Carla Zappulla - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Carla Zappulla
The purpose of this study was to adopt the Emotions Course (EC) in the Italian context and to exa... more The purpose of this study was to adopt the Emotions Course (EC) in the Italian context and to examine preliminarily its effectiveness in accelerating the social-emotional competence and reducing maladaptive behaviors in preschool children. The study involved 143 children (73 males and 70 females) aged 3–5 years (M = 4.4 years, SD = .74), divided into two groups: 1) an experimental group (N = 69; 34 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers realized the EC, integrating it in their usual educational plan; 2) a control group (N = 74; 39 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers exclusively followed their usual educational plan that did not include the EC. Guided by previous studies (Izard et al. in Early Education and Development 15:407–422, 2004; Izard et al. in Development and Psychopathology 20:369–397 2008a), we hypothesized that, compared to the control condition, in the treatment group the EC would show greater increases in emotion knowledge (Hypothesis 1) and emotion regulation/utilization (Hypothesis 2), and greater increases in social competence along with greater decreases in externalized and internalized behaviors (Hypothesis 3). Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses confirmed the first two hypotheses and partially supported the third. The results showed that children increased emotion knowledge, emotion regulation/utilization and social competence.
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2006
… clinica dello sviluppo, 2004
... Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, VIII(2), 307-320. Autori: Ingoglia S, Lo Coco A, Pace U,Za... more ... Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, VIII(2), 307-320. Autori: Ingoglia S, Lo Coco A, Pace U,Zappulla C, Liga F, Inguglia C. Titolo: Percezione della relazione con i genitori: differenze individuali nella connessione e nell'autonomia in adolescenza. ...
The study explored the total, direct and indirect effects of emotion knowledge on adjustment in p... more The study explored the total, direct and indirect
effects of emotion knowledge on adjustment in
preschoolers and examined whether emotion regulation
mediated the relationships between emotion knowledge
and adjustment (social competence, and behavioral difficulties,
such as anxiety–withdrawal and anger–aggression).
Two hundred forty children (118 boys and 122 girls) from
3 to 5 years of age (mean age = 4.23, SD = .80) were
administered a vocabulary test to check their verbal ability
and a measure of emotion knowledge. Teachers filled out
two questionnaires about children’s regulation and adjustment
variables. A mediation model was tested combined
with an assessment of the indirect effects to evaluate
whether emotion knowledge may exert an influence on
adjustment through the intervention of emotion regulation.
Results showed that all conditions for full mediation were
met for social competence and anxiety–withdrawal, confirming
the mediation role of emotion regulation in the
relationship between emotion knowledge and these variables.
Moreover, results indicated that emotion knowledge
and anger–aggression were not directly associated as they
would be in case of full or partial mediation, but they were
however indirectly related through a significant linking
with emotion regulation. Findings may have potential
implications for prevention and intervention programs in
family and school contexts, suggesting how early childhood
programs targeting emotion knowledge may be especially beneficial to promote social competence and
prevent behavioral problems, above all if they include
other emotion-related competences, such as emotion regulation,
that may be considered the linking mechanism
through which emotion knowledge exerts an influence on
adjustment.
The study presents the criterion validity of the EMT (Izard et al., 2003), a measure to evaluate ... more The study presents the criterion validity of the EMT (Izard et al., 2003), a measure to evaluate emotion knowledge in preschool. The criterion validity was examined in relation to children emotional regulation, their social competence and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The data were preliminarily analysed according to age and verbal ability. Participants were 120 children divided into three groups: 3, 4 and 5 years. As well as the EMT, the PPVT (Dunn & Dunn, 1997; Stella, Pizzoli & Tressoldi, 2000), the ERC (Molina et al., 2014; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997) and the SCBE (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1995; Montirosso et al., 2007) were administered. Correlations and predictive analyses supported the criterion validity of the EMT. The results showed that emotion knowledge assessed by the EMT was positively associated with emotion regulation, social competence and general adjustment, and negatively with internalizing problems. As for the influence of age and verbal abilities, ...
