Victimization and Crime Risk Perception: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study
Bullying in school and adolescent sense of empowerment: An analysis of relationships with parents, friends, and teachers
We explore the development of bullying and victimization in school by investigating 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds' sense of interpersonal empowerment with parents, friends and teachers. A national sample of 4386 male and female students from 243 middle and secondary schools in Italy were surveyed. Boys were more likely than girls to be bullies and more likely to have been a bully/victim. Victimization and the likelihood of being both a bully and a vi…
Social capital, safety concerns, parenting, and early adolescents' antisocial behavior
This study explores the relations between neighborhood social capital (neighbor support and social climate), safety concerns (fear of crime and concern for one's child), parenting (solicitation and support), and adolescent antisocial behavior in a sample of 952 parents (742 mothers) and 588 boys and 559 girls from five middle schools (sixth through eighth grades) in a midsize Italian city. In structural equation models, social capital is strongly…
How Neighborhood Structural and Institutional Features Can Shape Neighborhood Social Connectedness: A Multilevel Study of Adolescent Perceptions
According to the norms and collective efficacy model, the levels of social connectedness within a local community are a function of neighborhood structural characteristics, such as socioeconomic status and ethnic composition. The current work aims to determine whether neighborhood structural and institutional features (neighborhood wealth, percentage of immigrants, population density, opportunities for activities and meeting places) have an impac…
Civic participation and the development of adolescent behavior problems
This study assessed the links between civic participation and adolescent behavior problems (bullying, physical fighting, and alcohol and tobacco use), and whether civic engagement could be a moderator of the negative effects of parent/family detachment. Participants were 7,097 11‐, 13‐, and 15‐year‐olds (48.6% girls) in a region of Northern Italy. Twenty percent were involved in some level of civic participation, the majority of which was faith‐b…
Basic Personal Values, the Country's Crime Rate and the Fear of Crime
Can Facebook Informational Use Foster Adolescent Civic Engagement
The findings on the association between Social Networking Sites and civic engagement are mixed. The present study aims to evaluate a theoretical model linking the informational use of Internet‐based social media (specifically, Facebook) with civic competencies and intentions for future civic engagement, taking into account the mediating role of civic discussions with family and friends and sharing the news online. Participants were 114 Italian hi…
Italian Validation of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (Spcs‐y)
The aim of the study is to validate the two‐dimensional structure of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS‐Y) in a sample of Italian adolescents and to investigate associations of this interpersonal component of psychological empowerment with different measures of psychosocial adjustment. The questionnaires were filled out by a sample of 1,376 (57.6% females; mean age = 17.24, standard deviation = .99) 11th‐ to 13th‐grade students. The…
The Role Played by the Family in Shaping Early and Middle Adolescent Civic Responsibility
Adopting a multi-informant methodology, the current study examines the relative influence of multiple parental characteristics (civic responsibility, encouragement of civic action, parent-youth closeness) on adolescents’ civic responsibility (local and global). The participants were 384 early and middle adolescents (47.9% male), randomly selected from an Italian city (mean age = 13.6; SD = 1.63), and one parent for each adolescent. The results sh…
Sociopolitical Control for Immigrants: The Role of Receiving Local Contexts
This study examines the individual and contextual factors associated with sociopolitical control expressed by immigrants in southern Spain. We used hierarchical linear modeling to evaluate the relations between individual (community participation, social connectedness, and perceived cultural competence of receiving community services) and municipality characteristics (city community participation, city social connectedness, and city community ser…
Factors Associated With Civic Engagement in Adolescence: The Effects of Neighborhood, School, Family, and Peer Contexts
Research on youth civic engagement has emphasized the importance of growing up in a civic context. We examined the relative influence of neighborhood characteristics (neighborhood opportunities and intergenerational closure), civic education at school, friends’ civic engagement, and parents’ civic engagement on civic attitudes and civic behaviors among youths. Participants were 403 11‐ to 15‐year‐old adolescents randomly selected from the city re…
Adolescent gang involvement: The role of individual, family, peer, and school factors in a multilevel perspective
