The role of rejection sensitivity (RS; the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and ov... more The role of rejection sensitivity (RS; the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to implied or overt interpersonal rejection) in psychopathology has mainly been studied with regard to borderline personality disorder (BPD). In the present study, we first sought to extend previous evidence of heightened RS in a clinical group with psychiatric disorders other than BPD, when compared with a community sample. Then, we tested whether emotion dysregulation and mindfulness were associated with RS in both sample, further hypothesizing that emotion dysregulation would mediate the relation between mindfulness deficits and RS. We adopted a cross-sectional design involving 191 psychiatric patients and 277 community participants (total N=468). All participants completed the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Our hypotheses were supported, with psychiatric patients reporting greater levels of rejection sensitivity and emotion dysregulation, and lower level of mindfulness. Mindfulness deficits and emotion dysregulation explained a significant amount of variance in RS, in both samples. Finally, bootstrap analyses revealed that mindfulness deficits played an indirect effect on RS through the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. In particular, two different patterns emerged. Among psychiatric patients, an impairment in the ability to assume a non-judgmental stance towards own thoughts and feelings was related to RS through the mediation of limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Conversely, in the community sample, overall emotion dysregulation mediated the effect of lack of attention and awareness for present activities and experience on RS. Longitudinal studies could help in delineating etiological models of RS, and the joint role of deficits in mindfulness and emotion regulation should inform treatment programs.
The literature on psychopathy and other Personality Disorders (PDs) has grown separately over the... more The literature on psychopathy and other Personality Disorders (PDs) has grown separately over the years, with the former of specific interest in the criminal justice and forensic systems, and the latter of interest in clinical settings. As a result, relationships between psychopathy and other PDs have sparsely been investigated. Only two prior studies have investigated the relationship between the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) and other PDs (Blackburn, 2007; Rogers, Jordan, & Harrison, 2007). Additionally, these two studies only examined zero-order correlations between the four facets of psychopathy and each PD. Thus, this study was designed to further elaborate on the relationship between each facet of psychopathy and the ten PDs included in the DSM-V, assessed dimensionally. The sample consisted of 66 male incarcerated offenders, who were administered the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) and the Internationa...
Emotion Regulation (ER) is one of the major foci of study in the fields of emotion and emotional ... more Emotion Regulation (ER) is one of the major foci of study in the fields of emotion and emotional development . Moreover, research on emotion an psychopathology has blossomed due in part to the translation of affective science theory and methods to the study of diverse disorders (Kring, 2010). In spite of some confusion about how ER is conceptualized (Gross, 2008), we refer to this construct as the conscious or unconscious attempt of an individual to influence the expression and type of emotion he or she feels (Mauss, . ER also encompasses the extrinsic or intrinsic processes that are responsible for the monitoring, evaluation, and modification of emotional responses, including the ability to modulate and regulate behaviors when experiencing emotional distress . The future of emotion research in psychopathology could benefit from the emphasis on emotion difficulties that cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries (i.e., a transdiagnostic approach; Kring & Sloan, 2010).
established, yet studies with inmates are lacking. If higher rates of dissociation
and psychiatri... more established, yet studies with inmates are lacking. If higher rates of dissociation and psychiatric symptoms are reported in inmate samples, it is not clear whether they represent two separate, albeit related, characteristics. We examined the association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms among 320 Italian subjects (122 inmates and 198 community participants) and a Portuguese inmate sample (n = 67). Then, we tested whether dissociation and psychopathology levels were higher among inmates. Both hypotheses were supported, confirming the relevance of dissociative, paranoid, and psychotic symptoms among inmates, as well as their interrelations. Notably, the group difference in dissociation remained significant after partialing out the variance associated with other psychopathological symptoms. Conversely, only the difference in paranoid symptoms remained—marginally—significant when controlling for the influence of dissociation. This finding suggests that dissociation may have unique relevance for the psychological functioning of inmates.
The role of rejection sensitivity (RS; the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and ov... more The role of rejection sensitivity (RS; the tendency to anxiously expect, readily perceive, and overreact to implied or overt interpersonal rejection) in psychopathology has mainly been studied with regard to borderline personality disorder (BPD). In the present study, we first sought to extend previous evidence of heightened RS in a clinical group with psychiatric disorders other than BPD, when compared with a community sample. Then, we tested whether emotion dysregulation and mindfulness were associated with RS in both sample, further hypothesizing that emotion dysregulation would mediate the relation between mindfulness deficits and RS. We adopted a cross-sectional design involving 191 psychiatric patients and 277 community participants (total N=468). All participants completed the Rejection Sensitivity Questionnaire, the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, and the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale. Our hypotheses were supported, with psychiatric patients reporting greater levels of rejection sensitivity and emotion dysregulation, and lower level of mindfulness. Mindfulness deficits and emotion dysregulation explained a significant amount of variance in RS, in both samples. Finally, bootstrap analyses revealed that mindfulness deficits played an indirect effect on RS through the mediating role of emotion dysregulation. In particular, two different patterns emerged. Among psychiatric patients, an impairment in the ability to assume a non-judgmental stance towards own thoughts and feelings was related to RS through the mediation of limited access to emotion regulation strategies. Conversely, in the community sample, overall emotion dysregulation mediated the effect of lack of attention and awareness for present activities and experience on RS. Longitudinal studies could help in delineating etiological models of RS, and the joint role of deficits in mindfulness and emotion regulation should inform treatment programs.