Introduzione. Da alcuni anni, all’uso dei questionari, la ricerca sul temperamento ha affiancato ... more Introduzione. Da alcuni anni, all’uso dei questionari, la ricerca sul temperamento ha affiancato l’uso di strumenti di osservazione diretta. Tuttavia, la letteratura internazionale (Gagne et al.,2011; Stifter et al.,2008) mostra come i due metodi d’indagine raramente concordino. Obiettivo della ricerca è fornire un contributo italiano al dibattito sulla valutazione diretta e indiretta del temperamento, confrontando le rilevazioni dirette e quelle ottenute attraverso questionari redatti dai genitori. Metodo. Hanno partecipato 55 diadi madre-bambino (22 maschi; età media=9 mesi) residenti a Palermo e provincia. Per l’osservazione diretta del temperamento, è stata utilizzata la Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB; Goldsmith & Rothbart,1999); per l’osservazione indiretta, è stato somministrato alle madri il Revised-Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R; Garnstein & Rothbart,2003). Per le analisi dei dati, oltre le statistiche descrittive, sono state condotte delle correlaz...
Il volume presenta l'Emotions Course, un programma educativo che si propone di sviluppare la ... more Il volume presenta l'Emotions Course, un programma educativo che si propone di sviluppare la capacità di conoscere e gestire adeguatamente le emozioni di gioia, tristezza, rabbia e paura, in bambini di tre-cinque anni. Il percorso prevede la realizzazione di attività che consentono di "imparare facendo": nel contesto privilegiato della scuola dell'infanzia, i bambini sperimentano le diverse emozioni e imparano così a riconoscerne le varie modalità espressive, a parlare dei propri vissuti, a comprenderne origini e conseguenze e a scoprire che tutte le emozioni, anche quelle solitamente considerate negative, possono avere, se gestite correttamente, effetti positivi per sé e per gli altri. Il manuale è suddiviso in due parti. La prima si compone di tre capitoli che illustrano i presupposti teorici del percorso educativo proposto. Si discute, in particolare, degli interventi evidence-based (basati cioè su prove di effi cacia), presentando alcuni tra i più diffusi progr...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among parent and friend perceived supp... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among parent and friend perceived support and behavioral problems during adolescence. In addition, sex differences were examined. Participants were 338 Italian adolescents (M=47%) aged from 13 to 16 year old. They were administered (a) the Relational Support Inventory, evaluating the perceived support in parent and best friend relationships; (b) the Youth Self-Report, assessing levels of behavioral problems. Results indicated that adolescents perceiving parents as available figures tended to perceive their best friend as more supportive. Perceived social support from parents negatively influenced externalizing behaviors; while support from friend positively influenced both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Finally, gender tended to moderate the relations among social support and behavioral problems.
The purpose of this study was to study in deep Detached and Connected adolescents in order to exa... more The purpose of this study was to study in deep Detached and Connected adolescents in order to examine their profiles with regards to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. The participants were 705 adolescents (39% males), aged from 14 to 19 years. They were administered (a) the Inclusion of Other in the Self to assess adolescents’ perception of intimacy with parents; (b) the Emotional Autonomy Scale to evaluate adolescents’ emotional autonomy from parents; and (c) the Youth Self-Report to assess internalizing and externalizing problems. On the basis of intimacy and autonomy scores, 129 participants were classified as Detached and 122 as Connected. A cluster analysis was then performed on these adolescents with regards to behavioral problems. Six profiles were obtained: internalizing Detached; externalizing Detached; Detached exhibiting co-occurrence; well-adjusted Detached; well-adjusted Connected; maladjusted Connected.
Nell’ambito della letteratura psicologica, già da molti anni emerge come la regolazione delle emo... more Nell’ambito della letteratura psicologica, già da molti anni emerge come la regolazione delle emozioni giochi un ruolo fondamentale nell’adattamento sociale dei bambini; in particolare, la capacità di regolare le emozioni si associa positivamente allo sviluppo della competenza sociale e negativamente all’insorgenza di problemi di natura internalizzata ed esternalizzata (Cole, Martin, & Dennis, 2004; Eisenberg, Spinrad & Eggum, 2010; Izard, Stark, Trentacosta & Schultz, 2008). Gli studi mettono inoltre in evidenza come la regolazione delle emozioni sia strettamente legata ad altri aspetti della competenza emotiva, soprattutto alla conoscenza delle emozioni, ossia alla capacità di riconoscere ed etichettare le diverse espressioni emotive, di comprenderne gli antecedenti situazionali e di saperne valutare le possibili conseguenze (Denham et al. 2003; Eisenberg, Sadovsky, & Spinrad, 2005; Morgan, Izard & King, 2009). Sebbene sia evidente come anche la conoscenza delle emozioni svolga un...
