RISULTATI RICERCA

La promozione della salute costituisce un ambito di intervento interdisciplinare e interprofessionale. Delineare la figura dello psicologo che si occupa di promozione della salute è di centrale importanza per integrare l’intervento psicologico in questa disciplina. La presente ricerca è volta a rilevare gli atteggiamenti e le rappresentazioni degli psicologi italiani in tema di promozione della salute, evidenziando eventuali differenze per età, anzianità di servizio, coinvolgimento in e applicazione di prospettive basate su una prospettiva salutogenica. A partire da precedenti ricerche che hanno indagato il ruolo di psicologi e professionisti della promozione della salute in Italia e in Europa, è stato predisposto un questionario per rilevare gli ambiti teorico/paradigmatici ritenuti più coerenti con l’approccio salutogenico e gli obiettivi chiave di un progetto di promozione della salute. I risultati delle analisi di dati qualitativi e quantitativi mostrano rappresentazioni eterogenee: gli psicologi appartenenti ad una generazione “intermedia” (età 31-49 anni e anzianità di servizio 4-10 anni) e chi lavora abitualmente nella promozione della salute sembrano essere i più formati sul tema; i più giovani (età 24-30 anni e anzianità di servizio 0-3 anni), al contrario dei più anziani (età 50+ anni e anzianità di servizio 10+ anni), tendono a discostare la promozione della salute dai tradizionali approcci basati sull’intervento clinico one-to-one. Il presente lavoro offre uno spunto di riflessione per ri-pensare al ruolo dello psicologo promotore della salute all’interno di una prospettiva territoriale, interdisciplinare e salutogenica che opera non solo all’interno del tradizionale setting terapeutico.

La Breast-Self Examination (BSE) rappresenta una strategia di prevenzione del cancro alla mammella efficiente ed economica. Poiché la BSE richiede un esame minuzioso del proprio seno, le donne insoddisfatte e a disagio con il proprio corpo possono eseguire questo comportamento con minore frequenza. Tuttavia, quando le donne sviluppano un atteggiamento positivo verso il proprio corpo, tendono a essere più inclini a prendersi cura della loro salute in generale attuando più frequentemente gli screening medici. Utilizzando la Teoria del Comportamento Pianificato (TCP) come framework, lo studio esamina il ruolo di varie dimensioni dell’immagine corporea (positiva e negativa), insieme alle componenti della TCP, nel predire le intenzioni e il comportamento effettivo di BSE in un campione di donne italiane. Il campione iniziale (T1) di 409 donne (M=30.31) ha visto la partecipazione di 105 donne (M=31.45) al follow-up (T2). Il questionario al T1 ha rilevato le variabili associate alla TCP e all’immagine corporea, mentre al T2 è stato registrato il comportamento effettivo. La path-analysis indica che le intenzioni sono positivamente associate al comportamento, predette da norme soggettive e dal controllo comportamentale percepito (CCP). L’insoddisfazione corporea generale risulta predire indirettamente le intenzioni (tramite CCP) mentre body-compassion e insoddisfazione per il seno si associano direttamente al comportamento. Questi risultati sottolineano l’importanza di strutturare campagne preventive del tumore al seno che prevedano interventi volti a migliorare l’immagine corporea, in un’ottica compassionevole, e che enfatizzino il ruolo degli altri significativi e della percezione di facilità ed economicità dell’esecuzione della BSE per aumentare l’intenzione comportamentale e, di conseguenza, l’attuazione del comportamento.

The paradigm of allostasis and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) share foundational conceptual and pathophysiological principles, as well as a holistic perspective on the relationships between psychological and biological dimensions. TCM emphasizes the profound connection between the body and Qi, while the allostatic model places the representation and regulation of bodily states at the core of all mental processes. According to predictive processing theories, the brain-mind system employs internal models to anticipate neurosensory states, continuously comparing predictions with incoming data from external and internal environments.
By minimizing predictive errors, the brain-mind system constructs perceptions, plans actions, and regulates allostasis. Disruptions in the balance between predictions and prediction errors can impair allostatic efficiency, leading to clinical consequences. Similarly, imbalances in Qi – stagnation, deficiency, excess – disrupt psychophysical equilibrium and contribute to the development of chronic diseases, notably under prolonged stress conditions.
Integrating Western and Eastern paradigms holds promise for developing more effective, patient-centered therapeutic approaches.

