Maura Cascio - Profile on Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Maura Cascio

European Journal of Public Health, 2019

The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and ... more The purpose of this study is to explore the relationship between Emotional Intelligence (EI) and burnout in health care professionals. More specifically, this survey has the purpose of demonstrating the role of EI as a protective factor against the risk of burnout. Health professionals (doctors, nurses, and other caregivers) composed the sample. Health care professionals were invited to complete the following tests: Self Report Emotional Intelligence Test (Schutte et al., 1998; it. ad. Craparo, et al.[35]); Link Burnout Questionnaire,LBQ; Other variables, such as gender, lenght of service (years of professional experience) and organizational department. Major results of this survey underline the relationship between EI and burnout. More specifically, there is a negative and significant correlation between burnout and Emotional Intelligence. Moreover, burnout varies depending on length of service: burnout increases between 5 and 10 years of experience and decreases over 10 years. Ind...

Executive Master in PsicoeuroEndocrinoImmunology

This article describes a project that aimed to establish an online community of practice involvin... more This article describes a project that aimed to establish an online community of practice involving nursing staff in Sicily. Known as Nursing Community 2.0, the initiative attracted 156 nurses and was promoted by CEFPAS, the Centre for Training and Research in Public Health. The project was designed to provide nurses with a virtual space for building collaborative relationships, exchanging professional knowledge and practices, developing competencies, shaping organizational policy and reporting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). To assess the efficacy of Nursing Community 2.0, an evaluation study was conducted that nvolvedqualitative and quantitative analysis of online interactions. Results indicate that, thanks to the deployment of suitable technology and expert tutor support, Nursing Community 2.0 has successfully established itself as an environment for generating and exchanging knowledge.

International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 2017

Alexithymia can be considered as a defense mechanism against emotions associated with traumatic e... more Alexithymia can be considered as a defense mechanism against emotions associated with traumatic experiences that are perceived as too severe and traumatic. Due to the overwhelming nature of a traumatic event, there might be a rapid regression of affect to a pre-conceptual level of organization: so, the capacity to tolerate affect and the capacity to identify and verbalize feelings decrease. The aim of this cross-sectional study is to evaluate the trend of the correlation between psychological effects of possible childhood trauma and alexithymia in a non-clinical group of 389 Sicilian students (192 males and 197 females), aged 11-16 (M = 12.87; SD = 0.80), attending middle and secondary schools. The following instruments were used: 20-Item Toronto Alexithymia Scale and Trauma Symptom Checklist for Children. Correlation analyses seem to support the hypothesis of a relation between age and the following scales: anger, overt dissociation, sexual concerns and preoccupation; and the presence of correlations between gender and anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress, and fantasy. The multiple linear regression seems to indicate that a higher level of post-traumatic stress might be a predictor of the level of alexithymia. The results confirm that alexithymia is a well-established personality construct that could inhibit and interfere with normal affect regulating abilities.

Journal of Psychology Research, 2016

Two samples of university students, one from Turkey and the other from the USA, were compared on ... more Two samples of university students, one from Turkey and the other from the USA, were compared on measures of attachment styles, difficulties in emotional regulation and self-reported symptoms of psychopathology. Results indicated that for both samples the level of anxiety in attachment and the lack of strategies in emotional regulation predicted several symptoms of psychopathology. Differences emerged in demographic predictors with parents' educational level predicting many of the symptoms in the Turkish population while age was the major demographic predictor in the USA sample. The results suggest that attachment and emotional regulation are universal personality factors contributing to psychopathology across cultures. The collectivistic cultural framework of the Turkish sample showed greater significance to family factors in contrast to the individualistic cultural influences in the USA sample.

Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2014

Work stress is considered as the product of an imbalance between environmental demands (stressors... more Work stress is considered as the product of an imbalance between environmental demands (stressors) and individual differences (capabilities, resources or needs), associated with adverse health outcomes as well as adverse work outcomes. According to the literature in this field, teaching has ranked among the most stressful occupation. In order to investigate the role of Self-Efficacy Beliefs and Locus of Control as personal capabilities to cope with environmental demands, this study examines the interactions among these psychological features in a group of schoolteachers. Results of this survey suggest that self-efficacy belief represents one of the most important "protective" factors in response to psychological stress.