Social Indicators Research, 2013
ABSTRACT We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the... more ABSTRACT We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) in the Italian contexts. In study 1 we assessed the factorial validity and reliability of the long and abbreviated versions of the MSLSS among Italian adolescents, while in study 2 we assessed the convergent validity of the abbreviated Italian version of the MSLSS by examining the associations between life satisfaction and well-established measures of adjustment. Furthermore, we explored the effect of adolescent gender and age on life satisfaction. Participants in the study 1 were 996 adolescents (48 % males) from 14 to 18 years of age (M = 16.06; SD = 1.51). Participants in study 2 were 380 adolescents (52 % males) from 14 to 19 years of age (M = 15.76; SD = 1.65). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the hypothesized five-factor solution of the MSLSS, with a better goodness of fit for the abbreviated version of MSLSS. Moreover, indices of internal consistency revealed acceptable reliability coefficients across the five domains. Convergent validity was confirmed by the expected associations between the domains of the MSLSS and indexes of adjustment. Finally, results evidenced age differences, with oldest adolescents showing the highest levels of satisfaction on most of the domains.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2004
Research on children&... more Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies. A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments. Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer relationships and loneliness differed across the samples. Specifically, sociability was positively associated with peer relationships and made negative indirect contributions to loneliness through peer relationships in all four samples. Aggression made significant indirect contributions to the prediction of loneliness in Chinese children, but not in other samples. Shyness-sensitivity was associated with loneliness directly in Brazilian and Italian children and indirectly through peer relationships in Canadian children, but not associated with loneliness in Chinese children. The results suggest that the nature of children's loneliness may be affected by the broad socio-cultural context.
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2014
ABSTRACT In this study, we explored the relationship between mothering, fathering and Italian ado... more ABSTRACT In this study, we explored the relationship between mothering, fathering and Italian adolescents’ problem behaviors and life satisfaction by using both typological and dimensional approaches. From a typological perspective, we examined variations in adolescent adjustment as a function of maternal and paternal parenting styles. From a dimensional perspective, we examined the relationships between crucial dimensions of perceived mothering and fathering (acceptance and strictness) and their contribution to adolescents’ adjustment, for girls and boys separately. A total of 213 adolescents (99 boys and 114 girls), aged from 14 to 16 years of age, completed self-report measures on perceived parenting styles, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and life satisfaction. Overall, the results confirmed the relationship between maternal and paternal styles and adolescents’ adjustment. Still, the data have not led to the identification of an optimal parenting style among the Italian adolescents because the authoritative, the authoritarian, and the indulgent styles emerged as most favorable in relation to the different dimensions of adjustment and life satisfaction, whereas the neglectful style was most linked to behavioral problems and to low satisfaction. When the focus was on the dimensions, the results showed that for boys, maternal and paternal strictness were negatively related to behavioral problems—both internalizing and externalizing—and positively related to general satisfaction. Meanwhile, for girls, maternal and paternal strictness were negatively related only to externalizing problems. Paternal acceptance was negatively related to girls’ behavioral problems, while maternal acceptance was positively related to girls’ general satisfaction.