Youth gang involvement is a serious public health challenge as adolescents involved in gangs are more likely than others to engage in violence and aggression. To better understand gang involvement, we examined the role of protective (empathy and parental support) and risk (peer deviance and lack of safety at school) factors, as well as their interactions, in predicting adolescent gang affiliation. The study involved a sample of 26,232 students (5…
Factors Associated with Providers’ Work Engagement and Burnout in Homeless Services: A Cross‐national Study
The complexity of homeless service users’ characteristics and the contextual challenges faced by services can make the experience of working with people in homelessness stressful and can put providers’ well‐being at risk. In the current study, we investigated the association between service characteristics (i.e., the availability of training and supervision and the capability‐fostering approach) and social service providers’ work engagement and b…
Intergroup contact and prejudice toward immigrants: A multinational, multilevel test of the moderating role of individual conservative values and cultural embeddedness
School Sense of Community, Teacher Support, and Students’ School Safety Perceptions
Highlights The association between school climate and students’ perceptions of unsafety at school was examined. School climate (SoC and teacher support) was measured both at the individual and at the school level. At the individual level, sense of community and teacher support were negatively associated with unsafety. At the school level, sense of community was negatively associated with unsafe feelings. Findings support the need to implement int…
Social Capital and Fear of Crime in Adolescence: A Multilevel Study
Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationships between social capital (at the individual, the neighborhood, and the regional levels) and adolescents' fear of crime, while controlling for the main individual (sociodemographics, television viewing, and bullying victimization), neighborhood (neighborhood size and aggregated victimization), and regional (crime rate and level of urbanization) variables. Data were analyzed using a t…
Democratic School Climate and Sense of Community in School: A Multilevel Analysis
This study examines individual- and school-level predictors of sense of community in school among adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relationships between individual (demographics, control and monitoring by parents, and perception of democratic school climate), class, and school characteristics (mean democratic school climate, demographics, activities, school size, public/private governance of the school, and facili…
Bullying in school and adolescent sense of empowerment: An analysis of relationships with parents, friends, and teachers
We explore the development of bullying and victimization in school by investigating 11‐, 13‐ and 15‐year‐olds' sense of interpersonal empowerment with parents, friends and teachers. A national sample of 4386 male and female students from 243 middle and secondary schools in Italy were surveyed. Boys were more likely than girls to be bullies and more likely to have been a bully/victim. Victimization and the likelihood of being both a bully and a vi…
Social support, sense of community in school, and self‐efficacy as resources during early adolescence: An integrative model
Influences of different sources of social support (from parents and friends), school sense of community, and self‐efficacy on psychosocial well being (as measured by self‐reported life satisfaction and psychological symptoms) in early adolescence were investigated in an integrative model. The model was tested using structural equation modeling. Multi‐group comparisons were used to estimate differences between sex and age groups. The survey sample…
Civic participation and the development of adolescent behavior problems
This study assessed the links between civic participation and adolescent behavior problems (bullying, physical fighting, and alcohol and tobacco use), and whether civic engagement could be a moderator of the negative effects of parent/family detachment. Participants were 7,097 11‐, 13‐, and 15‐year‐olds (48.6% girls) in a region of Northern Italy. Twenty percent were involved in some level of civic participation, the majority of which was faith‐b…
Parenting and antisocial behavior: A model of the relationship between adolescent self-disclosure, parental closeness, parental control, and adolescent antisocial behavior
This study used data collected from a sample of 840 Italian adolescents (418 boys; M age = 12.58) and their parents (657 mothers; M age = 43.78) to explore the relations between parenting, adolescent self-disclosure, and antisocial behavior. In the hypothesized model, parenting practices (e.g., parental monitoring and control) have direct effects on parental knowledge and antisocial behavior. Parenting style (e.g., parent-child closeness), on the…
Social capital, safety concerns, parenting, and early adolescents' antisocial behavior