Condizioni per la sostenibilità dell'e-Learning

L'E-Learning è un sistema complesso che si basa su un fine gioco di equilibri tra aspetti did... more L'E-Learning è un sistema complesso che si basa su un fine gioco di equilibri tra aspetti didattico-pedagogici, architetture organizzativo - gestionali e specifiche esigenze di integrazione legate ai particolari settori di applicazione. Il lavoro mira ad evidenziare la sostenibilità dell’e-Learning se condotta con interventi multi-livello (sul piano individuale, culturale, socio-politico). Gli obiettivi sono quelli di promuovere nello studente lo sviluppo della di una combinazione tra percezione di autoefficacia e attivo coinvolgimento ed impegno nel lavoro formativo. Solo così il discente sarà in grado di gestire autonomamente la propria formazione, acquisendo familiarità con le tecnologie ed i servizi di rete e usando le tecnologie per reperire informazioni e conoscenze idonee a risolvere specifici problemi professionali.

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2014

While imagery research has become popular in recent years, little research has specifically inves... more While imagery research has become popular in recent years, little research has specifically investigated differences in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport activities. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether the type of task, open or closed, affects vividness and controllability differently. Thirty female classic dancers (closed skill), 30 female karate athletes (open skill), and 30 female non-athlete students, between 14 and 20 years of age ( M = 17.0, SD = 1.6), participated. They completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire, and the Subtraction of Parts Task. There was no difference in imagery ability between open- and closed-skill sport groups. Furthermore, dancers and karatekas had higher mean scores on imagery ability than the non-athlete group. A positive correlation was observed between the two questionnaires, supporting findings on the componential basis of imagery. This study contribu...

Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 2015

This research aims to contribute to the literature on the ability to recognize anger, happiness, ... more This research aims to contribute to the literature on the ability to recognize anger, happiness, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust and neutral emotions from facial information. By investigating children’s performance in detecting these emotions from a specific face region, we were interested to know whether children would show differences in recognizing these expressions from the upper or lower face, and if any difference between specific facial regions depended on the emotion in question. For this purpose, a group of 6-7 year-old children was selected. Participants were asked to recognize emotions by using a labeling task with three stimulus types (region of the eyes, of the mouth, and full face). The findings seem to indicate that children correctly recognize basic facial expressions when pictures represent the whole face, except for a neutral expression, which was recognized from the mouth, and sadness, which was recognized from the eyes. Children are also able to identify anger f...

The role of self efficacy and locus of control in online learning, 2013

The aim of the study is to analyze the structure of the relations among training goals achieveme... more The aim of the study is to analyze the structure of the relations among
training goals achievement and some psychological features considered
significant in Distance Learning (DL) where teacher’s role is less active
and students must be more autonomous in learning tasks. Self-Regulated
Learners (SRLs) are able to activate and to sustain cognitions, behaviours,
and emotions in a systematic way to reach learning goals in DL. Due to the
difficulty in operationally defining SRL’s construct, this survey describes a
study on the effects of self-efficacy and Locus of Control (LOC) in online
learning. Self-efficacy represents people’s beliefs about their capabilities
to produce designated levels of performance: people with a strong sense
of self-efficacy view challenging problems, develop deeper interest in the
activities in which they participate and recover quickly from setbacks and
disappointments. Moreover, individuals with internal LOC engage in learning
processes more than do individuals with external LOC, because the learners believe that the achievement of training goals depends on their effort.
The output demonstrates that online learning degree is influenced by the combined effect of internal LOC and external motivation to learn, as obtaining Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. These results are strictly related to the research context, because the opportunity to acquire CME credits seems to be one of the most important motivational factor to attend DL courses, since it allows health professionals to continue their education or training while still working or with family responsibilities.
In section 1 it is briefly described the general framework of survey. In Sections 2 there is illustrated the aim of the paper and in Section 3 instruments and methods. In Section 4 we describe datasets and statistical tools, while in Section 5 we discuss concluding points and open questions.

