Alessandra Santona
Biographic Data
| ID | 322197 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Alessandra Santona |
| GIVEN NAMES | Alessandra |
| FAMILY NAME | Santona |
| SIGNATURE | SANTONA A |
| AFFILIATIONS | University of Milano-Bicocca |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-0701-7118 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 15 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 14 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 15 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2025 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
Openly communicate about adoption: The role of parents' attachment and reflective functioning
Knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward parenthood following gamete donation in Italy
Individualism, collectivism and conformity in nine countries: Relations with parenting and child adjustment
This study investigated how individualism, collectivism and conformity are associated with parenting and child adjustment in 1297 families with 10‐year‐old children from 13 cultural groups in nine countries. With multilevel models disaggregating between‐ and within‐culture effects, we examined between‐ and within‐culture associations between maternal and paternal cultural values, parenting dimensions and children's adjustment. Mothers from cultur…
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Dyadic version: A new tool for the evaluation of the dyadic dysregulation in couple relationships
A new measure for assessing an individual's perception of the dyadic difficulties in emotion regulation with a romantic partner is tested. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Dyadic (DERS‐D) was obtained by adapting some items of the previous Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) to the dyadic context. The scale was administered both to a sample of university students ( N = 835) to explore its factorial structure and to a conve…
Unpacking Beliefs and Representations Surrounding Adoptive Families in Italy
Being an adoptive family member could be challenging, especially if the social context conveys unrealistic representations. In Italy, few studies explored socially shared beliefs about adoptive families. We investigated how adoptive parents and adopted children are perceived within the Italian context and whether attitudes toward adoptive and biological parenthood are different. 630 participants who were not part of adoptive families completed an…
The Relationship between Attachment, Dyadic Adjustment, and Sexuality: A Comparison between Infertile Men and Women
Infertility impacts several life dimensions. Among them, sexuality is particularly affected; yet studies have mainly focused on infertile women. We aimed to explore infertile men's and women's experiences in sexual satisfaction, internal control, and anxiety, and the relationship between attachment, dyadic adjustment, and sexuality. The sample consisted of 129 infertile people (47.3% females, 52.7% males, M age = 39 years) who fulfilled an ad hoc…
Sensitivity and Attachment in an Italian Sample of Hikikomori Adolescents and Young Adults
Hikikomori is a severe form of social withdrawal increasing among the young Italian population. Hikikomori has been connected to psychological problems and high environmental sensitivity. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been carried out in the Italian context, and they did not analyze several aspects strictly related to the hikikomori phenomenon, such as the role of attachment and sensitivity. We aimed to investigate the relationship betwee…
Anxiety in Attachment and Sexual Relationships in Adolescence: A Moderated Mediation Model
Adolescence is characterized by several transformations, such as identity construction, progressive estrangement from parents, relational interest in peers, and body changes that also involve sexuality issues. In this process, attachment patterns play a fundamental role in relationships, and when these are dysfunctional, they can result in internalizing and externalizing problems. Often, females show their relational difficulties through internal…
Parenting Stress, Maternal Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Caretaking in a Sample of Mothers with Newborns (0–1 Month)
A mother's responses to her newborn and her confidence in the child's caretaking depend on her attachment security, general parental stress, and perceived self-efficacy. However, few studies have analyzed maternal confidence in caretaking and how it is influenced by some mothers' characteristics. We aimed to examine the association between maternal adult attachment and confidence in a child's caretaking and to understand whether this relationship…
Talking about the Birth Family since the Beginning: The Communicative Openness in the New Adoptive Family
Communicative openness within the adoptive family changes over time and helps the child explore his/her history. We aimed to evaluate whether adoptive families communicate about specific adoption-related themes from the beginning of their lives as a family. We created an instrument to track the communication process during the first year of adoption, involving a sample of 537 internationally adopted children (313 males, 224 females, mean age of a…
Psychological implications of the ‘Back to the Origins' journey for intercountry adoptees
One way in which intercountry adoptees can elaborate on their past history is through travelling to their country of birth. This article explores the memories and experiences recalled by a group of adoptees who visited their homeland after being adopted as children by Italian families. The sample comprised 34 participants aged between 12 and 40 years who visited their birth country between 2000 and 2013. In 2017–2018, they were asked to complete …