This study explores the relations between neighborhood social capital (neighbor support and social climate), safety concerns (fear of crime and concern for one's child), parenting (solicitation and support), and adolescent antisocial behavior in a sample of 952 parents (742 mothers) and 588 boys and 559 girls from five middle schools (sixth through eighth grades) in a midsize Italian city. In structural equation models, social capital is strongly…
Different Forms of Bullying and Their Association to Smoking and Drinking Behavior in Italian Adolescents
BACKGROUND: Using data from the 2006 Health Behavior in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, the prevalence of 6 forms of bullying (physical, verbal, relational, sexual, cyber, and racist), and the role of smoking and drinking in bullying was examined among Italian adolescents for this study. METHODS: The sample was composed of 2667 Italian middle and secondary school students (49.9% girls) randomly selected. The revised Olweus Bully/Victim Questi…
The Influence of Discrimination on Immigrant Adolescents’ Depressive Symptoms: What Buffers its Detrimental Effects
The present study examined the link between perceived discrimination, depressive symptoms, cultural identity and social support at school reported by immigrant adolescents. Participants were 214 mostly male, immigrant adolescents in grades 9 through 13 of high schools in two small cities in northern Italy. Results showed that discrimination has a significant detrimental effect on psychological well-being of foreign-born adolescents. Additionally,…
Predicting Perceived Risk of Crime: A Multilevel Study
With a sample of Italians selected from 71 Italian counties (N = 1,868), we performed two multilevel analyses aimed at predicting the perceived risk of crime at local (i.e., in the participants' county of residence) and at societal (i.e., in the context of Italian society) levels. A significant proportion of the variation in local risk perception was at the county level. The following individual variables predicted higher levels of this variable:…
Perceived community disorder moderates the relation between victimization and fear of crime
In a representative sample of the Italian population (N=2,002), surveyed in January 2008, we studied the direct and interactive effects exerted on fear of crime by direct and indirect victimization, on the one hand, and perceived level of disorder of participants' community, on the other hand. Indirect victimization fostered fear of crime among participants reporting high levels of social disorder in their community. However, direct and indirect …
Violent behavior and unfairness in school: Multilevel analysis of Italian schools
This study examines the role of school unfairness in predicting violent behavior among Italian early adolescents. Hierarchical linear modeling was used to examine the relations between individual (demographics, psychosocial and relational characteristics, and perception of procedural and relational school unfairness), and class characteristics (mean school unfairness and socioeconomic status) and students' violent behavior. Data were analyzed usi…
The Role of Individual Correlates and Class Norms in Defending and Passive Bystanding Behavior in Bullying: A Multilevel Analysis
This study investigates possible individual and class correlates of defending and passive bystanding behavior in bullying, in a sample of 1,825 Italian primary school (mean age = 10 years 1 month) and middle school (mean age = 13 years 2 months) students. The findings of a series of multilevel regression models show that both individual (e.g., provictim attitudes and perceived peer pressure for intervention) and class characteristics (e.g., class…
Individual and Class Moral Disengagement in Bullying Among Elementary School Children
A cross‐sectional study from a sample of 663 elementary school children assessed the four sets of moral disengagement mechanisms conceptualized by Bandura (i.e., cognitive restructuring, minimizing one's agentive role, disregarding/distorting the consequences, blaming/dehumanizing the victim) at both the individual and the class level. Additionally, an analysis of the relations of these mechanisms to pro‐bullying behavior was conducted. Multileve…
Perceived Neighborhood Social Resources as Determinants of Prosocial Behavior in Early Adolescence
The present study aims to develop an integrative model that links neighborhood behavioral opportunities and social resources (neighborhood cohesion, neighborhood friendship and neighborhood attachment) to prosocial (sharing, helping, empathic) behavior in early adolescence, taking into account the potential mediating role of perceived support of friends. Path analysis was used to test the proposed theoretical model in a sample of 1,145 Italian ea…
Family Affluence, School and Neighborhood Contexts and Adolescents’ Civic Engagement: A Cross‐National Study
Research on youth civic engagement focuses on individual‐level predictors. We examined individual‐ and school‐level characteristics, including family affluence, democratic school social climate and perceived neighborhood social capital, in their relation to civic engagement of 15‐year‐old students. Data were taken from the 2006 World Health Organization Health Behaviour in School‐aged Children survey. A sample of 8,077 adolescents in 10th grade f…
Is Fear of Crime Mainly Social and Economic Insecurity in Disguise? A Multilevel Multinational Analysis