The role of self efficacy and internal locus of control in online learning

Journal of E Learning and Knowledge Society, 2013

ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to analyze the structure of the relations among training goals a... more ABSTRACT The aim of the study is to analyze the structure of the relations among training goals achievement and some psychological features considered significant in Distance Learning (DL) where teacher’s role is less active and students must be more autonomous in learning tasks. Self-Regulated Learners (SRLs) are able to activate and to sustain cognitions, behaviours, and emotions in a systematic way to reach learning goals in DL. Due to the difficulty in operationally defining SRL’s construct, this survey describes a study on the effects of self-efficacy and Locus of Control (LOC) in online learning. Self-efficacy represents people's beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance: people with a strong sense of self-efficacy view challenging problems, develop deeper interest in the activities in which they participate and recover quickly from setbacks and disappointments. Moreover, individuals with internal LOC engage in learning processes more than do individuals with external LOC, because the learners believe that the achievement of training goals depends on their effort. The output demonstrates that online learning degree is influenced by the combined effect of internal LOC and external motivation to learn, as obtaining Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits. These results are strictly related to the research context, because the opportunity to acquire CME credits seems to be one of the most important motivational factor to attend DL courses, since it allows health professionals to continue their education or training while still working or with family responsibilities.

Psychology, 2015

As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of a... more As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of attachment to their primary caregiver. Indeed, attachment began at infancy and continued throughout life. Secure attachment is a necessary precursor of the ability to regulate affect and to reflect on the emotional functioning of self and others (Fonagy, 2001). According to Hazan and Shaver (1987), the purpose of this survey is to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and emotional dysregulation, and between adult attachment and metacognition in patients with personality disorders. The research has involved 120 participants, aged 18-65 years and recruited during psychotherapy training. Control group is formed by 60 adults (mean = 30.07; standard deviation = 14.09); experimental group is formed by 60 patients with personality disorder (mean = 31.88; standard deviation = 12.21) grouped into three clusters: A (the "odd, eccentric" cluster), B (the "dramatic, emotional, erratic" cluster), and C (the "anxious, fearful" cluster). Participants completed the following tests: Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, ECR, Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20 and Metacognitive Functions Screening Scale, MFSS-30. The results confirm the relationship between attachment styles, emotional dysregulation, and metacognitive functions in patients with personality disorders. More specifically, adult attachment and metacognitive functions seem to be positively related, while adult attachment and emotional dysregulation seem to be inversely related.

Le emozioni giocano un ruolo cruciale nella vita personale, sociale e lavorativa di ogni individu... more Le emozioni giocano un ruolo cruciale nella vita personale, sociale e lavorativa di ogni individuo. Dalla capacità di gestire le emozioni, dipende infatti il successo o l’insuccesso nei rapporti interpersonali. Studi precedenti hanno inoltre dimostrato che una buona gestione delle emozioni è associata ad uno stato generale di benessere psico-fisico ed a bassi livelli di stress. Definita come l'insieme di competenze che influenzano l'abilità di rispondere efficacemente alle pressioni ambientali, l’Intelligenza Emotiva è un costrutto multidimensionale che coniuga pensiero ed emozioni con l’obiettivo di migliorare le relazioni umane. Al fine di fornire un contributo significativo al dibattito sull’intelligenza emozionale in relazione al burnout, questo lavoro si propone di esplorare il ruolo dell’intelligenza emotiva nelle professioni d’aiuto. Più specificatamente, l’obiettivo è quello di verificare se l’Intelligenza Emotiva è un fattore protettivo dal rischio di burnout, stato...

Facial expressions and the ability to recognize emotions from the eyes or mouth: A comparison among old adults, young adults, and children

ABSTRACT The aim of the present study was to contribute to the literature on the ability to recog... more ABSTRACT
The aim of the present study was to contribute to the literature on the ability
to recognize anger, happiness, fear, surprise, sadness, disgust, and neutral
emotions from facial information (whole face, eye region, mouth region).
More specifically, the aim was to investigate older adults
’
performance in
emotions recognition using the same tool used in the previous studies on
children and adults
’
performance and verify if the pattern of emotions recog-
nition show differences compared with the other two groups. Results showed
that happiness is among the easiest emotions to recognize while the disgust
is always among the most difficult emotions to recognize for older adults. The
findings seem to indicate that is more easily recognizing emotions when pic-
tures represent the whole face; compared with the specific region (eye and
mouth regions), older participants seems to recognize more easily emotions
when the mouth region is presented. In general, the results of the study did
not detect a decay in the ability to recognize emotions from the face, eyes, or
mouth. The performance of the old adults is statistically worse than the other
two groups in only a few cases: in anger and disgust recognition from the
whole face; in anger recognition from the eye region; and in disgust, fear, and
neutral emotion recognition from mouth region.