The purpose of this study was to adopt the Emotions Course (EC) in the Italian context and to exa... more The purpose of this study was to adopt the Emotions Course (EC) in the Italian context and to examine preliminarily its effectiveness in accelerating the social-emotional competence and reducing maladaptive behaviors in preschool children. The study involved 143 children (73 males and 70 females) aged 3–5 years (M = 4.4 years, SD = .74), divided into two groups: 1) an experimental group (N = 69; 34 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers realized the EC, integrating it in their usual educational plan; 2) a control group (N = 74; 39 males and 35 females), consisting of classes in which teachers exclusively followed their usual educational plan that did not include the EC. Guided by previous studies (Izard et al. in Early Education and Development 15:407–422, 2004; Izard et al. in Development and Psychopathology 20:369–397 2008a), we hypothesized that, compared to the control condition, in the treatment group the EC would show greater increases in emotion knowledge (Hypothesis 1) and emotion regulation/utilization (Hypothesis 2), and greater increases in social competence along with greater decreases in externalized and internalized behaviors (Hypothesis 3). Results of hierarchical linear modeling analyses confirmed the first two hypotheses and partially supported the third. The results showed that children increased emotion knowledge, emotion regulation/utilization and social competence.
International Journal of Behavioral Development, 2006
… clinica dello sviluppo, 2004
... Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, VIII(2), 307-320. Autori: Ingoglia S, Lo Coco A, Pace U,Za... more ... Psicologia clinica dello sviluppo, VIII(2), 307-320. Autori: Ingoglia S, Lo Coco A, Pace U,Zappulla C, Liga F, Inguglia C. Titolo: Percezione della relazione con i genitori: differenze individuali nella connessione e nell'autonomia in adolescenza. ...
The study explored the total, direct and indirect effects of emotion knowledge on adjustment in p... more The study explored the total, direct and indirect
effects of emotion knowledge on adjustment in
preschoolers and examined whether emotion regulation
mediated the relationships between emotion knowledge
and adjustment (social competence, and behavioral difficulties,
such as anxiety–withdrawal and anger–aggression).
Two hundred forty children (118 boys and 122 girls) from
3 to 5 years of age (mean age = 4.23, SD = .80) were
administered a vocabulary test to check their verbal ability
and a measure of emotion knowledge. Teachers filled out
two questionnaires about children’s regulation and adjustment
variables. A mediation model was tested combined
with an assessment of the indirect effects to evaluate
whether emotion knowledge may exert an influence on
adjustment through the intervention of emotion regulation.
Results showed that all conditions for full mediation were
met for social competence and anxiety–withdrawal, confirming
the mediation role of emotion regulation in the
relationship between emotion knowledge and these variables.
Moreover, results indicated that emotion knowledge
and anger–aggression were not directly associated as they
would be in case of full or partial mediation, but they were
however indirectly related through a significant linking
with emotion regulation. Findings may have potential
implications for prevention and intervention programs in
family and school contexts, suggesting how early childhood
programs targeting emotion knowledge may be especially beneficial to promote social competence and
prevent behavioral problems, above all if they include
other emotion-related competences, such as emotion regulation,
that may be considered the linking mechanism
through which emotion knowledge exerts an influence on
adjustment.
The study presents the criterion validity of the EMT (Izard et al., 2003), a measure to evaluate ... more The study presents the criterion validity of the EMT (Izard et al., 2003), a measure to evaluate emotion knowledge in preschool. The criterion validity was examined in relation to children emotional regulation, their social competence and externalizing and internalizing behavior problems. The data were preliminarily analysed according to age and verbal ability. Participants were 120 children divided into three groups: 3, 4 and 5 years. As well as the EMT, the PPVT (Dunn & Dunn, 1997; Stella, Pizzoli & Tressoldi, 2000), the ERC (Molina et al., 2014; Shields & Cicchetti, 1997) and the SCBE (LaFreniere & Dumas, 1995; Montirosso et al., 2007) were administered. Correlations and predictive analyses supported the criterion validity of the EMT. The results showed that emotion knowledge assessed by the EMT was positively associated with emotion regulation, social competence and general adjustment, and negatively with internalizing problems. As for the influence of age and verbal abilities, ...