Using the 2006 Eurobarometer data (representative sample of the European population, N = 16 306, 27 countries), we performed a multilevel analysis aimed at predicting fear of crime. A significant proportion of the variation in fear of crime was at country level. Of the individual predictors included, being a woman, being poorly educated, being unemployed, and being an urban dweller showed positive relations with fear of crime. Fear was highest am…
The Role Played by the Family in Shaping Early and Middle Adolescent Civic Responsibility
Adopting a multi-informant methodology, the current study examines the relative influence of multiple parental characteristics (civic responsibility, encouragement of civic action, parent-youth closeness) on adolescents’ civic responsibility (local and global). The participants were 384 early and middle adolescents (47.9% male), randomly selected from an Italian city (mean age = 13.6; SD = 1.63), and one parent for each adolescent. The results sh…
How Neighborhood Structural and Institutional Features Can Shape Neighborhood Social Connectedness: A Multilevel Study of Adolescent Perceptions
According to the norms and collective efficacy model, the levels of social connectedness within a local community are a function of neighborhood structural characteristics, such as socioeconomic status and ethnic composition. The current work aims to determine whether neighborhood structural and institutional features (neighborhood wealth, percentage of immigrants, population density, opportunities for activities and meeting places) have an impac…
Criminal victimisation fosters conservatism among people living in areas with high unemployment rates: A multilevel longitudinal study
Using a multilevel, longitudinal model, we tested the mugging thesis, which states that ‘a conservative is a liberal who has been mugged’, in a national sample of Italians (N = 457, nested in 54 counties) surveyed four times between October 2002 and January 2007. We predicted participants' increase in conservatism as a function of the cross‐level interactions between criminal victimisation on the one hand and the unemployment and the crime rates …
Criminal Victimization and Crime Risk Perception: A Multilevel Longitudinal Study
How School can Teach Civic Engagement Besides Civic Education: The Role of Democratic School Climate
Civic engagement, defined as involvement in community life, is influenced by reciprocal relationships between individuals and contexts and is a key factor that contributes to positive youth development. The present study evaluates a theoretical model linking perceived democratic school climate with adolescent civic engagement (operationalized as civic responsibility and intentions for future participation), taking into account the mediating role …
Italian Validation of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (Spcs‐y)
The aim of the study is to validate the two‐dimensional structure of the Sociopolitical Control Scale for Youth (SPCS‐Y) in a sample of Italian adolescents and to investigate associations of this interpersonal component of psychological empowerment with different measures of psychosocial adjustment. The questionnaires were filled out by a sample of 1,376 (57.6% females; mean age = 17.24, standard deviation = .99) 11th‐ to 13th‐grade students. The…
Societal Threat to Safety, Compensatory Control, and Right‐Wing Authoritarianism
We analyzed directly and indirectly the relationships between societal threat to safety, perceived control, and the increase in right‐wing authoritarianism (RWA) in two studies. In Study 1 (national sample of the Italian population, N = 1,169), we performed a longitudinal analysis structured into three waves (January 2003, September 2004, and January 2005). A moderated regression analysis showed that RWA increased from 2003 to 2005 as a function …
Decreases in adolescent weekly alcohol use in Europe and North America: Evidence from 28 countries from 2002 to 2010
BACKGROUND: This study examined trends in adolescent weekly alcohol use between 2002 and 2010 in 28 European and North American countries. METHODS: Analyses were based on data from 11-, 13- and 15-year-old adolescents who participated in the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children (HBSC) study in 2002, 2006 and 2010. RESULTS: Weekly alcohol use declined in 20 of 28 countries and in all geographic regions, from 12.1 to 6.1% in Anglo-Saxon countri…
Self-efficacy and medicine use for headache among adolescents in Italy: Results from the Italian HBSC 2010 study
This article aims first to investigate gender patterns in medicine use, and corresponding headache complaints, in Italian adolescents; second, to examine the association between self-efficacy and medicine use for headache. This study used data from 23,941 15-year-old students participating in the 2009/2010 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) Survey. Self-complete questionnaires devised by the HBSC international group were administered…
Psychology (61 works) · Social Psychology (40 works) · Medicine (38 works) · Developmental psychology (32 works) · Political science (22 works) · Sociology (22 works) · Clinical Psychology (21 works) · Demography (19 works) · Multilevel model (17 works) · Psychiatry (17 works)