Alexithymia and psychological symptomatology: a research conducted on a non-clinical group of Italian adolescents

May 2017 International Journal of Culture and Mental HealthNo preview

This survey describes the data of 60 adults in treatment for a mental health problem, referring t... more This survey describes the data of 60 adults in treatment for a mental health problem, referring to three
parameters: attachment, alexithymia and metacognitive functions. In order to investigate the relationship between the psychological features mentioned above in patients with Emotional Disorders, they have been grouped into the three Clusters operationally defined in DSM-5: Cluster A (the “odd, eccentric” Cluster), Cluster B (the “dramatic, emotional, erratic” Cluster), and Cluster C (the “anxious, fearful” Cluster).
We conducted a two-step analysis: firstly, a preliminary exploratory analysis based on non-parametric tests; then, in order to investigate the structure of the relationship among the instrumental variables, we applied Spearman’s rho correlation for each cluster.
As we expected, patients with Cluster C Personality Disorder score lower rates of disorganized attachment (lower levels of anxiety attachment and avoidance attachment), lower levels in emotional dysregulation (Alexithymia), and a little higher levels in metacognitive functioning than the other two groups (Cluster A and B). Furthermore, there is a relationship between attachment styles and some specific typologies of disorders: indeed, while preoccupied attachment seems to be a specific feature of patients with Cluster C personality disorders, most of Cluster A and B patients showing the most dysfunctional pattern, the Fearful Avoidant attachment. Finally, Spearman’s rho correlation indicates statistically significant correlations in patients with Cluster A personality disorders between the inability to identify and describe emotions and the ability to understand others’ Emotional States.

Questo articolo descrive un’esperienza di apprendimento collaborativo in rete, promossa dal CEFPA... more Questo articolo descrive un’esperienza di apprendimento collaborativo in rete, promossa dal CEFPAS – Centro per la Formazione e l’Aggiornamento del Personale Sanitario – in collaborazione con l’Assessorato Regionale della Salute e il Centro Regionale per la Segnalazione Spontanea Organizzata. Il progetto ha previsto l’avvio della Comunità di Pratica on line di Infermieri Siciliani, denominata Community Infermieri 2.0, accreditata per la prima volta nell’ambito del sistema di Educazione Continua in Medicina (ECM). Al fine di valutare se la Community Infermieri 2.0, a cui hanno preso parte 156 operatori siciliani, è uno
strumento di apprendimento efficace, un’attenzione particolare è stata dedicata all’analisi quali-quantitativa delle interazioni on line. L’esperienza ha confermato che la Community - risultato di una scelta strategica che coniuga il buon uso della tecnologia e l’impiego di risorse umane specializzate a supporto (tutor metodologici e di processo) - è un valido strumento di apprendimento per la costruzione di attività di cooperazione e collaborazione.
This article describes a project that aimed to establish an online community of practice involving nursing staff in Sicily. Known as Nursing Community 2.0, the initiative attracted 156 nurses and was promoted by CEFPAS, the Centre for Training and Research in Public Health. The project was designed to provide nurses with a virtual space for building collaborative relationships, exchanging professional knowledge and practices, developing competencies, shaping organizational policy and reporting Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). To assess the efficacy of Nursing Community 2.0, an evaluation study was conducted that nvolved
qualitative and quantitative analysis of online interactions. Results indicate that, thanks to the deployment of suitable technology and expert tutor support, Nursing Community 2.0 has successfully established itself as an environment for generating and exchanging knowledge.