Introduzione. Da alcuni anni, all’uso dei questionari, la ricerca sul temperamento ha affiancato ... more Introduzione. Da alcuni anni, all’uso dei questionari, la ricerca sul temperamento ha affiancato l’uso di strumenti di osservazione diretta. Tuttavia, la letteratura internazionale (Gagne et al.,2011; Stifter et al.,2008) mostra come i due metodi d’indagine raramente concordino. Obiettivo della ricerca è fornire un contributo italiano al dibattito sulla valutazione diretta e indiretta del temperamento, confrontando le rilevazioni dirette e quelle ottenute attraverso questionari redatti dai genitori. Metodo. Hanno partecipato 55 diadi madre-bambino (22 maschi; età media=9 mesi) residenti a Palermo e provincia. Per l’osservazione diretta del temperamento, è stata utilizzata la Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB; Goldsmith & Rothbart,1999); per l’osservazione indiretta, è stato somministrato alle madri il Revised-Infant Behavior Questionnaire (IBQ-R; Garnstein & Rothbart,2003). Per le analisi dei dati, oltre le statistiche descrittive, sono state condotte delle correlaz...
Il volume presenta l'Emotions Course, un programma educativo che si propone di sviluppare la ... more Il volume presenta l'Emotions Course, un programma educativo che si propone di sviluppare la capacità di conoscere e gestire adeguatamente le emozioni di gioia, tristezza, rabbia e paura, in bambini di tre-cinque anni. Il percorso prevede la realizzazione di attività che consentono di "imparare facendo": nel contesto privilegiato della scuola dell'infanzia, i bambini sperimentano le diverse emozioni e imparano così a riconoscerne le varie modalità espressive, a parlare dei propri vissuti, a comprenderne origini e conseguenze e a scoprire che tutte le emozioni, anche quelle solitamente considerate negative, possono avere, se gestite correttamente, effetti positivi per sé e per gli altri. Il manuale è suddiviso in due parti. La prima si compone di tre capitoli che illustrano i presupposti teorici del percorso educativo proposto. Si discute, in particolare, degli interventi evidence-based (basati cioè su prove di effi cacia), presentando alcuni tra i più diffusi progr...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among parent and friend perceived supp... more The purpose of this study was to investigate the relations among parent and friend perceived support and behavioral problems during adolescence. In addition, sex differences were examined. Participants were 338 Italian adolescents (M=47%) aged from 13 to 16 year old. They were administered (a) the Relational Support Inventory, evaluating the perceived support in parent and best friend relationships; (b) the Youth Self-Report, assessing levels of behavioral problems. Results indicated that adolescents perceiving parents as available figures tended to perceive their best friend as more supportive. Perceived social support from parents negatively influenced externalizing behaviors; while support from friend positively influenced both internalizing and externalizing behaviors. Finally, gender tended to moderate the relations among social support and behavioral problems.
The purpose of this study was to study in deep Detached and Connected adolescents in order to exa... more The purpose of this study was to study in deep Detached and Connected adolescents in order to examine their profiles with regards to internalizing and externalizing behavioral problems. The participants were 705 adolescents (39% males), aged from 14 to 19 years. They were administered (a) the Inclusion of Other in the Self to assess adolescents’ perception of intimacy with parents; (b) the Emotional Autonomy Scale to evaluate adolescents’ emotional autonomy from parents; and (c) the Youth Self-Report to assess internalizing and externalizing problems. On the basis of intimacy and autonomy scores, 129 participants were classified as Detached and 122 as Connected. A cluster analysis was then performed on these adolescents with regards to behavioral problems. Six profiles were obtained: internalizing Detached; externalizing Detached; Detached exhibiting co-occurrence; well-adjusted Detached; well-adjusted Connected; maladjusted Connected.
Nell’ambito della letteratura psicologica, già da molti anni emerge come la regolazione delle emo... more Nell’ambito della letteratura psicologica, già da molti anni emerge come la regolazione delle emozioni giochi un ruolo fondamentale nell’adattamento sociale dei bambini; in particolare, la capacità di regolare le emozioni si associa positivamente allo sviluppo della competenza sociale e negativamente all’insorgenza di problemi di natura internalizzata ed esternalizzata (Cole, Martin, & Dennis, 2004; Eisenberg, Spinrad & Eggum, 2010; Izard, Stark, Trentacosta & Schultz, 2008). Gli studi mettono inoltre in evidenza come la regolazione delle emozioni sia strettamente legata ad altri aspetti della competenza emotiva, soprattutto alla conoscenza delle emozioni, ossia alla capacità di riconoscere ed etichettare le diverse espressioni emotive, di comprenderne gli antecedenti situazionali e di saperne valutare le possibili conseguenze (Denham et al. 2003; Eisenberg, Sadovsky, & Spinrad, 2005; Morgan, Izard & King, 2009). Sebbene sia evidente come anche la conoscenza delle emozioni svolga un...