The literature on psychopathy and other Personality Disorders (PDs) has grown separately over the... more The literature on psychopathy and other Personality Disorders (PDs) has grown separately over the years, with the former of specific interest in the criminal justice and forensic systems, and the latter of interest in clinical settings. As a result, relationships between psychopathy and other PDs have sparsely been investigated. Only two prior studies have investigated the relationship between the four facets of psychopathy (i.e., interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and antisocial) and other PDs (Blackburn, 2007; Rogers, Jordan, & Harrison, 2007). Additionally, these two studies only examined zero-order correlations between the four facets of psychopathy and each PD. Thus, this study was designed to further elaborate on the relationship between each facet of psychopathy and the ten PDs included in the DSM-V, assessed dimensionally. The sample consisted of 66 male incarcerated offenders, who were administered the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) and the Internationa...
Emotion Regulation (ER) is one of the major foci of study in the fields of emotion and emotional ... more Emotion Regulation (ER) is one of the major foci of study in the fields of emotion and emotional development . Moreover, research on emotion an psychopathology has blossomed due in part to the translation of affective science theory and methods to the study of diverse disorders (Kring, 2010). In spite of some confusion about how ER is conceptualized (Gross, 2008), we refer to this construct as the conscious or unconscious attempt of an individual to influence the expression and type of emotion he or she feels (Mauss, . ER also encompasses the extrinsic or intrinsic processes that are responsible for the monitoring, evaluation, and modification of emotional responses, including the ability to modulate and regulate behaviors when experiencing emotional distress . The future of emotion research in psychopathology could benefit from the emphasis on emotion difficulties that cut across traditional diagnostic boundaries (i.e., a transdiagnostic approach; Kring & Sloan, 2010).
established, yet studies with inmates are lacking. If higher rates of dissociation
and psychiatri... more established, yet studies with inmates are lacking. If higher rates of dissociation and psychiatric symptoms are reported in inmate samples, it is not clear whether they represent two separate, albeit related, characteristics. We examined the association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms among 320 Italian subjects (122 inmates and 198 community participants) and a Portuguese inmate sample (n = 67). Then, we tested whether dissociation and psychopathology levels were higher among inmates. Both hypotheses were supported, confirming the relevance of dissociative, paranoid, and psychotic symptoms among inmates, as well as their interrelations. Notably, the group difference in dissociation remained significant after partialing out the variance associated with other psychopathological symptoms. Conversely, only the difference in paranoid symptoms remained—marginally—significant when controlling for the influence of dissociation. This finding suggests that dissociation may have unique relevance for the psychological functioning of inmates.
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Papers by Carlo Garofalo
and psychiatric symptoms are reported in inmate samples, it is not clear whether
they represent two separate, albeit related, characteristics. We examined the
association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms among 320
Italian subjects (122 inmates and 198 community participants) and a Portuguese
inmate sample (n = 67). Then, we tested whether dissociation and
psychopathology levels were higher among inmates. Both hypotheses were
supported, confirming the relevance of dissociative, paranoid, and psychotic
symptoms among inmates, as well as their interrelations. Notably, the group
difference in dissociation remained significant after partialing out the variance
associated with other psychopathological symptoms. Conversely, only the
difference in paranoid symptoms remained—marginally—significant when
controlling for the influence of dissociation. This finding suggests that dissociation
may have unique relevance for the psychological functioning of inmates.
and psychiatric symptoms are reported in inmate samples, it is not clear whether
they represent two separate, albeit related, characteristics. We examined the
association between dissociation and psychopathological symptoms among 320
Italian subjects (122 inmates and 198 community participants) and a Portuguese
inmate sample (n = 67). Then, we tested whether dissociation and
psychopathology levels were higher among inmates. Both hypotheses were
supported, confirming the relevance of dissociative, paranoid, and psychotic
symptoms among inmates, as well as their interrelations. Notably, the group
difference in dissociation remained significant after partialing out the variance
associated with other psychopathological symptoms. Conversely, only the
difference in paranoid symptoms remained—marginally—significant when
controlling for the influence of dissociation. This finding suggests that dissociation
may have unique relevance for the psychological functioning of inmates.