Parenthood Desire in Italian Homosexual Couples
Many Italian gay and lesbian individuals have the desire to become parents, despite the fact that they still face barriers due to the low acceptance of same-sex parenthood. This study investigates the desire and motivation of same-sex couples to have children. The sample consists of 31 same-sex couples (17 lesbian couples and 14 gay male couples) and 31 heterosexual couples. All the participants were childless at the time of the study and had bee…
Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in Adolescence: An Italian Study
This study investigates Italian adolescents' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and same-sex marriage, and their beliefs about the origins of homosexuality. The sample consists of 449 subjects (226 males), aged between 14 and 21 years. The principal instruments used are: the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay men (ATLG), the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), and the Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage (ATSM). Results suggest that males show a m…
The Family-Couple-Parenting Questionnaire: Development of a Measure for Long-Term Couples and Young Adults
This work describes the construction of family-couple-parenting (FCP) questionnaire, a new measure of three aspects related to the developmental path toward parenting choices, within the perspective of the family life cycle and attachment theory. Two studies are reported. Study 1 reports the development of the FCP questionnaire and its psychometric properties. Study 2 assesses the FCP's nomological validity by investigating group differences on F…
Psychometric Properties of an Italian Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale
This study examined the psychometric properties of a newly translated Italian version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale. The sample comprised 1,363 adults (906 women, 456 men, 1 unreported sex; ages 18-64 yr., M = 33.4, SD = 8.9; 84.4% reported being engaged in a romantic relationship, 9.4% declared being single), all living in Italy and speaking Italian as their first language. Exploratory and confirmatory factor an…
Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in Adolescence: An Italian Study
This study investigates Italian adolescents' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and same-sex marriage, and their beliefs about the origins of homosexuality. The sample consists of 449 subjects (226 males), aged between 14 and 21 years. The principal instruments used are: the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay men (ATLG), the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), and the Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage (ATSM). Results suggest that males show a m…
Unpacking Beliefs and Representations Surrounding Adoptive Families in Italy
Being an adoptive family member could be challenging, especially if the social context conveys unrealistic representations. In Italy, few studies explored socially shared beliefs about adoptive families. We investigated how adoptive parents and adopted children are perceived within the Italian context and whether attitudes toward adoptive and biological parenthood are different. 630 participants who were not part of adoptive families completed an…
Psychometric Properties of an Italian Version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale
This study examined the psychometric properties of a newly translated Italian version of the Experiences in Close Relationships-Revised (ECR-R) Scale. The sample comprised 1,363 adults (906 women, 456 men, 1 unreported sex; ages 18-64 yr., M = 33.4, SD = 8.9; 84.4% reported being engaged in a romantic relationship, 9.4% declared being single), all living in Italy and speaking Italian as their first language. Exploratory and confirmatory factor an…
The Family-Couple-Parenting Questionnaire: Development of a Measure for Long-Term Couples and Young Adults
This work describes the construction of family-couple-parenting (FCP) questionnaire, a new measure of three aspects related to the developmental path toward parenting choices, within the perspective of the family life cycle and attachment theory. Two studies are reported. Study 1 reports the development of the FCP questionnaire and its psychometric properties. Study 2 assesses the FCP's nomological validity by investigating group differences on F…
Attitudes Toward Homosexuality in Adolescence: An Italian Study
This study investigates Italian adolescents' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and same-sex marriage, and their beliefs about the origins of homosexuality. The sample consists of 449 subjects (226 males), aged between 14 and 21 years. The principal instruments used are: the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay men (ATLG), the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), and the Attitudes Toward Same-Sex Marriage (ATSM). Results suggest that males show a m…
Anxiety in Attachment and Sexual Relationships in Adolescence: A Moderated Mediation Model
Adolescence is characterized by several transformations, such as identity construction, progressive estrangement from parents, relational interest in peers, and body changes that also involve sexuality issues. In this process, attachment patterns play a fundamental role in relationships, and when these are dysfunctional, they can result in internalizing and externalizing problems. Often, females show their relational difficulties through internal…