Life sciences face challenges in developing theoretical frameworks for operating on biological systems. This is evident when considering disappointing results in biomedicine, as many diseases remain poorly understood despite decades of intensive efforts. The complexity of living systems is often cited as the reason for these shortcomings. To address these challenges, I have proposed a new definition of life, which I call Loopomics. According to this new paradigm, life is defined as any natural entity consisting of agents that produce physical changes, interconnected through chains of interactions that form closed loops. These loops create nonlinear systems whose dynamics are known to be characterized by single equilibrium points or transitions between different equilibrium points. The number of equilibrium points is determined by the kind of loop but is modified by bifurcation parameters, whose variation over time can significantly alter the behavior of the system. Thus, bifurcation parameters are key targets for interventions aimed at acquiring control of these systems. Biological loops give rise to ordered and predictable accumulations of materials that realize epiphenomena, including subcellular organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organisms.
These epiphenomena do not help in conceptualizing life and can be only used to identify, map, and manipulate the loop systems. The verification of the Loopomics hypothesis can be carried out by developing loop models of pathogenesis, identifying bifurcation parameters, and addressing them as therapeutic targets. If this approach is successful, it would provide positive validation for the hypothesis and could chart a new direction for biomedical research and applied biology.

The science of the microbiota, by revealing the complexity of interactions between the world of microorganisms that colonize us and that of human cells, represents the dawn of a new paradigm in biomedical and psychological sciences. It allows for a more complex yet more promising perspective on human health and disease compared to previous approaches. Scientific literature has now identified specific lifestyle-related factors (nutrition, environmental physicalchemical quality, psychological well-being, etc.) that significantly influence the composition of the microbiota. This paper introduces the concept of the “funnel effect” of the microbiota to describe the convergent and partially independent nature of these factors (nutrition, physical activity, psychological well-being, sleep quality, social support, environmental physical-chemical quality, circadian rhythms) on the composition of the intestinal microbiota, thereby impacting the overall health of the human organism. The “funnel effect” of the microbiota has some highly relevant clinical implications, emphasizing the need for an integrated psycho-neuro-endocrineimmunological approach, in contrast to the highly specialized and molecularly focused approach that is currently widely adopted.

Some issues concerning the problem of efficacy of psychotherapy are reviewed and discussed. The difference between clinical research and empirical research is examined, also with some philosophical considerations. Clinical research and empirical research are very different: the former is conducted by the psychotherapist in the daily work with patients, while the latter is performed in the experimental laboratory. It is then discussed whether replicability, which is a central characteristic of the scientific method, is possible in psychotherapy. An overview of the history of the psychotherapy research movement is then traced: a first phase has been mainly dedicated to outcome research, while a second phase concerns mostly process research. Finally, some recent research on the efficacy of psychoanalysis is summarized, where it increasingly emerges that psychoanalysis and dynamic psychotherapy are not inferior, but sometimes even superior, to cognitive-behavioral therapy.

In recent years, cases of food hypersensitivity reactions in the Western population have significantly increased, with over 50% of patients with functional gastrointestinal disorders (FGID) believing that food triggers their symptoms. The main culprits include FODMAPs (Fermentable Oligosaccharides, Disaccharides, Monosaccharides, and Polyols) and specific protein components of wheat, such as gluten and amylase/trypsin inhibitors (ATIs). Gastrointestinal symptoms related to carbohydrate malabsorption stem from two primary mechanisms. First, unabsorbed carbohydrates can feed certain gut bacteria, leading to fermentative dysbiosis and gas production, which causes bloating and abdominal distension. Second, a diet rich in unabsorbed sugars draws water into the intestinal lumen, accelerating transit and resulting in diarrhea.
Adverse reactions to gluten include celiac disease, wheat allergy, and non-celiac gluten/wheat sensitivity (NCGS/WS). The latter triggers both intestinal and extra-intestinal symptoms, which improve upon gluten withdrawal. Recent studies suggest that, in addition to gluten, other wheat components, such as ATIs and FODMAPs, can contribute to symptom exacerbation. NCGS/WS is associated with intestinal dysbiosis and immune alterations. Although a gluten-free diet is currently considered the only available therapeutic strategy, it may negatively impact gut microbiota and the bioavailability of minerals and vitamins.
Recent research suggests the use of strain-specific probiotics to improve fermentative dysbiosis, reducing gas-producing species and enhancing the digestion and absorption of carbohydrates, gluten proteins, and micronutrients. In conclusion, an integrated approach combining a low-FODMAP diet (LFD) with specific probiotics could be an effective strategy for managing carbohydrate malabsorption symptoms in FGID, restoring intestinal homeostasis, and counteracting associated microbial hyperfermentation.