1
|
Tomasetto C, LeFevre JA, Passolunghi MC, De Vita C, Guardabassi V, Brunelli A, Ciotti F, Biasini G. With a little help from our pediatrician: An intervention to promote mathematics-related home activities through regular well-child visits. Front Psychol 2022; 13:1051822. [PMID: 36544453 PMCID: PMC9763055 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1051822] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Children's involvement in mathematics-related activities in the home environment is associated with the development of their early numeracy over the preschool years. Intervention studies to promote parents' awareness and provision of mathematics-related home activities are however scant. In this study we developed and tested the effectiveness of a non-intensive intervention program delivered by community pediatricians to promote mathematics-related activities in the home environment. Methods Parents of 204 Italian children were invited to report on the frequency of mathematics-related home activities when children attended the first preschool year (3 years, 8 months of age on average) and, subsequently, the third preschool year (5 years, 6 months of age on average). At both waves, children were also assessed on their early numeracy. In occasion of the routine well-child visit at age 5, parents who were randomly allocated to the intervention condition (vs. a business-as-usual control condition) received guidance on age-appropriate home mathematics-related practices to sustain children's numerical development. Results Results revealed that parents in the intervention group improved their provision of home mathematics-related activities at the post-intervention assessment (relative to baseline) to a greater extent than parents in the control condition. No effect was observed on children's early numeracy. Discussion Overall, results are promising in suggesting that community pediatricians may be a resource to promote home mathematics-related activities though non-intensive low-cost interventions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carlo Tomasetto
- Department of Psychology Renzo Canestrari, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy,*Correspondence: Carlo Tomasetto,
| | - Jo-Anne LeFevre
- Department of Psychology, Institute of Cognitive Science, Carleton University, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | | | - Chiara De Vita
- Department of Life Sciences, University of Trieste, Trieste, Italy
| | - Veronica Guardabassi
- Department of Psychology Renzo Canestrari, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Antonella Brunelli
- Azienda Unità Sanitaria Locale (AUSL) della Romagna, Cesena, Italy,Associazione Culturale Pediatri – Romagna (ACPR), Cesena, Italy
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
2
|
Guardabassi V, Tomasetto C. Weight-based teasing, body dissatisfaction, and eating restraint: Multilevel investigation among primary schoolchildren. Psychol Health 2022; 41:527-537. [PMID: 35849380 DOI: 10.1037/hea0001213] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Weight-based teasing is a form of weight-based stigmatization that is especially prevalent in middle childhood, and is associated with undesired health outcomes, including body dissatisfaction and eating restraint. To date, this relation has been mainly investigated at individual level only. This study aimed to examine whether body dissatisfaction and eating restraint among primary schoolchildren relate not only to personal experiences of weight-based teasing, but also to the prevalence of weight-based teasing episodes in the classroom. METHOD A sample of 744 primary schoolchildren (52.04% girls; Mage = 9.82 ± .95) from 84 classes completed a survey regarding weight-based teasing, body dissatisfaction and eating restraint. Parent-reported anthropometric data were used to compute standardized Body Mass Index (zBMI). RESULTS Multilevel structural equation models highlighted that, at the individual level, weight-based teasing is indirectly associated with body dissatisfaction and eating restraint through weight-based teasing. A contextual effect of weight-based teasing at the classroom level also emerged in relation to eating restraint, but not to body dissatisfaction. Specifically, the prevalence of weight-based teasing in the classroom is associated with children's eating restraint-above and beyond personally experienced teasing episodes. CONCLUSIONS Findings showed that weight-based teasing may be negatively associated with health and psychological wellbeing not only among children who experience weight-based teasing episodes, but also among other members of a class in which weight-based teasing is more prevalent. Programs to reduce weight-based stigma in middle childhood should consider the classroom as a primary target of intervention. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).