Background: Systematic reviews have shown that imagery improves performance in motor tasks. Objec... more Background: Systematic reviews have shown that imagery improves performance in motor tasks. Objective: In order to observe the function of imagery in sport, this study investigated modifications in Imagery Ability, in terms of both controllability (i.e., the accurateness with which an image can be operated mentally) and vividness (i.e., the precision richness of an image), in competitive and recreational karateka. Method: Thirty volunteers karateka completed the Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire, the Vividness of Movement Imagery Questionnaire-2, and the Subtraction of parts Task. Results: Competitive athletes reported higher scores on imagery ability than recreational athletes. No correlations were found between the variables of Vividness and the Subtraction of parts Task for any of the two groups. All analyses were two-tailed with α at .05. Conclusion: The study has risen the investigation in the particular ambit of imagery ability, providing an additional support for the multidimensional nature of mental imagery and for its usefulness in athletes.

As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of a... more As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of attachment to their primary caregiver. Indeed, attachment began at infancy and continued throughout life. Secure attachment is a necessary precursor of the ability to regulate affect and to reflect on the emotional functioning of self and others (Fonagy, 2001). According to Hazan and Shaver (1987), the purpose of this survey is to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and emotional dysregulation, and between adult attachment and metacognition in patients with personality disorders. The research has involved 120 participants, aged 18 - 65 years and recruited during psychotherapy training. Control group is formed by 60 adults (mean = 30.07; standard deviation = 14.09); experimental group is formed by 60 patients with personality disorder (mean = 31.88; standard deviation = 12.21) grouped into three clusters: A (the “odd, eccentric” cluster), B (the “dramatic, emotional, erratic” cluster), and C (the “anxious, fearful” cluster). Paricipants completed the following tests: Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, ECR, Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20 and Metacognitive Functions Screening Scale, MFSS-30. The results confirm the relationship between attachment styles, emotional dysregulation, and metacognitive functions in patients with personality disorders. More specifically, adult attachment and metacognitive functions seem to be positively related, while adult attachment and emotional dysregulation seem to be inversely related.

European Journal of Public Health, 2019

Executive Master in PsicoeuroEndocrinoImmunology

International Journal of Culture and Mental Health, 2017

Journal of Psychology Research, 2016

Open Journal of Social Sciences, 2014

Condizioni per la sostenibilità dell'e-Learning

Perceptual and Motor Skills, 2014

Europe’s Journal of Psychology, 2015

The role of self efficacy and locus of control in online learning, 2013

The role of self efficacy and internal locus of control in online learning

Journal of E Learning and Knowledge Society, 2013

Psychology, 2015

Facial expressions and the ability to recognize emotions from the eyes or mouth: A comparison among old adults, young adults, and children

Alexithymia and psychological symptomatology: a research conducted on a non-clinical group of Italian adolescents

May 2017 International Journal of Culture and Mental HealthNo preview

As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of a... more As Ainsworth (1982, 1989) and Bowlby (1979, 1980) pointed out, all infants develop some form of attachment to their primary caregiver. Indeed, attachment began at infancy and continued throughout life. Secure attachment is a necessary precursor of the ability to regulate affect and to reflect on the emotional functioning of self and others (Fonagy, 2001). According to Hazan and Shaver (1987), the purpose of this survey is to investigate the relationship between attachment styles and emotional dysregulation, and between adult attachment and metacognition in patients with personality disorders. The research has involved 120 participants, aged 18 - 65 years and recruited during psychotherapy training. Control group is formed by 60 adults (mean = 30.07; standard deviation = 14.09); experimental group is formed by 60 patients with personality disorder (mean = 31.88; standard deviation = 12.21) grouped into three clusters: A (the “odd, eccentric” cluster), B (the “dramatic, emotional, erratic” cluster), and C (the “anxious, fearful” cluster). Paricipants completed the following tests: Experiences in Close Relationships Inventory, ECR, Alexithymia Scale, TAS-20 and Metacognitive Functions Screening Scale, MFSS-30. The results confirm the relationship between attachment styles, emotional dysregulation, and metacognitive functions in patients with personality disorders. More specifically, adult attachment and metacognitive functions seem to be positively related, while adult attachment and emotional dysregulation seem to be inversely related.