Parenting Stress, Maternal Self-Efficacy and Confidence in Caretaking in a Sample of Mothers with Newborns (0–1 Month)
A mother's responses to her newborn and her confidence in the child's caretaking depend on her attachment security, general parental stress, and perceived self-efficacy. However, few studies have analyzed maternal confidence in caretaking and how it is influenced by some mothers' characteristics. We aimed to examine the association between maternal adult attachment and confidence in a child's caretaking and to understand whether this relationship…
Talking about the Birth Family since the Beginning: The Communicative Openness in the New Adoptive Family
Communicative openness within the adoptive family changes over time and helps the child explore his/her history. We aimed to evaluate whether adoptive families communicate about specific adoption-related themes from the beginning of their lives as a family. We created an instrument to track the communication process during the first year of adoption, involving a sample of 537 internationally adopted children (313 males, 224 females, mean age of a…
Psychological implications of the ‘Back to the Origins' journey for intercountry adoptees
One way in which intercountry adoptees can elaborate on their past history is through travelling to their country of birth. This article explores the memories and experiences recalled by a group of adoptees who visited their homeland after being adopted as children by Italian families. The sample comprised 34 participants aged between 12 and 40 years who visited their birth country between 2000 and 2013. In 2017–2018, they were asked to complete …
Parenthood Desire in Italian Homosexual Couples
Many Italian gay and lesbian individuals have the desire to become parents, despite the fact that they still face barriers due to the low acceptance of same-sex parenthood. This study investigates the desire and motivation of same-sex couples to have children. The sample consists of 31 same-sex couples (17 lesbian couples and 14 gay male couples) and 31 heterosexual couples. All the participants were childless at the time of the study and had bee…
The Relationship between Attachment, Dyadic Adjustment, and Sexuality: A Comparison between Infertile Men and Women
Infertility impacts several life dimensions. Among them, sexuality is particularly affected; yet studies have mainly focused on infertile women. We aimed to explore infertile men's and women's experiences in sexual satisfaction, internal control, and anxiety, and the relationship between attachment, dyadic adjustment, and sexuality. The sample consisted of 129 infertile people (47.3% females, 52.7% males, M age = 39 years) who fulfilled an ad hoc…
Sensitivity and Attachment in an Italian Sample of Hikikomori Adolescents and Young Adults
Hikikomori is a severe form of social withdrawal increasing among the young Italian population. Hikikomori has been connected to psychological problems and high environmental sensitivity. Nevertheless, only a few studies have been carried out in the Italian context, and they did not analyze several aspects strictly related to the hikikomori phenomenon, such as the role of attachment and sensitivity. We aimed to investigate the relationship betwee…
Individualism, collectivism and conformity in nine countries: Relations with parenting and child adjustment
This study investigated how individualism, collectivism and conformity are associated with parenting and child adjustment in 1297 families with 10‐year‐old children from 13 cultural groups in nine countries. With multilevel models disaggregating between‐ and within‐culture effects, we examined between‐ and within‐culture associations between maternal and paternal cultural values, parenting dimensions and children's adjustment. Mothers from cultur…
The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Dyadic version: A new tool for the evaluation of the dyadic dysregulation in couple relationships
A new measure for assessing an individual's perception of the dyadic difficulties in emotion regulation with a romantic partner is tested. The Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale–Dyadic (DERS‐D) was obtained by adapting some items of the previous Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale (DERS) to the dyadic context. The scale was administered both to a sample of university students ( N = 835) to explore its factorial structure and to a conve…
Unpacking Beliefs and Representations Surrounding Adoptive Families in Italy
Being an adoptive family member could be challenging, especially if the social context conveys unrealistic representations. In Italy, few studies explored socially shared beliefs about adoptive families. We investigated how adoptive parents and adopted children are perceived within the Italian context and whether attitudes toward adoptive and biological parenthood are different. 630 participants who were not part of adoptive families completed an…
Openly communicate about adoption: The role of parents' attachment and reflective functioning
Knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes toward parenthood following gamete donation in Italy
Developmental psychology (14 works) · Psychology (14 works) · Social Psychology (10 works) · Attachment and Relationship Dynamics (7 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Clinical Psychology (6 works) · Social Psychology (6 works) · Sociology (6 works) · Anxiety (5 works) · Child and Adolescent Psychosocial and Emotional Development (5 works)