Collapse
|
3
|
Albanesi C, Tomasetto C, Guardabassi V. Evaluating interventions with victims of intimate partner violence: a community psychology approach. BMC Womens Health 2021; 21:138. [PMID: 33823802 PMCID: PMC8025317 DOI: 10.1186/s12905-021-01268-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 03/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Purpose Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) is one of the most common forms of domestic violence, with profound implication for women's physical and psychological health. In this text we adopted the Empowerment Process Model (EPM) by Cattaneo and Goodman (Psychol Violence 5(1):84–94) to analyse interventions provided to victims of IPV by a Support Centre for Women (SCW) in Italy, and understand its contribution to women’s empowerment. Method We conducted semi-structured interviews with ten women who had been enrolled in a program for IPV survivors at a SCW in the past three years. The interviews focused on the programs’ aims, actions undertaken to reach them, and the impact on the women’s lives, and were analysed using an interpretative phenomenological approach. Results Results showed that the interventions provided by the SWC were adapted according to women's needs. In the early phases, women’s primary aim was ending violence, and the intervention by the SCW was deemed as helpful to the extent it provided psychological support, protection and safe housing. Women’s aims subsequently moved to self-actualisation and economic and personal independence which required professional training, internships, and social support. Although satisfying the majority of the women’s expectations, other important needs (e.g., economic support or legal services) were poorly addressed, and cooperation with other services (e.g., police or social services) was sometimes deemed as critical. Conclusions By evaluating a program offered by a SCW to IPV survivors through the lens of the EPM model, we found that women deemed the program as effective when both individual resources and empowerment processes were promoted. Strengths, limitations and implications are discussed. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12905-021-01268-7.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Cinzia Albanesi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Viale Europa 115, 47521, Cesena, FC, Italy.
| | - Carlo Tomasetto
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Viale Europa 115, 47521, Cesena, FC, Italy
| | - Veronica Guardabassi
- Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università di Bologna, Viale Europa 115, 47521, Cesena, FC, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Tomasetto C, Morsanyi K, Guardabassi V, O'Connor PA. Math anxiety interferes with learning novel mathematics contents in early elementary school. Journal of Educational Psychology 2021. [DOI: 10.1037/edu0000602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
|
5
|
Primi C, Donati MA, Izzo VA, Guardabassi V, O'Connor PA, Tomasetto C, Morsanyi K. The Early Elementary School Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (the EES-AMAS): A New Adapted Version of the AMAS to Measure Math Anxiety in Young Children. Front Psychol 2020; 11:1014. [PMID: 32528380 PMCID: PMC7253683 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.01014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2019] [Accepted: 04/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In the past decade, there has been increasing interest in understanding how and when math anxiety (MA) develops. The incidence and effects of MA in primary school children, and its relations with math achievement, have been investigated. Nevertheless, only a few studies have focused on the first years of primary school, highlighting that initial signs of MA may emerge as early as 6 years of age. Nevertheless, there are some issues with measuring MA in young children. One of these is that, although several scales have been recently developed for this age group, the psychometric properties of most of these instruments have not been adequately tested. There is also no agreement in the number and identity of the factors that underlie MA at this young age. Some scales also consist of several items, which make them impractical to use in multivariate studies, which aim at the simultaneous measurement of several constructs. Finally, most scales have been developed and validated in US populations, and it is unclear if they are appropriate to be used in other countries. In order to address these issues, the current studies aimed at developing a short, new instrument to assess MA in early elementary school students, the Early Elementary School Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (the EES-AMAS). This scale is an adapted version of the Abbreviated Math Anxiety Scale (AMAS; Hopko et al., 2003), which is one of the most commonly used scales to measure MA and has been shown to be a valid and reliable measure across a number of countries and age groups. The psychometric properties of the new scale have been investigated by taking into account its dimensionality, reliability, and validity. Moreover, the gender invariance of the scale has been verified by showing the measurement equivalence of the scale when administered to male and female pupils. We have also demonstrated the equivalence of the scale across languages (Italian and English). Overall, the findings confirmed the validity and reliability of the new scale in assessing the early signs of math anxiety and in measuring differences between genders and educational contexts. We have also shown that MA was already related to math performance, and teacher’s ratings of children’s math ability at this young age. Additionally, we have found no gender differences in MA in our samples of 6- and 7-year-old children, an important finding, given the strong evidence for gender differences in MA in older age groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Maria A Donati
- Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy
| | - Viola A Izzo
- NEUROFARBA, University of Florence, Florence, Italy
| | | | | | - Carlo Tomasetto
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy
| | - Kinga Morsanyi
- School of Psychology, Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Guardabassi V, Tomasetto C. Weight status or weight stigma? Obesity stereotypes—Not excess weight—Reduce working memory in school-aged children. J Exp Child Psychol 2020; 189:104706. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104706] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2019] [Accepted: 08/28/2019] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
|
7
|
Guardabassi V, Mirisola A, Tomasetto C. How is weight stigma related to children's health-related quality of life? A model comparison approach. Qual Life Res 2017; 27:173-183. [PMID: 28884265 DOI: 10.1007/s11136-017-1701-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/02/2017] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
PURPOSE Obesity is a highly stigmatizing condition for both adults and children, and both obesity and stigma experiences are negatively related with health-related quality of life (HRQoL). However, the relations among these constructs have been modeled in different and sometimes inconsistent terms in past research, and have been the object of surprisingly few studies in pediatric populations. The present study addresses this gap by comparing, in a sample of preadolescent children, four competing models (i.e., additive, mediation, moderation, and moderated mediation models) accounting for the role of stigma experiences in the concurrent relation between body weight and HRQoL. METHODS A community sample of 600 children aged 8-11 years completed the Perception of Teasing Scale to assess weight-based teasing experiences and the PedsQL 4.0 to assess HRQoL. Parent-reported height and weight were used to calculate age- and gender-adjusted zBMI. Log-likelihood test, BIC difference, and Wald test were used for model comparisons. RESULTS The mediation model outperformed both additive and moderation models and was found to be equally informative (but more parsimonious) as compared to the moderated mediation account. The same pattern of results was replicated for both global HRQoL and domain-specific quality of life domains (i.e., physical, emotional, social, and scholastic). CONCLUSIONS The mediation model provided the best fitting and more parsimonious representation of the relations between body weight, stigma experiences, and HRQoL, meaning that an increased likelihood of experiencing weight-based teasing episodes, rather than excess weight per se, is associated with reduced quality of life in middle childhood.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Veronica Guardabassi
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Piazza Aldo Moro, 90, 47521, Cesena, FC, Italy.
| | - Alberto Mirisola
- Department of Psychological, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences, University of Palermo, Piazza Marina, 61, 90133, Palermo, Italy
| | - Carlo Tomasetto
- Department of Psychology, University of Bologna, Piazza Aldo Moro, 90, 47521, Cesena, FC, Italy
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Liverani MC, Manuel AL, Nahum L, Guardabassi V, Tomasetto C, Schnider A. [Formula: see text]Children's sense of reality: The development of orbitofrontal reality filtering. Child Neuropsychol 2015; 23:408-421. [PMID: 26678872 DOI: 10.1080/09297049.2015.1120861] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Orbitofrontal reality filtering denotes a memory control mechanism necessary to keep thought and behavior in phase with reality. In adults, it is mediated by the orbitofrontal cortex and subcortical connections and its failure induces reality confusion, confabulations, and disorientation. Here we investigated for the first time the development of this mechanism in 83 children from ages 7 to 11 years and 20 adults. We used an adapted version of a continuous recognition task composed of two runs with the same picture set but arranged in different order. The first run measures storage and recognition capacity (item memory), the second run measures reality filtering. We found that accuracy and reaction times in response to all stimulus types of the task improved in parallel across ages. Importantly, at no age was there a notable performance drop in the second run. This means that reality filtering was already efficacious at age 7 and then steadily improved as item memory became stronger. At the age of 11 years, reality filtering dissociated from item memory, similar to the pattern observed in adults. However, performance in 11-year-olds was still inferior as compared to adults. The study shows that reality filtering develops early in childhood and becomes more efficacious as memory capacity increases. For the time being, it remains unresolved, however, whether this function already depends on the orbitofrontal cortex, as it does in adults, or on different brain structures in the developing brains of children.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Maria Chiara Liverani
- a Laboratory of Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Medical School , University of Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Aurélie L Manuel
- a Laboratory of Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Medical School , University of Geneva , Switzerland
| | - Louis Nahum
- a Laboratory of Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Medical School , University of Geneva , Switzerland
| | | | - Carlo Tomasetto
- b Department of Psychology , University of Bologna , Bologna , Italy
| | - Armin Schnider
- a Laboratory of Cognitive Neurorehabilitation, Medical School , University of Geneva , Switzerland.,c Division of Neurorehabilitation, Department of Clinical Neurosciences , University Hospital and University of Geneva , Switzerland
| |
Collapse
|