Social Indicators Research, 2013
ABSTRACT We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the... more ABSTRACT We examined the psychometric characteristics of the long and abbreviated versions of the Multidimensional Students’ Life Satisfaction Scale (MSLSS) in the Italian contexts. In study 1 we assessed the factorial validity and reliability of the long and abbreviated versions of the MSLSS among Italian adolescents, while in study 2 we assessed the convergent validity of the abbreviated Italian version of the MSLSS by examining the associations between life satisfaction and well-established measures of adjustment. Furthermore, we explored the effect of adolescent gender and age on life satisfaction. Participants in the study 1 were 996 adolescents (48 % males) from 14 to 18 years of age (M = 16.06; SD = 1.51). Participants in study 2 were 380 adolescents (52 % males) from 14 to 19 years of age (M = 15.76; SD = 1.65). Confirmatory factor analyses confirmed the hypothesized five-factor solution of the MSLSS, with a better goodness of fit for the abbreviated version of MSLSS. Moreover, indices of internal consistency revealed acceptable reliability coefficients across the five domains. Convergent validity was confirmed by the expected associations between the domains of the MSLSS and indexes of adjustment. Finally, results evidenced age differences, with oldest adolescents showing the highest levels of satisfaction on most of the domains.
Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 2004
Research on children&... more Research on children's loneliness has been conducted mostly in Western, especially North American, cultures. The purpose of the study was to examine relations between loneliness and social adaptation among children and adolescents in four different societies. A total of 2263 children from grade 3 to grade 6, aged 9 to 12 years, in Brazil, Canada, P. R. China, and Southern Italy participated in the study. The participants completed a self-report measure of loneliness. Information about social behaviors and peer relationships was obtained from peer assessments. Multi-group analyses revealed that the overall patterns of relations among social behaviors, peer relationships and loneliness differed across the samples. Specifically, sociability was positively associated with peer relationships and made negative indirect contributions to loneliness through peer relationships in all four samples. Aggression made significant indirect contributions to the prediction of loneliness in Chinese children, but not in other samples. Shyness-sensitivity was associated with loneliness directly in Brazilian and Italian children and indirectly through peer relationships in Canadian children, but not associated with loneliness in Chinese children. The results suggest that the nature of children's loneliness may be affected by the broad socio-cultural context.
Journal of Child and Family Studies, 2014
ABSTRACT In this study, we explored the relationship between mothering, fathering and Italian ado... more ABSTRACT In this study, we explored the relationship between mothering, fathering and Italian adolescents’ problem behaviors and life satisfaction by using both typological and dimensional approaches. From a typological perspective, we examined variations in adolescent adjustment as a function of maternal and paternal parenting styles. From a dimensional perspective, we examined the relationships between crucial dimensions of perceived mothering and fathering (acceptance and strictness) and their contribution to adolescents’ adjustment, for girls and boys separately. A total of 213 adolescents (99 boys and 114 girls), aged from 14 to 16 years of age, completed self-report measures on perceived parenting styles, internalizing and externalizing behaviors, and life satisfaction. Overall, the results confirmed the relationship between maternal and paternal styles and adolescents’ adjustment. Still, the data have not led to the identification of an optimal parenting style among the Italian adolescents because the authoritative, the authoritarian, and the indulgent styles emerged as most favorable in relation to the different dimensions of adjustment and life satisfaction, whereas the neglectful style was most linked to behavioral problems and to low satisfaction. When the focus was on the dimensions, the results showed that for boys, maternal and paternal strictness were negatively related to behavioral problems—both internalizing and externalizing—and positively related to general satisfaction. Meanwhile, for girls, maternal and paternal strictness were negatively related only to externalizing problems. Paternal acceptance was negatively related to girls’ behavioral problems, while maternal acceptance was positively related to girls’ general satisfaction.